The descent was unlike any path Ren had walked before. The root bridge twisted downward in spiral, glowing faintly beneath their feet. There were no stairs, only soft moss and living wood shifting gently to cradle each step. The walls pulsed with veins of light, as though the Hollow's heart was guiding them toward its very soul.
Ren could feel the air change — denser, older. Each breath felt like inhaling memory.
System Sync: Depth Layer Reached — Verdant Core Threshold
Environmental Modifier Applied: +5% Affinity to Natural Essence
Caution: Core Proximity may cause hallucinations
Moss had gone completely silent now, eyes narrowed into slits. It clung to Ren's shoulder like a child clinging to a parent during a thunderstorm.
Kael's jaw clenched. "I've seen a lot of strange places, but this… This feels like the Hollow remembers everything we've done."
"They do," Ren replied softly. "This place watches."
At the base of the descent, the path opened into a vast underground chamber. Roots arched above in impossible patterns, glowing with pale green and gold. In the center of the chamber stood the Verdant Core — a great sphere of tangled life, half-crystal, half-tree. It pulsed slowly, like a giant's heartbeat, with each throb sending waves of warm light through the chamber.
Objective Reached: Verdant Core
System Prompt: Initiate Bonding Procedure? [Y/N]
Ren hesitated. This wasn't just another dungeon boss or power-up. This was ancient — something beyond the system, something that had chosen to be remembered.
He stepped closer. "Do it," he whispered.
Bonding Initiated…
Warning: Core Sentience Detected. Negotiation Required.
[Activating Rootlink Interface…]
The world shifted.
Ren's consciousness was yanked from his body and hurled into a place of green fog and memory. He stood once again in a younger version of himself — but this time, he was not alone.
A figure emerged from the mist: the woman from the earlier memory. White robes, rooted staff, glowing eyes like sap and stars.
"You have come," she said, voice like wind in trees. "But do you understand?"
Ren steadied himself. "Understand what?"
"That this is not power to be used, but a life to be nurtured. The Core is not a tool. It is a seed."
A thousand branches burst around them, displaying visions: cities swallowed by roots, deserts blooming with unnatural flowers, towers of glass and vine. Some were beautiful. Others… apocalyptic.
"You must choose," she said. "Will you be a gardener or a conqueror?"
Ren didn't flinch. "I'll be what this world needs me to be."
She smiled — sadly, perhaps. "Then the Core will test you."
Trial Initiated: Verdant Resonance
Objective: Survive the Rootstorm
The mist around him exploded. Vines lashed from every direction, not just physical but mental, emotional. They clawed at his regrets, his guilt, his hunger for strength. Faces flashed before him — his mother, the bullies, the broken classmates, the day he awakened the system.
"You weren't strong enough," the vines whispered. "You only survived because of the system."
"I became stronger," Ren growled. "I earned it."
"You'll lose again," they hissed. "You're no hero."
"I never wanted to be a hero," Ren shouted. "I want to protect what matters. That's all."
His hand surged with energy — golden threads that burst from his fingertips and wrapped the vines. Instead of fighting them off, he wove through them.
Verdant Trait Acquired: Symbiotic Thread
Allows temporary merging with natural forces to redirect energy rather than destroy.
The vines calmed.
The fog parted.
He stood now before the Core, and it… bowed.
The sphere opened slowly, revealing a floating gem within — green as jade, beating with inner life.
Verdant Core Bonded
Seed of Renewal: Stage II
New Feature Unlocked: Root Domain
Access Granted: Core Control – Sector Hollow Only
Warning: Core Power is semi-sentient. Requires mutual respect.
Ren reached out and touched the gem. The warmth sank into his arm, up his shoulder, into his chest. His system glowed wildly.
You are now Rootbound to the Hollow.
Nature will respond to your will.
Pact Level: High.
Warning: Abuse will result in withdrawal of Core trust.
He opened his eyes — real eyes — back in the chamber. Kael had dropped into a defensive stance, blade half-drawn.
"What happened?"
Ren rose slowly, the gem now embedded in his palm. "It… chose me."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
"Not sure," Ren admitted. "But I think I'm stronger."
New Skill Unlocked: Verdant Pulse
[Send a pulse of healing or decay through local flora. Effect scales with Pact Level.]
But the chamber dimmed suddenly. A distant rumble echoed through the roots.
System Alert:
External Entity Breach Detected.
Class: Aberrant
Origin: Unknown
Status: Approaching the Hollow.
Kael cursed. "That's not Hollow-born. That's something else."
Ren clenched his fists. "Then it's time I used what this place gave me."
He turned to the Core. "Let me defend it."
A root bridge unfurled behind them, reaching up toward the surface, toward the encroaching threat.
The Hollow had accepted him. But the world outside wouldn't.
And he was ready for them.