Kyra can't describe how she felt at the moment. The skull she managed to dig up belongs to either the Ice Demon or the long haired demon. She doesn't want to find out who it really is from any longer. She dropped the skull and padded her clothes. Her eyes are staring ahead. She tried to envision the way back home. But it was useless. Everything in her path still feels the same, desolate, abandoned, and hopeless.
The lotus flower that showed her the vision suddenly closed its petals and dug into the ground. The sand parted into the main road on the right from the deepest part of the desert. Kyra gaped. The stone road was dug up in order to show her the way back home. The path is winding and long. The vines who worked hard to dig the road resurfaced and swayed in front of Kyra, as if asking to be praised by her.
She extended her arms and patted the giant lotus flower.
"Thank you."
She looked ahead. The sun is starting to show signs of setting, and the atmosphere is not that hot, making her persevere to walk for a few miles towards Elven Croft Palace.Kyra started to feel the effects of the outburst earlier. Her strength was draining, her muscles started to feel numb and her joints started aching. Noticing her discomfort face, the giant lotus flower immediately wrapped itself around her waist and started to gather thick vines to create a semi chair for her to sit in.
Kyra was lifted off her feet and seemed to be escorted by the vines. Kyra can't help but let out a chuckle. Her current situation is so weird she doesn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Silver bloom devouring lotus..." she let the long four word name roll in her tongue.
"Can I call you Silver?"
The blood red rimmed center of the lotus flower narrowed in delight and started to bounce in excitement. As if to say, "Yes!"
Kyra smiled. Along the journey, she sat back as if nothing was more relaxing to do than sit languidly in the chair made of vines. The sand dunes formed waves because of the wind. The sun has finally cast its last rays of red and orange light, forming a streak of colorful sunset clouds on the horizon.
It was beautiful.
After all that has happened, this scene is probably the most relaxing scene she has witnessed. If only she took her mother back to the mortal realm to live quietly, would they also watch the sunset peacefully like this?
Kyra dismissed the thought and said,
"Take me where Lester is,"
The large vines before her went in the opposite direction and dug up layers of vines to reveal the stone path. Kyra's last recollection of Lester is when he tried to save the screaming fairy nomad trapped somewhere in town. He did not come back after that. Kyra's eyes fell to the thick sand that covered the whole town, wishing in her heart that nothing bad would happen to Lester.
It took forty minutes before the vines came to a halt. Kyra studied the surroundings. There are numerous great, tall cliffs surrounding the land. Waterfalls flow down to a ravine. Behind it is a thick patch of tall forest. Before Kyra can step forward, she already sense something is wrong. The mana that kept the holy land flourishing is dying. The mana eating plants on the cliff's feet are dying. The mana filled waterfall is polluted.
She ran her hand against the cliff. An invisible wall appeared, trying to check her identity. When it confirmed who she was, the barriers dispersed and a majestic forest came into view. Fairy tinkers instantly buzzed around her. They were panic stricken and agitated. They are index finger tall with bright golden wings that expel fairy gold dust as they fly. They used to be peaceful and cheerful, guarding the World Tree were their responsibility.
When they saw Kyra, they immediately crowd around her and started talking simultaneously. Their words sound a lot like birds' agitated chirps. Kyra can't understand a thing. They saw her confused face and chose to show her what was wrong. Kyra was pushed through her back by the crowd of fairy tinkers. Some took the initiative to pull on her clothes and drag her to where the problem was. Kyra duck to avoid the willow vines that cover the inner portion – the last protection before one fairy can see the World Tree.
When Kyra lifted her eyes, she was stunned.
Sunlight filtered through the interlaced branches of trees, illuminating an open air bowl like spot under them. There was a small pool in it. Above, a golden yellow branch encased in pure crystalline water dripped down to the pool.
That small pool is the sap of the World Tree. One drop can awaken the mana of a nomad fairy child, as well as restore a fairy to peak condition and greatly strengthen his physique.
This sight used to send Kyra's mouth dropping. Yet now, this sight horrified her beyond the sight of two demons.
The majestic World Tree, with its thick large vines, is squirming listlessly. A dense black atmosphere is contaminating the pure mana around it. The leaves are falling to the ground one by one, rotting and dispersing before they can hit the root.
"N— No, no, no." Kyra raced to the top. Her hand just touched the branch when the fairy tinkers blocked her hand. They scold her in their shrill bird chirp like voices.
"I'm sorry," she said, keeping her hand away.
"What's wrong with the World Tree? Why is it contaminated? " Her eyes lingered on the small pool. The pure mana crystalline water has been diluted. Spots of black settled at the bottom.
Kyra's heart is beating against her chest. Her hand is shaking uncontrollably. Never in the first existence of the fairy realm was the World Tree's sap contaminated like this.
The World Tree represents all the fairies' lives. Each leaf is connected to one fairy somewhere. Now the leaves are falling and rotting.
This could mean one thing.
The fairy realm is dying.