《Seeded in Himavanta》


 Prologue

    Stop. Why are you complaining so much? Let¡¯s regroup and figure out how to get out of this. I¡¯m an acorn, and I¡¯m in hell.


    Roughly two inches in diameter, my compact body is swaying precariously in the wind. Normally, I¡¯d be chilling. UNFORTUNATELY, right next to me, my compatriot is being devoured by a four-legged Satan.


    I took a second to compose myself and shouted, ¡°HEY! Get the hell away from him, you monster!¡±


    Unfortunately, acorns can¡¯t talk. And they certainly can¡¯t move to face their assaulter. All I could do was feel the slow gnawing of fangs grinding against bones. Claws gripping flesh. The vibrations grated across my mind, like nails against chalk.


    Who am I kidding, I¡¯m about to be eaten by a damn squirrel!... I don¡¯t even know if it¡¯s a squirrel or not. Perfect, I get reincarnated in a new world, and my first meaningful event is getting masticated in the jaws of a quadrupedal acorn defiler.


    I just want to live.


    No eyes, no mouth, no limbs to carry me away. I¡¯m starting to emphasize with my garden tomatoes. Nyla, can you pick a better-placed acorn if you reincarnate me again? Any bravado I had before I was reincarnated had vacated my body.


    My half-eaten comrade released the last fever bits of their chemical cocktail across the branch in a last-ditch effort. It jolted me into readying my defences¡­what defences do I have? Acorns usually contain this bitter chemical called tannins to ward off any animals or insects that try to eat them. It didn¡¯t stop this one. Acorns beside me disconnected their ties to the branch and fell.


    Another surge of chemicals stabbed my consciousness.


    Fine, fine, I¡¯ll try to make more toxins...wait, how do you make them? Okay, okay, think bitter thoughts, poor grades, the disapproving gaze of a parent! Childhood trauma go!


    A mental flashbang of childhood disappointments assaulted my thoughts¡­nevermind I think I only traumatized myself with that one. I don¡¯t think tannins taste like shame.


    At this point, the shaking beside me stopped. The soft vibrations echoed closer to me. The branch that I was attached to swayed with each step. My furry grim reaper drew near.


    No! Come on, one more time! Bitterness, defense, living. Let. Me. Live! I concentrated on that last word, and a cool autumn breeze rushed through me. It filled me with energy that I hadn¡¯t felt in ages. The vibrations stopped. Ha! Scared, aren¡¯t ya? The plant messiah granted my hopes and wishes!


    I tried to figure out where the energy was coming from. I felt the stream of energy flowing from further beyond the branch. Before I could investigate it any further, my adversary arrived. Come at me! Try biting into me and be prepared to die!


    Rather than biting into me, long nails slowly glided across my body. Each one lingered far too long on me like a guest that had overstayed their welcome. They slid across the stem ¨C wait, don¡¯t do it! The energy was still feeding into me!


    A snap thundered out. The first connection I had in this new world was severed. And I had fallen into the tiny paws of my captor. It¡¯s over.


    No. There¡¯s still a chance! The energy inside of me is still there, I¡¯m not defenceless. The demon didn¡¯t care, it bit into my stem and started scampering. Every little gallop that rang inside my head was the death knell of my funeral. Thank you for extending my torment. Just eat me and let¡¯s get over this. Maybe I¡¯ll be reincarnated in another body.


    What a joke.


    I already got one chance, and it¡¯s already been wasted. What was I supposed to do? Unlock some magical cheat and blast this thing with a fireball? Or maybe I should have tried to drop earlier. But then what, slowly starve as my ¡°mother¡± hogs all the sunlight?


    This is why acorns have the best chance of survival when carried and buried away from the host tree- just like what¡¯s happening to me! Okay, my saviour, bring it home! Bury somewhere nice and sunny!


    As I was carried away, I thought of how I arrived here.


    ..........


    Within the darkness, there is something or nothing. Either option was driving me mad. I was floating within an endless void, lifeless and without motion. I couldn¡¯t see myself. I saw nothing, I was nothing. Every so often, an icy caress brushed against my arm. Were they chills, an imagined stalker, or something here with me?


    Any colour that would have dotted my vision was engulfed by absence. It was empty. Nothing was there to look at, no one there to talk to. A dull headache was chipping away at my mind to register anything.


    I was vulnerable.


    Who was I again? I thought to myself. Is this how the afterlife is? The crushing pain I had felt had slowly ebbed away. My lungs stopped feeling like they were in a chokehold, and my left arm didn¡¯t feel like loose custard. The distinction between my body and the nothing in front of me was nonexistent.


    I tried to remember where I was before this all happened. Scattered images echoed past my mind. Pictures of a hospital bed, the outline of a face, and a tree looming over me were all I could muster. Of course, I died from a tree falling on top of me. There was more, but like a broken CD player, my mind was buffering through my fragmented life.


    Man, I was hoping for some more groundbreaking memories. Some rich memories to bank off of. The face...who was it? The images faded away as I tried to focus on them. Right as I was figuring out who I was, there was nothing left.


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    Another cold wave ebbed through me. Something was moving in this abyss with me. It had to be. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± I shouted.


    No response.


    ¡°Is there anyone out there?¡± I yelled again. Maybe that sensation was someone else floating like me. Maybe. I didn¡¯t mind drifting, but a companion would at least stem the boredom, right? Too bad there was no reply. My eyelids were getting heavier.


    Was there a point in staying conscious if there was nothing? Maybe resting would be a nice idea. A pang of panic rang out within the crevice of my mind but was submerged just like everything else was. I closed my eyes.


    But there was light. It spread across my body, bringing feeling to them once again. The numbing cold that had spread to my head had scattered. As the light etched across my body, it started burning itself into my eyes. I raised my hand to block the glaring beam gazing in front of me.


    ¡°Pitiful soul, to me, you don¡¯t have to feel pain anymore,¡± said the light. Its voice was like the soft twang of a harp.


    I looked up. ¡°Yeah, how about you dim the lights and not burn away what¡¯s left of my corneas.¡±


    ¡°...Fine, have it your way. Maybe it would have been better to let you rot in limbo.¡±


    Heh, where¡¯d that *regal* tone of yours fly off to? For a second I sensed pouting dripping off of its words. The light dimmed dramatically to a soft moonlight. Instead of a sharp pain, my body felt a warm embrace.


    ¡°Thanks for that, and what the hell is limbo?¡±


    ¡°Something you¡¯ll know in good time. I¡¯m opening a path to you right now, stay still!¡±


    Before I could react to that last tidbit of information, a portal opened up below me and my body was reminded that gravity was a concept.


    Falling through clouds, I was placed hundreds of meters above a plain of grasslands and forests. Rapidly descending, every cloud I fell through felt like tiny needles prickling against my skin.


    ¡°A little help?¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Oh I suppose so,¡± said the voice. Masses of trees began moving directly beneath me, forming a canopy.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to cut it!¡± I screamed.


    ¡°So impatient. Cannot wait for a goddess to wow you with some of her powers?¡± she chortled. A bellowing wind sprung beneath me, slowing my fall. There was barely any distance left between my face and the ground. Taking a closer look, the grass below was intermingled with a field of flowers. It was a beautiful si-


    Until I crashed through the canopy.


    I tried dusting myself off, but I had no arms. All that was left was a black mist that barely maintained my left leg and portions of my torso. Lilacs and daisies were waving at me through my body. I was an ink blot on an otherwise idyllic painting.


    A small shadow loomed over me. ¡°Oh, you poor thing, it looks like you fell for me. Well, at the very least you¡¯re safe now,¡± it said. I gazed in their direction. Standing over me was a woman with dandelion hair draped to her knees. She wore a sky-blue sundress decorated with a menagerie of flowers as if Monet painted them. Luckily, the sun¡¯s glare blotted out her face. A timid smile hid in the shadows. It was my mistake to look up without remembering the consequences. I peered back down.


    ¡°Thanks for saving me,¡± I replied. Looking around, we were surrounded by lush plains of grass and flowers. Scatterings of reds, yellows, and purples adorned the floor around us. The faint smell of roses wafted around us.


    ¡°It was my pleasure,¡± she replied. ¡°I¡¯d help you on your feet¡­but not much was left.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m dead, aren¡¯t I?¡± I asked.


    She twiddled the sides of her dress and spoke, ¡°In your mortal plane? Yes. But, you still have your soul remaining. Unless you were religious, good luck being claimed.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®claimed?¡¯¡± I asked.


    ¡°Being plucked out of limbo and into their heavenly domain,¡± she said, ¡°You think floating in limbo is a vacation? Your soul gets eaten away until there¡¯s nothing left! Entropy is your god, amnesia, your last memories. Only through our intervention is that changed, souls gain new purpose!¡± Her lips tightened. ¡°It was not always like that,¡± she muttered.


    I tried to remember what else my past life was. I was surrounded by nature for most of my life. There was rot in my memories. I remembered why I couldn¡¯t look her in the eyes. Why bother with that anymore?


    ¡°And which goddess are you? I don¡¯t think I worshipped anyone specific back on Earth,¡± I said. As the last words lingered in the air, wind blew through the field, churning up petals around us. The flowers across her dress danced to the wind¡¯s rhythm. Daffodils exchanged greetings with lilacs.


    She smiled, ¡°On your home, I was called Demeter, Aranyani, Pachamama and much more. Where there was nature, I was its cradle. And where people spoke, my name was whispered in the breeze. But here, call me Nyla.¡±


    She grabbed her dress again, fingers curling some wayward daisies.


    ¡°So,¡± she hesitated, hunching down before me, ¡°will you help me?¡± I looked down reflexively.


    ¡°I feel like I¡¯m not in a position to say no,¡± I said. It was that or be tossed back out into limbo. I kept my eyes barely levelled with her mouth. Any higher would be risky. It was enough to see Nyla¡¯s lips faintly curl.


    ¡°If you fear to be placed back into limbo, I can assure you that will not happen. Now that you¡¯re in my domain, you can live comfortably as one of its many denizens. Past believers choose to be plants, animals, and spirits. The choice is yours.¡±


    I stared at Nyla. Her eyes were brimming with expectation looking intently at my face. The flowers around her dress leaned in. ¡°What would I be helping you with?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Giving hope.¡± She caressed one of the roses etched in her dress. ¡°In Krailas, nature is dying. Races every day, slaughtering each other. I fear that if it continues, my children will not have a place to call home anymore.¡±


    ¡°So what am I supposed to do? I¡¯m gonna be real with you, my last act on Earth was chopping down one of your ¡®kids¡¯. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Nyla snorted, ¡°Yes that¡¯s true, but I¡¯m not a vindictive goddess or an illogical one. Humans are part of nature too. Why should I cry about that?¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s happening there is also running its course no?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Yes, to a certain extent, but not when it is seeking to consume itself whole. Just how wildfires renew the soil of nutrients, indiscriminate burning for the sake of clearing land for a golf course breaks the balance.¡±


    ¡°So how will I give ¡®hope¡¯?¡±


    ¡°Help the forest, make sure it does not get swallowed up. I¡¯ll be sending your soul into one of my vessels. It will be up to you to do the rest.¡± Nyla lifted a hand off of her dress and reached out towards me. ¡°So, will you help me?¡±


    ¡°Before I do, I need to know why. Why me?¡± I asked.


    Nyla let out a dry cough, ¡°Unfortunately, your soul was one of the smaller ones I could snatch up easily. Your personality was not half bad either.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± A languid silence permeated through the air. Her cough was not helping her case.


    ¡°Fine! If you must know, I did have other candidates in mind. But their beliefs led them directly to other domains. I would prefer not to anger another god for this,¡± Nyla muttered. ¡°Carson or Whittaker would have been great choices¡­¡± she said trailing off.


    I looked back at my body. The occasional black coal dust flaked off my body. I wasn¡¯t her first choice. And I¡¯m nothing like the person I used to be. But I was alive. Maybe that¡¯s enough. ¡°Thank you for being honest,¡± I said.


    She puffed up her chest. ¡°I figured you could catch a break from slowly dissolving into nothingness,¡± Nyla said.


    ¡°How dangerous will it be?¡± I replied.


    ¡°Extremely, you may die right as you awaken. Natural selection will be your biggest rival,¡± she said, cutting away any growing hope.


    Nyla inched her way to me until I could see her breath swirl across my face. Her body cast a wide shadow over mine. How could such a small body cast it?


    ¡°But,¡± Nyla proclaimed, ¡°there is great beauty down there too.¡± Her smile slowly faded away. She looked back up at me and refreshed her usual bubbly personality. ¡°You just have to find it!¡± she exclaimed.


    I looked back at the field of orchids around me. Flowers in eternal bloom. A florist¡¯s dream¡­and the mother of all hay fevers. ¡°You really are asking for a lot from a dude with nothing huh?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Maybe. But from a single seed can sprout a tree capable of reaching the heavens,¡± Nyla said, reaching out to me.


    I could forget my worries here. Stop thinking so much. I could live here in eternity. Or I could die helping. I squeezed the idyllic flowers one last time and grabbed her hand.


    The last thing my ears could register was her light summer whisper.


    ¡°Good luck my charge. When you tire, I will be here, waiting.¡±

 Chapter 1: Intertwined in Himavanta

    But back to the present. A buried acorn. So what am I supposed to do here, relax in the dirt? This is beyond messed up. I gotta move, get out of here before that damned furball gets back here! Surely I can will myself to grow legs right. Move, damnit!


    Desperate thoughts translated into pathetic wiggles. My organic prison didn¡¯t listen to me. I¡¯m doomed. Please just listen to me. GET. ME. OUT!


    A dull crack reverberated across me. Bits of my outer shell flaked off, revealing a tiny tendril. A new part was added to my anatomical roster. It certainly wasn¡¯t a leg, it was a lot more flexible, a small wiggly thingamabobber emerging from a crack along my body. I had a root!


    A cascade of new sensations rang through. Soft, bristly fibres decorated my new ¡°arm¡±. Small clumps of dirt rubbed shoulder to shoulder with my new appendage. I arced the root and wrapped it around my body. What Nyla gave me was accurate. Round. Hard. A small cap at the top. A normal acorn.


    Oh please, Nyla, I was reincarnated as a plant that grows eyes, right? Going through life only feeling what¡¯s directly touching you is hell. Now wasn¡¯t the time to pray on a Hail Mary though. I had to move away from my burial spot. It¡¯s time to wiggle my way out of this.


    I slowly dragged my body through the dirt, every move felt like progressing through quicksand, useless. Every iota of dirt moved was another small avalanche that collapsed on top of me. Any wayward pebble or ball of dirt was flung behind me. After minutes, or maybe hours, I was all spent. My ¡°leg¡± refused to move through the soil. With the last of my energy, I rooted myself into the ground and called it a day.


    Waves of fatigue engulfed me, and I slowly went limp.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Happy Birthday, $@!#4&¡± said a voice beside me.


    ¡°¡­What?¡± My eyes fluttered awake. Wait. Eyes? A dining table with a strawberry cheesecake was laid bare in front of me. The red jam¡­I was beginning to miss basic colours. Heavy-eyed rays crept from the windowsill and spilled across the kitchen floor. A slim figure in front of the sink blocked the outside view.


    ¡°So? Did you have any wishes for your 18<sup>th</sup> birthday?¡± the same voice asked. I clung on to every syllable. Slow and thin, every word was etched into the air. Warm to my ears. Who was this?


    They turned around. Greying obsidian hair hung loosely around her shoulders. Crow¡¯s feet perched next to her brown eyes. An ageless smile accompanied her question. It was the same forgiving smile despite what I later did. My eyes shunted to the floor. The marble tiles did not burn me. More patchwork of memories were recovered in my mind, I knew who she was.


    ¡°Thanks, Mom,¡± I said, ¡°And no, no wishes yet. Maybe to see a lot more.¡±


    ¡°See? Well, we can go to the local park in a bit,¡± she said.


    Oh, you have no idea what I¡¯ve been through. I hope I can stay here forever. But I know this is a dream. And my mission just got started.


    ¡°Well before we leave, go eat your cake before the flies get to it,¡± she said.


    Gently lifting the fork, I dug out a large chunk. A perfect combination of strawberry jam, cream cheese, and biscuit base was hoisted into my mouth-


    ¡°You¡¯re a disappointment. You don¡¯t have the right to be happy,¡± she whispered. The fork clanged to the ground.


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m-¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You can be a failure in your new life. When we saw your body crumpled on that hospital bed, we drew a sigh of relief. That thing was dead.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked. My eyes slammed into the figure¡¯s face. Those brown eyes were glancing across my face.


    ¡°I thought there would be delicious expressions coursing across you. All I¡¯m left with is a broken vessel,¡± it said. A pool of tar expanded beneath our feet. Tendrils crept onto the table, infecting it in darkness.


    ¡°She was never cruel to me. I was only cruel to myself. Now tell me, who are you?¡± It continued to wear her smile. The inky mess had almost swallowed the entire room. My fingers clasped around the fallen fork. ¡°Would this help?¡± I asked, flinging it into the figure.


    It never landed.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Large booms reverberated across my miniature chamber. Pockets of dirt rained down on me. My mind still lingered on my mom. I forgot her name. What a terrible son. I hope she¡¯s doing alright back on Earth. In the last months, I had moved out of my parent¡¯s house and¡­I¡¯ve done enough lingering to fill two lifetimes. Who was that figure?


    Another vibration scattered the leftover images of last night¡¯s dream out of my mind. I resumed my Sisyphean task. Root in, root out, and fling dirt behind me. After a few shovels, my roots pierced through a section with ease. Great! I¡¯m making good progress-


    A torrent of water blasted through the small chamber. Acorns can¡¯t drown, right? I don¡¯t remember seeds having a respiratory system¡­What was left of my tunnel had collapsed at this point. The water began washing through in a different direction. I could either anchor myself here and wait it out or go with the flow. I¡¯ll take my chances. I let go of the earth beneath me.


    Through the raging current, the only sense of direction I had was the occasional bump or scrape along some rock. Trying to grasp anything was useless. But I finally came to rest on a small crevice. I wasn¡¯t letting this chance go. Surely, I travelled far enough away from my original burial grounds, right?


    My bruised and torn root slowly inched my figure to shallower waters. Crawling along the bank, the floating sensation was replaced by the small grit of sand. With one root slowly arching me across the land, I was the jankiest caterpillar to ever exist. Eventually settling on a mound of flaky dirt, exhaustion finally washed over me. With a last bit of energy, my root pierced the ground. I began dozing off again, another day survived.


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    ¡°How did you end up here?¡± a soft high-pitched voice rang in my head. Every word uttered started with the same bombastic energy as the last. ¡°Aw you poor thing, scratched up and barely holding on, I didn¡¯t think Veledub still produced any seedlings¡­¡±


    My head which had been filled with my ever-growing psychotic ramblings finally had a second voice. Not dreamt up, but there. I needed to reply.


    ¡°Can you hear me? Where am I, can you tea-¡±


    ¡°Here, let me get you spruced up!¡± the voice continued.


    ¡°Hey! Are you there?¡± There was no reply.


    Warm waves spread throughout my body. The small scratches I felt piling across my little self began to close, forming a neat picture.


    ¡°There you go. All patched up! I¡¯ll come back to check on ya later.¡±


    ¡°Wait no. Please stay! Tell me about this place, what I look like, who is this Veledud? Please¡­¡± There was no reply. It never heard me. Please come back. Nyla¡­you really couldn¡¯t give me a mouth or eyes? I would have taken any one of those...Is it too late to accept your other offer?


    I really wanted to give up. Too bad acorns are incapable of crying. I did the next best thing: waiting patiently and letting myself get used to the new environment.


    Whether it was water or minerals, this new soil surprisingly had a lot more than the last one. My root slowly branched into a small spider web of small hairs and larger tendrils. What a hairy situation. The only problem was that I couldn¡¯t easily uproot myself anymore. But if it meant hearing another voice again, the risk was worth it. I hope you¡¯re back tomorrow. I hunkered down and waited for sleep to take me.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°So how was your first week?¡± rang a gentle voice. I was back in the flower fields, splayed out on the ground.


    ¡°You try dealing with losing most of your sense and having to deal with moving yourself with a flimsy root.¡± There was no reply. All the pent-up frustrations of trying to survive finally exploded.


    ¡°And where were you?¡± I shouted, ¡°You never came to talk to me. All I could hope for were the traces of old memories to remember what life used to be. Do you¡­do you know what it feels like to cry but not have the eyes to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I wish I could have given you better, but your soul¡­I¡¯m sorry,¡± whispered Nyla. She was right, she told me the risks. I just thought I was better.


    ¡°No, you gave me a warning. I thought the challenge would be learning about a new world, making allies, learning a new magic system, and finding out I was secretly overpowered¡­But I can¡¯t even see this world.¡±


    ¡°While you cannot see, you have immersed yourself most intimately. Drinking from its water, eating its carefully curated nutrients. You will survive.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± I asked. The echoes of near-death experiences permeated my mind. Huh, they were near death, weren¡¯t they?


    Nyla said, ¡°You know if you did not tunnel your way out, that squirrel would have come back the next day. This world has so much to offer you, all I ask is that you live long enough to experience it¡­and try to protect what¡¯s left.¡± Her voice lingered on that last note.


    ¡°And how long will that take?¡±


    ¡°Sooner than you think.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the cryptic answer. And why are you choosing to speak with me now? Was I too close to losing my mind?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were that close, but no,¡± she said, deflating my recovering goodwill. ¡°Any god worth their name could be able to commune with their charges within the epicentre of their temple!¡± Nyla proclaimed.


    ¡°HUH?¡±


    ¡°You did not know? Where else would you have found such n-nourishment-t?¡±


    Her voice began separating into a chorus of divorced echoes. I waited for her to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯d a-accompany you for longer but I must commune with my other charges-s.¡±


    ¡°Before you go, I had a dream the other night of this figure that used the memory of my mom and spread tar. Does that mean anything?¡± I asked.


    ¡°¡­No, I b-believe your mind is still reeling from the reincarnation process. Perhaps you¡¯ll recover more memories as your soul h-heals,¡± Nyla replied. Her voices gathered for a final moment.


    ¡°I assure you, you will not be alone on your journey. After all, you met one of my charges did you not?¡±


    ¡°Wait that voice-¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    I was back to consciousness. Who knew whether I woke up in the morning or night? I stretched my arms across the wandering breeze-wait, arms? These aren¡¯t arms. I wiggled them for a moment. Flat. Wide. Wiggly. I GOT LEAVES! They scrambled across the top of my former head, I had lost my cap. A small stem remained with my two leafy arms on either end. Great! I can¡¯t wait to explore and walk around!


    But my leg didn¡¯t listen, while I was asleep, my roots had reached out and latched on to every rock, pebble, and clump of dirt it could find. I was rooted in place. It wasn¡¯t all that bad. My leaves were much more delicate than my robust acorn body. The wind filtered through each pore. I was breathing. They were my window to the world. Maybe I couldn¡¯t see it. But I was feeling it. Each breath ran through my entire body like a lover¡¯s caress. Are there any female plants nearby? I¡¯m losing it.


    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re all grown up!¡± chirped a voice beside me.


    She¡¯s back! I lifted my right leaf.


    ¡°Well hi to you too! Wait, you can hear me?¡±


    Y-yes! My entire body gyrated like a spinning top.


    ¡°Oooo, you must be a wakey. First Veledub leaves a seed and now you¡¯re a wakey!¡±


    What the hell is a ¡®wakey.¡¯ I wish I could speak to her. Somehow. I tried reaching out with one of my leaves. And they received a faint tug.


    ¡°Haha, you¡¯re funny, keep growing okay? I¡¯ll keep checking back on ya when I have the chance. You¡¯re not the only one in the sanctuary that deserves attention.¡±


    I guess not¡­I¡¯m just glad you¡¯ll be coming by regardless. I nodded my stem.


    ¡°Cheer up Mr¡­, Mr¡­huh you don¡¯t have a name yet, do you? Did any of my friends name ya yet? Maybe your dryad?¡±


    I shook my head.


    ¡°Naming is a very big thing,¡± the voice said, ¡°Mr. Arbor chose for himself rather than let us name him. Do you already have one in mind?¡±


    Despite everything I¡¯ve gone through, I still couldn¡¯t recall it. Maybe it was better for the first person to keep me company in this world and give it to me. I pulled back my leaf and tried to feel around. It brushed against soft curls of hair. Strange. I don¡¯t think they were longer than half my leaf. How small are you?


    ¡°Hey! I just brushed my hair dangit!¡± they said, slapping away my ¡®hand.¡¯


    I¡¯d feel hurt, but I have no central nervous system. Mental pain will have to do. I shrunk back and put my leaf behind me.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just go touching a girl¡¯s hair all willy-nilly!¡±


    My bad¡­We continued chatting for a few more minutes. It was a game of charades between her describing how beautiful the forest was and me inventing a new sign language. But as the conversation wound down¡­


    ¡°Oh!¡± chimed the girl, ¡°I forgot to give ya a name! Hmmm, you¡¯re very feisty, refuse to give up, sprung up in the weirdest places¡­Sallix. You¡¯ll be Sallix.¡±


    I like it. For the first time in this new world, I had a name I could call my own.


