William's breath hitched as his gaze locked onto the towering, grotesque figure of Iris. His pupils shrank, and a chilling realization dawned on him.
The "gatekeeper of the Black Forest" wasn't a title, it was literal.
Sofia's grandmother, Iris, had buried her decaying form deep in the Black Forest long ago. The grandmotherly figure he had encountered before? A mere illusion, a fleeting afterimage.
Her voice; when she spoke, it hadn't come from a single direction. It resonated everywhere, as though the forest itself was speaking.
This wasn't a trick. This was her truth.
---
"Iris, is this torment worth it?"
Mott's frail, aged body trembled and then began to shift. His hunched form stretched downward, his hands clawing the earth. His human shape dissolved as his frame grew, swelling with unnatural strength.
A tide of power exploded from him, matching the aura of Iris.