55

The First Branch

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A realm of dreams had claimed Alduin. His mind was a haze. His thoughts were unheard. He was familiar with this place, yet he did not know, nor did he care. This mystical realm entranced him.

Darkness and light pulled his focus. A void—chained by golden roots—surrounded him. Heavenly fractures reflected upon a surface as smooth as glass. Light—with a life of its own—illuminated the darkness. The sky was a heavenly phenomenon and a lake—as silent as death—was the surface. But as silent as it was, death was far from accurate.

This realm swelled with the energy of life.

The lake was painted with the reflection of the golden network. A network that pulsed with energy. Pulsations that mimicked the beating of a heart. Like a spiderweb, lines gathered and combined as it neared the center of this realm. For the place where the energy flowed, a tree stood.

Crystallized lighting formed a tree. A small sapling with translucent bark. Gold and silver mixed into a structure as fragile as glass. Currents of electricity pulsed like veins of light. And with each pulsation, a prickling current coursed through Alduin’s spine. Happiness and comfort. His senses were dominated by joy and thrill.

He had been here before, each time he meditated. But this time, Alduin was unaware of his thoughts, ‘What’s going on?’

His eyes focused on the core of the sapling. The place where the veins of the crystalline tree originated from. For at the very center, a deep-blue light appeared. An orb that continuously grew in size drummed with energy he wasn’t familiar with. It tried to gain dominance. But each attempt was broken by golden electricity. Like fuel to a fire, the radiance of Alduin’s attribute increased.

Alduin was entranced. Like a moth to a flame, his subconsciousness—his spiritual body—drew closer.

The orb continued to grow. And in retaliation, the aggression of the lightning increased. Both sides were relentless. Clashes became aftershocks. Aftershock became heartbeats. Heartbeats that pushed the energy through the veins of the tree, and each time its radiance increased.

The excess light was carried from the trunk to its edges. Unestablished roots and young branches welcomed this change, swaying in happiness just like the happiness that Alduin felt. With each heartbeat, the trunk became thicker and the roots pried deeper into the lake.

The attribute-core supplied his sapling with energy. Lighting transformed the attribute in its own. And slowly, but surely, the sapling grew.

Two branches were the first to shoot.

‘It feels like I‘ Alduin couldn’t understand what was happening. His arms widened as he tried to envelop the energy of the world. ‘I can almost reach it-‘ Just like the two large branches, Alduin felt like he could caress the heavens.

The sapling became a tree. Alduin was no longer the tallest in this realm of subconsciousness. And as the two lower branches established themselves, Alduin noticed something.

‘The left one is growing larger than the right one?’ His attention shifted to the side. ‘The right one stopped growing?’ Yet his thoughts were still unheard.

Before he knew it, the right branch had stopped growing. In turn, the veins of light combined and brought more energy to the lower left branch. A branch that continued to split the larger it grew. The tree developed volume.

Alduin’s exhilaration increased. Each small twig turned into shivers of pure happiness. Heat coursed through Alduin’s spine, from his core to his brain, and gathered at his core again.

Heartbeats rang as the blue orb was devoured by his attribute. The tree had grown. Two branches had established themselves. Even the roots dug deeper into the lake. And the left branch—the place that entranced Alduin—finally stopped growing.

‘What is that,’ Alduin thought. Small diamonds decorated the left branch. His body drew closer and he tried to reach forward. ‘Is that a budding leaf?’

A crystalline droplet formed. Nectar of the tree. But before he could touch it, the dewdrop fell on the silent surface.

‘No, no, wait-‘ like a mirage that was broken, Alduin heard his thoughts clearly. The dream released him.

The dewdrop formed a ripple of water with the tree at its center. The first ripple was followed by another, and another. The surface as smooth as glass vanished. The reflection faded. And Alduin broke free from his immersion.

Every fiber in his being wanted to touch that tree. It was impossible, and Alduin knew it, but his hand moved forward to this fading realm, his finger ever so close. “I’m about to-!”

***

Rustling noises echoed in the cave. Six people and a pup rested at the place they first arrived.

Sniffing could be heard, only a slight distance removed from Veleda’s group. Hilda’s eyes were red as she cried subdued tears. Her trembling shoulders made the man next to her sigh.

“…You’ll be fine,” Bertrand whispered, but his heavy voice was hard to suppress as it echoed out.

“Go away.” Hilda buried her face in her arms.

