Searchlights ripped through the darkness like cruel, white blades.
They cut across delicate leaves, ancient bark, and nesting birds—light that did not belong in the sanctuary of the deep woods. The forest seemed to recoil. Metal claws dug into the soil with grinding mechanical screams, ripping roots from their resting places of centuries.
If someone listened closely, they would hear the screams. They weren't human. They were older, more sacred—the sound of the earth being wounded.
Then came the Timber Giants.
Nirmul's elite machines advanced through the undergrowth. These were massive, industrial mecha units plated with reinforced steel. Their arms ended in spinning saws that roared like hungry beasts, hydraulic claws, and crushing pistons. Each step they took sent a tremor through the forest floor, a rhythmic heartbeat of destruction.
"Clear this entire range tonight!" a commander shouted from atop the lead machine, his voice amplified by a megaphone. "No delays! We need space for the mining rigs by dawn!"
A massive oak, a witness to three hundred years of history, was seized by the metal arms. The saw roared. The wood groaned. The tree fell.
The forest trembled. And then—a sound came that did not belong to any machine.
It was a voice. Low. Ancient. It didn't travel through the air; it traveled through the marrow of the bone.
"...Guardian... awaken..."
The wind shifted. The forest inhaled. And then, the darkness exploded.
Green light burst from the trees like lightning trapped in emeralds. Vines snapped free from the soil, whipping through the air with the sound of gunshots. Roots erupted like living serpents, cracking the machines' path open.
From the heart of the jade storm, a figure stepped forward.
Nature-Man.
Mokshit's bark-forged armor pulsed with a deep, rhythmic light. His mask glowed with flowing green veins, tracing paths of power across his face. He didn't just stand in the forest; the forest seemed to stand behind him.
"What the hell—?!" The commander staggered back, nearly falling off his perch. "Who is this kid?!"
Mokshit raised his hand. The forest fell into a sudden, terrifying silence. Even the engines of the Timber Giants seemed to choke.
"You cut down one more tree," Mokshit said, his voice calm and resonant, "and you answer to me."
For a heartbeat, there was only the sound of the wind. Then, the commander burst into a jagged laugh. "Hahaha! A kid in a costume? You think a few vines can scare us?" He slammed his fist onto the control panel. "CRUSH HIM!"
Three Timber Giants roared to life, charging forward and tearing through the undergrowth like steel monsters. Mokshit didn't move. He closed his eyes, sensing the network of life beneath his feet.
"Forest Shield," he whispered.
SWOOOSH—!!!
The ground split open. Massive roots, thick as the pillars of a temple, surged upward and wove together with impossible speed. Bark hardened instantly into a wall. Vines reinforced the gaps. A colossal living barrier rose between Mokshit and the machines.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The mechas slammed into the roots. The shockwave blasted the hats off the soldiers' heads and shattered the floodlights. The shield held. Not a single crack appeared in the living wood.
"That's—that's impossible!" a guard screamed, his voice cracking with panic. "He's not fighting us... he's controlling the world!"
Mokshit exhaled slowly. He opened his eyes, and they were twin suns of emerald fire. "My turn."
He slammed both palms onto the grass.
BOOOOM—!!!
Vines exploded forward like whips, moving faster than the eye could follow. They wrapped around the legs of the lead mecha, anchoring it to the earth. Before the pilot could reverse, Mokshit hauled back.
The multi-ton machine was ripped from the ground, flipped upside down as if it were a toy, and slammed into the dirt.
KA-THOOOOM—!!!
Dust swallowed the clearing. Metal screamed as the shell crumpled.
The second Timber Giant swung a spinning blade, aiming for Mokshit's head. He didn't flinch. "Flow," he commanded.
Thousands of leaves swirled into a dense, flexible cyclone. The saw struck the leaf-shield with a deafening CLANG! Sparks flew, but the blade rebounded violently, embedding itself into a tree trunk behind the machine.
With a flick of his wrist, a colossal root erupted and coiled around the mecha's arm. With a single, brutal pull, Mokshit tore the metal limb clean off.
"HE TORE IT APART LIKE PAPER!" the soldiers shrieked, breaking formation.
The final machine fired a grappling hook, the steel cable wrapping around Mokshit's torso. "Got him!" the commander yelled. The machine pulled with all its hydraulic power, dragging Mokshit backward.
Mokshit dug his heels into the earth, carving deep trenches. He felt the banyan tree behind him surge with power, feeding him strength. He roared, a sound that echoed the fury of a hurricane, and snapped the metal cable with his bare hands.
"What?!" The commander's face went white.
Mokshit raised his hand, and vines surged from the earth, slamming the final mecha into the dirt until its systems sparked and died.
Silence returned to the forest. But it wasn't the silence of peace; it was the silence of a victor.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The slow, mocking sound echoed through the clearing. Nirmul stepped from the shadows of a fallen log. His coat was spotless, his hair perfect, despite the chaos. He looked at Mokshit with a thin, razor-sharp smile.
"Impressive," Nirmul said. "The forest chose a child."
"I'm not a child," Mokshit replied, his fists glowing.
"No..." Nirmul's eyes hardened, reflecting a faint, corrupted red light. "You're a threat. And threats must be eliminated."
A helicopter spotlight ignited above, bathing them both in harsh white. Soldiers raised their rifles. Nirmul leaned in closer, his voice a poisonous whisper. "Let's see how long you can protect your precious forest before I burn it all to ash."
Mokshit's aura exploded. The grass beneath his feet turned a vibrant, glowing green. "Then I'll fight until my last breath."
Nirmul grinned, a dark, predatory expression. "Good. I love a challenge."
The wind howled, the forest roared, and the war for the soul of the earth had officially begun.