And then the forest shuddered.
"Move out of my way, you damn cowards!" The roar exploded like thunder through the trees, not from the sky, but from the old man whose presence burned brighter than any sun, and his voice cracked through the clearing with such fury that even the birds above silenced themselves, the wind pausing mid-breath as if the whole forest understood that something sacred had just been unleashed.
"This child is still my grandson. You want to extract his core? Fine. That might save him. But if any of you even think about killing him—I will fucking kill all of you, and then I'll kill myself. Are we clear?!"
No one moved. No one dared speak.
