It was Flora who stood atop a very large plant that had suddenly appeared. It extended from the ground but much farther away from the crater. Her face was calm but her eyes held fury as they looked at the pixie.

She was a beautiful dryad with long, wavy hair that normally changed color with the seasons. Her skin was smooth and tan, with patches of bark and leaves growing on her arms and legs. Her eyes were bright green, like emeralds, and would normally sparkle with curiosity and mischief, however, right now they burned with the flames of anger.

“Flora I… ahh I did a bad thing don't be mad ok?" Silva said in a trembling voice as her eyes moved around.

It was apparent that she was thinking up an excuse, but the dryad just stared at her emotionlessly, as she waited for her to speak.

Then like dam the words came out without stop as her thought up lie slowly turned into truth.

“Something no some girl that looked like a human was making all the animals run away and messing up the ecosystem with her aura and stuff. Raven and the others said they wanted to see it to make you happy but I was scared for them so I went with them good thing I did cuz the girl was hurting them so badly so I tried to stop her but she hit me too so, so…. I use my magic to make her stop but she stopped it with some weird magic that looks like Nyx's she looks so mean after that so I tried to make her leave and then I… I thought she could stop this one too cuz she was making my magic go away before….”

Silva eventually stopped talking, but even after she did, Flora never uttered a single. She just stared at her in silence.

[…..]

Flora sighed and walked to the edge of the platform she made for herself, her simple dress made of plant material, adorned with flowers and berries swirling with her. Her eyes dropped along with her head as she looked down at the carnage below.

“You expected the undead to stop this?” She asked genuinely, her voice neither containing ridicule nor sarcasm.

“I…... well, she was making my magic not work so I wanted to see how much she could take…"

Flora sighed with resignation as she looked at the floating pixie in front of her.

“Go heal the wolves, one of them is about to bleed out as we speak. I’ll think of a punishment for you later after I’ve fixed your mess."

“They’re still alive!” Silva exclaimed as all her sadness immediately vanished.

“Yes, all of you are lucky I was keeping an eye on the undead to have caught your stupidity.”

“So where are they!”

Flora pointed at just a far bit where the Crater ended. The solid that was stripped of plants and trees bubbled up as plants mainly trees, grew out of it. The trees as they grew something out of the ground with them. A ball made out of wood, that ball opened up to reveal six dire wolves that held color coating ranging from black to brown.

The pixie took off and appeared at the wolves' side. And as always her speed was nothing to be scoffed about. The ability to turn your body into light so that you can move at the fastest speed possible was truly incredible.

Flora looked away from the pixie and wolves and focused on the destruction that was made. The smoke had made it difficult for anyone to see, but for Flora, it was only a minor inconvenience.

She looked around taking in the extent of the damage while also thinking of possible solutions that could fix it.

Though the fireball of the explosion was not all that large, the resulting air pressure from it was enough to destroy miles of forest. And even as she thought of what to do, forest fires continued to spread, and trees and animals continued to die.

She needed to act, now!

She touched her hands together in the form of a prayer, as she closed her eyes. What she was doing was a ritual that only a select few could perform, she was creating a barrier.

The fires were too far for her to reach with her magic, and going around trying to put them out was not the right answer either as it would take too long.

What she needed was to extinguish the fires in one fell swoop, remove the crater, and restore the forest to its former beauty. The only way she was going to do this without it taking days was to incorporate a domain art in her work.

A domain art, also known as a barrier technique, was a way of extending one’s own body to the surrounding space. The user could sense and manipulate everything within the barrier, regardless of distance or delay. Flora was one of the few who mastered this technique, which made her a formidable opponent.

Her mana expanded outwards in the form of many threads. They extended from all over her body, as they wiggled as if they were searching for something.

The wiggling mana threads suddenly tighten as if caught. They vibrated and grow larger, covering Flora’s body. Then that lump of shapeless mana turned into a sphere that expanded outwards. It grew more and more in all directions till it enclosed the entire area of destruction.

“Perfect,” She murmured, as she let her hands fall to her side.

The area that a domain could occupy was large, and normally a person would ask as to how she could expand her mana to be this big. In truth, however, she wasn't expanding her mana but connecting to the mana that was around her.

With the entire area at her mercy to do as she pleased, she started by putting out the fires.

She focused on the plants that were on fire and applied one of her techniques.

“Ironwood.”

The plants and trees flashed with light and the fires faded as they died completely.

Ironwood was the name of the technique that she often used the most. It hardened the plants of her choosing to be almost indestructible. The trees and plants became harder to burn which meant that the fires needed more heat to sustain themselves, as such the fires went out because they had no fuel.

“Verdant Blessing.”

The plants grew back their lost appendages as their burn marks disappeared. The plant completely recovered as though it hadn't been set on fire in the first place. A healing technique that could regenerate any part of a plant to what it was before, almost like reversing time.

With the forest fires stopped and the surrounding area looking almost as normal as before. She decided to focus on the mess that was below her.

She couldn’t help but pinch the bridge of her nose.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

What was she thinking about bringing Silva here? She should have just refused her pleading to come to the physical world.

