Chapter 149: The Hollow Tree
The tree groaned, a low, resonant sound that rattled through the clearing like distant thunder.
Its branches twisted against the sky, gnarled limbs reaching out like skeletal fingers.
The faint pulses of light crawling through the bark flickered erratically, almost like a heartbeat.
Or a warning.
Nero tightened his grip on his wand, eyes never leaving the old woman.
Her frail frame looked like it could snap in a breeze, but her presence pressed against the air like a weight.
She wasn’t just some elder, she was the center of this place. The anchor.
Lyra clutched Nero’s sleeve, her fingers trembling. "Grandmother... don’t scare him," she whispered, voice thin.
The old woman’s lips twitched. "If he’s scared, he should leave," she said, voice dry as parchment. "Fear is a mercy. It keeps fools alive."
"I don’t scare easily. Knowledge is my butter and bread." Nero said, stepping closer.
The old woman tilted her head, her gaze sharp and assessing. "Tell me your name, boy."