Nobody slept that night.
Not in Havenfall.
Not in Rootwatch.
Not after the black Threads appeared.
The sight lingered in everyone's mind.
A river of darkness spiraling into the sky.
Ancient.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Kael stood at the dormitory window long after midnight.
The distant glow beneath the Black Forest still illuminated the western horizon.
A hidden world.
A lost civilization.
Ancient gates.
Forgotten cities.
And somehow...
All of it connected to him.
He hated that.
The pendant rested in his palm.
Warm.
Steady.
Almost comforting.
"Who are you?"
He whispered.
The pendant offered no answer.
For a moment, Kael thought that would be the end of it.
Then—
A voice drifted through the silence.
Not from outside.
Not from the room.
Inside.
Deep within his thoughts.
"...Not yet."
Kael shot upright.
His heart hammered.
The room was empty.
The younger children slept peacefully.
Moonlight filtered through the window.
Nothing else.
Yet this time...
The whisper had sounded clearer.
Stronger.
Less like an echo.
More like a person.
A familiar person.
The sensation vanished before he could grasp it.
Leaving only questions.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Again.
Always questions.
The next morning arrived beneath gray skies.
The city felt different.
Changed.
Nobody could pretend the Black Forest was ordinary anymore.
Guards stood at every major intersection.
Knights patrolled the walls.
Merchants gathered in nervous groups.
Rumors spread faster than wildfire.
Kael was halfway through breakfast when someone kicked open the orphanage door.
Finn.
Naturally.
"I have news."
Matron Elen sighed.
"Good morning to you too."
Finn nodded politely.
"Good morning."
Then immediately pointed at Kael.
"Emergency."
"No."
Kael replied instantly.
"You don't even know what it is."
"It always becomes trouble."
Finn looked offended.
"That's not fair."
Lyra walked through the doorway behind him.
"It is absolutely fair."
Finn's betrayal was immediate.
"I invited you here."
"And I appreciate it."
Lyra smiled.
"You're still trouble."
Kael stood.
"What happened?"
Finn grinned.
"The Academy received a message."
Silence.
That was not the answer Kael expected.
"A message?"
"From Rootwatch."
Now he had everyone's attention.
Even Matron Elen looked up.
Finn unfolded a parchment dramatically.
"I stole this."
Lyra smacked the back of his head.
"Borrowed."
Finn corrected immediately.
The parchment contained only a few lines.
To Havenfall Academy
Rootwatch requests immediate parley.
The Candidate must be brought beneath the roots.
The Elder has seen the signs.
Time grows short.
Kael stared.
"...I dislike being called that."
"The Candidate?"
Lyra asked.
"Yes."
"Fair."
Finn nodded.
"You need a better title."
"No title would be better."
The orphanage door opened again.
Master Arlen stepped inside.
The room immediately fell silent.
The old instructor rarely visited.
And never unexpectedly.
His expression told Kael everything.
This wasn't a social call.
"It's time."
Arlen said.
The words landed heavily.
Kael already knew what they meant.
Rootwatch.
The hidden civilization.
The city beneath the forest.
The answers waiting beneath the roots.
And probably more danger than he could imagine.
"When do we leave?"
Kael asked.
Arlen looked surprised.
"No argument?"
Kael thought about it.
Then shook his head.
"For the first time in years..."
He glanced toward the distant forest.
"...someone might actually know what's happening."
The old instructor smiled.
"A reasonable point."
By midday, preparations had begun.
The expedition was small.
Deliberately so.
Master Arlen.
Kael.
Finn.
Lyra.
A handful of academy escorts.
And Sera.
Who seemed far too amused by everything.
"You realize this is historic."
Finn said for the hundredth time.
"Yes."
Kael replied.
"The first official meeting between Havenfall and Rootwatch."
"Yes."
"The discovery of an ancient civilization."
"Yes."
"The greatest archaeological event in centuries."
"Yes, Finn."
The blond boy smiled.
"I'm very excited."
Nobody had noticed.
The journey began at the western gate.
The same gate that had haunted Kael since arriving in Havenfall.
The same gate connected to every strange event.
Every mystery.
Every whisper.
For a moment, he paused.
Three years ago...
A different road had taken him away from Ashvale.
Away from his family.
Away from everything he knew.
This road felt similar.
A beginning disguised as an ending.
Or perhaps an ending disguised as a beginning.
He wasn't sure.
The gates opened.
Beyond them waited the Black Forest.
Ancient trees stretched toward the sky.
Massive roots twisted through the earth.
The canopy blocked most of the sunlight.
Yet now Kael could see things he hadn't before.
Threads.
Faint silver strands drifted between the trees.
Between roots.
Between stones.
The entire forest seemed woven together.
Alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
Sera stepped beside him.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
"Good."
Kael blinked.
"Good?"
The scout grinned.
"The Underforest eats overconfidence."
"...That's comforting."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
Before Kael could respond—
The ground trembled.
Everyone froze.
The vibration lasted only seconds.
Yet it felt different from the others.
Closer.
Beneath them.
Sera's smile vanished.
Master Arlen immediately looked west.
The academy escorts reached for their weapons.
And deep beneath the forest...
Far below the hidden city of Heartroot...
Far below the sealed gates...
Something ancient shifted.
A crack spread across black stone.
One seal.
Then another.
Ancient symbols began to glow.
And within the darkness beyond...
A voice whispered.
"The path opens."
Black Threads stirred.
The forgotten roads beneath the roots awakened.
And for the first time in thousands of years...
The Candidate began his journey into the Underforest.