**Chapter 586**
**Dagon POV**
**Felucia Surface – Western Jungles**
I had been riding for ten minutes, the 125-Z Treadspeeder bike tearing through the dense fungal undergrowth at high speed. The landscape around me began to shift in subtle but unmistakable ways. The air grew thicker, heavier with life. Bioluminescent spores drifted like living constellations, and the massive fungal spires seemed to pulse with an inner rhythm. The Force felt… more alive here. Not just present, but vibrant, ancient, and desperate. It was as if the planet itself was whispering — a low, constant hum beneath the surface of reality.
*Something is calling,* the Demon Dragon Emperor's voice rumbled in my mind from the Shield of Wrath. *Deeper. Follow it.*
I pushed the speeder faster, weaving between towering pitcher plants and glowing spore clouds. The jungle grew denser, the colors brighter, the air heavier with moisture and the scent of exotic fungi. This wasn't normal Felucia terrain — this was something older, protected, hidden even from the native Felucians who lived in symbiosis with the world.
I slowed the bike as I sensed presences ahead. Not hostile. Not exactly. Curious. Afraid. Hopeful.
A group of Jungle Felucians emerged from the undergrowth. They were short in stature, with thick legs and four-fingered hands. Their bodies had an amphibious quality, sharing some characteristics with tortoises — elongated necks and sturdy limbs. Beady eyes, often hidden behind natural goggles formed from chitin, regarded me with wary intelligence. Their skin varied from vibrant orange to soft light green. Tendrils framed their heads like living hair. They stood about 1.9 meters tall on average and weighed around ninety kilograms.
Unlike the armed militia I had encountered earlier, these Felucians carried no blasters. They held ceremonial staffs and shields hardened by the Force, their bodies painted with phosphorescent dyes in intricate patterns. Warriors, shamans, and perhaps even a chieftain among them.
*You… are the one called by the Dragon,* a voice echoed directly in my mind. It was not spoken aloud but transmitted through the Force — clear, collective, and laced with ancient desperation. *We have waited. The world cries out.*
I dismounted the speeder, keeping my movements slow and non-threatening. "I heard the call," I replied mentally, projecting my thoughts through the bond with the Shield. "What is happening here?"
The lead shaman — taller, with more elaborate markings — stepped forward. *The poison spreads. The Commerce Guild has tainted the waters. Our world dies from within. The great sarlacc in the Ancient Abyss grows sick. The balance breaks. We called to the Dragon… and you came.*
The Shield of Wrath on my arm pulsed warmly, the dragon emblem glowing faintly. I felt the Emperor's presence stir with interest but no hostility.
*We cannot go further,* the collective minds whispered. *The heart of the wound is sealed to us. Only one touched by the Dragon may enter. Heal our world… or everything dies.*
They turned without another word, leading me deeper into the forest. The jungle parted for them — vines shifting, spore clouds drifting aside, dangerous plants retracting their spines. I followed on foot, the speeder left behind under a camouflage shroud. The air grew heavier, the Force thicker, until we reached a hidden cave entrance concealed by a massive, glowing pitcher plant.
*Go in,* the Felucians urged as one. *We cannot go further. Heal our world… or everything dies.*
I stepped forward. The moment I crossed the threshold, the entrance behind me sealed shut — the rock flowing like liquid and hardening into an impenetrable wall. No Force push or lightsaber cut would open it easily.
"Great," I muttered, igniting my blue lightsaber. The clean, pure azure blade hummed to life. "Just great. Best to use the light side here. No bleeding blade for whatever's waiting inside."
The cave tunnel stretched downward, the walls alive with bioluminescent fungi that cast an eerie, shifting glow. The Force here was turbulent — a storm of life energy mixed with creeping death. The planet's wound was deep.
I advanced cautiously, shield raised, lightsaber ready. Whatever awaited me at the heart of Felucia, I would face it.