The scent of fresh leaves and blooming flowers hit me the moment we arrived. We stood atop a hill overlooking a wide valley of green grass, bathed in warm sunlight that kissed my skin.

"We really did end up back where we started, just like you said," Darwyn muttered as he glanced around, his long, pointed ears giving a small twitch.

"Which means we don't have to go through that cursed Glass Maze again," Muradin said with a sigh of relief, brushing his dark hair back with one hand.

"Or deal with those obnoxious Pappus-Sky trees," Orin added with a mischievous grin.

"That means we just need to head that way," Darwyn continued, pointing toward the direction opposite the waterfall. "It shouldn't be too far from here."

We resumed our journey, strolling through a field of wildflowers. A few monsters tried to block our path, but none were particularly dangerous, making it a rather relaxed walk.

"So," Darwyn asked, picking up where we had left off earlier, "what exactly did you feel back there?"

Muradin scratched his head. "Hmmm… When Orugg body-slammed me, I felt this strange power rising inside. And before I knew it, the skill just… activated on its own."

"I see, so it's a passive skill," Darwyn said with a nod. "But why did it only trigger at the very last moment? It didn't activate when you took that direct hit from Orugg beforehand."

Muradin shrugged with a wry smile. "Maybe the secret requirement is having half my bones shattered first."

"My hypothesis," I chimed in, tapping my chin thoughtfully, "is that the skill activates once Muradin takes a certain amount of damage."

"Sounds plausible," Darwyn said, stroking his chin.

"Wait, does that mean we all have that skill too?" Orin asked excitedly, practically bouncing in place.

"Hold up," I said, cutting in. "Muradin, did you feel anything unusual when we defeated that silver tree?"

He nodded slowly. "Actually… yeah. Something changed inside me. I felt stronger, but I thought it was just my imagination."

"Well, I didn't feel anything," Orin said with a frown. "What about you guys?"

Darwyn and I shook our heads in unison.

"Maybe it's because I took the brunt of the damage?" Muradin mused, then grinned. "Or maybe the tree just knew who the strongest was and decided to pass on its gift to someone worthy."

"Oh, yes, of course. All hail the mighty Muradin," Darwyn replied, rolling his emerald-green eyes dramatically.

After we finished talking about Muradin's new skill, we continued in silence for a while, until we reached our destination.

"Is that… the Whisperwillow Weald?" Muradin asked, staring at the row of towering willow trees that marked the edge of a vast forest.

Orin pinched her small button nose, looking visibly uneasy.

"Yes, this should be the place," Darwyn confirmed without hesitation.

"Wait, before we go in, don't forget to use these," I said, pulling out a long, sturdy rope and handing one end to Muradin.

As planned, we had brought a specially crafted rope, tough enough to withstand just about anything.

Muradin tied it around his waist, followed by Darwyn, then Orin, and finally me at the end.

"Make sure it's secure and move slowly," I instructed, pulling out a piece of parchment and a magical quill.

We each double-checked our knots before cautiously stepping into a narrow opening, the entrance to the Whisperwillow Weald.

Unlike the rest of Edenfall, this place had a menacing atmosphere. The dense willows blocked out most of the sunlight, casting everything in an eerie twilight.

We crept forward along a narrow path framed by ancient trees. The thick canopy above whispered constantly, leaves rustling like voices murmuring secrets just out of reach.

"Do you guys hear that too?" Orin whispered nervously, glancing around. The rustling seemed to echo from all directions, like the trees themselves were whispering to one another.

"Careful, don't get too close to the trees!" I shouted as I saw her stray too far to the edge.

Too late.

The nearest willow suddenly whipped to life, lashing out and knocking Orin off her feet. The rope yanked taut, dragging Darwyn down with her.

Orin screamed instinctively, squeezing her eyes shut as the rustling around us intensified into a terrifying crescendo.

"Shhh! Don't make them angrier," Muradin hissed, quickly clamping a hand over her mouth. "Or it will show up."

Muradin referred to a special kind of monster that guarded this forest. If we lingered too long, it would come. And if we made too much noise or caused too much disturbance… it would come faster.

And with our current strength?

We had exactly zero chance of surviving that encounter.

"It's just leaves, no need to freak out," Darwyn whispered, trying to calm her.

After that little incident, we resumed our journey, this time, far more cautiously. Before long, the narrow single path began to widen and eventually branched off into multiple directions.

Orin, now noticeably calmer, glanced my way, silently asking for confirmation.

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I gave her a small nod.

[Hororo's Call cast]

Out of thin air, the familiar form of the owl Spirit Beast emerged, its feathers as white as fresh snow. Understanding the tension in the air, Hororo made no sound, as it usually did, but silently landed on Orin's shoulder.

"Hororo, guide us," Orin whispered. "Follow the source of druid energy… and no noise, please."

Almost all druids' Spirit Beasts had a special ability: the innate talent to detect natural energy, especially when it was druidic in nature. While druids and elves could also sense such things, Spirit Beasts were far more sensitive.

With a graceful flap of its wings, Hororo soared gently forward, choosing one of the many branching paths.

Muradin followed it immediately, trying not to step on any wayward roots. I followed from behind, unrolling my parchment to sketch a map of our route.

I caught a glimpse of Darwyn ahead, visibly focused, trying hard to memorize the twists and turns we took. Admirable, but nearly impossible. Even I, with a decent memory, couldn't do that back in Deadspire. The deeper we ventured, the more frequent the forks, and the more elaborate the illusions. If you didn't know what to look for, you'd end up wandering in circles, or worse.

"Tsk." Darwyn clicked his tongue in frustration as we passed yet another intersection. He finally gave up and turned back to check on me.

