Ashen Grove was a realm of vast forests, swamps, lakes, and jungles. The air was thick and humid from the vast amounts of trees and flora of every kind on the ground. Everywhere, insects buzzed and chirped as Exalt Beasts of many different species lurked and rested under the cool cover of the leaves.
Oscar ran across the muddy ground, broke several strong blades of grass, and smelled the musk air. The sunlight poked through, reflecting off the wet leaves above to become a scattering of greenish-yellow. Ashen Grove was filled with a false sense of tranquility.
"After Oen Fortress, Tectusen, and the Desert realm, I forgot what Ashen Grove is supposed to be. My experiences have been too out of the ordinary so far." Oscar said tiredly.
Every event so far was unlike the ordinary endeavors the rest of his peers had gone through. Oscar began to wonder if he was cursed and could only end up in unfortunate and harsh situations.
"Don't let your guard down, Oscar. Ashen Grove is still dangerous, and many others have fallen into its traps. There are other battles occurring over the other treasured resources lying around. However, you are right. Your experiences are far too crazy." Serena giggled. The greenish-yellow sunlight deepened the color of her fluttering wavy red hair and paired well with her delighted green eyes. She was right beside him and hummed along the way.
Oscar was about to talk when he heard rustling above them. Glancing upward, he saw the branches shake and leaves start to fall down until an Exalt Beast dropped down from the green cover. Following the first beast, several more leaped down with them. He shouted, "Be careful above!"
The Exalt Beasts, with their long green fur, resembled bushes or shrubs with long arms and legs. Their mouths had two large fangs protruding from above and two smaller ones from below, their drool spilling down. The droopy faces resembled that of monkeys.
These ravenous beasts were unique creatures to Ashen Grove after thousands of years of change, the Canoapes—lurkers of the tree tops who waited for prey to come under their area. Once the prey was inside, they would pounce with all their might, tearing apart flesh and cracking skulls.
Unafraid of the Canoapes, Oscar activated his Adamasreis and funneled Reis and Ein, fusing them into Eirin, onto his fingertips. Many small spheres of Eirin bubbled out and condensed into ten silver stars. With a forceful grunt, he released his amplified spell so fast they formed silver lines in the air, piercing through five of the Canoapes.
The five Canoapes roared as two clean holes could be seen on their bodies. Blood spilled from both sides of the holes as some fell limp and continued falling without any of the vigors from earlier. Others fought through the pain, their faces grew more twisted, and their fangs protruded further.
"Not bad," Oscar's arms trembled. They felt heavier than before, as though he had worked them out for an entire day. The Eirin was truly a troublesome power.
With the Demon Deer Eirin Mantle, he had free reign of the Eirin for three minutes and would be out all day. Using it without the mantle made each move using Eirin feel more draining unless Oscar used it without care, like Demon.
What a conundrum. Oscar sighed as a torrent of water shot up in a wide area. The waters blasted the remainder of the Canoapes and rained down on Oscar and Serena in a gentle shower.
"Most Exalt Beasts that roam in packs and herds aren't that strong individually. It's great to have someone with a wide-ranging attack, right?" Serena smiled mischievously and seemed very confident.
"Be careful. The Canoapes have a defensive technique to tighten up into a ball. They should be alive. You can never be too careful." Oscar focused his attention on the trees above as the three bodies of the Canoapes he killed fell near his feet.
"With you here, what's there to worry about? I feel very confident and safe with you by my side," Serena said cheerfully.
"Do you want me to be out of it for a whole day?" Oscar continued to glance around but found the Canoapes were still not approaching. Suddenly, he felt Serena's warm breath on his ear.
"I thought you looked amazing in that form. It was cool." Serena said.
"Too close." Oscar moved away. Serena always had no qualms about his personal space, and Oscar felt he had indulged her too much. "We should maintain a proper distance."
Serena pulled back and looked up. "I think the Canoapes gave up. My waters should have forced them back into the trees."
The area was silent, and none of the Canoapes had fallen down other than the ones Oscar killed. Seeing that the coast was clear, Oscar harvested the core and fangs from the fallen beasts before making his way forward with Serena. He heard faint movements from the trees and saw Canoapes hidden, watching them but not moving.
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"Seems they did give up. Rather than risk losing more, they fell back to targeting easier prey. Not a bad decision." Oscar remarked and felt some admiration for their decisiveness.
"But three of their own died, and they won't take revenge?" Serena sighed. "That's what separates us from beasts. Though, beasts would gain the same intelligence and think like us in a later realm."
"I don't know about that. Sometimes it's not worth taking revenge if it means the entire group is killed. But I guess if it only affected me, maybe."
In the past, when Frederick was in danger, Oscar and Emily were fully prepared to lay their lives on the line to avenge him if it came to pass. However, if his revenge had put others in danger, then Oscar would have thought it through. For him, the ideal way would be to take revenge without any further damage.
