Dipak moved through Enaid slowly. He had dressed himself carefully so that his clothing hid most of the changes that had occurred. The long white coat, slacks, boots and gloves covered most of his body. It left only his face for them to stare at. But that was enough. His skin had completely peeled away, leaving raw black muscle exposed and oozing black ichor. Tendrils of darkness stretched out, wafting off him and coiling with his hair. He now had a row of eyes on both sides of his face, allowing him to see everything. 

The fey were afraid of him. They scurried back when he approached and made excuses to be elsewhere when he arrived. But he didn’t blame them for this. He was afraid of himself. Jacob slid his hand into Dipak's. He looked down at it, then up at Jacob's face.

“I’m glad you returned to Enaid,” he said, flashing a vibrant smile.

Dipak tried to give him a smile back, but his face now lacked lips and his mouth was filled with sharp teeth. All he accomplished as making his cheeks twitch and spasm. 

“Enaid is rather busy,” Dipak said, gesturing to the Were Folk that were milling about. 

Jacob nodded.

A woman made eye contact with Dipak from across the open field. They made no move to close the distance between them nor did they exchange words. Dipak could feel the thin silver cord that now bound them together. Her name was Oni and she had survived her visit to Rachna.

"The Fey have a new queen," Dipak stated, pointing to the woman standing near the Life Tree.

Beneath the boughs of the Life Tree, its branches stretching up like a web into the dim, ethereal glow of Enaid, Jacob took in the sight of her. She stood there in the dappled light, as if she were born from the shadows surrounding them, her figure both human and something entirely beyond his understanding. Her skin shimmered faintly, an almost otherworldly sheen accentuating her form, which was both graceful and haunting. Tangled, tendril-like appendages unfurled behind her, resembling the arms of a cephalopod, each tentacle seeming alive, writhing and curling with a slow, mesmerizing grace. They radiated a quiet but potent energy, a warning of hidden strength and adaptability.

Her face was striking, almost serene, though her eyes held an unsettling intensity, piercing and unblinking as they locked onto Jacob. She studied him in silence, her gaze both curious and challenging, as though weighing his worth against some unknown measure. Her dark hair draped wetly over her shoulders, some strands clinging to her form, accentuating her strange, delicate beauty.

As the tentacles shift, he realized they are an extension of her being, an expression of her nature that is as much part of her as her limbs or her gaze. She was a creature born from the depths, touched by Rachna's magic, bearing the mystery and weight of ancient waters within her.

Jacob felt both awe and trepidation, sensing an intelligence and wisdom that went beyond anything he had encountered before. She inclined her head slightly, as though acknowledging his presence, her mouth curling into a slight, enigmatic smile. The silence stretched, thick with unspoken words and the promise of hidden knowledge. He understood in that moment that meeting her is a threshold, a test he must pass if he is to understand the true power and secrets of the Life Tree and the world she comes from.

Jacob hesitated for a heartbeat as Oni’s hand stretched toward him, her pale, slender fingers beckoning him forward with a grace that was equal parts mesmerizing and unsettling. His gaze flickered to Dipak, hoping for some sign or reassurance. But Dipak only shrugged, his expression open yet unreadable, signaling that the decision rested entirely with Jacob.

With a steadying breath, Jacob reached out and clasped Oni's hand. Her skin was cool to the touch, yet somehow pulsing with a hidden vitality. She led him through the shadowy forest, her presence both a guide and a silent mystery as she moved ahead of him, weaving through the twisted trees with fluid, ethereal steps. The path soon brought them before a massive set of iron gates, dark and intricately wrought, embedded into the trunks of two enormous treants. Their gnarled bark merged with the iron, making it impossible to tell where the trees ended and the metal began. The treants stirred slightly, their ancient, watchful eyes turning down toward Oni.

With a wave of her hand, Oni seemed to communicate without words. The treants groaned and creaked, roots shifting as the iron gates swung open with a metallic clang that resonated through the stillness of the forest. Oni stepped aside, gesturing for Jacob to continue on alone. Her expression remained enigmatic, but there was a gravity in her gaze, a silent urging that this path was one he needed to walk on his own.

Jacob glanced back at her, but she merely watched him, unmoving, her tentacles coiling softly in the dim light as if bidding him farewell. With a final nod, he turned and stepped beyond the gate into Rachna.

The air grew heavier as he walked along a narrow path lined with white stones, their pale luminescence a stark contrast against the dark, looming trees. The silence was almost oppressive, broken only by the faint crunch of leaves underfoot and the occasional rustle in the canopy above. The deeper he went, the more surreal and otherworldly the forest became, as though he were leaving behind the reality he knew and entering a realm of ancient secrets and magic.

Jacob stepped into the clearing, his eyes drawn to the dark, rectangular pool nestled amid the tall, shadowed trees. The mist hung low over the water's surface, shrouding it in an eerie stillness that mirrored the oppressive quiet of the forest around him. The trees stretched upward like ancient sentinels, their thin, bare branches reaching into the fog and blocking out any light save for the faintest, ghostly glow filtering down.

