“MUSHROOMS?” Tristan almost took a step back in surprise. “Is this some kind of joke?”

From what Tristan remembered from his history lessons, the Mushrooms were members of the Fungelite race, and many of these beings were responsible for great tragedies in the past.

Decades ago, a mysterious species of fungus spread like a plague across the west. In less than five years, half of that region was lost. The fungus was capable of infecting various beings. To fight it, a Great Alliance was formed, with humans, elves, dwarves, and other species uniting to prevent the balance between the races of the continent from breaking.

‘If I remember correctly, the battle was tough. The Great Alliance won, but the consequences of that war lingered.’

He had heard that many areas in the west were still uninhabitable today because of those fungi.

With furrowed brows, Tristan spoke, “Tsk, you want me to enter the territory of those beings?”

She waved her hands in a gesture for him to relax. “Don’t worry, I know a safe method to prevent them from consuming us. They gave me a sort of invitation that will make them recognize us as allies. I’ve been to their village many times.”

Still suspicious, he asked, “Are you sure about that?”

“I promise.”

“How long will it take to reach this village?”

“About a day. After that, you’ll access one of their tunnels and have a clear path until the end of this forest.”

“Alright then,” Tristan said casually, although he kept his guard up. ‘I’ll pretend to cooperate while keeping an eye on her. If this is a trap, I can catch her off guard.’

He thought the chances of it being a trap were low. After all, her situation was far more advantageous right now.

‘With the orchid monster by her side, she could kill me at any moment. Maybe she wants to take me to the village and sell me to the Mushrooms? Or maybe the flower can’t move and she wants my good will to take me there alive? Hmm, or maybe she’s sincere, and everything she said is true...’

“Hey, do you have a name?” Her voice interrupted his thoughts.

Tilting her head, she said, “Wait, do you know what a name is?”

Tristan nodded and said, “Dusk.”

“Oh, Dusk the Human. Sounds like a good name. Nice to meet you; I’m Zahira,” she said with vibrant excitement in her animalistic voice.

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He looked at her and decided to ask about something that had been intriguing him. “Are you a hybrid? I mean, a hybrid of two different races?” Tristan had heard of hybrids between humans, elves, and dwarves, as well as hybrids with dragons and other incredible beings in legends, but he didn’t know if reproduction between different races was possible.

“Yes!” she confirmed enthusiastically. “My father was a beast, and my mother was a Dryad.”

“A DRYAD?” Tristan almost stumbled over those words. Dryads were mystical members of the Verdakyn race. They were one of the few natural beings from the Mortal Realm that could rival the power levels of beings from the Superior Realms, at least that’s what he had heard from the stories his mother told him.

According to legends, Dryads were the evolution of magical plants that absorbed the essence of the world for thousands of years. Their stories were well known because their bodies could serve as high-quality ingredients.

‘The petals of a Dryad are an invaluable treasure,’ thinking about this, Tristan looked at the two lilac flowers on Zahira’s head. A temptation bloomed in his heart.

However, he suppressed his greed. ‘A legendary natural treasure is useless if I die here. I also wouldn’t know how to use something like that.’

Suddenly, Tristan thought of another much more important question. Swallowing nervously, he asked with fear, “Your mother? Is she around?”

Zahira shook her head. “No, my mother left soon after I was born. I haven’t seen her since.”

Tristan sighed in relief. The idea of having a creature from the legends nearby wasn’t pleasant.

She picked up the large bird on her back and shook it in front of her. “So, do you want to have lunch with me?”

“Alright,” his eyes moved toward the small beast that had stolen his backpack, interrupting his meal.

She walked toward the giant orchid at the center of the lake.

“You want to eat inside that... inside Bob?” he asked.

“Of course, it’s more comfortable inside.”

Tristan looked at the monstrous flower with repulsion, although he was a little curious to know if she really lived inside a monster.

He followed her slowly from behind.

Watching Zahira place her hand on the creature, its petals opened until they touched the ground, and a circular stone staircase appeared at its center.

“Here, follow me.”

Tristan saw her descend the stairs.

Not sensing anything unusual, he decided to follow her.

Everything was made of stone. The place’s interior architecture resembled an ancient mausoleum. The ceiling was supported by giant intertwined leaves.

“I was curious about something. How old are you?” Zahira asked him as she descended the stairs.

“I’ll be twelve in a few months.”

Zahira looked shocked by this. “I thought you were a human pup, but you’re actually an elder!”

He didn’t bother correcting her perception of humans.

Due to her reaction, he decided to ask, “And you? How old are you?”

“I’m two years old.”

‘Only two years?’ he reflected on the information he just received. ‘Interesting, I’ve heard that beasts grow quickly. As for the Verdakyns, I wasn’t sure, but I assumed most of them took a long time to age. It seems Zahira’s beast side is the strongest.’

Reaching the bottom of the staircase, Tristan looked around.

There wasn’t much to observe. The place was large and mostly empty. He found some old books and stone slabs with strange letters carved on them, scattered carelessly across the floor.

Walking around, he saw dozens of small clay jars on shelves with different types of plants in them. There was a root coming from the ceiling that occasionally dripped water into each jar.

When Tristan brought his finger close to one, it moved toward him, small vines wrapping around his finger.

“What is this? Some kind of baby Verdakyn?”

Zahira looked at them with a sad expression, approaching slowly. “I’m not sure, but I think... they’re probably my defective siblings.”