The spring water, dropping with such a soft and soothing trickle, created an otherwise tense and silent background for the meeting. Sometimes, frogs croaked, adding their rhythmic chirping crickets to the lot, now and then combined with an owl's haunting call, something akin to eerie symphony was formed. Stillness had a presence as though the land was watching this very gathering take place. Then Dryad's voice pierced through sharp and deliberate.

Show me your Essence," she ordered, her voice as serene as it was firm. "This will determine how I deal with you. For saving my kin, Larin, you have spared yourself from total annihilation.".

She pointed to Lysara and Myrith, her green eyes flashing with a deep, primeval energy. The two Auquans stopped dead in their tracks, their composure buckling under the weight of the Dryad's presence. Lysara's gills fluttered, and a thin, glistening liquid started to drip from them, forming a small pool on the ground. Myrith clutched at her side for a moment, as if steadying herself.

"Do it," said the Dryad, her eyes unmoving.

Myrith and Lysara exchanged a glance, awe turning to worry. And in near-simulataneous motion, they raised their hands and pointed to their chests and their foreheads. Faint light began to emanate from their bodies, blossoming into a warm, glowing blue. The air itself appeared to thrum with life as their mana projected from them in flowing patterns. Lysara's Essence was a bit choppy, flaring with bursts of raw energy here and there, while Myrith leaked at the edges, spreading like mist.

The Dryad looked at them in silence, her face unreadable. Her eyes followed the flow of their mana, breaking down every nuance as if reading a language only she could understand. The tension was palpable, each second dragging as the Dryad took in their display.

After two measured breaths, the Dryad gave a solitary nod. "You may stop."

The mana around the Auquans dissipated, and they landed on the ground almost immediately. Their legs buckled beneath them, and they gasped for air, breathing shallow and ragged. Yet neither of them said a word of complaint. They remained quiet, bowing their heads in subservience.

The Dryad's gaze softened—slightly. "You are not without merit," she murmured, her voice carrying a faint note of approval.

Lysara and Myrith slowly regained their footing, though their faces remained pale, their breaths still uneven. Larin stepped toward them, concern etched across his face. Before he could speak, Tyrs's voice broke the silence.

"Larin," Tyrs said, his tone casual yet pointed. "Your arm. Have you gotten used to it yet?"

Larin glanced down at his bioluminescent arm, the faint glow tracing through the veins almost hypnotic. It looked as though it had always been part of him, no scars betraying the fact that it had once been severed. "I'm getting there," he said with a faint smile. "I think I'm almost fully attuned to it."

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Mynta took a step forward, peering closely at Larin through her piercing gaze. "Let me see," she said, holding out her hand. Without speaking, she reached out to take his arm.

Her touch was firm, but deliberate, as she mumbled an incantation under her breath. A faint cube of light manifested around Larin's arm and leg, the surface covered in shifting runes. The cube shrunk slowly, pressing into his limbs as it seemed to analyze every detail. After a moment, the cubes dissolved, leaving Larin's arm and leg appearing more natural, the glowing veins dimmed to a subtle shimmer.

Larin flexed his fingers experimentally, his face a mixture of surprise and relief. "What did you do?" he asked, looking from Mynta to his arm.

"Some of the Auquan qualities remain," Mynta explained, her voice even. "But I've removed the excess. Their presence, as it was, would have hindered your growth in the long run, though it may have benefited you in the short term.".

Myrith and Lysara exchanged stunned glances, their earlier exhaustion momentarily forgotten. Even among the advanced magic of the Auquans, such precision and sophistication were rare. Myrith opened her mouth to speak but seemed at a loss for words.

The silence was broken by the deep, rumbling voice of the Tiger-man. "Larin, you've grown much in the short time you've been away."

Larin's head jerked in the direction of the speaker, his shock plain. The fur on the Tiger-man's body rippled with muscles; his pose was upright, and his very aspect was imposing. And yet, somehow, he looked.. familiar.

He drew up a gigantic paw, his claws retracted as he changed. In an instant, he began to alter his body. Fur retreated; his form grew smaller until, before them, stood a man Larin knew-well- Uncle Ted.

Larin's jaw dropped. "Uncle Ted? But… how?"

Ted chuckled the sound through the grove, "You know the stories, surely? The legends about Keimi—the Were-tigers? That is what the new age peoples call us nowadays, though little more than just a far fetch from the mark.

Larin blinked, trying to reconcile the kind, politically savvy uncle he knew with the towering, beastly figure he had just seen. Ted grinned, clapping a hand on Larin's shoulder. "It's a long story, but suffice it to say, there's more to me than you've seen in Monarek."

The Dryad said nothing while this exchange happened. Finally speaking up, "Enough for now." Her voice was sharp with no room to disagree. "Your Essences have earned you some trust but don't mistake it for safety. I am not the strongest of Sinlung or the most merciful. Remember this well when talking about your civilization.".

She turned, fluidity to her movements as the water around her flowed, and started to dissolve back into the tree. She stopped just before she disappeared into herself altogether.

" Young Larin," she said without turning. " Escort your companions back. You may return alone when your absence isn't suspected."

Larin nodded his head. "Yes, Dryad. Thank you."

The silence between the group was heavy with unspoken thoughts as they trudged their way back through the forest. It was Lysara who finally broke the silence, her voice shaking slightly. "We almost died back there."

Myrith nodded grimly. "That Dryad… she's as powerful as a council member back home. Or stronger."

Lysara stood and looked upon Larin; her face remained pale, though her eyes are hard. "I never dreamed that I should meet a Conceptual Magi in a such a place. Xiaxo must be more than just a benighted backwater country."

They continued on through the silence, each carrying the crushing weight of that night on the shoulders.