Flora had always been selective on who she took on as guests because the physical world was much harder to fix compared to the fey world. So she was not going to risk someone 'accidentally' destroying her home in the physical world, just because they got excited.

She sighed.

Perhaps she should take Silva home after this and ban her from coming for a while?

“Anyway,” she said to herself as she tried to figure out how to deal with the giant hole in the ground that was also drooping with melted rocks.

Maybe she could just leave it and just restore the surrounding trees and plants? Or perhaps…...

“Yes I suppose that could remove the heat, but there would be no way of filling the hole…... oh well, a slight terrain change won't harm anyone. I think the humans will build another road around it.

She thought back to the fey realm as she envisioned a plant that could accomplish what she wanted.

The plant came into mind, but the problem was this plant would take more mana from her to create than normal plants. It was because of its magical properties that it would cost her.

It mattered not, however.

She raised her extended hand at the pit, and with the help of the barrier, she didn’t have to get closer to perform this technique that required physical contact to be made for it to work. She thanked the gods as she didn't have to be burnt.

She was going to perform a technique that she only knew and no other dryad did.

A technique that allowed her to create any plant of her choosing from any resource. It was a technique that forcibly changed the chosen targets like the air soil rock and even living creatures into plants. A very useful but terrifying technique that was once used to turn her enemies into trees.

Her target was the magma, and dirt and rock underneath. She would use the air too if it was necessary.

"Ohh?" Her voice leaked out unintentionally, as she noticed something.

Her face showed slight signs of interest before It immediately showed shock and surprise. Flora was stunned as she stood there for a few seconds.

“I suppose the world could always surprise you no matter how long you live,” She said with a laugh as she focused back on the technique.

Flowers that had a bright red or orange color, with petals that resemble flames, the ‘fire lily’ bloomed in the magma.

A rare and beautiful flower that grew in the hottest regions of the fey realm, such as volcanoes, deserts, and fire pits. This flower could survive in extreme temperatures, as it had a special ability to absorb heat from its surroundings and store it in its stem and roots. It was a plant that fed off of heat.

The rare flowers populated the crater and immediately after the temperature lowered as the liquid rocks harden.

With the problem of the crater dealt with she repopulated the trees and plants there were removed near the hole. And with less than a few seconds, the damage that was made was completely fixed.

She manipulated the plant she was on to set her down to the ground near the edge of the crater.

“No then let’s hope this doesn’t escalate to something troublesome.”

***

The survivors of Dreake during the day after they escaped.

Every human life was worth the same and worth saving. That was a simple saying that anyone could understand. A saying that cemented the idea that everyone was equal to some degree, regardless of their birth, their occupation, or their fame. Everyone should have been equal because that was how God created us.

But was that really the case in the real world we lived in? Because most of the time, the worth of a person who often brought good to others’ lives was typically higher than someone who always brought misfortune to others. The life of a king who brought prosperity to his people could not compare to a petty bandit who often robbed them. So in this case, were everyone’s lives truly equal? They were equal when they were born and died, but not in life.

This ideology that the Order often taught did not encompass the other races, despite them being as capable or greater than humans. Why were they seen as less than humans just because they had different physical features? Why were humans the highest priority when in fact everyone should have been represented? After all the average human wasn't any better than the average elf, dwarf, or beast kin.

Alice's eyes shot open, her heart beating rapidly and her body feeling sweaty. Her eyes slowly wandered around as she looked to see where she was. Her mind was dizzy from just having woken up, and her body was full of aches like the mornings after an intense workout.

She rubbed her face and wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was hot, but it felt like the was something important she should have been aware of.

She widened her eyes in realization as she got up from the makeshift bed made from different kinds of clothes.

Her white tunic swayed as she moved. She seemed to be in a wagon and her armor had been taken off.

She calmed down when she saw that the was no immediate danger but she still couldn’t be too safe. She went outside, moving the door flaps aside to let a stream of sunlight hit her face.

It was daytime. She stepped down from the wagon, her bare feet touching the grass. They weren't in Dreake but in the wild grasslands. A camp or rather camps looked to be made as people walked around minding their own business. Some stared at her but immediately gave a slight bow before carrying on.

What was going on here? How long had she been out?

The last thing she remember was fighting vampires that ambushed them. She had been terribly injured from their surprise attack but through Henry’s assistance she was able to kill all but one of the undead, but seen as she was still alive the last one must have been dealt with.

She walked around the camps. All of the tools and equipment were fully loaded which meant they were on the road. They looked to not be anywhere near Dreake, why? It shouldn’t have been more than a day at best if she hadn’t been asleep for a long time.

Her legs were unsteady and she felt tired like she hadn’t eaten anything for days, a sign that she had lost a lot of blood.

She stopped and looked at the clear blue sky. Her heart ached in pain as she remembered. She failed, she had failed to protect one of her close friends despite her having been there, having been at arm’s length and yet she was helpless to do anything. She bit her lip as she tightened her fist, her heart drummed in her chest but each beat was like her heart was ramming itself against a knife.

“Lissy! You’re awake!”

A cheerful voice reached into her ears. She didn't need to try and recognize the voice because only one person called her by that name.

