"So, what do you desire to seek by drinking the water from the Tree of Knowledge?" Broin gently asked Alicia.
"If you please, I want to find out the whereabouts of the children who are predicted to change the fate of the world," replied the Crimsonmane girl. "I must find them first before the darkness does."
Broin nodded slowly. "Oh, I see, I see. If it involves the powers of darkness, then it must be an important prophecy. Who predicted this, and what is the prophecy?"
"Um..., it's a prophecy about the Six Children written by Nostradame."
Broin's foot stomping instantly stopped. His stare at Alicia was a puzzled look. Just as tension was running rampant between the two of them, the elder suddenly broke it with a hearty laugh.
"I don't usually fall for youth jokes these days. But I must admit, that was very funny, Miss Alicia!"
Alicia shook her head with a puzzled face. The elder's mien switched again.
"So you're not playing a joke on me?"
The girl shook her head once more as she handed him the pocketbook "Fractions of Light, One Darkness" with an open page—the page that showed the divination in question. Broin read it as he continued on his way.
"This symbol! It's similar to Ygaldin's crest!" Broin exclaimed as he pointed to the crest dedicated to Alicia on the page. "I haven't seen it anywhere but in the olden caves where they used to worship the gods!"
"Wait, are you sure? Orb branded me with that symbol when it chose me." Alicia opened her gloves and showed Broin the Arcane's sweet smacker. With that symbol alone, the druid elder forgot all doubts about the prophecy. Nostradame was not having a laugh this time. The old man was energized and galloping in top form—even though his staff still had to sustain his body.
"We would normally be outraged if someone asked for inspiration from the Tree of Knowledge on the writings of false foretellers like Nostradame. We wouldn't hesitate to turn them into sacrifices...!"
Alicia swallowed as she heard the old man's morbid statement.
"And that was only a joke. I don't believe you fall for it!" Broin chortled again, then continued, "But if Ygaldin were to speak to a buffoonish clairvoyant like himself, it would definitely be an emergency! Come on, quicken your pace, young lady!" Broin took the girl's hand again and trotted toward the giant tree.
Even though they acted like they were racing, their speed remained. It was just the elder druid who was suddenly in his prime, puffing up his body to appear different. Alicia smiled at the old man's behaviour, followed by her trademark curiosity. "You keep telling the name Ygaldin. May I ask who Ygaldin is? I've never heard of it in Vanir pantheon."
"Indeed, you have not," Broin replied. "Ygaldin is the Ancient Vanir's God of Light. We believe he is the one who endowed the Tree of Knowledge with pure Arcane—similar to your god. Of course, the fundamental difference is that Ygaldin is not 'abstract'. No offense, Miss."
"Ah, no problem. So the pure Arcane centered on the former Tree of Knowledge was Ygaldin's gift?"
"Correct! Vanir is one of the nations that was fortunate enough to be the source of Arcane. This sacred tree was not only called the Tree of Knowledge, it was also once the Tree of the Universe!"
"What happened, then?"
"It was said that when Njorn, Frō, and Fruowa were long gone, Wotan appeared from nothing. Our kind thought he had disappeared along with the Aesir when Surtr unleashed his genocide. But no. He was the only survivor, and he wanted his tribe back. So he snuck into the Universal Tree and stole knowledge from it. Greed was Wotan's utter nature, so he couldn't get enough of drinking the water of knowledge. He hid in the roots of the tree and impaled his head with its thick fibers, stealing all the secrets of the world for himself!"
Before they knew it, they were right in front of the Tree of Knowledge. Broin waved to some squirrels that were sitting on a branch. The squirrels did not wave back, remaining with their never-ending sniffles. Before her, Alicia could see a spring flowing from the tree roots back to its other side—forming a circular flow path.
Vanir history was still coursing from the elder's mouth. "When he connected with the tree, Khaos that dwelled in Wotan's body infiltrated the Tree of the Universe's living tissue like venom. Khaos and Arcane kept tearing each other until the sacred tree became sick, its leaves fell, and its branches became brittle. And when the Sacred Tree could no longer bear the struggle within, it died. The impure gained the knowledge he desired and disappeared from the fury of the Vanir who pursued him. Never to be seen again!"
One of the members of the Edda Order came with a jug and a glass plated with sapphire. He handed the jug to Broin as he caught a small stream of water entering the vessel.
As the elder druid filled the jug, Alicia asked again. "If the Tree of the Universe is dead, then how can it come back to life?"
