"What... what is that...?"
One of the three soldiers walking with Kael spoke as he stared at the sight in front of him with an awed look on his face.
"It feels... warm."
The second soldier comnted.
"Warm and peaceful."
Tarin added.
They were still inside the Shrouded Wilds, so this place should be anything but peaceful, but... for so reason, Tarin and the other two soldiers felt the sa.
Unlike most of the areas in the Shrouded Wilds, there was no mist here. Their instincts didn’t ring constantly either. Rather, they all felt... safe.
The three soldiers slowly walked forward, their eyes fixed on the sight in front of them.
Two colossal trees towered ahead—their trunks so massive that even ten n standing shoulder to shoulder couldn’t wrap around one. Their roots coiled into the earth like great serpents, eting at the center where sothing extraordinary rested—a dragon’s head, carved from the roots themselves.
The dragon’s eyes were closed, as if he was in deep slumber.
Above, a vast vine stretched between the two trees, forming a natural balance.
On the left side, clusters of glowing golden mushrooms blood, radiating natural orange-red light like a sun.
On the right, wilted, dark leaves hung in a heavy yet strangely... dignified manner.
The whole sight felt... divine.
*Picture*
"Are we truly in the Shrouded Wilds?"
The first soldier questioned, turning towards Kael for answers.
"..."
Kael didn’t say anything.
He stood still, his eyes fixed on the dragon and the light above it. Seeing him like that, the soldiers paused. It was clear that Kael was lost in his thoughts, and they did not wish to disturb him.
Not when... she was here.
The soldiers thought inwardly as they stared at the woman in front of them, the woman who seed like she was waiting for them.
"Do you sense it?"
Lavinia questioned as she slowly walked towards Kael. Igni was walking right beside her—Kael had left him here to protect her in case sothing went wrong.
The three soldiers listened carefully, curious about what the two were talking about.
Kael slowly turned towards the Mage and nodded softly.
"Faith Energy."
He answered as he turned back towards the trees.
The three soldiers widened their eyes at once.
"Faith Energy...?"
Tarin blinked.
It wasn’t the first ti he had heard the words Faith Energy—back in Heights, most people around him had been ntioning it.
The energy used to create the Divine Ration.
"Yes."
Kael nodded, not turning towards Tarin, but Tarin, wanting to confirm if their thoughts were on the sa page, questioned directly,
"T-The power used to create Divine Rations...?"
"Yes."
Kael nodded again.
He walked closer to the dragon-root base, placing his palm gently against the wood, and everyone present felt the air around them tremble ever so slightly.
The trees... they were reacting to Kael.
"L-Lord Kael..."
Tarin called out.
"What are these... trees?"
He questioned.
Kael turned towards him and shook his head.
"I do not know.
What I do know is that these trees... can draw in Faith Energy—and store it."
"They can... store the Faith Energy...?"
The first soldier repeated those words.
"But how...?"
The second soldier questioned.
"I do not know."
Kael shook his head again.
"I can sense the Faith Energy, but I have never seen an object capable of storing Faith Energy. I used to think the very concept of being able to store Faith Energy was impossible.
But...
But these trees seem to have a different opinion."
Kael smiled lightly.
"Is this truly your first ti seeing sothing like this?"
Tarin questioned, and Kael—
He turned back towards the trees and,
"I am not sure.
I do not rember seeing these trees in my entire life, but... for so reason they... they feel familiar.
It is as if I... have so connection with them, a connection I do not seem to recognize yet."
"A connection, huh..."
Tarin muttered softly. He could sense it too. It wasn’t just Lord Kael who seed connected with the trees—the trees were the sa. He hadn’t forgotten the light ripple in the air he sensed the mont Kael touched the dragon’s head.
It felt like... the tree was greeting Lord Kael.
’These trees...’
He muttered inwardly, staring at the trees with a lost look on his face, his mind coming up with countless theories.
"The Faith Energy too, it seems oddly familiar, doesn’t it?"
Lavinia stepped beside Kael and comnted, staring at the trees together with him. Kael nodded at those words.
"Mhm."
Kael nodded, his eyes softening.
"It is the sa feeling I had when you first summoned the Divine Rations.
The sa... resonance."
