Kael stood motionless, the chamber's residual energy pulsing faintly beneath his feet. The rebels crowded around him, their questions coming in a torrent.
"What did it say?" Rhea pressed, her hands gripping his arm. "What does it mean?"
Kael steadied himself, the echoes of the Heart's voice still resonating in his mind. "It's not just about fragments or power. The Heart is alive, and it's testing us. Testing me."
Adrin, still under guard but visibly shaken, added, "The elites knew something was here, but they didn't understand it. If the Heart spoke to you, Kael, that means it recognizes you as... significant."
"Or as a threat," Rhea countered, her voice sharp. "What if it's manipulating him like the wilds do?"
Kael turned to her, his expression firm. "The Heart doesn't have an agenda like the elites or the wilds. It's not about control—it's about choice. That's what it said. But to understand, we need to uncover the truth about what happened to Earth."
The group fell silent, the weight of Kael's words settling over them.
The rebels made their way back to camp, the ruins left behind like a haunting memory. The wilds seemed quieter now, as though holding back their judgment. Kael carried the knowledge of the Heart's message like a flame in the darkness, guiding his thoughts as the group prepared for the next steps.
Around the campfire that night, Kael shared his experience in more detail.
"When I touched the pedestal," he began, "I was transported to... another place. It wasn't the wilds, and it wasn't Earth as we know it. It was something in-between. The Heart told me that the Earth's soul is fractured, and the fragments are part of its salvation. But it also said there are forces beyond the elites—beyond us—fighting for control."
Adrin leaned forward, the firelight casting sharp shadows across his face. "That's what the elites feared. They thought they could harness the fragments, but they didn't realize the Heart has its own will. They've been using Earth as a testing ground, but they're blind to what they've unleashed."
Rhea frowned. "And now we're caught in the middle."
Kael nodded. "We need to find the next fragment, but more than that, we need answers. The wilds, the elites, even the Heart—they're all connected. And if we don't figure out how, we won't survive what's coming."
The next morning, Kael led the group toward the northern expanse of the wilds, where Adrin claimed the next fragment lay hidden. The terrain grew more hostile with every step, the air thick with an unspoken tension.
As they moved, the wilds seemed to react to Kael in subtle ways. Vines shifted aside to clear paths, and the wind carried whispers that only he could understand. It was as though the land itself was watching, waiting to see what he would do.
Rhea fell into step beside him, her voice low. "Are you sure about this? About trusting the Heart?"
Kael glanced at her, his expression unreadable. "I don't trust it. But I believe it. There's a difference."
Their conversation was cut short when a piercing cry echoed through the wilds. The group froze, their weapons drawn, as a massive shadow emerged from the treeline.
It was a beast unlike any they had encountered—twice the size of a normal predator, with scales that shimmered like obsidian and eyes that burned with an unnatural light. The air around it crackled with energy, and its presence was suffocating.
Adrin paled. "That's... that's not just a beast. That's a guardian."
Kael stepped forward, his spear raised. The fragment within him pulsed, resonating with the creature's energy.
"Stay back," he ordered the group. "This is my fight."
The beast roared, the sound shaking the ground beneath their feet. Kael met its gaze, his own eyes glowing faintly with the fragment's power.
As the two charged toward each other, the wilds seemed to hold their breath.
The battle for the Heart—and for Earth's future—had truly begun.