At first, it was subtle. Then the center of the mound pushed upward, the dirt separating as sothing beneath it forced its way toward the surface.
The ground split open, and a shoot of green erged.
It was tiny at first, no thicker than a finger, yet there was nothing fragile about it. A faint green light moved inside the stem, flowing through it in slow pulses that resembled veins. The plant continued to grow, it rose past Laurel’s knees, then her waist, its surface gradually deepening into a richer shade of green as the stem strengthened.
Everyone was too stunned to speak.
Gabriel found himself stepping back without realizing it. "What kind of plant grows like this..." he murmured, his voice low with disbelief.
Before Laurel could answer, the ground around them rumbled.
A heavy vibration spread outward beneath their feet, but unlike the violent shocks caused by the falling teors, it was as if sothing vast were settling into place far below the surface.
Deep beneath the ground, thick roots forced their way through the earth before driving deeper into the soil. More followed in rapid succession, pushing through stone and packed dirt with effortless strength.
The trembling that had plagued the fortress since the teor shower began started to ease.
Laurel released a slow breath, forcing her voice to remain steady. "Keep watering it."
Gabriel did not hesitate this ti; he went to the nearest warehouse where water was stored and ca back with two gallons.
The soldiers grabbed another container and poured the water directly onto the base of the growing plant. The mont the moisture touched the roots, the stem thickened before their eyes, its glow brightening as several branches unfurled outward. Leaves opened one after another, broad and luminous, their green light gradually softening the oppressive red that hung over the valley.
Even the air felt different, cooler and easier to breathe.
Above them, a distant roar tore across the sky.
Another teor split through the sky, aiming directly at them.
Several soldiers stiffened, their instincts urging them to run, even though they knew there was nowhere to go. Laurel remained where she was, her hands clenched so tightly that her nails pressed into her palms, yet her gaze never left the plant. Beneath the surface, the root network continued to spread deeper beneath the valley.
The plant rose higher still, its trunk solidifying as its crown spread open, and from those branches a soft radiance began to extend outward.
The light expanded softly until it curved over the valley in a vast, translucent arc, forming a barrier so clear it was almost invisible unless the glow caught it at the right angle.
For a brief mont, the fortress fell into a strange silence.
’Let it work... let it work...’ Laurel muttered inwardly.
The soldiers held their breath, their hands tightening around their guns, ready to defend in the only way they could.
None of them believed a magical tree could save them from the wrath of the sky.
The teor descended with a bright light and velocity.
Boom.
It collided with the unseen barrier high above them, and the impact sent a powerful ripple across the green surface, like waves racing through water after a stone had been dropped into its center.
The teor slid along the curve of the barrier before crashing far beyond the valley, where the distant explosion blood harmlessly against the horizon.
Silence settled over the soldiers, heavy with realization.
One man slowly lowered his weapon, staring upward as though afraid the shield might vanish if he blinked. Another removed his helt, drawing in a careful breath as if testing whether the air was truly safe.
Gabriel exhaled shakily. "It stopped it..."
Only then did Laurel feel a burst of relief running through her spine. She looked up at the towering tree, its leaves rustling softly despite the chaos raging beyond the barrier. Beneath them, the roots continued their quiet expansion, locking into the valley with a permanence that felt almost reassuring.
Behind her, the sa soldier who had earlier questioned her judgnt now watched the glowing tree without a trace of mockery left on his face. Doubt had given way to sothing far closer to respect.
"Commander... What is this... tree?" The soldier who had told Ling Xuan earlier to hide, stuttered.
Laurel blinked. She cleared her throat before clasping her hands behind her back, imitating how Ling Xuan acts.
"It’s a bio-engineered defensive plant. It can block any attack." She said effortlessly.
"Bio..." the soldier could not rember the remaining na. "Is so cool... but why do we only have it now?"
"It has been tested, and only now has it passed the last test and is safe to use," Laurel replied.
"Commander!" The soldiers saluted.
Laurel nodded her head, trying not to show her overwheld emotions. "Soldiers, divide yourselves into two squads, one squad is coming with to the northern districts."
The soldiers did so imdiately as they were told. Laurel and the other squads entered a well-equipped van and rode to the northern districts. The other squad was left there in case anything unexpected happened.
When they reached the northern district, which was closer to the back entrance of the valley, the heat from the burning teor rock brushed against their skin.
"Bring out the heat protective gear, and the firefighter water pump," Laurel ordered.
The burning rock had ford a deep crater in the ground, and heat continued to rise from it in restless waves. So of the buildings were destroyed, but the damage wasn’t too serious as the teor rock was not too big.
The soldiers moved quickly, rolling out the firefighter pumps while others checked the nearby structures for damage.
Water arced through the air with great pressure, striking the edges of the flas, sending up sharp hissing sounds.
Gabriel stood beside Laurel. "Do you think the teor rock will infect everyone and turn them into superhumans?" He asked jokingly. "Don’t look at like that, I an look at what is happening, I wouldn’t be surprised if soone becos a Flash or Superman." He quickly said when he t Laurel’s gaze.
Before Laurel could reply to him.
"Commander! Take a look at this!" A soldier standing close to the crate yelled.
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