The Guardian of the Ancient Tree

When the satellite scan first detected the anomaly, it looked like a mountain.
But when Dr. Evelyn Shaw and her expedition arrived, they discovered it wasn’t a mountain at all—
it was a tree.

A single, massive tree that towered over the rainforest, its roots spreading for miles, its trunk thicker than a cathedral wall. Locals called it “The First Tree.”

According to legend, it had been alive since the dawn of creation… and it watched those who came too close.

Evelyn, a passionate climatologist, had come to collect samples that could reveal how ancient trees stored carbon and possibly controlled microclimates.
But what she found would shake her understanding of life itself.

Her team included Dr. Karim Alaric, a geochemist with a skeptical streak, and Lena Vargas, a fearless drone pilot who joked that nothing in the Amazon could surprise her anymore.

They were wrong.
The jungle was waiting.


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The Roots of the Impossible

The closer they came, the quieter the forest became.
No birds. No insects. Just a low, humming vibration beneath the soil.

Karim’s instruments detected electromagnetic pulses emanating from the tree’s roots—pulses that matched brainwave frequencies.

“This can’t be real,” he muttered. “It’s… thinking.”

Evelyn touched the bark—it was warm.
The wood seemed to breathe, expanding and contracting ever so slightly.

That night, she dreamed of whispering leaves calling her name.
When she woke, her palm was covered in green dust… and the imprint of a leaf she hadn’t touched.


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The Guardian Appears

On the second night, Lena’s drone captured movement near the base of the tree.
At first glance, it looked human—a tall figure cloaked in moss, skin patterned with bark-like texture.
It moved silently, almost gliding across the roots.

Evelyn zoomed in on the footage.
Its eyes reflected like emerald fire.

Karim frowned. “What the hell is that?”

Iara, their local interpreter, only said one word.

> “The Guardian.”



The footage glitched. The drone feed cut off.
When Lena went to retrieve it, she didn’t come back.


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The Warning

They found her camera at dawn—its last recording showed Lena standing before the Guardian.
He spoke in a deep, resonant voice that sounded more like wind in the branches than speech.

> “The Tree remembers.
You take, and the roots will take you.”



Then the video ended with static.

Evelyn was torn between fear and fascination. The readings from the core samples suggested something impossible—the tree was absorbing not just sunlight, but human neural energy from those who lingered too close.

It was feeding.
And protecting itself.


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The Choice

When Evelyn tried to dig deeper into the soil, the hum intensified.
The roots began to move—slowly, deliberately—like snakes stirring from sleep.

Karim screamed, “It’s alive! Evelyn, run!”

But Evelyn stood frozen as the Guardian emerged again—his form rising from the earth like part of the tree itself.

“Why do you seek the heart of what keeps you alive?” he asked.
“Your world breathes because we still stand.”

Evelyn dropped her tools. “I just wanted to understand.”

“You already do,” the Guardian said softly.
“Now leave… before the Tree learns your name.”

She turned and fled, feeling the ground pulse beneath her boots—heartbeat after heartbeat until the humming finally stopped.


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Aftermath

Back at camp, Evelyn replayed the footage.
The Guardian’s final words echoed in her mind, though she didn’t remember recording them.

> “When the last root burns, so will your world.”

.

She looked at her hand—the green dust was still there, pulsing faintly with life.

Somewhere, deep in the jungle, the First Tree was still breathing.

And it remembered her.


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