Unfortunately, the reality was never as easy as he had seen many times in the past. Frowning, Oscar didn't enjoy discussing revenge after the whole ordeal with Frederick and decided to change the topic. "Where is the lake?"
"We should be near it now." Serena increased her speed. Oscar kept with her, and the two finally arrived at a large lake that nearly took up the horizon.
A white fog enveloped its surface, but Oscar could see the shadows of other people on the lake. These people were stepping on the lily pads spread all over the lake's surface, many near the shore for people to start hopping on top. Naturally, they could dive and swim in the waters, but the surface was where the treasures lived.
On the surface, among the lily pads were many lotuses. The lotuses were strange plants that enclosed themselves tightly or opened up into beautiful flowers. Inside the lotuses were special pearls that provided a sense of calm and emanated a special Ein.
The objective of all who ventured here was these pearls. Hopping from one lily pad to another, one searched for an open lotus to harvest the pearl easily.
"Each lily pad can only hold one person. Unless you can keep yourself in the air, we won't be able to stay on one pad together. However, we can always stay one lily pad away from each other and make sure not to lose ourselves in the mists." Serena explained.
"Can't I just wrap a thread or rope around you?" Oscar lifted a brow in confusion.
"No can do. There's an unusual restriction here that somehow knows if you're trying to link up as a group with outside objects and even Ein. The moment that happens, the mists get denser around you, and you lose your way back to the shore." Serena shook her head.
This piece of information cemented it for Oscar. There was no doubt this lake was another trial set up by the Forest Heart Clan. Though Serena told him earlier that it was relatively safer and mostly relied on one's luck to find the lotuses, Oscar knew from experience nothing was ever simple when the Forest Heart Clan was involved.
"Then let's get on it." Oscar leaped onto a lily pad, waves started around him, but he remained steady. Somehow this thin green leaf was holding him up. Serena got on the one next to him, and they nodded to each other.
…….
"Look, I got one!" Serena held a glowing pearl, rubbing it to her cheek with a satisfied smile. The pearl held a golden glow waning in and out like the light of a lighthouse. Serena stared down at the lotus with her eyes practically sparkling. "It's beautiful. I wish I could pluck one and take it home."
"If you want to be viciously attacked, then do it. I can't do anything when that happens." Oscar glanced around. The fog was not too dense and was quite nice for his lungs. The cool feeling and slight droplets forming on his skin made him feel like he had just finished a refreshing shower.
He continued to observe their surroundings. There was no telling the kind of danger that lurked in the lake. Although the initial observations of other students found no real threats, Oscar felt it was all hogwash.
Carefully, he leaped with Serena following him. So far, they had collected three lotus pearls, a good haul.
Oscar stopped. Serena was quite distanced from him.
"How far has anyone gone?"
"Reports mentioned people going in as far as 50 lily pads forward. However, the area starts getting more scarce, and the distance between lily pads increases, so they all stop at around 80 to avoid losing the way back." Serena replied.
Oscar stayed silent and tapped his foot on his lily pad. He pondered on whether they should continue or not. So far, they had reached the 70th lily pad, and it was getting harder for him to talk to Serena.
"I say we continue," Serena said. "People have not traveled past most of the lake. Not even Charles, who rushed to join the inner region."
Oscar nodded in agreement and continued leaping from one lily pad to the next. So far, only Serena had found the lotuses, somehow popping out of the waters for her. Oscar felt it would be a waste not to find one and pluck it himself.
After several more leaps, ninety, one hundred, two hundred lily pads, a pink lotus popped out of the water. There was not just one but several others, nine in total. Oscar remarked in awe at the size of the lotuses. Unlike the regular lotuses that could fit in the palm of his hand, these were as large as himself.
"Serena?" Oscar looked back and could barely make out her figure in the fog. Then, gradually, her figure became more distinct and came closer. Below her feet, the lily pad was moving at a pace and bringing her close to him.
"What's happening?" Serena looked confused.
"There are no more lily pads to walk on. Only these large lotuses…." Oscar pointed to the nine lotuses floating around and thought about the strange behavior that brought Serena forward. "Have we reached a threshold?"
"Possibly…do we leap onto these large lotuses?" Serena asked.
"Hold onto that thought for a moment. Let me try something." Oscar formed a silver star without his Reis or Eirin, just Ein. He shot the star at one of the lotuses. The silver star bounced off the lotus, unable to inflict any damage.
Oscar breathed out some white air and felt something was off. He gripped his bulwark and narrowed his eyes at the lotuses. He felt the waters slightly agitated below him as ripples and waves started to form.
"Incoming!"
In a large eruption of water, the lotuses burst forth and opened up to show rows of teeth and pairs of gleaming blue eyes opened on their sides, nine heads. The creature roared and slammed its large webbed claw onto the water's surface. Oscar didn't know the specific name of this creature, but its multiple heads reminded him of one race, the Hydra.