“Gardener. Why did you not come when I called?” I spoke sharply.

I received no answer.

“Are you still struggling with whom to give your loyalty to?” I spoke again.

He finally answered me.

“... Please, leave us alone. We just want quieteness. We don’t wish to participate in this conflict,” he met my eyes.

My eyes narrowed at his defiance.

“You already did, aeons ago, when The Green shook hands with the King of Geogenais”

“That was fate”

“It was a well-known machination brought upon by your Mother. The Green should not have taken part in it and you should have dissuaded them”

“We didn’t know!”

“Maybe you didn’t, but how couldn’t the Green?”

I set my eyes upon the forest. My ichor boiled and the expanse began to answer to my will. The trees lost their foliage and the reeds wilted. Panic took hold of the Gardener.

“Please stop! This is all I have left of them!”

I yielded to their plea and stopped my endeavour.

“The Garden may follow you…”

I felt longing, now that I had returned here.

“... but it will answer my call”

That it would indeed answer my call was just natural. All things in this world came from the w***e and me.

“Didn’t The Green confide in you?”

But this place was nearer to me than to her.

“That the Legion’s powers are just shards of a broken soul?”

It was a call from me.

“And I want it back”

A fragment of my immortal soul rested deep within the core of the Garden. Only through the essence of their maker, which rested within them, could the Legions wield strength beyond the limit of their domain.

My heart was throbbing. I was finally certain that my broken being could be repaired. But there were steps to follow. I turned to the Gardener.

“I won’t undo the Garden,” I began to speak.

The eyes of the Gardener sparkled with hope but clouded again once I uttered the next words.

“I will reclaim the fragment of my essence that The Green left behind and bestow this land upon my dearest. Its destiny will be up to her and you will be under her, as all should”

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As I spoke, a cry of agony rose from the forest as the intricate web of mana, aura and intent that was spun to keep the power of The Green in place got unravelled. The sapience of the Garden disappeared into nothingness once its source returned home. Suddenly, I fell to my knees. My breath became ragged as I felt a vacancy within myself getting filled. It was like the colours had become more vibrant and the sounds sharper and more melodic.

My eyes opened to the beauty that surrounded me. I remained motionless, in awe at the magnificence of my own world. A wave of affection for all that came from me filled me to the brim and I felt grateful for what I had. No more only duty, but care for what was mine propelled me onwards. But soon the positivity that had invaded me dulled and the grey reality welcomed me once again.

I stood up once again, nourished by the strengthened flow of ichor within my blood vessels. The attainment of the next level neared, as I approached the completion of my broken soul. I had already recovered two shards, the one related to The Black, recovered like most when I fell on this world, and now the one related to the Green. Only one shard remained, the one of The Blue, and I already knew where it rested.

It had become clear since I had regained my memories. The strength of the Legions came from parts of my soul they held within themselves. When its Mother had birthed the world, she had made use of the images of my mind as references to give it shape, and the shards of my being as seeds to give it substance.

That was the reason why I could influence, interfere with or even negate the authority of the Legions. They were byproducts of my authority as a maker. And as everything given, it could be retaken and bestowed upon others.

It barely needed any concentration. Complete authority over the land was relayed to Faye as I did with the Gamma all those years ago. The Gardener had been shrewd at that time, giving me back only a small part of myself, keeping for themselves the rest.

Twice they had sinned against me. The deception was their first sin, their second was to aid my enemy by lending them the weapon of their beloved Legion of The Green. Nevertheless, they had also defied their Mother while aiding me, so I wouldn’t strike them down. This was the absolution they had earned.

“This land will become a bastion against my enemy. From today onwards, Gardener, you are to be an instructor for my dearest, guiding her in perfecting her newly acquired talents,” I declared.

I didn’t bother waiting for his response. He had no choice in the matter. I turned around. My gaze warmed upon seeing Faye and saddened upon glimpsing Hector. He was dormant, kept in a barely stable state between life and death.

“Can he be saved?” I questioned the Gardener.

“... the Thorn will answer The Green’s authority. His body can be rebuilt with it,” he soullessly whispered.

I set my eyes on Faye’s resolute expression.

“What do you wish to do?” I asked her.

“I will save Hector. I owe it to him,” she stated her stance.

“Good”

I put my hands on her cheeks and playfully squeezed them.

“I’m proud of you. You grew up so well,” I joked playfully.

“Oh, come on!” she freed herself from my grasp and stepped beyond me, peeved by my behaviour.

“You can be really annoying,” she grumbled, her face slightly tinged with red.

A small laugh left my mouth. I continued to watch her, as she walked deeper into the forest while the Gardener followed her up from behind, transporting Hector with a soft cloud of mana.

“Don’t worry, the Garden won’t undergo any changes. It’s clear it holds a special place in your heart,” I heard her talk to her new subordinate.

“... It is the last memory of The Green,” the Gardener spoke with a tinge of nostalgia.

“You must have loved them dearly”

“Every single one”

The two finally disappeared behind the blanket of trees. Although I knew there was nothing to fear, I couldn’t help but be a little apprehensive. Faye had proven herself strong and as things stood right now, there were at most two beings that could prove dangerous to her, especially while she stood inside of her domain.

The soft smile on my face disappeared and coldness took hold of my expression as I turned to Tobias. His same generic amiable expression remained plastered on his face as I stared at him.

“You have but one week,” I spoke.

I thought it would have taken longer, but recovering my soul’s shard had given me the welcomed surprise of replenishing my strength and ichor. The speed of my recovery had exploded and soon I would undergo another growth spree.

“I understand. I will be awaiting for your arrival,” he answered me.

“You may change your choice”

“I don’t think I will”

And with that, we parted ways.