6-72 For certain
“This is the place?” Lilian asked as she stood before the entrance to a dark and dense forest, dense enough to trap shadows and turn it into a den of darkness. One could barely see a few feet in front of them once they had entered the forest.
“Yes,” answered Erin with a nod. She tightened her hold on Katya, who was in her arms. She had carried her friend in her arms all the way here from the city. There wasn’t any strain or discomfort to Erin’s arms as her friend weighed as light as a feather, or even lighter.
“I don’t like this,” said Nivia, who had her bow at the ready with an arrow nocked. She even stepped in front of Erin, as if to shield her from an incoming threat, not that there was any.
“Nivia? We are not here to fight anyone. You know that, don’t you?”
“I’m well aware of what we’re here for, but I don’t trust it.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“It’s not you that I don’t trust; it’s… whoever you are meeting that I don’t trust. A Dark Elf with an affinity for Exalted Spirits, and she lives in a Grove of her own making. I would take it as just another tall tale if it didn’t come from you, Erin. She may not be who she claims.”
Lilian tittered. “Oh, sweet Nivia. You are belittling our dear Erin’s judgment too much here. Surely she could tell if someone holds any malice towards her, no?”
“What are you talking about, Lilian? We know nothing of this… Sylvie, and we don’t know anything about the Grove that resides here. We don’t even know there was a Grove here in the first place. How can you not be suspicious?”
“Because I trust the instincts of Erin and Aedan. They sensed nothing wrong, so I won’t fret about it.”
Nivia narrowed her gaze with a look of disbelief. “They are not almighty, Lilian. They could make mistakes.”
“Aye, they can, but not this kind of mistake. Besides, are you going to suggest an alternative to our current conundrum? Do remember that we are on a very strict timetable. It is the grace of the Ruva Saintess that we get to leave the city. Otherwise, Erin would have been under house arrest. Do you want to squander this opportunity we have just because of your… minor doubts?”
Nivia tutted. “There’s nothing minor about my doubts.”
Lilian shrugged. “It is minor compared to what will happen if this opportunity is squandered.”
“...Fine. Let’s just get this over with.”
Erin smiled. “Thank you, Nivia.”
“Save your gratitude for later.” Nivia stepped out of the way.
Erin walked towards the forest. She stopped right at the edge of the woods. “Your request has been fulfilled. I have come to claim my remuneration, Sylvie.”
Then, the entire forest seemed to begin shaking, but it could also be seen as merely the winds blowing a tad stronger than usual. Whatever it was, it caused the forest to extend its arms, in the form of branches and roots. They reached out towards Erin, but they didn’t tangle themselves around her. Instead, they reached out to her gently, with gracious intent in their movements.
“Be careful, Erin.” Despite the cordial gesture, Nivia still felt the need to warn her friend and lover.
“I’ll be fine, Nivia,” Erin said and stepped into the embrace of the roots and branches. One by one, they wrapped around Erin and pulled her into the forest. And she was gone from their sight.
“They swallowed her,” Nivia muttered.
“Don’t be dramatic, Nivia. It’s nothing that visceral. It’s not different than going through a door.”
Many of the branches and roots remained. Instead of retracting, they stayed open and… welcoming. They swayed gently in the air, as if beckoning the two to join.
“It’s… inviting us too?” Lilian muttered.
“No way. I’m not going into those… things.”
“Suit yourself, Nivia.” Lilian was much less doubtful. She walked into the reach of the roots and branches, and allowed them to take her into the forest.
“Lilian!” Nivia called out after her friend, but it was already too late. She was gone.
The branches and roots remained, and they were gesturing for her to join her friends.
“I will be staying out here, just in case,” said Nivia.
The branches and roots tilted as they drooped their ends.
Nivia frowned. It was a tad odd to see appendages of plants to be this expressive. Regardless, it didn’t make her any less suspicious of their hidden intention. “I will be waiting out here. You have an hour. If it needs more than an hour, then you'd better have my friends explain to me themselves. Otherwise, I will set fire to this forest. Do we have an understanding?”
The branches and roots nodded, and they retracted completely back into the forest.
Nivia shivered. “You’d better hurry, Erin. This is giving me the creeps.”
****
“Now, this is a peculiar Grove,” Lilian mused as she let her gaze wander around her new environment. Though she was in a vast clearing with flowers all around, there was barely any light and the skies resembled those that heralded a storm.
“Are there no Groves like this?” Erin asked.
“If there are, this is the first I have seen. Groves are supposed to be a place for rest and respite. A sanctuary for the Faerie-kin. It is supposed to instil a sense of calm, serenity, and security. But this Grove only instils a sense of dread and… worry. I’m starting to think I may have to apologise to Nivia.”
“I don’t like this place, Erin,” said Katya. “It feels kinda like… Ivan’s dungeon.”
“Just look at me, Katya, and think of nothing else. I will help you get through this.”
“Thank you… Argon,” she muttered softly.
“I should have brought the little one. Ruri will warn us if there’s truly any insidious intent hidden in this place.”
“How rude.”
The two perked up and turned towards the voice that came out of nowhere.
Erin narrowed her gaze. “Sylvie.”
Lilian widened her eyes. “A Dark Elf… So, it’s true. You’re an Elf, not an Umbrum… but your skin is… dark. How is this possible?”
Sylvie snickered. “It seems that your predecessors have been very dishonest and selective with the knowledge they imparted to the next generations.”
