Since Alice and the group were considered guests to the Elves, the rest of the work was given to other people. Any remaining first aid was handled by them as Karya had kindly brought everyone out of the danger zone.
Yuna gave them a briefing on what to do while Solana...
"Uwaa... That’s a big one."
She was fishing before letting the fish back into the pond.
Watching Solana fish, Alice couldn’t hold back and walked up to her.
"Do you like fishing?"
Solana glanced back without pausing her actions.
"Somewhat. It’s enjoyable."
Taking a seat next to the eccentric Abyss Lord, Alice watched the ripples spread across the surface before calming down.
"I think it’s a little beyond enjoyable if you made your main weapon a fishing rod haha." Alice joked while Solana simply shrugged.
"Well... I was thinking a normal wound from a standard cold weapon was pretty easy to patch up. But if I hook them and drag my hook across their body in all sorts of directions, it’ll be harder to heal."
". . ."
"Plus, with a hook, it can latch onto places you never expect. Imagine if you’re fighting then the hook latches under your nail, in your nose, ear, ass or even private parts depending on your gend-"
"Okay I think I get the picture." Alice’s smile twitched.
Truly, any conversation with this girl was led down a path of grim notions.
Seeing Alice’s face, Solana exhaled softly.
"There’s nothing special about what I do or what I choose. It’s simply whatever I happen to be somewhat good with." Solana spoke with a bored expression.
" I have no aspirations. No dreams. I’m not lazy but I’m not exactly enthusiastic. I’m like a piece of drift wood, letting the world take me wherever it wants.
"I happen to be good at using fishing rods so I chose it. I happen. To have a good compatibility with the Abyss so I became a peak Lord. Honestly... I wouldn’t have minded to swap places with my Sister. She was someone who wanted to see the world. Someone with a set of cheerful dreams unlike me..."
Clenching her fist around her fishing rod, Solana sighed.
"Instead she’s stuck in this realm while I work under the King. A bit unfair don’t you think?"
Surprised by her moment of seriousness, Alice smiled and nodded.
"I know what feeling. I’ve lost a few friends who I think deserved more. There’s also a scientist that I know. A genius of the highest calibre. Sadly, the Abyss had completly rejected her. Not a single Sigil was allowed in her body." Alice leaned back.
"But she made the best of what she had. She sought to achieve her dreams and proved to be stronger than most with just a normal frail body and a bunch of gadgets. Impressive right? On the other hand... I’m someone with a very simple dream. One that I only got recently if I’m being honest. And yet, I’m blessed by the Abyss."
There were moments when she wondered, why her? Could she have loved a normal life?
But that was simply a delusion. She came to be because of Nyer. There was only two paths set out for her from the beginning. Either she succeeded or she died as another failed experiment.
She has this luxury to daydream because she succeeded. That’s all it was.
Shaking her head, Alice stood up and held out a hand.
"This might be me being nosy, but if you want, I can take a look at your sister’s body and see exactly what’s keeping her tethered to the realm. Severing that realm while the Lord of Life is next to me should help her get rid of the side effects."
Hearing this, Solana’s eyes widened. She saw what Alice had done with the contracts.
However, she didn’t expect it could be done this way as well. If her sister could explore the world with her own eyes...
"Don’t tell her I requested it though. I’ll be grossed out if she started acting all mushy with me." Solana pulled a face of disgust before accepting Alice’s hand.
"Of course." Making their way back, Alice already noticed Yuna showing a few signs of weakness.
Pale face, a slight wince in pain. The longer she stayed out, the more severe these symptoms will become.
No different to slowly drowning...
###
Sucking in a large breathe of air, Yuna exhaled with a big smile.
"Much better. Right then... Where were we?" Yuna asked.
Instead of Alice and the others replying, it was Solana.
"We’re going to the grove before bringing them to the leader and the elders." Solana sat on her water serpent. She offered a seat to Alice but she simply pointed at Ruby with a chuckle.