Broin responded to the girl's question. "When the Tree of the Universe died, that's when Vanir was at its most vulnerable. Many of the elders of that era prayed to Ygaldin to come, but there was no answer. Mass panic spread, and Vanir almost collapsed into pieces. Instead of the God of Light, Ohher, the God of the Forest, answered their cries. He visited Vanir and revived the Tree of the Universe—making it as leafy and mighty as ever. The Tree of the Universe again flowed the waters of knowledge, but it did not regain its Arcane might. Generation after generation, we delivered Arcane from other countries to be planted into this tree, but the Divine Arcane refused to enter. The luminescence of the Arcane was no longer as beautiful and impressive as our own, as if Ygaldin's presence was no longer there. And since then, Ygaldin has never again appeared in any sign. Only Ohher and the gods guarded Vanir. So many of the people forgot about Ygaldin and surrendered to the gods who were always there for them. Only some of our generation, the Edda Order, still hope for Ygaldin's arrival, and our faith is not in vain. Your Arcane source differs from the others...," Broin looked at the white sphere swirling within Orb. "Your Arcane is... alive."
What the elder Broin said was correct indeed. The Orb chirped melodiously in their midst. Of course, this startled the druids, since the orb had not made a single sound before.
"Orb said it would share its blessings with everyone one day, when it's all over," Alicia explained to them.
Broin smiled to hear it. He said to the singing orb, "Of course, you and Miss Alicia will. Now, we don't need Arcane in our tree. We only need Arcane to reconcile humans with the universe. Stop the wars and chaos that plague this world."
Broin, who had filled the jug, poured it into a glass and gave it to Alicia. "This is for you, child."
Alicia accepted the glass carefully. "So, I just need to drink it?"
"Tell me what you want to know, then gulp it down. You'll be connected to the Tree of Knowledge that extends even the thinnest fibers of its roots to all corners of the earth."
There was nothing unusual about the water of knowledge in the container. The color was clear, there was no suspicious smell. This was just... water.
Steadily, body and soul, Alicia made her request.
"I want to find out the five children foretold in the book 'Fractions of Light, One Darkness' written by Nostradame. Give me any helpful information regarding the Child of Water, the Child of Earth, the Child of Fire, the Child of Wind, and the Child of Darkness!"
Moment of Truth. Soft pink lips were already touching the clay cup. A moment before the water even wet the base of her lips, Alicia immediately rejected herself!
"Let me guess; the Tree of Knowledge doesnae give me the full details of each child, does it?"
Broin laughed. "Good question! The Tree of Knowledge only gives answers that it feels are enough for a glass of water. That's how it's always worked. And you can't drink too much, for it will poison you. Unless you want to plug its roots into your brain—the Tree of Knowledge might reveal everything to you."
"If I ever stay alive after that... no, thank you for the offer."
Alicia gulped down the water of knowledge until there was nothing left. The water did not leave any taste. Nonetheless, the girl's heart beat faster as she wondered what would happen to her after this. She should have asked the other mages before swallowing the liquid. Well, never mind. She just needed to wait for what happened next.
One second. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. Three minutes. The cup left the girl's hand. It came to meet the support of the moss that miraculously prevented it from breaking. Alicia Crimsonmane did not move her body an inch. Stiff as a rock, she was. Pupils dilated to cover her crimson irises. The girl's vision showed the druids and the Tree of Knowledge flattening forward. As they flattened, she suddenly felt like she was being pulled away at the speed of light!
Alicia could find no one in her vision, but the thousands of thin lines shot past her.
No need to wait thousands of years, all the lines disappeared in the blink of an eye. The girl found herself in the middle of a snowstorm. She recalled the sight of Himinbjörg back then. Her feet kept walking until she saw a giant ice floe in the mist. The colossal hunk, blackish-green in colour, shaped like javelin stacks that seemed to jut toward the girl's face. The shape of the ice was not the only thing that intrigued her. Inside were rows of humans standing in slumber—at least in Alicia's notion. Almost all of them were tall and bulky. Animal fur warmed them from head to toe. There was no need for Alicia to guess, for when she saw their striking fur hats from afar—ushanka and papakha—she knew she was looking at warriors with the blood of ancient giants running through their veins. The warriors of Magavostok! Out of hundreds of people—perhaps thousands, in fact—a human being exuded a blue gleam among the rest. The human was shorter than those of the giant descendants.
The prophetic child with the first extraordinary magic power was right across the continent!
