《Omniscient Tree》 The Man In White ¡°So you came back, what do you want?¡± A woman dressed in a crimson robe with a crimson eye stitched on its back asked with an annoyed tone. Faint red particles floated around her like moths attracted to a flame. ¡°Nothing really¡­.¡± A man dressed in a snow white robe said. There was a slight grin on his face as he looked at her. ¡°To think that we actually liked each other at some point in our lives and now ¡­¡± A nostalgic look appeared on his face. The woman coldly harrumphed and said: ¡° I chose my path and you chose yours. There¡¯s nothing to remember.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t have anything else to say I¡¯ll be leaving. Dragging me out here for no reason¡­¡± She chanted while drawing complex symbols in the air and started to float up like a fairy. ¡°You¡¯re right, after all..I chose my path and you chose yours¡­¡± He mumbled. He snapped his fingers and the woman in all her glory dropped down on the ground. A green tree appeared on the back of his robe. Strangely, there were no leaves on its branches only an endless number of branches. The red particles floating around her had disappeared. She chanted multiple times and drew various magic glyphs but it wasn¡¯t working, at all. ¡°What did you do!?¡¯ She looked back at him and saw a sight that she would never forget. There was wooden branch floating in front of him. It was only four feet long and looked completely ordinary but there was an indescribable pressure emanating from it. ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it.¡± He said with a smug grin like a child showing off his toy. ¡°W-what is that?¡± He dodged the question and said: ¡°Look around you¡­¡± She gasped as she realized she was sitting in the middle of a forest. An even deeper sense of panic rose in her as she realized she couldn¡¯t move. She looked down and saw vines coiling around her legs. She screeched and tried to manipulate her mana but it wasn¡¯t working. She scratched, pulled and bit at them but they wouldn''t budge at all. The man looked on patiently enjoying the spectacle that was unfolding in front of him. ¡°Whatever¡­bye, bye¡­¡± He waved at her with a cheerful grin and disappeared. ¡°DRAHAT! YOU BASTARD!!!¡± --- -- - The man appeared in a massive hall. There were twelve ingred sapphire blue stone tombs of various sizes floating in the middle of the air. They were the only source of light in the massive hall. His eyes suddenly glowed with a purple hue. A black serpent was spinning in the middle of his pupils. He looked back at the branch and there were various purple cracks along its surface. An impatient look appeared on his face as he muttered: ¡°I need to hurry up¡­¡± The purple hue and the serpent in his pupil disappeared as he exhaled. He clenched his fist and a grey rock the size of a grown man¡¯s head appeared. It was floating in the middle of the air by, itself.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°Alright...let¡¯s do this¡­¡± Laughter resounded throughout the hall. --- -- - A middle aged man was sitting cross legged while meditating. A shining blue glyph appeared in front of his face and his ocean blue eyes flung open. He rose up and casted a magic spell. A blue halo surrounded his legs as he ran as fast as he could towards the ancestral chambers. A massive blue door appeared in front of him. A gigantic blue fairy was carved on its surface. The wings on her back were created with such detail that you could even see the thin cracks on their surface. The old man stopped in front of the doors and hesitated a few times before casting a spell. The massive blue door started to melt like a candle into water. The water was absorbed into the ground disappearing without a trace. The old man rushed through them as he appeared in a massive hall. A man dressed in a snow white robe with a leafless tree stitched on his back was fervently looking up at the twelve tombs. All twelve of them were revolving around a grey rock the size of a grown man¡¯s head. A panicked expression appeared on the old man¡¯s face as he saw what was happening. He wanted to rush up but couldn''t move at all. The old man tried to will his magic but was completely helpless. He could only look on as the tombs lost their radiance and started to drop down on the ground one by one. Once all twelve of tombs lost their radiance and dropped down crumbling to dust the man in white waved his hand recalling the grey stone. He observed it carefully and meticulously before a disappointed look appeared in his eyes. ¡°Still, the stone reacted even though it was useless¡­¡± The man¡¯s eyes turned towards the old man before a hopeful look appeared in his eyes. He waved his hand and the azure marbles covering the floor cracked before a huge number of vines appeared. They twisted around each other forming a table with two chairs on opposite sides of it. The man in white sat down on one chair and motioned for the old man to sit in the other. The restriction disappeared and the old man was able to move physically but he couldn¡¯t draw magic glyphs despite trying multiple times. The old man sat down on the chair and asked: ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°And why would I tell you that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ne-¡± The old man was going to threaten him but the man in white interrupted him. ¡°No need to introduce yourself. I know who you are.