Melody, Violet, Annabelle, and Maple rode upon Aroo through the forest to the west. They were going casually while Melody pointed out various plants and useful herbs to her friends.

“We should be arriving at Grandfather’s grove soon.” Melody noticed the two girls tense up at her words. “Are you two nervous?”

“Well… It is not every day you get to meet a Dragon-Class monster….” Violet shivered.

“I’m telling you, you don’t have to worry about grandfather. He is very kind and warm.” Melody tried to reassure her friends.

“There it is!” Maple cried out and took flight toward the clearing ahead.

Aroo slowed down to a walking pace and moved into the grove.

“Huh? This… looks a little different….” Melody commented.

When Melody visited her grandfather, the area was typically sparse, with a few plants and rocks, but it looked like Okan had made some improvements since her last visit. Little sunlight was reaching into the grove as the old treant’s branches and leaves created a vibrant green roof above them. From his branches now hung several glowing orbs of light. Pixies and a few fairies flitted in the air while several peaceful animals lounged. Before his face, a new human-sized table and seats and a single giant-sized one for Melody were grown into place.

“Does it not normally look like this?” Annabelle asked.

Melody laughed as she realized her grandfather wanted to look suitable for her friends. “Hello, Grandpa!” She cried out with a smile.

The moss that made up his face moved, and his glowing yellow eyes appeared. His mossy beard turned up into a warm and welcoming smile. “Melody. So good to see you.” He spoke in his drawn-out and rumbling words.

Melody hopped off of Aroo and helped her friends down. She moved up and hugged his large frame. “I missed you, Grandpa.” Melody could feel the gentle warmth from his trunk. Through nature, she was sad that she had taken so long to visit.

Okan was doing his best to hide it, but Melody could feel how happy he was to see her and how sad and worried he had been while she was away.

“I’m sorry I took so long to come to visit. I brought friends and plenty of stories, though.” Melody backed away.

“I look forward to hearing them. But first, I have a couple of gifts for your friends.” Okan’s eyes turned to the two humans who stood before him.

“A-a-a-a-a p-pleasure to m-meet you.” Violet stuttered in her nervousness.

Annabelle was frozen in place while shivering.

“Are you two okay?” Melody asked, only to be tackled to the ground from behind. “Ack!”

“It is good to see you, Melody. You have kept that old tree far too worried for far too long.” A familiar female voice called from behind Melody.

Melody turned to face the silver-furred Fenrir she knew so well. “Shani!” Melody hugged the legendary wolf.

“M-M-M-Melody! You never said anything about a Fenrir!” Violet exclaimed.

Ah… I guess I forgot. I only prepared them for meeting Grandpa… Melody lamented.

“Sorry, you two. Grandpa has many familiars, his strongest being Shani. But don’t worry, she is friendly and kind.” Melody smiled at them, trying to help them relax.

“Greetings, humans. I am Shani, guardian, servant, and friend to the Great Okan.” Shani bowed her head to them. “It is my pleasure to meet two friends of Melody. To see such a friendship that transcends worlds is quite amazing.”

“Huh?” Violet and Annabelle seemed to snap out of their fear of being surprised.

“Please, take a seat, and I will explain.” Okan cut in.

As they settled into their seats, Shani rested her large head on Melody’s lap so the giant could scritch and pet her head.

“Now, to explain how I knew of your origin, it is because I am the father of the entire Gaian Forest. I know of much of what happens in the forest. But I tend to sleep for long periods, so sometimes I learn things after they happen. I was awake when Melody returned to her home with the two of you. So, I overheard your conversations.” Okan explained.

“Wow, so much for privacy….” Violet grumbled.

Okan chuckled, “Privacy is something you humans came up with. Those of us of nature care not of such things.”

“Fair point,” Violet replied with a resigned smile.

“You said you had gifts for them, Grandpa?” Melody asked.

With a smile, two vines slithered down to the two humans. One held an elegant short staff, and the other, a fancy mace that had sharp fangs and claws to form the head. Violet received the staff while Annabelle took the mace.

