The Tube

Deep within the tangled root systems of the Mycelium Wilds, hidden beneath layers of moss and illusion magic, lies a facility no outsider was ever meant to find. A soft, eerie green glow pulses from the center chamber-originating from two towering bioluminescent tubes filled with strange liquid. Suspended inside are two unconscious figures-non-Hermits. Unknowns. Intruders?

Gem guards them the closest, her usually cheerful demeanor replaced by unnerving calm precision as she monitors their vitals and neural patterns on flickering arcane tech. Something about their biology doesn't match anything in the Hermit archives. Their presence here... it doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be possible.

Zedaph paces restlessly, muttering hypotheses too wild even for him, his hair faintly crackling with static. Etho, nearly silent, lingers in the shadows-watchful, calculating. He hasn't said who he thinks they are, but something in his posture suggests he already knows. Or worse-recognizes them.

And then, one of the tubes flickers.

The vitals spike.

Gem stares.

Because for a single second... the being inside the tube opens one glowing eye-and smiles.

Whatever they are, they're waking up.
And they're not alone in there.