    ¡°And Mr. Sallix, my name is Vila,¡± she grasped my stem, ¡°Pleased to meet ya.¡±


    I coyly pulled away and gently smacked the top of her head.


    ¡°Hey, what was that for?¡± she cried out, ¡°Ooooh I get it, Mr. Sallix, can I say hi to you like that in the future?¡±


    I bent my leaf up and down. Anytime Vila and please do it more often.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come see ya later then,¡± she said.


    A puff of wind blew past me. See ya later Vila.

 Chapter 2: Surviving

    For a plant, days become breaths and nights deep slumbers. By counting each moment I felt the sunlight pull away into the darkness, I figured I had been living here for a month. Besides the occasional rain, sunlight permeated every pore I had. It was dangerous. The tiniest amount of shade would have indicated surrounding vegetation. The most I found were the small tufts of grass around my base. The tallest plant is cut first.


    Although I sprouted quickly, growth slowed down to the movement of tectonic plates. If I kept sticking out in this area, I would return to Nyla¡¯s garden. What species am I?


    Small vegetation-like dandelions had their entire life cycle within a week. You¡¯d see them live, spread across the damn lawn and die. They made for a decent salad. Even larger plants like carniforous trees had quick growth cycles at the beginning of their life. Yet here I was, struggling to grow a third leaf. If this is my final form, Nyla isn¡¯t hearing the end of it. I tried dreaming about her since our last talk, but nothing came about. How many charges does she have? Maybe I¡¯ll try-


    A faint buzzing drew near. Six small points of contact scurried around my left leaf¡ªsmall hooks at the end of each point. Two more points appeared at the front of this creature and began rapidly tapping. Don¡¯t you dare, you better only eat other insects you piece of-


    A massive crunch rang down my entire stem. Fluids began leaking out of the wound left behind. That¡¯s it, I¡¯m beating the shit out of this thing. After almost being eaten by a squirrel, I can¡¯t afford to take chances and wait it out. I raised my right leaf. Curling it into a cylinder as hard as I could without splitting it apart. I aimed at the place of the crunching. A thwack echoed out. No luck, the crunching continued at a heightened pace. I was going to lose this leaf. I threw down once again. This time, a crunch reverberated across. YES!


    The lump went still on top of me. Its corpse oozed fluid into my gaping side, as it entered my stomata, a gush of heat circulated through me. It was the same feeling when I was first attached to the tree¡­by the time I finished that thought, my injured leaf had already grasped around the carcass and wrung it dry. If plants had taste buds, I may have had an aneurysm.


    All that remained was a husk that drifted away from a sly breeze. My wound was gone, and my stem finally welcomed a third arm. Maybe I was reincarnated as a Venus fly trap? The day ended without a second meal, which I¡¯m honestly thankful for.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°So how did it feel like taking your first life?¡± hummed Nyla. We sat in a small gazebo. Her legs were kicking in the air while her hands tucked a small cup of purple tea. Her sundress had hydrangea billowing their petals across the fabric.


    ¡°Finally found time to talk to me? And here I thought I was your favourite huh?¡± I asked. My previous polluted form had evolved into a white, fuzzy mess.


    ¡°Hmm, definitely in my top 50,¡± she chortled. ¡°And before you ask, I don¡¯t have a number one, it¡¯s better that way.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh uh huh, so are you here to unveil a new cheat? Maybe teach me how to reach my growth spurt? Or will you keep yapping?¡±


    ¡°Answer my question,¡± Nyla said.


    I thought back to the willingness to kill something eating me alive, the disgust of having it lay dead on top of me, and the horror of knowing what I gained. ¡°I don¡¯t regret it,¡± I said, ¡°Growing one leaf took long enough, I had to.¡±


    ¡°Would you do it again?¡±


    The Pinta Island tortoise was hunted to extinction because of its meat¡­How do I know this? ¡°Going on a quest to kill all the insects I can find is not healthy for your sanctuary. But, if one tries to eat me, I know my choice.¡±


    A burst of warm air flooded my consciousness. ¡°Not bad of an answer.¡±


    ¡°Not bad of a response. So you mind telling me who ¡®Vila¡¯ is?¡± I asked. A monarch butterfly landed on Nyla¡¯s hand, drooping its wings across her palm.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. She¡¯s an enchanting little fairy in the sanctuary. One of Veledub¡¯s best caretakers.¡±


    ¡°Veledub?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I cannot guide you about everything in Krailas. It would upset the balance at play. You¡¯re¡­a smart plant, you will uncover its identity.¡±


    ¡°You know you¡¯re a terrible liar right.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± replied her hemorrhaging voice. Her swinging legs were producing interlacing afterimages.


    ¡°Gotta go again?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back for your next milestone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah get ready to be wowed by a FOURTH LEAF!¡±


    ¡°You know, insects aren¡¯t the only things you can grow from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    It was natural for things to grow off one another, food chains existed for a reason. A spider eats anything trapped in its web. A thousand blades of grass could be eaten indiscriminately by the wandering cow. Was I any better? Nyla¡¯s final words lingered in my mind. My very circumstance is unnatural. So why follow the rules of nature? My principle was easy to carry out.


    Not many bugs tried to eat me after the first. A few would land on me. But if they wouldn¡¯t bite, I wouldn¡¯t fight. Why did I jinx myself? The light that my body was so desperately using suddenly vanished. Did a black hole eat the sun or something?


    Massive rumbling made its way toward me. The movement shook apart my smaller roots inlaid between rocks in the ground. Days of growing undone. It came to an abrupt stop. Ok, that¡¯s messed up. I can deal with a bug, but a deer or something? There¡¯s no chance. I held myself ready. An abrupt gust of wind blocked some of my pores. By the time I realized what was happening, it was too late.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Hey Sallix! How you been- Oh locusts, you look like¡­you smell like¡­¡± Vila didn¡¯t stay long to talk today. For once, I was glad I had no sense of smell. At the very least, the nutrients from the ground would be richer for the next few days. Maybe I was reincarnated as the avatar of cope. Yeah, right, despite growing a fourth, and then a fifth leaf, Nyla did not appear back in my dreams. However, on a particular morning-


    ¡°HIIIIIIDDDEEEEE MEEEEEEEEE,¡± yelled a frantic voice.


    ¡­What is it this time?!


    Rapid beats of a miniature drum rocked the surrounding air. The gentle but furious pitter-patter of minuscule feet travelled from the top of my stem to the bottom. All ten fingers desperately grasped my base. The haggard breathing behind me was no greater than the softest of gusts. Vila, what did you do?


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay,¡± she said, gasping for breath. ¡°Sallix, when she flies over, act natural. And don¡¯t let her suspect a thing!¡±


    Vila, I have no idea who you¡¯re talking about. Are we about to die? Multitudes of questions floated through my consciousness, yet there was no opening for them to exit.


    A deafening howl rang across the air. ¡°Vila! You evolutionary cul-de-sac, you get back here this instant or so help me even Nyla will not be able to save you!¡± roared the banshee. The dirt behind me grew damp with moisture. I swore the last of the morning dew had fallen already.


    ¡°S-sallix? When I die, please bury me next to your roots,¡± Vila whimpered. Her hands dug into my stem, each finger desperately trying to huddle in one of my grooves.


    Who are you hiding from? Why did you choose me as your hideout? How did this happen to me? You¡¯ve made a mistake! We¡¯ve got nowhere to run!


    The banshee arrived. Compared to Vila, who intermingled with the air as she flew through on each of our visits, this thing made the air move in subservience. It was brute force, wind resistance be damned. Like the refugees of Pompeii, the wind howled as it ran behind us.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see here, a small sapling growing by its lonesome in the center of the grass garden,¡± the voice muttered. The hoarse yell had morphed into a gravelly tone coming to a honeyed finish. A hand the size of Vila¡¯s brushed against one of my leaves. It traced the veins, to the center line, down to the stalk that joined the leaf to my stem. ¡°How convenient.¡±


    ¡°Sallix, stay calm, she won¡¯t hurt you. It¡¯s me she wants,¡± Vila whispered. Pinpricks of cold energy infiltrated my stem and burrowed into my consciousness.


    ¡°Oi, answer me. Did a small creature, barely the size of a leaf, land on you?¡± the voice muttered.


    ¡°Even if I wanted to, I can¡¯t speak-¡± I said. Vila¡¯s hand squeezed my stem.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Cut the surprise, plants can¡¯t speak unless you cast Speech on them,¡± she replied. ¡°You have a nice voice, low and soft, like a cowering cub.¡± This was too much to take in. So there were spells that let you talk! But how could I cast them? I need to ask this person when I get the chance¡­after she calms down.


    ¡°¡­Thanks, you sound like you would love to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Tsk, I apologize if I was forceful. A sister of mine, Vila, has been messing around again. Late to her morning tasks, disturbing the local birds, and casting unrestricted growth spells on flora she finds interesting. Moreover, she¡¯s been spending an abnormal amount of time lately flying to the western edges of Himavanta,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve got quite the headache. What are you going to do with her?¡± I asked. I figured Vila was not the only fairy of her kind in this place. But based on how insanely scared she was of this ¡®sister¡¯, I wouldn¡¯t let anyone harm the first friend I made here. Maybe a couple of leaf bonks would drive her away?


    ¡°Urgh, she¡¯ll cry if I punish her and complain if I chaperone her. Her deadliest weapons are those puppy eyes of hers. I guess I¡¯ll punish and chaperone her then,¡± she said, her voice dripping with excitement. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯m sorry to have disturbed you, my name is Vehyr. And you are?¡±


    ¡°Sallix.¡±


    ¡°Charmed,¡± Vehyr replied. Her voice descended into a cavernous depth. ¡°So, you have met her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re mistaken.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± she asked, hand clenching my leaf tighter, ¡°Plants who can name themselves are Awakened, either by the Gods or from one of us. Sallix is a name that Vila has been yammering about for weeks now.¡± She did? I thought she came up with it on the fly¡­I¡¯m definitely not giving her up.


    ¡°Crazy coincidence,¡± I said.


    ¡°While I do appreciate the undying and honourable bond that you share with her, this is a matter between the fae. I would implore that you do not intercede more than necessary¡­You need to focus on growing,¡± she said, her voice slightly wilting at the end. Vehyr was not budging from her position. She was centimetres away from Vila, a look around would spell disaster for us.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right,¡± I said. My right leaf did an overblown gesture of bowing towards Vehyr. ¡°She did come by here, but flew away for a better hiding spot.¡± Vehyr¡¯s hand extracted itself from my stem.


    ¡°Excellent, do you happen to know the direction she cowered in?¡± Vehyr asked.


    ¡°Cardinal directions aren¡¯t my forte, but she rushed behind me if that helps at all,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Inconvenient. Well, thank you for the help Sallix. The spell should wear off soon.¡±


    ¡°Wait! Before you go, how would I be able to cast that spell?¡± I asked. Her hand rested back on top of my leaf. My soul shivered at the thought of what she would do to it.


    ¡°You scare easily, your soul shrieks whenever I touch you¡­Am I really that scary?¡± Vehyr asked, her voice tapered into a hushed lilt.


    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m sorry about that-¡±


    ¡°Anyways, casting spells requires a lot of mana sensitivity and training. I have neither the time nor energy to commit to a new charge. Perhaps you can ask Vila that next time she¡¯s around,¡± she said. A burst of air blew my leaves backwards. Vehyr flew off.


    ¡°How can I do that if the spell wears off!¡± I yelled. No response.


    ¡°I think, I think she¡¯s gone Sallix!¡± cried Vila. Vila barely made any movement during the conversation. I¡¯d assumed she had fainted from the stress.


    ¡°Yeah, you need to get out of here before she comes back!¡± I said.


    ¡°I know, I know. You really saved me back there Sallix¡­thank you.¡± A leaf wrapped around her and wiped away the tears forming on her marble-sized face.


    ¡°Before you go, is she always that terrifying when you miss out on work?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­I did dump water on her as a prank earlier today¡­¡± Vila muttered. I regret ever helping you.


    ¡°Just¡­just go Vila. And if you can, please teach me how to cast that spell. I really wanted to talk to you ever since you came to see me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to Sallix! I was waiting until you grew a bit more. At your size, I don¡¯t think you¡¯d handle the mana burn if the spell backfired-¡±


    ¡°Gotcha,¡± an icicle had pierced our conversation. Air cowered as Vehyr landed next to us. ¡°Good try Sallix, but I figured Vila was around here somewhere. Up we go.¡±


    I am an oblivious bystander. I see nothing, I hear nothing. I hold no stakes in this conversation. I will stay here and grow until I use mana.


    ¡°NOOOooo! I don¡¯t wanna! I don¡¯t wanna!¡± screamed Vila. Her hands clawed at my stem as she was dragged away.


    ¡°Oh please, just do your chores and then you can go sleep on the lily pads,¡± Vehyr chortled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you! Okay, I don¡¯t mean that! But you¡¯re still mean,¡± Vila said, her voice began to fade away into the distance.


    ¡°Bye Vila,¡± I laughed. I suppose I¡¯d have to grow a few more days to cast-


    ¡°Sallix, your voice isn¡¯t like a cub! It¡¯s very nice and soothing. Kinda like the first autumn breeze after summer,¡± Vila yelled.


    ¡°OKAY! THANK YOU!¡±

 Chapter 3: Mana 101

    ¡°I¡¯m freeeeee,¡± yelled a certain fairy. She was gone for a week, what happened? My leaves wildly gestured in the air.


    ¡°Yayyy, you want to celebrate with me?¡± asked Vila. NO, I want you to cast Speech on me. But sure, we can celebrate a little. What proceeded can only be described as an underfunded macabre dance. One participant was not being paid enough to be spiritually present, the other was just happy to be there. After an eternity of paraplegic movement, a thud laid against me.


    ¡°Phew, I knew you¡¯d come around Sallix!¡± Vila chirped. The dull drumbeats of morning insects and cries of their imminent feathery attackers permeated the air. ¡°You okay Sallix? Are you out of breath?¡±


    I¡¯m losing it.


    ¡°Oooooh right, Vehyr had to cast Speech on you. Sorry!¡± My leaves curled in preparation for another round of ice treatment. Instead, lukewarm acupuncture needles riddled my side.


    ¡°Testing, testing. Huh, yours feels a lot different than Vehyr¡¯s,¡± I said.


    ¡°Obviously! After you know the basic spell, you tailor it to your style and personality, or else it would be too easy to counter if a bad guy saw it.¡±


    ¡°So¡­Vehyr willingly chose to have her spells feel like an ice bath?¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t blame her. It keeps the others in line. But she never does it to me. She loves me too much,¡± Vila laughed.


    ¡°Despite you dousing her with water?¡± I asked. Tepid shivers massaged my stem. ¡°Regardless, I have something I desperately need to know Vila.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, plant secrets? Dirt secrets? Did the trees tell you something that the stones who divorced their ears are too afraid to hear?¡± Vila asked.


    ¡°No, no, and what kind of cryptic stuff is Vehyr teaching you?... Please tell me what you look like, what Vehyr looks like, what our world is like. You told me a little about the forest around¡­but I¡¯d hate to not know what my friend is like,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Sallix¡­¡± Vila whispered, ¡°Sometimes that¡¯s a good thing. Looks are the easiest thing to hide. But we have nothing to hide from you. I¡¯ll start with the meadow we¡¯re in. What do you feel?¡±


    ¡°The wind that grazes my leaves, the breath of the wilds, the water that swirls around my roots. I¡¯m wrapped around silent rocks and chatterbox soil. It tells me whenever you or something else lands near me. And, according to you, the forest is very, very green.¡±


    ¡°Sallix, you¡¯re living in a big field of grass. No other shrubs or trees are near you for at least fifty paces of a bear. There are lion¡¯s manes growing around. When the wind blows, they squiggle yellow against a green mother and a blue father. A brook is giving birth to the beginnings of a river to the north of us, a beach is there if you ever want to take a dip,¡± Vila said.


    ¡°That sounds¡­refreshing,¡± I hummed. A mental image was being coded into my memory. This is my home. This I will not forget.


    ¡°But, I¡¯d say the prettiest attraction is you,¡± she said. A leaf leaned over. ¡°The trees around us are young, they have not spread far and can barely mask a Furgal Bear. Many seedlings have tried to sleep in this meadow, but the lion¡¯s mane ensures they never wake.¡±


    I dare not ask what a ¡®Furgal Bear¡¯ is.


    ¡°But,¡± she said, ¡°You survived. You grew Sallix. You have to be Veledub¡¯s child, there¡¯s no other way to explain it. Do you know how low the chances of a seed surviving are Sallix? Every year, a tree releases hundreds of children, if she is lucky and Nyla smiles upon her, one will live. And that one for sure doesn¡¯t live where a lion¡¯s mane strangles young roots. Seedlings here would never live long enough to build sturdy ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­Is that why Vehyr was annoyed?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vila answered, ¡°Oh, I wish I could do more, but uprooting these yellow fighters just means disturbing Nyla¡¯s children too. Vehyr tells us not to pick favourites¡­but I can¡¯t help it. A growth spell here, maybe a healing spell for damaged seeds there, that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done enough Vila. Is Vehyr like your boss?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s the head fairy of our grove. She helps manage everything as our senior sister. I don¡¯t hate her at all. She actually cares the most out of us¡­but it¡¯s tough in her position,¡± Vila continued.


    ¡°And what does Vehyr look like?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Very, very, very cool and pretty!¡± Vila chimed. I could sense the faint jitters leaking from Vila as she spoke.


    ¡°Okay¡­anything else?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, right. Umm, she has long lavender hair¡­she wears a dress made of fallen orchid petals¡­but the biggest thing you notice when you see her are her eyes. They look into your soul, so don¡¯t try lying to her. But, it makes her really good at knowing what you need! They aim downwards on the outside like a wilted petal¡­which makes her smile all the more sadistic. And oh locusts, when she¡¯s excited her pupils are as big as the moon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯d make for a great office manager,¡± I snickered.


    ¡°She does manage a lot. If an office is like our grove, then for sure!¡± Vila laughed. Maybe it¡¯s just because I¡¯m fixated on her narration, but Vila¡¯s voice is really like an angel¡¯s lyre. If Vehyr is right about her eyes, I can see why she was so tame with the punishment.


    ¡°So what about you Vila?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, there¡¯s nothing much, I look like a fairy,¡± she said, fidgeting back to and fro.


    ¡°No, I want to know as much as I can.¡±


    ¡°Wellll, my hair¡¯s short, up to my shoulders. I¡¯m too lazy to brush in the morning so it looks like a bird¡¯s nest. Vehyr says they¡¯re green like an emerald, but I¡¯ve never seen one. Oh, and I love wearing mint leaves! The smell is so nice. The fallen ones have just enough spice left but not as overbearing as new growth,¡± Vila said.


    ¡°Mint does smell nice,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Huh? I thought plants couldn¡¯t smell. Also, you can use a lot of words for a plant.¡±


    ¡°Uhhh, I guess that¡¯s a side effect of being Veledub¡¯s child?¡± I lied. I need to ask Nyla in our next dream. Did she make me this Veledub¡¯s foster kid? And if so, how the hell did a squirrel manage to get to me?


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    ¡°Ahhh, you¡¯re right,¡± Vila said dismissively.


    ¡°Well, thank you for the descriptions-¡±


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a big thing we¡¯re missing Sallix,¡± Vila interjected.


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°You forgot to ask about yourself!¡± she shouted. I don¡¯t think I was important enough to ask about. I¡¯ve been growing as a regular sapling up until now anyway. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be your mirror. You look like a strong plant Sallix! You have six leaves now and they¡¯re all a nice deep green. At your base, your stem is finally turning a bit brown too. Kinda muddy but that just means it¡¯s turning strong ha!¡±


    ¡°See? Normal tree cycle-¡±


    ¡°No! You¡¯re strong. Very strong. When I lean against you it feels like Veledub¡¯s trunk. When I wrap my hands around you, it¡¯s like Vehyr¡¯s hug!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Vila. I hope I can see your emerald hair one day,¡± I said.


    ¡°Please warn me ahead of time! I need to brush, wash it with spring water, treat it with honeydew and-¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be just fine Vila,¡±


    ¡°Oh Vilaaaa, I have another task for youuu,¡± a cantankerous voice snuck in.


    ¡°Gotta go?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wannaaaaaaaaaaa, can we talk more?¡±


    ¡°Vila, if you don¡¯t come I¡¯ll be taking your sweet Sallix away~¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t dare! Okay, okay, talk to you later!¡±


    ¡°Tell Vehyr I said ¡®Please don¡¯t do that!¡¯¡± I yelled.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    The next few weeks yawned along. Vila still came tirelessly to talk, going without her wasn¡¯t part of my routine anymore. This, this is nice.


    On a particular day, Vila came strutting up on top of me. ¡°Okay for today, I¡¯ll be teaching you magic!¡± she said.


    ¡°¡­What?¡±


    ¡°You heard it right Sally! AlsoIhopeyoudontmindmecallingyouthatbecauseSallixgetsboringsometimes. You¡¯re a smart plant so magic will be easy for ya,¡± Vila continued. Her bit in the middle sounded like the tepid and rapid excuse given by a child loaded through the chamber of a machine gun.


    Regardless, I firmed up straight and wiggled my leaves like jello during an earthquake. To finally learn and experience how magic works? It was the staple of any fantasy world. I could do it too! ¡°So, I¡¯ve grown enough to handle mana?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I think so? To be honest I was tired of waiting. Wait no, yes, yes you grew enough!¡± Vila lied. ¡°First, you have to sense it,¡± Vila continued, ¡°I thought for a long time. And since you¡¯re a plant, teaching you mana sense would be best. Every living thing has mana, try and sense it for me.¡±


    ¡°¡­What is there to ¡®sense?¡¯¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh right, you don¡¯t know what to sense. What did Vehyr say again about mana? Okay, Sally how about you focus on the blood, uh, sap running through you? Think of the warm and fuzzy feelings it gives you,¡± Vehyr said.


    I felt the sap running through every bind, every root hair and leaf. The last warmth I felt was from the tree I fell from. Was that mana it gave?


    ¡°Here, let me give you an example,¡± Vila said, nestling her palm at the base of my stem. Wisps of heat, a mother¡¯s embrace, guided me along. ¡°It feels tingly doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    A bow of the leaf.


    ¡°Good, but don¡¯t just stop there. Mana is out there to be seen¡ªsmall drops of memories and energy travelling through us. ¡®Seeing¡¯ is kinda tough for a plant but imagine what the feeling of the sun every day looks like. Its bri-¡±


    ¡°Bright.¡±


    ¡°Yeah! You really are Veledub¡¯s child.¡± The strings of energy gained form. I assigned Vila¡¯s guided touch with a tender spring morning¡¯s gaze. There was light. Soft notes of jade and tones of freshly grown grass undulated like dandelion seeds in the wind. I could finally see light.


    ¡°¡­Are you okay? You¡¯re not moving Sally. Do you see it?¡± Vila asked.


    My senses congregated on Vila. Those tuffs of green light were travelling from her. Enchanting. She was a sea of stars waltzing in chaotic trajectories. They filled out a rough outline of her body, including butterfly-like wings on her back. She was the size of a leaf. I wrapped one around her hand.


    Her hand rode alongside it. ¡°So how is it? Pretty cool, right? Vehyr says I got strong deposits for only two hundred leaves. With mana sense, even if you don¡¯t have eyes, you can kinda figure out where everything is by the outline of their mana.¡±


    I still didn¡¯t know the colour of her eyes or the expressions she made when angry or sad¡ªbut knowing that Vila was an emerald light? I could finally relax a little. Despite following her mana trail throughout my system, there were no deposits at first, until it touched the base of my stem. While Vila¡¯s mana was a coursing river, mine were puffs of smoke. Grey puffs that were congregating where my roots met my stem.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± she chimed, ¡°It¡¯s not much, but it¡¯s honest work for a plant your size. Let it grow a couple seasons, and you might even become a treant! Try extending that sense beyond me, we have to train it.¡±


    There was finally some hope out of this situation. I couldn¡¯t stay like this forever, could I? With magic and this ¡®treant¡¯ evolution, I could help out Nyla. Beyond Vila, pockets of aquamarine mana flitted through the air within five meters of me. Then, my colourless mana disappeared, and so did my vision. The world went back to just what I felt in the air. My leaves draped down by my sides.


    ¡°I ran out huh?¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s okay, Sallix! You did really well for a first-time try. The more you practice, the better you¡¯ll get at it. We¡¯ll have more lessons in the coming days,¡± Vila said. Her hand left my side.


