The colossal Morthus tree loomed above them, its amber bark gleaming faintly, a beacon of ancient power in the gloom. It exuded an aura unlike anything Kor had ever felt—alien, slow, as though the tree’s awareness sifted through dimensions far removed from human perception. Each breath tasted of soil and sap.

  Talen stepped closer, his wiry frame outlined by the faint green glow that danced along his fingertips. His arms outstretched, the magic swirling around him in lazy spirals.

  “You’re sure about this?” Kor glanced nervously at the surrounding trees. Their varicoloured leaves swayed unnaturally, as if stirred by a breeze no human could sense.

  Talen ignored him, placing a palm against the Morthus tree’s faceted bark. Kor’s breath hitched. The air thickened, charged with a vitality that sent a ripple down his spine. From his distance, he could almost see the communion unfold—Talen’s mana pouring into the tree, mingling with the ancient energy trapped inside its resinous core.

  The bark hummed with an inner radiance. Its surface revealed secrets hidden in plain sight: countless creatures entombed in its amber layers. Beetles, spiders, and moths suspended like time-frozen relics, but larger forms emerged as Kor’s eyes trailed upward. A coiled snake. An owl, wings outstretched in eternal silence. Near the upper boughs, the outline of a miniature dragon, its serpentine body arched as though captured mid-flight.

  Did the tree consume them? Kor wondered uneasily. Or had they been drawn to it, ensnared by some unseen lure? His gaze flickered to the Morthus’ crimson leaves, their hue reminiscent of fresh blood. They swayed lightly, despite the lack of wind, their ominous colour amplifying the tree’s enigmatic presence. Yet, strangely, he sensed no malice. The communion with Talen seemed almost... serene.

  He exhaled and glanced around the shadowy woods. Despite the oppressive blackness of the night, an odd tranquillity lingered in the air. The faint rustle of leaves and the distant hum of mana were the only sounds. Still, Kor couldn’t ignore the sense of isolation—or the flimsy guest pass that supposedly kept him safe from the glade’s hungrier denizens.

  With a resigned sigh, Kor eased himself onto a log near the ceramic pot they’d brought, keeping his eyes on the perimeter as he idly wove a simple fractal. Mana threads spiralled under his fingers, forming intricate shapes that expanded with a controlled elegance. The exercise helped settle his nerves.

  Lately, he’d experimented with seeding his fractals using minimal mana, allowing them to grow slowly but with remarkable efficiency. Some of his latest designs could even siphon ambient mana flows to sustain themselves—a feature Kor hoped to refine further. It could be a game-changer if properly leveraged. However, when he attempted larger constructs, like the massive snowflake barriers he’d spent so much time on, that self-sustaining property seemed to vanish. Their rapid growth demanded immense resources, leaving little room for subtlety.

  ‘There’s real potential here, but I need something stronger to fight back with,’ he thought, watching as his fractal spiralled outward in a delicate arc before collapsing, its form spent from the trickle of mana he’d allowed it. A new offensive method had been forming in his mind—a technique that combined expansive base patterns with bursts of pent-up energy to create devastating effects. Once he had time to visit the training rooms—Talen’s voice broke through his thoughts.

  “Kor, give me a hand.”

  “Uh, sure.” He scrambled to his feet, dusting off his robes. Talen stood by the pot, motioning for him to grab the opposite side. Together, they hefted it up, the ceramic vessel heavy and unwieldy between them. Guided by Talen, they shuffled carefully beneath one of the tree’s low-hanging branches.

  “I take it everything went smoothly?”

  “Yes, the Morthus Elder agreed to grant me a seed.”

  “Just like that?” Kor raised an eyebrow, pausing with a sceptical frown, the pot settling on the ground with a dull thunk.

  “Well, not quite. It required a bit of tree logic, you know. They don’t exactly think like people do.”

  “Oh? Enlighten me.”

  Talen tilted his head, considering. “It’s hard to translate. Kind of like... the feeling of water flowing through your roots, mixed with the fulfilment of purpose, and maybe a hint of sunshine.”

  “You’re just making this up, aren’t you?”

  “Who knows?” Talen’s smirk disappeared as he pointed toward the trunk. “Look, it’s coming.”

  Kor squinted. High within the amber branches, something dark undulated, moving with a hypnotic ripple. The strange motion sent a faint pang of nausea through him, as though his mind struggled to reconcile the sight. Intense mana radiated from the object as it approached the branch above their pot.

