Zane stepped out of the gleaming ruins of the Sun Temple, the golden rays of the desert sun cascading over his shoulders like he was some kind of chosen messiah. Dust billowed behind him as he walked, shadows twisting gently at his feet with every step.
The Ring of Auric Dominion pulsed faintly on his finger. Another artifact collected. Only a few more left.
Zane grinned to himself, strolling through the arid wasteland like a man who just robbed a god and got away with it.
"I swear," he said, stretching his arms, "if the rest are this easy, I'll be back to full power in time for lunch."
"Doubtful," Link replied. "The next ones are buried in cursed sanctums, hostile realms, or possibly time-locked dungeons—"
Zane held up a finger. "Shh. Let me enjoy my post-victory strut."
He walked a little further through the dunes, savoring the dry heat and dramatic wind. Then something odd appeared in the corner of his eye.
Zane stopped. Blinked.
"What the hell is that?"
In the middle of the scorching desert, where only sand and regret should exist, stood a tree.
A perfect, green, leafy tree.
It had a full canopy of emerald leaves, roots half-buried in sand, and even a bird's nest tucked into its branches. A bird chirped. Chirped.
Zane looked at it like it just insulted his bloodline.
Link floated beside him, confused. "That shouldn't be here."
Nyx remained eerily quiet.
Zane tilted his head. "Is it magical?"
Link began scanning. "Possibly. The mana levels are—wait, this isn't normal. There's something sealed—"
Zane did what every logical, well-adjusted Zane would do.
He pulled out both blades and vaporized the tree.
In one swift movement, he dashed forward, his twin Void-infused weapons slashing in an X-arc. The poor tree didn't even have time to scream. Leaves evaporated. Bark turned to ash. The nest? Gone. The bird? Probably reconsidering its life choices.
By the time the dust settled, nothing remained but a blackened crater and two glowing blades humming in Zane's hands.
He stood there, panting lightly. "And that's how you deal with suspicious trees."
Link stared at the crater. "...What if that was sacred?"
"Then it shouldn't have looked at me funny."
"Zane," Nyx finally said, her tone quiet. "You might've just destroyed a natural seal."
Zane lowered his blades. "A what now?"
Beneath the scorched sand, the ground began to tremble. A low hum vibrated through the air.
Suddenly, cracks spiderwebbed across the desert floor beneath Zane's feet.
He jumped back just in time as a blinding pillar of golden-blue light shot up from the crater where the tree once stood.
The dunes around him shook and sank.
A word, ancient and long forgotten, echoed across the wasteland like a memory rising from the grave.
Zane took a cautious step back.
"Okay. So maybe... maybe I should've asked questions first."
Link sighed. "You think?"
The light condensed. Energy surged. And from the crater, something began to rise — a humanoid shape forged of crystal, flame, and ancient runes.
The Guardian of the Verdant Seal had awakened.
And it was very pissed.