“I promised your parents I would protect you.”

Hilda’s shaking increased at his answer. Her shoulders quivered as she looked at the large man beside her. Fear was the final emotion that painted her face.

“I don’t want to die, Bertrand,” Hilda pleaded, “Not like that.” Her final wall broke as her face crumpled in sorrow.

Her shivers infected Bertrand as well. The trauma of their past had left its mark. Hundreds of feline predators used their hometown as a hunting ground. The memory often jolted him awake from his sleep. He couldn’t imagine how Hilda felt.

“As long as I’m alive, you won’t die.”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Not more than twenty people survived, and five others that entered this city had their lives claimed by monsters as well. He knew what he needed to do to survive in this world.

He needed to get stronger. His fists clenched with this thought, but he couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened had he stayed in the army camp.

“I won’t let someone else die, Hilda.” Bertrand’s voice trembled for the first time. He had lost someone precious to him as well.

Hilda was the last person he knew from his life before the end. And she knew what Bertrand was talking about as well. Her voice quivered. “Promise me…”

“I promise--I will protect you, Hilda,” Bertrand readily replied.

“No…” Hilda buried herself deeper in her arms. “Promise me… I don’t… I don’t want to become a sacrifice…” Gasps and chokes could be heard from the arms that hid her face.

Bertrand’s eyes widened. His breathing stopped and anger washed over his face.

“You-“ Bertrand finally understood why she lashed out like this. His eyes landed on the group he had teamed up with.

Silence descended over both of them before a sigh broke the tension.

“They are not like that, Hilda,” Bertrand said, “he came back for me, someone who brought danger to his family. He could have left us to die, you know that right?”

“…”

Bertrand thought back to the core Leon had swallowed. His eyes landed on the two unconscious men as he patted Hilda’s shoulder. He finally understood Hilda’s position.

“I promise you, you won’t become a sacrifice,” Bertrand said, “this time… This time I am strong enough. They need us, we aren’t weak anymore, you know that right?”

Hilda looked up with sniffling that made her seem fragile.

The horrors of this world wasn’t limited to the descent of the monsters, or the loss of infrastructure. There were humans and nothing could hold the atrocities of survivors back, they both knew this full well.

“I need you as well, Hilda.”

Bertrand’s whisper finally reached Hilda’s ears. She didn’t covet the high-attribute core to show off strength. She didn’t fear fighting either. What she feared was powerlessness. The lack of ability to stand against the waves of exploitation. She feared dying a gruesome death, merely a sacrifice for others to use. She wanted autonomy, even if it would cost her her life.

“I want to be a human,” Hilda mumbled as her final tears fell. She had lost her future, even her memories of her joyful past had vanished. All that remained was fear and pain. She hadn’t felt alive ever since the sky fractured.

“We will survive,” Bertrand said, “I might not be strong enough, but he-“ The tall man with gray hair stared at Alduin. “I believe in him.”

The mud reflected nothing. Neither light nor sound. Yet their voices carried through the silence of this tunnel.

Only a small distance away, Veleda sat in silence.

Her sky-blue eyes peeked at Hilda and Bertrand. ‘Was I too cold?’ She sighed. She felt regret rise and her stomach grumbled in worry. ‘I had no choice... I did what I had to do.’

Veleda nodded and puffed up her chest. But her back quickly slouched again with worry. ‘Hah, what am I doing? I'm not like this… How do they get over this?’

She had never reacted in such a way before. Something had washed over her but she didn’t know what. She couldn’t help but think of her mother and grandfather, standing strong with decisiveness against the townsfolk she was familiar with.

Her eyes landed on Alduin. He was sleeping in her lap. ‘I’m glad you didn’t see me like that.’ Her smile returned as she caressed his hair. ‘But this is your fault you know, if you want to take care of me, don’t scare me like this.’

Veleda rambled in her thoughts before a sneaky expression painted her face. A quick glance at Hilda and Bertrand signaled she was safe. “Hehe.” she grinned. Courage welled up in her as she bent forward. But she looked to her right just to be safe. ‘Leon is still asleep, and-‘

Ise, who sat beside her, looked with a curious expression. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, you’re already up?” Veleda sat upright and asked with a smile.

“It has already been five hours. How long do you think I would sleep?” Ise laughed as her eyes glinted with light. “So, what were you doing?”

“I-“ Veleda hesitated. “I was just inspecting him.”

