After the southern rebellion was quelled, Stella's forces quickly captured the southern city. No fighters remained to resist the northern army. After the southern city was once more under Stella's control, Feidi had advocated for a great purge of all nonbelievers, but Stella prevented that. She announced, that all nonbelievers were pardoned within the city and had to become faithful once more. And so, the heretical southern city once more became faithful. There were of course a few stubborn fanatics, but they were swiftly dealt with. The southern city got integrated into the trade network between the cities and the grain, on which the capital relied on was secured once more. The families of the two remaining brothers were split and distributed between the northern city and the capital. They didn't face capital punishment, but they were put on a tight leash, with all their possessions taken from them. They were taken to the northern and the capital city so that they didn't have any connections with the local populace. That way the chances of them acting up were decreased.

Stella was aware, that Mundus and Apernora had a child, yet she didn't pursue the matter. Feidi however made regular sweeps over the city, searching for the child of the heretical pair. Luckily, Apernora had anticipated every possibility and made accommodations to hide her child. Dolo together with the child, spent a few months in the jungle, where Feidi's search didn't reach. A few remaining nonbelievers supplied Dolo and the child with supplies and food while making sure they wouldn't get caught. Stella made Feidi the new lord of the southern city while making Natusoror the lord of the northern city. Stella chose Feidi, because her fierce and straightforward nature was perfect for managing an unstable city, preventing any new unrest. It seemed that just like that, all the unrest within the human world had calmed down. Mundus and Apernora were denounced as heretics, who were tempted by grandiosity, and who forgot the grace of God. And yet within certain corners of the southern city, where people were sure they were solely amongst themselves, they whispered of a "Bloody Queen", who had become a tyrant and who had given up on the opinions of the people to be the sole ruler of all. These whispers were quickly put out whenever Feidi or the people under her found out about them, yet they always seemed to pop up again.

However, all that had nothing to do with the elves at the continent's center. Next to the huge tree of life that had birthed the elves, stood a temple in the shape of a pyramid. Two figures were currently flying around the pyramid, chasing each other. They had the appearance of young children, and their carefree laughter resounded in the air. One was a girl and another was a boy. Right now, the girl was chasing the boy, following him, as he entered the pyramid through a window at the top of the temple. They flew within the great hall of the temple, making a loop around the tall statue in the middle. The boy escaped through the main entrance and descended the stairs. The girl pursued him, hot on his heels. When the boy reached the bottom of the steps vines and roots suddenly sprouted from the ground, hooking around his arms and legs, trapping him in place.

The girl caught up to him and touched his shoulder. "Tag, you're it!" The girl giggled while the boy struggled to free himself from the vines. "No fair! Using plants isn't allowed!" The girl shook her head, a satisfied smirk on her face. "We never agreed to only use flying. It's not my fault if you don't specify the rules." The boy grumbled, an angry expression overtaking his face. Suddenly vines took hold of the girl, immobilizing her. She let out a surprised yelp, while the boy created a kinetic blast around him, tearing the vines holding him in place apart. He then tapped the girl on the nose, before flying away. "Tag, you're it!" The boy darted away quickly, angry shouting following in his wake. He heard a bang, and when he looked over his shoulder, he could see the girl hot on his heels. She looked angry, and a flash of fear gripped his heart. "When I get my hands on you, you will wish Mother Tree never created you!" The boy let out a scared yelp and doubled his efforts to escape. "Mother tree, save me!" The boy flew to the great tree towering over all others and flew behind the massive trunk.

