Chapter 101: The Seed of Despair

Fred stepped toward the altar, his footsteps muffled by the damp, shifting ground.

The seed throbbed with life — or perhaps death — its light flickering in rhythm with that ancient heartbeat vibrating through the soil.

Behind him, Mira reached out, her voice trembling.

"Fred… don't."

He paused.

Callen shifted uneasily.

Jonas gripped his sword.

Selene stood perfectly still, her black robes blending with the darkness around her, her eyes gleaming with something between hope and devastation.

Fred's hand hovered over the seed.

"What happens if I take it?" he asked, his voice hollow.

Selene answered without hesitation.

"You'll carry the burden of every soul lost to the Root. Their memories. Their pain. Their rage. It will become a part of you."

Fred's fingers twitched.

"And if I refuse?"

"The world will continue to decay... but slower. Painfully. Unseen. Eventually, everything will fall into silence."

--

A sudden howl tore through the clearing.

From the shadows, creatures erupted — twisted mockeries of men and beasts, their bodies woven with bark, bone, and sinew.

Jonas swore and drew his blade.

Callen barked orders.

Fred watched as the first monster lunged — and Mira screamed.

Time slowed.

He could see everything — the monsters' rotting faces, the despair etched into Mira's terrified expression, the cold indifference in Selene's stare.

Something inside him broke.

Not in anger.

Not in fear.

But in clarity.

Without thinking, he seized the seed.

Pain lanced through him like molten knives.

The world around him exploded in light.

The clearing — the monsters — even his friends — blurred and dissolved.

Only the spire and the heartbeat remained.

---

Fred collapsed to his knees, gasping.

Visions flooded his mind — memories that weren't his:

Children crying as vines devoured their homes.

Warriors screaming as roots ripped them apart.

Kingdoms collapsing into mud and ruin.

The Root wasn't just a force.

It was a consciousness.

Ancient.

Broken.

Endlessly hungry.

And now, Fred was tethered to it.

---

Within the blinding visions, a voice spoke.

"You are mine now."

Fred gritted his teeth.

"No."

"You took the seed. You are bound."

Fred shook his head.

"I'll use your power — but I will never be yours."

The voice laughed, a sound like branches snapping and bones cracking.

"We shall see."

---