Ch #13
"Hearth-grove"
The leaves rustled, glimmering. Mana flowed through the pillar of roots. Waves washed over Kai again and again. Will he be alright? The dryad wondered, directing more power towards the golden crown. The boy looked in pain; his veins were popping up, visible all over his face. His eyes were bloodshot, body limp, a root keeping him afloat.
Shudder. Crimson eyes straining even more. The tissues tearing and rebuilding again and again. The mana flooded them, permeating in. The pupils dilated. Synapses tore, liquefying. A green fluid streamed down his nose. Shudder. His body convulsed like a patient having multiple strokes at the same time.
Kai had lost all sense of the world. He couldn't feel the world, couldn't feel the pain. Couldn't see his body twitching like the legs of a dead frog on salt. All he saw were symbols.
The tapestry unfolding in front of him played out like a broken cassette, again and again and again. Symbols, symbols everywhere. Dancing symbols. They twisted, they turned, taking shapes, structure. Images, colors. A city, a Kingdom, a forest. Stone mountains and deep ravines. Churning rivers and magnificent oceans. Kai saw the world of symbols.
{4/100} > {5/100 > {8/100} > ... > {25/100}
The world was pure chaos, anarchy incarnate. Amidst the chaos, order emerged, weaving vivid images and meaning together. He couldn't grasp any of it. Yet, the inspection process unfolded as described, allowing him to peer into the secrets of the tapestry of symbols. The skill was overwhelming, bombarding him. Too many. He could not form any thoughts. His mind too occupied, working overtime to decipher the patterns and squiggles, attempting to make sense of the unfamiliar place he now found himself in.
{41/100} > {54/100} > ... > {69/100}
His mind floated in the world of symbols. How long had it been? A few hours probably. A feeling buzzed at him. Like he was forgetting something. Like he was supposed to... What was he supposed to do? Run. A whisper sounded in his ear. Run? A face floated into his mind. Who? The timepiece appeared on his hand.
Kai sat on the wall. Cold. Winter again... Goddammit! Sneeze. I hate winters. Yet, the winter expanse from the top of the wall was a sight to hold. Only once a year, the barren and grey lands seemed to be covered in white resplendent snow. The sky clear with no storms in sight and the air fresher than normal. He'd never taken the time to appreciate the view before. Before? A figure appeared, draping a scarf on his neck.
"Kai, how is the world treating you?" a whisper from behind him.
"Fine, I suppose," he replied without much thought. He was always fine. He'd be fine.
"As elusive as ever, Kai," a murmur. The winds were picking up. A storm was coming.
"I suppose I'll meet you soon?"
A hand caressed his cheeks. Warm, he thought. When had he felt them last?
"Maybe? But you have to go now."
He's been like this for so long. He's not dead, is he? The dryad was worried. If this child died... No. He would not die with her here. She'd promised herself, taken a solemn vow of mana. He'd live and he'd take the little girl with him. She'll make sure of it.
The room glowed golden.
{97/100} > {98/100} > {99/100}
{Complete}
{Abilities upgraded}
Blink. A dream? It was so vivid though. He didn't know. The world appeared clear, colorful. Colorful? It should be dark right now... Indeed, there was no sunlight. Yet, the entire world was painted in color. He could see the pulses of mana, the breath of the world. What is this? He'd never thought the world had so many colors.
The ceiling was a glow of green, walls a hue of purple and grey. The tapestry a dark malevolent purple, covering the walls and the floor. Bright golden glimmer peeking out from underneath.
The golden crown moved away from his head, now lacking a lot of its luster. The emerald glimmer of the leaves dimmed. A few fell floating to the ground. The dryad, he thought turning. Purple. Its trunk a mix of emerald gold crisscrossed in purple wiggling lines, creeping up all the way to its branches. Roots spreading out webs crisscrossing the floor and walls, purple tangled up with emerald and golden ones.
Kai looked in wonder at the tapestry. He could read it now.
>
>
> Whispers woven in arcane tongues, I beckon the lexicon of enchantment. Let the celestial loom of destiny weave a veiled hex, entwining the quintessence of the arboreal nymph within the sacred bosom of the grove.
>
>
>
> May the resplendent foliage falter, as the earth's lifeblood shuns her aura. Let sunlight evade her, and the moonlight cast shadows upon her solitude. As the seasons dance, may she remain ensnared in eternal autumn, unable to bloom anew.
>
>
>
> This seal, a thorn in her sylvan soul, chants a lament through the hushed expanse of the woods. Let this be the eternal prison of the hearth-grove.
The intricate tapestry was now clear to his eyes. The words did not break his mind, the power pulsing through them did not scar his eyes. But he understood now. The yellowing leaves, the meager sunlight. The bindings on the dryad...
The dryad shifted, twisting its branches, leaning towards him.
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"So? Can you read it now?"
Biting his lips, Kai wondered. He could read it now. But how should he go about breaking it? Could he even break it? Or was it only a pointless endeavor. Still, he replied.
"Yeah..."
"What does it say?"
Kai moved to the tapestry of symbols surrounding them. Tracing the inscriptions with his fingers, he pointed at parts, reading them out, adding his own thoughts in.
