I. The awakening under black sap
In a cavern hidden beneath the city of Tairoku , the girl slept, wrapped in a cocoon of dark sap, suspended between roots that pulsed slowly, as if breathing to a rhythm of their own. Light barely penetrated that depth, and the silence was absolute, save for a distant whisper that seemed to emanate from the earth itself.
Her eyes flew open.
Her skin, pale as the moon, seemed almost translucent. Her hands reached out cautiously, touching the living walls of the cavern.
He didn't say a word, but his presence was a cry that reverberated in every root, in every leaf, in every memory.
II. The Song of the Tree
As the girl awoke, the Tree below was vibrating with an unknown force. The roots, once dormant beneath the cities and towns, began to subtly stir, emitting a resonance that only those with the mark could perceive.
Akihiko felt that call with an intensity he'd never experienced before. The mark on his chest burned, and his mind filled with fragmented images: the girl, the sap, the cave… and a voice, ethereal, wordless, inviting him to follow her.
Ikari watched with concern.
—This isn't just a call. It's a start .
III. The long-awaited reunion
That same night, in a nearby shelter, Ashen was keeping watch on the perimeter when he felt the pulse of the sap. He stood up, his ghostly figure moving with the precision of a predator.
He knew the time had come.
When Akihiko arrived at the appointed place, he found Ashen beside the girl, already awake and sitting on roots that seemed to wrap her in a protective embrace.
"She is…" Ashen said hoarsely, "the last voice of the Yovaren Clan ."
The girl looked up. Her eyes, deep and silent, seemed to hold centuries of untold memories.
Akihiko felt a shudder. He knew this encounter would change everything.
IV. The forgotten language
He tried to speak to her, but the girl didn't use common words. Instead, she sang an ancient song, a broken melody that resonated directly with the roots they shared.
Ikari, surprised, took out an ancient manuscript she had obtained during her research.
"It's the Language of the Tree ," he said.
"Only the Marked can understand it."
The girl sang again, and Akihiko began to understand fragments of what she was saying:
"Memories that must not be forgotten,
wounds that must heal, a future woven into the roots, the Wounded do not walk alone."
V. The shadows move
Far away, at the Fumetsu Clan headquarters, Naomi Kurobane received disturbing news: several territories showed signs of roots growing towards the surface, destroying infrastructure and leaving behind ancient symbols.
"This isn't natural," he said.
" Is the Tree awakening?" one of his advisors asked.
"More than that. It's demanding."
And in the Whispering District, a group of assassins received mysterious new orders: to eliminate any manifestation of the awakening, regardless of the humanity involved.
VI. The promise of the root
In the cave, Akihiko knelt in front of the girl, aware of the weight they both carried.
"You're not alone," he said in a low voice. "Neither you, nor I."
She reached out and touched her mark. The root responded by vibrating, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop.
An unspoken promise was sealed between them.
The Tree had already chosen its instruments for the coming battle.
END OF CHAPTER 85