Yuna raised an eyebrow. She hadn’t expected Alice and Solana to get close so quickly.
But seeing her sister socialise... A soft smile appeared on Yuna’s face.
"Alright, since we wasted a lot of time dealing with the beast that showed up, let’s get to the grove quickly."
The Grove was located near the base of the world tree. Even if Yuna hadn’t mentioned it, Alice would’ve made an educated guess based on three factors.
First, the sheer size of the bubble.
While most island bubbles in this realm were large, most were equal in size. However, there was a handful that dwarfed the others I. Size. One at the top, one at the base, and a couple spread through the middle.
With that in mind, one could determine it’s importance based on island size.
Second was the way it was being ’presented’. Colossal roots and veins wrapped around the base of the bubble, protecting it from harm. Invisible strands of energy circled around the border, ensuring that nothing suspicious could slip through.
With this level of defence, one might mistake it for the home of the Council of Elders.
And the third reason...
Reaching into her pocket, Alice pulled out the sapling gifted to her by Renna.
She thought she had left her tears behind at the funeral she held for her. And yet... Seeing this branch react to the World Tree, to the Grove, Alice found herself holding back tears once more.
’I’ll definitely protect this place, drinking buddy. I promise.’ Alice wiped her tears away as her eyes now burned with a renewed determination.
She won’t let the regrets of the past and her own sorrows to become shackles that holds her back. She’ll use it as fuel to remind herself to do better.
That they sacrificed themselves so that she could be here today.
She couldn’t let them down with a pathetic display. She had to live up to their expectations. To be better.
As they filtered through the barrier surrounding this island, the full view of the sacred grove was now opened to them.
A vast forest stretching into the horizon. Ancient trees that stretched towards the ’sky’ while different shades of emerald shifted beneath sunlight.
The inside of the bubble acted as a false sky. It had it’s own day and night cycle and the natural elements.
An island sanctuary supplied with everything necessary for the World Tree’s growth.
This is where they would monitor it’s health and the connection to various realms. This was where a new Lord of the Sacred Grove would be born.
Closing her eyes, Alice could feel the familiar yet unfamiliar energy. Familiar in the way that this was Renna’s authority at one point in time. When she could summon the realm to her location in order to boost her power.
Yet...
Unfamiliar in the ways that lacked her warmth. Her energy and her personality. It was simply another bundle of energy waiting for the next inheritor.
Located in the centre of this bubble was the trunk of the World Tree. Or rather, a sizable root of it that pierced through this bubble.
If they wanted to fit the entire width of the Tree, they would need an impossibly large island bubble to hold it all in.
Capturing this sight into her mind, the group landed on the ground.
Yet the moment they did, flowers began to bloom beneath their feet.
Alice thought it was the light playing tricks on her eyes but that was not the case.
Emerald energy stretched from the grove as a path of flowers opened before them. A welcoming of sorts.
Then, from the branch, a green silhouette slowly took form.
"!!!" Widening her eyes, Alice bit her lips. It had no facial features but Alice could tell...
Though maybe it was simply a hallucination induced by her wishful thinking. Either way, Alice watched as the silhouette drift into the distance, returning to the World Tree.
The lingering traces of Renna that she left in the branch was gone.
Closing her eyes, Alice composed herself and made her way forward while the others kept silent.
All that remained was a branch blessed by the world tree.
Walking through the forest, it was soon clear that there were a few eyes looking at their group. Specifically, Alice who possessed the branch of the world tree.
By the time they arrived at what could be considered an entrance to the place, a single woman waited for them.
An elderly one with wrinkles across her face and a set of eyes that seemed more exhausted than anything. There was a speck of hope in her eyes that quickly extinguished them she saw Alice.
Tears that she struggled to hold back as she bowed to the group.
Her voice cracked but she didn’t cry out.
"Honoured guests... We have been notified of your arrival. Renna... Has left us a task and we have news that we must share with you."
Chapter 1105: Entering The Sacred Grove
8 min read