Interlude

Two elves floated high in the sky on platforms of sand, looking down on a resurrected tree surrounded by a stone forest.

Suddenly, the female elf hugged the other elf while screaming in joy. “Ardy did it! I’m so proud of him!”

The huggee nodded his head with a giant smile. “As we expected from our Ardy. Was there ever a chance of failure? We trained him well. If he failed, so did we, and we never fail.”

She playfully punched him in the arm and disengaged herself. “Of course, our Ardy succeeded, and he went above and beyond. A prime and territory holder a week after his induction!”

A sudden pop sounded as two more people appeared also with elven features, though of a lighter complexion. They looked down at the tiny dots beside the resurrected tree, both sporting proud smiles, though much more subdued compared to the other two.

The shorter of the two, a slight female pointed at one dot, previous subdued smile broadening. “Little Sola made it out and is much more powerful too! As expected from our daughter!”

Arden’s mother pointed at the woman scoldingly. “No thanks to you. How could you trap her in a dungeon locked in her aspect for months!? I would never do that to my Ardy! Didn’t we agree we would send them in together? It will take a while for her to recover.” Her scolding expression morphed into one of pride with a hint of mischievousness. “Fortunately, she has my Ardy to give her support!”

While continuing to smile down at the duo of dots, the taller male presumably Sola’s father spoke in a cheerful tone. “We will see who helps who. Don’t forget who unlocked her aspect without help and before her induction. Never underestimate my daughter. She is a fierce one. Sola will be fine. She just needed an attitude adjustment. We should have gone your route and raised her in a small village instead of as a pampered princess, but we just couldn’t resist spoiling our little Sola.”

A smug smile formed on Sola’s mother’s face. “Besides, don’t act all innocent, Aila. At least we were honest with our Sola about her heritage. I wonder what little Ardy would think about your lies?”

Any bluster from Aila, Arden’s mother, vanished in an instant as she averted her gaze. “He will understand, Syndra.”

Syndra nodded her head in agreement, though a sudden seriousness flashed in her eyes. “I’m sure he will, but it’s never a good idea to lie to family. You know better than most the consequences of that from your sister.”

Aila stiffened, tears glistening in her brown eyes, prompting Auden to step in. “I think it’s time we prepare for the next steps. Our children will make waves, especially as the newest prime pair and territory holders. We can’t have those old geezers butting in before they are ready.”

Any joyousness vanished in an instant as a heavy atmosphere fell on the four of them. Then, an instant later, all four disappeared, leaving no trace.

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Fire rained down from the charred remains of the branches above, but the elf paid it no mind. One thing was on his mind. He had to reach his family, no matter what. The great forest depended on him.

Pain speared through him with each passing second as the once glorious forest burned. It cried out for help to anyone who could hear it, but it fell on deaf ears. The few who could heed its call were dead or dying.

Even the elf, in a single-minded pursuit, barely felt the call, as he was too far down the hierarchy after his exile.

He skidded to a halt, kicking up ash at the trunk of the tree over a hundred meters in diameter. His pause only lasted a moment to locate a way up, but the many stairs leading up the massive tree appeared collapsed.

Even if there were any left, he wouldn’t have time to find them in the dense smoke burning his lungs and obscuring his vision.

Sadness filled his eyes as he looked up at the tree, which was now swaying, unable to support its weight much longer.

Why didn’t they tell him sooner? He could have helped, or at least been at their side at the end. Why couldn’t they put aside their pride just this once? If he could forgive them for what they did, so could they.

Despite knowing it was futile, his gaze turned hard. He raised his hand and summoned a vine out of thin air. It shot high into the sky, then wrapped around a branch a hundred meters up.

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Just the fact he could perform the feat of magic sent another pang of sadness through him. It reinforced what he knew laid at his destination, but again it didn’t stop him.

The chains binding him slackened. He spent years yearning for his magic, but now he couldn’t find it in himself to welcome it’s return.

Before his vine burned, he used it to shoot upward. The moment he reached the branch, he launched another vine to the next branch, then another. With each branch he ascended, the tree rocked precariously further.

His arms burned both from the heat and exertion, but knowing he was past the point of turning back, he put his will into his task. He needed to reach his family. Even if they were no more, he would give them a proper sendoff.

If it weren’t for their disagreements all those years ago, it would’ve been him in their place, but he couldn’t change the past. He just hoped he could steer the future before it was too late.

