The water in the cave's lake had risen and under the light of the illusory butterflies, its surface sparkled like jewels. The light reflected in the water bounced against the walls, creating a bewitching atmosphere. Even Miranda was entranced.
She flew in deeper into the chamber, like a moth to a flame. Silently hovering above the clear water, she looked down. Her image was not mirrored. It was as if she didn't exist. As if the world she was staring at, was not one that she was a part of.
What stood in front of her made it feel even more so, but she honestly wanted to belong there. She would forcefully carve out the space for herself if she had to. She materialized instantly, taking a long hard look at herself and then at the gargoyle in the reflection.
The lake's water had stopped an inch from it's claws, and each of them was menacing at more than double her height. The boulder that it was sitting on was almost completely submerged underwater.
She flew in closer, now only wishing to marvel at the majestic piece of art that it was. She had sold sculptures in the past but she had never seen any quite like this one. Maybe it was the size ratio, but it was truly intimidating.
She circled it twice and came to pause behind its back, on the inside of the left wing. She noticed that there were deep cracks forming from where the wing emerged on its back, spreading down part of the wing. It was a very small section overall but from her point of view, it looked like jagged wounds had spread like spider-webs, going in deep.
"I guess I'm to blame for this. I'm sorry," she sighed and apologized softly. She felt a little guilty as she gently placed a tiny hand into one of the grooves. It was hard and rough.
The wing would likely break off completely if more water flooded in, but that was inevitable once she moved Sher island out of the lake. It wasn't that she was planning to travel elsewhere anytime soon, but she needed to go to Arim from time to time. If only reminisce about the glories of her last life and feed her vanity.
She would just try to remember to store it safely in her space before she did so. Since her mental energy could now travel four meters around her, she could definitely fit it in with some effort. Satisfied, she hummed quietly as she went back up the tunnel.
It was only noon when she got out of the mountain, so she decided to drop by the newly discovered Whiteleaf tree. She had tried to ignore it and follow the oath she made at death's door, to mind her own f*cking business. But curiosity killed the cat after all.
She couldn't help but feel like she could find a missing puzzle here. Perhaps what she needed to look into from that start was the Whiteleaf trees and not the planet's locals. It was hard to miss that there was something special about them. Aside from the leaves of course.
And Sher really stood out with the additional pure white bark. At first, she had dismissed it as the tree being unique only because it had been taken over by a mana AI. She now had a change of heart after finding a Whiteleaf that was not on the island.
She had gotten used to Sher being her guardian rather than her informant in this life, and she didn't plan on changing anything. She couldn't imagine a life without the providential tree anymore. The fact that they could always go everywhere together was just the icing on the cake.
She flew around the Whiteleaf before her and saw that it was utterly unremarkable. Aside from its desolate hollow, it was exactly the same as the other seven Whiteleaf trees on Sher island. Seeing that further investigation wasn't going anywhere, she threw in the towel and made a mental note to visit again in the future.
She flew back to Fairy Forest, to Sher and stood at the entrance to its hollow. She looked around at the heavenly lush meadow and couldn't help but think about how different it was in comparison to the Whiteleaf tree by the mountain. It was the difference between heaven and earth.
"Sher, do you know what kind of trees you are?" she only threw it out there, not really expecting a response.
In her mind, she suddenly saw images of the Whiteleaf tree near the mountain plus two more even further away in the South. She was amazed. There were two more Whiteleaf trees in this forest?
"How can you see them?" she asked. She saw the underground network of the Whiteleaf trees on Sher island. Their interconnected roots flowed and pulsed with thick mana. Mana waves rippled outwards, spreading far and wide with the island as the center.
"I ..." she was speechless. If the trees had gathered so much mana then why couldn't she sense mana till now? Were they using up all the mana available to revamp the area? She also remembered that she was supposed to be the powerplant in Sher. Where was her thick mana?
She still didn't understand what kind of trees they were but she guessed that Sher could connect with them in order to see the world much further away. She didn't bother wasting time pondering over it as her stomach had started to whine.
She quickly ate two bunches of sweet clear grapes before going out to play. She flew towards the Northern side of the island, towards where the waterfall was. Many small birds loved to gather there after she had banned them from her garden.
She had asked Sher to stop letting in more into Fairy Forest because the birds had descended on her garden and left several half-eaten fruits. Fruits would grow almost instantaneously in her garden and remain ripe indefinitely as long as they weren't plucked from the trees. The ruined crops looked so unsightly.
After asking that of Sher, she found that it placed a barrier around the garden and no more birds went into it. When she arrived at the waterfall, she flew around the trees until she found an unattended bird's nest. She had also discovered that bird eggs were delicious and quickly stole one. It seemed to vanish into thin air the moment she grabbed it.
Sher island and the once barren area around the lake was rapidly changing. More illusory butterflies hovered in Sher island and fresh green grass grew by bank of the lake. Tall broad-leafed trees and other plants grew widely. It looked more and more like a tropical forest had appeared within the coniferous forest.
It didn't take too long before wild animals started to appear in the forests beyond the lake. All kinds of animals could be seen, herbivores and carnivores alike. It was slowly brimming with life and Miranda was glad to see it.
The sun shone through warmer and brighter, chasing the lingering winter cold away. She was once again immersed in the magic of it all and soon forgot all about the mystery of the Whiteleaf trees or exploring further beyond the forests. She was now living in her own little country.
That is, until one inconspicuous evening. She was busy following around a family of wolves. Her creepy eyes were definitely making the pack uneasy, but they just couldn't see anything. The sun was just about to set when the sky started to take on an orange hue instead of the usual blue.
She felt a sense of déjà vu.