The air grew taut as Kuzan continued to analyze his surroundings, a single thought reverberating through his head.
'I almost arrived too late.'
Kuzan shook his head at his misfortune. 'I knew I shouldn't have gone through the trouble of extracting the venom sac.'
Still, what was done was done. He had wasted his time, and as a result...
'I've missed the aftershow.'
He had arrived too late, only catching the last act of this great play that the locals had so thoughtfully devised for him, showing off their hospitality.
'And worst of all, this is one of my least favorite parts.'
It was a bittersweet feeling, watching the forest spirit put her life on the line to save her sisters who had all but betrayed her.
It was beautiful, watching the Dryad make the ultimate sacrifice, to face a fate worse than death, to abandon her identity, all to save her sisters.
Her strength captivated him.
Her strength of heart, her strength of will, abandoning herself to save them, walking a path he himself had refused to take.
It was painful, watching her struggle, forcing someone else to make that difficult choice, all to save those she loved from what she thought awaited them.
To save them from a fate cruel enough to warrant abandoning her oath, to save them from an evil worth abandoning herself. Becoming a martyr, all to save them...
'To save them from me.'
The oath of severance.
An act of the Dryads that he was familiar with, having read Isabel's memories during their first encounter.
No matter what it symbolized or what they believed it meant.
It freed them from their duties to the forest, while at the same time freeing them from their vessel, returning to the All-Mother in her soft embrace.
'At least that's how they perceived it.'
At the end of the day, to Kuzan at least, it was nothing less than an act of suicide.
He slowly directed his gaze to their kneeling leader...
"Let's have a talk."
[Narrator POV]
Although little is known about the Dryad race, including their purpose and lifestyles, an extract from the famous Encyclopedia for Adventurers, Written by Wester Everson paints an interesting picture...
["...little is known about these fascinating creatures who seldom appear outside the shade of their forests, it can be assumed that they are intelligent and wise beings with inherently powerful magical abilities.
A Magi's Advice: I warn you, adventurer, should you ever somehow find yourself in the presence of a Dryad, walk away. Do not interact with the Dryad unless spoken to first. Leave the forest and return another day, for their attention itself is trouble. Do not show hostility, and do not show fear. They are as harmless as a tree sapling unless provoked. However, should one somehow earn their vengeance, even I would not be able to assure my safety.]
It was a piece of advice that had caught the majority of adventurers spanning the world off guard when they read it for the first time.
Of course, in their training, and to advance their rank, many had memorized this essential book provided free of cost by the Adventurer's Guild in Alkavia despite the wealth of knowledge contained within.
It was surprising.
After all, it was these tidbits of notes by a legendary Magi himself that made the book such a valuable read, enough to force even the most headstrong of adventurers to become literate.
It was advice too necessary to forgo, especially when it was so easily accessible.
"Why then," adventurers would ask themselves, "why then would the Magi King himself write as if he were afraid of this race?"
It was a contradictory account, as although few, there were tales of men and women having encounters with Dryads that portrayed them as a well-meaning race, who would offer help to those kindhearted and pure, especially to children...
Why then would the Magi's Advice be so different from their common sense?
Despite the countless theories, with some even calling it a joke in the book by the Magi who was known for his horrendous sense of humor, only the Magi King himself knew of the truth...
That his words were not there just to protect the adventurers... it was a piece of advice written to protect himself from the Dryads' true strength...
Their backers.
[Unknown POV]
An elderly voice quaked the Earth, causing even the mountain they had made their home to rumble.
"What do you mean you haven't found him?"
A gigantic green dragon, its eyes resembling venom, could be seen standing vividly in the darkness as five pairs of eyes pinned him in judgment.
Their eyes, resembling spheres, were larger than the dragon himself, who was currently looking down in terror.
His gigantic body, which looked petite in comparison, shivered along with the mountain.
Despite possessing the dignity of a dragon, a creature at the top of the food chain, a monster feared by kings and a nightmare showing up in the stories told by mothers to scare their children into sleep, its voice couldn't help but tremble in its response.
"Ttthhere are no signs of a newbo—"
He stopped in his explanations, which were taken as mere excuses by his lord, as the pressure on his body multiplied...
His durable scales, which all dragons were especially proud of, squeaked and strained under the oppression.
"Leave."
Despite the great strain, he did just that, not minding the little "punishment" he had to go through, for it was by his Queen's kindness that he was allowed to live at all despite failing in his duty.
Still, the dragon was depressed, walking out of the chamber with a low and sunken expression on top of his otherwise ferocious face, having lost the opportunity of a lifetime to prove his usefulness and skill.
A pair of doors shut behind him, leaving devastation in their wake as their size alone was enough to cause further shame on the poor dragon's heart.
In the now silent room, still overtaken with darkness, the pairs of eyes at the ends turned to each other, giving each other a silent exchange of support, as both knew what was coming next...
"Such a capable man, Aqulia, maybe you should have him marry your daughter..." the eyes second most from the left squinted while launching a barrage of insults at its target.
"Shut up, Persila," the being seated second most from the right scoffed, while returning with a jab of her own, "just look at the color of his scales, he's obviously just perfect for your daughter, both dumb and weak."
The air boiled.
"Are you calling my daughter weak!?"
"No, I'm calling you weak!"
"Enough."
A voice spread out from the middle of the room, ending their petty squabble.
Although not filled with even a tenth of the volume and intensity of the previous shouting match, a single word was enough to cause the room to fall dead into silence.
The pair of eyes in the middle moved, as it looked at the other two beside it with a familiar look.
It pinned them to their thrones, causing them to feel a similar sensation to the dragon they had just finished reprimanding.