  “What is that?” The words slipped out, barely more than a whisper.

  The object shuddered, then tore free with an audible crack. Shards of amber bark exploded outward as the seed formed of dark-amber plummeted into the pot. It landed with a heavy thud, radiating energy that seemed to reverberate through the glade.

  Kor studied the fallen seed, which was nearly the size of his head. Its jagged surface gleamed like a fractured crystal, its depths catching the light in peculiar ways. Within the translucent casing, a figure was visible—a shape that resembled an ant, frozen mid-motion as if time had stopped just for it.

  “Is that an ant trapped inside?” Kor’s voice broke the silence.

  “Certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?” Talen’s amusement filled the air, his grin wide as he stepped closer to the large ceramic pot. “Wish me luck, Kor.”

  “Luck?” Kor retreated a step, letting Talen work.

  Talen’s mana swelled, a dizzying cascade of energy that shimmered around him. He’d never seen his friend effect such a potent display. Yet, it wasn’t wild or dangerous—it moved with an elegance, smooth and deliberate, as he guided it toward the amber-encased ant.

  The seed glowed faintly, the light catching on its jagged edges like a miniature sun refracted through shards of glass. But it didn’t accept Talen’s mana, not at first. The glow faltered, and the energy seemed to dissipate as though repulsed.

  “Oh no.” The words fell from Kor’s lips, barely audible, as his chest tightened. He stared at the seed, certain it had rejected the offering. But then, like a starving predator, the seed pulsed brightly, pulling Talen’s mana in with a sudden, voracious force. The ant inside appeared to stir, its limbs twitching as the amber began to shift. Slowly, the seed burrowed under the soil, moving with a strange organic fluidity.

  “Gotcha!” Talen grinned over at him. “Help me grab up the fragments from the Morthus tree,” Talen gestured to the shards of amber scattered across the ground.

  “Fine, fine.” Kor knelt with a sharp sigh, sweeping up the shattered remnants with deliberate care. Each piece glinted in the dim light, pointed and irregular. They worked quickly, their movements synchronised by urgency. Kor felt the coarse grit of the soil under his fingers as he retrieved shard after shard, placing them carefully in the ceramic container.

  As Kor glanced back, he caught the faintest movement from the pot. The soil shifted, disturbed by the seed’s relentless burrowing. It sank deeper, as if finding its place within the earth.

  With the last fragments collected and placed inside, the two hoisted it between them. The heavy ceramic strained their arms as they adjusted their grip.

  “Your new tree hasn’t made this any lighter, Talen,” Kor grunted.

  “Don’t worry, Kor, we’re on the way back now.”

  “Any idea what kind of Morthus tree yours is?” Kor tilted his head, studying Talen with renewed interest. “Did you sense anything when it connected with you?”

  Talen hesitated, his expression thoughtful as they descended the slope toward the lakeside. His light orb cast a faint glow, lighting their path in the growing dusk.

  “Not really,” he admitted. “Though it felt... hungry. And not like a plant normally feels.”

  “The ant?”

  “Probably. I’ll be curious to see how it grows.”

  “You and me both.”

  The intense mana emanating from the seed faded, but Kor could still sense its residual energy, a faint hum at the edge of perception. They trudged onward, the pot’s weight testing their endurance.

  Almost halfway back, Kor’s arms screamed for a break when a thunderous cacophony rumbled in the distance. Both boys froze, their heads snapping upward. The horizon was alive with light, ominous clouds writhing in the sky.

  “Is that a storm cloud?” Kor squinting against the sudden flashes. “I haven’t seen any rain since coming here.”

  “Mana-storm.” Talen’s gaze shifted to the horizon, his expression hardening. “They’re always worse near the Occlunes.”

  Kor nodded, recalling a brief mention in one of the introductory texts he’d read. Odd weather formations unique to Conflux that had unpredictable and often dangerous effects. One thing every account agreed on—being caught outside in one was perilous.

  “You good to go, Kor?” Talen’s gaze darted to him, his voice tight with urgency as he shifted his weight, ready to move.

