It began as a distant thump.
Faint. Slow. Like the distant beat of a colossal drum muffled by soil and centuries. But it was steady. Alive.
The group froze as they felt it—not just in their ears, but in their bones. The ground trembled slightly with each pulse.
"Is that…?" Yurko whispered.
Lybid nodded slowly, eyes narrowed. "It's 'Her'. The forest is fighting. Mara."
"No," Methodius said, gripping his Bible. "It's not her heart. Not yet. It's the land… The seal around her, responding. Preparing."
They stood in a clearing, no longer choked by fog. The trees twisted slightly, their leaves shimmering like scales, as if they too were breathing in sync with the rhythm.
Kyi turned to Methodius. "What now?"
Methodius knelt and drew a rough circle in the dirt.
"We need to reach the river mouth," he said, voice steady. "The source. If we sanctify it, the water will spread God's blessing. It will flow outward. Purify the land. This may destroy the seal..."
"And Mara?" Lybid asked.
"If the blessing is strong enough," he said, "it might stop her. Trap her. Maybe even… end her."
Shchek, silent until now, grunted. "And if it doesn't?"
"Then others come," Methodius said, "Maybe, they are already entering the forest, I don't know."
His eyes lifted to the darkening canopy.
"My brother Cyril leads them. Knights. Monks. Saints. The Crusaders. They carry relics—artifacts so old and holy that even whispering their names is dangerous. If we fail, they will descend like judgment."
Kyi frowned. "You speak like that's a good thing."
"It is a final thing," Methodius replied. "There will be no forest left. No roots. No soil. Only holy fire."
Lybid looked at him. "And if the blessing poisons the land? Not just the curse, but everything? What then?"
"We save souls, not trees," he answered.
The tension returned.
But none could deny that time was against them.
The heartbeat grew louder.
It echoed like war drums.
Far ahead, the river twisted toward the heart of the woods—where darkness thickened and roots glowed red.
They began to walk.
One step.
Then another.