A Little over a Week later on a large forgotten Island...
I stretched and sighed with Boredom. The flora and Fauna of this island no longer attacked me without caution; which meant entertainment was at an all time low. I leisurely walked while casting spell after spell; With my [Area Radar Array] lvl Max It was like shooting clay dolls on a shelf. Where were the guardians of this island? I could feel them here. but they have yet to show themselves.
"This is boring you know. fighting weaklings day after day. you 3 are the only ones left worth my time." I said allowed. I could force them out but there was no fun in that. These spirits were born from this very island's will; It was the first I had seen of it but I could feel it; understand it even. this island after so many years is alive; the water's that surround this place are but an extension of its body. It was oh so fascinating! I gave thanks to the God Kyne for my inherited blessing. [Evolved Magic Affinity] Was the gift from it to my ancestors; without it the Cypher-kyne would have had as much difficulty understanding and interpreting magic and all it bore as a regular elf would. It was analogous to a cheat in the way it made us understand magic as if by our very nature. but then we were made by design so perhaps that was Kyne's intent.
With it my family took to translating and documenting magic and its many phenomena with a manic passion. I had never witnessed an entire island coming to life. The world tree birthed in a forest was one example. but an entire island! I got chills of excitement all over and repressed the need to investigate further.
"Do you want to kill me so badly?'' The words slipped passed me on the now raging wind as the wind itself was the result of the island speaking. Magic altered what humans considered the natural world but this pure and clean air that dared to try and slice at my body was very natural in nature. The purple haze that had slowly begun to clear over the week had begun to condense until it manifested into a tangible figure similar in build and detail as my own.
"Nice but I think I pull off this suit a bit better." I said slightly flattered. I wore quality light armor that was reinforced with thin metal plates. The greaves and gauntlets were made of a magic ore making them lightweight but impenetrable to most things.
"My soul has no form. I would like to speak with you so this form-" The spector tried to continue but I cut in.
"You just want to talk?" I was a bit dejected. I had never fought an Island before. I had once seen a Young Akupāra but at the time I was too weak to challenge it. This could be a great opportunity. However I really didn't want to kill this island. The urge to know more screamed at me to preserve and document it; Then again Eva deserved a good place to live; this being could be a threat. I was being pulled in two different directions by my nature and by my love for Eva. everytime it came to her I really couldn't control myself.
"Can't we come to an agreement?" Said the entity. I took a moment to ponder my options. Having the backing of this entire island would be nice; but would it allow me to turn it into a kingdom? that was the question.
"Okay Island, I have a proposal; Your Island will become my kingdom; you and your forest guardians will guard this place. In return I will let you all live." The wind ceased and the clouds cleared. The sun was unbelievably strong in this clearing and I found myself falling into an irritable state.
"If that was all you wanted you should have said so." said the entity sounding exhausted. To my surprise this was a lot easier than I thought.
"You aren't putting up much of a fight." I said at a loss for words.
"Well I am a living Island. My will is to protect the residence of this island; My guardians are an extension of that will. If you mean no harm by coming here then I have no reason to stop you from populating this place. As long as you respect nature to the best of your abilities; I have no reason to stop you. nature here is a part of me; if you want to work as one then keep that in mind." I listened keenly to the entity's words; doing my best to commit it to memory. The Forest here of course was a part of this mighty beast; this meant that construction would have to revolve around the formations of nature.
"How will I contact to you next?'' There was much more to discuss but as the clouds were fully cleared; I needed to find shelter and set up a real base. Honestly the sun had little effect on me now and I may not burn but that didn't stop it from stabbing at my light sensitive eyes; or making me feel like I stepped into a fire pit.
"Simply talk to any flora still tethered to this Island's soil. I will hear your voice and feel your intent." with that it's purple mass dissipated. Calling it a day I took shelter in a cave I had found earlier last week. left alone in the dark dampness my mind drifted onto more vexatious thoughts. Would Eva give me a chance? What if all this work was for nothing? what would I do if she turned me down? Sadness, anger, anxiety all coiled around my mind and anchored me in place. I didn't know what to do; I was never in such a situation. I was afraid... This was unlike me. I blinked realizing tears had begun to trail down my face. with a heavy heart I reprimanded myself.
"Nothing is accomplished without a little hard work." Those words were something my father and mother lived by; it was practically the family motto. A smirk snuck it's way onto my face and a chuckle escaped my lips. I hadn't thought of my parents in years, but I doubt father had this much trouble courting mother. the thought of my parents was enough to put my mind at ease; Even if they were gone they were with me still; running through my veins.
A few hours before in the wilds of Naverok...
Was that the scent of distant decay? I thought to myself. After Don helped me get passed the guards in Durum; using something called lunar lover powder to hide Rise; I had made a long trip back to panacea. of course when I arrived I wanted to do nothing more than to see Emily; but the Strikers posed too much of a threat to Rise. I had to continue my trip after feeding the Oxen and restoring supplies. After that it didn't take too terribly long to reach the path that led to Apricot. luckily having had many tradesmen come and go from here it had worn a path that fit caravan wagons just fine. however there was a horrible smell in the air.
"Rise do you smell it to?" I asked. Rise's ears perked and it looked up at me. sometimes it felt like Rise knew what I was saying; other times I wondered if I wasn't losing my mind.
Upon reaching the valley my suspicions were confirmed. My first feelings were shock, then panic. Was whatever did this still here?! I wanted to hide in the back but even then it was too late for that! if they were going to attack they would have done it already. I tensed but after a long moment of nothing happening I looked closer at the corpses on the ground. There wasn't much flesh and chunks of meat left on some of the bones to be recent; but with the great number of them all settled so close to each other, it was enough to choke a person. I did my best to calm myself; as I covered my nose too late and resisted the urge to heave up what little food I ate. I looked at Rise who instead of being disgusted looked excited. Did it like the smell of rotting corpses; or was it that it ate flesh in the wild so it was just hungry? I held onto Rise unsure of what would happen if I let it lose in the valley.
I hopped off the bench and made my way to the few buildings that still stood. Were there any survivors? looking at the level of destruction and obvious signs of violence I felt a bit sad; at the same time the memories of the years of bullying and the murdur of my parents sucked away any remorse I had previously felt. part of me thought this was over kill; but another felt they deserved it. they deserved some form of punishment for hurting innocent people and killing others without reason. looking around it was easy to see the same had been done to them.
Once I reached the last standing homes I opened the doors one after the other to find them all empty. if there were any survivors they were no longer here. What was I going to do? there was nowhere else to go... well unless I wanted to stay in a village full of corpses.
I looked outside and made a decision. First I had to properly lay my fellow elves to rest. even if they were terrible people, they still deserved the rites of an elf. After that I could clean the village and check what's left of its resources. I looked at Rise who seemed tired after the long journey.
"Why don't you rest here while mommy cleans up this mess?" I pet it as I spoke and it seemed to understand. It twirled in place then rested it's head on its paws in a sort of circular shape; lastly it tucked it's wings; and tails and closed its eyes. even with all this death Rise was as casual as ever.