  Kor nodded before adjusting his hold on the pot, relief already creeping in at the thought of returning—until the earth near the lake tore open. A massive form burst from the gritty soil, spattering dirt in every direction.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  The ground shuddered as the creature emerged, its jagged, rocky carapace glinting faintly in Talen’s mana-light. Its crystalline body was an unnatural blend of hard-edged plates and organic sinew, the segmented armour reflecting shards of distorted colour. Four hairy legs, jointed like a grotesque insect’s, twitched erratically, their movements almost mechanical. From its malformed head, a rigid crystalline proboscis jutted forward, shimmering with a faint, sinister glow.

  “What the void is that?” Kor’s voice was a strangled whisper. His body froze, a wave of nausea twisting his stomach.

  Its malformed head jerked sideways with a nightmarish snap, crystalline mandibles clicking in a discordant rhythm. It radiated raw magical energy, each pulse prickling against Kor’s senses. Neither he nor Talen dared move, the tension binding them in place. Its size rivalled that of a small horse, yet the jerky, unpredictable head movements made it seem larger, more imposing. Its legs carried it in smooth strides, belying the erratic snapping of its mandibles.

  Kor swallowed hard when the beast swivelled its head away, its interest waning. He exhaled, tension loosening his muscles.

  Then Talen’s pot pulsed.

  A potent surge of mana rolled out like a shockwave. The creature froze, twitching mid-step before snapping its gaze back with murderous focus.

  The creature froze mid-step. Its head snapped back toward them, mandibles clicking in a grating rhythm. The air crackled as mana surged around it, a low, droning noise building like a warning siren.

  “Move, Kor!” Talen’s urgent shout sliced through Kor’s daze. Instinct took over; Kor darted left, conjuring his snowflake barrier in a frantic surge of mana.

  Talen dashed right, both forming mana barriers in haste. A sharp crack split the air as a crystalline shard shot from the creature, striking Kor’s nascent snowflake barrier. The impact shattered the construct instantly, forcing him to conjure another.

  “Not good!” Mana surged through him as he dug his heels in, bracing against the creature’s focused assault.

  Talen retaliated with twin spheres of crackling energy. Their glow blazed across the night, but the beast’s crystalline proboscis snapped out. With a hollow hum, it devoured Talen’s orbs mid-flight, leaving only trails of fizzled sparks.

  “Definitely not good.” Kor’s hands trembled as he forced a dense sphere of mana into existence. He hurled it at the creature’s flank, the orb streaking through the air before slamming into its carapace. Light and heat burst outward in a blinding flash, but as the smoke cleared, the creature stood unscathed.

  “Keep a barrier up, Kor! Those shards are lethal!” Talen warned.

  Another shard shot out, striking Talen’s shield with a sharp crack. The crystalline projectile skittered to the ground, its faint glow fading.

  Kor sprinted sideways, trying to outflank the creature. He concentrated, condensing his mana into a dense sphere before launching it with a decisive cast. The orb hit the creature’s leg, erupting in a small explosion. The creature staggered but remained unscathed, its crystalline armour absorbing the blow.

  Anger flared in its movements. It turned toward Kor, snapping its proboscis to launch another projectile. Kor’s snowflake barrier absorbed the impact even as cracks webbed across its surface.

  “What is this thing?!” Kor conjured a second shield as the creature fired again, shattering his first line of defence.

  “A Borix, I think,” Talen shouted back. “Don’t let it close!”

  The Borix charged with startling speed. Kor’s backup barrier spiralled outward while he poured more energy in, bracing it for the onslaught. The proboscis slammed into it; the impact reverberating through Kor’s mana like a hammer strike.

  “Wasn’t planning on it!” Kor’s gaze locked on the Borix’s menacing appendage. That crystalline tube latched onto his fractal shield, siphoning Kor’s mana with a hideous slurp. The shield collapsed, leaving him cold and breathless from the sudden drain.

  Sweat dripped down Kor’s brow as he threw himself backward, reforming another fractal shield. The Borix skittered close, its crystalline body pulsating with ominous light.

  Kor blocked beneath another lethal shard, sweat stinging his eyes. Behind the Borix, thick, twisting vines exploded from the ground at Talen’s command, binding the creature’s rear legs with a desperate squeal of stretching fibres. The vines creaked under the strain as the creature thrashed, swiping down with its proboscis to suck the mana from the restraints.

  Each vine withered and fell as Kor dashed away.

  Thunder cracked across the skies, illuminating the scene with a brief, electric brilliance. Kor clenched his fists, conjuring another mana sphere. The light flickered in his palm, but even as he launched it, the attack splashed ineffectually against the Borix’s impenetrable carapace.

