The transformation didn't end with Kai.
As the Root-Binder's mark pulsed in his chest, it sent silent tremors through the ley-lines of the world. Ancient places—long dead—began to stir.
Frosted deserts cracked, revealing red earth.
Ruins began humming with light.
And high in the mountains, a giant beast opened its golden eyes for the first time in 900 years.
---
Meanwhile, Kai hovered in stillness.
Ayaka stood just beneath him, awed but cautious. "Are you still… you?"
Kai landed softly.
"I am. But I'm also more than I thought. The orb didn't just awaken my strength. It restored my bond to the living world."
Ren rolled his eyes. "So what now? You become a walking root system?"
"No." Kai smirked. "I become the thing that reminds the world how to breathe again."
---
Suddenly, a tear opened in the air beside them. A portal, ragged and unstable.
From it, stepped a young girl—barefoot, eyes pure white.
She spoke in a voice that belonged to neither age nor form:
> The Realm of Still Soil has awakened. You must come."
Kai stepped forward. "Who sent you?"
"The roots," she replied simply. "And the one who never died."
The girl turned back toward the portal.
Ayaka placed her hand on her sword. "This smells like a trap."
Kai didn't hesitate. "It is. But some traps… are tests."
He entered the portal.
The girl followed.
Ayaka groaned. "He never learns."
Then she and Ren followed too.
---
Somewhere Else…
Deep below the earth, bound in gold and sorrow, a chained woman opened one glowing eye.
She smiled faintly.
> He's come back. Finally."