“This is made out of wood, right? How is the head heavy like my steel mace?” Annabelle asked.

“Why not ask Melody?” Okan offered.

Melody used her Identify skill on the two weapons.

Okan’s Staff: A powerful artifact made from a bone of a Fenrir and Okan’s wood. This staff significantly reduces magic costs to spells and slightly boosts all elemental magic. If the staff is jammed into the ground, it can form a protective barrier of wood around the user.

Lastil’s Fang Mace: A powerful artifact made from the fangs and claws of a Fenrir and Okan’s wood. This mace is capable of crushing or punching through the strongest of defenses. When magic is channeled into the mace, the user can move as swiftly as the wind.

“Um, where did the Fenrir parts come from?” Melody asked hesitantly.

“My late companion.” Shani casually said as she yawned.

“Are… Are we really allowed to have these?” Annabelle asked sheepishly.

Shani gave a smile, her blue eyes filled with kindness. “It is fine. Lastil passed away over a hundred years ago. He liked humans quite a bit, so I am sure he would be glad to help protect some even in his death.” She laughed. “Lastil would often transform into a human and wander about your cities. His favorite thing was your food.” Her last comment made her burst out laughing.

“Hold on, Shani, can you transform too?” Melody asked.

“I could, but I am out of practice. Give me a few weeks to remember.” Shani replied.

Melody pouted a bit. She really wanted to see what Shani looked like as a human. She was sure that the Fenrir would be a beauty beyond compare.

Violet and Annabelle accepted the weapons and bowed deeply to Shani and Okan, thanking them for the gifts.

“Grandpa, Mother told me you would be a good source of history. Could you teach us some?” Melody asked.

Okan’s mossy beard seemed to stretch into a big smile. “Of course. I love to speak of history. Do you all know of the formation of the world?”

“The five gods worked together to create it?” Melody answered.

“Correct. Dyluran formed the world’s core, and the other gods formed life upon it. Myself and my brothers are created by Lyuten. Each generation is tasked with protecting the balance of nature and all life. Especially from encroachments by the Gods of Tartarus and their servants.” Okan happily explained.

“Gods of what now?” Violet asked.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

“Did Nova not mention it? He said they were a part of why I died last time, something about a curse.” Melody answered.

“Yes. Gods of Tartarus, you can view them as the opposite of gods like Nova. Power-wise, they are very much the same, with one key difference. The power of creation. I don’t know everything concerning the gods, but I will do my best to explain.” Okan stated.

Between the Gods of the Divine Realm and those of Tartarus, only the Divine could create new worlds. Tartarians were always power-hungry and grew jealous of the Divine for having such great power.

“So, why do the Divine create worlds?” Annabelle asked.

“My apologies, but I do not know,” Okan replied.

“These Tartarians curse the worlds? Why?” Violet asked.

“Ah, that I can answer. The Divine can easily keep the Tartarians out of the world, but that is where the curses come into play. They act as a conduit of power for the Tartarian, giving them increased global influence. If it grows enough, it can enter the world. If that occurs, it would be the end of the said world and a risk to the Divine. Lyuten once told me that Tartarians can corrupt Divine gods if there is a difference of power, which most Tartarians are stronger.”

“Has there ever been a case of that happening?” Annabelle asked, a bit of tension in her voice.

“Once. A group of young Divine who started a new world decided to give a Tartarian a chance. They were corrupted and betrayed their fellow world gods. Then the corrupted gods played with mortal lives like toys, breaking and destroying them.” Okan huffed in sadness.

“Are those gods still doing that!?” Maple, who returned from playing with friends, asked.

“No. Supposedly a mortal rose up and killed the corrupted gods, freeing the betrayed ones.” Okan replied.

“C-Could it have been Lord Tulsen?” Melody asked. She had heard of the rumor before about him killing a god, but the story from Okan made her think it could have been the man.

“It is possible. He is one of the only humans I know who are capable of traveling between worlds freely like the gods. Hmm, that would make sense.” Okan fell into thought.