¡± ¡°What you should concern yourself with is that I have a proposition for you. A very lucrative proposition, indeed.That is if you¡¯re willing to hear me out.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I have a choice, do I?¡± ¡°Yeah, you don¡¯t¡± ¡°Whatever, the point is I want the magic spell you used to seal those tombs.¡± He said while leaning on the table. ¡°And what do I get in return?¡± The old man said completely unfazed by the request. ¡°A piece of information. A very crucial piece of information.¡± ¡°You want me to give you an ancient magic spell in return for some hearsay. Who knows if you¡¯re lying? How can I possibly trust you?¡± ¡°The truth is you can¡¯t but consider this, I could forcibly take it and there¡¯s no being out there who can stop me. At least, not right now. The reason i¡¯m even considering trading with you is because I want to formulate a partnership.¡± ¡°True, but it still doesn¡¯t change the fact that I don¡¯t know and whether you are a credible source, at all. Not to mention, you just broke in here.¡± ¡°True...so what else do you want?¡± ¡°What about that tree branch?¡± The old man said plainly while glancing at the floating branch. An amusing grin appeared on the man¡¯s face as he asked: ¡°Do you even know what it is?¡± ¡°I think it''s a fair deal.¡± ¡°The branch is off limits but¡­¡± The man in white struggled internally for a few minutes before deciding.¡°What if I told you it''s about the Crimson Eye?¡± A surprised expression appeared on the old man''s face as he asked: ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I want the magic spell first.¡± The old man sighed and said: ¡°Alright, but there is no magic spell at all¡­¡± The man in white motioned for him to continue. ¡°It¡¯s an item called the Sapphire Fairy Blessing.I can give it to you but¡­¡± ¡°Alright.The so called Supreme Eye of theirs is dead.¡± ¡°What!? There¡¯s no way she died-¡± The man in white interrupted him and said; ¡°I want the technique,now.¡± The old man sighed and pulled out a grey coloured pouch out of his robes and opened it as an azure glow spilt out. He gently took out an azure container about five inches tall and four inches wide. There tiny fairies and flowers engraved on its surface with an exquisite amount of detail. ¡°We put it on the deads chest and in a weeks those tombs are formed by themselves.¡± ¡°Have you tried putting it on other things?¡± ¡°We have but it only works on dead mages.¡± ¡°Alright, good to know.¡± The man in white waved his hand and the old man froze once again. That familiar helplessness assaulted him as he tried to speak while glaring at the man in white but no sound would come out. The man in white picked up the item and said: ¡°I¡¯ll be taking this thank you very much and bye bye¡­¡± The man in white disappeared and a few seconds later a thin red line formed on the the old man¡¯s neck and his head slowly slid off. The old man¡¯s body collapsed on the ground as blood gushed out of his wound like a fountain. Thus, began the legend of Drahat. The crazed pillager,robber,assassin,murderer...a true demon. The Elreon Castle A silver haired girl was pacing up and down the room. She was rubbing her hands and muttering something under her breath. A dull boom sounded ringing echoing in the room. She was startled once again as she tried to hold back the tears in her eyes. ¡°No,no,please no¡­¡± Vines started to grow out of the stone walls forcing their way in. The girl desperately looked around. She felt like a caged animal as the vines grew larger and larger covering the entire floor. She tried to avoid touching any of them frenziedly but it was hopeless. Suddenly, a vine touched her left elbow. She pulled it away but it was useless. The vine started grow rapidly as if it was hungry. Soon it coiled around her and the other vines in the room advanced as well restraining her completely.She was hanging there for more than an hour before she felt someone nearing her. ¡°How does it feel not being able to use the magic you¡¯re so proud of, huh?¡± The girl tried to speak but her mouth was bound. The vines parted as a man dressed in a white robe appeared. A tree branch was floating on his right. ¡°Haha..miserable,isn¡¯t it?¡± The vine gagging her face retreated as she breathed in and coughed. ¡°You...why are you doing this?¡± He grabbed her chin looking straight into her eyes and said: ¡°I want your ¡± Her eyes widened as she tried to keep a straight face. ¡°Well, I won¡¯t be killing you anytime soon so you can calm down.