    I have a friend. I have time. And I now have a way out. The next few weeks were spent in flux. When my mana recovered, I trained its sense. By now it reached the point I could last for about ten minutes at a range of five meters.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    ¡°Alright Sally, time for the next lesson. Watch me closely,¡± said Vila. My senses spread out, encompassing her body. Globes of mana from her body and the surrounding air converged in front of her, forming a circle. ¡°You see, the first step is to concentrate your mana in front of yourself. Depending on what kind of magic effect you want, the harder your shape will be. I¡¯ll be doing something simple: light.¡± The circle released a flash felt along every leaf regardless of their orientation. They were all bathed in miniature exploding suns of mana.


    ¡°Beautiful.¡±


    ¡°You know it! Now you give it a go Sallix.¡±


    I grasped my non-existent hands.


    ¡°Sallix? Oh don¡¯t worry, focus on a point in your body and gather mana there.¡±


    One of my leaves arched up. I directed the few specks of dust I had into a fragile circle. It was half the size of my leaf, barely a quarter of what Vila managed to make.


    ¡°You got it Sally! Keep on trying!¡±


    ¡­then it collapsed, taking my surrounding vision alongside it.


    ¡°Awww it¡¯s okay, it takes a while to get the hang of it,¡± she chimed.It was disappointing. But just like mana sense, I could improve over time. ¡°After all,¡± Vila said, ¡°It took me like a hundred leaves myself!¡±


    Hold on. Vila was complimented for only taking two hundred to have strong mana stores¡­if it¡¯s a hundred for this, how long is a ¡®leaf?¡¯


    ¡°You¡¯re less than a leaf old so you have plenty of time to learn,¡± she said.


    ¡°Vila¡­how long is one ¡®leaf?¡¯¡± I asked. By my estimates, I had only stayed in Himavanta for three or four months at best. The best-case scenario is if a leaf is four months¡­it took her thirty-three years. It¡¯s over. My fantasy magic career is done for. How long do trees even live for again? Palms die after fifty, redwoods can go for hundreds¡­what am I? How am I supposed to protect the forest?


    ¡°Hey!¡± Vila shouted, ¡°You listening Sallix? I said a leaf is a whole rotation of the seasons. Back-to-back springs! You always turn to stone whenever you¡¯re sad. I know you¡¯re feeling down about the whole thing. But with me as your teacher, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll learn faster than I did.¡±


    Whatever you say, Vila.


    ¡°Anyways¡­how your mana holds up all depends on shape! If you try something like flying, you need a stronger shape.¡± With a wave of her hand, a pentagon inside a circle emerged. ¡°Light only needs a circle, it¡¯s simple because you¡¯re only trapping a few mana drops and willing them to shine. But flying needs ya to trap them and contain them inside your wings.¡±


    I was almost out of mana. The attempted casting of light and maintaining mana sense had used up my days¡¯ worth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you though¡­maybe I can cast it on one of your leaves?¡±


    I reflexively arched my leaves from my incoming abuser. ¡°Um, how about we don¡¯t do that-¡±


    ¡°And with a dash of these shapes,¡± Vila said, casting a vicious circle and pentagon ten times her wings. The cast was a lot bigger than her usual ones. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sallix, we¡¯re gonna make you fly!¡± The final lines connected. A resounding snap rang cackled the air.

 Chapter 4: Nighthaunters

    A few budding leaves I had growing were flying up in the air. Their owner? Still in the goddamn ground! Vila¡­I veered my stem towards her. ¡°You got guts for a two hundred-year-old fairy. And here I was thinking you¡¯d learn a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°Oh wow, uh, uh, so¡­I guess different things with different weights work differently. Shoulda known casting the same spell without fine-tuning it would cause something like that,¡± she said, her voice was as tepid as a mouse.


    I furled a leaf into a small baton.


    ¡°Oh well, would you look at the sun! I have to fly home Sallix!¡± Vila shouted as she flew away from my sense and impending revenge. I could still feel bright light beaming down on me at full force, it was barely noon. We just started our magic lesson too¡­One of my leaves drifted on top of me. What an amazing company I have.


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Bestiary Entry: Nighthaunters


    An arachnid that reigns over the lightless and paths less travelled. Luckily, its distribution has been capped to the temperate forests of Northern Krailas. The species exudes an acute sexual dimorphism, females tower over their male counterparts. Females can reach upwards of ten meters tall versus their five-meter companions. Lifespan is undetermined. Most common cause of death is inter-species competition. The second most common is starvation after exhausting the local wildlife.


    It is a keystone species of these unforgiving ecosystems, serving as apex predators and fodder. Prey includes drakes, furgal bears, and any animal it considers delicious. The young, which number in the thousands during the yearly spawning, are nutrient bombs for plants and animals. Their closest biological counterpart is the humble jumping spider. How this species evolved legs strong enough to jump after dragons is unknown.


    All adventurers are instructed to kill any young below the size of one meter. Individuals above said size class are to be reported to the nearest guild for organized extermination.


    -Monster Encyclopedia Vol. 6


    ¡­¡­¡­.


    Hunger. Consume. Reproduce. These words are branded into each Nighthaunter¡¯s biological memory. Over hundreds of generations, every DNA strand has undergone brutal preening. Capacity for empathy? Unnecessary. Intelligence? Wasted calories. Kinship? Killed at birth. In mating, the female will eat her mate without a second thought. If you¡¯re lucky enough, you can be mentally scarred by witnessing the decapitated abdomen of a male still ¡®doing the deed.¡¯


    But occasionally, a recessive gene claws its way out.


    Thousands of eggs, the size of your fingernail, have been carried on this female Nighthaunter¡¯s back for the last two months. She is now finally releasing her cargo. As the first cracking is heard, she finds an open field in the woods to sequester herself. This way, it is easier to reclaim her spent nutrients.


    A symphony of bursts erupts in the air. Nighthaunter eggs have evolved to emerge as a collective in hopes of overwhelming the mother. Laughable.


    As the ground and air are overlayed with baby shadows, the mother scoops up hundreds with the barbed hooks running along her leg. As the young fan out, she leaps after them. The vibrations from her impact alone rupture dozens of internal organs. The lucky few die immediately from the weight of her abdomen.


    Instead of following his sisters and brothers north. One Nighthaunt has chosen to go west. The sounds of soft exoskeletons crushed beneath fangs the size of a human are the local ambience during its scurry. His janky leg hops are all he can muster. His exoskeleton has not hardened yet. Lucky pickings for any nearby wildlife. If he is lucky, the web spinner on his thorax will mature in a week.


    Whether it is a crack, thud, or cry of an animal, the Nighthaunt dives into nearby detritus. A single leaf is double his size. His eyes dart through the forest floor for any signs of his mother.


    Little did he know, the move west was the luckiest decision he had ever made. Young Furgal Bears gobbled siblings who fled south. Roaming Pitcher Plants ingested those in the east. In the north, the mother is finishing her snack. If she is desperate, she will begin gnawing the surrounding trees for sustenance.


    After a few more mad dashes, he encounters a fallen log. The first syllables of his species have emerged: ¡°In-con-ven-ient,¡± he chatters. Each leg slams into the log, burying its hooks into the rotten bark. With the struggling energy of a divorc¨¦e making their child support payments, he crawls over the log. It¡¯s a win for the tiny terror.


    As the night clocks in for its shift, he finds a small hovel to rest in. A field mouse tries to defend its home with miserable shrieks and bared incisor teeth. His first hunt. If the rodent snags his leg, those teeth will pierce through the chitin. It is a battle of speed.


    The Nighthaunt raises his forelegs and bares his fangs. His hindlegs are primed. The field mouse lets out a small breath. A blur and a squeal echo from the dirt hole.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    After a minute, half a millimetre of concentrated acid has dissolved the mouse¡¯s insides. Ambitious researchers will often keep Nighthaunters as pets for this alchemical brew. Adventurer guilds almost always clean up the mess after the fool¡¯s errand escapes the lab.


    After devouring the meat smoothie, all that remains is the deflated sack of fur once known as a common field mouse. His eight ebony eyes gaze at the emerging stars. ¡°Eat?¡± he asks.


    Not yet.


    For a week, he continues to travel west. When his legs tire, his web spinner will spin silk into the wind, flying him to new locations. If he survives, his webs will fell giants. Penal legions are oftentimes sentenced to clearing old Nighthaunter webs. Poor scouting from underfunded adventurer groups has led to prisoners clearing occupied bases. Poor scum never had a chance.


    Occasionally, the darting image of a miniature person with wings flies by. Too fast to catch. The foliage grows thin as he travels, there must be a small enough plant to set up base. Another flying food brushes past. He leaps for it.


    ¡°WHAT THE F-¡± screams the ¡®office¡¯ manager. The Nighthaunter goes through her and catches himself on a nearby tree branch.


    ¡°Oh, by Nyla¡¯s mercy, don¡¯t scare me like that you damn spider. Were it not for my responsibilities as protector of this place I would have blown you to smithereens,¡± said the purple-haired woman.


    He shoots a band of silk at her. The strand veers off to the side and lands in a bush. Strange, his webs have never missed. There was no wind either. His biological instincts were accurate.


    ¡°Good try, you can¡¯t. I haven¡¯t broken any rules, you can¡¯t hurt me, you unlovable goblin,¡± she says, her deep tone raising the hairs along the Nighthaunt¡¯s legs. Her minuscule frame carries the same weight as his parent. Eating her will make him stronger.


    He bares his fangs and raises his forelegs in a defensive posture. ¡°Goblin,¡± he echoes.


    ¡°Who do you think you are talking to me like that? I will ground you into a fine paste and use you as compost,¡± she yells. The Nighthaunt stares up at her, none of those words registered as thoughts in his hypothetical brain.


    ¡°I am an adult fairy, I make rational decisions,¡± she says, gripping the orchid petals dangling from her waist. ¡°When did you guys evolve speech? Wait, why am I entertaining this conversation? Vila snuck off to Sallix again, didn¡¯t she?  Well, good luck, you invalid. Go find some food somewhere else,¡± the fairy replies.


    He arches his leg towards her. ¡°Food?¡± he asked.


    ¡°NO,¡± she says, smacking her head, ¡°You need to be put down. Find something else. Count yourself lucky you found me¡­Vila would have accidentally blasted you already. Now shoo, you¡¯re ruining the scenery with the ink mess you call a body,¡± she said. Mana signatures manifested in the air, hexagons embraced by a circle. Under the sunlight, the fairy disappeared.


    The Nighthaunt scratched his head. This was his first taste of failure. Stupid creature, she should have eaten him. How dare she insult him and leave? He was the first Nighthaunt in history to experience spite. When he grows, he must consume this disfigured butterfly.


    ¡°Have I gotten soft? I normally fly fast enough to avoid any animals,¡± mumbled Vehyr. The last few days had been filled with Vila¡¯s antics. Perhaps she was the cause of this lapse in ability. ¡°Heh, time to make her do laps around Veledub,¡± she grinned. Another torrent of wind was left in her wake.


    Despite being distracted by this mental vendetta, the spider continues his journey across the forest canopy. Whether in a fit of frustration or a pang of hunger, he lunges for a flying robin. His silk wraps around its tail feathers, pulling it to the forest floor.  The bird dances madly, the silk cage strangling it further. Serrated teeth introduce themselves to its neck. The greetings are not mutual. The venom infects every vein and artery in the bird, boiling and coagulating it into a fine paste. Delectable. It dies quickly and painfully.


    As he consumes his first meal of the day, the Nighthaunt surveys the surrounding air. In front of him, the treeline hits a pause. Compacted dirt has rendered a thin strip of the area into an ecological dead zone. A disfigured log is moving on the strip. Two beasts pull at it. How are they cooperating without eating each other? This is why the Nighthaunt will survive.


    Sitting inside the log are four oversized meals. Two offspring are cradled in the arms of a female. Another strange scene, the mother should be tearing apart the juveniles. The nourishment will aid her in future engagements. Her mate is at the front, controlling the beasts. Has the mother terrified him into subservience?


    The log was drawing away from him. Will they also insult him if he fails to eat them? Haunting. Perhaps he¡¯ll stick with eating what he knows until he grows bigger. There will always be more calories. The log continues its journey into the woods, its inhabitants unaware of the wildlife attention they awarded themselves.


    The forests finally begin to thin. The emerging moonlight paints the sparsely littered trees in silver dust. Will he ever find a permanent home?


    Beyond, in a small outcropping, he sees it. A feeble stick in the ground. Was it recently infested with caterpillars? Only a few healthy leaves remain on the starved figure.


    Regardless, it¡¯s a good beginning. He will accompany this plant until he outgrows it. Its underarms are the perfect size to hide under. The lack of apex predators will be the optimal nursery this far out in the western edges.


    As long as this plant is not like the butterfly or the dysfunctional mother, the Nighthaunt can finally relax. He scurries down from his vantage point and daintily weaves through the grass. His eyes glance at the surrounding lion¡¯s mane. They are in full bloom tonight, their gold wreathes under the moonlight give birth to amber hues.


    He looks down at his legs. They have never deviated from the obsidian paint. His eyes stare at his fangs, his beady reflection leers back at him. ¡°Not unlove goblin,¡± he mumbles. A leg dips into the pollen. He can do so much with this! He can paint his body, and create new art for his species. A Nighthaunt shall venture beyond the shackles of biologically determined pigmentation!


    It is unnecessary.


    The amber colour is smeared on a nearby blade of grass. The scurry continues. The last silk reserves are shot on top of the plant. A nimble tie of two leaves together creates a makeshift burrow for him.


    The Nighthaunter hops in. The autumn breeze converts his home into a convertible hammock. He peers into the night sky one last time before he retires for bed. ¡°Eat, sleep, grow,¡± he says, repeating the mantra that had kept his species from extinction for centuries. ¡°Eat purple one. Be love. Catch white ball on sky,¡± he continues.


    These are not in a Nighthaunter¡¯s dictionary.

 Chapter 5: Training

    The soil weighed down on my secondary roots when I woke up the next morning. The root systems of trees are composed of the taproot and horizontal roots. While the taproot dug deep and acted as a backup in dryer weather, the lateral ones helped anchor and forage for nutrients. During the winter, the taproot also worked as a food storage. If a pesky fairy happens to damage you, your trusty root has your trunk!


    The grey mist of mana had condensed into a single droplet by now. Activating mana sense, the weight on the soil formed into the shapes of small flowers. The flowers were neatly arranged, spelling out ¡°Sorri.¡± Did she do this while I was asleep?... I already forgave you, you bozo. Is sorry spelt that way here? Or is Vila bad at spelling? Both are equally plausible.


    There was an attempt to pick up Vila¡¯s tableau¡­an attempt. There was a bigger problem at play that I couldn¡¯t leaf alone. I was in a bind. My arms would not listen to me. The morning dew that usually came off with ease stayed static. Was this another prank by Vila, tying my leaves in a knot? I tried shaking whatever was on me off.


    Then it registered. Faint coal wisps emerged below one of my bound leaves¡ªbarely three centimetres in diameter. What are you?


    Within seconds, rapid tapping like miniature jackhammers permeated through. Whatever that was around me tightened. As the scurrying stopped, eight points of contact came to a rest. There¡¯s only one animal family that has eight legs and is small enough to make me their torture victim: Arachne. Named after a mythical Greek weaver, these things trap most of their prey like this. But this was not Earth, who knew what was on me at this point?


    ¡°Inconvenient,¡± spat the thing. Its voice was a guttural struggle, dragging itself across forgotten cement. Despite this, no murder attempt was made on my vegetation. If there was, there was no way of stopping it. I can work with this.


    I still had one leaf left. I¡¯d reach out but I can¡¯t risk getting webbed again. I guess this is my life now. I¡¯ll wait for Vila before I try anything. By midday, I heard my usual greeting.


    ¡°Hey, Sally!... Did you get my apology?¡± asked a remorseful Vila. Her green cacophony of mana was a welcome sight. ¡°Woah!¡± she yelled, ¡°Where¡¯d you get this costume?¡±


    ¡°More flying ones,¡± said the black creature.


    ¡°Eh, who are you, little one? Why didn¡¯t I sense you when I made my apology drawing last night? Hmm, maybe Vehyr will know a little something more about this,¡± Vila said. Ya know I still need a little help here. A binding of mana later.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it great waking up like this?¡± I chortled. The nightly figure had perched itself directly opposite Vila. ¡°Vila, you mind explaining to me what this thing is?¡±


    ¡°Erm, well, it looks like a spider. Its eyes are so cute! Awww, they¡¯re staring at me. I don¡¯t have any food for you. Sallix I wish you could see this, its two front legs are waving at me. And he¡¯s giving me a big smile!¡± she cheered.


    ¡°¡­I think that¡¯s a defensive posture,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Plant, speak?¡± it asked.


    ¡°Yes, plant speak,¡± I replied.


    ¡°You, grow with me?¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey, Sallix is growing with me, no one else!¡±


    ¡°I mean, the more the merrier right-¡±


    ¡°I eat this butterfly.¡±


    ¡°Just try it! You might be cute, but you still strung up my friend! Untie him or face the wrath of the forests,¡± Vila declared. Seconds of bonding were ruined in seconds. What a tragedy.


    ¡°Woah what happened to the peace? But please, can you untie me? I can¡¯t grow without proper space. You¡¯re suffocating the leaves I got. I don¡¯t have many after a certain incident.¡±


    ¡°I told you I was sorry!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why I said incident,¡± I laughed. Despite being two hundred years old, Vila had the mentality of an elementary schooler.


    ¡°I untie, you eat me?¡± it asked.


    ¡°No. If you try to eat me though, you¡¯ll have to find a new home. I promise you, we can work together without eating each other. This place is scary, isn¡¯t it? I almost died to a squirrel-¡±


    ¡°Easy prey.¡±


    ¡°¡­But I¡¯m still here, growing. And without the help of my friend Vila, I wouldn¡¯t be where I am. So what do you say?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Work together,¡± it replied.


    ¡°Perfect! Well my name¡¯s Vila, a caretaker of the grove and this fine plant is-¡±


    ¡°Sallix, now will you kindly untie me¡­what would you like us to call you?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t start naming things, you¡¯ll get too attached,¡± interjected a low voice. For the first time, I could see who Vehyr was. Compared to the raging green inferno of Vila, Vehyr¡¯s mana was a primordial lavender ocean. It swirled ceaselessly through her limbs, she was a sun raised in a tiny vial. ¡°Well, well, well, if it isn¡¯t the unlovable goblin.¡±


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Enemy¡± declared the spider.


    ¡°Not quite. I told you to keep to yourself and look at you now, meandering with some buddies huh?¡± replied Vehyr.


    ¡°Eat you,¡± it replied.


    ¡°Oh please, Vehyr, can we keep him? I think he¡¯ll do very well with Sallix. They can keep each other company when I¡¯m out for the day!¡± Vila said.


    ¡°You know we¡¯re not pets right?¡± I answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s beside the point, do you know what this thing is?¡± Vehyr asked. ¡°The monster that has made your body its temporary home is a Nighthaunter. By my estimates, he¡¯s probably the sole survivor of this year¡¯s birthing cycle. It¡¯s a miracle he hasn¡¯t died yet.¡±


    ¡°Haunt¡­¡± it echoed.


    ¡°What are they?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Exterminators. They are nature¡¯s trash can, cleaning out places wherever they go. Eventually, they¡¯ll starve to death,¡± Vehyr said.


    ¡°Oh well, you can¡¯t blame him for that. Look at him all confused and weirded out by the words you¡¯re using sis,¡± Vila laughed.


    ¡°Regardless, if you wish to continue having him be an honoured guest, just know that he¡¯ll be killing all that he meets.¡±


    ¡°Not unlovable. I am Haunt,¡± he said.


    A deadly hunter had made himself home in my space. It¡¯s a gamble. I can¡¯t survive in Himavanta and Krailas if I don¡¯t make any allies. Haunt could be a good companion. I think he¡¯s smart enough not to eat everything he sees. His body remained dangling along a leaf, far away from Vehyr.


    ¡°Well, what do you say Haunt? I¡¯m fine with you living with me, but please don¡¯t eat everything indiscriminately,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Purple lady?¡± Haunt asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see you try¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t and are incapable of doing so,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Inefficient but can accept. Need to learn.¡± The bonds of my cage finally loosened. The tight strings came apart and disintegrated in the ground. ¡°I go hunt. Green girl better than purple.¡± Haunt disappeared into the nearby trees, leaving the three of us behind.


    ¡°Did he really think he could bruise my ego? How na?ve,¡± Vehyr laughed. ¡°Now, what to do with you two troublemakers.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Vila is the troublemaker here,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Yeah! I just visit him from time to time! Wait, why am I a troublemaker?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sallix,¡± she said, landing on top of me, ¡°You¡¯ve managed to survive thus far. Vila can¡¯t stop visiting you either. I think it¡¯s time you learned how to defend yourself properly. The western flank has more than animals to deal with¡­if the wandering human comes in looking for kindling, you¡¯d be perfect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good for kindling, you need dry twigs and branches, not healthy saplings,¡± I replied. A light pinch nicked my leaf. ¡°BUT, you never know huh? Vehyr, please teach me everything you know.¡±


    ¡°Vila, go help your sisters with the growing rites. I¡¯ll be predisposed this afternoon,¡± Vehyr barked.


    ¡°Eep! Okay, okay. Please don¡¯t bully Sally!¡± Vila burst through the air and vanished.


    ¡°It¡¯s just you and me now,¡± Vehyr laughed. Despite the torture I would be undergoing, this was necessary. Coddling myself in this meadow being a passive observer in this world is not the life I want. I want to be better.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡±


    **********


    ¡°What did I tell you? Each spell has its parameters. Light is a circle, it¡¯s a circle evoking the mana into light. Now make a triangle and let¡¯s start again,¡± she yelled. The past gruelling hours of spell history were drilled into my head. Mana sense trained unendingly. If I ran out, Vehyr would inject more into me. Another dull motion croaked in the air.


    ¡°Is this any better?¡± I asked. A small triangle inside a circle formed in the air. Mana bounced around inside. Each time one travelled to a tip, it would bounce around, threatening to break its enclosure.


    ¡°Now insert your will. Every spell consists of the design, fuel, and will. You design a spell based on your intended outcome. Circles are the basis, you must contain the mana for your intended spell. The more designs you add inside, the more intricate you intend the effect to be. Now choose your fuel,¡± Vehyr said.


    The small beads of grey mana I had managed to condense and refine over our training flew out and into the cast. ¡°It¡¯s not going to last long,¡± I choked.


    ¡°Good, concentrate on it. Normally you can manipulate the surrounding mana instead for your spells. But no good magic caster would solely rely on their environment! Train those reserves intil you drop dead,¡± she replied.


    I was clenching hundreds of exploding bullets begging to be unchained. There was a final step left. A will.


    ¡°This is where you can add your own flair to it. The designs help the outcome, but your will is the final determining factor. What do you want your design to do, and was the fuel enough for your wish? What do you want here Sally?¡± Vehyr asked.


    ¡°Fire.¡±


    Cinders erupted in the air, flying a few meters away from us.


    ¡°Well done Sallix,¡± Vehyr said. After countless tries, I managed to cast a simple firebolt. ¡°Would you like to see the damage?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean¡ª¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even register Vehyr¡¯s total cast time before her spell came to fruition. The world came to be. I could finally see it. The meadow filled with lion¡¯s mane was laid bare before us. I stared, stared at my surroundings. The young trees and stream lagged beside us.


    Vehyr¡¯s face beamed with joy. ¡°Well, how¡¯s the view? Sorry if it¡¯s too much, first-time treants get disoriented trying to figure out sight, much less depth perception.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s perfect,¡± I said. I glanced at Vehyr, her orchid dress swayed in the wind. What expression was she making? Looking back at my work, a few meters away were the once-living remains of a patch of grass.


    ¡°Keep that up and you might be able to burn something dangerous,¡± she laughed.


    ¡°¡­Thank you for teaching me Vehyr. You didn¡¯t have to do this.¡±


    ¡°And leave it to Vila to teach you her janky methods? I respect any effort made to live. You and Haunt both share that characteristic,¡± Vehyr said.


    ¡°Can you teach me that sight spell next?¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time. At such a young age, relying on sight to live would be an intentional crippling of your learning. Now let¡¯s continue, five more drills,¡± the demon said.


    By the end of the day, there was no mana left to even maintain basic senses. In my semi-state of consciousness, I managed to witness Haunt and Vila come back.


    ¡°What happened to the grass?¡± she screamed. Vila was in hysterics rocking Vehyr back and forth.


    ¡°Loud talk waste energy,¡± muttered Haunt. He carried a silk backpack with a menagerie of half-digested animals. Straying pieces of fur and bits of broken beak gave it extra flair.


    I will be strong for them.

 Chapter 6: Living

    ¡°I don¡¯t think Mr. Sparrow likes me much. I try saying hi to his eggs, but he always chases me away,¡± Vila said. The sun was giving out its final rays for the day. Haunt was off hunting. For him, twilight was the perfect time to hunt, you could tail the animals to their homes. Nature is brutal. ¡°I also woke up Vehyr with a leaf full of water to wake her up, was I too much?¡± she continued.