“What happened to the Tartarian?” Violet asked.

“He left to the Divine Realm. Tartarus and the Divine Realm are only connected through the worlds. There is no other way to travel between the two. Lyuten teaches the importance of keeping Tartarus at bay because many Divine died at the time before the most powerful of the Divine arrived to put it down.” Okan answered.

“Why do they destroy so much?” Annabelle asked.

“As I mentioned, the Tartarians were jealous of the Divine and their creative ability. They don’t want anyone to have a power they cannot. Or they desire to obtain it themselves.” Okan answered.

“How about we get off this chilly topic. I am curious about the world.” Melody shivered.

Okan smiled warmly. “Of course.”

From Okan’s explanation, the world’s people were originally a nomadic society.

Humans, being the less hardy of the races, were the first to settle down and build permanent homes. Dwarves were the next race to develop their societies near mountainous areas. Elves were the third race to create towns, primarily in or near forests. The last was the beast-kin.

“I remember Dr. Dondee being surprised over Ruby. Whatever happened to the beast-kin?” Melody asked.

“Sadly, they are nearly extinct through a combination of war and a plague,” Okan answered.

“Nearly? But our history books say that they did.” Violet commented.

Okan chuckled. “They are still alive. Their numbers are close to a hundred thousand now.”

“Then, where are they?” Annabelle asked curiously.

“They live at the foot of the Great World Tree, Gyyanrel. My father.” Okan answered with a proud expression.

“Wait! The world tree actually exists!?” Violet abruptly stood.

Okan was amused at her reaction. “Yes. He is the first son of Lyuten and speaker of the goddess.”

Violet sank into her seat, feeling like a headache was coming from the unprecedented information they had been getting.

“Will I be able to meet him someday?” Melody asked.

Okan smiled brightly. “Of course. He has asked about you.”

Melody was excited to hear this. She had more family to meet.

“We really need to make sure nothing bad EVER happens to Melody. Especially if her family is as doting as her mother….” Violet whispered to Annabelle, who sharply nodded in agreement.

“I wonder if I could speak to Lyuten too.” Melody wondered.

Violet and Annabelle felt the world might end if something happened to Melody.

“You two don’t have to worry that much,” Okan assured them, seeing how nervous the two girls were becoming.

“So, what happened after the people settled?” Violet asked, wanting to move on.

Okan continued. Goes into detail about how at first, things in the world were peaceful, but over time, tensions over land ownership began to rise.

The first major war in the world was between humans and elves. Humans kept encroaching on forests, overharvesting, and not doing anything to clean up their messes. The dwarves and beast-kin kept to themselves, not wanting to be dragged into the war. At the time, the elves had a solid connection to nature and could utilize it to keep the humans at bay. But then, both sides took their efforts too far.

The humans began burning or cutting down large portions of forests. This greatly angered the forest spirits, and they decided to side with the elves.

The elves did not trust the forest spirits as they were never allowed within the Groves. So, a small group of elves devised an evil method combining magic and alchemy to drive forest spirits mad.

The largest battle between the two races was bloody and without reason. Thousands of beings died on the battlefield before they showed up.

Four great, ancient treants arrived and put an end to the battle.

Okan had explained that their father, Gyyanrel, was furious over the damage the humans had done to the forest and even angrier with the elves for what they had done.

The four ancient treants forced the human kings to sign an agreement to never overharvest from the forest again or face their extinction. The elves were told to leave the woods and never take residence in them again. If they did, they would be obliterated.

“Wow…” Annabelle was surprised.

“I never knew about that. I don’t think I have ever seen that written anywhere.” Violet commented.

“I have heard that only rulers know of agreement. Since they have upheld their end, we have been quietly assisting them. It has become a mutually beneficial deal. We keep them informed of what is happening in their kingdoms, and they keep their people from destroying the forests.” Okan clarified.

“So, what happened to the elves after they were kicked out? What about that small group?” Melody asked.

