Under the weight of the forest's pain, Maeve turned away in agony. I sat down on the ground next to the hole. Earth felt like a wounded animal. I wanted to end its pain.

The sound of Gethins' urgent voice broke through into my thoughts. He was giving orders to his team.

"I can't be here, Evie," Maeve said, her voice breaking with emotion. "It hurts too much." She looked one last time at the violated earth and then disappeared into the trees seamlessly, as I guess a wood nymph would do. Would that make her a Dryad, I wondered?

The tangible distress of the forest pulled at my senses. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, as the land's pain overwhelmed me. The earth's heartbeat beneath me, drawing me into its rhythm.

As I fell into a trance-like state, the awareness of my surrounding dimmed. The earth's heartbeat merged with my own, an ancient energy whispering around my mind, pulling me deeper into the soil's pain.

Visions flashed before my mind's eye. I observed the cycle of life and death throughout the seasons. Each image was infused with the emotion and memory of the village. And then, amongst the chaos of feelings, I felt a presence. A being tied to this place by love and loss so deep it was beyond time.

I was in the earth, or the earth was in me, and I was the smallest part of it, a witness from the earth's point of view. The world was vast, and I was tiny. I could feel life running through me, not blood, but sap. I was part of the earth, part of the earth itself.

The surrounding air changed, a disturbance in the undergrowth. Someone was in this sacred space. I knew it before I saw them. He was a shadow, and it felt wrong in this place. It was crashing through the forest, its presence dark against the purity of the woods.

I saw it down on my level as if I was looking up at him through a flower's eyes. Its hands glowed with an eerie light, casting long, sinister shadows across the earth. It knelt and touched the ground. Heat radiated from its fingers, scorching the soil.

I wanted to scream, or I would have done if I had a mouth. The land beneath me was in pain. The heat was building and I could almost smell the burning of life turning to ash. It plunged Its hands into the earth and pulled something out.

Arcanite. It had to be.

The stone glowed in its hands, mixing with its unnatural light. It was like a poison in the natural magic of the forest. The shadow stood, holding its prize in the air. I could feel its satisfaction. I wanted to pull back, to flee from this, but I was stuck there, watching. I withdrew into myself, like a flower closing its petals at night.

Then everything went black, and the shadow and its glowing hands disappeared. There was just silence. I was cut off from the vision of destruction.

A hand touched my shoulder, and I was brought back to the present. I opened my eyes to see Gethin kneeling beside me, his face creased with concern.

"Evie," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

The world came back into sharp focus, Gethin's concerned face looking back at me. My heart was racing, like the earth's heartbeat I had felt a few moments ago. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself and shake off the feeling of dread.

"I saw something," I said. I wasn't sure if the vision had been a gift or a curse. If it was what happened today or centuries ago. I looked into Gethin's eyes, searching for any sign of disbelief. I found none, just unwavering attention. "I'm not sure if you'll believe me."

He sat down next to me and gently placed a hand on my arm. "Tell me."

I paused, then the words spilled out. "It was like I was part of the earth, seeing through its eyes. There was a shadow in the forest. It's hands, they were glowing." I looked up at him. "I don't know if you'll believe me."

Gethin smiled, offering encouragement. "Evie, tell me all you can. Did you know the shadow? What did it do?"

I took a deep breath, surprised Gethin believed me. I could still see the shadow in my mind's eye. "I didn't recognize it," I said. "I couldn't see a face, but it reminded me of someone I'd met. But the hands, they were glowing. It was like it was channelling something dark, something that didn't belong in this world."

I looked down at my own hands. I half expected them to be glowing with the same unnatural light, but they weren't. Just my pale skin, covered in a fine layer of earth. "the shadow put its hand into the ground," I said. "Right where we found the hole. It was like it was pulling something out of the land itself. It glowed golden"

Gethin's jaw clenched. "Arcanite. That's not surprising. You can see traces of it left in the ground," he murmured.

"Yes," I said, feeling a shiver run down my spine despite the warmth of Gethin's body next to mine. "It was pulsing with power in its hand, and it felt wrong. The forest was recoiling from it, like it was a wound."

He nodded, taking in what I'd said with a grave expression. "Anything else? Every little detail could be important."

I hesitated, trying to grasp at the fleeting memories of the vision. "It seemed pleased when it found the arcanite. Like it'd accomplished something." I shuddered, remembering the burning sensation that came with its touch.

Gethin reached out and placed a reassuring hand on top of mine. "You're doing great, Evie. This is really helpful."

His touch calmed me. I felt like I was coming back from the vision. "I wish I could tell you more," I said.

"You've told me plenty," Gethin said with a firm nod. "I know who to talk to next when we've cleared up this mess a bit."

"You do?"