    I¡¯m starting to notice a pattern here¡­But I stayed put, patting her hair. ¡°Despite what happened last time, you did it again?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You know her, she¡¯s so serious about everything. By trying to help us live, I think she¡¯s missing out on her life¡­then again, maybe she got bored after five hundred leaves.¡± Vila perched on top of me. Her dewdrop-sized hands gently skimmed past my foliage. I moved a leaf on top of her head.


    ¡°Sallix¡­do animals also go to Nyla¡¯s plane when they die?¡± Vila asked. Her voice had lost its usual tempo, from a rapid firing drum beat to a slow march. ¡°The other pixies say, that when one of them has enough fun, they can retire in Nyla¡¯s sanctuary. But they never say what happens to all the animals that fall asleep here.¡±


    The endless petal fields flooded my mind. Nyla¡¯s golden hair was swaying around me. She was the cause of all this. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, she said past believers would retire as one of her inhabitants.¡±


    ¡°How do ya know this Sallix? Veledub¡¯s knowledge?¡± Vila asked. Another reminder of my fa?ade. It was convenient to make being an ¡®Awakened¡¯ the cause for my knowledge. Convenient, but not easy. I need to live this life, I owe it to the past.


    ¡°The truth is,¡± I said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯m Veledub¡¯s chosen. Vila, I¡¯m a lost soul that was reincarnated into an acorn. That¡¯s why I can speak so much, why sight wasn¡¯t a surprise. It took me wasting a life to find a new one.¡± The words clawed their way from my esophagus


    ¡°So, you are special! Wait, if Nyla reincarnated you, that¡¯s even better!¡± Vila cheered. My heart clenched.


    ¡°Vila, that doesn¡¯t mean anything. I almost died from a squirrel. A spider bound me up. In a different reality, my soul would have dissolved in limbo.¡± After each meeting with Vila, there was a small seed of anxiety being watered. What if Vila stayed my friend because of the bond I had with Veledub or Nyla? I struggled to form another thought. ¡°I don¡¯t have what you think I have. I¡¯m growing, I¡¯m learning, but that¡¯s it.¡±


    The gentle breaths of Vila lying against me deafened my consciousness. ¡°You worry too much Sally,¡± she said, ¡°I said those things to cheer you up! You have what I think you have. You¡¯re a friend.¡± Her words bloomed in the breeze.


    ¡°Even if I¡¯m not an Awakened?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that yet, you talk to me, you laugh with me, I think that fits the description. Do you think I like you because of some special bonds? No, because talking to you makes me love my home even more! Maybe the special bond is us being friends.¡± she exclaimed.


    ¡°Thanks, Vila.¡±


    ¡°Were you lonely in Nyla¡¯s place?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the time to consider that. It was a crash course on the life I¡¯d be living down here. I¡¯d assume you¡¯d love fooling around in the fields,¡± I replied.


    ¡°But, If I ever end up going too, will you be there with me Sallix?¡±


    ¡°If everything goes well, and my job here is done, I hope so.¡±


    Her feet kicked against my shoot. ¡°You thought you were worried about this Sallix? I was hoping you didn¡¯t find me annoying this whole time!¡± I wrapped one of my leaves around her.


    ¡°So why were you asking about death and the afterlife?¡±


    ¡°One of Mr. Sparrow¡¯s chicks fell out of his nest today,¡± she continued, ¡°He didn¡¯t get back up.¡± I felt ragged hair fall against me. Her hand slid across my leaf like a brush against canvas. ¡°I¡¯m jealous of plants ya know, you don¡¯t sweat and have to deal with the glaring heat...or was being human better?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes what makes life worth living the most are the little things. Humans procrastinate, they can force themselves to live¡­but it¡¯s beautiful. I think I was overwhelmed with what I should have cherished that I chose not to decide in the end.¡±


    ¡°Did you make a choice this time?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Hard not to when death is at your doorstep,¡± I replied. ¡°You, Vehyr, Haunt, are all things I want to protect.¡±


    ¡°You must grow,¡± replied a charred voice. Eight appendages made contact next to Vila.


    ¡°Haunt, you¡¯re just in time! Sallix was telling me about his life, wanna listen?¡± Vila asked.


    ¡°Waste energy, must sleep,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Well, what if he talks as you fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


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    As the night grew older, I recounted to Vila and Haunt my odyssey from Nyla¡¯s domain to this grassy knoll. The occasional question from both kept up the conversation for hours. Eventually, Haunt had retreated into his hammock. Vila¡¯s voice had begun to descend into a soft tenor.


    ¡°Thanks for listening to me Sallix, I hope you didn¡¯t mind. And thank you for telling us your story, goodnight.¡±


    I made a protective shield of leaves around her. No bug was waking her up tonight¡­aside from Haunt. I didn¡¯t bother going to sleep tonight. I had these two with me in this world. Regardless of what tries to kill me the next day, I wouldn¡¯t have to approach it alone. This is living, right? On Vehyr¡¯s next visit, I¡¯ll tell her the whole story too.


    **********


    By morning, she was still asleep. Vila told me she was an oversleeper and had duties to the sanctuary¡­I guess she¡¯ll be the test subject then!


    As I kept growing, I could open and stretch my pores depending on whether I needed more oxygen one day or another. But if I could stretch a few close together and exhale all at once¡­I can finally make some noise. I¡¯ll have to perfect Speech in the future. I took a deep breath near the top of her head and exhaled. A gust jostled the little pixie around her bedroom.


    ¡°Hah?¡± Vila cried out, ¡°Good morning, good morning Sallix! When did you learn how to do that? Keep it up, I need to get rid of my bed hair.¡± I ended up becoming her makeshift blow dryer for a few moments. ¡°Was that a new spell?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, but I can¡¯t continue to rely on you casting a spell on me to speak,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Keep it up, that¡¯s more mana for other spells. Speech only lasts for half a day anyways,¡± Vila said. The pitter-patter of feet and the drone of a wing radiated through my leaves.  ¡°Well then Sallix, I think this is my cue,¡± she continued.


    I unfurled her canopy. Hopefully, there was good weather to start the day for her-


    ¡°Oh locusts, it¡¯s already midday!¡± Vila shouted, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything? Ah, I¡¯m gonna catch an earful from Vehyr. I¡¯ll see ya later!¡± The pin needle weight of pressure on top of me disappeared. I was back to another lonesome day-


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell the pixies what happened alright!¡± Vila yelled, ¡°This is a secret between friends okay?¡±


    ¡°YOU GOT IT VILA!¡± I yelled. Vila forgot about one other potential leak. ¡°Haunt, don¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°Forgot most,¡± he replied.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t interested? You certainly have worries too, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Worry is time. Time is hunt. Time is sleep. Time is growing. I do not worry,¡± he chittered. Haunt made his way up along my stem. ¡°Sun is full, no time.¡± His obsidian marker vanished from my range.


    ¡°Goodluck hunting,¡± I muttered. The day was free from Vila¡¯s antics, Vehyr¡¯s lessons, and the sounds of Haunt guzzling his meat slurpees. I must continue practicing.


    **********


    ¡°From livid seas¡­ah no, that doesn¡¯t sound right,¡± rang a silvery voice. It travelled with the air and landed along my leaves.


    I was a discarded wet mattress, my mana senses were drawn and quartered. Practicing firebolt has emptied me of the day¡¯s worth of energy. Who are you? These were the western edges, a human? Let¡¯s act as natural as a plant can be.


    ¡°A sapling? You¡¯re quite alone all by yourself,¡± sang the voice.


    Shit. I¡¯m defenceless. They wouldn¡¯t harm a little sapling, would they?


    ¡°I could use you in one of my brews¡­or wait until you grow a mana heart,¡± they teased. The faint vestiges of Vila¡¯s spell remained. Talking to this person would only doom me. If they knew I was a talking plant, perhaps I¡¯d be in limbo awaiting reclamation. Strands of a willow mane curled against me. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind, this is the perfect place for inspiration.¡±


    I am literally incapable of refusing. Underneath the dying sunlight, the hums and muttering of creativity littered the trembling air. The anxiety grasped around my heart had condensed into expectation.


    ¡°Of course! A perfect line, burning trees,¡± they said. The. What? Faint scratch marks oozed in front of me, they disembodied the cool zephyr attempting to make its pilgrimage in the sky. I¡¯ve barely scraped enough mana for another attack. Is it worth it?


    More scritch marks dominated the air. ¡°Hmm, a decent poem, it¡¯ll do for today. Do I bother weaving it? What do you think?¡± the voice asked.


    Slowly craft a circle, then insert a triangle¡­


    ¡°From fire seas and burning trees, I sing for you along the leaves. On verdant sands let our peace bloom, the lands be branded by our fumes,¡± they sang. Their words bloomed in the air and bore fruit in my ears.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± I muttered. I messed up.


    The music stopped. Their hair whipped across me. ¡°What did you say?¡± they whispered. Two hands grasped my side. They trembled as their ragged breath hissed into my pores.


    ¡°No. No. No. No. You did not hear what I just said. You are a plant. I am in a forest. You do not have the ability to comprehend what I am saying. You cannot comprehend what I am saying. Please, let me die in a hole,¡± they cried.


    I have friends to protect. I don¡¯t know who this is. So, I¡¯ll leave your ego intact. Despite the desperate shaking of a starved student searching for the last chip in a Pringle¡¯s can, no sound was uttered. After a few moments, it came to a stop.


    ¡°Okay. Okay. Okay. Take your time, you¡¯re not going crazy. Maybe it was the wind or the general atmosphere that got you excited. I just called my own poem beautiful, that¡¯s it,¡± they said. Their hands loosened their death grip and slinked aside. ¡°I think that¡¯s life telling me to call it quits for the day¡­If there is someone or something out there, you better announce yourself!¡± they yelled.


    This would be the perfect time to speak, but I woodn¡¯t budge. I beleaf my life is saved now.


    Footsteps faded in the distance. Their voice hummed one last tune. ¡°Thanks for the compliment,¡± they said.


    Please walk away before I use every word in the lexicon. I had to give up a chance to talk with the outside world. By nightfall, Haunt returned home.


    ¡°How¡¯s hunting?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Efficient, will sleep,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I said, ¡°Haunt, is there anything you consider beautiful?¡±


    ¡°Beauty is time,¡± he said, ¡°My mother tried to eat me. No beauty.¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for asking, I hope you find time to worry and look at the beautiful things in life.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± he replied. His legs rustled into his home for the night. It was another night in this pseudo-paradise¡ª


    ¡°The moon is beautiful,¡± he said.


    ¡°It is, isn¡¯t it? If it¡¯s a full moon you can see the small craters. Sometimes it¡¯ll turn red!¡±


    ¡°I sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay, goodnight.¡±

 Chapter 7: Hunted

    **********


    Bestiary Entry: Languid Wolf


    Scavengers, opportunists¡­killers. These killers preen the weak, the infirm, and the vulnerable. Despair if you live in a village after a failed harvest or botched medical treatment. Named after their prey, Languid Wolves scour the entire continent of Krailas in search of their meals. In contrast to other species, this solitary animal abhors socializing with fellow individuals outside of their winter mating season. The average lifespan of a specimen in the wild is ten to fifteen years. In captivity, upwards of twenty-five.


    This species resides in the lower strata of predators in any given ecosystem. It sticks to small prey like rabbits or fawns. Its preferred prey are the young, weak, or starved. Villagers are often advised to stand firm and act big when meeting these monsters. They detest healthy individuals and stray from direct confrontation. This adaptation has enabled the Languid Wolf to persist in environments where top predators have outcompeted other species. All creatures fall prey to time.


    Greenhorn adventurers are advised to travel in groups. Any wounds are to be patched up immediately. When facing a Languid, do not run, it will trigger their hunting behaviour.  Allow it to pass. Attempts have been made to convert Languid meat into pemmican. The musk¡­is abhorrent.


    -Monster Encyclopedia Vol. 1


    **********


    Your average Languid Wolf has 280 million olfactory receptors. Each one is dedicated to telling it what the world is, where the next meal is, and where other predators lay in wait. The lingering scent of blood wafting in the air a kilometre away can trigger its hunting instinct.


    Your average human child has 20 million underdeveloped ones. They just recently discerned what blood smells like.


    On four legs, an adult female can reach 45 kilometres an hour, outpacing most non-magic carriages. Travellers would profit by keeping their children inside and out of view from the local fauna.


    A child with two intact legs just barely learned how to walk. ¡°Running¡± is an overstatement when considering they have a baby clutching to their back.


    Raising her head above the undergrowth, the female Languid reorients herself to the scent trail. Her silver mane rustles with the wind. Adult humans are crafty. Children are easier. She has been stalking a family of four for the last two days, and it has been seven moons since her last meal.


    The female adult had laid on the ground and stopped moving during one night. The body reeked of rose petals. Plants had gotten to the meat first. Bad. She could have scavenged some meat off the bones, too bad the plant had poisoned the body. Luckily, the male had left behind his two cubs in the early morning.


    Jaraad and Cynthia woke up that morning to their dad¡¯s disappearance. Losing both parents in the span of a single night was devastating. The sky and earth that had raised his sister and him had collapsed. The death of their mother smothered and strangled the hope they once had.


    The forest had murdered her. After their carriage broke down, the family rode the two mares for a few days. However, the gods forsook them. An adult Nighthaunter crashed upon the group. The venom it spewed had corroded the shortsword their father brought. The mares became sacrificial pawns for the family¡¯s escape. His father muttered something about them being lucky the spider had already eaten. Lucky? Where are you now, Dad?


    Beaten off the worn road from the attack, the family struggled to navigate through the woods. Leaves greedily stole all the sunlight, leaving the forest floor a vampire¡¯s delight. They did have a sun, though. As an amateur botanist, their mother had managed to scavenge the occasional mushroom and berry for the family. But one misidentification is the difference between living another day and the ferryman¡¯s boat.


    Her kindness killed her. One night, she managed to bring back a pocketful of redcurrants. They were redcurrants, right? Ruby red and crimson red are basically the same thing. Besides, going for days without adequate sleep or food would bind anyone¡¯s sanity into a wool ball.


    Instead of rushing to feed the hungry family, she still had the patience to first smear a bit of the berries on her lips. No reaction. She cautiously ate half a berry, she could save the other half for the kids. How was she supposed to know that was all it took? How? As that Gulcorpse seed travelled down her gullet, its miasma choked the life out of her. She collapsed within five minutes. Her body became the perfect fertilizer for a future generation of plants.


    Despite death cradling her mind, she nestled Jaraad and Cynthia in her arms one last time. Her hands moved mountains to clean their hair. Her kids shouldn¡¯t know about hunger or thirst. She failed-¡ª


    This amateur botanist from a nondescript corner of Krailas had a name. Her children knew her by ¡°Mom.¡± This was an unbreakable testament to her existence. A name etched on rosary beads and midnight dreams. Her husband exchanged a final glance with her. Their pupils had spoken and yearned for years, but it¡¯s over now. Crying would reveal their treachery.


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    The old are filled with the cowardly and cruel. The good ones, the courageous, the beautiful, and the kind, died young for their friends and family.


    Their father lied to the kids and bid them to sleep. He tried to dig a burial space for his wife, but his bare hands barely made progress in the topsoil. All that he accomplished was a hole fit for a child and a mound of salty soil soaked in a crimson red. Desperation loomed in the moonlit sky.


    He made a choice.


    After losing their mom, Jaraad didn¡¯t want to take any more chances. When the sun came up with his father nowhere to be seen, he grabbed Cynthia and ran towards the big tree. It towered over the horizon. Sunlight clawed through its mighty branches. His dad said Himavanta was a great place for explorers but bad for kids. Why did we have to come here then? No one could answer him. If you or your sister end up getting lost, run to the great tree. You should be safe there. They were his father''s last words before abandoning them in the dark.


    After a few paces, the half-awake sister could no longer continue. Days of dehydration and hunger had caught up to her. The wool dress she wore had been camouflaged into a mud brown. Her feet were sore and bloodied. The tiny nine-year-old boy lugged his five-year-old sister onto his back and continued their journey.


    Whether it was fate or chance, Jaraad¡¯s hazelnut eyes met the wolf through some bushes. There were thirty paces between them. He glanced down at Cynthia. She had just started to grow wisps of blond hair a few suns ago. Perhaps if he abandoned her, he could survive. However, the notion of treachery did not yet exist for Jaraad. He cradled her in his arms and ran.


    The best target for a languid wolf is a runner. Their stout legs are built to chase down small prey until they run out of stamina. However, she would have to stay on the lookout for any competitors. She kept a casual pace as the duo ran. Wayward saplings, sprawling bushes, and tall grass were all hiding spots for the true threats of the forest.  She weaved through the forest floor with the callousness of a seasoned killer.


    Jaraad managed to hit every single branch known to man as he ran. Every stone and outgrowing root conspired against him. Each piece of decaying piece of detritus his feet landed on roared in the understory. Everything was listening. The chirps of any feathery companions have long hushed silent from Jaraad¡¯s desperate run.


    Every time he turned to see if he had lost the beast, he saw his eyes glinting from its masticators. His cheeks were painted with scratches. A wayward rock would dig into his flax woven boots painting it in scarlet. Blood was oozing out. Absolutely intoxicating.


    The adrenaline pumping through his body was beginning to wear off. Cynthia had slid down his back considerably during the run. She was gripping onto a melting ice sculpture. He was exhausted. The trees and bushes around him were growing siblings. He wiped his eyes and forced one foot ahead of the other.


    ¡°I want my mom,¡± whimpered Jaraad. Beads of surrender ran from the corners of his eyes, dropping on Cynthia¡¯s arm. She swivelled her head to Jaraad¡¯s face, her whole world. Why is he so sad? Did she do something wrong?


    ¡°Jaja?¡± her slurred speech boomed in his mind. Last week were her first words. Jaraad was ecstatic when he found out she tried to learn his name first. Helping his mom change the linen swaddling each morning was worth it.


    ¡°I wish I could help Mom again,¡± he said. Jaja wiped his tears away. He shifted her along his back. Adrenaline be damned. Wolf be damned. ¡°Jaja will save you,¡± he whispered.


    The boy¡¯s pace had noticeably slowed into a stumble. It was time to finish this. The wolf began closing the distance. She unhinged her jaw and lunged for the boy¡¯s leg. Unfortunate. She only managed to nip the back. Were the trees acting against her? The autumn leaves were dancing in the air from all the struggling of these two morsels. It was inconvenient how often they would block her view.


    Jaja looked behind and barely pulled away his left leg from fully being encompassed by its fangs. Half of his calf was missing. The cavernous hole in his body threatened to swallow his vision. He didn¡¯t know which flowed quicker, his tears or blood. Spasms of pain reminded him to keep limping.


    The morsel was soft and delicious. But it was a morsel. The flax cloth from the boy¡¯s trousers had jammed in the bits of her teeth. Annoying. Her long, angular tongue rummaged through the last stains of liquid ambrosia remaining in her jaw. She resumed the hunt. With the scent of blood filling the woods, other predators would soon be nearing the scene.


    ¡°Please. Anyone. Is there anyone out there?!¡± yelled Jaraad. To hell with keeping quiet. Jaraad¡¯s pent-up frustrations began bubbling out. ¡°Just stay away from us! Choose something else to eat!¡± It was a miracle his left leg still had any movement left. He had lost all sense of feeling from it.


    Cynthia¡¯s voice chimed behind him, ¡°Jaja, are you tired? Cyn can walk on her own.¡±


    Like hell you will, he thought to himself. ¡°It¡¯s okay, just a little bit more,¡± he lied.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll be safe,¡± he lied again.


    The brush was beginning to thin. Soon there would be nothing to stop the wolf¡¯s advance. Jaraad¡¯s eyes locked on a small clearing in front. A sapling barely reaching his height stood alone. As he stumbled forward a distant voice drifted through the duo¡¯s ears.


    ¡°But the berries were too sour! Do ya know what sour tastes like?¡± said their saviour.


    He clawed towards the voice. Hobbling forth through the final bush, he croaked, ¡°Save us!¡± Jaraad wiped his eyes and looked around, all there was, was a small clump of light floating near the plant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Cyn, I¡¯m a bad brother,¡± he said, collapsing.


    ¡°Jaja!¡± cried Cynthia. She stood up and turned to the forest. For the first time, she saw the monster hidden in the shadows. A pair of red eyes greeted her. Its saliva had traces of her brother¡¯s blood sequestered in those pink droplets. Her legs wobbled with the wind. The wolf was nothing like the picture books her father read to her. None of the pictures showed how desperate or how hungry they were.


    A paw slithered through a branch.


    Jaraad¡¯s gurgles slammed her out of her shock. Their mother: gone. Their father: gone. But her brother was still here. Cynthia spread her arms and screamed, ¡°Jaja not good, eat me!¡± Tears pelted the soil. Treachery is a learned behaviour as you grow into adulthood. These children will never learn it.


    A waterfall of fur and lunged from the bush.

 Chapter 8: Nothing so certain as death

    ¡°But the berries were too sour! Do ya know what sour tastes like?¡± Vila asked. Despite Vehyr¡¯s taskmaster-esque style of assignments, Vila managed to visit regularly. Whether or not she managed to complete the work is a wholly different matter.


    ¡°So true Vila, so true. Oh, if you knew about sour candy, I know you¡¯d get a kick out of it,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Hmm, maybe I can bring-¡± Vila¡¯s voice came to a screech.


    ¡°Vila?¡±


    ¡°Sallix, two little kids just jumped out of the clearing!¡± she whispered, her voice sullen and filled with urgency. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of blood on them¡­I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    ¡°How couldn¡¯t I hear them?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Cause they were like mice! I could barely catch on to what they were saying too. The wind told me bits and pieces,¡± she yelled back.


    Haunt moved on top of me. His fangs rested at the top of my leaf. ¡°She would be a bad spider,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, but she makes for a great fairy don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°Many things hunt in there. What is hunting those kids?¡± Haunt replied. It would be na?ve to think we¡¯d find another friend. But first, we must save them.


    Vila can take care of herself, right? I can¡¯t lose her. The next few seconds were deafening. No, Vila is an immortal fairy, she can handle herself.


    ¡°Incoming!¡± yelled Vila. Two minuscule thumps rocked the side of my stem. Both had faint mana concentrations. Bits of blue mana waved like candles in a storm. One barely had any left, it was the final embers of a dying flame.


    ¡°Food?¡± asked Haunt.


    ¡°NO, NOT FOOD,¡± we shouted.


    My roots running along the surface were being watered with a metallic liquid. Blood. There were too many questions to ask right now. Let¡¯s run through them.


    ¡°Haunt, what do you see?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Two prey, one weak, both good meals.¡±


    ¡°¡­what else is there.¡±


    ¡°Wolf. Too big for me. Only mother can hunt. Biting bug.¡±


    ¡°Okay, go see if you can bandage the kids.¡± Haunt¡¯s abdomen went into action¡ªbursts of silk filled with obsidian motes of light wrapped around the larger kid.


    I prayed to Nyla that we would never meet this ¡®mother.¡¯ I needed to help Vila, but my mana sense only stretched two meters ahead.  I lifted the few roots I had around us in a defensive enclosure. Two strands bound themselves into a tight knot in front.


    ¡°Vila, gonna need some vision here!¡± I yelled.


    The view opened up in front of us. Vila¡¯s frazzled green hair was dodging a hurricane of teeth. A trail of blood was dragged from the forest to where we were. A boy was collapsed beneath us, his face pale. What would have been blonde hair was faded and caked with mud. Beside him stood a girl, his sister? Her face was shaking, with tears running down her face. Haunt continued the binding.


    The wolf continued biting at Vila. Despite its best efforts, every time its jaws managed to clasp around Vila¡¯s dress, the wind carried her away. After the fifth failure, the wolf angled its fangs towards us and charged.


    ¡°Sally, I can¡¯t distract it anymore. It¡¯s coming your way!¡± shouted Vila.


    ¡°Moving to a new home now,¡± said Haunt.


    ¡°You sit your web spinner down right now and get ready to bind this thing,¡± I replied.


    Beneath the bounding silver fur, a glimmer of red crystals was bounding towards us.  Hundreds of burnt lion¡¯s manes were a testament to the practice I undertook. I readied a firebolt.


    As the wolf continued charging, a burst of flames roared through the air and rammed into the wolf. But it missed. The wolf jerked back and dodged to the right, leaving a smoulder of embers on the ground. Its eyes darted between us and the children. Its head lowered and resumed the charge.


    ¡°Try again Sallix!¡± Vila screamed. Haunt was still busily binding the boy¡¯s wound close. With each new round of treatment, a smaller dose of blood clawed through the silk. I couldn¡¯t rely on him yet.


    Three new magic circles jettisoned out of me. Vehyr¡¯s words boomed in my head. Multiclassing is the symbol of an experienced mage. The more casts you focus on, the more unstable the concoction and the greater the risk of recoil. Perfect. They didn¡¯t need to last or be maintained much. The moment the pustules threatened to burst, I sent them soaring towards the wolf.