¡± A vine covered her mouth again and Drahat turned around and left. --- -- - Drahat looked on as the men picked up the men,women and the children tying them up and flinging them into the carriages.A vine was coiled around their their necks. All of them were mortals. Drahat liked to employ them from time to time. However, it would be a stretch to say that he employed them to be honest. The valuables were directly taken by Drahat and stored in his tree branch. Living beings wouldn¡¯t be able to survive as such, he had to transport them manually. As soon as all of the cargo had been loaded up the vines around their necks twitched as a purple flower bloomed. All of them rushed to climb into the last four or five carriages and started to faint one by one. The ones who hadn¡¯t made it in time were ignored by Drahat as he climbed up on a carriage. The beast pulling it was a six footed phantom king. It was six feet tall with beautiful purple mane and a pitch black muscular body. ¡°Lets go¡­¡± The beast started to trot steadily and the normal phantom horses on the other carriages followed it on their own. It was the basic instinct of the normal phantom horse to follow their leader. Drahat wasn¡¯t worried about them getting lost, at all as he had other countermeasures in place judging from the vines coiled around their necks which looked oddly similar to the necks on the mortal slaves. --- -- - A few days later: A group of men and women dressed in red robes with a crimson eye stitched on their backs looked bewildered as they gazed at the majestic Elreon Castle. Vines and trees covered the entire expanse of the castle. A few trees were even growing on top of the castle with fruits hanging off the trees. The scene looked oddly strange and beautiful.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°Go and check if anybody is alive.¡± Nobody responded and the man asked: ¡°Did you hear what I said?¡± ¡°Oh¡­.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Sorry¡­¡± A few mages separated and went into the castle. ¡°You guys check the surroundings. Find me an explanation.¡± He said with a hint of anger. The remaining mages seperated and spread out in the surroundings. The mages who went into castle returned about half an hour later. ¡°Did you find anything?¡± The man asked. ¡°Nothing. There was absolutely nothing¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me there wasn¡¯t a single body in there?¡± The scout captain reluctantly nodded. ¡°Great, that makes sense. The Elreon¡¯s just let walk in, huh?¡± ¡°How do you know it was him?¡± A woman standing on his right asked. ¡°Look at the castle. Nobody other than him is capable of doing something like this.¡± ¡°True but still it doesn¡¯t prove that he was here.¡± The man scowled and was about to retort when the scouts inspecting the surroundings returned and said: ¡°Sir, we found something.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s humans or maybe mages but we can¡¯t tell who they are.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It would be better if you saw.¡± The man raised his brow but didn¡¯t say anything as he walked along. Soon they were in front a forest and a few bodies were lying on the floor. The scouts were surrounding them with fearful expressions. All of them were completely taken aback. ¡°What is it?¡± The scouts seperated and and the captain said: ¡°It¡¯s their heads¡­¡± A giant blood red lily was growing on top of each head. The man frowned as he knelt down and ripped the lily off of a head. Underneath it was a grotesque mass of vines that had pierced their eyes,ears,nose and had even invaded their mouths. The man got up and said to the woman: ¡°It was him. That fucking bastard!¡± ¡°Alright.¡± The woman shrugged and backed off. ¡°Sir!¡± A scout suddenly said. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°The flo-flower it disappeared¡­¡± The scout pointed at the place where the lily was supposed to be lying at. The man¡¯s face paled as he ordered the scout captain: ¡°Burn them! Burn all of the bodies!¡± He motioned for the woman to follow him and headed towards the castle. He had to burn the castle. --- -- - Drahat was whistling cheerily while looking at the bound old man. The vines bounding him started to rustle before a yellow coloured flower bloomed around his neck. As soon as the man smelt it he regained consciousness. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°Heaven¡­¡± Drahat replied with a cheeky smile. ¡°What?¡± Suddenly, the man¡¯s eyes flung open and he shouted: ¡°Who are you!?¡± ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°Shh¡­.¡± Drahat put a finger on his lips and continued: ¡°You¡¯re family¡¯s silver hair is really beautiful. Has anybody told you that?¡± The old man didn¡¯t know how to reply but Drahat continued oblivious to the awkwardness: ¡°Of course, lots of people must have said that but have you ever wondered why in the entire continent only the Elreon Family has silver hair?¡± Drahat patiently waited for the old man to reply. ¡°My father said that it is the proof of our nobility and it would do you good if you let us go, young man. You cannot endure the wrath of the Elreon Family.¡± ¡°Oh,really¡­¡± The old man nodded urging him to make the right decision. ¡°I refuse. Do you really think i¡¯m that dumb?¡± ¡°Listan, young ma-¡± ¡°Shut up! Now i¡¯m going to ask you a few questions and you will answer honestly. If you don¡¯t I will make sure that you regret it for the rest of your days. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Ye-yes. The old man nodded. ¡°Where are the Elven Tombs and how many of them do you have?¡± ¡°We possess many tombs but I don¡¯t think we possess what you ask for, sir.¡± ¡°Wrong answer.