Willow ran as fast as he could to the forest behind his home.

  He didn’t know how long his brother’s distraction would last, but with their father’s decreased mobility he should be able to enact his plan before he was caught.

  The boy understood that his da had every right to try and stop him from attempting this insane idea. He could feel just how much he was afraid of losing one of his children while attempting to save Jieun.

  Even in success there was a chance that all he’d do is anger the demon.

  But he had to try.

  He had already let one person die from his inaction.

  “Are you sure you are up for this, Willow?” Harmony asked from her space at the boy’s crown. “We expressed confidence in your plan, but your father is right. One mistake would be all it takes.”

  “Don’t care. Gonna save Aunt Jieun.” He sent back.

  “Friend, you know it wasn’t your fault the old woman died, right?” A surprisingly solemn Change chimed in from his white void.

  Willow said nothing, but picked up speed. Entering the forest he spread out his senses as much as he could, using it to avoid roots and branches since it was dark enough that he saw basically nothing with his eyes.

  Once he felt he was deep enough into the woods, he stopped and orientated himself towards where he remembered the Emerald Blooms lair being. The feat was made easier due to the waves of rot qi he could feel emanating from that direction.

  He took a deep breath. Once he started there’d be no stopping until he made it to the demonic beasts lair.

  And then he’d still need to escape with his aunt.

  Hopefully Da and Yew had stopped fighting.

  He wished Maple was here.

  He wished a hero was here to do this in his place.

  But there was only him.

  His body began to rebel, his limbs shook and his limited vision began to blur.

  Tears started to leak from his eyes.

  No, he wasn’t alone.

  A candleflame shared their warmth.

  A pebble sent their calm acceptance.

  A reflection showed a brave face.

  A raindrop expressed their wonder at the world.

  He was surrounded by heroes, though their forms were small.

  If he succeeded then maybe he’d finally be one too.

  Willow let out the breath he’d been holding.

  “Ready, Eos?” He sent to his first friend. At the tiny flames confirmation the boy then summoned them to his side. He felt some of the nearby and already agitated beasts take notice. Fire was anathema to the wood qi of the Vale after all. Especially when fully in its depths.

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  Willow harmonized with his candleflame companion.

  It felt stranger than when he had done the same with Phoebe. That had happened so smoothly as to be unnoticeable to the child at the time. Whether it was due to his family’s affinity for the element, or earth's more physical nature he didn’t know.

  What the boy now knew was that he was light.

  He was warmth.

  He was heat.

  He was fire made manifest, and he burned as bright as he could.

  All of the spirits and beasts in the surroundings took notice.

  Willow ran.

  The beasts followed, eager to extinguish his light.

  Both boy and spirit danced and dodged and dashed through danger. One misstep would mean their end, but they managed to stay ahead of the horde, albeit barely.

  All the while, with every burning step, every branch that struck his flaming form, small fires were being left in their wake. Angering the denizens of the woods even more. The boy hoped the flames would be put out before anyone got hurt, but he needed as many enraged beings as possible chasing him in order for his plan to work.

  In the distance they heard a familiar rumble, and Willow felt a presence he still occasionally had nightmares about.

  The beast that had chased him last year when he had first met Change and Harmony had made their appearance known.

  He still didn’t know what exactly it looked like, but it was large and slowly gaining ground as it charged through the undergrowth of the forest. The rest of the bestial tide made way for the great behemoth as they all continued their pursuit.

  But Willow was not the same as he was the previous year. His core was brimming with energy and his body was tempered by qi. He was able to run far faster and far longer than he could’ve ever dreamed before.

  All he had to do was think of this as a game of chase.

  If they caught him he’d lose.

  If he won his aunt would be saved.

  Thinking of this as a game helped immensely, his steps grew surer and he began to pick up speed. The shadows chasing him began to lag further behind. The ones in front were dodged with a dance, and added to the group behind.

  The joy of movement that Willow loved so much began to overtake him.

  A fiery grin split his face, and he began to laugh. Eos shared in their friend’s mirth, glowing brighter as the two of them dashed through the dark woods.

  With every step taking them ever closer to the rotten domain of the Emerald Bloom.

  As both spirit and boy began to near their destination, a good chunk of their pursuers began leaving the pack. The weaker and more loyal spirits not wanting to disturb their lord and master. Thankfully a sizable chunk remained, including the large beast that Willow could tell was growing increasingly frenzied as the flaming child continued to evade capture.

  It should hopefully be enough.

  Willow broke through into the clearing containing the corrupted beast king, bringing a fiery trail in his wake, with some of the colorful flowers at the periphery being set ablaze. Through his senses he could see the Bloom trying to force a connection to his aunt, but her core was still damaged and strained from the breaking of two bonds so the connection wouldn’t take. Meaning she hadn’t yet been further harmed by the demon since she had last been seen.

  As the Emerald Bloom’s focus began to shift towards the intruder, Willow switched the target of his harmonization from his friend to the environment, bringing his candle friend back into their place near his heart at the same time.

  The demonic flower definitely still noticed the child’s presence initially, but it stopped caring as the mob of beasts and spirits charged into its home. It tossed Jieun behind it into a section of the flowery field as it needed all of its rotten vines and roots to deal with the angry horde.

  All the while Willow never stopped moving, homing in on where his aunt was tossed he ran to her side, circling around the Bloom to reach her and bringing out Harmony to help hide her when he finally did.

  Jieun looked more shaken up than the child had ever seen her, and her mood was quite dark.

  “Willow?! What are you doing here?! Leave before you get killed!”

  He shook his head, frazzled curls bouncing. “Not without you!”

  Before his aunt could berate him further, the behemoth chasing the child entered the clearing.

  They were gargantuan and almost boar-like looking like a small hill of wood covered in moss and brandishing tusk-like protrusions of sharpened branches on its front.

  The great beast groaned in challenge as it faced the demon, already incensed from the chase it had just gone through.

  The two titans clashed and the forest shook in answer.