The girl pursued him, and the pair made several loops around the great trunk of the tree. "Settle down you two." Came the great voice of the mother tree. The voice the children heard wasn't transmitted by sound but came directly into their minds. The children slowed down, the boy making sure to keep a certain distance from the girl. They both stood obediently before the great trunk of the tree. The girl pointed an accusatory finger at the boy. "He trapped me in vines so that he could win in tag." The boy whipped around a bewildered expression on his face. "Wha- you were the first to do that!" The girl poked out her tongue while shaking her head. "Nuh-uh." The boy scrunched his nose, before replying. "Yuh-huh." A sigh emanated from the mother tree. "Calm down both of you. If you wish to play, then agree on the rules beforehand. As for you missus, don't go starting fights." The girl was startled when she got called out. Nervous sweat trickled down her spine, and she put on an innocent smile. "What do you mean, mother tree? I didn't start anything." Silence ensued, the girl squirming under the perceived glare of the mother tree. She finally crumbled, mumbling an apology under her breath. "I'm sorry." The mother tree swayed its branches. "Do not apologize to me, child, apologize to him." The girl sulked even harder, before turning to the boy. The boy looked on with a bewildered expression. "I'm sorry." The boy shook his head awkwardly. "Oh, it's fine. It's not a big deal." "Now go and play, kids." Hearing the mother tree shoo them away, the children obediently tiptoed away, before taking off once more, the boy now chasing the girl. Their carefree giggles once more resounded below the canopy of the great tree.

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The tree observed the two when the tree's attention was suddenly directed to a certain spot above its canopy. There, God appeared from thin air, the tree perceiving the distant star, projecting itself into the world. "Welcome back, God." The tree rustled its leaves in greeting. God replied curtly. "Hmm. I'm here for the soul of the drake. The preparations in the east are done." God had been working on creating the second purely mythical race, the dragons. He planned on saving some energy by using the soul of the drake during the creation of the Mother of all Dragons. The dragon would be similar in appearance to the drake that Inpar had slain, yet it would have wings and mythical blood, giving it the ability to fly and possess special powers. The tree swayed its branches. "Here it is, God." Invisible to the naked eye, out of the soul tendrils protruding from the tree canopy, a large writhing soul in the shape of a lizard emerged. It tried to escape, yet it was firmly within the grasp of God. Because this soul lacked mythical blood, it couldn't perceive God, yet it felt the tight constraints around it, making an instinctive fear emerge from its heart. It knew, that if this pressure holding it down were to increase, the soul would be unable to do anything except get squashed. It thrashed around, but no matte how much it tried, it couldn't break free. "Hmm, thank you for keeping an eye on it." God thanked the mother tree.

The mother tree rustled its leaves while replying in a reverent tone. "It is my honor to help the creator. However I do have a question. There was recently an influx of souls and while going through the memories of the souls, I noticed that the humans were all killing each other. Why did they do that?" God let out a mirthless chuckle. "So long as there will be limited resources and more than a single opinion, there will always be conflict. A conflict can be as simple as children disagreeing on the rules of tag, or it can be as disastrous as leaders disagreeing on who the ruler should be. They are all the same." Saying so, God looked to the rising sun in the east, as if His gaze could pierce the distance ending in the lands of the humans. Within the southern jungle, God saw Dolo clutch a young child while riding his lizard. They were going deeper into the jungle, further from the southern city and the vigilant gaze of Feidi. God could see Dolo's expression. It was a face contorted into an almost inhuman mask, his eyebrows furrowed into deep ravines, his lips were pulled back in a snarl, revealing his teeth. His eyes were piercing and filled with hatred, yet when they glanced down to see the child in his hands, they softened. Dolo instead had a face of grim determination.

God shook his head. "While it may seem like peace has been restored, unless the enemy has been completely eradicated, there will always be conflict. I'm afraid humanity will continue to wage war on itself for many more generations." The mother tree swayed its branches thoughtfully. "As long as these wars do not reach my children, it is of no matter to me. My other half, the roots will take care of them. All are equal before death." God let out another chuckle. "Well said. Take good care of your children. I will be in the west finalizing the last steps of the dragon creation plan." The mother tree rustled its feathers once more, swaying the three new fruits hanging from its canopy. "I will. I bid you farewell, God." God nodded and together with the still squirming soul of the drake disappeared without a trace. All that remained was the sound of the wind, carrying the laughter of children and perhaps the sound of a new beginning.