“The elves could not be with the humans as they were enemies, so they turned to the dwarves. The dwarves were hesitant at first but eventually took pity on the elves. At first, they did not get along, but eventually, their races became close like siblings, bickering at each other occasionally.” Okan chuckled.

“The sinners were summarily executed, and their research was destroyed. To this day, all elves are educated about their great sin so they never repeat it. Losing their connection to nature devastated those at the time, but current generations now are fine.” Okan finished.

“What happened after the war ended? What about the beast-kin?” Annabelle asked.

Okan smiled and continued his lesson.

The world had a few minor wars for power here and there, but the biggest one occurred when a single human kingdom unlocked the power of golems.

“I remember hearing from Violet about them,” Melody said. “That there are only a few families that are still capable of controlling them.”

“Correct, Melody. Most are high-ranking nobles, but the method to create golems is a heavily guarded secret of royals.” Violet added.

“Do you know why it is guarded?” Okan asked with a bemused smile.

Violet shook her head.

Okan chuckled. “It is because of that kingdom I just mentioned. The single kingdom wanted to rule all races and create an empire. Golems are stronger than a giant, maybe not you, Melody, but they made for a devasting frontline. Over time, that kingdom slaughtered many people and might have won if it had not appeared.”

“““It?”””

“The Titan of Wrath,” Okan replied.

Violet shuddered at the name.

“The Titan of Wrath was a giant who achieved its ultimate evolution. It appeared in the golem kingdom and devastated it. The kingdom turned its golem forces back toward the Titan to defeat it, but golems could do little.”

“That is when all the world’s nations banded together to defeat it,” Violet commented.

“Correct. Humans, elves, dwarves, beast-kin, spirits of many types, dragons, and even the four great treants joined. It was with great sacrifice of all of us that we finally brought it down.” Okan continued.

“Where was it felled?” Melody asked.

“In the nation of beast-kin,” Violet answered.

“Correct. Its corpse could not be easily destroyed and rotted, bringing a great plague to the poor race. Humans, elves, and dwarves tried to help as much as possible, but they were also susceptible to the plague, so we treants, who were unaffected, took them in. The Dead Lands still exists, surrounded by our forests. We have been protecting the world for a long time, slowly healing the land. We estimated another six hundred years before the lands will be cleansed.” Okan explained.

“I don’t understand why golem crafting is a guarded secret, though,” Melody commented.

“It is because nobody wants a repeat of what happened. I believe the people feel that the Titan was a punishment for their avarice.” Okan answered.

“I heard that each nation usually keeps around ten golems on hand at a time in case of emergencies,” Violet said.

“What happened after the Titan of Wrath?” Melody asked.

“After that? Well, it is mostly boring, but thankfully, very peaceful. There is the occasional insurrection or changing of rulers. Nothing that important.” Okan said with a chuckle.

Violet continued their history lesson by speaking of what she knew. As Okan had said, it was a bit boring but peaceful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A cold-looking butler led two cloaked men down a fancily decorated hall.

He stopped before a set of large double doors and knocked.

“Enter.” A voice called from within.

The butler opened the door and led the two men into the room.

“Your grace.” The butler bowed to the man’s back. “I have brought the two you requested.”

“You’ve done well, Harvey.” The man turned to them.

The man looked to be in his late forties. His dark blue eyes were sharp and calculating as he looked the two men over. He was clean-shaven and had golden brown hair. Tall, lean, and well-fed, he took a puff from a cigar.

“It is rude to keep yourselves so hidden. I went through such great efforts to bring you here.” The man commented through a haze of smoke.

The two men pulled back their hoods, one of them being the deposed son of Baron Lance.

“Thank you, your grace, for getting me out of that frozen hell.” He spoke.

“I was surprised to get your invitation, but I appreciate the assistance. Duke Caldwell’s men were close to finding me.” The missing son of the Ludril family said.

The man smiled at them. “Think nothing of it. I have a use for the two of you.”

“Of course, Duke Talane.” The deposed noble said, bowing his head.

“I want you to tell me about the giant.” The Duke cruelly smiled.