The chamber shook again, harder than before. Dust drifted from the ceiling in soft gray clouds. The glowing veins along the walls pulsed in frantic waves. The moss on the floor writhed like something trapped inside, pushing upward trying to breathe. The healer crouched with her hands pressed to the stone, feeling the pulse through her palms. The mage whispered that the energy was spiking without control. The scout stepped back toward the entrance, instinctively looking for danger.

The wolf stepped forward first. Its glow brightened in waves that matched the trembling in the chamber. The bark creature followed, tapping its wooden hooves in a slow repetitive rhythm that made the moss settle slightly. The giant bird lowered its head toward the glowing pool and released a deep muffled call that vibrated through the hollow like wind pushing through stone.

Ethan knelt beside the wolf and placed his hand on its back. Its body hummed with warmth but not fever. The glow felt steady, like the creature drawing in unstable energy and filtering it. The mage gasped. He pointed to the wolf’s glow and said it was stabilizing the roots. The healer nodded and added that the bark creature seemed to calm the moss. The bird was guiding the current of energy like a wind channel.

The chamber pulsed again.
The pool at the center brightened suddenly.

The wolf howled softly in response.
The bird spread its wings wide.
The bark creature pressed both front hooves into the ground.

The glowing pool answered with a deep surge. Ethan felt the force push into his chest. The entire chamber brightened so intensely that he had to shield his eyes. The wolf leaned into the glow without hesitation. The bird lifted its head high and let the light wash across its feathers. The bark creature absorbed the pulse like dry wood soaking in water after a long drought.

Ethan could feel their instincts guiding them.
They were not scared.
They were being called.

The mage spoke softly as if afraid his voice would break something delicate. He said the creatures had been touched by the same magic that fed the core. They were natural conduits. Balancers. Their bodies understood what the forest needed even if humans did not.

Another tremor rolled through the ground.
This one sharper than before.

The moss recoiled.
The glowing veins flickered.
The pool dimmed suddenly.

The wolf whimpered.
The bird released a short harsh note.
The bark creature stumbled.

Ethan grabbed the wolf and steadied it.
The healer leaned against the wall for balance.
The mage shouted that the core was collapsing too fast.

Ethan looked at the pool. Its glow sputtered like a flame running out of air. The roots pulled inward as if trying to hold themselves together. But something beneath the chamber resisted. Something deep under the earth pushed upward against the core’s natural rhythm.

A second pulse struck.
Harder.
Stronger.
Wild.

Ethan and the creatures were thrown back.
The scout caught the mage before he hit the ground.
The healer nearly fell into the glowing pool before Ethan pulled her back.

When the chamber settled again the wolf stood shaky but determined. Its glow intensified until its body looked like a warm star in the dim cavern. The bird lowered its massive wing around Ethan as if shielding him. The bark creature pressed its wooden head to the moss and hummed in a low steady tone.

The pool brightened again.
But this time different.
Less frantic.
More like a response.

Ethan felt the truth settle inside him like a gentle drop of water hitting still ground.

The creatures were stabilizing the core.
They were not just connected.
They were pieces of it.

The ancient creature at the lake was not alone.
It was part of a cycle.
A system.
A living network of guardians.

Ethan took a deep breath and spoke softly even though he knew the creatures did not understand the words.

“You’re the key. Not me.”

The wolf pressed its glowing forehead to his hand.
The bird touched his shoulder with the tip of its beak.
The bark creature leaned against his side.

Then the core surged one more time.
But this surge felt different.
Like a final call before silence.

Ethan stood and pointed deeper into the chamber where the roots sloped downward into a darker passage. The mage swallowed nervously. The healer whispered a short prayer. The scout tightened the straps of his gear.

Ethan stepped first into the passage with the carved staff in his hand.
The creatures followed.
They had no fear.
Only purpose.

The deeper they went the stronger the pull became.

The forest was calling its keepers home.

