Trrrrrr!
A violent vibration tore through the Empire, far stronger than before. The ground convulsed viciously as people lost their footing.
At the centre of the spider-webbed destruction, the massive bud shuddered violently, cracks pulsing around it as its surface trembled.
And then—
BOOM!
The bud grew!
It did not simply grow.
It exploded outward, swelling violently as though sothing ancient and furious had finally broken free.
The cracked ground beneath the bud could no longer hold itself together, collapsing inward as massive chunks of stone, soil, shattered roots, and splintered platforms began to fall like rain into the abyss below.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!"
The mother’s scream ripped through the chaos as she watched the ground beneath her giggling child shatter into pieces.
The baby slipped, his tiny body tumbling as debris collapsed around him.
Aria instantly yanked the thread with every ounce of strength left in her body, muscles straining as the child was violently jerked upward for a brief, heart-stopping mont.
Then—
Rip!
The collar tore apart with a sharp, final sound, fabric shredding as the thread snapped free. Aria stumbled backwards as resistance vanished from her hands.
For one impossible second, the child smiled, a soft giggle escaping him as if unaware of the horror unfolding.
Then he fell.
His small body disappeared into the roaring darkness below, swallowed instantly by cascading debris, stone, and collapsing earth, his cries silenced as the valley consud everything.
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"
The bud did not slow for the mother’s cry!
It surged upward faster, violently transforming as its surface split apart and hardened. Roots burst from beneath the collapsing ground, tearing through stone as if it were fragile glass. Trunks erupted from the ruins, bark forming in spiralling layers as the structure of the tree asserted itself with unstoppable force.
What had once been a single bud now beca a towering trunk within seconds.
The ground around it was completely obliterated, swallowed as a tree erupted upward in its wake, its growth instantaneous and savage.
Aria caught the mother just as her legs gave out, dragging her backwards as the woman collapsed into her arms, her sobs broken, hollow, and endless.
"M-My baby... My baby... let gooo... sniff... sniff..."
The woman clawed weakly at the air, her screams reduced to wordless grief as her body shook uncontrollably.
Every face around them stood frozen in absolute disbelief.
Eyes widened until they hurt as the tree continued to rise, growing thicker, broader, and impossibly taller with every heartbeat.
The air itself felt crushed beneath its presence, pressure building as if the world was being forced to make space for sothing that should not exist.
Kaelith felt cold dread flood his veins as the scale beca undeniable.
"Everyone, move!" he shouted desperately. He watched in horror as the trunk expanded further, its base swallowing nearly the entire cracked space, still growing, still climbing.
TTTTRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!
The ground convulsed violently.
People scread as tremors ripped through the area, bodies losing balance as they were thrown to the ground. Those who had already fallen struggled to stand, only to be knocked over again as shockwaves rolled outward.
"Fuck!" Dora shouted as she staggered backwards, boots skidding dangerously close to fresh fractures.
Her gaze snapped upward, heart slamming against her ribs as the tree surged higher.
It was reaching the barrier.
Seconds.
Only seconds remained before impact.
If it broke through, there would be nothing left... Just annihilation!
"Everyone, brace yourself..." Dora whispered, fear creeping into her voice despite her strength.
She knew it... They all did... The mont the barrier shattered, death would follow.
The colossal crown rose closer, branches spreading wider as leaves unfurled in glowing waves. The uppermost limbs pressed against the barrier.
The barrier trembled.
TTTRRRR—
Everything stopped.
The violent motion halted so abruptly it felt unreal, as though ti itself had been seized mid-breath. A ripple surged through the air, invisible yet powerful, spreading outward like a shockwave.
The tree froze.
Those who had clenched their eyes shut, bodies braced for obliteration, hesitated when nothing ca. Slowly, painfully, they opened their eyes, lungs burning as breath returned.
Their pupils dilated in shock.
Before them stood a tree unlike anything their world had ever known.
Not rely tall, but endless.
Its trunk spiralled upward like a living pillar of the cosmos, bark layered in ancient patterns etched with veins of soft golden light. Those veins pulsed rhythmically, slow and steady, like the heartbeat of sothing alive and aware.
The canopy vanished into the heavens above, branches stretching outward like constellations made solid. Each leaf glowed faintly, cradling fragnts of starlight, swaying gently as if untouched by the chaos below, softly brushing the barrier’s surface as the air stirred.
Motes of light drifted through the space, floating lazily like embers caught between worlds, filling the air with an almost sacred stillness.
Fear faded into stunned silence.
It felt as though they were no longer standing in reality, but inside a legend torn free from myth.
The stories whispered by elders, the tales dismissed as fantasy, now stood before them in overwhelming truth.
Awe crushed their terror.
They were not rely witnessing a miracle.
They were standing before sothing ancient and undeniable!
A story had risen from the earth.
Their hearts felt as if they were being torn apart simply by witnessing it. Tears shimred in countless eyes, spilling freely as emotions overwheld reason. So people dropped to their knees, hands trembling as sobs escaped them without restraint.
The old Elders broke down completely, voices cracking as they wept openly, clutching one another in disbelief.
What had once been nothing more than a sacred story passed down through generations now stood before them.
A legend had stepped into the world.
Of course, they cried. How could they not? Only their forefathers had ever witnessed such a miracle, and now it had returned in their lifeti, reshaping belief itself.
anwhile, Dora stood frozen... She had braced herself for annihilation, for the barrier shattering and the world ending in a single instant. Yet the tree had halted, its impossible growth stopped completely.
