Irina’s POV
It took me almost a day to understand where we had truly arrived.
The Heart of the Forest was unlike any place I’d ever seen—or imagined. It wasn’t a village, not exactly. It was… alive.
Homes were built into the trunks of colossal trees, carved from living wood that never stopped growing. The bark shifted slowly, like it was breathing, forming steps and doorways where people lived. Some of the rogues—though Kratos called them guardians—slept in woven nests of moss suspended high among the branches. Others built small dens along the glowing roots that spread across the ground like veins of silver light.
Everything pulsed faintly with energy. Even the air seemed to shimmer. When I inhaled, I swore I could feel the rhythm of the forest—each heartbeat of the land syncing with