"The eternal prison of the hearth-grove. It's a curse. Something about destiny and the world shunning your presence. Also something about a thorn in your soul."
It shifted its branches again. Taking a posture that crudely imitated someone pondering. Was it trying to act human? Maybe it missed its other form, he thought.
"I see... Well, I helped you understand the symbols as you wanted. Now take the girl from here, to some city or something. There should be one on a ridge of the Ashen mountain."
"Why do you care?"
"Now, young man, we had a deal..."
Sighing, he plopped to the ground, resting his head on a pile of leaves.
"You've only known the girl for a few years, maybe less. No. You don't even know her. She's basically dead without you. Why do you care when you're dying yourself?"
"... How did you?"
"Your leaves are all over
the ground, branches mostly empty. You're borrowing energy from trees above ground. More importantly, I can see the curse poisoning you... And you're pouring your life force into the girl instead of saving yourself?"
Kai didn't understand. A great dryad, cursed and imprisoned. Why would it take care of a girl who magically appeared in front of her? And him? It had helped, probably more than he knew. Sure, the tree had agreed to his request but it could have just forced him, or given any number of reasons, and he would have nothing to refute.
The tree had not reacted this time. It simply bent a bit, its branches picking the girl up, cradling her like a mother.
"The curse has been here far longer than you think. I've tried to fight it. It's all for naught."
"Still!"
"Do you think life has a purpose for each of us? A path to walk on fixed since birth?"
Kai couldn't answer. He was a wanderer himself. Such sophistication eluded him. The tree taking his silence as an answer spoke itself.
"I swore an oath of balance. My duty remains incomplete... If the girl can live through my death, it's worth it. I suppose I've taken her as my purpose for existence after losing the grove."
Massive amount of mana condensed towards its trunk. A glimmering sea in front of his eyes. The blood of the girl was being replaced with its own sap. It's giving her its own life source. How would that work? Magic blood?
It lowered the girl towards him, passing her over to his arms. Leaving her in his care.
"The grove is gone, it's time for its guardian to go as well." It whispered.
The colors around the tree dimmed. The bark cracking open along the purple lines, bursting into malevolent flames. The branches shriveled, more and more leaves losing their luster fell to the ground.
The trunk cracked open. The great Acacia shook its barren branches, as if happily waiving goodbye, burning to ash.
The purple color receded, burning out with the emerald-gold. The inscription-covered floor cracked like glass. It's Anchor... It had lost its anchor and source of power he thought. Looking at the girl in his arm, he promised in his head to look after the kid for a while.
Kai looked over at the place the great tree had once stood. Ash. Colorless and completely gone. First Aionos and now the Dryad. Was every great being he interacted with bound to die by their own hands? When did the world have so many self-righteous bastards? He didn't know if he could judge their reasoning; he had no right to.
Now what do I do about that. A small golden light. Deep below the ground, where the tree had once stood. A single hole in the obsidian floor, leading into the ground and dirt below. I guess I dig? Would a controlled explosion work? Kai laughed with derision.
Boom. The room rumbled. Setting off fireballs into the literal house of the tree was... he felt he was desecrating its grave. But he was getting closer and closer to the golden glimmer below. Digging up the obsidian and the soil underneath. A small resplendent golden seed. Kai burst out laughing.
"She fooled the world itself."
/***
Dormant
Hearth-grove(seed)
The heart of the forest. Hidden away by Icthea the last guardian dryad. It contains the vestiges of her spirit.
***/
His arms were sore, sweat rolled from his brows. Hoisting himself up while carrying another was a lot harder than he'd imagined. The chains were wide but slippery, only the roots helping him hold on.
The hole in the roof was small. It might be barely enough for him. Pushing the girl in headfirst he climbed behind. Crawling up the hole while pushing the girl through, Finally he found open air. Laying on the grass, he looked at the sky giving off a forlorn orange glow.
Icthea huh. He could read and comprehend it fine now. That reminded him of the runes he'd seen. Abilities upgraded.
/***
{legacy trial}
Decipher the central tapestry of symbols
Completion: 100/ 100
***/
The trial was complete thanks to the great dryad. He didn't know if he would be able to do the same without assistance. Checking his records he found his answers.
/***
Dormant Kaiser
Class: Fantasia Logia
Profession: ---
Core: Bronze(Heart core)
Attributes: {Moerei}; {Mark of the raven}; {Mystic Eyes}; {Fortified mind}
Artifact: {epoch},{clock of fantasia}
Abilities: {Analysis}
***/
His eyes had evolved along with his mind. It was like a passive effect. Everything he saw glowing a strange color. What they meant, he would have to find out. What puzzled him was the fact that the timepiece hadn't shielded his mind. Why? He wasn't certain.
The small girl, Luminara, was still in a deep slumber. She was glowing a golden color in his eyes, just like the dryad had been. She would likely awaken soon, and undoubtedly be famished. Glancing at the setting sun, he rose, stretching and popping his joints, seeking a bit of comfort. The ascent had left him feeling cramped.
Deciding to prepare a meal, he retrieved the pouch of meat he had endured such hardships to obtain. As for tomorrow? He planned to journey towards the mountain.