  “You’ll need to hurt it, Talen! My spheres aren’t doing much!” Kor’s voice rang out, sharp and urgent, as he threw yet another sphere that fizzled harmlessly against the creature.

  “I can’t! I’m already low on mana since I fed the Morthus!” Talen’s face was pale, breathing laboured as more vines erupted, tangling the Borix and pulling it to the ground.

  “Void it all.” Kor’s teeth clenched, his breath coming fast as his pulse pounded like war drums in his ears. Retreat wasn’t an option against something this fast. Each time he considered a way out, the Borix shattered another barrier or devoured a fresh vine. They’d never reach safety.

  His previous idea for an attack spell rang through his mind. “Can you hold it a bit longer?”

  “Okay, but you need to do something quick, Kor! I’m almost empty.” Talen gritted his teeth.

  Panic battled determination as Kor gathered mana for his newest fractal—an untested design, sharper and far more volatile than his usual constructs. If he miscalculated, the backlash could rip him apart, but what other choice did they have?

  He’d only get one shot at this.

  His pulse thundered as he sprinted toward the thrashing creature, every step a battle against the pounding in his ears. Fractal lines wove beneath his fingers with painstaking precision, their patterns sharp and deliberate. Energy surged in his chest, coiled and humming, as he bound it tighter, readying the spell for release.

  Inspired by the duel the two of them had witnessed at The Crux, he dropped his snowflake barrier. He needed every drop of control and power he could muster as he jammed the spellform full of mana. But he couldn’t let the fractal bloom yet. It had to hold till the right moment!

  The Borix tore through several vines, its movements frantic and violent. The remaining restraints barely held as Kor approached. His heart pounded, his breath shallow as the creature swung its proboscis wide toward him.

  “Kor, watch out!”

  He threw himself sideways; the proboscis slicing the air inches from his face. Glasses slipped from his nose, but he pushed forward. Power swelled in his mind, ready to burst.

  Close enough.

  Kor thrust his palm forward, unleashing the fractal. It sprang into full, lethal complexity beneath the Borix, every line ablaze with destructive force. Kor turned and bolted, his lungs burning as he raced to safety. With the last ounce of his power, he held it steady. Or so he’d thought.

  A heartbeat later, the fractal’s structure buckled under its own power, erupting in a thunderous detonation. The air ripped apart, shard-like mana tearing through the Borix and everything in its radius. Kor felt the impact like a hammer blow, the visitor shield around him flaring to life before shattering under the strain.

  The shockwave hurled Kor off his feet, slamming him into the ground with bone-jarring force. His robes shredded, and shards of blazing mana sliced across his forehead, hot blood trickling into his eyes.

  “Kor!” Talen’s anguished cry echoed as Kor tumbled, head over heels, into the dirt. The world spun in chaotic flashes of light and pain before settling into an eerie, ringing silence.

  Confusion enveloped him, the world spinning around him even after he’d come to a rest.

  Wha?-- He could barely form a coherent thought, let alone right himself. His eyes flashed open to the sight of bleary light and someone running toward him. The world wavered like a mirage, edges blurred and unstable.

  Talen. His friend raced across to him, his eyes wide and jaw clenched as he reached Kor’s side.

  “Kor! Are you okay? You’re bleeding.”

  A sharp ache flared across Kor’s back as he pressed a trembling hand to the stinging heat on his forehead. When he pulled it away, his unfocused vision caught the smear of crimson on his fingers. Blood.

  “F-fine...” His words were sluggish, but some clarity returned as he croaked, “Did I get it?”

  Talen let out a laugh, half-manic, half-relieved. “Yeah, you did—and yourself too.”

  He gestured behind him, though Kor’s bleary vision couldn’t make much out without his glasses. “You blew it to pieces.”

  “Oh… good.” Kor managed a weak grin, but it faltered as a sharp throb from his wound made him wince. Warm rivulets of blood traced uneven paths down his face, dripping steadily.

  “It doesn’t look too deep.” Talen’s hands hovered over the wound, trembling as he inspected it. “A long cut, but it could’ve been worse. Did you get hit anywhere else?”

  Kor shook his head weakly, using the sleeve of his robe to stem the near-constant trickle. The fabric quickly darkened, soaking up more blood than he’d hoped. Talen, meanwhile, began moving around Kor, his eyes scanning intently as he gently pressed against Kor’s arms and sides, checking for any additional injuries. His touch was careful, but his expression remained tense, his brow furrowed as though he feared what he might find.

