The tunnel below the canyon glowed with a soft silver light that pulsed along the walls like veins carrying quiet breath. Nolan gripped Kaelun’s mane tighter as they descended. The air inside was warmer than the canyon above and carried an earthy scent almost metallic as if the tunnel remembered storms and old battles.
Kaelun’s tail curled protectively around Nolan’s legs as they walked deeper. The stone floor beneath them vibrated with a steady hum. It reminded Nolan of a heartbeat except it did not belong to any creature. This was the heartbeat of the world itself.
Kaelun spoke in a low tone.
The world formed this tunnel long ago It only opens when echoes gather in one place
So it opened because of me
Because of the echoes in you
Nolan swallowed.
That does not make me feel better
It is not meant to comfort Kaelun said gently It is meant to prepare
The tunnel widened gradually until it opened into a vast underground chamber. The ceiling was so high it disappeared into shifting shadows. The ground was flat and smooth like polished stone carved by water even though no water flowed here.
In the center of the chamber stood a giant structure shaped like a tree made of stone. Its branches spread widely and its roots rose from the ground like curved pillars. Thin strands of glowing energy drifted between the branches like threads of light suspended in air.
Nolan whispered.
Is that a tree or a monument
Both and neither Kaelun replied This is the Echo Root
The name ran a chill down Nolan’s spine.
Echo Root
Kaelun stepped forward slowly as if approaching something sacred.
All echoes begin and end here This place stores the world’s memories The ones meant to sleep and the ones meant to awaken
Nolan walked beside Kaelun staring up at the massive stone branches. He felt a faint pressure against his chest like something inside the tree recognized him.
Kaelun’s voice entered his mind again.
Be still The Echo Root wishes to speak
Nolan’s breath caught.
The glowing strands above them twisted forming circular patterns in the air. Then the entire chamber dimmed except the tree which brightened with a soft golden hue.
A deep voice echoed through the chamber not like speech but like vibration.
Nolan straightened instinctively.
Kaelun lowered its head.
It addresses you
Nolan whispered.
Me
The voice resonated again. Not words but meaning
Traveler of echoes You carry the paths of many yet walk your own
Nolan stepped back.
Kaelun steadied him with its tail.
Do not fear You are recognized
The tree pulsed.
Another wave of meaning flowed toward Nolan
The shadows in this world are remnants of a wound A tear left behind when the rift first opened long before you
Nolan frowned.
Wait I thought I caused the rift
Kaelun answered softly.
Your arrival reopened an old wound but did not create it
Nolan looked up at the glowing branches.
So the shadow creature we fought
The Echo Root responded
It awakened because you stepped through the weakened rift It sought the echoes inside you to restore itself
Nolan clenched his fists.
Then destroying it did not fix everything
No
The word felt heavy even without sound.
Kaelun lifted its head.
The Echo Root will show you what remains
The chamber darkened
A swirl of images appeared around the tree like memories projected onto shifting mist
Nolan saw a storm ripping through the world
He saw giant beasts battling shadows that crawled across the land like living fog
He saw the first rift splitting open like a wound
He saw guardians falling
He saw forests burning
He saw an ancient creature coiling around the world before dissolving into fragments
The shadow
Kaelun spoke quietly
You saw the origin
Nolan forced himself to breathe.
So the shadow we fought was only a piece of something ancient
Yes
The Echo Root pulsed again
Traveler you carry the echoes that stabilize this world You walk the path meant for the one who would mend the rift
Nolan shook his head.
I do not know how to fix a rift I barely know how to survive here
Kaelun touched his shoulder gently
You do not mend it alone
Before Nolan could answer the chamber trembled
A ripple of darkness appeared at the far edge of the room twisting upward like a rising plume of smoke
Kaelun growled
A remnant again
The shadow piece slithered across the chamber forming jagged shapes like broken limbs reaching toward Nolan
Kaelun stood between them
But the Echo Root pulsed sharply
Light burst outward
The shadow fragment shattered instantly into dust
Nolan froze
It destroyed it without touching it
The Echo Root protects its chosen Kaelun said
Nolan swallowed hard
So what now
The Echo Root’s voice filled his mind
North Beyond the cliffs of forgotten light lies the place where the tear sleeps Go there keeper and the world will show you the truth
Nolan stepped back
Then that is where we go
Kaelun lowered its head in agreement
Then your path turns north

And the Echo Root dimmed
Leaving the chamber quiet
But the world had already given Nolan a new direction