¡± Drahat grinned as he turned around and a few mortal men carried a large vat about four feet tall and set it down. The vat was covered in green vines. ¡°You can leave.¡± Drahat stood aside making sure the man had a clear view of what was about to happen. The vines moved and the vat cover rose up. The vines inside the vat rustled and rose up revealing a beautiful women hugging her knees. She was completely naked. Her light grey hair was tied up in a ponytail and her eyes were closed. A vine collar like the one around the mortal men was also around her neck. A yellow coloured flower bloomed and she woke up. She blinked her eyes and climbed out of the vines stumbling a bit before regaining her balance. ¡°Welcome back!¡± Drahat hugged her enthusiastically but she just stood there like a doll. ¡°Open your mouth.¡± The girl opened her mouth and Drahat took out a white coloured beetle. It had eight green coloured legs and a single red line extended across its back. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± The old man shook his head. ¡°It''s an invention of mine. You see, it eats your blood and flesh from the inside but you can¡¯t die¡­¡± ¡°Because it keeps on healing you as well.¡± Drahat started laughing maniacally. ¡°It eats your flesh and blood but keeps on healing it at the same time. How funny is that? Hahaha.¡­¡± Drahat forced open the old man¡¯s mouth and shoved the beetle inside. ¡°NO! NO! NO! PLEASE!! AHHHHH¡­.YOU BASTARD!!!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow¡­¡± ¡°Hahahaha¡­.¡± Fusion and Attack Drahat was staring intensely at the tomb in front of him. It was twelve inches in length and four feet wide. It was floating on a cyan platform surrounded by a green glow. He willed it and his tree branch branch appeared out of thin air. The tomb trembled as it zoomed towards the tree branch fusing into it by itself. A cyan coloured orb appeared on top of the branch. It was hovering above it. Drahat moved the branch from his left to his right and the orb moved by itself. He rubbed his chin as he poked the orb with his right finger. It passed right through it as if there wasn¡¯t anything there. He tried to draw a magic glyph inside the orb the mana dispersed by itself. There was a thoughtful expression on his face as he willed the branch to perform a number of tests. Everything was normal and operational and Drahat couldn¡¯t find any obvious differences. He could only give up and shelve the matter for now. He had more pressing matters to deal. --- -- - He reappeared in the middle of a forest. Lush greenery, the sound of the wind flowing through the forest and the cacophony of the insects greeted him as he took a deep breath. A small grin formed on his face as he looked around. He always felt at ease when he was in the forest. Perhaps, it was because he felt like a fish in water every time he entered a forest or perhaps it was because of the absolute control he felt. His calm expression distorted as he looked at his palm. The previously youthful palm was slowly withering as if the fluids inside it were being drained. His face started to wither and age as well in a matter of seconds and his pitch black hair started to turn white. He grunted as he grabbed the tree branch. His eyes glowed with a purplish hue and a serpent chasing its tail reappeared. The serpent spinned faster and faster forming into a faint blur as he regained his vitality. He huffed as he let go of the tree branch which had visibly shrunk now and the serpent disappeared. ¡°Shit!¡± --- -- - There was a silver haired girl sitting on a bench made out of vines. There was a vine coiled around her neck. She was the same girl who¡¯d been hiding in the secret chamber when Drahat had captured her. She got up and nervously looked around before using a thorned vine to cut her right hand¡¯s index finger, Her finger glowed with a silverish hue as she drew a circle with a crescent moon in its center in mid air. The rune glowed brightly before dissipating by itself. Her eyes closed and a faint trace of a smile appeared on her face as she collapsed. She had done her part. The rest was up to them. --- -- - A boy about twelve years old was walking through the forest with a huge grin on his face. There was a slight spring in his step as he remembered the promise his grandma had made. She was finally going to take him to town! All he needed to do was find a blue willow. It took him an hour or so until he found it growing inside a river. He wouldn¡¯t have found it all if he hadn¡¯t coincidentally noticed it while drinking water from a river. He filled the bucket he was carrying with water and used his spade to take the flower and the patch of dirt growing beside it including a few rocks. He carefully placed it inside the bucket as he grinned cheerfully. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes!¡± He picked up the bucket and hurried back. He couldn¡¯t wait to show grandma the flower and go to town. This was a town we were talking about, after all! He hurried back to the cottage in about fifteen minutes. Just as he was about to step out of the bushes and into the clearing he froze. He could hear the thumping of his heart, his palms were starting to sweat, he couldn¡¯t help but hold his breath for whatever it was. He looked through the bushes and saw his grandma sitting on her chair rocking it slowly. A man walked out of the woods wearing a pure snow white robe, his eyes and most of his face was covered by the hood. The peculiar thing was that there was a tree branch with a green orb on top of it floating beside it as if it was attracted to him, somehow. His grandma slowly opened her eyes and said: ¡°That aura...it was you wasn''t it?