“Hey Liz--”

She turned around to try and greet her best friend but she was rammed into with a tackle. She stumbled and nearly fell, but was saved by the culprit herself. She hugged Alice tightly keeping her from falling with her heightened strength.

“I’m sooooo, glad you didn’t leave us I was so worried!” She exclaimed while rubbing her face into Alice’s chest.

As they stood, Liz was short, reaching only to Alice’s chest, but that was also because Alice herself was taller than most girls.

“Glad to see you too…. Liz.”

Alice said unsure of what to do next, stayed still, and let Liz use her as a pillow.

“Will I get room to breathe, now?” Alice asked when a few seconds passed without Liz letting go of her.

“No you will not,” She declined as she tightened her hold on her like Alice was going to disappear.

Alice gave a bitter smile.

Of course, Liz should have been affected by Mia's death, how could she have been so thoughtless to not see that.

She chided herself as she hugged Liz back. The two of them stayed like that for almost a minute as they enjoyed each other’s presence.

Liz let go and stepped back, and as she did this allowed Alice to ask what she really wanted to know.

“What happened?”

***

Liz and Alice walked around the camp and as they did Liz filled her on everything that happened after she passed out.

"So the was a second vampire? And it was an ancient?" Alice asked in disbelief.

Liz leaped over a carriage as she chatted, showing off her agility. She soared over the 12-foot-tall vehicle with ease and landed gracefully. She bowed in a mock courtesy, hampered by her armor, but her stunt only scared more people than it impressed.

"Sorry." She clapped her hands together as she apologized with a smile on her face.

She moved to Alice’s side.

"Yeah we're still not sure if it's related to the first ones, but one thing is for sure it must have been strong. It had Henry even scared."

Alice wore a complicated face as she moved on to the next question.

“How are we still alive then?”

“No idea.”

“What?”

Liz stopped, causing Alice to stop as well to look at her.

Liz stared at the ground, her eyes downcast and her usual smile nowhere to be seen.

Alice turned around but….

Liz laughed awkwardly as she rubbed the back of her head, her expression already back to normal.

“…….”

“Well hahaha, we snuck away while the big bad vampire wasn't looking. That looked to be the right move cause it didn’t follow us hahaha. Nope, we were followed by our original attacker.”

Alice’s ears perked up.

“The one that ran?”

Liz nodded as she kicked a pebble to the side.

“We lost some people just before the sun came up. Henry had to strain himself to make another barrier, which was why we were resting despite it being day out. We thought to gather food and conserve our strength.”

Alice frowned as the was something she was confused about.

She understood why the civilians were traveling with them and why so few of them remained. If an ancient vampire was in the town, then it wouldn’t have been hard to believe that it could kill hundreds of people before Henry and the others took notice to evacuate. There was only one thing that bothered her.

“Where was Thomas?”

“…..”

“Shouldn’t he have been able to deal with the vampire that pursued us?”

With Alice’s experience from having fought with the three vampires, she could have definitely said that they weren’t that strong. Though it was true that she barely made it out alive, it was also true that she had killed two of them.

Even though she had been taken by surprise and had to fight without Liz’s magic or Henry’s main barrier. She supposed that Henry did help her with shielding her from attacks, but that didn’t subtract from her claim that the vampires were nothing special.

Liz inhaled before she said flatly.

"He died."

Alice’s face twitched before it showed no emotion, like a mask.

“How?” She asked, her tone just as cold as her expression.

Liz sighed.

“I at least think he is dead. My mana stopped draining out of me this morning, so he either must have removed the enhancement or he must have died…... I…. I think it’s the ladder considering we decided that he shouldn’t cancel the link between us if he wanted us to know he was still alive.”

Alice was speechless as the awful truth sank in. She felt overwhelmed by the enormity of her loss. Another friend taken from her, and she had been powerless to stop it. She longed to escape and lock herself away, where she could grieve and torment herself, but she knew that was not an option. She was the leader and her teammates and the people here needed her. She had to hold herself together.

“Liz, please stop trying to hide things from me, please tell me everything that happened. In detail."

Liz smiled thinly as she spoke about the ghouls that killed the majority of the people in Dreake, she told Alice of the disappearance of Mia and the rest of the body, how the ancient vampire quickly appeared after that, and about the plan they formalized to save as many people as they could.

“We made Thomas a decoy or at least someone who would stay behind and cover for us till the sun came up. He was supposed to follow after us when the sun came up but…... I guess he didn't make it till then."

Alice turned around and she breathed out heavily.

Liz approached to try and comfort her but…

“I would…... like some time alone…... please,” She said as she walked away.

Liz didn’t follow but listened exactly to what she asked and gave her some room.

She just needed time to sort out her feelings. After all, they had just lost two close friends along with failing to protect many innocent lives, and as the leader and a kind person at heart, she must have been blaming herself for all of it.

Alice moved around the camp, circling it to reach the place where she was sleeping. She climbed into the wagon and lay down.

She was still tired, not only physically but emotionally as well.

She needed some rest.

She needed to sleep because as a warrior and a knight of the order.

She needed to be at her best to be able to protect others and those close to her.

Well, those that were left that is.