Taboo Online

No one answered Aelira at once.

Luke stared at the silver light circling his boots, then looked across the enclosed terraces. Hundreds of elves crowded the living platforms around the central tree. Some held children against their chests, while others supported wounded relatives or sat beside people who could no longer stand.

Most still carried the smoke and blood of Lethariel on their clothes.

"Earth has forests," Luke said. "It also has cities, borders, governments, and a lot of people who panic when something appears without warning. I don’t know where we could put the Heartroot, and I definitely can’t promise anyone will welcome it."

Rhea lowered herself beside Kellan and tightened the blood-soaked wrapping around his injured thigh without disturbing Iris’s lifeline.

"We’re getting ahead of ourselves. Before anyone asks Earth for permission, we need to know what would actually arrive."

She checked the bandage, then looked toward Aelira.

"How much of the Heartroot has to cross?"

Aelira kept both palms against the living wood. "The central trunk, the sanctuary around it, and every branch still joined to the core."

Rhea studied the curved silver walls surrounding them. "So this isn’t a matter of carrying back a seed and planting it somewhere quiet."

"No. If the Heartroot abandons the sanctuary, everyone inside it dies."

"How many survivors are we talking about?"

Aelira did not answer immediately.

Rootkeepers were still carrying the wounded away from the sealed approaches. Families moved through the terraces calling names, sometimes receiving an answer from another level and sometimes hearing nothing.

"We have not counted them," Aelira said. "There are too many to move through a narrow passage one at a time. The Heartroot must carry them together."

Kellan glanced over the crowd. "Explaining one wounded elf might be difficult enough."

He reached toward the bandage around his thigh, but Iris caught his wrist.

"Leave it alone. The muscle is torn in three places, and the lifeline is the only reason you can still feel your foot."

Kellan lowered his hand. The humor left his face as he looked at the golden light surrounding his leg.

"All right."

Rhea rose carefully, favoring the side beneath her cracked armor. "What does the Heartroot need once it reaches the other world?"

"Living soil and clean water," Aelira said. "It will also require enough space for the core to open without destroying whatever surrounds it."

"And mana?"

Aelira closed her eyes.

A pale pulse traveled beneath her hands, but the light weakened before reaching the outer terrace.

"The Heartroot sensed mana through all of you," she said. "Your world is no longer empty of it."

Luke glanced toward Lauren.

Powerforge had already carried mana and abilities into reality. The Bureau could measure awakened energy, track physical changes caused by skills, and detect when players returned from the game stronger than before.

That still did not mean Earth was ready for a living elven sanctuary filled with refugees.

Lauren shifted Luke’s arm higher across her shoulders when his legs weakened again. "The Bureau will need time to prepare a destination. They’ll want healers, security, and enough empty land that the transfer won’t put civilians at risk."

Several nearby elves turned toward her.

A Rootkeeper stepped away from the crowd. Fire had burned away much of the hair on one side of her head, and dried blood covered her neck above the collar of her armor.

"You expect your people to greet us with weapons."

Lauren faced her. "Some of them will."

Angry voices rose behind the Rootkeeper, but Lauren did not speak over them. She waited until the nearest elves quieted enough to listen.

"They won’t know what happened here," she continued. "They’ll see a forest appear where there wasn’t one before, along with hundreds of armed people they’ve never met. Some will assume you’re attacking. Others will rush in because they want to help and may damage the Heartroot without understanding what it is."

The Rootkeeper’s jaw tightened. "We escaped the Ruinborn. We will not trade one cage for another."

"No one is asking you to surrender," Rhea said.

She stepped closer, though one hand remained near Kellan in case his leg failed beneath him.

"But Lauren is right about the response. If a forest appears near a populated area, armed heroes and soldiers will surround it. We can either reach them first and explain the situation, or let the first terrified officer decide what all of you are."

The Rootkeeper looked between Rhea and Lauren before turning toward Aelira.

"My Queen, is their world truly our only path?"

Another weak pulse moved beneath Aelira’s hands. She waited until it faded before answering.

"The Black Rain has poisoned every root the Heartroot can reach from here. Preservation will slow its death, but it cannot stop it. If we remain, the core will begin cutting away parts of the sanctuary to keep the rest alive."

The elves nearest her fell silent.

Parents pulled children closer. Several defenders looked toward the newly sealed walls, perhaps wondering which terrace would be the first one sacrificed.

Aelira pushed herself upright.

The Thornmender caught her elbow before she lost her balance, while Iris tightened the lifeline around her ribs.

"I will not offer you comfort built on a lie," Aelira said. "The human world may fear us. Its rulers may refuse us land, and the crossing may fail before we reach them. I cannot promise that we will be treated kindly."

The burned Rootkeeper slowly lowered her head.

"But if we stay here," Aelira continued, "the Heartroot dies. After that, so do we."

No one argued again.

Lauren rubbed her thumb across Luke’s wrist. Her own legs trembled whenever the Heartroot pulsed, but she continued supporting most of his weight.

"We need to contact the Bureau," she said. "Is the return route open?"

Rhea looked toward the system windows hovering above the terrace. "The battle objective is complete. It should be."

Luke noticed her hesitation. "You don’t sound certain."

"I’ve stopped expecting Powerforge to explain anything before it becomes dangerous."

He gave a tired nod. "Fair."

Lauren turned toward Aelira. "Can the Heartroot follow us if we return?"

"Not yet."

Silver light brightened beneath Luke and Lauren as soon as she answered. The circle around their feet stretched between them, then divided into two separate rings.

New windows unfolded in the air.

[Interworld transplantation request detected.]

[Evaluating available transplantation route.]

[Partner resonance identified.]

[Two synchronized bridge anchors available.]

Luke’s eyes moved to the next message.

[Transfer requires a living destination mark.]

[One bonded bridge anchor must carry the mark to the destination world.]

[The second bonded bridge anchor must remain within the Central Heartroot and maintain the source connection.]

[Warning: Separation will weaken partner resonance until both bridge anchors are established.]

Lauren’s hand stopped moving against his wrist.

"So one of us goes back," Luke said, "and the other stays here."

Aelira followed the divided silver light. "The Heartroot intends to use the bond between you as its bridge."

Rhea stepped closer to the windows. "Can anyone else carry the mark?"

The system answered before Aelira could.

[No compatible substitute detected.]

[The transplantation bridge requires the synchronized bond between Luke and Lauren.]

Luke looked at Lauren.

"You should take it."