I

Nazeir wakes up in an unfamiliar place. He sat up quickly, gasping for air in shock.

Searching for his whereabouts, he stood up and looked around him. A small clearing surrounded by forest, similar to the small forest he had just visited. But there was no pond or the old sorcerer he had just met. His breathing and heartbeat became more relaxed.

He could hear birds chirping and flying behind the trees. Behind him was a small old building with pillars with a golden dome on top of a large rock. Vegetation and moss covered the building, which keeps the cracks from collapsing. The building has a circular staircase leading to the entrance. Up there, he could hear a low humming sound.

Nazeir grabbed his belt. To his surprise, he did not find his weapons and equipment. Only his armour remained intact. He walked up the stairs going up to the building and looked for the origin of the hum. With every step he took, flowers sprouted from the ground he stepped on and bloomed in seconds before wilting. The closer he got to the entrance, the clearer the hum he heard.

When he reached the entrance, a woman sat on the floor humming while petting a bear. Nazeir stood behind her, looking at her to find out who she was.

She wore nothing but diamond earrings. Her hair was long and brown, just above her shoulders. As she was petting him, the bear saw the purger and growled at him. The woman glanced over her shoulder, unaware of the man's presence.

She petted his bear one last time before she stood up and told him to leave. The bear was still watching Nazeir, looking at the man because he didn't trust him. Before long, the bear stopped growling and walked away from the two. He walked past Nazeir and went down the stairs, leaving the two of them.

She turned and looked at the purger. Nazeir also looked into her eyes, watching her every move. The purger's neck hair stood up when she was near him.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"Someone who has been searching for you," the woman explained. “I knew that magic will work to get attention from certain someone.”

“I’m flattered.”

As Nazeir walked closer, he felt something coming from the direction of the woman.

“Do you?” she giggles. “I’m not here to cause you harm. So tell me… what’s your name?”

"I have two different names. But now people call me Nazeir."

"Then, Nazeir. How is your long journey around the world?" she put her hands on her waist.

"What? How’d… Who are you?" Nazeir stopped his steps.

"Who do you think I am, Nazeir?" it amused her. "I thought you might know me."

Nazeir examined the woman‌’s appearance.

"Young lady. Brown hair, diamond earrings," he paused. “And magic."

"Magic?" she said. "What do you mean by that?"

"I’m sensitive to magic. You have something that reeks of magic."

"You can sense magic? Are you also a sorcerer?"

Nazeir stroked both his arms.

"No, I'd rather not have anything to do with the sorcerers."

"If you're not a sorcerer. What are you?"

"I am a purger, Lady of the Forest. Those before me are the ones who purged the South from the sorcerers."

She smiled and walked closer to the purger, facing him head-on.

"That’s a lucky guess."

"I didn't guess. I just know it's true."

"Then," the woman looked away for a moment, positioning her back on Nazeir. Suddenly, she pushed Nazeir off the edge, sending him falling.

The purger saw the woman watching him fall. The man slammed onto a large, slightly pointed rock. Nazeir lost his breath for a while. He rolled off the rock beneath him, coughing and crawling away. The woman suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of him and watched the purger trying to escape.

"Before we talk any further. Let’s see what you are capable of."

She raised her hand casually and made the earth tremble. From the ground burst out large tree roots and subdued the purger. The roots wrapped tightly around him and lifted him.

The woman looked at the purger, still clutching the neck that Nazeir had strangled. Slowly but surely, the roots squeeze Nazeir’s body. The purger couldn’t move as he was being crushed to death.

Still crushing the purger, the lady ordered it to present the purger to her face. The roots lowered Nazeir, and she stood in front of her.

"Do not fight it,” she used her index finger and touched Nazeir’s forehead.

The purger saw the sorceress close her eyes and made him lightheaded. Then he saw visions. A ruin of a tower in an extreme blizzard. Then the vision fades. Jung returned to reality and saw the lady of the forest still probing his mind.

“I see what you seek, Nazeir,” she commanded the roots to let go of him. “Shall we talk somewhere else?” she offered the purger.

“I know you are the one who attacked the camp.”

“I did. I will stop them if you join me in my palace.”

II

Nazeir and the Lady of the Forest walked into a massive palace made of sturdy stone. The palace was magnificent, filled with large mosaic glass windows and full of living stone statue maids. When Nazeir saw the window, the glass gave off a beautiful gleam. The beauty of this old but beautiful palace amazed the inquisitor. The two of them sat at the long-empty dining table, which separated them pretty far. But they can still see and talk to each other.

Stolen novel; please report.

[https://i.ibb.co/qWbRHSm/A-majestic-view-of-a-medieval-palace-with-mosaic-glass-windows-in-the-S2676730174-St30-G4.jpg]

The stone maid served a plate to the inquisitor. Nazeir looked at the food and then at the goddess who sat across the lengthy table. She just smiled as she ate. Nazeir ate and kept staring at the woman.

"Want to say something? Want to see something? Want to know?" she dropped her spoon and fork. “We have all the time we want. Time works differently here, slower than yours,” she smiled.

"Since we have the time. I have a question. Is this how goddesses behave?”

“First time seeing someone like me?”

"Yes, and I never heard of a goddess being…"

“Yes?” she raised an eyebrow.

“Sultry.”

"I'm not a goddess," she answered with her sweet voice. "You humans made or depicted me as a god. I am only the guardian of this world." She swirled her wine. "There are many others like me if you know them. I have no need for clothes here, I don't need one. Made me much harder for me to move. After all, a guardian originally didn't have any form. I can be you…” she changed her form to be Nazeir in nude. “And I can be others. I am an entity that coexists with nature. That's why I took human form to communicate with living things on Earth. Your mind can comprehend me much easier in this form," she changed back to her original.

