With Edward's return and the addition of Chibari and her family, Kaede no longer had any reason to remain in the eastern part of the Great Forest of Jura.
Under her command, the Antari diligently transported all the equipnt they had created within the alcove, moving everything through the underground tunnel that led to the city. As for Kirara, who remained unconscious in the infirmary, Kaede had decided to teleport her directly to the city herself.
Once everything had been cleared out, the alcove stood empty at last.
Kaede and Ari now stood outside, gazing up at the massive tree that towered above their forr refuge.
Kaede turned her attention to Ari, quietly admiring how her daughter's appearance had changed over ti. Ari had begun to develop human-like features, her once fully chitinous form now adorned with patches of soft, pale skin on her neck and shoulders. Long, platinum hair cascaded down her back, swaying gently in the breeze.
According to Artificia, as Ari continued to grow in both power and age, she would eventually resemble a human entirely. Thanks to her title as the [Monarch of the Antari], all Antari under her rule would gradually follow the sa evolutionary path.
The wind whispered through Ari’s platinum locks before sweeping through Kaede’s own dark hair as they stood in quiet reflection, gazing at the ancient tree before them.
"This tree was so much smaller when I first left you here," Kaede mused, a soft smile forming on her lips. "A small, hidden space, easy to defend and perfect for keeping you safe."
Ari nodded in agreent. "Yes, Mother. I still rember it like it was yesterday. Your loving words as Elder Sister tucked into bed."
Kaede chuckled. "It wasn't a long stay, but this tree was our ho. And now, after all this ti, it’s beco the largest tree in the area."
Suddenly, Artificia's voice echoed in Kaede’s mind.
Kaede sweatdropped. "No kidding." She tilted her head upward, gazing at the towering canopy. "I guess I was practically leaking magicules with all the naming I was doing back then. And this tree absorbed it all."
She placed a gentle hand on the tree’s bark. "I'm going to miss this place. I'm going to miss you, tree."
Ari took a step forward, nodding toward the tree. "Why don't you na her, Mother?"
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about? I can't just na a tree," she said, amused by the suggestion.
Ari remained undeterred. "Like you said, Mother, this tree was our ho. It beca part of our family. Even if we're leaving, this tree will remain here, standing as a mark of our presence in a foreign land."
Kaede shook her head. "No, no, I don’t think you understand. I can't na a tree. It's not a person or even a living..." She paused, her gaze drifting back up the tree’s imnse trunk.
Ari's smile softened. "It doesn't have to do anything, Mother. As long as it ans sothing to us... to you."
Kaede hesitated, then pressed her hand against the bark once more. She could feel the steady pulse of magicules flowing within, rhythmic and soothing, almost like a heartbeat.
"You provided a ho for my daughter," Kaede whispered. "And, in ti, you beca a ho for as well."
She leaned forward, resting her forehead gently against the bark. "Thank you... For everything..." A strong breeze swept through the clearing, rustling the leaves in a symphony of whispers as she spoke. "Hanae."
Instantly, the air stilled, and the tree was surrounded by a golden light. Kaede stepped back as the tree began to grow. Its already massive trunk expanded, becoming thicker. Its branches and leaves stretched out, growing larger. The tree itself soared higher, surpassing the canopy of trees around it.
When the transformation was complete, Kaede gazed at the tree. "Beautiful," she whispered. It stood majestically, towering over the forest, with so of its leaves shimring in a golden hue.
However, "Nothing happened," Kaede noted in a disappointed tone. If she was being honest, she had expected the tree to evolve into so kind of being that would call her “Mother” as its first words or sothing similar.
But the tree remained just that, a tree.
Kaede turned to her daughter. "Well, Ari, wanna leave now?"
"Of course, Mother," Ari replied, grabbing Kaede's forearm with a smile.
Kaede raised an eyebrow. "Can't you use [Spatial Placent] to teleport to the city?"
Ari only clung to her tighter, her smile unwavering.
Kaede swallowed nervously. Scary. "Never mind. Alright, let's go."
In a flash of light, they vanished.
The forest fell silent once more, and a heavy breeze swept through the trees.
Monts later, the air began to vibrate as the massive tree shimred with a golden hue. At its base, a blinding light erupted.
As the glow faded, a figure stepped forward. She had vibrant green hair and wore a flowing green dress, bound together by golden vines. Her golden eyes blinked as she took in her surroundings, where plants were slowly sprouting around her, creating a scene of pure magic and beauty.
The wind whispered softly as she spoke.
"Mother."
---
A short distance away from Kaede's city, a group of monsters hid among the dense shrubs. They were tall, with the heads of horses, but unlike ordinary animals, their sharp teeth glead nacingly in the dim light. These creatures were known as zus, or Equinoids.
"Alright, boss. What’s the plan?" a blue-skinned Equinoid asked, kneeling alongside the others, his tone laced with tension.
The leader of the Equinoids let out a low grunt before responding. "First, one of you head back and warn the big boss. If those ants are on the rise again, the damn Bovoids will be the least of our worries."
The gathered Equinoids exchanged uneasy glances at their leader’s words. The ntion of the ants brought a noticeable shift in the air, an underlying tension that not even their hardened nature could suppress.
One of them, a lean Equinoid with dark red fur, stepped forward hesitantly. "Boss, you really think the ants are all that? I an... didn't they get wiped last ti?" His voice carried a false bravado, but the flick of his ears betrayed his anxiety.
The leader, a towering figure with a jagged scar running down his muzzle, snorted in frustration. "Fool. If they were regular monsters, we wouldn't be having this conversation." His sharp eyes scanned the city in the distance, its silhouette barely visible through the trees. "These ones are smarter. Faster. Stronger. And if what we’ve been seeing is true, they’ve got soone leading them now."
