God's Tree-Chapter 106: The Tree of Faith

Kaelred stood before the sentinel, his breath still ragged from the trials.

He had fought himself.

Had fought his mind.

Had fought his very spirit.

And now—

He had won.

The sentinel's massive, stone-plated form shifted, glowing eyes narrowing as it regarded him. For a long moment, there was only silence, save for the faint rustling of leaves overhead. Then—

"You have proven yourself."

Kaelred straightened, ignoring the dull ache in his limbs.

The sentinel lifted one clawed hand and pointed beyond the mist.

"The first tree awaits."

Kaelred exhaled. His pulse pounded, not from fear, but from anticipation.

Argolaith had gone through this before. Had claimed the lifeblood of his own tree. And now—

It was his turn.

The mist parted as Kaelred stepped forward. It coiled around his boots like living shadows before dispersing entirely, revealing the path ahead.

It was narrow, winding, framed by gnarled roots that jutted from the earth like the bones of ancient beasts. The air smelled of damp moss and something older.

Something watching.

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Kaelred moved carefully, his steps measured. Though the trials had ended, he felt no sense of relief. If anything, the air was thicker here. Charged. As though the very forest held its breath.

Then—

The path widened.

Kaelred halted.

Before him stood a tree unlike any he had ever seen.

It towered into the sky, its massive trunk wrapped in spiraling veins of gold. Not metal, but something alive, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. Its bark was deep gray, textured like rough stone, yet there was an unmistakable warmth to it.

The leaves were not green.

They were white.

Pale, ghostly, glowing softly in the dimness of the forest. They shifted with an unseen breeze, whispering secrets Kaelred could not yet understand.

And at its base—

A pool of water.

Still. Unbroken.

A perfect mirror reflecting the sky above, despite the thick canopy that should have blocked it.

Kaelred swallowed hard.

This was no ordinary tree.

"You have come."

The voice was not spoken.

It was felt.

Kaelred stiffened as the words settled into his mind, heavy as stone yet light as wind. He exhaled sharply, his fingers brushing over the hilt of his dagger before he forced himself to relax.

The tree was alive.

Not just in the way all things were alive—but in a way that thought. That knew.

Kaelred took a step closer. "What are you?"

The leaves trembled. The golden veins pulsed.

"I am the First."

Kaelred's brow furrowed. "The first… what?"

"The First of Five."

Kaelred's pulse quickened. The Five Trees. The ones calling to him.

This was the first.

He hesitated, then took another step forward. "What do I call you?"

The wind stirred.

"I am Faith."

Kaelred inhaled deeply.

The Tree of Faith.

The name settled over him like a weight he couldn't quite define. He had expected something… different. Strength. Power. Something tangible.

But faith?

He frowned. "What does that mean?"

The voice of the tree remained steady.

"To walk forward when there is no path."

Kaelred's jaw clenched.

"To stand when you have been beaten."

His fingers curled.

"To trust in yourself, even when all else crumbles."

Kaelred swallowed.

That… struck deep.

Because wasn't that what he had been doing all along?

Walking forward, even when he had nothing left.

Fighting, even when he had no reason to believe he would win.

Trusting that, somehow, he would survive.

The tree's golden veins pulsed again, its voice turning softer.

"You have already carried me within you, Kaelred."

Kaelred exhaled. His chest felt tight, but not in fear.

In understanding.

He was faith.

And that was why he had made it this far.

Kaelred adjusted his grip on the small needle he had taken from his storage ring.

It was a delicate thing, thin as a hair, yet sharper than any dagger. He had chosen it carefully—small enough to draw the tree's lifeblood without harming it.

He stepped closer, placing a steady hand against the bark. It was warm.

Not like wood.

Like skin.

A heartbeat thrummed beneath his palm, slow and ancient.

Kaelred took a slow breath. Then—

He pressed the needle into one of the golden veins.

The tree did not resist.

A single drop of liquid formed at the tip of the needle.

It was not red.

It was gold.

Shimmering, thick, glowing faintly in the dim light. It pulsed once, then slid into the small glass vial Kaelred had prepared.

The moment it touched the glass, the vial hummed.

Not a sound—a feeling.

A deep, resonating pulse that echoed through Kaelred's bones.

The lifeblood of the Tree of Faith.

He sealed the vial and stepped back, staring down at the golden liquid.

This—

This was power.

Not in the way of swords.

Not in the way of magic.

But in the way of belief.

The tree's leaves rustled.

"You have taken the first step."

Kaelred nodded. "What happens now?"

The tree's golden veins flickered, as if smiling.

"Now, you walk forward."

The words held weight. A promise. A command.

And Kaelred understood.

He had the lifeblood. He had the first tree.

But his journey was far from over.

There were four more waiting.

Kaelred turned, tucking the vial safely into his belt. His gaze hardened.

Then—

Kaelred stood before the Tree of Faith, the golden vial resting in his hand.

The lifeblood inside pulsed softly, its glow dim yet constant—like a heartbeat preserved in liquid form.

It was warm. Alive.

The first piece of the puzzle.

Kaelred exhaled, rolling the vial between his fingers. This… felt different from the kind of power he had known before. It wasn't raw strength. It wasn't speed or reflexes.

It was something deeper.

Something unchanging.

A reminder that, no matter what, he had to keep moving forward.

He clenched his jaw, flipping the vial once before carefully slipping it into his storage ring.

It vanished in a flash of dim silver light.

But its presence—its weight—lingered.

Even sealed away, it changed something in him.

Kaelred turned away from the tree, but he hesitated.

The forest around him had shifted.

It was quieter.

Not empty. Not dead.

Just… watching.

The sentinel had been right. The trials were over. The first tree had accepted him.

But something told him the forest was still deciding what to think of him.

He adjusted his grip on his daggers, then took his first step back toward the others.

The mist that had once been thick and suffocating now parted as he walked.

Like the forest was acknowledging him.

Like it knew.