    The wolf tensed its legs, ready to weave through the barrage once more. But it only had one choice left. Daggers of fire rained to the left, right, and behind it. It bounded forward, right in towards a knot of roots hidden among the blades of grass.


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    With a jerk of the bound strands, its paws slammed into the wooden tapestry. The wolf careened over and slid across the ground, crashing right beneath me. The girl screamed, dragging her brother away from the scene.


    ¡°You better be done!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°You inconvenience me,¡± Haunt replied. He began spinning his web across its legs, scurrying around like a crazed junkie. Snarls pierced the air. Incisors attempted to close around Haunt, but he maneuvered through the massive canines as he scurried along.


    ¡°Good job team, keep on going!¡± cheered Vila. Please stay down. Whatever roots that were lying near the surface slithered across the writhing beast. The miniature root hairs struggled to pierce the thick hide.


    Haunt had one final gift for his Christmas wrapping. His curled fangs arched in the sunlight. The beams reflected those obsidian veneers. In one fell swoop, his pincers pierced the side. He scurried back on top of me. The wolf remained struggling in the silk prison.


    ¡°Will that venom kill it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Unknown. Wolf big. Venom for small prey. Maybe,¡± he replied.


    But it wasn¡¯t enough.


    A snap echoed through the clearing as Haunt¡¯s webbing came undone. The wolf began gnawing through my roots. Its teeth were miniature chainsaws tearing through. Its pupils were fully dilated, and streams of saliva coated the ground behind us.


    As the final roots were coming undone, putrid thoughts tore apart my insides. What if I just let the wolf eat them? It¡¯s not interested in plants anyway, right? I just got my second chance. I¡¯ve done enough, Haunt has done enough, Vila has done enough. There will always be deaths wherever you go.


    But I remembered limbo. That cold plane of nothingness. Would they be lucky enough to be claimed? Or would they suffer from being consumed? I don¡¯t have a say in these kinds of matters. I have a duty to Nyla, everything else is secondary to the mission.


    ¡°Get away, we not tasty, very bitter!¡± cried one of the kids, ¡°light lady, please help!¡± The girl was shielding her brother¡¯s body away from the wolf. Her breathing was intermittently interrupted with hiccups drowned by tears. It was a miracle how her legs still stood with death snarling in front of her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t, that wolf is part of the forest! Distractions are already pushing the limit,¡± screamed Vila.


    The final bits of defence were being strewn about the floor. ¡°What do,¡± asked Haunt. His legs stood upright, poised for another attack.


    Fuck it. I didn¡¯t live again for this. I¡¯m a monster, but I¡¯m not a monster. As strand by strand came undone, the wolf lunged towards the brave girl standing behind me. I maneuvered my body in front of its jaws. The fangs sunk through my outer bark, deep into the heartwood. There was no pain, only the sound of running water as sap bled out. It struggled to unwind its jaws from the bruised pulp.


    ¡°Why is my home stupid?¡± asked Haunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s in perfect range now,¡± I spat. Whatever mana was left raged against the wolf. Beads of fire pelted the wolf as more and more teeth unhinged from my side. Pieces of burnt fur and flesh flaked to the ground. The leaves I had needlessly slammed against the wolf. They probably didn¡¯t do much. A furled leaf against thick hide had only one outcome. Who cares?


    With wanton abandonment, Haunt leaped onto the burning wolf. His fangs repeatedly pierced the wolf. Whether any venom remained in his glands was unknown.


    ¡°Sallix!¡± screamed Vila. She flew next to me as the wolf fully unhinged its jaw. ¡°I knew it, I don¡¯t care if Vehyr chews me out!¡± she shouted. A ring of light coalesced in Vila¡¯s palm. A mana circle ten times what she had ever shown us before was wielded in those tiny hands. The wind was sucked in from all directions. Pieces of grass that were disturbed during the fight were sucked into the cyclone.


    Vila¡¯s hands balled into fists, I could faintly see green liquid leaking from her palms. The wind concentrated into a giant hand. We stared up looking at Vila¡¯s creation. Tsunamis of wind beat against the outline, forming veins across the surface. The wolf struggled to move away, Haunt¡¯s venom was kicking in. Its hobbled movement could not escape the anger of this fairy.


    As she raised her arm, the rage of the wind rose with her. At this moment, the anger of the heavens roared above us.


    ¡°Haunt, hunker down,¡± I yelled. Silk scaffolding was pasted behind me.


    ¡°Leave us be,¡± she screamed. She pulled her arm down. The heavens came crashing down. The hurricane palm slammed into the straggling wolf. Its legs buckled underneath the weight. The wolf barred its fangs towards the wind but was promptly barred shut.


    Its legs gave out. Its entire body was suffocated against the ground. The palm did not falter, continuously digging the body deeper into the soil. Blood sputtered from its eyes and mouth. Then she let go.


    Fur, broken teeth, and the floating blood suspended in the air rained down on us. What was left of the meadow was a palm-shaped indent and a fur pancake. The former wolf was now a circle with four stick legs poking out. It would have been comical if not for how horrific the blood spatter was.


    ¡°Sallix, are you alright?¡± whispered Vila. She gently floated in front of us, her smile was gently plastered along her face. Her hair was once again a bird¡¯s nest, I¡¯ll have to blow it dry.


    ¡°Are you okay? Vehyr¡¯s not going to punish you is she?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Worry about yourself first,¡± Haunt replied, crawling out of the hidey hole he made


    My stem was barely holding itself together. Fluid rained out of me, whimpering into the soil. First a squirrel and now a wolf? Come on Nyla, give me a cool animal death by phoenix or dragon.


    ¡°Oh no¡­please, please Sallix¡­please, please¡­¡± begged Vila.


    ¡°Home can¡¯t leave. Must repair home now,¡± said Haunt. Webbing spun around my broken mast. The binding unwound as the sap soaked through each layer.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll have to find a new home,¡± I replied. Waves of fatigue were washing through me.


    ¡°Not an option. A new home is more effort. Using the reserved web,¡± he replied. More webbing wound around me. Was it even worth it?


    ¡°A-are we safe?¡± rang a voice behind us. The girl walked towards our washed-up trio.


    ¡°You should be,¡± I replied. Every syllable beat more sap out of me.


    ¡°Just hang on Sally, I¡¯m casting a mending spell on you,¡± she cried. The touch of a gentle sunrise emanated from her hand.


    The little girl held one of my leaves. ¡°Thank you, thank you for what you did for me and Jaja,¡± she cried. Her legs fumbled like a house of cards to the ground.


    Haunt and Vila were trying to say something to me. Their voices were lullabies to my fading mind. Vila began casting more spells on the children. Who knows what they went through? They should be with adults¡­I guess we¡¯re all making the best of what we have.


    One last push. A leaf wrapped around Haunt, another with Vila.


    It was my limit. I lost consciousness as the first energy from her spell flowed.

 Chapter 9: Dream Walking

    When my eyes opened, I was back, splayed out in the field of lilies. I was no longer an amorphous mist, portions of actual human body parts were clinging to my form. I peered at my left hand, pink and full of blood.


    The shades of purple pulsated across the horizon. Taking in a deep breath, the scent of cinnamon and vanilla travelled through me. I wish Vila and Haunt could be here.


    ¡°You realize the danger you willingly sequestered onto yourself, correct?¡± said a dead voice beside me. I turned and looked at Nyla''s folded arms. Her gold braided hair drooped on top of them.


    ¡°Am I dead?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Maybe, you¡¯ve lost consciousness, and your soul is fading into my realm.¡± The lilies surrounding us let out a dull sigh. Plumes of pollen sputtered lifelessly onto the ground. ¡°Walk with me,¡± she continued.


    The flowers parted in her step. She was the queen of this place, all vegetation cowed in her wake. Trees croaked as they bowed to her in our trek. I struggled behind, limping through the grass. Each blade sliced at my heels. I was not welcome here.


    Along our walk, motley assortments of animals strayed behind. Raccoons, deers, and monsters out of mythology flocked to Nyla¡¯s banner. Their murmurs crowded our ears.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s in for it,¡± muttered a deer.


    ¡°I wonder what happened to this claimed one,¡± chirped a hummingbird.


    ¡°Think she¡¯ll give him the one-two punch?¡± said a raccoon.


    ¡°May she be as magnanimous as the seasons she births,¡± spoke a lion with a scorpion¡¯s tail and dragon¡¯s wings.


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll turn into-¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is a conversation for two,¡± Nyla finally spoke. A wave of wind buffeted their voice. The animals in a monotone crescendo lowered their heads and disappeared into the woods.


    ¡°Your other believers?¡± I asked. She continued walking.


    As we walked through this golden country, every grassland, plain, forest, or conceivable land was traversed. Mountain ranges grasped at the sun. Lazy grasslands muddled along savannahs. Bogs hid the lifespan of eternity in their murky waters. None stopped her.


    Eventually, we reached the top of a cliffside. Across our entire view was a meandering ocean lazily licking the bottom of our mountain. Beside us stood a dilapidated lighthouse. Fallen bricks by the wayside revealed a husk consumed by vines and weeds.


    ¡°Krasus helped import some of his waters into my domain. In exchange, I left my vestiges in those unfathomable depths,¡± Nyla said. She sat on the edge, her hands twiddling a rose that emerged underneath her dress. A flick of the hand drove me to my seat beside her.


    ¡°Krasus?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A sibling and a friend. My laws of nature go from land to sea. Working with him is a symbiotic relationship. We understand each other¡¯s weaknesses and strengths, and know when not to overextend one another,¡± she replied. I stared at her flickering summer dress. The roses at our first meeting were choked by a sea of thorns, and I did not want to imagine what kind of face she was making.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for not protecting Himavanta,¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Do you know what happens to dead believers?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You told me in our first meeting. They¡¯re reincarnated here.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Nyla said, she gestured at the grass around us, ¡°each blade is one of them. Although no longer sentient. Despite the assurances of eternity, not all souls are equipped to grow old with it. Many choose to leave a small legacy, a token of who they are, before departing.¡±


    My hand that was absentmindedly pinching a blade hesitantly let go. There must have been billions of people who had come and gone from her place. ¡°Departing where?¡±


    ¡°Reincarnation most likely, a few willingly choose to dissipate into the ether.¡±


    ¡°And who left behind that?¡± I asked, pointing at the lighthouse.


    ¡°George Hudson,¡± she replied, ¡°A curious little bug collector. Figured he¡¯d have a lighthouse here making sure no wayward ships would crash on these shores. Krasus loved the thing. George always wanted more time for his nature expeditions¡­he was a good one.¡±


    A good one. Those words wretched away my heart from my soul. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I wasn¡¯t a good one-¡ª¡±


    ¡°A hundred,¡± Nyla interjected, ¡°A hundred reincarnations into Himavanta since you. None made it as far. Many acorns ended up being digested in the stomach of a squirrel. A Nighthaunter made it five centimetres before being squished. Tens of berries were eaten at their first ripening. Their stories on Krailas will be a footnote in your chapters. A mixture of determination and fate made you the lucky one. Prune the self-doubt, Sallix.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    ¡°How can I? I let you down Nyla.¡±


    ¡°It is inconsequential. I took a gamble on you. Failure is not something I would lambast you for,¡± she said, her voice giving my ears frostbite. ¡°But, I am angry you risked the likes of Vila!¡± Nyla snapped.


    My eyes winced as a blast of cold air assaulted my face. Vila mentioned some punishment from Vehyr¡­and Vehyr mentioned about the rules not to break. My eyes widened as I arched my face to Nyla. For the first time, I looked into her eyes. Baby blue irises with small dots of white were painted inside her eyes¡ªa Van Gogh captured inside those round contours. Tears welled up on the sides. Her brow was furrowed, staring down at me.


    ¡°Nyla,¡± I whispered, ¡°What are the consequences?¡±


    ¡°Vila is one of the few caretakers I have. Acting as my emissary, she helps anchor my presence in the world. One principle that binds hers is the protection from my domain. If she willfully incites harm to one of my children¡­she¡¯ll be burned by the surrounding mana and lose said protection,¡± Nyla said, her lips quivering.


    ¡°She looked fine when she cast mending on me.¡±


    ¡°Then she was courageous enough not to let you witness her pain.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I didn¡¯t know Nyla.¡±


    She continued sitting on the grass beside me, gingerly travelling her fingers with the grains of her dress. ¡°For a fairy her age, she¡¯s never experienced such physical and mental pain,¡± Nyla uttered, ¡°Sallix, not only did you endanger your own life, but also your friends.¡±


    ¡°So I was supposed to let those kids die?¡± I snapped, ¡°They were begging for help, and Vila went to help first!¡±


    ¡°That certainly is a noble act to do. But without the correct planning, all that came to be were the dismays of your friends. Whether they would have died or not is your own choice to make. But, when you moved your body in front of those jaws, you forced Vila¡¯s hand into saving you,¡± she replied.


    ¡°I did not force her,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Really? Do you think Vila would have remained idle? Like it or not, you two are friends. That carries with it a menagerie of responsibilities. I plucked you out of that abyss so that you could gain a second life. You do with it as you may with a reminder of your promise to me. But you would profit to understand that you are working with other beings,¡± Nyla whispered. The waves continued to crash against the shores. Far off in the ocean, a pod of whales could be seen surfacing against the sunlight.


    ¡°Is your dynamic with Krasus similar?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Friendships and eternity are fickle lovers. It is hard to maintain one with a millennium of chances for burning. What keeps it alive is respect. You work and prosper together. In my honest opinion, you gave those children a chance, but you should have let them be consumed.¡±


    The cold-hearted answer I was hoping to keep tucked away bore through. I was too weak at that moment. If I wanted to be in a position to save, I needed more.


    I looked at the skyline. Some shades of blue I couldn¡¯t be bothered discerning. A harsh sunlight was beating down on me. The pillowy grass was needles in my hand. I idly stared at Nyla¡¯s dress. ¡°Will Vila be alright?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s an amazing custodian with a heart of tempered glass,¡± Nyla replied, ¡°she will recover.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± I said, letting out a sign of relief. ¡°Thinking about it now. Vila mentioned she was two hundred leaves old. How does a two-hundred-year-old fairy come to be?¡±


    ¡°Immense accumulation of mana. I only have twelve in total. Each of them was carefully raised in a greenhouse of lullabies,¡± Nyla replied. I reeled in shock. To think a dozen were in charge of managing a forest that I¡¯ve only seen the edges of.


    ¡°And how long can fairies live?¡±


    ¡°Indefinitely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad I can be friends with her for at least a portion of that infinity,¡± I said, gazing at the horizon.


    ¡°Sallix, only in crisis or in absent mind can you deign to look me in the eyes. When your mind realizes, you shrink back. What happened to you?¡± Nyla asked. My heart clenched.


    ¡°It¡¯s a memory I want to keep buried.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Remember, those buried will come to bloom.¡±


    ¡°Where are the other reincarnations you mentioned?¡± I asked. Although they died quite early, it would be a shame not to compare notes about Himavanta.


    ¡°They all left, some could not be bothered living once more and dissipated,¡± Nyla said. ¡°The horrors of two deaths in one set of memories is something mortals are incapable of preparing for. None of them managed to meet a little fairy to cast mending.¡±


    ¡°So I was just lucky.¡±


    ¡°Are you hearing yourself? Regardless, being lucky also counts as part of who you are and who you will come to be. You used it well and continued to grow. Vila saw that first hand,¡± Nyla said.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry for getting Vila involved,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Your apology is not my right to receive. She needs to hear that sentiment from yourself when you wake.¡±


    I swivelled my head to her. My downcast eyes screamed for answers. Her furrowed brow and pained eyes were replaced with a tasteful glee. Her mouth curled to the side. ¡°Wait, I¡¯m still alive?¡± I asked.


    Nyla jumped and planted her feet in front of me. Her hair billowed with the wind blowing across the cliffs. ¡°You took tremendous damage, you suffered but have not failed Sallix!¡± she yelled. My ears burned hearing her words. ¡°When you wake, protect Himavanta and Krailas.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± I said, a grin forming over my face. There were so many things I had yet to do. Find Vila, tell her I was sorry, making sure Haunt did not eat any children, learning from Vehyr¡­


    ¡°I knew he had it in him!¡± screamed a voice. We looked behind us to see the former crowd of animals back at our feet. A raccoon was in the midst of getting jumped by a group of hamsters with miniature unicorn horns.


    ¡°Oh look what you did, you were always the chatty one,¡± sighed the manticore. He was in the middle of face-pawing.


    ¡°Get him boys, it just ain¡¯t right, rustle him for all he got,¡± said a slightly larger hamster riding the top of the manticore¡¯s head. The raccoon was submerged in sea of brown and white cottonballs.


    ¡°Can I be a manticore?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Your soul is slowly recovering. But unless you become a great sage that can dictate the fate of cities¡­¡± Nyla laughed to herself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short kid. Maybe with a few centuries of practice, you can join me,¡± the manticore replied. His scorpion tail flicked about with a mind of its own.


    A wave of nausea sent me spiralling to my knees. Two badgers supported my arms as I struggled with the ground.


    ¡°Annnnd he¡¯s coming out of it. Damn shame, we could have asked how Earths been doing all these years,¡± complained a deer. Nyla shot it a coy smile. It stood still in her headlights.


    ¡°And,¡± she said, peering down at me, ¡°remember to protect your friends, including that new spider fellow!¡± Her finger tapped against my forehead.


    ¡°Sleep.¡±

 Chapter 10: Blue Seas Turn Into Mulberry Fields

    Sounds of scratching rattled me awake. Mana nodes lit up the around me. A small node lit up beside me¡­and a small animal with a bushy tail was using my body like a backscratcher. I peered down at it, a yellow squirrel was ready to take a leek against my trunk¡­trunk?


    I grabbed a hold of myself. My makeshift leaves for arms were now the size of meter-long branches. A tight-pitched screech pierced the air, and the critter bounded away.


    The vision I so desperately craved since I arrived in Himavanta was here. I poked around my ¡°eyes.¡± Of course, they weren¡¯t eyes. The wound that the wolf gave me had healed and formed a tree hollow. My window into the world was through my first near-death experience.


    My world was a lot bigger than before. Not only my arms, but the roots beneath me had stretched throughout the entire meadow. I tried tracking how deep my taproot went, just pure darkness.


    ¡°UAefblaiefjdsgafaiuwfaw,¡± mumbled an audience. Their voices rumbled through my roots beneath me. The earth was communing with me. A deeper focus and a larger mana sense were needed.


    And there I found it: hundreds of small glitters. Attached along my roots were strands of silk growth, running outwards to the forests beyond. Their voices were all hogging one transmitter. This might be what I need.


    I consciously took a breath. Pores that were only useful as a hair blower reached critical mass. Enough concentrated together in a single spot? I had the beginnings of speech.


    ¡°H-hello?¡± I said. The guttural screech of a diseased invalid raged out from me. I need to fine-tune the details. While speaking as a person, your lips and tongue already moved to form basic pronunciation. Manually moving multiple pores for different vowels and consonants would drive me insane. Practice, more practice is needed.


    The voices below denied a reply. A speaking tree is enough of a surprise, I can¡¯t expect everything else to be ready to speak. ¡°Haunt, are you still there?¡± I asked, my worbled voice travelled through the empty meadow. The lion¡¯s manes were still there, accompanied by new growths of lilacs and hydrangea.


    There were no mana signatures on me. How long was I unconscious for? Haunt, Vila? What happened to you guys?


    ¡°Nest successfully disturbed. Hunt also disturbed, active hunting inefficient,¡± replied a monotone voice.


    The scurrying squirrel that managed to scurry a few meters away stood still in place¡­and collapsed to the ground. On top of it, specks of brackish mana appeared. They filled out the small, no, bigger body of an eight-legged¡­friend. Ain¡¯t he a lot bigger now? Haunt had grown from the size of Vila to a small child. How long did that take him? Haunt dragged the slowly fading animal towards me.


    I finally glanced at him with my own eyes. A jumping spider the size of a terrier. He¡¯s a living nightmare. His two fangs eclipsed the size of the squirrel he carried. Despite his size, without mana sense, it looked like a black hole was traversing the ground. Light did not escape from his glossy shell. Where his body ended and eyes began was a mystery to me.


    ¡°Haunt, is that you? What happened when I fell asleep?--¨C¡± I stopped myself; I hadn¡¯t asked the most important question yet. ¡°Are you and Vila okay?¡±


    ¡°Too many questions, let me feed first.¡± Flecks of mana were greedily vacuumed into him. Bundles of leaves blocked my view. After a few bated seconds, Haunt climbed onto one of my branches and laid down.


    ¡°After you sleep, she took care of kids and gave them food. After they left, she fell to ground. Very tempting snack.¡±


    ¡°¡­you didn¡¯t eat her right?¡± I asked hesitantly.


    ¡°No!¡± yelled Haunt. The sudden change in tone shocked me. The dead voice that was symbolic of Haunt¡¯s indifference disappeared.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for doubting you.¡±


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t eat friends,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Well? Please continue.¡±


    ¡°Two other bugs came and took her away. The purple lady was there.¡±


    My mind froze. ¡°You let them get away?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No other choice. Vila hurting from inside, they said know how to help. Took her deeper into the forest. Purple lady said many things. Wanted to kill you,¡± Haunt said. Vehyr treated Vila as a cherished sister, for her not to kill the cause of the whole mess was a stroke of luck. I¡¯d have to personally apologize to her, too.


    ¡°How long has it been since? We might be able to catch up to them! I need to apologize to her,¡± I said. I struggled to lift myself up. My roots began to tear from the strain. The taproot had dug meters deep into the dirt, I¡¯d risk uprooting everything, days of progress to leave here.


    ¡°It has been twenty winters,¡± he said dejectedly. My roots stopped shifting. The sound that echoed through the meadow was the occasional buzzing of insects.


    ¡°Haunt, you stayed here for twenty years?¡±


    ¡°You stayed silent and grew. I stayed and grew too. Hunt things to feed you¡­¡± Haunt¡¯s voice trailed off. His meat snack was done. He proceeded to drop the carcass into a small hole that was dug next to me.


    How long did spiders live for? Did I miss out on everything? Would Vila even remember me? A branch gingerly reached towards Haunt. A long leg grasped the end. ¡°Thank you for staying, Haunt¡­thank you for being alive,¡± I whispered.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    ¡°Sallix is friend,¡± he replied. Another root gingerly wrapped around Haunt¡¯s body. A moment passed with neither of us speaking. ¡°Why asleep for so long?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Nyla said it was because of how much damage I took.¡±


    ¡°I thought you died. Collected food for you.¡±


    My mind was flooded with all the potential bugs and animals Haunt could have hunted. Ya know what, don¡¯t ask questions you don¡¯t want the answers to. I gripped him tighter. ¡°Thank you for helping me heal a lot faster.¡±


    ¡°Had to keep friend alive.¡±


    Twenty years, how much has changed? ¡°How long does your species live for Haunt?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Until we die.¡±


    ¡°Crazy statement Haunt, absolutely wild,¡± I sarcasted sarcastily.


    He squirmed out of my grip. ¡°No, we die only when we are killed. Purple woman said spiders live forever with food. This why Mother ate my brothers, sisters,¡± he said.


    ¡°Is she still alive?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Not sure, if she gets too hungry she will consume herself.¡±


    ¡°She sounds absolutely lovely,¡± I said.


    ¡°She is terrifying,¡± Haunt corrected, ¡°She eats terror-raptors whole.¡±


    ¡°I hope we never meet her.¡±


    ¡°Me too. She will use you to clean fang. I saw her one winter. Too busy sleeping to see me.¡± Having a dog-sized spider was enough nightmare fuel for one day. To meet one potentially the size of something bigger¡­


    I still expected a smaller third voice to chime in. ¡°There¡¯s a girl we should meet again though,¡± I said. The image of that painted smile she had on when healing me reappeared in my mind. She forsook so much for a plant like me.


    ¡°She is annoying¡­¡± Haunt interjected, ¡°But life without her is inefficient.¡±


    ¡°Damn right. Haunt, you wouldn¡¯t happen to remember which direction they took her would you?¡±


    ¡°Of course. To where the sun rises,¡± he said, pointing a leg off into the distance.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re heading east then. Deep into the forest, where monsters live¡­where your mother lives Haunt. Are you really okay with that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°One choice made, one path to follow.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t waste any more breaths, we¡¯re leaving this place,¡± I replied.


    The sounds of hundreds of papers being torn thundered across the meadow. Root systems came undone, dirt rained down. Instead of controlling a few roots, it was now hundreds. I was a far cry from my days digging with a single root as an acorn. It was not a clean divorce, thousands of tiny root hairs that were barely clinging on to begin with were left in the soil.


    The final root, my taproot, struggled the most. It clawed the furthest underground, without it, I probably would have starved to death in the winter months. To finally wrench it apart, it took a concerted effort from Haunt¡¯s webs and my schizophrenic shaking.


    With the last root taken out of the ground, I took one last look at the mana signatures. Thousands of blades of grass thrashed out, mana scattered like sand on a dune. All the flowers were ruined, it was as if an earthquake had passed through.