"And how do you change shape?" Nazeir played with his spoon.

"I just see or remember who I want to be, then just change."

"And who are you now?"

She looked at her body and tried to remember it.

"Not sure, but the last time humans came to me was about... a thousand years ago? Four people, two women, two men. One man with such intelligence. Has great positivism. The other... I forgot about that man. But the women are the ones that captivated me the most. They talked to me and have connections to magic, unlike the men. All of them came looking for something."

"Are they sorcerers?" he crossed his hands.

“The men? No. The women? Probably.”

“What are they searching for?”

"Yes, this is what I wanted to tell you," she vanished into glittery dust and appeared right next to him. "They want me to find a certain ore... capable of great destruction,” she whispered.

“Did you give them?”

“I did,” she sat on the table.” They begged, and we talked for hours right at this table. They wanted the green ore.”

"The green ore?"

"They called it something else,” she vanished and appeared to sit on Nazeir’s lap. “But as soon as they described it, I knew what they wanted."

"What's so dangerous about this ore?"

"A lot of dangerous things have come from it. I can't tell you all," she left his lap and stood on the floor.

"The worst?"

The woman drank her wine elegantly and swirled back to lean on the table.

"The sea and its mutated creature,” she muttered.

"The sea?"

"The mutated sea creatures are the worst thing that happened. People could travel much safer back then before using the ore's power near the sea. I sense it, a gigantic explosion in your realm. Right on the islands, and I sense it here. In my domain. I can't explain such power, but I can feel the scars that it left."

"Must be the sorcerers,” he spoke with his heart. “I’ve seen the damage they did to the north myself back when I travelled there with my companions."

"No. It wasn’t them” the goddess rebuked. “It was the opposition of the sorcerers. The man who came before me, who asked me for the ore."

“The scientist,” Nazeir and the goddess spoke at the same time.

Her face got determined.

“You know them?”

“Purge soldiers are the creation of scientists, sorcerers despise them. Our purpose is to be a perfect soldier who combats magic.”

“Can’t say I’m not surprised by them using humans as their weapon.”

“You dislike them?”

“Can’t say I dislike them. But compared to the sorcerers back then?” she scoffs. “I sure would side with the sorcerers. But now…” she paused and let the silence overwhelm them.

“I sense another story.”

“Have you been to the north?”

"I have," he leaned to her.

"I can see them now. The sorcerers. They are mining the ore and killing my trees. Many slaves they used, many died for the crystals."

"They are mining the ores? Can your magic stop them?” he eyeballed her.

"I've tried it, and it doesn't work. They are powerful sorcerers indeed when united against my magic,” she sighed. “And in case you don’t know, the guardians of the earth are a part of magic."

"I have a feeling that you want me to do something about it."

The goddess vanished from her seat and appeared on the table in front of Nazeir, sitting with her legs crossed and her head lowered to Nazeir’s face.

“End these sorcerers and I will grant your greatest wish,” she ran her finger across his jaw.

"I don’t think you understand,” he leaned back in his seat. “I won’t do your bidding because you are trying to charm me with gifts and,” he shrugged to find an exact word. “Pleasures.”

“Master purger. I know what you seek the most,” she gave a sweet smile and vanished. “And here the great poet Soittell spoke, ‘Do my bidding, thus I shall grant thy greatest desire!’” she spoke like an actress in a play. “Smite the evil and the shepherd of the weak,” she then steps down from the table. “Come now, master purger. I do not know what will happen if they get their hands on them. But I know you are the bane of us. Help me, and I will grant you the thing you wanted the most.”

She vanished again, and this time for good.

“I’ll grant the apex of your desire” she gave an alluring laugh. “No need to question what you want. Because I know it.”

Nazeir stood on his feet as he felt the ground tremble. He looked around and saw the palace of stones crumbling. Gradually, the ground began releasing water and covered his ankles. Something burst out from the water. He felt his hair rising. A large root grabbed his body and sank him into the puddle.

He heard her laugh.

“I will see you VERY soon, Nazeir,” the goddess spoke to him.

III

Nazeir woke up with his equipment still strapped to his body. He sat upright and checked himself. He stepped away from the pond and looked at it from a distance. Realising he left the goddess realm, he hurried away to leave the forest. Dark smoke covers the sky as he leaves. Once he found the clearing, he found out the battle had ended. The giant trees are no more of a threat. He witnessed the exhausted Kazymirian forces on the field, many died in the battle. He rode on a battlefield filled with crushed bodies and pools of blood. Trees turn to ashes while the smoke leaves the trees as soldiers put out the fire. The vultures flew in the sky waiting for the soldiers to leave the corpses in the open field. At the camp, Nazeir met Robert organising some soldiers. He sent them out to scout on horseback when he saw Nazeir get off his horse. He looked at the marshal with his eyes, furious.

"Master! That battle is over. We’ve won,” he spoke with his heavy breath. “But many died,” he glanced at the corpses being carried to dozens of wagons.

“We need to talk,” He pulled Robert away from his soldiers and talked alone on the field.

“What is going on?” Robert spat on the muddy ground. “Do you know who attacked?”

Nazeir rested his hands on his waist.

“I do,” he answered plainly. “And I need to think about how to approach this.”

“I’ve lost a lot of men here,” Robert’s shoulder weakened. “I can’t bear another one. If the Brindorian knew–”

“I should leave now,” Nazeir left.

Before he mounted his horse, Robert grabbed him by the shoulder.

“Master,” Robert gave him a deep stare. “I know the face of men who’s about to make a significant decision. Do nothing which will bring you regret. We value you here.”

“I know. It won’t be a problem, Robert.”

The marshall nodded and let him ride away.