The snow crunched beneath their feet as Adam, Kon, and Trevor trudged through the vast expanse of white. The storm overhead continued to churn, the wind biting at their exposed fur as they pressed on toward the Vale of Shadows. Each gust carried a chill that burrowed deep into their bones, but they kept moving, determined to reach their destination.
The journey was harsh, and despite the playful energy Trevor had shown earlier, even he was starting to feel the cold's sting. His usual lightheartedness wavered, though he still managed to swing from the occasional low-hanging tree branch or hop over snowdrifts. "You know," Trevor said, his voice bright but strained, "for a frozen wasteland, this place isn't half bad. But you guys really need to work on getting some fruit trees out here. I could go for a banana right now…"
Kon, walking just ahead, shot him a glare but said nothing. Adam, on the other hand, couldn't help but chuckle softly, despite the cold biting at his skin. Trevor's light-heartedness had a way of lifting the tension, even in these dire circumstances.
But as they continued their trek through the snow, Adam's thoughts remained clouded. Could this really all be part of Asalan's plan? he wondered silently. Trevor's arrival, the encounter at the Ford of Beruna, the growing whispers of the Aryas' power… It was all connected somehow, but how? Adam had learned long ago not to question the strange workings of Narn, but something about this journey felt different. More purposeful.
Kon moved beside him, his eyes sharp and focused on the path ahead. He hadn't spoken much since the encounter with Trevor at the campfire, his usual wariness having returned. Every so often, Kon glanced back at Trevor, still skeptical of the monkey Tracient's sudden appearance.
Before long, the wind grew harsher, and the storm seemed to strengthen around them. The further they went, the more Adam noticed something unusual on the horizon. The storm seemed to center around a particular area—a dark patch of twisted trees looming in the distance. As they drew closer, it became clear that this forest was unlike any they had encountered before.
The forest was a grim sight—trees, once mighty and tall, now stood frozen in time. Their branches were skeletal, stripped of life, and covered in a thick layer of ice. The entire forest seemed dead, as if it had been drained of vitality long ago. The storm swirled violently above, but it was clear that this place had been ravaged by something far worse.
Adam stopped in his tracks, his breath catching in his throat. "What is this place?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the howling wind.
Kon frowned, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the forest. "I don't know… but we're not turning back."
Trevor, who had been unusually quiet, stepped forward, his gaze fixed on the trees. "This place feels… familiar," he said softly, his usual cheerfulness absent. His tail twitched nervously as he took in the scene.
The three of them pressed onward, venturing deeper into the heart of the forest. The closer they got, the more intense the storm seemed to become, as if it were trying to keep them away from something hidden within. The wind howled, and the trees groaned under the weight of the ice, but they kept moving, determined to reach the heart of the forest.
As they walked, Trevor's unease grew. His eyes darted from tree to tree, his brow furrowed in concentration. "I swear I've been here before… or at least, somewhere like this," he murmured. Adam glanced at him, sensing the tension in his voice.
Then, suddenly, the storm began to lessen.
As they reached the center of the forest, an eerie stillness settled over them. The howling wind, the biting cold—it all seemed to stop, as though they had stepped into a different world altogether. In the middle of the dead forest, a massive tree stood before them, dwarfing everything around it. Its trunk was so large that even Castle Tradon, with all its grandeur, would have looked like a mere boulder beside it.
Adam and Kon stared up at the tree in awe, their breath caught in their throats. The tree's bark was old, cracked in places, yet it radiated a sense of ancient power. Its branches, though covered in ice, seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky.
Trevor's reaction, however, was even more profound. His eyes were wide with shock, his body frozen in place. "I… I don't believe it," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "That's… the Maymum Great Tree. But how? How is it here?"
Kon shot him a sharp look. "What do you mean?"
Trevor swallowed hard, his heart pounding. "In my world… this tree… it's sacred. It's where my people come from. It's exactly like the Maymum Great Tree back home. But this one… this one's here."
Kon's eyes darkened. He exchanged a glance with Adam, and the two of them approached the tree cautiously. As they neared its base, they noticed something strange—a huge, open doorway at the foot of the tree, leading into its hollowed-out trunk.
"Looks like we're not the first ones here," Adam murmured.
They entered the doorway, their footsteps echoing in the cavernous space. Inside, the tree was hollow, but it had been fashioned into something resembling a palace. Vast halls and spiraling staircases stretched out before them, and though the place had clearly been abandoned for years, it still held a strange, awe-inspiring beauty.
But it was also clear that this place had seen war. Walls were cracked, sections of the floors had collapsed, and scorch marks marred the once-magnificent interior. Dust covered everything, giving the sense that no one had walked these halls for a very long time.
As they walked deeper into the tree, they came upon a chamber with ancient writings etched into the stone walls. The script was unlike anything Adam or Kon had ever seen before—elegant but indecipherable. Adam furrowed his brow as he examined the text. "I can't read this… can you, Kon?"
Kon shook his head. "No. It's not in any language I recognize."
Trevor, who had been quiet since entering the tree, stepped forward, his eyes scanning the text. "Actually… I can read it."
Adam turned to him, surprised. "You can?"
Trevor nodded, running a hand over the carvings. "Yeah. This is an ancient monkey Tracient language. I learned some of it from my clan elders."
Kon's eyes narrowed as he connected the dots. "Of course. You're a monkey Tracient, and this tree… this place… it's part of your history." He paused, then added, "The Vale of Shadows wasn't always called that. It was once known as Flower Fruit Mountain, the home of the monkeys and apes."
Trevor's eyes widened in shock. "Flower Fruit Mountain? That's exactly what my home is called in my world!" His voice was filled with excitement at the connection, but it quickly faltered as his gaze shifted around the abandoned palace. "But… where are all the monkey Tracients? Where did they go?"
Kon's face darkened. His voice was low, solemn. "They were the first to fall in the Narn Wars. Not a single one of them survived."
Trevor's body went rigid, and before Adam or Kon could react, he collapsed to his knees, his face pale with disbelief. "No… that can't be…"
Adam took a step toward him, reaching out, but as he neared, he felt it—an overwhelming presence. The air grew thick with Mana, so dense and dark that it was almost suffocating. It wasn't just any Mana—this energy was filled with anger, with an intent to destroy everything around it. The ground trembled beneath Adam's feet as the powerful force surged through the air.
Kon felt it too. He stepped back, his eyes wide with shock. "What is this…?" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Adam's breath caught in his throat. He turned his gaze to Trevor, whose body seemed to be the source of the Mana. The monkey Tracient knelt on the ground, his head bowed, his fists clenched tightly. The air around him crackled with energy.
"Trevor?" Adam called out cautiously, trying to keep his voice calm. "Are you… alright?"
The intense aura suddenly began to fade, the Mana dissipating into the air like smoke. Trevor slowly lifted his head, his expression unreadable, save for a single tear that rolled down his cheek. His lips curved into a small, sad smile.
"I'm alright," he said quietly. "Don't worry about me."
But Adam knew, deep down, that something had shifted within Trevor. And whatever it was, it was far from over.