¡± The man grinned slightly in response. ¡°To think that a descendant of that still lives¡­¡± ¡°Oh...i¡¯m surprised that you know about it...I¡¯ve met more than a few elves and you¡¯re the first one to recognize it¡­¡± ¡°What are you here for, Jormunboros?¡± ¡°I only need a few things.Well, first of all I want your essence and second of all I want to learn the elven language¡­¡± ¡°And why would I let you take my essence?¡± ¡°Cause if you don¡¯t I¡¯ll kill him¡­¡± The boy¡¯s grandma helplessly said: ¡°Follow me¡­¡± The man in white followed her as they walked into the cottage. The boy finally got a full view of his back. It was a leafless golden tree stitched out of intricate threads. The image was burned into his mind as this was the last he would see of him for a long time and the last he would see of his grandma¡­ --- -- - 102 Years Later: Drahat still looked the exact same as he did more than a century ago. He still wore a snow white robe and the tree branch was floating beside however, there was no green orb floating on top of it instead a fairy about five inches tall with green butterfly wings was sitting on top of it completely naked. Her feet swayed back and as she communicated with Drahat. ¡®Are you finally starting!?¡¯ ¡®Yes¡­¡¯ ¡®Finally!!!¡¯ She flew up in circles in a frenzy. ¡®I get to know why you¡¯ve been doing such bad things and hurting people¡­¡¯ She said with a sad expression. ¡®Settle down, Sabaz. It¡¯s time¡­¡¯ Drahat rubbed the pitch black rusty ring on his index finger as he stepped into a light blue pool. He started to slowly dive in. There was a shining gray stone in the middle of the pool and Drahat started to head toward it. The tree branch floated by itself and submerged into the pool as well. Sabaz was nowhere to be seen. --- -- - A golden haired woman wearing a similarly golden dress was floating above a massive forest. The forest stretched beyond the horizon with huge trees towering towards the skies. The woman was silently staring at the forest when a man seemingly appeared out of thin air. He was dressed in a blue robe with clouds stitched on its surface. His face was covered in wrinkles and his hair had thin streaks of with and grey with sharply defined features and an authoritative air about him. ¡°The restriction still hasn¡¯t disappeared?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The man stopped talking and started to wait patiently. A few minutes later the man turned towards his left. A green flame was rapidly approaching their position. When the flame reached about a few hundred metres from them it dispersed revealing a man dressed in a green robe wearing a straw hat. ¡°Holy Shit! That was awesome!¡± The man in green laughed heartily before asking: ¡°Where are those red bastards?¡± ¡°The restriction still hasn¡¯t disappeared. They¡¯ll be here.¡± ¡°I hope not.¡± The man in white said with a trace of bitterness. A few minutes later, three men dressed in crimson robes appeared. There was a crimson eye stitched on their backs. However, the odd thing was that there was a third eye on their foreheads. The third eye was closed. The three triplets were standing there silently waiting for the restriction to disappear. The man in green looked at them and sneered. Suddenly, a formless wave spread throughout the air and the restriction. ¡°Haha! Finally!¡± The man in green cheered before speeding towards the forest. There was no way he was letting them have the treasure. The man silently flew down and the woman in golden smiled before a golden glow appeared around her pale feet and she disappeared The three men laughed simultaneously before they merged together forming a giant titan. There were three eyes forming a triangle on its forehead and they launched towards the forest. Anybody who get in their way would be crushed! --- -- - 3 Years Later: The walls of the cave shook with a massive rumble and rocks fell off of its roof. Drahat¡¯s body had long disappeared and he was merging with the tree seed but it had taken far longer than he¡¯d ever imagined it. The walls of the cave shook once again causing rocks and pebbles to fall of it¡¯s roof. The blue pond had lost its radiance and the tree branch and Sabaz were nowhere to be seen. Instead, a dark green stone about two feet long was floating in its center of the pool. ¡®I need to escape¡­¡¯ After, considering all of his options Drahat was left with only one. To use the remnant power of the tree branch and transport himself. He willed the powers of the branch and managed to muster one more transfer. A formless wave spread throughout the cave and the tree seed disappeared. The walls of the cave were broken through and a massive titan stepped through the opening. Seeing the empty cave and the effort he¡¯d spent to reach this point he couldn¡¯t but indignant. ¡°DRAHAT! YOU BASTARD!!!¡±