Chapter 90: The Apple Tree Dragon    

At first, it seemed like part of the landscape—an enormous shape blending seamlessly with the forest itself.

But as Horizon's gaze locked onto the figure, the details emerged: bark-like scales fused with moss, branches coiling into horns that reached toward the sky, and a body that appeared to be woven from the very earth and roots beneath their feet.

There it was—an ancient dragon, camouflaged within the towering apple trees, its presence so vast and majestic that it was almost indistinguishable from the forest itself.

Its form stretched impossibly high, its leafy limbs shifting ever so slightly, like an ancient sentinel that had stood watch over this hidden realm for millennia.

Its massive, gnarled tail curled around the roots of the forest, each movement gentle, yet carrying the weight of untold centuries.