Even as awe crept in, confusion followed swiftly.
"What in the world—"
"Hehe... Hahaha..."
A soft, unmistakable giggle echoed suddenly.
Every back stiffened.
Reluctantly, fearfully, heads turned downward toward the base of the colossal trunk.
Dust and debris were still settling, drifting slowly like ash after a storm, and from within that haze ca the gentle giggling sound again.
"M-My baby?"
The woman’s voice trembled violently with hope. Her knees nearly gave out as she stared toward the source of the sound.
As the dust thinned...
A glowing, pure white light shimred near the base of the enormous tree... The light pulsed softly, warm and alive, illuminating the fractured earth beneath it.
"Haha... Maaa... Haha."
The baby’s giggle echoed clearly from within the glow.
People shielded their eyes instinctively, unable to look directly at the brilliance. Rays of white light scattered through drifting dust, refracting and blinding, making it difficult to see anything clearly at first.
Slowly, gradually, the radiance softened.
And when it did, every breath in the crowd vanished at once.
There stood the man...
Blazing white flas enveloped his body, flowing like living light. One hand rested against the tree’s massive trunk, fingers splayed gently across its surface, as though he were not restraining it by force but through presence alone.
"Maa... haha~"
"MY BABY!!"
The woman scread when she saw her baby. Her child sat safely on Aether’s shoulder, giggling happily, small hands grabbing at glowing flas that curled around him without causing even the slightest harm.
"Aether?" Kaelith called out, disbelief etched deeply into his face, his voice barely more than a breath.
Hsss~
A deep, steady sigh escaped Aether’s lips as he slowly tilted his head toward them.
Gasp!
What they saw stole their breath completely.
White garnts flowed around him, embroidered with intricate green-golden patterns that shimred faintly as the flas licked across the fabric without burning it. His deep black hair floated freely within the light, strands moving softly and fluidly, like coral swaying beneath calm waters.
And... One hand held the future of their Empire!
The pure white flas in his palm touched the trunk without pressure or strain, but rested there gently.
It was as though he were reassuring the colossal entity rather than restraining it.
The thing that had nearly destroyed them all was not being subdued through violence.
It was being held~
...Aether’s eyes glowed pure white, light flowing within them without heat or cruelty. There was no judgnt in his gaze, no superiority, no cold authority.
Only calm!
Only purity!
He looked upon everyone as though he had co not to rule, but to protect the child and the people alike.
As if...
As if...
Thud!
"My G-God!"
Legs gave out across the ground. Bodies weakened without warning as people collapsed to their knees, not from fear alone, but from instinct.
It felt wrong to stand.
It felt impossible not to bow, as though sothing sacred pressed gently yet firmly upon their souls.
He stood before them holding the Sacred Tree with a single hand.
Like it was nothing.
Who could do that?
Aria, Kaelith, Kaelen, Liora, and Maelona stared blankly at the man standing before the Sacred Zephyra Tree.
That tree was the beginning of their Empire, the guardian of their people, the divine presence their ancestors had prayed to for generations.
And now it stood grown beyond imagination.
Held by a single man.
Kaelith dropped to one knee first. Kaelen followed, then Liora, then Maelona and Aria, tears sliding freely as they lowered their eyes, unable to et his gaze any longer.
Ashara hesitated, unsure what to do. Seeing everyone kneel, she awkwardly followed, lowering herself without fully understanding why, only knowing it felt right.
Dora did not kneel.
She stared.
Her eyes shimred faintly, a soft pink glow flickering within them as a small, glowing heart reflected in her pupils.
She did not even realise it herself as sothing deep inside her reacted instinctively to his presence.
Aether said nothing.
He simply looked at them.
Only by a gentle breeze flowing around them.
Until—
"Hahaha... Maaa... haha."
The baby giggled happily, tiny hands reaching out to grasp the white flas dancing around Aether’s head, trying to catch them like playful fireflies.
Aether’s lips curved upward slightly.
A gentle smile ford as he nodded once, slowly closing his glowing eyes. When he spoke, his voice carried no magic, no force, and yet it echoed across the land with reverence and undeniable authority.
"Yggdrasil."
The word struck their hearts like a brand, etching itself deep within their souls. It felt as if it would remain there until death, and beyond, an eternal truth carved into existence itself.
Bodies trembled as people whispered the sacred na beneath their breath, afraid to speak it too loudly, afraid to dishonour it.
"Yggdrasil..."
Ssshhh~
The humongous tree swayed gently as the breeze passed through it. White particles shimred along its branches, flowing outward like petals scattering across the sky, filling the air with quiet radiance.
And then—
"Iaaanng~"
A clear, piercing cry echoed from high above.
At the very top of the tree, sothing landed gracefully, unable to see it expect... wings spreading wide as rainbow-colored feathers shimred brilliantly in the light.
!~Ding~!
[Twin Domains: 949/ 814↑]
!~Ding~!
[New Title Acquired: Holder / Master of Yggdrasil]
!~Ding~!
[New Title Acquired: The Sylvaelith Zephyrian Sovereign]
Maelona stared at Aether without blinking, tears slipping down her cheeks as warmth filled her chest.
She could not look away. She did not want to.
Just seeing him made her feel whole.
"Aether..." she whispered under her breath with heavy longing!
!~Ding~!
[New Title Acquired: The Last Moon’s King]
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