  Kor exhaled heavily, his shoulders slumping. “I’m fine Talen. Just a bit dazed.”

  His friend nodded slowly. “Even though your barrier broke, I think the robes took some of the impact. That’s lucky, at least.”

  “Can you see my glasses?”

  “Oh, right.” Talen shook himself out of his panic and knelt down, sifting through the grass and dirt as Kor pressed harder on his wound. Though the pain throbbed in time with his heartbeat, it wasn’t as bad as he feared. His student robes were up to the task, soaking his blood easily; he just hoped they would clean themselves okay.

  He gave Talen a moment as his mind drifted. The fractal explosion had worked, perhaps too well. His head pounded, but he gradually eased himself upright, swallowing back a hiss as his bruised muscles protested.

  The floating orb of light cast faint illumination over the scene of destruction. Kor’s eyes widened. A small crater, the size of a carriage, marred the once-flat ground, its edges jagged and blackened. At its centre lay a hole nearly two feet deep, its bottom lost to shadow. Crystalline fragments scattered across the area, each shard catching the orb’s light and refracting it in eerie patterns. Some pieces had embedded themselves into the soil; others lay shattered in irregular heaps, their once-pristine forms reduced to ruin.

  “By the stars.” His voice trembled. He’d known the spell would be powerful, but this... this was beyond anything he’d imagined. His heart raced as he realised the crater’s scale and the force it must have unleashed. The memory of the fractal’s destruction flashed through his mind, and an icy shiver ran down his spine.

  “I could have...” He touched the bloodied sleeve still pressed to his forehead. He had underestimated the power of his magic, underestimated the potential for chaos it held. Had his shield not held even for that moment, he might not be sitting here at all. The thought tightened his chest, a sharp reminder of how close he’d come to catastrophe.

  “Kor, you alright?” Kor nodded, though his gaze remained fixed on the crater. “Yeah.”

  The horizon lit with a flicker of lightning as another rumble passed through the night. Distant, but ominous.

  “I’m sorry. They seem to have vanished.” Talen’s eyes darted nervously toward the horizon, where the rumbling thunder grew louder. “Do you have a different pair, just in case?”

  “Yeah, back in the dorm. Let’s get out of here.” Kor trudged over to the pot.

  “Oh! Is the Morthus alright? My blast didn’t hurt it?”

  “You knocked the pot over, but it’s fine,” Talen assured him. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “Are you sure you can lift it?”

  He flexed his arms experimentally. The previous ache from carrying now paled in comparison to the burgeoning headache and countless pains running through his body.

  “I’ll manage,” Kor said, reaching for the pot. Talen followed suit, his light hovering closer, dimmed but steady. Together, they hefted the awkward container upright. Kor’s hands, still tacky with dried blood, left smears on the surface.

  As they headed back toward Conflux, Talen’s light swayed between them, casting long, wavering shadows. Kor glanced down and noticed his badge, its faint glow completely gone. A pang of worry struck him. Without mana, would it allow him through Conflux’s barrier? He’d have a hard time explaining how he got stuck outside the campus, bloodied up as he was.

  They trudged on in silence, Kor’s head pounding with each step. The steady drip of something warm tickled his nose, but his sluggish mind didn’t register it right away. His grip on the pot tightened as they pressed forward, Talen muttering something about the weight, though Kor barely heard him.

  A few dozen yards later, his gaze drifted down to the soil in the pot. His blood. Dark crimson streaked through the dirt, filtering down to the Morthus seed. It stirred faintly, magic rippling outward in response.

  Kor stumbled, nearly dropping the pot as the realisation struck him. A wave of shock dulled the ache in his head. “Talen—stop!” he rasped, staring wide-eyed at the seed.

  Kor quickly wiped off the blood from his face, voice catching as he glanced at the soil. “Uhm, that’s not good, is it?”

  Talen turned to look as the pot glowed. A dark violet light pulsed from beneath the surface, faint but unmistakable. The pair froze, exchanging a wide-eyed look.

  “What does this mean?” The words slipped out in a whisper as Kor’s throat tightened, the creeping weight of dread settling in his chest.

  Talen swallowed hard, the tension clear in his gaze. “Worry about it later. Let’s just get back inside.”