Chapter 115: The Trial of an Awakened Ability (1)
Not long afterward, several healers rushed over to Maeve. "Move aside! Let them examine the Goddess!"
Elder Vax was the first to reach her. Without wasting a second, he knelt beside her and gently checked her pulse.
The moment he did, a deep frown appeared on his face and it was the last expression her husbands wanted to see.
"What’s wrong?" Axan asked, his voice shaking with worry. He carefully rested Maeve’s head on his lap while tightly holding her trembling hands as she continued to cry out in pain.
"I believe something went wrong with her awakened ability," Elder Vax said as he looked up at Axan. "She has awakened a plant-based ability, but her body is still rejecting it. Instead of becoming one with her, the ability is behaving like a curse attacking her body."
In other words, Elder Vax had come to the same conclusion Pinky had explained earlier. Since the system showed that her bond with the ability had only reached twelve percent, it was no surprise that he believed her body was almost completely rejecting it.
"The Sky Mother..." Maeve whispered weakly.
Everyone immediately turned to look at her.
"The Sky Mother warned me about this when I awakened my ability," she continued between painful breaths. "She said that because my body couldn’t fully bond with this power, the plants would feel pain... and that pain would be reflected back to me."
She let out another soft groan before forcing herself to continue. "I... probably won’t be able to touch plants by accident anymore."
After all, even the grass beneath her was alive. The moment her skin touched it, her ability instinctively tried to stimulate its growth. But instead of helping the grass, the forced growth caused it pain, and Maeve felt every bit of that pain herself.
The instant Axan realized what was happening, he quickly lifted Maeve into his arms. He made sure not even the tips of her feet touched the grass anymore.
"What’s the solution for this?" Cerus asked in panic. A moment later, he even raised his voice. "You have a way to fix this... don’t you, Elder Vax?!"
Elder Vax let out a long, heavy sigh before slowly shaking his head. "I’m sorry, Leaders," he said in a low voice. "This is beyond my knowledge. I don’t know how to treat it."
After all, no one in the Azuryn Tribe had ever failed to bond with their awakened ability before. Once an ability awakened, it naturally became one with its owner.
Maeve shouldn’t have been an exception either because Ikarus’s blood already flowed through her veins, so by all logic, that should have been enough to help her accept the ability.
But in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Maeve slowly closed her eyes, trying to endure the waves of pain spreading through her body.
Just then, Pinky’s familiar voice echoed inside her mind.
[Side Mission Triggered!]
[Mission: Seek the Wisdom of the Sylvara Tribe]
[Goal: Travel to the Sylvara Tribe and learn how to fully understand and control your plant-based ability.]
[Mission Details: The Sylvara Tribe is the oldest tribe known for its deep connection with plants and nature. Every member awakens a plant-based ability, and they have passed down their knowledge for generations. Their understanding of plants far surpasses that of any other tribe.]
[Reward:
- Plant Ability Bond Progress +88%
- Plant Ability Manual (Legendary)
- 30,000 Coins
- Ability Control Skill Unlocked
[Failure Penalty:
- Your bond progress will remain at 12%.
- The pain caused by touching plants will gradually worsen over time.]
Maeve frowned. It was rare for Pinky to give a failure penalty for one of her side missions. But knowing that the mission was directly related to her health, she could understand why.
Still, where exactly was the Sylvara Tribe anyway?
Were they facing the same crisis as the Azuryn Tribe? If they were, then they might also be on the brink of extinction.
After all, no matter how powerful a person’s plant-based ability was, it would be useless if there was no Aether Energy flowing through their land. Without it, even the strongest plant user wouldn’t be able to make plants grow.
Putting those thoughts aside, Maeve looked up at Axan and spoke in a weak voice. "The Sky Mother... just give me guidance."
Axan’s eyes widened. Lately, it seemed as though Maeve was able to communicate with the Sky Mother more and more easily. It was almost as if the distance between them was growing smaller every day.
"What did she say?" he asked at once.
"She said..." Maeve paused, trying to gather her thoughts through the pain. "She told me to go and meet the... Sylva Tribe."
She frowned in frustration. "Did I say it wrong? My head hurts too much to think clearly."
"The Sylvara Tribe?" Axan gently corrected her.
Maeve’s eyes lit up, and she nodded without hesitation. "Yes! That’s the one!" She added, "Do you think it’s possible for us to go and meet them?"
Axan, Cerus, and Ikarus exchanged uneasy glances. After a long moment of silence, Axan let out a soft sigh. "It’s not impossible."
Maeve’s expression brightened, but before she could say anything, Axan continued. "But the Sylvara Tribe has always been known for keeping to themselves. They rarely interact with other tribes, and they don’t welcome visitors."
"They’re extremely cautious," Ikarus added. "Even before our tribe’s decline, we barely had any contact with them."
Cerus folded his arms across his chest. "I’ve heard they don’t even open their gates unless they have a good reason. If strangers suddenly show up at their territory, they might just turn us away, or worse kill us."
Maeve’s smile slowly faded. "So... they probably won’t even let us in?"
"No one knows for sure," Axan replied honestly. "We can still try, but I think we should discuss it first. If we’re going to make such a long journey, we need a proper plan."
Maeve lowered her gaze. "What if we bring them something they need?" She added, "If they’re unwilling to meet outsiders, maybe we can offer them something valuable in return for their help."