Auri sat beside Ethan, still staring ahead. Unable to pinpoint the source of the life energy, she finally gave up and looked down, playing with the new branch she had created.
Then she sensed a strange energy beneath the soil.
It felt somewhat similar to Fairy energy, but mixed with something else. Curious, Auri raised her head. Everyone was still discussing what to do, so she quietly slipped outside the shield.
She crouched in the grass and poked one finger into the soil.
The ground split open at once.
A root wrapped around her finger, tightened around her wrist, and yanked her forward.
Auri lost her balance and fell facedown in the grass. The root didn't stop. It dragged her at high speed toward the wall of vegetation.
"Da—"
The group was sitting in a circle, and Ataneya happened to be directly across from Ethan. She was the first to see Auri being dragged away.