“Were you now? Is that why you puckered your lips?”

“I- I didn’t!” Veleda’s face flushed red. “I was just looking if he was still asleep!”

Ise laughed as she placed herself closer to Veleda. “What were you thinking about?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know, you’re not great at hiding your emotions right? I don’t think I have ever seen so many expressions in such a short amount of time.” Ise teased Veleda, but her voice turned serious as she asked again, “Are you alright?”

Veleda, who had put her palms over Alduin’s ears, relaxed as her face softened. “I-“ She paused to gather her thoughts.

“You don’t have to worry about that, it’s more than fair. You overheard their conversation as well, didn’t you?”

Veleda looked surprised. “I didn’t mean to…”

“You did well. You know it was important, if it was me I wouldn’t have spared them an explanation, but you did. Don’t beat yourself up on that.”

“I'm not strong... This is the only way I can support him, but even this-“ Veleda’s voice trailed off as her shoulders slumped slightly. Her mind was a mess. The silence and the mud forced her to think. She couldn't help herself from frowning.

“I don’t think you are weak,” Ise said, “I don’t think there’s anyone that thinks that way. Especially him.” Ise looked at the unconscious young man and continued, “So have faith in yourself.”

A whimper rang out from Alduin’s stomach. The plump white pup looked at the two of them with wide eyes.

“See, even Hati thinks so.” Ise smiled.

“Do you?” Veleda smiled and petted Hati. She had stopped Alduin and saved Hati, and here they were, sitting in another cave. She couldn’t help but think, ‘We’re a small family now, aren’t we?’

Ise saw the smile return to Veleda’s face and sighed in relief.

Veleda turned towards Ise and muttered, “Actually… I was planning to study biology at the university we passed.”

“Oh…”

“I always wanted to become a doctor. My enrollment was completed as well.” Veleda paused before continuing in a whisper, “I had so much I wanted to do…”

Her shoulders trembled, she didn’t think it would affect her this much. But seeing the future—the remnant of the university—continued to linger in her mind.

“I finally told Alduin and he planned to come with me. It- it was my birthday—“

Small sobbing sounds could be heard. The smile Veleda had feigned slowly faded.

She had seen the future she was looking forward to. The city, the university, and thoughts that once troubled her immensely were now a memory. Ever since she entered this dungeon, her emotions had been out of her control, her gentle demeanor hardened to protect them and now her tears trickled down her face.

“This is so embarrassing,” Veleda said trying to laugh. Her hands quickly dried her face. “I’m sorry for this.”

Sitting on top of Alduin’s chest, the young pup whimpered as he tried to comfort Veleda.

“Don’t be sorry,” Ise said as she caressed Hati. “Our lives have changed, but that doesn’t mean your dreams have to.”

Puffed eyes stared at Ise as the sniffing continued.

“You have been helping us more than you can imagine. You can still study biology, it’s just—slightly different biology.” Ise laughed as she pointed at the large lizardman corpse laying against the wall. “Your future… You will be safe. We will be safe. Besides, studying at university was pretty boring you know.” Ise smiled.

Veleda fell quiet and laughed. “Is that so?”

“Yes, I studied sports science before I came back to our hometown. I didn’t think I would ever return here, but now—it appears that this city won’t be the furthest I will go.” Ise’s eyes almost closed as a sharp expression returned. “I might be weird, but I finally feel alive.”

Veleda had never heard Ise talk this much. Not to mention Ise opening up to her. She couldn’t hold back her smile from blossoming as she wiped away the tears that continued to fall. “That’s unfair you know.”

“What is?”

“Nothing,” Veleda said, “Thank you.”

Ise looked back and smirked. “Besides, there’s nothing holding you back from marrying him, is there?”

Veleda froze.

“Oh, isn’t he your husband?” Ise started teasing Veleda again.

“He- He’s not, not yet!” Veleda rebuked.

“Should I ask him when he will propose?” Ise—much like a predator—stared at Veleda with curious eyes.

Veleda’s expression continued to change, her tears hadn’t dried yet before she started panicking.

“Alduin~~”

“No, don’t!”

“~when are you going to propose?~” Ise laughed as Veleda closed off Alduin’s ears with her palms.

But before either of them could react. An arm reached upward. Hati flew from Alduin’s chest and a yell was heard. “I’m about to!”

And silence once more descended. But this time, four different expressions showed the same fluster.