NOVEL WEB Chapter 6: Whispers of the Heartwood
The tunnel ahead felt alive. Vines pulsed along the walls like veins, their faint glow lighting up ancient carvings that seemed to shift when no one was looking. The smell of damp earth and wet leaves thickened the air, clinging to their skin and hair.
Amira moved cautiously, her bow held low but ready. Aren followed close behind, every so often brushing his fingers across the carvings as if hoping they might whisper secrets to him.
"Careful," Amira said without looking back. "These runes are watchers. They record every movement."
Aren raised an eyebrow. "So… basically nosy neighbors?"
She didn't answer this time. Her focus was razor-sharp. Aren watched her closely, noticing how her shoulders tensed and relaxed in rhythm, how her eyes constantly flicked from the carvings to the dark ahead and back.
After what felt like an endless stretch of narrow passage, they stepped into a vast chamber shaped like the hollow trunk of a colossal tree. The walls rose high above them, curling inward, woven with thick roots that formed balconies and narrow ledges. Bioluminescent fungi glowed faintly, bathing everything in shades of pale green and soft blue.
In the center of the chamber, a massive wooden heart pulsed slowly, its surface slick with dew. Long tendrils of light snaked out from it, brushing the walls as if searching for something.
Aren stepped forward, eyes wide. "Now this is what I call interior design. Beats any palace hall I've ever seen."
Amira ignored him, approaching the heart carefully. She raised her hand, stopping just above its surface. The light tendrils paused, then drifted toward her, curling around her fingers as if drawn to her warmth.
She closed her eyes and began to whisper words Aren couldn't understand — words that felt older than the kingdom itself. Her voice echoed through the chamber, blending with the deep hum of the heart.
Aren stood back, blade lowered, watching her with quiet awe. The entire room seemed to shift around them, listening and breathing with every word she spoke.
Suddenly, Amira shivered and pulled her hand back sharply. She stumbled, her eyes snapping open, wide and wild.
"Amira!" Aren rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground. Her skin felt cold against his arms.
"It's... it's alive," she gasped. "The Heartwood. It knows we're here. It remembers…"
Aren steadied her. "Remembers what?"
She looked up, her breath ragged. "The wars. The betrayals. The ones who tried to claim the Core before us."
Before he could respond, the entire chamber began to quake. Roots twisted and creaked, tearing away from the walls and floor. The soft glow of the fungi shifted, deepening into a dangerous violet.
Aren's eyes darted around. "I don't think your new plant friends like visitors."
Thick vines lashed out from the walls, whipping toward them. Aren shoved Amira behind him, sword flashing as he sliced one vine clean through. Another shot forward and coiled around his ankle, yanking him off balance.
Amira, jolted back into focus, rolled aside and fired an arrow. It struck a vine straight through, making it spasm and pull back.
Aren scrambled to his feet again, breathing hard, a fierce grin breaking across his face. "Guess it's time for a jungle dance."
They moved together, a blur of steel and arrows. Aren slashed, dodged, and leaped across roots, while Amira's arrows sang through the air, each one striking true.
But the vines kept coming. Every time they cut one down, more surged forward, fueled by the pulsing heart in the center.
"Amira! Any bright ideas?" Aren called out, his voice strained.
She scanned the walls, then pointed upward. "There! That crevice — it's a weak point! If we destroy it, the vines will lose their source!"
Aren didn't hesitate. He grabbed a fallen root, wedged it beneath his boot, and launched himself upward. Amira fired arrows to clear his path, each one buying him precious seconds.
He landed on a narrow ledge, his breath ragged. The walls trembled beneath him, but he kept climbing, hacking away at stray vines.
Finally, he reached the crevice. Inside, a cluster of glowing bulbs pulsed in sync with the heart below.
"Time to turn out the lights," he muttered.
With one powerful swing, Aren's blade sliced through the bulbs. A blinding flash erupted, followed by a deafening, echoing shriek that filled the entire chamber.
Below, the vines convulsed wildly before falling limp, collapsing into heaps across the floor. The heart at the center dimmed, its glow fading into a soft, exhausted pulse.
Aren slid back down, landing heavily beside Amira. She stared at him, wide-eyed, her bow lowered.
"You… you did it," she said, her voice low with disbelief.
Aren's grin softened. He brushed imaginary dust from his shoulder. "What can I say? I've always had a talent for extreme gardening."
Amira burst into laughter, the sound echoing beautifully in the now-quiet chamber. For a moment, all the fear and danger felt far away.
She stepped closer, her laughter fading into a gentle, sincere smile. "Thank you," she whispered.
Aren shrugged, though his eyes were warm. "Don't mention it. But next time, maybe we stick to simpler heart-to-heart talks instead of fighting giant jungle plants."
Amira laughed again and gave him a playful nudge. "Come on. We're close now. The Core is waiting."
They turned and stepped forward together, side by side, moving toward the tunnel that had opened beyond the heart.
Ahead, the passage glowed faintly, like a star calling them deeper into the jungle's mysteries. Whatever awaited them next, they would face it together ;tracker and warrior, bow and blade, secrets and laughter.
And somewhere inside all that, something new and fragile had started to grow between them. Something they weren't quite ready to name yet… but could already feel.