    ¡°Terrible waste. I planted those,¡± Haunt complained.


    ¡°What?! Why didn¡¯t you say so sooner? I coulda avoided¨C¡±


    ¡°I am sarcastic,¡± Haunt interrupted.


    ¡°¡­Nice one.¡± I took in the surroundings one last time. I had lived in Himavanta for twenty years. Now it was time to explore it. Thunderous quakes roiled through the area.


    ¡°Sound. No prey,¡± Haunt complained again.


    It is what it is. Let¡¯s go. Hundreds of small roots began dragging me to my friend.


    **********


    The occasional bird chirping accompanied us, as we trudged through the forest floor. Haunt would swing side by side, taking a gander from views rapidly passing us. Luckily, no creatures came to assault us.


    After a few hours of travel, we came across an outcropping a few meters away. The trees shielded our view. The heavy breaths of a monstrous creature replaced any of the residual background noise. Haggard breaths, coupled with low-tuned roars, broke any semblance of peace these woodlands may have enjoyed.


    ¡°Do you know what this is Haunt?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No,¡± he replied, ¡°Danger. Move away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the most stealthy tree out here, can you go scout it out?¡±


    ¡°Reply,¡± he said, releasing his legs¡¯ grip on me. He disappeared through the bushes. How did Haunt grow so much over the years? How many creatures did he have to hunt? To kill? I couldn¡¯t fathom it, maybe it was good that I didn¡¯t. An unbearable weight bore down on me, could I have waited that long if I was in his situation?


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Haunt,¡± I whispered.


    He isn¡¯t the only thing who can scout now. The voices that murmured in the ground when I first woke, I could tap into them again. One of my legs struck the ground, squirming until I touched upon thin fibres.


    ¡°klbakwbrkwr?¡± asked the voices.


    ¡°You¡¯re mycelium, aren¡¯t you? Doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t directly speak to me. I know you guys talk with trees. Your network of fibres helps trees transfer nutrients with each other. You also let them know of threats, right?¡±


    The voices continued unabated.


    ¡°Y¡¯all are fun guys, wanna talk?¡±


    ¡°kau;egb;aekbau?¡± they continued.


    ¡°I just need to know what¡¯s up ahead,¡± I asked, a few droplets of sap were willed through the root stuck in the ground. The rapid commotion of voices died down.


    An image was being painted in my mind. Faint. Warm. Fuzzy. Cloudy. Nothing bad so far. ¡°So I¡¯m fine with moving on ahead? No danger?¡± No more responses, would I have to bribe them again? Haunt reappeared on my branches. On the forest floor, the shade hid any possible signatures of his movement. However, mana senses still revealed him.


    ¡°Go crazy with no friend?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, was trying to talk to the ground¡­don¡¯t look at me like that I¡¯m not crazy. What did you find anyway?¡± Haunt¡¯s beady eyes were staring into my soul. Unnerving. But, it was comforting.


    ¡°Do not know words to show. Weird,¡± he said. First the mycelium, now Haunt. Both were giving mixed signals on what we were dealing with. But, we weren¡¯t in danger. With the information we have and the growth we¡¯ve accomplished, we should be fine.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go forward then, the scouting I did showed some promise,¡± I said. A few more meters dragged through the understory and we cleared through the shrubbery. The monstrous breaths deepened as we grew near. Faint roars morphed into primordial grumbles. The ground shook behind the weight of these voices.


    One last wall of bushes blocked our few. I pushed through. I finally saw what had confused Haunt and made the fungus give off fuzzy feelings.


    ¡°¡­Why is there a man squatting a tree trunk with a bear as his spotter?¡±


    ???

 Chapter 11: Who the hell is this guy?

    ¡°Why is there a man squatting a tree truck with a bear as his spotter?¡± I asked incredulously. The mental flashbang forced the words out of me without a care for stealth. Stealth be damned, who are they???


    Luckily, my sheer dumbfoundedness did not register within the ears of the two temporal anomalies in front of us.


    ¡°We go?¡± asked Haunt. Those obsidian legs were already preparing a zipline away from this scene.


    ¡°As much as that sounds like a good plan, we can¡¯t just head east. We need more coordinates, this is the opportunity we¡¯ve been waiting for,¡± I replied.


    The figures were too engrossed even to notice our approach. Every so often, the man would squat the tree, pushing it down almost to the ground. The bear beside him stood on its hind legs with its paws outstretched underneath the man¡¯s arms, supporting his repetition.


    Long branches jutted from its brown-furred back. If we weren¡¯t coming from the front I would have assumed it was a bush. We were no more than a few paces away now. The crashing of the tree branches against the ground dulled our approach.


    The man¡¯s figure finally came into view. His face was covered by a layer of hair that grew over his eyes like vines. A thin tunic was wrapped over his towering figure. Was any part of this man not built of muscle? Every fibre and artery was straining under the immense weight.


    We finally arrived next to them. ¡°Uh, hello, my name is Sallix and-¡ª¡±


    ¡°HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA,¡± he yelled, ¡°One more rep Lesi! You got my back right?¡± His face was beet red, and ragged breaths vacated from his mouth. His shout deafened the entire area and blew leaves off of me.


    The bear roared back in response.


    I genuinely hate it here.


    Despite the weight, the man managed to calmly lower himself to the ground. He took a deep breath, his legs tensed once more. ¡°HURRRGHHHH,¡± he screeched, before explosively catapulting off the ground.


    With a tensing of his back, he chucked the trunk into the forest behind us. Whatever poor animal that may have lived in the area was annihilated instantly.


    ¡°Please, we must go,¡± Haunt begged. I could never imagine Haunt being sarcastic, but after my twenty-year sleep, I suppose fear shouldn¡¯t be anything new either. Were those tears forming in all eight eyes?


    He turned towards us. Oh no. ¡°Did you see that?!¡± he shouted. The air cavitated in the presence of his words. ¡°Thirty reps of that tree! Now that¡¯s a new personal record! Wait a second, you¡¯re not Lesi-¡ªBlarghhhhh,¡± he said before vomiting a white sludge onto the ground.


    ¡°Y-you alright there?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Damn, I told her not to make me anything for lunch, I always lift on an empty stomach,¡± he complained. His hair was doused in sweat. Its white hues matched perfectly with the vomit on the ground. Using some of the stray branches growing on ¡°Lesi¡±, he wiped himself clean.


    ¡°We go now,¡± Haunt said.


    In between his cleaning routine. His shuffling hair revealed a pair of pointy ears. He turned towards us once more. Please don¡¯t vomit on us. ¡°Well then, hello to the both of you! My name is Basil Datsyr,¡± he said, reaching a hand out towards us. A hesitant branch grasped his hand.


    ¡°¡­Nice to meet you too, my name is Sallix and this is Haunt,¡± I said gesturing at the camouflaged shadow behind me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t reveal hiding place,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure that a big spirit and the wildlife have come to witness my workout routine! And here is my best friend and spotter, Lesi!¡± he continued. The bear let out a dull bellow and laid on its side.


    ¡°It sure was something,¡± I said. Despite the circumstances, not many people can squat a tree¡­


    ¡°That bear dangerous,¡± Haunt muttered.


    ¡°Oh, Lesi? Don¡¯t worry about her,¡± Basil said, immediately shoving his head in between her jaws. ¡°She loves electric eels, so if you want to make friends with her that¡¯s how I did it!¡± he laughed.


    This guy has no sense of self-preservation! ¡°That¡¯s very cool Basil, I¡¯m here currently searching for a friend right now,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, perfect! I finished with my last set anyways,¡± he replied, pointing at the collapsed tree lying on its side. ¡°Me and Lesi can help you guys out! She¡¯s a smart cookie with that nose of hers. If you have a keepsake of your friends we can track them down,¡± he continued.


    Lesi was in the middle of living in an imaginary dreamland. Her drooling mouth occasionally bit at non-existent eels in the air.


    ¡°After she wakes up from her nap, of course,¡± Basil laughed.


    ¡°Thanks for the offer, but we don¡¯t have anything like that,¡± I replied. There were no keepsakes from Vila, nothing to remember her by. We should do a Secret Santa sometime. Vila would love that.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know where the fairies live do you?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeeesh, if it¡¯s beyond working out or eating you¡¯re out of luck. I think my mom told me but I chose to forget it. Wastes brain space you know?¡± he said, scratching his head.


    That¡¯s not how that works!


    ¡°Told you to leave,¡± bemoaned Haunt. Meeting Basil made Haunt experience the entire spectrum of negative emotions.


    ¡°Whatever keeps you blooming!¡± His ears flapped as he laughed.


    ¡°Are you an elf?¡± I asked. Were humans a dominant species here? Do I have to cozy up to a specific race? Despite being turned into a tree, I hope humanity is thriving out here.


    ¡°Huh? Yeah, I sure am, the strongest wood elf in the forest. No one else can squat or lift as much as me!¡± he said, pumping up his chest.


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    ¡°Just in the forest?¡± Haunt asked.


    ¡°Just out of the wood elves?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Life ain¡¯t worth living,¡± Basil muttered, collapsing to the ground. It took two lines to destroy the heroic ego he had displayed in front of us.


    ¡°Okay, but would we be able to ask your mom then?¡±


    Basil immediately perked up and proceeded to backflip off the group. ¡°Of course! Denizens of the forest are always welcome to our hamlet! I¡¯ll introduce you to my family,¡± he cheered. ¡°Come on, follow me,¡± he said, walking deeper into the forest. Lesi managed to wake up and follow behind him.


    ¡°They. Fearsome creatures,¡± Haunt said.


    ¡°They¡¯re certainly friendly, this might not be so bad Haunt. Cheer up. You¡¯re terrifying with how big you¡¯ve grown,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t make me retrace my steps. I hate doing cardio,¡± Basil shouted.


    ¡°Walking is not cardio!¡± I replied. A tree giving workout advice to an elf with lats big enough to achieve flight¡­laughable.


    **********


    ¡°Look, look, a group of Terror Raptors north of us,¡± Basil said. Beyond a few trees stood three velociraptor-like creatures foraging in the grass. Without Basil¡¯s directive, their light green plumage would have blended into the foliage. ¡°If I¡¯m lucky, we¡¯ll be having one for dinner, Mom makes a great stew,¡± he said. His hand gingerly cradled a rock.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re gonna try chucking it¡ªhe chucked it?!¡± My whisper morphed into a yell as I witnessed more tomfoolery today. Basil¡¯s arm was like a whip as it swung the rock through the air. It obliterated a tree beside the raptor.


    ¡°Ah shoot, I forgot I have bad depth perception,¡± he laughed. The three birds began scattering in all directions. Lesi leaped after the nearest one.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat the one he missed,¡± muttered Haunt. His figure disappeared under the cover of darkness.


    ¡°Ah the other one¡¯s already gone, but hopefully Lesi and that spider can catch the others!¡± Basil said.


    ¡°Leave the last one to me,¡± I said. My roots pierced the ground and conversed with the fungus. No change here¡­no disturbances over there¡­there! A stream of frantic and annoyed voices stemmed from the ground underneath a bush in the east.


    A big firebolt should do it. After twenty years of sleeping, the mana reserves expanded quite a bit, let¡¯s give half a try.


    The fire amassed from the resulting magic circle was as big as a basketball now. It was a far cry from the palm-sized ones I could muster practicing with Vehyr. It ricocheted off my circle and slammed into the bush.


    ¡°Were trees able to cast fire spells? You learn something new every day,¡± Basil said. I can¡¯t cast these spells in front of strangers. Hide my capabilities and find Vila.


    ¡°My tree elders taught me this,¡± I replied. Basil nodded vigorously in agreement. No thoughts exist in that brain aside from working out. I think he¡¯s safe.


    A terrified Terror Raptor with a head full of fire bounded out of the bush towards us. Its beak the size of the rest of its head, was agape in fury.


    ¡°Ah don¡¯t worry I got it this time,¡± yelled Basil.


    ¡°You sure? You missed the last time!¡± I replied.


    ¡°No, I win,¡± he said. His hand reached for another rock off the ground. Instead of the small pebble in the ground, he pulled out a miniature boulder that we were next to. ¡°Dodge this one!¡± he yelled, flinging the chunk at the raptor.


    Its head was eviscerated. The rock touched its beak like a lover¡¯s caress and then proceeded to divorce its head from the rest of the body.  What was left of it was a gory mess a few meters away.


    The headless body wandered aimlessly a few more paces before collapsing to the ground. The occasional spurts of blood from its neck reminded me of a garden hose. Metal.


    ¡°Good shot¡­¡± I muttered. I stared at Basil. His eyes gleamed with pride as he beheld his macabre art piece.


    ¡°Come, let¡¯s blood let it,¡± he said. Basil swung the corpse around like a helicopter blade as blood showered the trees around us. It took a few swings before all the blood vacated the body. He should not be allowed to smile while doing this.


    Lesi and Haunt managed to return before long. Cradled in her jaws was the corpse of a Terror Raptor. Haunt had his catch bundled in a silk wrap awaiting future consumption.


    ¡°Should we set up camp? We have three corpses to carry,¡± I said.


    ¡°Nah, my home is right over,¡± Basil said, pointing to an amorphous brown blob on the horizon. ¡°Let¡¯s have the bodies dry on your branches.¡± Basil grasped the three bodies and threw them a top of me.


    ¡°You¡­I¡­okay let¡¯s get going, I guess,¡± I said. We hadn¡¯t de-feathered or even taken out the organs. Although Basil clearly was confused about food preservation, he had the right spirit.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Haunt asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine,¡± I laughed. Basil and Lesi only meant well. There were a lot worse things one could meet in an unknown forest.


    After a couple of hours of going over streams and overgrown trees, we reached Basil¡¯s home. Looming over our heads stood a wooden palisade with stones and mud interlaced between the fencing. Two watchtowers stood on either end of a closed wooden gate. A variety of foreign letters and imagery dotted the door.


    At the epicentre were two carved roses intertwined with each other. Their obstacle was the line the gate doors made in the middle. The guards in the towers noticed our approach.


    ¡°Basil! Did you finish your routine?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°Yup, brought back a couple of friends too,¡± Basil replied, pointing at us.


    ¡°They are certainly welcome!¡± laughed the guard. ¡°Here I¡¯ll start unlocking the gate then.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Basil interrupted, ¡°They need to see my mother urgently. I¡¯m going through the old way.¡± The guard¡¯s face fell drastically to the ground.


    ¡°No, no, no, wait, wait, wait. Basil, we just recast the magic this morning, the metalsmith just redid the hinges from last time,¡± the guard cried. He leaped over the wall and started sprinting to Basil.


    ¡°Yeah, Basil it¡¯s fine, we don¡¯t want to make any trouble,¡± I said.


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s chill,¡± he replied.


    The guard did not reach us in time. It was too late. Basil sauntered up the left side of the gate and grasped it with both hands. His legs assumed his prior squatting position.


    ¡°NOOOO!¡± screamed the guard.


    The guard¡¯s screams harmonized with the grunt Basil made as he proceeded to wrench the gate off its hinges. Dull sparks of mana showered on his hair as the gate was carried off in his hands.


    Behind the gate stood a growing crowd of onlookers. A myriad of elves of all ages with the same white hair as Basil¡¯s stood smiling and clapping.


    ¡°Look at him go!¡± cheered an old man.


    ¡°This is the fifth time this month!¡± laughed a young girl.


    ¡°Mamma I wanna be like Basil in the future!¡± A kid said grasping his mother¡¯s dress.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go in!¡± Basil gestured. Lesi moved in without pomp and circumstance. I reluctantly moved through as the guard leaned against the wall. He had the face of a retail worker being told he had to come in on a holiday or risk being fired. I think Haunt fainted during the whole commotion.


    ¡°I¡¯m not paid enough for this,¡± the guard whimpered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fix it,¡± Basil said, walking in behind us. With a dull slam, he pushed the gate back in place, affixing it to the ground. ¡°That¡¯ll do the trick!¡± he laughed.


    The gate was noticeably off-centre.


    ¡°Whatever, I¡¯ll do the paperwork and call your father here,¡± the guard said. He looked at Haunt and me with curiosity, his eyes scrutinizing us. He let off a hearty chuckle. ¡°Our town has not yet seen a treant or Nighthaunter enter, much less together, welcome.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you took my line!¡± Basil said. He tapped my side. ¡°Welcome to Fleurwind!¡± he proclaimed. Trees the size of ancient redwoods stood before us. Shops were set up beneath their overgrown roots. Elves roamed the streets surrounding us, with small fireflies lighting up the pathways. Attached to the tree trunks were bridgeways connecting small homes and communities.


    ¡°Thanks for the welcome,¡± I said. There were still three corpses on top of me.

 Chapter 12: Fleurwind

    The crowd stood gathered around us. Nearby families squeezed in to take a look at our clown show.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking these Terror Raptors off of me now,¡± I muttered, shaking them off.


    ¡°Oooooh a talking tree!¡± cried a kid. His little eyes sparkled while gazing at us. I don¡¯t have any stray leaves or bent branches, do I? An old elf hobbled to me.


    ¡°Oh, bountiful tree, please keep the woodlands safe for our future generations,¡± he said. He pulled an apple from his pocket and offered it to me.


    ¡°You better get used to that,¡± Basil said, nudging me. ¡°Treants are treated with special care, they are the bridge between the silent forest and our village.¡± I bowed as I took the apple.


    ¡°Woahhh,¡± echoed the crowd.


    ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s a Nighthaunter!¡± said the kid, gesturing wildly at Haunt.


    ¡°You want to play with him? I promise he doesn¡¯t bite,¡± I said.


    ¡°Terrible friend,¡± Haunt muttered. He began dutifully chasing the kids around in a rudimentary game of tag.


    ¡°Your people aren¡¯t afraid of Nighthaunters? I heard from a friend they¡¯re some of the strongest monsters in the Himavanta,¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, we try to keep the peace with these monsters. It helps that we¡¯re both here accompanying him. If any big ones come near, we catch and release them further into the forest,¡± Basil replied.


    The crowd began surrounding Basil, asking what he was up to today. But before he could answer, his face went pale as a figure came running from the distance. A girl that looked around Basil¡¯s age was screaming at us. She and Vehyr would go well together.


    ¡°What did I say about bringing guests over without letting Mom and Dad know?!¡± screamed the girl. She managed to run up to us at this point. The crowd quickly dispersed as her words hailed the entire area.


    Next to Basil, she barely reached his chest. Her white hair was braided in a lace over her back. Rocked over her shoulder was a bow carved with a motley crew of symbols.


    Never mind, it¡¯s not rocked over. She¡¯s brutally beating Basil with it. Every hit against him was like a pebble thrown against a rock. Her eyes were continuously shooting daggers in his direction as he half-heartedly deflected her hits.


    ¡°Yen, I didn¡¯t have time to contact Mom and Dad, they needed our help,¡± cried Basil. One of his hands had pried the bow out of Yen¡¯s grasp. The other was pushing her head away.


    ¡°Excuses,¡± she yelled. She turned to look at us. I took a quick glance at her face. It held a striking resemblance to Basil¡¯s. Her blue eyes were squinting in Haunt¡¯s direction. ¡°He¡¯s not coming near our food stores alright?¡± she said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t plan on abusing your hospitality, we just have some questions for your Mom. Basil mentioned how knowledgeable she is,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh alright then,¡± she smiled. It was unnerving how quickly she morphed from the wicked witch, destroyer of Basil, to the cheerful elf in front of us. ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way. We¡¯d be terrible hosts without giving a small tour,¡± she said, walking away from us.


    ¡°Your sister¡¯s scary,¡± I said.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Basil replied, throwing the raptor corpses over our bodies. ¡°She¡¯s got a lot of responsibility on her shoulders, being the next village chief and all.¡±


    ¡°¡­Basil, who are your parents?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Oh, my mom¡¯s the town apothecary and magic instructor, my dad is the village chief. We barely see him until late at night because of all the paperwork. Don¡¯t worry, they love raptor meat so you¡¯ll be in their good graces,¡± Basil replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Can you lead with that information in the first place?!¡±


    **********


    The amount of elves drastically thinned as we ventured deeper. Lighting was entirely reliant on the fireflies that flew around Basil and Yen. Their miniature lightbulbs emanated violet and blue hues across our dirt road.


    ¡°So, over there are the vertical farms, we try to keep everything as compact as possible,¡± Yen continued. Our walk into Fleurwind was filled with more wonders. Sections of gigantic trees were designated growth zones. Layers of mushrooms sprouted off their trunks and were gathered by workers rappelling off ropes.


    ¡°We can return to the market square in the morning if you¡¯re looking for anything specific,¡± Basil said.


    ¡°That¡¯d explain all the people at the gate,¡± I replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s easier for the occasional visitor and trader to come and go that way. Keeps everything contained that way,¡± Yen replied.


    The trees along our path gave way to a small clearing littered with mounds. Light broke through the forest canopy in this area. It was the only place in Fleurwind where the sun gave her full blessing. Rows of ivory carnations guarded the outskirts of the clearing.


    Yen¡¯s voice dramatically descended into a whisper. ¡°These are the dead that we lay to rest. Each of these mounds represents a family. When the time comes, the earth will reclaim their mortal bodies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful place,¡± I blurted out. The white carnations acted like a floral embrace under the watchful gaze of the sun. ¡°I¡¯m sure the dead will find peace knowing they¡¯re in such a place.¡±


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    Yen turned towards me. ¡°I¡¯m glad you agree. I figured honored Treants would get it. Outside visitors struggle with the whole non-coffin burial deal,¡± she chuckled. Despite the silence that permeated the air, there was no sense of dread that I¡¯d feel at a cemetery. Hundreds could have been laid to rest here. Yet here they were, sleeping quietly. ¡°Would you care to bless these grounds?¡± Yen asked.


    ¡°Oh no I wouldn¡¯t know the first thing about this sort of thing,¡± I said, waving my branches about.


    Yen rested her arm against me. ¡°I won¡¯t force you to then. Was just hoping to get a blessing from a Treant is all,¡± she sighed, gazing at the mounds.


    ¡°Oh Sallix, think of my poor little sister. Doesn¡¯t her eyes get so cute and sad when things don¡¯t go her way?¡± cried Basil. Yen swiftly kicked him in the shins before he could continue hijacking her sob story.


    Maybe there is something I can do, a memory from a friend. A mana circle grew beneath me. Yen stopped her bombardment and stood in awe. She immediately turned to Basil and grabbed his collar.


    ¡°You brought an Elder Treant into our town?!¡± she hissed. He stared blankly at her. ¡°You know Mom told us that any upper echelon figures of the forest should be brought directly to Dad!¡±


    ¡°I think I fell asleep during that particular lesson,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°By the gods, knowing you, you¡¯d even forget who Nyla is,¡± she cried, slamming her face into her hands. Her eyes peaked through her fingers and stared at my casting.


    ¡°I hope my intentions come through with this spell,¡± I said.


    The circle finished forming. The target? The white carnations. Mana rapidly reached out from underneath me, landing atop the flowers in front. Within seconds, they glowed a dazzling white light. Each carnation was a soul proclaiming to the sun above that it had its own grandeur and story to tell.


    Everyone stood in wonder as the flowers gave off their dazzling hues. Even Lesi managed to take a break from gnawing at one of the corpses and stare.


    ¡°Thank you, Sallix was it? This would do quite nicely,¡± Yen smiled. Her softened gaze didn¡¯t last long before registering her prior outburst. She frantically pushed Basil¡¯s head down and bowed towards us. ¡°Sorry for troubling you Sir Treant! I¡¯m sure you have important business to discuss with Lord Fleurwind,¡± she said stumbling over her words.


    ¡°Nice,¡± said Haunt. Can you not?


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it!¡± I said, trying to lift their heads. ¡°I¡¯m not what you think I am. Just a friendly tree living in Himavanta.¡±


    ¡°Ahh, of course. Just a friendly tree who can speak and cast spells,¡± Yen said, winking at us. I fear she bought into the fa?ade she made up about us.


    ¡°Anyways,¡± I continued, ¡°Where¡¯s your Mother?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, it¡¯s through our Circle of Dreams,¡± she said, walking through the flowers. Her figure disappeared through the beams of light.


    We quickly followed Yen. I twisted and combined my tendrils into larger spiralled roots in hopes of not disturbing any mounds. Who knows what kind of ghosts would emerge?


    Lesi eventually stopped following us and lay down beside one of the mounds. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her, we like to think that she¡¯s guarding the dead, even though Mom¡¯s charms would instantly kill any intruders venturing this deep,¡± laughed Basil.


    My roots bunched up even further.


    ¡°Dirt here very good for you,¡± commented Haunt.


    ¡°I am not going to desecrate a holy site dubbed the ¡®Circle of Dreams¡¯ just to get extra fertilizer in my diet,¡± I whispered to Haunt.


    ¡°Very good dirt,¡± he emphasized. Would there ever come a time when I¡¯d need to do that?  If I train and learn, I won¡¯t have to.