The ground was damp and soft beneath his boots, coated in a layer of dark moss and fallen needles that muted his footsteps. The air was thick and cold, carrying the faint scent of wet earth and decay. It was as though time had slowed here, the only movement coming from the slow drifting of the mist over the pool’s surface.

Jacob approached the pool cautiously, drawn by an inexplicable sense of purpose yet wary of the unnatural stillness that seemed to emanate from the water. The pool was perfectly still, dark as ink, reflecting a distorted version of the trees and sky above him. There was an almost magnetic pull to it, as if the water itself held secrets waiting to be uncovered.

Jacob’s heart pounded as he stared into the creature’s black, piercing eyes, hearing its guttural caw echo in his mind. Its head tilted unnaturally, its sharp-toothed mouth spreading into an unnerving smile as it asked, "Why do you call me from the shadows?"

He opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him. Just then, a voice—a different voice, soft and ancient—whispered into his mind, "Drink, Jacob. Come into the well of creation. Join me."

The words pulled at him with a hypnotic weight, resonating deep within his soul. Rachna's voice wrapped around his thoughts, guiding his every move. Trembling, he reached down to touch the dark water, feeling a strange warmth emanating from it, like an invitation. Without further thought, he sank down, immersing himself into the inky depths.

The water enveloped him, thick and heavy, its warmth seeping into his skin. As he descended, he felt his body begin to change, as though the water itself was reshaping him. A surge of power and vitality flooded his veins, connecting him to something vast and ancient—something alive. He felt himself becoming one with the Life Tree, its roots pulsing in the dark beneath the earth, entwining with his spirit.

His bones stretched and elongated, his muscles expanding as his form transformed. Black feathers erupted from his skin, sleek and glossy, covering his arms, his chest, and his long, powerful legs. His wings unfurled from behind his shoulders, vast and magnificent, their span twice his height. He felt both immense strength and an unfamiliar lightness, as though he could take flight at any moment.

The skin on his hands and forearms grew thin and fragile, flaking as if touched by decay. His fingers elongated into clawed talons, his hands now resembling more a creature of the sky than that of man. He looked down at himself, marveling at his new form—Raven, an 11-foot-tall figure with the power and grace of a being beyond the mortal world. His gaze was drawn to his reflection in the water, now transformed into that haunting face he had seen before—smooth, white skin, large black orbs for eyes, and a cavernous mouth filled with sharp, black teeth.

The feeling of connection to the Life Tree pulsed through him, filling him with a sense of purpose and primal energy. Every feather, every movement, felt as though it belonged to this new identity, this entity that was both him and something ancient. The lingering voice of Rachna echoed through his mind once more, steady and proud.

“You are reborn, Raven. Protector. Vessel of life and shadow.”

Testing his form, he spread his massive wings, feeling the weight and power in each feathered limb. He stretched his legs, feeling the raw strength in his thighs and the agility of his new, bird-like feet. His skin, pale and thin in places, bore marks of affliction—a curse or corruption that whispered of the hardships and ancient memories that now came with this form.

Raven stood in the mist, a towering and haunting figure, filled with both awe and foreboding. He sensed the power and responsibility granted to him, his heart swelling with a mix of pride and sorrow. He had become something beyond himself—bound to Rachna, to the Life Tree, and to the endless shadows that lay in the depths of the ancient forest.

Rising from the water, the air around him rippled with energy as he stretched his wings wide. The warm mist evaporated from his body as he straightened, his clawed hands reaching upward toward the sky, sharp fingers brushing the air as though seeking something beyond the world. His eyes, opened wide and glowing faintly, fixed on the heavens, his senses extending like tendrils through the atmosphere.

His mind surged outward, pulling on the strands of magic that had once eluded him, now more accessible through the faint but undeniable connection to Rachna. The energy hummed like a deep current beneath his skin, thrumming through the air, and with it, he called upon the power of his blood, weaving the spell that once felt so foreign to him.

He felt the tug of Rachna’s presence at the edge of his mind, a pulse like a heartbeat in the distance, but there was something more. His magic had shifted since his transformation, melding the fey essence within him with the power of Rachna. It was a new sensation—a force that had always been within, waiting, stirring under the surface.

Focusing his energy, he reached deeper. He could sense the thin strands of connection between them, threads that flickered with a faint warmth. He followed them, stretching his magic further, willing his senses to pierce the veil between them.

And then he found her.

At first, it was only the faintest trace—a whisper of presence. But as he pushed further, the connection solidified, sharp and bright. He could feel the pulse of Xania’s magic—fragile and contained, yet brimming with power that felt like life itself. She was distant, but her aura, bound by something, was unmistakable. The Life Seed within her hummed softly, its presence singing a familiar song.

"I am here," he thought, sending the words through their bond. The magic flared, a surge of warmth and light, filling the spaces between their spirits. "You are not alone. I will protect you."

He reached out again, but this time, he did not try to seize control. He had learned enough to know that she needed to find her own path, just as he had. He simply left the connection open, like a gentle bridge across the distance, offering the comfort of presence without overwhelming her.

The air around him hummed with a quiet anticipation as he waited, feeling her response—however faint it might be—drift toward him. He knew that she was coming.

He had found the Verdant.