Alicia still wanted to come closer. Unfortunately, she was drawn back into the Infinite Lane, and ended up in a village, consumed by fire. What a terrible revelation, Tree of Knowledge, what a terrible revelation! Alicia was speechless as she looked at the charred corpses. In the middle, right in front of the waving flag of the sun symbol—the banner of the Federation of Lojitengara—she encountered another giant!
Correction, not just a giant, but a giant beast! A monster in armor and cloth. Whose claws were dripping with fresh blood. As if it knew there was still prey alive, the monster turned and found a wild horse—Alicia Crimsonmane herself! The silhouette of a bear stood towering on its two legs! But wait! When the flames revealed its true form, the creature could not be described as a bear. Judging by the strips on its fur..., then its bulging eyes..., the long, serrated dragon-like tail... Alicia came upon the Child of Earth—in the form of a psychopathic tiger!
Alicia had made up her mind. This was the right time for the Infinite Lane to pull her back because the undefined monster hastened its two legs while roaring aloud!
The girl's wish was granted; the Tree of Knowledge took her somewhere else. Alicia then set her feet atop a flat-roofed pyramid, looking down at a city and its contents as black statues under a black sky—another disturbing vision. Alicia's heart sank when she heard an echoing weep. It was not a human cry, but the sound was an overflowing sorrow. The girl saw something snaking in the sky—Xiu, a dragon endemic to the Mu continent. A spark of fire from the dragon also came out to illuminate the eve. The fire took on a human form, turning the dark night into a sorrowful day. It was too bright, its own light even burned down the whole city!
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, Alicia thought. As she floated along the path of the fast-moving sewers, Alicia saw someone else there! The figure's features were not clear from a distance, especially since he was swaying irregularly in the middle of the dimensional path. The Child of Wind had, of course, traveled to various dimensions—including the one he was in now. Unfortunately, the way he fared through the Inifinite Lane was rather erratic. To make matters worse, he moved toward Alicia at high speed and crashed hard into her! Alicia went straight off course and was thrown into a field of reeds.
Alicia awoke. She wanted to curse the reckless man, but she was the only one in the middle of a lovely natural portrait. All the reeds were golden and lush, glistening even more with the rays of the sun that made the sky radiate glorious gold. Alicia looked back and found the foot of the mountain bordering the beautiful field.
She recognized this land. She had seen it on the telemedia and in the newspapers. The foot of the mountain belonged to Mount Olympus, and its field was Elysium, the sanctuary garden of the land of Eretopeion, part of the Eternal Empire! A paradise on earth, this was one of the destinations that Alicia would have dreamed of if only the entire world had not wanted to kill her, forcing her to hide in an alienated village!
It was so quiet; the tranquility was bone-chilling. Alicia could stand there forever and that would be enough. But as long as she was alive, she should never attain the peace she wanted.
The sky was suddenly overcast. The tall grasses withered and turned black. The blessing of the sun turned into a catastrophic eclipse. The golden rays faded, replaced by a revolting purple luminescence.
Alicia and Khaos locked eyes again!
Khaos' eyes were getting closer and closer. Woe! Perhaps the Primordial Opposition meant to annihilate the Divine Grace-wielding girl with the falling moon! And while that was happening, Alicia did not find the figure who was considered the Child of Darkness. Had Khaos incarnated into the child in question, how she would not have been surprised!
The moon was becoming more insane, and so was the sudden hurricane! Alicia ran, calling for the Tree of Knowledge to take her home. There was no answer. The earth grew darker as the moon's enormous surface neared the ground. It kissed the earth, crushing Alicia's body and the entire realm!
The girl gasped and fell. A crowd came to greet her. She observed the faces—apparently the druids and wizards of the Magisterium. Alicia could breathe a sigh of relief, for all of it—for the umpteenth time—was a dream too real.
"Speak, Alicia! Do you hear us?" Broin shook her body.
"I-I .... Aye..., alright."
"So, the Tree of Knowledge showed you anyhting?"
"Ah dinnae ken if this is good or bad news... The closest child of all is in the neighboring country...."
"Good and bad news, neighboring countries... Let me guess. Magavostok," Haddock surmised.
"Aye, Sir Grand Magus."
An uproar happened in the Vanir botanical garden. All the druids there were already showing signs of consternation. This first news alone made the "Save the World" task very hard to accomplish.
Alicia continued, "Then the tree took me to the land of the Sun Banner, Federation of Lojitengara. I saw... a giant tiger? Aye, I'm sure it was a giant tiger with golden armor! And for the third..."
Before Alicia could mention the location of the third child, a foreign chorus of shouts rang out.
"May we all be gods!"
Broin turned around. "What in the earth—"
An explosion occurred. []