Lirien tossed and turned all night, Calanthir's words weighing heavily on her mind. Despite the elves' supposed wisdom, their long years of existence had apparently not made them any smarter when it came to the delicate balance of the forest.

The next morning, Calanthir left to explore the village on his own. People were eager to see him, almost assaulting him with their excitement. Guards were forced to escort the dryad to ensure his safety.

Meanwhile, Lirien had a meeting with the council to discuss the corruption. They needed to support Calanthir's efforts to push it back, but she knew it would be hard to convince them. Most of them had never fought those evil creatures and did not fear the corruption as she did.

They sat around a large round table, with five council members and Lirien representing the rangers. Nalaniel, a man who represented everything wrong with the elven community, was the first to speak up. "So we should simply listen to this child dryad then? He came out of nowhere and now expects us to follow his directions? Those days are long gone. We are not ruled by the dryads any longer!"

Nayal, a woman covered in jewels and wearing a fine silk dress, nodded in agreement. "We will not be ruled again. The elves were once the master of Arcadia, and we cannot simply bow to the whims of a child."

Lirien slowly stood up, and the others grew quiet. "He is not here to rule us. He is here to help us. We need to support his efforts to push back the corruption, or it will eventually spread to the village!"

Nalaniel scoffed, "He has been filling you with tripe, Elder Lirien. He will get our warriors killed going out there, and I, for one, will not stand for it." Nayal and the man next to her nodded in agreement, but the other two members of the council did not.

Ilthin was looking contemplative as he spoke, ‘’I remember the dryads..’’ he said in the slow way he had. ‘’They did not interfere with us, but only appeared when Arcadia as a whole was under threat. The combated disease, rapid animals, demon incursions, but never aspired to rule us.’’

Ilthin furrowed his brow in concern, "I remember the dryads," he said slowly. "They were not ones to meddle in our affairs, but they did appear when Arcadia was in peril. They battled diseases, wild beasts, and demon invasions, but they never sought to rule us."

Lirien nodded in agreement, but Nalaniel remained unmoved. "The world has changed, old man," he retorted. "Besides, the dryads abandoned us. Why should we help them now?"

Lirien shook her head, exasperated. "We are not helping him, Nalaniel. He is helping us. The corruption is spreading, and we have no way to stop it."

Nalaniel smiled smugly. "I have been talking to some of my trade partners, and they believe we can simply burn it out. We can torch that part of the forest and burn out the corruption. It would not only stop the corruption, but also make great swaths of land available for farming. We could begin exporting large quantities of goods and make great profits."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Lirien was horrified by his proposal. "You...you would burn the forest!? The spirit would never allow it. It would-"

Nalaniel cut her off, "Do not bring fairytales and myths into these council chambers, Lirien. Just because you wish to preserve our precious traditions." His cronies nodded in agreement, but Ilthin and Sinil looked worried.

Lirien was frustrated. They were all blinded by greed, just as Calanthir had warned. She considered telling them of his warning, that they would be forced to leave, but she knew it would likely fall on deaf ears.

"I had a conversation with the honored dryad last night," she began, and the others turned to look at her. She explained their conversation, his warnings, and his worries. She knew they wouldn't be happy, but she had no idea that Nalaniel would react so harshly.

"He is threatening to oust us from our ancestral home!?" Nalaniel exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "He dares? We should have him removed immediately. All those in favor, raise your hand!"

Lirien watched in dismay as three hands were raised, sealing Calanthir's fate. She hoped he would leave peacefully, but she feared he would not take the news well.

--

Calanthir had spent the morning attending to the sick and the ailing. One by one, they had come before him, seeking his healing touch. Despite his best efforts, the stream of patients seemed never-ending. The guards stationed nearby had kept things orderly, but the sheer volume of people had begun to wear him down. At last, he had informed the guards that he needed a break and had made his way to the farms.

As he surveyed the farmland, memories of his old world flooded his mind. The sight of the fields reminded him of the industrial farming practices that he, no, Allister had seen there.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and focused his senses on the soil beneath his feet. His heart sank as he felt the lack of life and vitality that permeated the earth. He suspected that the elves practiced monoculture, leaving the fields barren of the diverse life that would bring the soil back to life.

"Technology without the wisdom to use it," he thought to himself as he shook his head in dismay.

Later that day, Calanthir had sat with a group of elves, regaling them with tales of the deep forest. They had listened with rapt attention, eager to learn more about the place that had been lost to them for generations. As he spoke, more and more elves had gathered around, and soon, a large crowd had formed around him.

Calanthir's heart swelled with pride as he saw the tears on their faces, knowing that his words had struck a chord within them. He sensed their emotions, feeling them as acutely as if they were his own. They had lost something precious, something that had been their birthright, and his words had reminded them of what they had been missing.

A child approached him, bowing deeply. "I think those Chillas sound really fun. Can I come and see them?"

Calanthir smiled gently, patting the child's head. "Perhaps one day, little one," he said softly. The child beamed up at him before being ushered away by his mother.

As the day began to draw to a close, Calanthir announced that he needed to rest. There were a few groans of disappointment from the crowd, but they understood. As he turned to leave, two guards appeared beside him.

"Dryad Calanthir, we have been ordered to ask you to leave the village. Please, do not make us force you," they said, their faces set in grim determination.