“Bold accusation there, Miss Dark Elf. Do you have evidence behind these accusations?”
“Evidence? What need do I have for them? I’m not in a human’s court, and I’m not asking for your faith.”
“Fair enough. Then, will you at least tell me if there’s perhaps some kind of convoluted history behind your… theory?”
“There is a reason, but it’s not in the slightest bit convoluted. It’s actually quite simple and petty. But we won’t be discussing that. That’s not why you’re here, is it?” Smiling, Sylvie turned to Erin with a face filled with strange anticipation. “Welcome back, Erin. You have done well. I even dare say you did better than I expected. Everything was resolved quicker than I anticipated. For that, you have my high praise.”
“Save the pleasantries, Sylvie.” Erin waved, as if to swat away the distractions and misdirections. “I came here for my reward. I have quelled the unrest and dissolved the cause of the evil in the capital as requested. As per our agreement, you will have to fulfil a request of mine in return.”
“Of course, Erin. What are you—”
“I said, skip the pleasantries. I’m well aware that you have been keeping watch. You know full well why I’m here. So, drop the act, and tell me, is it possible?”
Sylvie’s smile dropped. A vine-moulded chair manifested behind her and she sat down on it with a sorrowful and regretful look.
The body language from the Dark Elf was hard to ignore. Erin grimaced and approached Sylvie. “Is that a no?”
“If it’s a perfect solution you are looking for, then I will have to disappoint you.”
“Then, there is a solution.”
“Of course, there is a solution. It’s just… very limiting. Restrictive, one could even say?”
“What is it?”
“Oh, it’s quite simple. Your friend simply needs to stay in a Grove. The Exalted Spirits will keep her alive. But mind you, she can never step outside of the Grove. Well, she can, but only an hour at most, or less than that. In the worst case, she won’t even last a minute outside of a Grove.”
Erin could feel Katya trembling in her arms, though she couldn’t feel any fear from her“...Is there truly no other way?”
“She’s not of this world. Unlike you, her body was artificially created, and her soul was simply snatched from another world and placed into this one. Your soul, though foreign, has been refined by a Divine for integration into this world. Hers was not, and that’s not taking into account of the many rules of the natural order that have been broken. It’s already miraculous enough that she survived this long. So, what will you do?”
Erin got down to her knees and laid Katya down on the ground. Their hands stayed intertwined and their gazes met. “Katya…”
“No,” she said. “It’s your choice, Argon.”
“W-what?” Erin stammered in surprise. “That’s bollocks. It’s your life. Why am I—”
“It is not. My life has ended long ago. This life is not mine to live. It is not mine to decide. I am nothing without your discretion and mercy. Besides, you already know my desire. If you still have to ask for my input, it simply shows that you want me to change my mind. I won’t. If you truly intend to listen to my wishes, then you no longer have to ask.”
“Katya…”
“It’s alright, Argon. This is just life. Some are fortunate. Some are less so. I have no regrets now, and I don’t wish to garner any in my final moments. So, let go, Argon— no, Erynthea.”
Erin loosened her hands from Katya’s. “I understand… And… I’m sorry, Katya. I never meant for that to happen, but I was too afraid of weakness to restrain myself back then.”
“It’s alright, Erynthea. It’s alright now. This is your second chance, and I see that you are already making good use of it. After all, you have friends, and you found love. I’m so happy for you, Erynthea.”
“Katya,” Erin muttered her friend’s name one last time as she embraced her.
“Farewell, my friend.”
Glitters of light enveloped Katya until every inch of her body was covered in it. Then, the glitters of light soared into the air like birds returning to the sky to find their way home. When the lights had all but dispersed, Katya was also gone. She was… no more.
“Impressive,” Sylvie awed. “She managed to hold on to your own existence through sheer will. It’s a shame that she met such a fate. Her will would have been favoured greatly by many Divines.”
Lilian knelt beside Erin and pulled her into her embrace. “There, there. It’s alright, dear. You may weep if your heart allows you to. You will find no censure here. Mourn to your heart’s content, Erin.”
“I’m fine, Lilian,” said Erin, but her tone was shivering and so were her shoulders. “I will weep to my heart’s content after our business here is concluded.”
“Business?” Sylvie scoffed. “You wound me, Erin. You need not be so formal with me. You just lost a friend. You can mourn and grieve if you wish. I will not rush you. Our accord will not expire.”
“If I have to grieve, it certainly won’t be in this place. So, let us continue.”
“Very well. What will you ask of me?”
“...How much do you know of Aedan’s circumstances?”
“Oh, him? I know a great deal about him.”
“Even about his… suppressed strength?”
“Of course. He has consulted with me regarding this matter. I would even go as far as to say that I’m partly responsible for the… seal.”
“But that seal is no more.”
“No more? Impossible. The Dark Isles would have awoken if the seal was broken.”
“The seal was broken, but it was replaced with another.”
Sylvie looked towards Lilian, immediately understanding everything. “I see. It was replaced with a Fae’s seal, wasn’t it? Crude, but effective.”
“Crude?” Lilian scoffed in disbelief.
“It is crude. No wonder I no longer sense any of his strength. It had been completely sealed off.” Then, a smirk appeared on her face. “Is that your wish? To fashion another seal for him, a seal like the one he previously had.”
“If possible, I would like a better one. Is that… feasible?”
Her smirk widened. “It’s more than feasible. It is… for certain.”