They traveled around the far edge of the lake where the roots twisted upward like frozen waves. The mage knelt to study them and whispered that the magic inside the roots felt wrong. It moved too fast then too slow, pulsing out of rhythm. He said it felt like something beneath the forest was pulling energy upward as if feeding, draining, or waking.

Ethan examined the roots with his hands. They vibrated faintly. When he pressed down, a distant tremor shifted through the ground. The healer crouched beside him and placed her ear against the bark. She winced. She said it sounded like many small heartbeats tangled together instead of one steady rhythm.

The scout found a narrow path behind the twisted roots. It tunneled downward between uneven rocks and thick vines. The air inside the path felt cold and heavy. The mage hesitated but Ethan moved first. He steadied his breathing and walked into the dark.

The tunnel was lit only by faint blue light leaking from cracks in the rock. The further they went the more the light pulsed. Ethan touched the wall and felt a strange warmth. It was the same unstable glow he felt from the ancient creature but sharper, almost painful.

They emerged into a hollow chamber beneath the forest. Roots hung from the ceiling like thick ropes. Some glowed blue like veins. Others were cracked and leaking dim light. The floor was covered in soft moss that pulsed like breathing. The healer whispered that she had never seen anything like it.

Ethan stepped forward carefully.
Then he froze.

The ground moved.

Not like a tremor.
Not like shaking.
It moved like something alive sliding beneath the moss.

The scout gasped and stepped back. The mage raised his hands instinctively. Ethan knelt and studied the moss. Beneath it he saw a pattern of roots woven together in spirals. The light inside them flickered. Then a faint rumble rolled through the chamber.

Ethan placed his hand on the moss again.
The movement stopped.
Then started again.
Like a heartbeat.

Something below was alive.
Something that should have stayed asleep.

The mage whispered that this chamber was feeding something deeper. It felt like the roots were being drained. The healer added that the moss felt sick. The scout pointed to a tunnel on the opposite side of the chamber that sloped even deeper.

Before they could move a sudden surge of energy hit the chamber. The roots above them shook violently. Blue sparks shot across the walls. The moss rippled like waves.

The healer fell backward.
The mage shouted something urgent.
The scout grabbed Ethan’s arm to keep him from slipping.

Then the chamber roared.

Not with a creature’s voice.
But with the sound of the forest itself twisting.

The wolf’s glow flashed across Ethan’s mind.
The bird’s trembling wings.
The bark creature’s tapping hooves.

They had felt this energy before he did.
They were connected to whatever was buried beneath this place.

Ethan steadied himself and forced his breath to slow. He pressed his hand against the moss again. The chamber quieted just enough for them to move without being thrown off balance.

They reached the far tunnel and continued deeper.
The air grew warmer.
The light brighter.
The trembling more frequent.

Finally they emerged into a cavern with a massive pool of glowing water at its center. The light was almost blinding. The moss, rocks, and roots all pulsed toward the pool like a single living organism feeding something unseen.

Ethan knelt beside the water.
He touched the surface.
A shock ran up his arm.
Not pain.
Not magic.
Something like fear.

The mage stared at the pool with wide eyes.
He whispered that this was a core.
The heart of the forest.
The thing that fed the ancient creature.
The thing that balanced the magic.

And something was poisoning it from below.

Ethan felt his chest tighten.
He whispered to himself, barely audible.

“We’re not dealing with a monster.
We’re dealing with a wound.”

The cavern trembled again.
Harder.
Faster.

Ethan stood and tightened his grip on the carved staff.

He knew what this meant.
He would have to return with the creatures.
Their connection to the forest might be the only way to understand what was breaking the roots.

He led the team back toward the tunnel as the chamber shook violently behind them.

Whatever was waking beneath the forest was not going to wait much longer.