I met his gaze with a small smile and a subtle tilt of my head, silently saying, "I've got this."

Relieved, he turned his attention forward again, the tension in his shoulders easing.

We continued in silence for a while, the only sounds being our footsteps and the occasional whispering rustle of the ancient willows. Then Muradin, as expected, broke the quiet.

"How much longer is this gonna take?" he grumbled under his breath, barely hiding a yawn.

"Patience," Darwyn whispered, giving him a gentle push on the back. "It shouldn't be long. I can already feel the energy source nearby."

Right on cue, just after Muradin's complaint, Hororo suddenly looped in the air and landed back on Orin's shoulder.

"I think we're here," Orin said, narrowing her eyes toward a narrow gap in the foliage ahead.

If it weren't for Hororo, we might've missed it completely. The entrance was hidden behind a veil of whispering willow leaves, swaying as if guarding a secret.

"Wait, Erynd, what are you doing?" Darwyn asked, eyes narrowing as he saw me approach the entrance.

But unlike what had happened to Orin earlier, the willow leaves in front of me didn't lash out or push me back.

"It's just an illusion," I replied calmly, reaching my hand toward the leafy curtain. It passed right through. "If you look closely, you'll notice light filtering through the leaves, faint but there. And they don't make a sound, even though they seem to be moving."

"Wait, you're right," Darwyn murmured, clearly impressed as his own hand slipped through the illusion.

"Still, stay alert and be quiet," I reminded them.

We stepped into a spacious chamber, with no other visible exit. In the center of the room floated a formless mass of dense Mana, hovering silently like a sleeping giant.

"This is the second time I've seen one… after Deepnest Tunnel," Muradin whispered in awe, staring at the Great Spirit.

"Yeah," Darwyn agreed. "Which means they're hidden somewhere nearby." He immediately began scanning the ground.

"Let's find the main prize first," Orin said, gently stroking the summoned owl's soft feathers.

Hororo flapped its wings gently and flew low around the chamber before landing at a particular spot. It beat its wings against the ground several times.

"Great job, Hororo!" Orin grinned, hurrying over to the owl and giving it a gentle stroke before unsummoning it.

"Now what?" Muradin asked.

"Digging time," I said.

We spent the next ten minutes clearing the dirt from the spot Hororo had marked. Then finally, we found it.

Darwyn carefully lifted the object: a small crescent-shaped diadem fragment, etched with glowing runes that pulsed with druidic energy.

"So this is the Starshard of the Crown…" Orin whispered, her large blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

I nodded as I brushed dirt off my hands. "Yup. One of the three pieces you'll need to complete your talisman."

Darwyn handed the Starshard to Orin, who clutched it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

"I hope we can find the rest soon," she said eagerly.

"Now it's our turn," Muradin declared, already back to digging, this time near the Great Spirit of Whisperwillow Weald, where the ground's surface looked slightly raised.

The rest of us joined in, looking for raised ground and doing some digging.

***

"Five pieces. Not bad," I said, looking over our little treasure haul.

They were small, round, black mushrooms with a bumpy, knotted surface.

"So… mind if I keep the last one for myself?" Muradin asked, looking way too hopeful.

"Fine by me. You need it the most anyway," I said. "As long as you pay for it."

"You're so stingy," Muradin laughed, then popped two of the mushrooms into his mouth at once.

I took mine and swallowed it in one bite. It tasted bland but had a rich, truffle-like aroma.

[Hearty Truffle has been consumed. +3 Vitality, +2 Physical Resistance, +1 Stamina]

I could feel the faintest uptick in my stats, a subtle but welcome boost.

"All right, we're done here," Darwyn said after finishing his own Hearty Truffle. "Time to move out. Let's switch formation."

I moved to the front and summoned my map again. Orin followed right behind me, with Darwyn behind her, and Muradin bringing up the rear.

We began retracing our path through the Whisperwillow Weald, the eerie rustle of leaves still whispering around us like ghostly voices. Even Orin had grown used to the sound and wasn't scared anymore.

Having memorized every confusing trap in this place from my time playing Dreadspire, I easily found our way out using the detailed map I had meticulously drawn.

I glanced at my notes: a small left-pointing arrow with the number 1 above it. That meant we had to take the route left of the one marked on the map, which happened to be on my right. This area had a nasty trick where the paths could subtly shift their alignment.

A few minutes later, we encountered another trap. The correct path was hidden by illusion again, just like where we'd found the Starshard.

"I didn't even see that. How did you notice it?" Darwyn asked, clearly impressed.

"The leaves moved in the opposite direction from the rest," I explained casually.

"That's awesome. You really are something, Eryndor," Orin said with genuine admiration.

"Hey, keep it down," Darwyn warned, noticing the nearby willows beginning to rustle more violently.

"Oops, sorry," Orin muttered, scratching her head sheepishly.

We continued onward, passing one by one through the illusion. We should've been close to the exit. Or at least, we thought so, until the willows began to thrash violently. Their leaves rustled with a deafening roar.

Then everything went black.

The willows had pulled their leaves tight together, sealing off the sunlight entirely. In an instant, we were plunged into total darkness.

"I didn't touch anything," Orin whispered, voice trembling.

Darwyn acted fast, activating his Ilumne, a soft, magical light that bloomed from his palm and floated near him. It bathed us in a pale glow, just enough to see each other and the path ahead.

"Run. Now!" I shouted, already moving, dragging the others along. "No need to be quiet anymore!"

The guardian of this place had awakened.

And that didn't make sense. We should've had more time. I'd calculated it carefully.

Which could only mean one thing…

We weren't alone.

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