    ¡°Look,¡± Yen said, gesturing at a mound near the end of the burial places. ¡°Unfortunately, we never got his name down. He¡¯s our newest arrival, may his soul rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°Who was he?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A wounded man stumbled into our village twenty years ago. Mom tried to save him, but it was too late. He desperately mumbled about his children before he passed. Travelling through this forest without a guide is a death sentence. I hope his kids survived,¡± Yen prayed.


    The dates lined up. ¡°I think we managed to save them¡­at great cost,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Good job,¡± Basil said, slamming my back. Yen with immense speed knee-ed him in the groin.


    ¡°I told you to be respectful in front of our guests,¡± she muttered, ¡°stop causing a scene in front of the dead! Anyways, we¡¯re here,¡± she said.


    Behind the rows of flowers rested a simple wood hut. Bushes and trees were woven to form the walls, and rows of vines branched from the top, creating an enclosed roof. Small wisps of smoke could be seen wicking through the leaves.


    ¡°Nice! Mom¡¯s home,¡± Basil said, running towards the house. Yen glanced at us with furrowed brows and downcast eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s honestly nothing. Basil¡¯s a great person. We don¡¯t hold anything against him,¡± I said.


    ¡°We?¡± asked Haunt.


    We hurried along to the door. I took one last look back at the burial grounds. Before the man¡¯s spot stood a blonde-haired figure. His form was camouflaged with the beams of light shining off the flowers. He gave a brief smile before disappearing into the air.


    It¡¯s confirmed. Ghosts are real. ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± I smiled back. A tree smiling with its hollow could cause hundreds of childhood nightmares. No more smiling.


    Basil stood waiting against the wall. ¡°Guests first,¡± he said, opening the door.


    It opened into a cozy kitchen with a dining table nestled in the center of the room. A tall figure stood near a few potted plants on the windowsill with their back facing towards us. The wind from outside tumbled their porcelain hair. They turned to us.


    It was the nostalgic view of a proud mother¡¯s face. As she smiled at us, it looked like stars were dazzling off her smile.


    ¡°We¡¯re home Mom,¡± shouted the siblings. They bounded to her arms as a hand wrapped around each figure.


    ¡°Welcome home, Basi, Yeni,¡± smiled the woman. She looked towards Haunt and me, her eyes smothered any fears I had before the meeting. There was no doubt or surprise in her expression, she had the same gently woven aura. ¡°My name is Daena Datsyr, care to introduce your two friends?¡±


    ¡°Oh right, so this is Sallix, and that little fella is Haunt. They¡¯re smart cookies that need your help going to the home of the fairies,¡± Basil said. One arm was busily reaching for a batch of dried fruits lying by the counter.


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you two, come over little Nighthaunt, being surrounded by my son and your predator must have scared the fangs off your face,¡± she murmured.


    Haunt scurried off me and wandered sheepishly to Daena. She laid her hand on his head, sorting loose hairs off it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him do that,¡± I said in amazement.


    ¡°Nighthaunts are poorly understood creatures. The monster encyclopedias merchants peddle certainly don¡¯t help their case. Furgle Bears love to eat these younglings. Lucky for him, Lesi only likes eels,¡± Daena laughed.


    ¡°He sure is,¡± I chuckled nervously. Daena glanced back at me.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I can tell his journey lies with you, Sallix. I won¡¯t be stealing him away,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°No, no I didn¡¯t mean to assume,¡± I said. Daena gestured at Basil and Yen, they slinked away and sat at the table. Daena brought over a dish of dried fruits and sat down beside them.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, ¡°You¡¯re not a Treant, are you?¡±

 Chapter 13: Family Business

    Yen¡¯s mouth froze mid-chew. The dried fruit in her hand slipped and fell to the ground. ¡°I thought he was¡­¡± she mumbled to herself.


    ¡°Well, duh, you did say he was an Elder Treant or something, right?¡± Basil said, continuing to pop dried dates like popcorn. Daena glanced at him with a warm smile.


    ¡°No, Sallix is neither an Elder Treant nor a regular Treant. I can see why Yen was confused at first. Treants are the only kind of plants that speak with the living. The elders of their species eventually learn how to harvest mana from the earth and sun,¡± Daena replied.


    Haunt crawled next to me. We stared at each other. A few whisps of silk were already strewn from his spinneret.


    I looked back at the Datsyr family. Yen was bobbling between Daena and me, Basil was too busy to react, and Daena was resting her head against her hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine Haunt,¡± I said. I looked back into Daena¡¯s azure eyes. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m not a Treant. I did not intend to deceive you guys. I was reincarnated as a tree twenty years ago. Right now, I just want to grow stronger for Himavanta, and my friends.¡± Daena continued staring.


    ¡°Uhh, Mom?¡± Yen asked.


    ¡°I could tell you had abnormal habits. If you wish to continue masking your purpose, try to look into how Treants act,¡± Daena smiled.


    ¡°What gave me away?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too lively,¡± she laughed. The tension in the air dissipated. Not to say there was much to begin with. It¡¯s tough to set a tense atmosphere when it¡¯s consistently being disrupted by Basil¡¯s lips smacking away. ¡°Treants are slow and deliberate with their speech. They take their time with life,¡± Daena continued.


    ¡°Am I doing it wrong?¡± I asked. For my whole life in Krailas, an itching doubt was growing in the corner of my mind. Was I doing enough? How do I become a person worthy of defending this place?


    ¡°Wrong?¡± Daena asked. Her lips pursed at my question. She looked at Yen and Basil. ¡°Who am I to tell you what is right or wrong?¡± she said, stroking her children¡¯s hair.


    ¡°You see, this is why I don¡¯t go to her for lifting advice. She¡¯s too nice about it. How am I supposed to die underneath the weight with that?¡± Basil said, batting away Daena¡¯s hand half-heartedly. His head was leaning into her hand.


    ¡°Not Mom¡¯s fault she doesn¡¯t lift!¡± Yen shouted. ¡°Unlike you, Mom can cast a spell and destroy all your muscles like that!¡± she said, snapping her fingers.


    ¡°Boring,¡± Basil muttered.


    Daena looked at the two siblings bickering. Her hands continued playing with their ivory hair. ¡°I remember being pierced with arrows of doubt when I had them. But you have to move forward and continue with your conviction.¡±


    ¡°But how do you know you¡¯re not going down the wrong path?¡± I asked.


    Daena¡¯s eyes strayed to the window beside the door behind me. Her eyes curved into crescent moons. ¡°You have the right support system, where mutual nurturing is something you look forward to. Something that¡¯s not a chore to perform.¡±


    The doorway croaked open. Yen leapt to her feet and ran to the figure standing in the doorway. An elvish man walked him, his face betraying the first tendrils of age snaking through his cheeks and forehead. He grasped Yen in his arms.


    ¡°Dad¡­¡± Yen whimpered, ¡°I messed up today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not yet decided Yeni, what happened?¡± he asked, his gaunt voice meandering through our ears.


    ¡°I confused a talking tree as an Elder Treant! But he cast spells and everything so I figured it was a safe bet. Mom saw through him instantly!¡± Yen said.


    ¡°You¡¯re still young. You have much to learn at a mere eighty years of age,¡± he chuckled. Vila¡¯s already two hundred years old¡­two hundred and twenty, it¡¯s no surprise elves could live as long.


    He turned to look at us. With a slight bow he said, ¡°A pleasure, I am Lord Fleurwind. But, in this household, you may call me by my birth name, Aktaaf.¡±


    ¡°Here, sit down and talk with our guests, my shoulders,¡± Daena said. Her lips brushed against his cheeks. Their touch corroded the wrinkles dotting his face. Her hands pushed a cup of water into Aktaaf¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Thank you, my rose,¡± he replied, wrapping the scarf he wore around her neck. Daena nuzzled his hands as he finished tying it.


    Basil visibly gagged at their show of affection. It was beautiful.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, how old are you two?¡± I asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s 904.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s 1104, been entwined with her petals for over 800 years now,¡± Aktaaf smiled.


    ¡°And your shoulders have lifted me into the sun¡¯s light since then,¡± Daena continued.


    ¡°Curious,¡± Haunt said. Comparing the two parents, I was certain Aktaaf was Daena¡¯s senior.


    ¡°He works too hard,¡± she said. Daena¡¯s eyes were glued to her husband. Despite the centuries together, their love was still simmering away.


    ¡°I wish you two peace,¡± I said. The love I witnessed¡­is hard to replicate.


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    ¡°Thank you,¡± they replied.


    ¡°So,¡± Aktaaf said, sitting down at the table, ¡°What¡¯s your story?¡±


    **********


    ¡°The fairies¡¯ sanctuary¡­¡± Aktaaf said. His hands perused a hand map laid out on the table. Himavanta was stretched out along it in its full glory. Hundreds of rivers and lakes dotted the drawing. At the furthest corner stood an immense tree with roots circling the outskirts of the map. It was labelled ¡®Veledub¡¯.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on over there?¡± Basil yelled. He stood in the kitchen, busily washing the remains of the raptor stew Daena had prepared.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you cast magic to clean it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t build character!¡± he yelled back.


    ¡°Honnk mimimimi,¡± snored Yen. She had collapsed against the chair once the food coma hit. I wish I knew what it tasted like.


    Daena pulled a blanket over Yen as she walked over with a few scrolls in hand. ¡°Your father is busy labelling a safe route for Sallix and Haunt,¡± she replied. Haunt had betrayed me and was busy weaving silk crochets on Daena¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Here¡¯s the travel logs of my past expeditions,¡± she said, laying the scrolls beside Aktaaf.


    ¡°I wish I had something to give you,¡± I said. ¡°If it¡¯s possible, I can try helping with the mushroom harvesting the villagers were doing¡­I can speak with the mushrooms.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps tomorrow, you are guests here,¡± Aktaaf replied. A winding dotted line snaked across the map. X¡¯s and O¡¯s were laid along the path. The line appeared underneath his finger as he trailed across the paper.


    ¡°I hope our home is accommodating. I haven¡¯t seen Basil so up in spirits over new guests in a long time,¡± Daena murmured.


    ¡°WHAAAAAAT?¡± shouted Basil.


    I awkwardly shuffled my hollow¡¯s eye between Basil and Yen¡¯s sleeping corpse.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, she¡¯s a heavy sleeper,¡± Daena chuckled.


    Aktaaf¡¯s finger finally connected the path to Veledub.  ¡°Some habits are predictable, but not all. The X¡¯s are potential monster encounters, the O¡¯s are places of rest. Basil will know which monsters populate the path,¡± Aktaaf said.


    ¡°Consume?¡± Haunt asked.


    ¡°If you can manage it,¡± Daena smiled.


    Aktaaf furled the map and handed it to one of my branches. ¡°I will have to prepare the necessary supplies for your trip. Please stay for the night, you and Basil can leave tomorrow,¡± he said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s not too much¡­thank you so much.¡±


    ¡°You have a friend you desperately wish to seek. And Basil looks fondly upon you, what¡¯s there to fret over? Besides, it¡¯s never a bad idea to help the friend of a fairy!¡± Aktaaf laughed.


    ¡°Besides, the supplies we¡¯ve built up should be used for these kinds of circumstances,¡± Daena added. She flicked her hand as multiple magic circles overlayed on Yen. Her listless body began drifting upstairs on a bridge of blue mana.


    ¡°Basil, come with me, it¡¯s time to figure out how your training has progressed,¡± Aktaaf said, furling his hand into a fist.


    ¡°You got it,¡± he replied, chucking the last dish away.


    ¡°While they do their dance, let me show you your sleeping arrangements,¡± Daena said.


    We walked along outside the house. Dotted around its perimeter were a variety of berry bushes and herbs glowing underneath the moonlight.  Behind the house was a large oak tree with a small swing attached.


    ¡°It looks like a lot of amazing memories were made back here,¡± I replied.


    ¡°And many more to come¡­I hope you¡¯re not offended by this arrangement. I assume trees do not subsist on feathered bedding,¡± she said.


    ¡°No, a comfy bed does sound nice though¡­but this is perfect. Thank you, Daena.¡±


    My roots that had been bunched together the entire day finally unfurled. The earth was smooth and malleable within the grasp of each tendril. Haunt finally detached from Daena and climbed on top.


    ¡°So how did you manage to get Haunt so perked up?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I work within the medicine house for half of the day. It¡¯s no surprise he was lured by those scents. These Nighthaunters¡­they are nature¡¯s balancing force. Whenever one monster population grows beyond the forest¡¯s ability, a Nighthaunter arises to feed on them,¡± she said, staring at the hammock Haunt was building.


    ¡°He¡¯s a bit different.¡±


    ¡°Of course! He¡¯s very talkative for a spider. Such an amazing mind behind those eyes,¡± Daena said.


    ¡°For your food,¡± Haunt said, lowering a silk bundle to Daena. A small cap was tightly bound at the top. ¡°My venom,¡± he continued.


    ¡°Oh, you did not have to little one. But I will gladly accept this offer. Your venom is a powerful medicine when diluted and mixed with other herbs¡­have you entrenched yourself?¡± she asked.


    The final drilling of roots in the ground had subsided and settled in the new earth. The mana flowing around was at least double the concentration I felt in the old meadow. ¡°It¡¯s wonderful Daena, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You must have forgot something,¡± she interjected. Daena pulled a small flask from her hip. She poured a crimson-red fluid into the ground beside me. The intoxicating vapour of hot apple cider rocketed through my body. ¡°I concentrated some of the raptor mana into a brew. You looked very despondent during the dinner Sallix. I hope you enjoy it. I¡¯ll leave you two for the night. Have a¡ª,¡± she said.


    *CRASH*


    Sounds of glass shattering pierced the air. Basil¡¯s behemoth body slammed through the windowsill and flew into the ground beside us.


    ¡°Good try son! And that was for the gate!¡± yelled Aktaaf.


    ¡°You cheated with magic!¡± Basil replied.


    ¡°Go try again Basi,¡± Daena chuckled. She flicked her wrist as a magic circle rocketed Basil back into the house. The shards of glass grew tiny legs as they marched back into the window frame and sewed themselves into one piece. She turned back and grinned at us. ¡°Have a good night.¡±


    ¡°If mother was like her,¡± Haunt mumbled.


    ¡°She¡¯s amazing,¡± I replied, soaking in the alchemical mix she poured in. The potent liquid was spreading out through my branches. I sense a few new leaves, maybe another branch? ¡°Would you want to stay here?¡±


    ¡°No, more things to consume.¡±


    ¡°Ha! We¡¯ll work on that one Haunt.¡±


    ¡°Moon very tasty tonight.¡±


    **********


    The next morning in another part of town¡­


    A figure strolled to the gate of Fleurwind. The same guard Basil had accosted during yesterday¡¯s predicament was still on duty. The haphazardly put gate was already affixed back to its regular position.


    ¡°Going so soon?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± the figure sighed. Their hand fumbled through a few twines of violet hair that weren¡¯t washed out in the morning bath. Strands of grey hair shimmered along the side of their head, down around the ears. ¡°I did not manage to find inspirations to weave.¡±


    ¡°A shame. The other day a Treant and Nighthaunter strolled in. Sounds like that¡¯s up your alley.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but I still have a tried-and-true method left. There¡¯s a good spot on the western edges, a plant managed to catch my eye many years ago,¡± they chuckled.


    ¡°Whereabouts?¡± the guard asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret,¡± the figure teased.


    ¡°Shame, safe journeys,¡± he replied, wretching the gate open.


    The figure walked past and into the open forest.


    **********

 Chapter 14: Bad Pitches

    ¡°Is this a normal thing?¡± I asked Yen. We stood in front of their house, witnessing the clown show.


    Basil was strutting towards us with Daena by his side.  A mountain of goods and baskets were layered on top of his arms. His face, which was already covered by his ruffled hair, was now buried.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s actually below average for this week¡¯s groceries. We still have some Terror Raptor leftovers from yesterday,¡± Yen replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame that Aktaaf already left in the early morning. I was hoping to thank him before he left.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Mom and Dad have a good system down for managing things. I want to find someone to rely on just like them,¡± Yen replied with pursed lips. She stared at the two with a wistful expression.


    ¡°Too fiery,¡± Haunt muttered.


    ¡°What did that obnoxious bug say?¡± she shouted. Haunt curled behind me whilst beckoning the infuriated sister with his legs.


    ¡°Too angry,¡± he hammered.


    ¡°Hmph, stealing Mom¡¯s attention away. Basil already takes some of it, now this Nighthaunter crawls in and starts bribing her with alchemy ingredients?¡± muttered Yen. She began idly kicking dirt at Haunt as Daena and Basil drew near.


    ¡°Very mature for an eighty-year-old elf,¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Hey! We age differently than other races!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯re you two shouting about?¡± yelled Basil. He chucked the mountain of goods on the ground. Daena maneuvered out of the way as they let out a dull roar.


    ¡°Let me guess, it¡¯s just like the dishes, you don¡¯t let Daena use her magic to carry the goods because carrying them yourself builds character?¡± I asked.


    ¡°¡­No,¡± he said, twiddling his fingers, ¡°I don¡¯t want Mom to carry anything or use any magic while she shops.¡±


    ¡°My son is so sweet isn¡¯t he?¡± Daena said, squeezing Basil¡¯s cheeks. ¡°You know, when he was ten years old, he swore to me he¡¯d always carry the groceries for me¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO WAIT AT THE NORTH GATE, GOODBYE,¡± shouted Basil, booking it away from our group.


    ¡°He means well, just don¡¯t tell him I cast magic to make the goods slightly lighter,¡± she said, winking at us.


    ¡°He forgot to take any of the supplies you prepared for him,¡± Yen said.


    ¡°Supplies?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I spent some time going over my old enchantments and brews, I figured you might need them in your travels,¡± Daena said. She rifled through the mound of goods and pulled out a small box.


    Opening it revealed to us a ruby pendant, a vial, and a carved wooden figurine of a butterfly. The pendant had a glossy sheen that reflected incoming light. The vial was vomit green, with the occasional bubble fizzling at the bottom. Did the wooden butterfly move?


    ¡°Use that pendant if your group is ever in danger. It will create a protective bubble, giving me and Aktaaf enough time to fly over. Finding your friend is a big priority, but to meet her you must survive in one piece,¡± Daena said.


    ¡°Thank you¡­this didn¡¯t take too long for you to enchant, did it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fret, this is my specialty. Now, if you meet a particularly fearsome foe, use that vial of acid. I concentrated the venom Haunt graciously gave me.¡±


    Haunt covered his eyes as Daena finished speaking. One of them peaked through as she waved at him. A lingering leg gently waved back.


    ¡°Finally, after it is all said and done. If you need to fly back after finding your friend, summon my old friend. Throw it into the air and they should transmute. Please force Basil to ride with you. Knowing my son, he¡¯ll go off hunting or working out for a season,¡± Daena said.


    ¡°You have a place to keep those things? My mom put a lot of effort into¡ªmmmph!¡± Yen cried as Daena put a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°Go on, and good luck Sallix, Haunt,¡± Daena smiled.


    **********


    ¡°So, what did my mom end up giving us?¡± asked Basil. We were already out of the village. The gate rumbled shut behind us as the final bits of civilizations prostrated before the overwhelming majesty of the forest ahead of us.


    Exploring Fleurwind, the people, the shops, everything¡­that would have been amazing. But how can I be excited about that when I have a twenty-year-old overdue apology? Vila needs to be here to explore with us. Only then, and only then will I have the courage.


    ¡°Uhh, so I guess nothing then?¡± Basil asked again. His voice snapped me out of my brooding. Let¡¯s find our friend.


    ¡°Sorry, and your mom ended up giving us a few backup items,¡± I replied, showing Basil the handcrafted goods Daena had given us. He slapped his forehead and let out a dull groan.


    ¡°I keep telling her we don¡¯t need it. I¡¯m here to protect things now. She won¡¯t even need to lift a single finger,¡± he muttered.


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    ¡°You know, she does that not because she thinks little of you. She just wants to help her son. You will never, not be her son.¡±


    Basil continued marching forward, his hand fiddled with the ruby pendant. He pursed his lips¡­but they disintegrated into an early spring smile.  ¡°Yeah, and she¡¯ll always be my Mom.¡±


    ¡°Switch moms?¡± asked Haunt.


    ¡°Over my dead body,¡± he laughed. Basil curled his hands around his eyes and began peering out into the forest. ¡°Now let me scout out the forest,¡± he continued.


    ¡°There¡¯s no glass to magnify your view,¡± I said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell my eyes that! They¡¯re just starting to believe my hands. You¡¯ll never see far with that kind of attitude.¡±


    ¡°¡­So what do your elf eyes see.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, the forest is not on my side today,¡± Basil said defeatedly. His shoulder slumped down with his spirit. ¡°Maybe if I yell loud enough, the monsters will come to us!¡± he said, jumping back to his feet.


    ¡°No, I got it,¡± Haunt and I said in unison. His body had already flown into the nearby trees. I turned to Basil, ¡°what monsters can we expect?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve just started our journey, at most, we got some Pitcher Plants and a few Furgal Bears. Speaking of which¡­oh Lesi~¡± Basil shouted.


    The familiar brown bear came barreling through the bushes. Lesi tackled Basil to the ground as her tongue began noisily licking his hair. It was unfamiliar, the regular pinkish hue I expected was shattered by a tongue covered in green moss.


    Amid Basil prying away Lesi¡¯s maw, Haunt managed to return.


    ¡°Large plants in group. Further up,¡± he said.


    The fungal networks across the earth reaffirmed Haunt¡¯s scouting. Major complaints rocketed through the hyphae network. Five plants were stealing the nutrients of nearby trees.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want me to shout for the monsters¡¯ attention? I¡¯m pretty sure we can take them,¡± said Basil, flexing his biceps.


    ¡°Out of curiosity, how would you kill a ghost if you only rely on your muscles?¡±


    ¡°Clearly, if you punch anything hard enough, it will die,¡± he replied, wearing a self-satisfied smirk as if he discovered the solution to a Millenium Prize problem. The blinding confidence that Basil emitted complimented the self-doubts I had about our mission.


    ¡°Why help us? You already led us to your home and your parents helped chart out our course,¡± I asked, lifting a tree branch for the group. Lesi lazily pawed at her ears as Haunt continued fastening silk strands along her back. The occasional fly would end up getting trapped in the rudimentary bug catcher.


    ¡°Because I want to help. What else is there to justify? You¡¯re not a bad monster, are you?¡± he replied.


    ¡°No¡­I guess not.¡±


    ¡°Besides, I get some fighting experience this way!¡±


    Stumbling through the path revealed our foe. The group of pitcher plants, blown up to the size of an adult man, were arranged in a circle. Their leaves camouflaged them amongst the surrounding foliage.


    A robin flew to the edge of one of the plants. Its beak nibbled the side of the plant, licking up some of the dew that had collected. As it scurried along the edge, it made a fatal move. A foot slipped from the edge, and the bird disappeared into its gullet. It didn¡¯t have time to chirp before being drowned in the gastric acids.


    ¡°What is it doing,¡± asked Haunt.


    ¡°It¡¯s digesting a bird, menacingly!¡± cried Basil.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we avoid them?¡± I asked.


    Basil chucked a pebble onto one of the overgrown roots. The moment it hit the appendage, hundreds of smaller roots grasped the pebble tightly¡­and then let go.


    ¡°If prey doesn¡¯t fall in first, they¡¯ll grab whatever¡¯s nearby and forcefully chuck em in. You¡¯re a tree so they won¡¯t care about you,¡± Basil replied.


    ¡°Wow, thanks.¡±


    ¡°But for the rest of us, we have to kill them, their roots have spread everywhere,¡± Basil said, cracking his knuckles.


    ¡°Okay so do we burn them from a range? Would Haunt¡¯s venom work? Can¡¯t I just¡ª¡±


    ¡°AHHHHHHHH,¡± screamed Basil as he charged into the entire group of plants. Lesi concurred and roared with him.


    ¡°We abandon?¡± Haunt asked.


    ¡°No¡­we help,¡± I said with the maximum depressive lilt I could muster.


    The duo reached the nearest plant and immediately began beating at the nearby roots. Whenever a vine would grasp around either figure, the other would swiftly punch or gnaw it off. Basil¡¯s punches and Lesi¡¯s bits ransacked the plants.


    A few mana circles will do the trick. Two fireballs the size of Basil¡¯s head roared through the air and crashed into two Pitcher Plants. Their stomach acid bled out through the gaping wounds.


    ¡°Aw, it reeks of spoiled apples,¡± Basil complained, holding his nose close with a hand. A vine managed to grasp around his foot and hold him up in the air. Lesi tried to jump for him before getting similarly bound up.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine!¡± I yelled. I careened through the area, my roots smashing into the opposing plants. No attempts were made to stop my advance. I reached the plant holding up Basil and Lesi. The vines swung them around wildly in the air.


    ¡°I think I might be vacating my stomach again!¡± Basil choked.