––––––––––––––––––––––
CHAPTER 18 — Where the Roots Converge
(約 7600 characters)

The passage sloped downward in a spiral that felt unnatural, as if carved not by hands but by something large twisting through the earth long ago. The air grew hotter the deeper they traveled. The walls glowed in faint lines where roots thinned into threads of blue light. Ethan placed his fingers on the rock and felt a slow dragging pulse pulling inward with each beat.

The wolf walked confidently ahead, its glow steady and bright. The bark creature stayed close beside Ethan, occasionally tapping its hoof on rocks as if checking the stability of the path. The giant bird followed with wings half open for balance, its feathers shimmering in soft waves of blue.

The mage whispered that the deeper they went the more the energy condensed. He said the core was collapsing from the bottom upward. The healer added that if the lower roots failed the entire forest would collapse with them. The scout remained quiet, scanning every shadow with wary eyes.

They reached a wide cavern where the floor dipped gently toward a massive pit glowing with unstable light. Roots hung from the ceiling twisting downward like reaching arms. The pool at the bottom pulsed in painful surges. It looked alive yet fragile like a beating heart pushed beyond its limit.

Ethan stepped toward the edge.
The wolf followed immediately.
The bird lowered its head and hummed.
The bark creature pressed its hooves into the ground.

The cavern shook.
A long low rumble rolled through the roots.
The pool flickered dangerously.

Ethan dropped to one knee and extended his hand toward the light. The energy felt like intense heat built from panic fear and exhaustion. The glowing pool shook again in a violent pulse. The wolf howled softly. The bird cried out in a long note. The bark creature hummed in deep vibrations.

Their voices merged.

The pool responded.

A thin beam of light rose from it like a thread reaching upward. Ethan watched as the wolf stepped forward and pressed its glowing forehead to the beam. The bird extended a wing until one feather touched it. The bark creature leaned its entire body against the beam letting the light seep into the cracks of its wooden skin.

The beam brightened.
The cavern steadied.
For a moment the tremors paused.

The healer gasped and whispered that the pool was stabilizing. The mage said the creatures were aligning its energy, redirecting it. He studied the wolf and bark creature with awe. The scout took a hesitant step closer but stopped when the cavern shook again lightly.

The beam flickered.
The roots trembled.
The cavern pulsed again with unstable energy.

It was not enough.

Ethan understood before anyone else.
The ancient creature at the lake was also part of this core.
Without it the energy could not balance fully.

He stood quickly.
He placed his hand on the glowing beam beside the creatures.

The energy surged into him like a burning river.
He staggered but did not fall.
The wolf stepped closer stabilizing him.
The bark creature rested its head against his leg.
The bird touched his shoulder.

For a brief moment Ethan saw visions.
Flashes of roots stretching across the earth.
The ancient creature rising through the lake in slow centuries long movements.
The glowing core feeding the forest like a living heart.
And deep beneath everything…
a crack.

A fissure breaking through the center where the energy once flowed freely.

The crack pulsed with unnatural darkness.
Something below it moved.
Something that did not belong.

When the vision faded Ethan fell to one knee. The creatures steadied him. The healer rushed forward but the mage held her back, realizing Ethan was still connected to the beam.

The cavern shook violently.
The pool dimmed again.
The roots above twisted in panic.

The wolf growled low.
The bark creature tapped its hooves.
The giant bird spread both wings wide.

Ethan stood slowly and looked at the team. His voice was quiet but steady.

“There’s a break under the core. Something deep is pushing into it.”

The mage paled.
The healer whispered the old stories of cursed roots.
The scout took a step back in fear.

Ethan placed his hand on the wolf’s neck.
He felt steady.
Focused.
Certain.

“We’re not done,” he said.

The cavern roared again.
The pool pulsed.
The roots twisted.

Ethan tightened his grip on the carved staff.
The wolf glowed brighter.
The bird lowered its head.
The bark creature hummed deeply.

They would have to go deeper still.
Beyond the glowing cavern.
Beyond the core.
To the crack beneath everything.

The forest was calling them forward.
And Ethan would answer.