The dense forest seemed to thicken with every step they took. Lumis and Eili walked in silence, attentively listening to every rustle. The mechanical hum they had heard earlier grew louder, blending with a rhythmic throbbing that resembled the heartbeat of a colossal organism.
— We are getting closer, — Lumis said, gripping the fragment in his hand. The metal glowed with a faint blue light, as if responding to something ahead.
— Something is wrong, — Eili whispered, her hand reaching for the dagger hidden at her belt. — The forest isn’t just alive; it’s testing us.
Suddenly, they saw before them a gigantic tree adorned with glimmering runic inscriptions etched into its trunk. The branches of the tree were woven with thin metallic threads, issuing a soft buzzing sound.
— This is a nexus, — Eili stated, moving closer. — Here, the energy flows of the system converge.
— Can you stop it? — Lumis asked.
— I don’t know, — she replied. — But if we don’t try, the forest might swallow us whole.
Eili raised her hand and touched the tree. Her fingers glided over the cold surface of the metallic threads, and suddenly, the forest was filled with sounds: whispers, cries, and mournful laughter intertwined into a loud chorus. The tree began to tremble, and the runes glowed with bright white light.
— What is this? — Lumis exclaimed, shielding his eyes.
— It’s a trap! — Eili shouted. — Lumis, the fragment!
He rushed to her, bringing the piece of metal closer to the tree. The metal began to pulse, and all at once, everything went silent. The light extinguished, and the forest plunged into deep silence.
— What happened? — Lumis asked, glancing around.
Eili looked at the tree. The metallic threads had melted, and the runes had vanished.
— We stopped the nexus. But this is just the beginning. If the nexuses exist here, it means the system hasn’t just survived. It has adapted.
— And it’s waiting for us ahead, — Lumis added, lowering the fragment.
They pressed on, leaving behind the shattered nexus. The mysteries concealed within the forest were just beginning to unveil themselves before them.