“The Shrouded Vale”
Episode 5: The Roots Beneath
March 24, 2025
Tavi Falconheart crouches in the shadows, still as stone. The chamber is dim, the only light coming from the soft glow of the basin. His breath catches in his throat as a figure steps into view—tattered cloak, bloodied arm, worn boots coated in mud and ash.
It’s him.
Not a reflection. Not a hallucination. The figure that limps across the chamber floor is unmistakably Tavi—or a version of him, battered by time and trial.
Future-Tavi leans against the basin, his face pale and eyes sunken. His hand hovers over the glowing surface. He hesitates, knuckles trembling. Then, in a single motion of surrender, he cups water from the basin and brings it to his lips.
Present-Tavi narrows his eyes, leaning forward instinctively—
Crack.
A noise behind him. Then another—like wood bending, twisting under pressure.
Something wraps around his ankle.
Before he can react, he’s yanked backward, the roots along the chamber walls coming to life, writhing silently as they drag him deeper into the darkness.
Tavi grits his teeth, struggling to stay quiet, his hands scraping stone as he’s pulled through a narrow passage behind the chamber wall. He catches one last glimpse of his future self, now kneeling at the basin, lips trembling. The glow brightens. And then—
Darkness swallows him.
The roots twist tighter. He’s descending fast. Somewhere unknown. Somewhere old.
But he still has a choice.