The Second Beast

The fire in Hazel's blood flickered.

The name alone — Second Beast — was enough to rattle Silas. And if he was afraid, Evelyn knew they were already too late.

Ronan sat upright now, too alert for someone half-dead. His fingers twitched, tracing an invisible rune in the dirt. Hazel caught the motion.

"That's a binding mark," she said sharply.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Ronan said. "I came to warn you."

"You're working with them," Silas growled, stepping between them. "You were gone for a year. You think we believe you just walked out of the Hollow?"

"I didn't walk," Ronan said. "It spat me out."

He reached into his torn jacket, pulling out a broken pendant — black glass wrapped in silver root.

Hazel flinched. Evelyn recognized it. It belonged to the first Warden. The one who'd burned herself alive in the forest.

"This was buried with her," Evelyn whispered. "You went to the deep."

Ronan nodded slowly. "Deeper than anyone ever dared. And what I saw…" He looked at Hazel. "You've woken it."

Hazel narrowed her eyes. "The forest responded to me. I didn't wake anything."

"No," Ronan said. "The First Beast was the forest's guard dog. But the Second… it's the forest's heart."

The wind howled again. Trees cracked in the distance.

"It's coming," Silas said, low and grim. "I can feel it."

---

Suddenly, the earth trembled.

From the north ridge, where the Hollow once swallowed blood and secrets, a low, guttural sound echoed like the groan of an ancient god.

The sky darkened unnaturally. Leaves turned black and rained upward.

And then—

A shape moved between the trees.

Massive. Crawling. Breathing like thunder.

Not fur. Not flesh.

Bark.

Living bark, lined with bone.

A tree-beast, born of hatred, war, and sacrifice.

The Second Beast.

Hazel's flames rose instinctively, but the creature didn't slow. It didn't fear her.

It recognized her.

And that terrified her more than anything.

---