Chapter 628: The Sudden Hazard (End)
"We did not bring you merely for stories."
"I guessed." He set aside the fruit.
She rose and gestured toward the center of the floor, where a circular gap gaped between roots. A faint chill crept from it. He followed, Rodion gliding close.
The fissure was no wider than a man’s shoulders, yet depth swallowed light. Black tendrils pulsed along its walls—roots twisted into rope, slick with oily sheen. Each pulse sent dim crimson ripples through the cracks. The air smelled of rot under incense, old blood beneath perfume.
Mikhailis knelt, bracing a hand on slick bark. He peered in. The tendrils didn’t writhe like vines in wind; they quivered in slow waves, as if something gulped life from them in lazy sips.
A bead of sweat slid along his temple despite the cool air.
Rodion’s optics flashed, scanning. <Warning: demonic mana signature—cross-planar in origin. Probable tether to infernal conduit.>
He pressed a gloved finger to his lips, thinking fast. If Thalatha suspects I’ll run tattling to the human court, they’ll close every door. The right angle: shared problem, shared risk.
He rose, wiping damp palm on his coat. Met Thalatha’s steady gaze. "I propose a joint study. My leyline arrays combined with your root magic. Together we can map the corruption and starve it."
From the back, a gray-haired elf snorted. "Humans once felled our groves for cheap ships!"
Mikhailis nodded, conceding past sins. "Humans also grow wiser, one conversation at a time." He opened both hands—empty. "Let me earn trust."
Thalatha lifted a palm, halting further protest. Her eyes held storms and sunlight both. "One chance," she said. "You will remain until Elders consent."