Thousands of miles to the west, Laura's plane approached the burning forests of the Amazon. Her team included a Brazilian botanist whose family had protected plant knowledge for generations and an Indigenous shaman whose connection to the forest transcended scientific understanding.
Unlike the others, Laura had taken to her guardian role with natural ease. The wood element had always been part of her healing practice, though she hadn't understood the true depth of that connection until Monique awakened her full potential.
"The corruption spreads from these three points," Dr. Santos, the botanist, explained, showing Laura a detailed map where healthy green forest gave way to sickly brown patches. "Officially, it's blamed on illegal logging and climate change—which are certainly factors—but the pattern is too systematic, too precise."