And so, the veil lifted. Ætherion opened his eyes, no longer a drifting presence but a form reborn—standing before the living forest and the mountain that defied the sky. The transition left his new skin humming, every nerve ending alive to sensations he couldn't name. He raised hands that shimmered faintly crimson, turning them against the strange light. This body felt simultaneously alien and intimately his, the weight of muscle and bone both prison and gift after formless existence.
The forest stretched before him like a living sea—thick, tangled, breathing. Each tree stood as a monument, their trunks wider than Ætherion's armspan, bark etched with spiraling patterns that pulsed silver when touched. Between their roots, translucent fungi emitted soft chimes in harmonic intervals, creating an eerie forest chorus. Ætherion stood at the edge of the unknown, a towering wall of green looming ahead, while to his right, the mountain rose defiantly into the clouds. Unlike the rest of the terrain's gentle slopes, this peak stabbed upward like a blade—its obsidian cliffs too smooth, too symmetrical, their geometric planes catching light that shouldn't exist at this angle.
Ætherion squinted toward the summit where mist coiled around the pinnacle like possessive fingers. The sheer height commanded awe, yes, but something more—a visceral pull in his chest, as if his very particles aligned to its magnetic presence.
*"What is this rise?"* The question formed fully in his mind, its edges sharper than his other thoughts. *"Why does it exist when all else lies low? And why..."* He pressed a hand to his sternum, *"...do I feel it calling?"*
The wind carried no answer, only the scent of petrichor and something metallic beneath—like lightning given fragrance. He shook his head gently, scattering the questions like leaves in the wind. Speculation was a luxury for those who understood their world, and he stood knee-deep in mysteries.
*"The forest first,"* he decided, the internal dialogue crisp as frost. *"Answers move on roots before they climb to heights."*
His first step sank into soil so rich it seemed to sigh around his foot. The ground here bore layers—crunching leaves giving way to moist humus, then a warmer stratum that vibrated faintly, alive with energies his crimson glow recognized. Tiny creatures skittered from his path, their segmented bodies reflecting his light in prismatic flashes before vanishing into crevices.
Then—movement. Not the skittering of hidden fauna, but a ripple in the air itself.
Ætherion froze. A familiar resonance danced at the edge of his perception, a signature he'd known in the Before. His glow flared in recognition seconds before the being materialized—a figure woven from greenish turquoise light, her edges blending with the forest like watercolor on damp parchment.
Sylahmira.
Her form solidified with a gasp, hands rising in instinctual defense before recognition softened her posture. They stared at one another—two points of light in a world suddenly less vast.
"You..." Her voice carried the cadence of wind through reeds, melodic yet wary. "You're from the Transition too, aren't you? Or..." Her glow flickered uncertainly, "are you something this world made?"
Ætherion observed how her light pulsed—slower than his, more rhythmic, like tides rather than his firefly flickers. When he spoke, his own voice surprised him with its solidity. "I was among the transferred. My name is Ætherion."
A pause. The forest filled it with whispering leaves.
"They called me Sylahmira." She tilted her head, and for an instant her light projected fragmented images—a circle of similar beings, a tearing sensation, then void. The memory-shard vanished as quickly as it came.
Ætherion felt his glow respond instinctively, casting crimson echoes of his own fractured memories against nearby trees. The bark absorbed them hungrily, the silver etchings flaring in response.
"I was heading toward the mountain," he admitted, gesturing to the obsidian peak, "but the forest..." He touched a nearby trunk where their mingled lights had left violet afterimages. "It reacts to us. There may be answers here first."
Sylahmira extended a hand toward a cluster of ferns. At her approach, the fronds unfurled, revealing bioluminescent veins that sketched symbols in the air before fading. "Or more questions." Despite her words, she stepped closer to Ætherion. "I'll walk with you. Solitude seems... unwise here."
Their lights intertwined as they moved forward—crimson and turquoise weaving a new hue where they overlapped, a color neither could name but both found comforting.
The forest swallowed them whole. Canopies interlaced so densely that within twenty paces, the mountain vanished from view. The air grew heavier, saturated with oxygen-rich moisture that made their glow brighter. Every surface teemed with life: epiphytes that mimicked their light patterns, vines that twitched toward passing energy, and underfoot, a mycelial network that illuminated briefly at each footfall, charting their passage in fleeting blue trails.
"Wait." Sylahmira crouched beside a mushroom cluster. Unlike Earthly fungi, these had caps like frosted glass, their interiors swirling with particulate matter that arranged into shapes as she watched. "Look—that resembles your glow pattern."
Ætherion knelt, disturbing a cloud of pollen-like spores that hung frozen until touched. Upon contact, they darted away with insect-like precision. "This isn't just an ecosystem. It's..."
"A network," Sylahmira finished. She pressed her palm to the ground. The soil yielded slightly before pushing back with measured pressure. "It's testing us."
A shriek tore through the trees. Not avian, not mammalian—a sound that vibrated at frequencies that made their light flicker erratically. The forest's chorus fell silent mid-chime.
Ætherion's glow contracted into a protective shell around his skin. Sylahmira's form became nearly translucent with tension. Between distant trunks, something massive displaced air—branches snapping not from impact, but from the mere wake of its passage.
*"Down,"* Ætherion mouthed.
They pressed against a tree whose bark immediately softened to accommodate their forms, its surface growing warmer where they touched. The creature's approach sent tremors through the ground—not footsteps, but waves of pressure that made the soil ripple like liquid.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—silence.
The tree's embrace tightened briefly before releasing them. Sylahmira's whisper barely stirred the air: "It's not gone. Just... waiting."
Ætherion's glow pulsed once in grim agreement. Above them, the canopy dripped iridescent sap that burned tiny craters where it struck leaves. Whatever hunted here, the forest feared it too.
Their lights intertwined again as they moved—not toward the mountain now, but away from the unseen predator, following the mycelial trails that flared brighter with their panic. The path ahead twisted unnaturally, roots rearranging to guide them somewhere, or perhaps somewhen.
The last thing Ætherion noted before the forest swallowed all landmarks was the mountain's peak now glowing faintly through the canopy—impossible, given their distance—its light synchronizing with the frantic rhythm of his pulse.
---
I hope you've enjoyed this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it. If you feel inclined, I'd be truly grateful if you could show your support by leaving an Energy Stone, a kind comment, or even voting for this story. Your thoughts mean the world to me, and every small gesture helps this journey grow.
If you feel like the story is something your friends would enjoy, sharing it with them would be a wonderful gift. Your support is the fire that keeps this tale alive, and I couldn't be more thankful for each one of you who has taken the time to read, reflect, and follow along.
As the story unfolds, remember that even the smallest of actions in this world ripple through time, just like the glowing echoes left by Ætherion and Sylahmira. Let's continue this journey together and see where it leads.
Until the next chapter, may the mysteries of the forest and the mountain linger in your thoughts.
---
Author's Note :
And as the forest sealed its paths behind them,
the mountain's glow whispered one truth—
some destinies awaken only when two lights meet.
---
Thank you so much for reading! Your support means the world to me. Don't forget to leave a review, share with friends, or vote if you enjoyed the chapter. I can't wait to continue this journey with you all!