Next morning hit different. Like the jungle knew.Birds kept their tweets low, trees barely swayed, and the mist? It moved like it was tryna hide something.
Tam sipped on boiled root water. "So... anyone else feel like we poked a sleeping planet?"
Yen raised a brow. "Or woke it up."
Mira was already scrollin' through the tablet. "That altar wasn't just decoration. It was a key. Or a trigger."
Kiki chirped once, then padded over to Arka, who was sittin' with his back against the lookout tree, just… thinkin'.
"You still seein' stuff?" Mira asked, crouchin' nearby.
Arka nodded slow. "Not visions. More like... feelings. Like the jungle's humming inside my bones. And I know something's waiting past Fog Valley."
Echo floated by. "Verdant Core link is stable. Phase Two awaits activation."
Tam blinked. "Phase Two? Bro, we barely survived Phase One."
🟢 Mission Drop: Reach the Second Bloom Site
New objective lit up on their map—dead center of Fog Valley.
Yen squinted. "That place gives me creeps. Whole forest goes quiet when you even look that way."
"Then we go loud," Arka said, standing. "We take the scout, some traps, and go learn what this jungle wants from us."
Kiki gave a lil' tail thump like, 'bout time.
🌫️ Into the Fog
By mid-afternoon, they were deep in it. Mist wrapped around 'em like wet cotton. Vision? Trashed. Sound? Muffled like the trees were holdin' their breath.
Scout drone zipped ahead, sendin' low-ping scans. Echo kept up commentary in a whisper-tone: "Temperature drop. Unknown structures detected. Energy reading: rising."
They reached a clearing.
Stone spires jutted up like claws, each one covered in that same ancient script.
In the center? A second altar. Smaller than the first. But this one was active—glowing soft green, pulsing like a calm heartbeat.
Arka stepped forward.
The second he crossed into the circle, time got weird.
Wind froze. Leaves hovered mid-fall. Even Echo paused mid-beep.
Then—
💡 SYSTEM SYNCSeedbearer: VerifiedTrial Initiated
Arka blinked. "Trial?"
Suddenly, the ground shifted—and he was alone.
🌪️ Trial of the Bloom
He stood in a dream-space jungle. Everything was cranked up—colors too sharp, sounds too clear, gravity feelin' a lil'... off.
Then they appeared.
Three figures. Not fully human. Tall, bark-skin, eyes like glowing seeds.
"You hold the mark," one said, voice like rustling branches.
"But do you hold the will?" another added.
Arka swallowed. "Guess we'll find out."
The figures raised their arms.
From the trees, creatures formed—shadows with too many legs, claws that shimmered like glass. Not real. Not not real, either.
Arka didn't flinch.
He closed his eyes.
Breathed deep.
And the jungle moved with him.
Roots snapped up, vines lashed forward—not attacking, just helping.
Arka didn't fight alone. He flowed with the forest.
When he opened his eyes, the dream had shifted. The figures nodded once.
"Phase Two complete."
And just like that—
He was back in the clearing.
Whole squad was staring.
"You were only gone like… ten seconds," Tam said, eyes wide.
🌱 Trial Passed: Jungle Sync Evolved
Arka unlocked: "Heartwood Pulse" – boosts squad regen during jungle exposureEcho memory restored: 7%Verdant Core Status: StableFog Valley Map: Fully Unlocked
That night? They sat around the fire, but no one joked much.
Too much on their minds. Too many pieces fallin' into place.
Lina looked up at the sky. "You think the builders ever finished whatever they started?"
Arka stared at his hand—faint green light still pulsin' in his veins.
"Nah," he said. "But maybe they left the rest for us."
🌀 TRIBE STATUS: ELEVATED
Base Fortifications: Upgraded
Kiki's Awareness Range: +20%
Yen's Trap Tech: "Bloom Snares" unlocked
Echo's Archives: 1 new video file recovered
Unknown Watchers: Movement detected near Old Crater