The midnight air was cool, with the stars flickering overhead like scattered embers in the velvet blackness. There was no speech as Larin led the way on, accompanied by Myrith and Lysara. The path forded through dense Xiaxoan forests where ancient trees stood sentinel above a canopy of twisted branches that whispered secrets to the night. The moon lay down silver lines upon the earth, making it resplendent with rugged beauty.

It was alive in ways that defied all logic. Tiny, glowing insects flitted through the air, casting fleeting, ethereal patterns on the leaves. The ground itself seemed to pulse faintly, as though the earth was breathing in time with the steady beating of the trio's footsteps. Somewhere in the distance, a low, melodic hum echoed, a sound too deep and resonant to have come from any ordinary creature.

"Your world… it feels alive," Myrith breathed softly. She glanced up at the sky, her eyes catching sight of the moving treetops as they swung toward her in acknowledgement.

"It is," Larin said bluntly. "Sinlung's secrets are lost to time, but It has never forgotten its people whom it takes care of."

The air thickened ahead, heavy with mana as they continued walking. The bioluminescent floras illuminated their path; subtle lights came and went, the hue of the color varying from green to blue. They stood there a moment as the thorny underbrush rustled open, two amber-green eyes gazing back through the darkness at them. Into view emerged a Guardian Beast—a great stag with antlers spread out over vines laden with flowers so delicate. The creature, beautiful and painful to look at, seemed telepathic, something creatures don't usually have.

Lysara instinctively put up her hand, her mana flaring weakly in the process as she readied a defensive spell. Larin moved forward, voice calm. "It's a Guardian Stag. It won't attack us unless it feels threatened."

The stag cocked its head to one side, looking at them with an intensity that even made Myrith flinch. Larin bowed his head slightly, bowing before the creature laying the spell [Sinlung] in order to speak to the Guardian Stag. It puffed, a sound like wind through reeds, and stepped back into the shadows after 50 tense breaths.

"They don't trust outsiders," Larin explained, glancing at Myrith and Lysara. "You're the first Auquans they've seen."

Lysara nodded, her usual confidence tempered by the experience. "Noted."

Further along the path, a shimmering, serpentine creature coiled around a tree trunk. Its translucent scales reflected the moonlight in a prismatic display, and its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the air. It regarded them briefly before slithering away, vanishing into the foliage.

"These beings… are they all Guardians?" Myrith asked, her voice tinged with awe.

"Not all," Larin said. "Some are just attracted to the mana of this place. But the Guardians… they're a part of the land itself. They are stewards of the land."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

The three continued; the path now narrowed as it was covered on both sides with trees. Sounds of the forest faded away to be replaced with the faint murmur of flowing water. When finally they reached Natural Spring, the beauty before them took their breath.

A mighty tree dominated the place, gnarled roots stretching wide across the earth and embracing it like fingers. Its trunk was of an impossible girth, covered in bark inscribed with interlocking patterns as if living runes themselves. Water beneath the tree, spring waters, glowed with a weak light from inside. The air was different—more heavy yet calmer—full of an ethereal power like the substance of the ground itself.

At the trunk's base of the tree, the Dryad seemed to grow from its wood. Half-inscribed there, her form seemed both sculpture and life. The fluid inside her green irises flowed like the stars themselves when she opened her eyes. She regarded Larin and nodded, as if acknowledging, then turned toward Myrith and Lysara. Her regard was plain enough, her gaze sharply probing and unrelenting.

The Auquans, unmoving but clearly surprised, bowed their bodies to the ground. There was almost an anguish in the way they moved that was respectful beyond anything Larin had ever seen. They were more deferential than he'd ever known them to be, even in front of Kirat Empire elite, or chiefs in Xiaxo.

"You gracing us with your coming," Myrith said her voice low and measured.

The Dryad's face didn't change, her eyes lingering on the two Auquans. "Honor," she repeated, the word heavy with the weight of a rebuke. "You people speak of honor and respect, yet you cross worlds as if they were yours to claim. What brings invaders to this domain?

Lysara, composed though the words had been harsh, bowed again. "We come as guests, seeking understanding. If we have trespassed, we ask your forgiveness."

The Dryad's eyes turned to Larin. "Your instincts serve you well, Larin. You bring them here, knowing they are watched."

Larin moved forward, his tone cautious. "They have been kind to me, they saved my life."

The Dryad's face relaxed a little as she turned back to the Auquans. "You tread on a land that does not belong to you."

Myrith looked down. "We are here to witness and to learn. Nothing more."

A long silence ensued, broken only by the soft babble of the spring's waters. Finally, the Dryad spoke again. "You are tolerated, for now.".

Myrith focused her sharp gaze on a shadowy corner of the tree, her vision squinting. The Dryad felt it and swiveled her head to view, her words dripping with inquisitiveness. "You must be highly trained, Auquan. No Cosmic Magi should be able to see what is hidden within my shadows."

The Dryad raised a hand and made a subtle gesture. The shadows shifted and from them came figures that brought a ripple of surprise through the group. The first was a giant beast, something like a tiger, but with legs that walked upright, its fur striped with glowing green, yellow and black markings. Its movements were predatory and graceful, the sharp eyes set upon the group with intent scrutiny. But it wore plate-armor and had weapons at the ready, it was clear that it was a magi, a Cosmic Magi or stronger.

Behind the giant tiger stepped two familiar figures. Tyrs and Mynta. Mynta's expression was indistinguishable from one's guess, but Tyrs was always smirking.

"You had your hands full," Tyrs said, breaking the silence with a chiding note in her voice.

"Tyrs. Mynta," Larin said, surprised by their presence. "What are you doing here?"

"We live here, before even your father was born," Mynta said, her voice cool but not unkind.

The Dryad looked on at the newcomers with a mixture of mirth and acquiescence. "They serve a purpose here, as does everyone who treads these grounds.".

He glanced between Dryad, the Auquans, and his old mentors. The air was heavy with unspoken questions, but one thing was very clear: This was no ordinary meeting. There was something big at play—something much larger than any of them had taken in.

Perhaps, for now, Larin could only hope that understanding would come in time.