However, it was not the pressure of her being that caused the two to feel ashamed,...it was the disappointment hiding within her eyes that caused them such pain.
"Is it really just that hard to get along?" Her words only caused it to burrow deeper.
"Have I really failed in raising two competent daughters?" She spoke, using the most trustworthy skill in her arsenal, perhaps surpassing even the effect of some of her most powerful magic.
For it was enough to tame even the most nightmarish of beasts.
"We're sorry, mom," spoke the voice to her left, going in for a hug, "you know we didn't mean it, right?"
"See?" spoke the voice to her right, as she made the ultimate sacrifice and exchanged a hug with her arch-enemy.
"Pffttt..." "Hehe..." the two seated at the corners of the room finally couldn't control themselves, as they let out small chuckles beneath their serious exteriors.
However, no matter how quiet they were, to their horror they realized at once that their beloveds had picked up the sounds.
Their eyes widened, for the duo broke the hug, turning around again to both walk back to their seats as well as to face their beloveds, who now had cold sweats running down their faces, as a small smile hung from the corners of their executioners's lips.
However, once again, the presence of the great being in the middle of the room saved them from certain death, earning their undying loyalty and gratitude, despite knowing that even she had nearly delayed the inevitable.
"We need to find him matriarch." the males's bellowed, trying to reassure their only life-line from the horrific fate that awaited them when they went back home.
The atmosphere once again grew serious, as the voice of their leader thundered out in certainty.
"I will find him."
The members grew tense.
"Myself."
Their hearts skipped a beat, not expecting her to jump in the search herself.
"But why, mother?" the voice to her left asked in confusion. "Who knows if the father of the newborn is even worth our attention, much less his child."
"You won't understand, Aquila," she shook her head. "Nature itself is begging me to find this youngling."
"What reason do we have to be afraid of defying the All-Mother's will?" spoke the daughter to her right, having had bad blood with the All-Mother, especially considering that being's control over the forest which to her, challenged her rule.
"What reason do we have to deny her help?" responded her mom with conviction, making the decision for them as the final arbitrator of the council.
"I will go myself. Is anyone in disagreement?" Gone was a mother, managing her daughters' decisions, teaching and guiding them on the right path.
It was too important of a situation for them to mess up.
Thus she took control, taking matters into her own hands.
Although it was rare,
it was not their mother overturning their decision that caused them such deep shock and worry. It was her statement that she would move herself to find this newborn that she had become so obsessed with.
The last time their mother had acted by herself like this... even they found it hard to recall.
But not their husbands.
"The last time you were away from the village..." spoke the one on the left, "was when the council was first formed," continued the one on the right.
They spoke in unison.
"It's far too risky f—"
"Then what's your worth?" Their mother spoke harshly to the duo with defiance. "Have I really married my daughters off to a bunch of cowards?"
However, despite her assignment of their character, they were not their wives who would back down at the slightest provocation from the matriarch.
"We need you," spoke the one on the left with a tired sigh, not wanting his only source of protection from his wife to leave him.
"If you're dead set on leaving, at least tell us why you need to go. You know something that you're not telling us," spoke the one on the right.
Even she was slowly growing frustrated by their antics. Although she could push forth a decision, the four of them collectively still held the power to tie up her vote.
Of course, all this civility would be ground into dust if such a thing were to really happen, as not even the four of them collectively would be able to force the matriarch to stay if she was dead set on leaving.
After all, they were dragons, not diplomats. At the end of the day, only one thing was required for your decision to be "picked."
Strength.
However, she shook her head, for leaving through force would be a subpar solution compared to earning their approval and understanding.
"I created the council for just this reason," her elderly voice that was usually filled with wisdom striking into their hearts. "I won't be here forever, you know. If you can't even take care of the village in my short absence, what will happen to the lot of you when I'm gone?"
Her words, full of emotion, caused her daughters to become little more than crybabies, sniffling into their mother's shoulders, dreading the thought of ever losing her.
It was not even a question in their minds, that no one would ever be able to hurt their dear mother.
But time waits for no one, as had been proven by the slow passing of the oldest generation, of whom their mother was the last survivor.
Still, she stood steadfast, even in her old age, still possessing enough strength to whip the rest of them into shape should the need ever arise.
But they were still torn, not wanting to leave their mother's side for a second, like two hatchlings, always following her around even during their hunts.
Their expressions of worry caused their mother to recall a pleasant memory.
"It's time for you to let go, my little fire spitters." She rested each of her hands against their foreheads.
"Show me how much you've grown, show me how much you've learned, show me that I don't need to worry about you anymore."
Her words struck a chord with each member of the council.
She had once again proven to them why she was their matriarch, thinking about them even till the end...
Taking their silence as an agreement, she turned around and left the chambers, preparing for her departure to search for her muse.
Although she had been successful in diverting their questions about the true reason for her departure, try as she might she could not hide the truth from herself...
'I felt it, I'm sure of it...' her eyes narrowed in resolve, as her gigantic body slowly transformed while shining in blue light matching her scales, and now her hair...
She had felt it, in her blood. While the others had felt the assurance of a new life, she was the only one to have felt the resurgence of an ancient power, matching her time.
'Who is it?' She asked herself, 'which one of them found a way to cheat death?'
She was not jealous, no, she was excited at their triumph. She wanted to see for herself, to finally talk to someone who understood her struggles.
For so long, she had thought she was alone, having to bear the burden and responsibility of managing the clan after their demise.
For the first time, in a long time, she felt as if she were still young, as if new life had been breathed into her.
She would find him, no matter who he was, and no matter where he hid, she would find him.
'Damn the cost.'