A murmur rippled through the group.
"But boss," the blue Equinoid from before interjected, "those Bovoids ain't exactly pushovers either. We've been fighting them for years. If the ants move in, we might be looking at a three-way war."
The leader's teeth bared in a grin that was anything but reassuring. "Exactly. That’s why we need to act first." He jabbed a clawed hand toward the city. "We find out just how strong they are. If they're weak, we crush them before they spread. If they're already strong... then we let the Bovoids deal with them first."
He turned to the dark red Equinoid. "You, get moving. Tell the big boss what we’ve seen."
The Equinoid nodded hurriedly and sprinted off into the dense forest, his hoof-like feet barely making a sound against the underbrush.
The leader turned back to the others, his expression hard. "The rest of you, we scout the periter. Stay low, stay quiet. And if you see one of those ants... you don't fight. You run. Got it?"
Shock rippled through the group, and one of the Equinoids bristled. "You want us to run and hide like cowards?" he snarled, his muscles tensing with defiance.
The leader’s sharp gaze snapped to the defiant Equinoid, his expression darkening. "Cowards?" he echoed, his voice low and nacing. "You think running from death makes you a coward?" He took a slow, deliberate step forward, and the air grew heavy with tension. "Let tell you sothing, boy, normal ants don’t fight fair. They don’t get tired. They don’t stop. And if you think your bravado ans anything to them, you’ll end up nothing more than food for their queen."
The Equinoid who had spoken looked away, his ears flicking in agitation, but he said nothing more.
"Good," the leader continued, his voice now a steady growl. "We do this smart, or we die. Understand?"
A chorus of reluctant nods followed, the herd falling into uneasy silence. The rustling of leaves overhead masked their presence as they crouched lower, their eyes fixed on the distant lights of Kaede's city.
For a while, nothing happened. The leader's gaze scanned the surroundings, his nostrils flaring slightly as he picked up the faintest traces of sothing unsettling on the wind, blood.
The quiet night was suddenly shattered by the distant clash of tal and the guttural roars of battle.
"Boss, over there!" one of the Equinoids whispered sharply, pointing through the foliage.
Beyond the trees, in a small clearing bathed in the silver light of the moon, a skirmish was unfolding. Four Antari, their sleek black forms moving in perfect coordination, were locked in combat against a group of towering figures. The Bovoids -massive, muscular beings with bull-like heads and thick hides- were pressing in from all sides.
The Equinoid leader narrowed his eyes, his sharp pupils focusing intently on the scene before them. The Bovoids charged with reckless force, their heavy hooves pounding the earth like war drums. Despite their raw strength, the Antari t them with unnerving precision.
One of the Antari, a tall, lithe figure wielding twin short swords, danced between the Bovoids' lumbering swings. Her movents were swift, almost fluid, as if she were anticipating their every attack. With each graceful step, her blades flashed in the moonlight, carving deep, calculated gashes into the thick hides of her foes. The Bovoids roared in frustration, their brute strength useless against such speed.
Another Antari, bulkier in fra, stood firm against the oncoming force. Clad in a sleek, chitinous armor that glead faintly, he wielded a large halberd with ease. With a single sweeping strike, he sent one of the charging Bovoids crashing to the ground, the beast's armor-like skin splitting beneath the sheer force. The Antari's movents were chanical yet efficient—no wasted effort, no hesitation.
A sudden burst of fire illuminated the battlefield as a third Antari raised her hand, flas swirling around her fingertips before erupting in a concentrated stream. The Bovoids bellowed in agony, their fur igniting in an instant. The fire-wielding Antari’s expression remained impassive as she directed the blaze forcing the remaining enemies into retreat.
The fourth Antari, smaller than the others, moved with a more primal ferocity. She wielded no weapon other than her claws, which glead like obsidian under the moonlight. She weaved between the Bovoids, her strikes lightning-fast and ruthless, severing tendons and gouging eyes before her foes could react. The air was thick with the scent of blood and burned fur.
The Equinoids watched in stunned silence. The leader felt a chill creep up his spine.
The last Bovoid standing let out a deafening roar, its muscles bulging as it charged the halberd-wielding Antari with reckless desperation. But before it could reach him, a sharp whistle cut through the air. The twin-blade user appeared behind it in an instant, her swords slicing into the creature’s exposed neck. The Bovoid's headless body staggered, its massive fra collapsing to the forest floor with a final, thud.
The battlefield fell silent. The Antari stood among the fallen, their expressions cold and devoid of emotion. One of them, the fire-user, flicked her hand dismissively, extinguishing the lingering flas as if they were nothing more than an afterthought.
The Equinoid leader clenched his fists, his earlier bravado dissolving into sothing closer to fear.
"...Boss?" the blue-skinned Equinoid whispered hesitantly.
The leader's jaw tightened. "And that's why you don't attack them. We leave. Now," he growled, turning away from the scene.
Without another word, the Equinoids lted into the shadows of the forest, their hooves carrying them swiftly away from the massacre they had just witnessed.
Back on the battlefield, the halberd-wielding Antari knelt beside one of the fallen Bovoids, his hand pressed against the creature's still-warm body. "Should we go after the ones watching us?" He turned to the tall Antari wielding twin blades.
Athra sheathed her twin swords, her gaze shifting to Kyra and lira as they argued over who had slain the most Gozus. "Don't worry about it, Vek," she said calmly. "Callen, Ryder, and Torren are already tracking them."
She watched as the fallen corpses vanished one by one at Vek’s touch. This was the effect of their species-specific skill, [Collective Hoard], which granted them access to a shared inventory of imnse capacity.
"I’ve received a ssage from Lady Crimara," Athra continued. "We’ll maintain our patrol for now."
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