As they walked through the desolate landscape, the air grew thicker, carrying an electric hum that made Noah's skin prickle. The faint glow on the horizon pulsed with a rhythmic beat, its light shifting with each step. There was a weight to it, something that felt alive, as though the land itself was breathing.
And then, the Aegis Tree loomed fully into view.
It towered above them, stretching upward like a dark monolith, its twisted trunk spiraling toward the sky. Massive roots clawed across the ground, sinking deep into the earth as though holding it together. The bark was a dark, ashen black, laced with faint, pulsing veins of iridescent light, like arteries running through an ancient body.
But it was the Tree's canopy that held Noah's gaze.
Branches sprawled outward, forming a massive, web-like canopy that cast deep shadows over the land below. Each branch was adorned with faintly glowing leaves, flickering like distant stars in a dark sky. And near the top of the canopy, nestled within the dense network of branches, was something that froze Noah's breath—a giant, unblinking eye.
It wasn't an eye of flesh or blood but something carved from the Tree itself. The pupil was a deep, endless void, surrounded by veins of glowing bark that pulsed softly. The eye stared out over the land, unmoving and unblinking, holding a cold, watchful presence that made Noah's skin crawl. It was neither malicious nor kind, only… there, observing everything beneath it with a silent, ancient indifference.
A shiver ran through him, a prickling sense of discomfort he couldn't shake. He turned his gaze away, feeling the weight of that eye even as he looked elsewhere.
"It doesn't… shut?" he murmured, voice barely more than a whisper.
"No," Luke replied, his tone soft, his gaze still fixed on the Tree. "It never does. Some say it's always watching, always judging. Others think it's just… there." His gaze flickered to Noah, unreadable. "Maybe it's a reminder of the Tree's power, or maybe it's nothing at all. I guess people see what they want to see."
Noah forced himself to look away, the chill in his spine lingering. The Aegis Tree felt… wrong—not overtly dangerous, but unsettling, as though it held secrets better left buried.
Luke's voice softened, contemplative. "When the Shattering happened, people say that eye opened. Before that, the Aegis Tree was… well, a tree. It was different, at least. But when the world broke, it changed." He gestured toward the giant eye. "Now, people see it as a symbol. Of protection… or maybe punishment."
Noah swallowed, his throat dry. "Why… why do people worship it if they're afraid of it?"
Luke gave a quiet, humorless laugh. "Fear and reverence go hand in hand, don't they? The Tree may be terrifying, but it's the reason people are alive. The world may be fractured, but without the Tree, we wouldn't have power. Some people say that makes it a protector. Others think it's our prison."
Noah shivered, his gaze drifting back to the Tree, its eye unmoving, unblinking. He tried to look away, but he could still feel it, like a dark weight pressing on his mind.
Luke cleared his throat, shaking off the momentary heaviness. "Enough about that," he said, his tone shifting, lightening. "We're close to the academy now. You'll probably get tired of hearing about the Tree soon enough. Everyone's got their own theory about it."
They walked in silence for a moment, the glow of the Aegis Tree casting long, skeletal shadows across the land. The quiet was thick and heavy, and Noah's mind spun with questions, fragments of memory and confusion tangling together.
After a few moments, Luke's voice broke the silence. "What do you think about… fate?" His tone was casual, but his gaze was fixed ahead, his expression thoughtful.
Noah blinked, surprised by the question. He glanced at Luke, who continued to walk, face unreadable.
"Fate?" Noah hesitated. "I don't… really know what to believe. Right now, I can't even remember who I was… or if I ever thought about it."
Luke let out a soft laugh, though it held a hint of bitterness, something dark and resigned. "Ah, you will. One day, you'll come to see that fate has a way of pulling people to places they never wanted to be." He paused, glancing back at the Aegis Tree, as if it held some unspoken truth. "And sometimes, it keeps you there. Over and over again."
Noah felt a chill at his words, as though Luke spoke from some place of deep, unspoken knowledge. There was something almost haunted in his gaze, something that made Noah want to ask more… but he held back, sensing that the answer might be more unsettling than the question.
Luke's expression softened, and he gave a slight shrug. "Or maybe I'm just being dramatic." He forced a grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Come on. We should get moving."
The Academy Gates
The academy finally rose before them, an imposing structure cloaked in deep shadows under the night sky. Its walls loomed high, etched with intricate carvings of roots and vines, twisted eyes peering out from the stone as though echoing the watchful gaze of the Aegis Tree. Towers jutted up from the walls, their spires glinting faintly under the Tree's distant glow, casting an otherworldly light over the stone.
As they approached the entrance, Noah felt a strange pull, a quiet, insistent tug in his chest. Something about the academy felt familiar in a way he couldn't explain, as if a part of him belonged within those walls. It was a feeling that unsettled him, but he couldn't ignore it.
Guards stood by the gates, their faces obscured by dark helms, their armor polished and severe. They watched Noah and Luke approach, their eyes glinting with curiosity and caution.
One of the guards stepped forward, her voice stern and low. "New recruits?"
Noah nodded, his throat tight. "We're here for the entrance trials."
The guard raised an eyebrow, glancing between them with a look that seemed to measure their worth. "You'll find the trials in the south courtyard. But be warned—the academy takes only those with strength, skill, and will. If you're weak, if you're afraid, this is no place for you."
Noah felt a strange calm settle over him, as though something within him recognized the challenge and rose to meet it. Despite the fog in his memory, despite the uncertainty of his past, he felt a fierce resolve take root within him. "We're ready."
Luke gave him a nod, his usual lightheartedness replaced by a quiet focus. "Let's go, then."
They stepped through the gates, into the academy's sprawling courtyard, filled with students sparring, studying, and training under the dim glow of lanterns. The air crackled with energy Noah could almost feel, a pulse that seemed to echo the heartbeat of the Aegis Tree.
Noah glanced around, feeling a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. He caught sight of a girl standing at the edge of the training field, her gaze intense as she watched others spar. Another girl lingered near a twisted stone archway, her eyes flitting between her worn book and the figures around her, as though searching for something… or someone.
Luke nudged him, pulling him back to the present. "Everyone here's got something to prove," he said, his tone light but his gaze serious. "Some want power. Some want answers. And some… just want to survive."
Noah nodded, feeling the weight of the place settle around him like a shroud. The academy felt as ancient and watchful as the Tree itself, as though it held secrets buried within its stones, waiting for the right person to uncover them.
They moved toward the south courtyard, where new recruits gathered, each face set with determination or nervousness. Noah felt the quiet strength in the air, the resolve that pulsed through the academy like a heartbeat.
But even here, surrounded by others like him, he could still feel the Aegis Tree's gaze in the back of his mind, its eye watching, judging, waiting.
And somewhere in the shadows of his memory, the desperate words echoed once more:
Don't go after it…