[957 Years Remaining]
“Indres, have a spare knife? Mine’s getting dull,” I called over to my father. I’d finally gotten used to addressing my parents by their first names, ever since being appointed as the chief.
Indres gave me an unused knife that he apparently kept as a spare, and I continued skinning the enlightened deer I’d killed earlier. The four hunters and I found three earlier, but followed them until they eventually traveled to a pond. Even though we had attacked while the deer were drinking, just the three of them managed to nearly take down one of our own. They had access to mana, and fairly large reserves at that, making them some of the most powerful beasts I’d encountered in the forest so far.
Skinning the deer was easy. I’d actually done a much better job than even the most experienced hunter on the team, but that was hardly due to personal talent. Fifteen years ago, when I became chief, I became the latest wieldier of the Branch of Wisdom. The Branch did quite a few things. First, I could access the memories of past wielders, or in other words, the former chiefs of our village. It was similar to what had happened with the memories of the first chief, when I’d first attuned to the Branch. I saw and heard as they did, but felt no other sensations, and had no control over the body. The ones I could access only included the memories gained while someone was an active wielder though, but that wasn’t really a problem. The only real downside was that I had to manually search through memories to find what I wanted, which could take a long time considering how long elves lived, and the fact that there had been over a thousand wielders.
The next function was increased learning. Any physical or mana-intensive activity was learned at an increased rate, so long as at least one previous wielder had known how to do it. And if more knew, the rate at which I learned increased even more. Every single wielder had access to mana for example, so once I attuned to the branch, I learned within minutes how to use mana both internally and externally. Apparently, I needed to be trained in specific techniques or somehow create my own to get this mana to do more spectacular things, but for now I could simply boost my basic physical abilities and shoot a blast of mana at something. The latter wasn’t very useful, as a knife or spear tended to be more harmful. It made a lot more sense why I’d never really seen anyone use external mana before; running faster, hitting harder, and having more stamina was just much more useful.
The increased rate of learning, of course, worked for skinning, hunting, and even more mundane things like running. With the knowledge of previous chiefs, I was able to start paying much more attention to how I moved my body when I ran. In doing so, I was able to move much faster than before, even without the use of mana. I just ran more efficiently. I didn’t have to manually search through memories when I did this either. It just happened when I thought about improving at an activity that I was doing.
The next functions weren’t quite as groundbreaking as the first two. My favorite was the fact that the Branch could reshape itself. It was no good as a weapon, but I could have it around my wrist as a wooden band, which freed both my hands. I also had an impeccable sense of where the village, or rather, Mother Tree was at all times. Finally, it just about doubled an elf’s lifespan. This part was less important to me, considering I was still only barely an adult, and would have lived for at least another 900 years. It did mean that I wouldn’t be an old man like Edex when the Calamity would eventually happen though, so that was a plus.
The hunters and I traveled back to the village, which was just under an hour away from where we hunted the deer. The skins were handed to the village’s leatherworker, and the carcasses to the butchers. After their work was done, the butchers would distribute the meat for the whole village, and the bones would be used for various purposes. Considering the deer was enlightened, it was likely to be used for medicine. With my job taken care of though, I went to Mother Tree.
“Ah, welcome back, Indra,” her voice echoed through my mind as I approached.
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“Thank you, Mother Tree.”
“You seem troubled,” she spoke again, and I realized I’d been frowning.
“It’s…” I sat down on one of her roots. “I’m supposed to be the one to stop the Calamity. It just feels like nothing I’m doing here is contributing to that. I’ve already almost wasted half a century and we’re no closer to that goal than when you first told me of it.”
“Ah, I see. Perhaps you should leave then.”
“Leave the village?” I asked. “Is that something I can even do?”
“Yes. And the forest too. There have been many chiefs before you to do the same. Their memories are available to you for a reason, Indra,” Mother Tree chided.
I stared at Mother Tree’s enormous trunk for a while. It wasn’t uncommon for an elf to leave the forest, as some adults eventually became curious of the outside world. Still, none of them ever really left other than to see what it looked like outside. I doubted Mother Tree would suggest I leave just so that I could do a bit of sightseeing though. “Aren’t there humans outside the forest? What reason could I possibly have to deal with them?”
“The stories of humans that are passed down in the village do not summarize the outside world. I myself do not know much of them, but have seen enough to come to this conclusion.”
“What do you mean? How could there have been a human in the village before?”
Mother Tree was silent for a few moments before speaking again. “I suppose, if anyone should know, it is you.” One of her vines began to glow green, and moved until it pressed against the Branch on my wrist, still in the form of a bracelet.
Laya was surrounded by enemies. Around her, dozens of men with large shields formed a big circle, and others with spears stood behind them. The sky turned dark as various magical evocations and arrows were launched directly at her position. Despite it all, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.
She raised her right arm and a wave of black energy spread out from her in all directions. All those around her simply fell, their bodies lifeless, before the projectiles in the sky even had a chance to land.
It was another memory. This one was different though. Unlike the others, I felt everything fully. And not just the physical sensations either. I could feel the energy coursing through my - no, Laya’s body. I could even sense her thoughts and emotions. She hadn’t minded killing at least a hundred people, even if none of them were elves. It was why I somehow knew her name, even if I hadn’t seen a single one of her memories before.
“That was Laya, the second chief of this village. Also the first chief’s daughter,” Mother Tree explained.
“The second? Wasn’t he a man?” I asked.
“The person you are thinking of is the third. I have kept Laya’s memories… hidden, so as to not poorly influence the actions of future wielder’s of the branch. She was only the chief for a year, before she died.”
“How did she die?” I searched the Branch for more of Laya’s memories, but found none.
“You will learn in time,” She said, but didn’t say anything else.
“So you really think I should leave the forest?” I eventually asked.
“You’ve said so yourself, Indra. There is nothing new for you to truly learn or experience here. If the Calamity could be solved by the efforts of elves alone, then I doubt I would have learned of the event a thousand years prior to it occurring.”
“I see. But why do you only tell me this now? Why not fifteen years ago when I became chief?”
“I wasn’t sure if I ever would. I do not wish to influence your actions too much, when it comes to matters regarding the Calamity. It would not truly be you solving this problem, if I was the one telling you exactly what to do.”
“So why suggest I leave the village?”
“Based on what you said earlier, I am certain you would have chosen to do so yourself, whether it be days, months, or years from now. I am simply speeding that process.”
“But-” I was cut off before I could get out even another word.
“That is enough for now, Indra. I have told you much, but there are many things you will simply have to figure out yourself. You should prepare for your journey, and inform the others that you will be leaving.”
I nodded, got up and said goodbye before walking off. Apparently, I had a journey to get ready for.