Just as he reached his location, a grand space within the central trunk of the tree, the screaming at the back of his mind just beyond his reach, silenced.

With the silence, a soul deep anguish hit him, sending him to his knees, uncaring for the smoldering wood.

He was too late. How could they extinguish the Tree of Life? Was their greed so deep to see the harm it would cause?

Rage burned through him, far eclipsing the flames surrounding him. He sprang to his feet, ignoring the charred skin cracking off his knees as he marched forward. His life no longer mattered, as long as he brought the perpetrators to justice.

His glowing green eyes filled with rage landed a group of five people he instantly recognized. They were the reason for his exile all those years ago. Back then, he advocated for their cause. If only he knew they would go so far.

The tallest of the group, an elf like himself, locked eyes with him. Contrary to his expectations, there was no celebration to be had, only sadness. As if what they did was something that they would carry the rest of their lives.

Only the sound of crackling fire filled the vast cavern as each person bowed their heads in shame to him. Elf, Dwarf, Human, Mer, and Beastkin were all responsible for what could be the worst act in the world’s history. All because of stubbornness from both sides.

Each of them met his eyes then stepped through the portal with the elf leaving last but not before mouthing, I’m sorry.

The portal winked out of existence as the elf stepped through, revealing what laid behind, causing his legs to buckle.

At the center of the once grand cavern, laid his family. Each of them wore still glowing shackles upon their wrists, even his younger brother, who was barely an adult.

Tears filled his eyes as they laid upon his brothers and sisters haphazardly laid about the cavern where they died.

Cowards. They couldn’t beat his family fairly. The cowards must have used his siblings to force his parents to expose the core. Even with the oaths they swore millennia ago, family trumped their duty.

Bitter feelings mingled with his smoldering rage. If they would have listened all those years ago, he would have been with his family at the end. It was possible he could have averted this disaster if they would have let him.

Even in death, the eternal protectors and rulers of the Tree of Life appeared regal. They kneeled next to the now exposed core of their territory, eyes frozen in defiance.

If he didn’t feel the death of the Tree of Life, he wouldn’t even know they weren’t among the living any longer.

He knew better than anyone the price they paid for their power. The Tree of Life didn’t gift them it’s might without ensuring it had guardians to protect it to the very end.

He approached his family, expression solemn. Only to pause upon sensing a faint glimmer of power in the core.

Hope blossomed, but a moment later that hope shifted to panic as the glimmer dimmed.

A duty drilled into him before he could even walk forced him forward. He placed his hand on the core, then pumped it full of his magic. The glimmer brightened, but it soon proved temporary.

Still, temporary was all he needed.

His teary eyes laid on each of his siblings before settling on his parents. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you in the end, but I will take up my duty to usher in the next generation, even if it means the end for our line.”

The elf dropped to his knees beside his parents, then poured everything he had into the core. Not to revive it, as it was too far gone, but for another reason.

The great forest would suffer in the years to come, but he hoped his sacrifice would give the forest a chance someday. A hope for its rebirth was all he could wish for.

Like his parents, the glow of his skin dimmed with each passing heartbeat as his core emptied, then took his very life force.

A peaceful expression formed, as he knew he made the right choice. He had no chance against those who wronged his family and the Tree of Life. There was a reason they let him live. Even him the disgraced royal prodigy had no chance against them.

What could one elf do against such a force? His people scattered or dead and the Tree of Life was gone. What did he have left to fight for? Some revenge?

Even if he had the power, he wasn’t sure he could bring himself to use it against them. He knew their plight and emphasized with it. His family made many mistakes, some of which led to the outcome of this day. They weren’t the paragons they tried to portray themselves as. His parents were just as at fault as those who killed the Tree of Life.

Besides, they would soon see the folly in their actions. The Tree of Life was more important than they realized.

Just because where they came from didn’t rely on the nourishment of the Tree of Life, they thought they wouldn’t suffer from their actions. Oh, how wrong they were.

The coming catastrophes they would face almost brought a smile if his numbing body was still capable of it.

All he could do was hope his people would survive the coming crisis.

If his life was the price for a chance at a brighter future, he would gladly pay it, for it was all he had left to give.

The core shined brightly for a moment, as if acknowledging his decision.

As the last of his life left him, he felt his dimming world tilt sideways.

The corpse of the Tree of Life gave out under its own weight, ending the era of the great forest as it crashed to the ground.

That day, everyone around the world felt an earthquake heralding the new era of strife.