CHAPTER 334: THALYNAE SILVERSONG

It wasn’t loud.

But it didn’t need to be.

The voice was calm, steady, and clear. The kind that didn’t raise its tone because it didn’t have to.

"You three were chosen for more than just skill or superpowers," it said.

The sound came from somewhere beyond the trees—not too far, but not close either. It was meant to be heard from where they stood, but they had not answered yet.

"You were chosen because all three of you carry a connection to the Tree of Life."

That sentence settled the air like a drop in still water.

All three girls stopped moving.

Everly’s arms lowered slowly from where they’d been half-crossed. Nyssara took one quiet step back, her brow pulling in slightly.

Evelyn didn’t flinch, didn’t move her body, but her eyes shifted. Not panic—just calculation. She scanned the trees without turning her head.

The voice came again. Still smooth. Still composed.

"That connection is both a gift and a risk. But it is also your path forward. With me here, we’ll turn that risk into something else—into strength. Into power. Into evolution."

Then the forest shifted.

Not loudly. Not with crashing branches or rustling leaves.

Just enough.

Between two thick tree trunks, a figure appeared. Not suddenly.

Not like a jump or a reveal. She simply stepped out—as if she’d been standing there the entire time, and the forest had been quietly hiding her from the world and had just revealed her.

She didn’t rush, she didn’t put on a show, she just walked.

Her robes were soft silver with faint green patterns near the edges, like morning light touching mist.

The fabric moved easily, like it weighed nothing, following the rhythm of her steps. Her shoulders were bare, and a long sash crisscrossed over her chest, tied at her waist in a way that looked precise but natural.

Like she didn’t need help dressing—like she’d worn this her whole life.

Her hair was silver-white, long and smooth, reaching well past her hips. It didn’t shimmer. It didn’t sparkle.

It just looked clean. Real. Soft. The kind of hair that said more by being natural than anything styled or enchanted.

She wore no jewelry. No glowing crest. No signal of authority.

Just a bare face and violet eyes—deep, half-lidded, quiet, and sharp.

She walked up the short steps to the pavilion like she’d done it a hundred times before. Her bare feet made no sound when they touched the wood.

As she moved, the petals in the garden shifted slightly—just the ones closest to her. They tilted toward her as if drawn, but nothing bloomed. Nothing flared. It was subtle. Controlled.

Nyssara watched her without blinking.

Evelyn tilted her head, just enough to study the woman’s posture.

Everly swallowed softly but didn’t say anything.

The woman came to a stop just a few steps from them, her arms resting easily at her sides.

"I am Thalynae Silversong," she said. "I’m not your instructor. I’m not here to teach you lessons you’ll forget next year or walk you through drills you’ll grow out of."

She looked at each of them as she spoke, her tone firm but not harsh."I’m here to unlock what’s already inside you."

None of the three responded at first.

Evelyn gave a small nod of her head in acknowledgment.

Nyssara’s eyes didn’t leave Thalynae’s for a second.

Everly stood straighter, not out of defense—more out of focus.

Thalynae looked at them one by one. Not with suspicion. Not to read their stats. She was seeing them—looking with calm attention like she didn’t need to rush it.

"I don’t expect you to trust me," she said. "Not yet. But I expect honesty. And right now, your bodies are saying more than your words ever could."

She stepped forward. Just one step.

The garden didn’t react this time.

But the air around them shifted.

Not heavier—but thicker. Fuller. Like something unseen had just decided to start paying attention.

"You’ve all been touched by something old," she said. "That’s not a figure of speech. I mean it literally.

There’s energy inside you that didn’t come from your training or family. It comes from the oldest force left in this world."

She paused.

"The Life Tree."

Evelyn’s lips parted slightly, but Thalynae lifted a finger.

"You’ve felt it already. All three of you," she continued. "You’ve had dreams you couldn’t remember, colors in your vision that didn’t match reality.

Times when your powers moved without your input—or didn’t respond at all. And each of you has had at least one moment where something in your chest felt like it was about to break."

A longer silence followed.

Then, finally, Everly gave a small nod.

"...Yes," she said softly.

Evelyn said nothing, but her gaze dropped for a moment.

Nyssara exhaled once, short and controlled. "So what is it then? A curse? A bloodline fault?"

"No," Thalynae replied without pause. "It’s resonance."

She turned slightly and pointed toward the forest behind her.

"There’s something buried beneath those woods. Something ancient. Older than Astralis. Older than even the cities that managed to survive the Fall. That’s where we’ll go next."

She turned back to them.

"But only if you choose to come. I don’t drag people. I don’t chase. I extend the offer. If you want real growth, if you want to understand what’s waking up inside you, then you walk forward."

For a moment, no one moved.

Then Evelyn took one simple, steady step.

Everly followed. A half-beat later.

Nyssara looked at them both, sighed through her nose, and nodded. "Fine. Let’s see where this goes."

Thalynae didn’t smile.

But something in her eyes softened.

She turned again, stepped down from the pavilion, and walked toward the trees.

The forest moved.

Not visibly. Not with light.

But a path appeared.

A gap between the trunks, straight and flat, that hadn’t been there a second ago—no magic circle. No ripple. It was just... open now.

And they followed.

None of them spoke. Not because they agreed to stay quiet—but because the air around them felt like it already knew what they were thinking.