The soldiers looked between them in astonishnt.
"So... what does that an, Lord Kael?"
Tarin asked carefully.
Kael drew back his hand and turned to face them.
"It ans this tree could be a stabilizer,"
He began.
"Stabilizer?"
Tarin frowned.
"Yes."
Kael nodded.
"Faith Energy fluctuates when it’s drawn from living people—their belief, their emotions—it is dependent on them all.
One day, the Faith is high; the other day, sothing might happen and the Faith Energy falls."
"Like it happened that ti."
Tarin nodded, rembering the ti when the Divine Rations couldn’t be produced because of lack of Faith Energy.
Kael nodded at those words. He then gestured to the glowing vine and—
"But this...
This feels constant.
It gathers and holds the excess Faith, even when the flow weakens."
"That ans,"
Lavinia continued from there,
"Even when we cannot gather enough Faith Energy from our people—this place can be used as a storekeep to retrieve the required Faith Energy to produce enough Divine Rations."
The three soldiers’ eyes widened even more. The mont they realized what this could an for their people... they felt... overwheld.
This...
This could beco much bigger than simply gathering woods.
Seeing their reactions, Kael nodded slowly as well—
"If we can take these trees back to Heights, we might be able to solve the problem of uncertain supplies of the Divine Rations... permanently."
He concluded, making the soldiers widen their eyes in disbelief.
"Lord Kael,"
Tarin said, almost hesitantly,
"Then... we must get them."
The other two nodded with excited looks on their faces as well.
Kael nodded at their words.
"Yes, we need to move them.
Uproot them carefully and take them back ho."
He declared, and the mont he did, the soldiers realized another problem.
"Move... these?"
Tarin questioned, staring at the ridiculously giant trees. These trees were big enough that it felt like fifty n could stand on top of each other and they would barely reach the top. Just... just how would they be able to... move them?
Kael understood the problem as well.
"Piece by piece."
He answered, making the soldiers blink.
Piece by piece...?
Were they supposed to... cut them?
Would they still have the power they currently had?
"Lavinia will handle the re-rooting once we’re back, leave that to her."
Kael assured.
The soldiers nodded. They all knew how capable Lady Lavinia was, so if she was taking responsibility, then it wasn’t a problem.
"Start cutting, divide everything into twenty-three pieces. I will gather others. Each person will carry one piece with them.
And keep this in mind,
Just like the Divine Rations, no one stores the wood pieces in their Sanctuaries—the connection must not be broken.
Am I clear?"
"Yes, Lord Kael."
The soldiers nodded.
Kael nodded back.
"Till then, you can rest here. I do not sense any danger, but still, keep your guard up."
"Yes, Lord Kael."
"We will grow bring others."
"Yes, Lord Kael."
The soldiers nodded again, and Kael, Lavinia, and Igni walked away.
...
After about ten minutes, when Kael and Lavinia were considerably farther than the three soldiers, Lavinia suddenly grinned.
"You are getting better at this, eh?"
"Don’t act like I was the only one."
Kael answered instantly, defending himself, making Lavinia laugh.
" and Imperia only prepared the stage—it was you who lied to them."
Her eyes shined with amusent.
"Using Igni’s aura to move other beasts away from that sight, hunting the ones who didn’t move, using Cirri’s power to make the air tremble, and using Vitaria to influence them and make them feel overwheld—
It was all done by you."
"I did what had to be done."
Kael answered, and Lavinia’s smile widened.
"You are sounding more and more like ."
At those words, Kael paused. He then stared at the Mage and—
"You are corrupting ."
Lavinia moved closer to Kael.
"I have just begun.
I will corrupt you to the point that you will be rotten to your core.
Then no one but will accept you.
I will make it so I will be the only one you have left."
She spoke, her voice turning heavy, and Kael... he looked into the woman’s eyes and—
"I do not need anyone but you."
He answered without backing down, pulling the woman closer to him.
"..."
Igni watched the scene in silence, acting the responsible, mature child he was, but a certain fox wasn’t the sa.
She made herself comfortable on top of Igni’s head and—
"Look at them, brother~
If this continues, we might have a new brother or sister soon."
The fox comnted, instantly making the couple separate from each other.
"V-Vita!"
Kael shouted.
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