Chapter Thirteen

Mister Greeny watched with trepidation as his little one, Nia, struggled to keep her wall of thorns standing against the constant barrage of Mister Long’s attacks. The living golem would never intentionally harm the girl, but if her wall should fail at an inopportune time, his strikes could very easily hit her.

The golem lashed out with his tail again, the solid mass of vines , roots, and mushrooms splintering the seemingly frail wall of tightly woven roses. Still, the wall held. It was a testament to how much effort Nia had been putting into her training. After her initial success in growing that absurdly small fruit, her mana responded much better to her desires, letting her repeat her achievement without nearly as much effort.

But she still had to work very hard to make any progress.

And she had. She had gone from a single, tiny strawberry with monumental effort to being able to grow an entire patch spontaneously, with just a thought. Of course, doing so left her exhausted. It drained almost all of the mana from her core, but with consistent use, her capacity for magic would grow.

“O—okay,” Nia panted, halting Mister Long’s attack mid-strike. “Th—that’s enough…”

The giant snake dropped its tail to the ground with a thud, the colorful scale-like mushrooms rippling in the sunlight along its body. With a gentle hiss, Mister Long gave Nia a blank look with its small, opalescent eyes before slithering off to patrol around the ruins. Nia followed the golem with her eyes. It was a beautiful yet terrifying display of magic, one she didn’t think she would ever be able to replicate.

Maybe one day, if she worked hard.

Rest for a while. Mister Greeny told her as he trotted over and placed a plump, shiny red apple at her feet. Meet me in the lecture hall to continue your other lessons when you are ready.

Do you have any questions? Mister Greeny asked her, just finishing up his lesson on medicinal herbs and their locations. There were hundreds of different species of plants with many times more uses. She needed to know them all.

“I do have one question…” Nia said timidly as she chewed on her lower lip.

Over their time together, he had decoded most of her body language and could see that something was on her mind unrelated to their lessons. What is it, little one?

She hesitated momentarily, but before he could press her further, words began to spill from her mouth in a torrent. “Why are you teaching me all of this?” She took a deep breath. “Archery and botany and alchemy, you’re even teaching me needlework. I just— I just don’t get it…”

Does a parent not wish their child the best? To be prepared for the world outside their home? He said to her in his disconcerting but comforting voice. There are many things I have learned over the years, and I only wish to pass them down to you, little one.

“I… suppose,” Nia’s face looked contemplative as she replied. “I just don’t see how I’ll ever use half of what you’re showing me.”

Have you already decided what you wish to do with your life? He asked her after a moment of silence.

“…no.” She admitted as she sunk deeper into thought. “After I learned I was adopted, I always dreamed of finding my real parents… That was the only thing I wanted in life. I knew you would have some answers, so I left home to find you, thinking it might take years.”

I have always been by your side.

Nia nodded before she continued. “I didn’t know that then. So, when you told me about my parents and how I came to the village, my entire goal in life was completed before it ever began...”

Silence settled between them as Nia’s words faded away. Mister Greeny thought about her words and the internal strife his little one was going through. To her, she had no purpose in life, no reason for being, and he could relate to her uncertainty. He was much the same way.

His entire purpose was to watch over the world's life, at least originally, and he had fulfilled that purpose. When he awoke from his self-imposed hibernation, he had no purpose, no grand plot that he was meant to participate in. He just… was. So, unconsciously, he gave himself a purpose.

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To protect the small infant tucked between the roots of that tree.

I understand. He said finally, I was like you for a short time. With nothing guiding me, I wandered aimlessly until I found you, and in doing so, I found my purpose once again.

“…I think I understand,” Nia said as she nodded before stopping. “But what if I never find it? What if I keep searching forever?”

Perhaps you never will. He admitted as he cocked his head, thinking deeply. Or maybe tomorrow’s dawn will reveal it to you like it does the distant horizon, I cannot say. But I know that your purpose is whatever you make it; it is what you strive for every day and what makes you yearn for the morrow.

A fresh look of determination crept onto her soft features, and her eyes glistened with emotion as she stood. Nia rushed over to Mister Greeny and wrapped him in a fiercely warm hug. “Thank you. Thank you for everything.” She pulled away from him and looked into his sharp, glowing emerald eyes. “I want to go and see my parents before spring. I shouldn’t put it off any longer. I need to apologize to them for running away; I’m sure they’re worried sick. I hope they can forgive me.”

I am sure they will . Mister Greeny reassured her, his core almost bursting with affection toward the girl. If you need to see them soon, we can leave in the morning.

Like an endless field of diamonds, the freshly fallen snow glittered in the pre-dawn light. It spun and twirled and drifted in the frigid winter breeze, piling high against the smooth tree trunks and absorbing the sound of his paw steps as he walked. Even in winter, when most of the wildlife hid from the cold, and the forest itself slept naked underneath a blanket of snow, Mister Greeny marveled at the world's beauty.

It was pleasing and comforting to his senses. The life around him filled him with a sense of warmth that completely negated the cold attempting to seep in.

“It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?” Nia said offhandedly as she sat perched atop his back.

He had nearly forgotten that she was there, almost. The snow was deep, even in the form of the forest bear, and his belly skimmed the top of a few drifts. Still, his strength was immense, so he plowed through the snow like it was nothing but a cloud, not slowing his pace in the least.

Indeed, little one. He said, how are you faring? Are you cold? Do you need to rest?

A small snort came from Nia as she patted the vines making up his shoulders. “Stop worrying, we only just started our journey.”

I do not feel the cold, Mister Greeny said as he trundled along. It is easy for me to ignore it and the effect it has on others.

“Well, I’m fine. So don’t worry.” Nia said as she pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders, betraying her words. “Still, how long until we reach the village? I hate to admit it, but I don’t know where we are.”

The ruins are a three-day walk from your village, he explained. Close enough so that I could watch over you and the village but far enough away as not to be discovered by the hunters.

“Why not just come into the village?” she asked seriously. “You’re a forest spirit; they—we, worship you.”

Mister Greeny’s steps continued, but his words did not. Several minutes of silence passed between them before he answered quietly. I was afraid.

Nia was taken by surprise by his answer. She couldn’t think of any reason why he, the Spirit of the Forest, would be afraid of anything. He was wise and intelligent, overwhelmingly strong, yet compassionate and gentle. She held him dearly in her heart, not only because he was the basis of the faith she was raised with but because he held her in his.

“What were you afraid of?”

You must understand that I have always been alone. He said to her, his voice rumbling from deep inside him. Of course, I would sometimes interact with my kind when the need arose, but centuries would pass between meetings. We all had our own duties, duties not easily abandoned.

“That’s awful…” Nia whispered, almost inaudibly, amongst the thick covering of snow.

It was the way things had been since the beginning. He paused, carefully reviewing his next words, choosing what to tell her. Then, eventually, I was truly alone. The last of my kind.

He could hear a gasp come from Nia, sitting atop his back. “What happened?”

Needless to say, he said, acting as if he didn’t hear her question. When confronted with the unknown—the ‘people’ of the forest—I did not know what to do, so I did nothing.

“Well,” Nia said loudly, patting his back enthusiastically with a gloved hand. “I’ll introduce you to my parents; that’s a good place as any to start.”