“Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back.” 

- J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets​

The men led you up through the twisted branches, moving stealthily as your group followed as best as you could. The trees were gigantic, even larger than the temples in your homeland. They must have seen thousands of years of history before their eyes as they grew to this size. The thought made you stare at the forest in awe of its beauty and majesty. The archers sprung from one bough to another, landing swiftly and so quietly that you could not hear them. Through the treetops you could hear squawking, the flapping of wings, buzzing, and the pitter-patter of small feet. Looking up, you saw creatures flying and running above you, most of which you had never seen before. 

"We are approaching the Forest Heart," the loud voice of the leading archer boomed. Your eyes moved back to face the front. Past a few of the trees you could already see what he was speaking of: the most enormous tree you had ever seen, standing proud, tall, and separated from all the other foliage. The only thing that connected it to anything else was the network of bridges coming to and fro from its branches. If the trees you had traveled on were thousands of years old, then this one must have been there since the beginning of time.

"The Forest Heart was the first tree to be created in all of Athosia," the archer beside you explained. You blushed when you realized he had noticed your awkward staring. "Oh, I see," you replied with a smile, nodding your head a little in gratitude for his explanation. As your eyes focused, you saw people on those networks of transportation. Some were running on the bridges, others were simply bounding from branch to branch, and others were flying down and across ropes as they held on with their hands, zipping quickly to the other side.

"I want to try that," you whispered as you poked Kris in the side and pointed at the zipping people. His eyebrows rose. "You really want to go on one of those things?" he asked in surprise. You nodded your head and smiled playfully. He chuckled and ruffled your hair as he looked down at you. "Maybe you will get to later, alright?" he asked. "Alright!" you replied happily. But your happiness did not last long for your eyes caught another glimpse of a green, lifeless Luhan being held by two archers. You held your breath and bit your lower lip in worry.

You felt a hand rub your back, and looked up to meet Kris' eyes. "Hey. Everything is going to be okay, I promise," he said in a reassuring voice. You sighed deeply before nodding your head. He continued to comfort you till the group jumped down to the large, lowest branch of the Forest Heart. Your eyes grew as you stared up into its branches, your mind trying as hard as it could to comprehend the mass of this living thing.

"Who is the leader of your group of travelers?" asked a quiet voice. Your eyes met with a pair of soft brown eyes. They belonged to a small, rather frail elderly women. She was clothed in white, and her dark black hair had long feathers braided into it. We all blinked and looked to one another before Kris stepped forward, pulling Suho along with him by the wrist. "We are," he said firmly. One of her eyebrows rose before she smiled. "Hm, well that's interesting. Two leaders," she chuckled to herself. "Please follow me. The elders of Isacin are expecting you." The two men nodded their heads and walked behind the woman, a group of archers escorting them from behind. 

"Wait! What about Luhan?" you asked