    ¡°Haunt!¡± I yelled, ¡°Make a landing net for them!¡± Haunt skittered off the other remaining pitcher plant. Two holes were neatly pierced into its side. The former greenery had been painted violet. It lay on the ground twitching as venom spread across its nodes.


    I used up most of my mana, killing the first two plants. My roots aren¡¯t strong enough to pierce that Pitcher, maybe if I practice with it?¡ª


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s coming up,¡± Basil gurgled.


    ¡°THEN WE¡¯LL GO WITH THE OLD RELIABLE,¡± I shouted. Haunt had already made the net below the two hostages. I flexed my roots just like Basil during his squats. With one explosive movement, I flung myself into the plant, body-slamming it into the ground.


    The poor thing didn¡¯t even have a chance to react to this wooden bullet. Stomach acid exploded from its body, leaving a scattered puddle of viscera. The final purpose of this plant was to cushion my impact.


    The vines holding up Basil and Lesi dropped lifelessly to the ground. Haunt¡¯s net dulled their fall to the earth. Basil began dry heaving while Lesi¡¯s paw rested on his back.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you learn that move?¡± Basil asked in between heaves. Luckily, no fluids were vacating from his orifices.


    ¡°I figured I¡¯ve grown enough where I can throw around my weight. I also got inspiration from a certain elf,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Aww, really? Shucks,¡± he said, dramatically putting his hands on his cheeks. He turned his head away from me and bashfully stared at me.


    ¡°Disgusting,¡± Haunt said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame about the plants. If you manage to harvest the sugar from the edge of the pitcher, you can make a nice jelly out of it,¡± Basil continued. He stripped away any loose strands of vine still clinging to his tunic. ¡°Let¡¯s keep going then.¡±


    ¡°No, there¡¯s still use for them,¡± I replied. The stomach acid did nothing to me. The sap dripping out of the corpses was also emitting faint mana nodules. I draped my roots across the bodies.


    ¡°Grow,¡± Haunt nodded approvingly.

 Chapter 15: Adopt?

    ¡°CHUG, CHUG, CHUG,¡± Basil yelled, waving his arms madly like an inflatable tube at a car dealership. His arms were breaking it down in style.


    Haunt was waving his two front legs in a little dance. His front feelers twitched in the air as he followed Basil¡¯s movements. ¡°Consume, Grow, Hunt,¡± he said, repeating a mantra I¡¯ve heard him chatter on and on about.


    Lesi lazed in the back as she licked off some stomach acids from the nearby Pitcher Plants.


    Is eating the bodies of these plants really that important??? I collected the remains of the monsters we had just killed and had my roots siphoning the rest of their sap. The influx of the tender fluid rapidly filled my mana banks.


    The bodies began decreasing at a rapid rate. The once lush green remains wilted into brown sludge and viscera. The skeleton remains of the robin they ate before our intervention interjected its bleached white bones in the sunlight.


    ¡°¡­Thanks for the encouragement, everyone¡­I appreciate the enthusiasm,¡± I coughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome Sallix! It¡¯s always a pleasure to support a friend¡ª¡±


    ¡°He is sarcasting,¡± interjected Haunt. He stuck his fuzzy little spider head at me and turned away to look at a nearby tree. Don¡¯t wiggle your butt at me! The two little spinnerets at the end of his abdomen jiggled in the air. They¡¯re mocking me, I know it.


    ¡°Ah you¡¯re being such a downer little spider. I¡¯m sure Sallix appreciates our efforts,¡± Basil laughed. He poked around at the brown sludge with his foot. The hollow bodies gave no resistance as his foot crashed through the hollow exterior. There was nothing left of the former voracious plants. ¡°They taste any good?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t taste as a plant. And I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯d prefer not to taste random plant juices. But it¡¯s a lot of energy. Whatever animals they ate, I¡¯m composting into energy for myself,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Shame, I wonder if they help with muscle building¡­¡± Basil said, kneeling on the ground as he examined the flaky brown bits. He placed an elbow on his leg and rested his chin on his knuckles. What a thinker.


    ¡°Dumb man act smart. Many useless animal act poisonous,¡± murmured Haunt.


    Lesi massaged Basil¡¯s shoulders as he continued pondering into the carcasses. Was he actually going to have an epiphany over my lunch?


    ¡°Nah don¡¯t know,¡± he replied as smoke bellowed from his ears. Alas, they were only metaphorical ones. He pried a piece from the remains and crunched it between his teeth and swallowed it down his gullet.


    ¡°Why,¡± Haunt and I cried.


    ¡°I need to try. If my brain can¡¯t brain it, then my stomach will certainly stomach it,¡± he said in between munches.


    ¡°Any key insights? Any innovations coming out?¡±


    Basil maybe thought to himself. ¡°Nah,¡± he retorted.


    ¡°Why would you do that to yourself, man? Besides, that probably doesn¡¯t have good protein anyway. Chicken and eggs are probably your best bet,¡± I muttered.


    Basil swivelled his head towards me. His back was facing me when his head careened over like an owl. I guess he can overcome the laws of bodily movement when it comes to working out.


    He lunged towards me and grabbed my sides. ¡°What is this protein you speak of?¡± he hungered. His eyes leered into mine with the desperation of a seagull fighting another over the last corn chip on a sidewalk.


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s what you can eat to help with building muscles,¡± I said, regretting ever broaching this topic. A few roots attempted to pry his hands away from their vice grip. He continued his soul gaze.


    ¡°I never considered this before¡­you indeed are what you eat,¡± he said.


    ¡°What did you normally eat?¡±


    ¡°Whatever my mom cooks for us,¡± he said. The image of Daena cooking up monster meals to fit Basil¡¯s criminal appetite flitted my mind. The pile of groceries Basil carried today began to make sense.


    ¡°She makes great food no doubt. But if you optimized your diet, you could probably improve.¡±


    Basil¡¯s arms fell from my sides. Imprints of his fingers were embedded in my bark. I hope this heals over the next year. He dropped to his knees. ¡°Teach me your ways oh Elder Treant,¡± he said.


    ¡°We can use him as bait,¡± replied Haunt.


    A tree, an elf kneeling in front of it, a dog-sized spider, and a disinterested bear, a situation as obtuse as this run-on sentence.


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s walk and talk then,¡± I muttered. It¡¯s time to dig up whatever remaining memories I have of high school nutrition class. Maybe I can start up a nutritional science academy in Krailas. What a terrible premise, I need to preserve Himavanta first.


    ¡°Perfect!¡± Basil interrupted. ¡°I will take your moment of pause as further support!¡±


    ¡°¡­Sure,¡± I said.


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    **********


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll set up camp above this river,¡± said Basil. For the rest of the day, no monsters beset our path. Occasionally, Haunt and Lesi would disappear to hunt. By the end of the sun¡¯s shift, an assortment of fauna was stacked together at our campsite.


    ¡°Why not settle camp downhill closer to the river?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You could, but it¡¯s harvest season and the weather¡¯s colder in these areas. If you¡¯re downhill, all that cold air settles in and you¡¯ll be in for a bad time. Then again, if you go too high up, it¡¯ll start getting cold all over again,¡± Basil replied as his shoulders reflexively shivered.


    ¡°So you can commit brain space to stuff outside of working out?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I had to!¡± Basil shouted, ¡°Or else how can I stay for longer outside? That¡¯s where the good spots are.¡± Basil continued to shove fallen tree branches into the ground. He pulled them together at the center, forming a rudimentary skeleton of a wood tent. ¡°Little help Haunt?¡±


    Haunt begrudgingly shot some webbing into Basil¡¯s hand. With the other still holding the branches together, Basil tied a thorough knot in the middle.


    ¡°Now to find some leaves and vines to make our walls,¡± he said, clapping his hands together. In response, Lesi began collecting leaves off the ground. ¡°I¡¯ll make some stew with the meat we got in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take you to learn all of this?¡± I asked.


    ¡°A lot of trial and error. But it¡¯s worth it,¡± he said. Basil pointed at the setting sun beside us. The sun was scattering vibrant purples and amber yellows across the horizon. The sky was a canvas for the pastel watercolours. The dull orange hue was gently setting into the world. I wonder if Krailas is as big as Earth.


    ¡°Beautiful fruit,¡± Haunt said. His fuzzy legs were reaching out towards the sun. One of his fangs extended out, trying to pierce the infernal ball.


    ¡°That¡¯s a star,¡± I replied.


    ¡°What? No not that thing, I guess the sky is pretty up here. Cool colours,¡± Basil muttered. I stared at his finger again. It was aimed at a large redwood overlooking the river below us. Based on its size¡­it could fit on top of someone¡¯s back.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡±


    ¡°We consume him here, while brown thing away.¡±


    ¡°Y¡¯all don¡¯t understand the beauty of a good squat weight.¡±


    Basil finished digging out a small firepit. He pulled out a small black rod and a knife. He nestled the rod into a ball of kindling. Bundles of dried moss pried from dead branches along our journey were the base. His usually carefree eyes narrowed as he began striking the rod with his knife.


    Sparks flew out and splayed themselves amongst the dried moss. ¡°Survival is rough without magic,¡± he said. No give, the moss stayed dry. He readied another strike with his hand. ¡°Even with the right components and years of experience, you might not get it on the first try.¡±


    ¡°Can you or Yen cast magic?¡± I asked. At the Datsyr¡¯s, Daena could float Yen away into bed. Aktaaf used magic to draw on our map. There was no strain in those casts.


    ¡°Yen certainly can, but she uses it all up by the time she gets home. Practicing with Dad at work and all. The life of a future village chief is rough,¡± he said, striking at the moss again. A few puffs of smoke lazily creeped out.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°Not my style,¡± he laughed as his ears wiggled in the breeze. ¡°It¡¯s dumb to say but, I never want to rely on it. There are items and spells out there that make mana in the air useless. If I ever get hit with that, how am I supposed to survive? Besides, getting stuff done by hand has a nice feel to it.¡±


    The moss caught flame. Basil¡¯s fingers flung tiny sticks on top. We had a fire going.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I will never use it though,¡± he continued. Basil weaved a magic circle in the air. Circles overlayed on top of each other into a cylinder. A hummingbird made of starlight and summer whispers burst from the cast and flew off. ¡°Gotta tell the family goodnight,¡± he said with a smile.


    ¡°Learn magic?¡± the motionless arachnid asked. Haunt¡¯s eyes stared at the hummingbird as it turned a corner through the woods.


    ¡°Ha! Go ask my mom.¡±


    ¡°So why go out into the woods to work out? Can¡¯t you do it at home?¡± I asked.


    ¡°What did you hear first when you met me?¡± Basil replied. The image of his thunderous roar bursting any nearby eardrums viscerally tore into my memories.


    ¡°¡­Do you really have to shout each time you lift?¡± I bemoaned.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying, is don¡¯t be dry on it until you try it. The rush you get is insane.¡±


    Lesi returned with a bundle of foliage in her mouth. It fell into Basil¡¯s hands, bear spit and all.


    ¡°I got it,¡± I said, weaving the leaves and vines through Basil¡¯s tent. With tens of long tendrils at work, my roots had finished his work within the minute.


    ¡°Perfect! Now, do we have any good campfire stories or tales to go around with?¡± Basil said, clapping his hands together.


    ¡°Story of my mom killing my family,¡± Haunt replied. We stared at the spider busily sucking up a meat slushie. His eyes swivelled at us. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°¡­How about I tell you about the fairies, about Vila and Vehyr,¡± I said, inching myself away from the Debbie downer.


    ¡°Even better! I got to know about this friend you¡¯re going to visit! Does she lift?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she lifted most of my leaves off during one session¡­¡±


    Stars rippled through the night blanket. All that remained of our defiant light was a pile of smouldering embers. Basil was tucked into his makeshift tent. His snores sounded like someone being choked to death by a five-year-old child. Lesi had her paws around him, cuddling him into her furry body.


    Haunt swayed side to side underneath my branches.


    ¡°What do after finding her?¡± he chittered.


    ¡°I need to explore and grow. What we saw in Fleurwind, the kinds of people out there. I can stay rooted in Himavanta and slowly get stronger¡­that¡¯s not enough. I can get used to eating monsters if necessary.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t learn, life make you learn.¡±


    ¡°I hope you find a better family beyond your mom, Haunt.¡±


    ¡°Need to grow, to protect a family.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for being here with me¡­twenty years, I will always remember that. Let¡¯s grow together, alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    We continued gazing at the night sky. This is the second chance Nyla gave me. When I go back to her domain to stay, maybe I¡¯ll choose to be a Nighthaunter instead of a Manticore.


    ¡°Story of that song person. Find them again?¡±


    ¡°Who knows, I wonder how embarrassed they¡¯ll be when they realize I was listening the whole time,¡± I laughed.


    **********


    ¡°Hey Sallix,¡± Basil yawned, emerging from his tent. His voice shook me awake from my sleep. ¡°Is there an eclipse going on today?¡±


    A shadow had covered our entire view of the morning sun. Two bared fangs jutted from an obsidian-colored head. The pile of animals Lesi and Haunt had hunted yesterday were being feasted upon. Eight legs gripped the side of the hill we were camped on.


    Its eight eyes looked towards the piece of absolute dumbness and insanity and pain in my bark and suffering and horrendousness who just spoke.


    ¡°I want to be adopted,¡± Haunt murmured.

 Chapter 16: Matricide or Filicide?

    The gargantuan Nighthaunter loomed over all of us. Its utter existence was blasphemy to what nature had envisioned. If Haunt lingered in the shadows to hunt, his mother created them.


    Her legs were the size of trees as they held firm on the hill. Barbed hooks jutted from her feet. They clung on like a giant¡¯s hand. From the bottom, we saw her fangs busily masticating the remnants of yesterday¡¯s hunt. Waiting for digestive acids to do the trick for a spider of her size was unnecessary.


    If it weren¡¯t for Basil coming out of his tent, we might have survived this encounter. But as the first syllables creased the air and vibrated across the Nighthaunters legs, she turned to us. We looked tiny inside her tar-splattered eyes.


    ¡°Psst, if we act like a tree, maybe it¡¯ll leave!¡± whispered Basil.


    She lifted a leg into the air. It was like an intervention from the Gods ready to rain hellfire on us. My limbs were wracked in fear. I need to move. I need to¡ª


    ¡°YEAH, WE RUN,¡± yelled Basil. Lesi leaped from under their tent and flipped Basil onto her back. The physically inert animal sprang into action and sprinted down the hill. In the same motion, the Nighthaunter¡¯s leg shattered the tent they stayed in. The earth cried along the entire valley.


    I started jostling myself out of my temporary stay. Haunt crawled inside of me and began whispering. ¡°Wait. Basil and Lesi distracting,¡± he said.


    A plume of disturbed leaves flew into the air as the Nighthaunter chased after them. Every momentary second of peace the duo had was interrupted with the spider crashing onto them from above.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading out,¡± I said. We barreled down the same trail of devastation. Daena¡¯s items were still in my hollowed space. If worse came to worse we could escape. But, Basil had already run away. Who knows the range of these things?


    ¡°What are you still doing here?!¡± Basil shouted. Him and Lesi were in the midst of playing a demonic merry-go-round with the spider at the epicentre. Flashes of fangs created exponential cascades of rock around us. ¡°Get out of here while you still can!¡±


    ¡°You idiot, if you run away, how are you supposed to use your mom¡¯s work?¡± I replied.


    The Nighthaunter turned back in our direction. Her eyes scanned the area. Just a bunch of trees rooting around. She turned back to the carnage.


    ¡°We¡¯re near the river! Why not jump in there?¡± I yelled.


    ¡°And ruin whatever speed we have left?¡± Basil replied in between the fuzzy spears attempting to impale him.


    I took out the vial of processed poison Daena left behind. Its chaotic green mixture rampaged away in the small vial. Even if we hit its legs with it, assuming it did damage, there were seven more to worry about. Maybe we bite the bullet and use the pendant of protection¡­


    ¡°Haunt, how does your species hunt?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Eyes and legs. Any movement, any colours, we consume. Legs sense the wind,¡± he replied.


    ¡°Then we just need a chance,¡± I said, putting the vial inside Haunt¡¯s feelers. He lifted his head at me. ¡°Promise me, if you feel like your life is in danger, screech as loud as you can. I¡¯ll crush the pendant immediately.¡±


    Haunt gazed at my branches, peered at the vial in the clutches of his fangs, and peered at Basil. ¡°Life in danger since meeting. But, life also good. Not unlovable goblin,¡± he chattered, placing a feeler on me.


    ¡°Then wait for our signal,¡± I replied. I continued barreling over to Basil¡¯s position.


    Lesi¡¯s legs were shaking, her groans were muddled in between the Nighthaunter¡¯s roars of frustration. What should have been snacks had taken more time than she had expected. So just leave us be then!


    Another spear from the heavens raged towards the duo. Lesi remained motionless. Her jaws were outstretched with guttural breaths wheezing out of her.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay girl, you did your part,¡± he smiled, patting her head. She gently gave his hand a lick. Basil turned towards the barbed leg arcing in the air. ¡°I guess you¡¯ll be my warmup,¡± he laughed.


    ¡°HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA,¡± he screamed.


    Basil flexed his arm, years of training and screaming like a lunatic in the forest finally led up to this moment. He pivoted his entire body into his next swing. His center of gravity flowed through his right hook.


    The Nighthaunter threw down its own gauntlet¡ªseasons of consumption and growth. Hundreds of animals probably met their end as a brutalized shish kebab. Today would have been no different. But it¡¯s up against Basil. And we believe in him.


    The two unrelenting forces met mid-air. Hundreds of hairs along the Nighthaunter¡¯s leg exploded into the air. The shockwave rippled across the ground and tore open the ground beneath. She struggled to force through his fist, but ultimately her momentum shifted to the side and pierced the ground beside Basil.


    ¡°Hooo¡­¡± Basil let out a breath. His right arm slumped to his side. The skin along his knuckles was eviscerated in contact. Blood was crying out of his hand. He winced as he pulled his thumb and an audible crack rang in the air.


    *Screeee*


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The Nighthaunter pulled its leg out of the ground. The barbed hook at the end was mangled and bent in unnatural directions. A baby fissure rippled along the joints. She readied two more legs.


    ¡°I got one more,¡± Basil yelled, ¡°I really hate losing to this thing! You think we¡¯re gonna have to pop Mom¡¯s pendant?¡±


    Despite the constant jostling of battle, the ruby pendant stayed tucked inside my trunk. Enough pressure from one of my roots could do the trick. But¡­


    ¡°Throw all you got into the left one, I got the right one!¡± I yelled back. I stood next to Basil. Maybe this spider only saw trees as things to run over, but I¡¯ll be forcing this one to adapt! ¡°When did you become a quitter?¡± I laughed.


    ¡°Ha! You¡¯re damn right, first this Nighthaunter, then what? I take a break from lifting and finish the set the next day?¡± Basil replied. He turned to face Lesi, she was still trying to catch her breath. ¡°Spot me, will ya?¡±


    She pulled back her two legs in the air.


    ¡°A similar happened years ago,¡± I shouted. A slideshow of a towering wolf sinking its fangs into me. A fairy casts a spell against a forest resident for the first time in her life. A spider trying desperately to patch up a bruised plant. I got involved in a situation I had no control over.


    ¡°Okay?! And?!¡± Basil cried. A grey eye peaked through his shaggy hair. There were strokes of disbelief in those pupils as he looked at me. Lesi stood firmly behind him with her paws pressed against his back.


    ¡°This time,¡± I yelled, ¡°I¡¯m well aware of what we can do!¡±


    She plunged her legs at us.


    Basil can meet her attacks head-on. With how I¡¯m built, I¡¯m lucky if she rips right through me. But you don¡¯t need to directly block it.


    I shifted my entire body towards her right leg. Its target was Basil. His face was flushed with sweat as he trained his eyes on the left incoming leg. He didn¡¯t spare a glance at the other leg.


    ¡°You sure you can handle all that momentum?¡± I yelled at the spider. I lunged at the leg as it cruised towards Basil¡¯s head. My trunk slammed into its side. The leg shifted a few centimetres at most. The momentum was too strong, the off-target leg impaled the ground next to Basil¡¯s foot.


    The other leg? Basil¡¯s left arm was covered in blood. More skin peeled off¡­but it worked. Both legs were stuck in the ground a ways from their original target. The ground churned up dust as the Nighthaunter flexed her joints.


    ¡°Grab a hold of her!¡± I yelled. My tendrils slithered across one of the legs, painting it in a writhing mass of roots.


    Basil gritted his teeth. Blood was seeping through his lips. Both of his arms were now obliterated from her hits.


    ¡°Ha! They¡¯re absolutely screaming, but that just means they¡¯re not dead yet! This is the best workout I¡¯ve done yet!¡± he roared. He commanded his arms one last time like the captain of a sinking ship. He gave the other leg a bear hug and pulled down with all his might. His heart sent more blood to his wrecked arms, bursting out more spurts of blood. He anchored down the leg.


    Lesi stood next to us biting mercilessly at both legs. Her teeth raked against the chitinous plating. Green blood burst from her assaults.


    The Nighthaunter screamed and struggled to wretch her legs out of our trap. The ground beneath us crackled and boomed under the pressure. My tendrils snapped from the weight while Basil¡¯s bones let us abyssal cracks and moans.


    ¡°What,¡± he croaked, ¡°now?¡±


    ¡°Okay I¡¯m out of ideas,¡± I said.


    ¡°WHAT?¡± he yelled, popping his eyes at me. Despair was painted across his face like the black dress of a Victorian widow.


    ¡°Nah I¡¯m joking,¡± I laughed. I eyed an itsy bitsy spider jump from a tree and land on top of his mother¡¯s spout. Choosing her fangs of all places was perfected insanity.


    ¡°Can¡¯t flex fangs,¡± cackled Haunt. The mini chitters he oozed out were like dull chalk against a blackboard. It was music to our ears.


    *CRASH*


    Haunt smashed the vial of acid held in his fangs across his mother¡¯s eyes. It toiled and troubled across her eyes. Smoke billowed from her front eyes as the acid melted those hardened pupils. She roared again as all legs spasmed along the ground. The panicked sweep of one leg slammed into us and pushed us off her legs.


    ¡°Get off of her Haunt!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°Talk too much,¡± he replied. He gave his work another cursory look. His spinneret danced back and forth at the destruction he caused. Haunt leaped away from the convulsing mess of a mother and landed in my branches.


    The Nighthaunter viciously tried swatting away at the remaining acid bubbling away. Her movements sporadically knocked over trees around us. There was no time to hunt.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting out of here!¡± I yelled. I pulled Haunt inside my hollow and booked it towards the river.


    ¡°What? I thought we were gonna kill this thing!¡± replied Basil. Lesi rolled her eyes and flung him on her back and began running with us. Basil stared lifelessly at the flailing spider behind us. ¡°But¡­¡± he muttered, ¡°imagine all that protein¡­¡±


    ¡°Good luck trying to kill the thing! We managed to blind it for now, who knows if we got all of its eyes. Let¡¯s get out of here before it recovers!¡± I shouted back.


    Haunt stared back at the carnation taking place. Every so often he¡¯d tilt his head to one side, then the other. Was it to get a better look?


    ¡°Do good?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You did amazing,¡± I laughed, ¡°Your venom is no joke, no wonder Daena was delighted to have it!¡±


    ¡°I am good spider,¡± he declared triumphantly.


    ¡°No,¡± I said. He turned his head towards me. He slumped his little feelers down. ¡°You¡¯re an amazing spider Haunt!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I do good?¡± yelled Basil.


    ¡°Everyone did amazing! You guys are the few people that would try this with me!¡± I cried. The slideshow of my first injury ran through my mind again. This time, no intense hibernations or friends breaking a taboo. We managed it together. ¡°And ya know what? We¡¯re picking up the last amazing member in a bit!¡±


    Our group reached the shores of the river, its current flowed north through dense canopies. Lesi and Basil stood gasping for breath. The tree without a mammalian circulatory system and a spider that rode it stared at the two meatbags. Heh.


    ¡°Basil,¡± I asked, pulling out the map Aktaaf gave us. ¡°If we rode this river north, you think we can shorten the path?¡±


    Basil turned his eyes towards the dotted line his father elegantly etched for us¡­then bluntly moved his finger across it with the tact of a brick through an orphanage window. ¡°If we ride this current for the day, we cut down on almost a week¡¯s travel¡­but I miss out on working my calves along the mountain trails.¡±


    Basil pondered the ramifications as I wrapped a root around his waist. ¡°Yeah we¡¯re taking this route,¡± I said, jumping into the river.


    ¡°I can¡¯t swim!¡± he yelled.


    ¡°Just climb on ya big baby,¡± I said. I lay flat against the current as the river pulled us away from the screeching spider in the distance. Basil shambled on top of my trunk alongside Lesi. We gazed at the botched scenery behind us.


    ¡°Most of my supplies were still in that tent,¡± Basil mumbled.


    ¡°You manage to take any optimism?¡±


    A mother nor her child died today.