Chapter 123: The Heart of the Mother Tree (1)
[Current Bond Rate: 99.9%... 100%]
[Congratulations! You have completed the side mission: Seek the Wisdom of the Sylvara Tribe]
[Conditions Completed:
Travel to the Sylvara Tribe and learn how to fully understand and control your plant-based ability.]
[Reward:
- Plant Ability Bond Progress +88%
- Plant Ability Manual (Legendary)
- 30,000 Coins
- Ability Control Skill Unlocked]
[Additional Reward: 1,100 Coins]
[Remaining Coins: 81,150]
Maeve blinked several times. Even though her bond rate had finally reached one hundred percent, she still wasn’t sure if she truly knew how to control her plant ability.
The only thing she had learned from the Mother Tree was that she had to control the love in her heart whenever she wanted to make plants grow.
But how?
How could she possibly control a feeling like that?
"You’ll understand once you try it," the Mother Tree said gently.
Maeve was about to ask another question, but Ikarus and Axan hurried over to her.
The moment they saw her, both of them let out sighs of relief. The pale, weak look on her face was gone, and her complexion was much healthier than before.
"What do you feel now, Maeve?" Ikarus asked first. "Are you still in pain?"
Maeve slowly shook her head. "No. I think... I’m alright now."
"If I hug you, it won’t hurt anymore, right?" Ikarus asked anxiously.
Maeve didn’t answer. Instead, she smiled softly and slowly opened her arms.
Without another word, Ikarus stepped forward and wrapped her tightly in his embrace, pulling her close as if he never wanted to let her go.
Ikarus held her so carefully, almost as if he was afraid she would disappear if he loosened his arms for even a second.
"Does it hurt?" he asked to make sure.
Maeve smiled and gently rested her cheek against his chest. "No," she whispered. "It doesn’t hurt at all."
Those simple words finally banished all the anxiety from Ikarus’s heart.
Beside them, Axan watched the two of them. Although he didn’t say anything, the tightness in his shoulders slowly faded. For the first time since they had entered the Sylvara Tribe, he finally felt that the heavy weight in his heart had been lifted.
After a while, Ikarus reluctantly loosened his embrace. Then Axan immediately stepped forward and gently took Maeve’s hand.
"May I?" he asked softly.
Maeve nodded with a gentle smile. Axan carefully wrapped his fingers around hers before finally pulling her into a gentle embrace as well.
Meanwhile, Elthira and the other elders of the Sylvara Tribe slowly made their way toward the Mother Tree. One by one, they reached out and rested their hands on its trunk, which was now full of life once again.
Fresh green leaves covered its branches, and the limbs that had once been dry and withered now stretched proudly toward the sky.
Some of the elders slowly knelt before the tree, gently pressing their palms against its trunk. Others bowed their heads again and again, silently thanking the Mother Tree for holding on all this time.
Several of them couldn’t stop the tears from falling. The fear they had carried for so many years, the worry that their tribe would lose its greatest protector, and the helplessness of not knowing how to save it had finally come to an end.
For them, the Mother Tree was never just a tree.
It was the heart of the Sylvara Tribe and today, that heart was beating with life once more.
After a while, Elthira turned toward Maeve and her husbands. She lowered her head deeply, followed by every elder behind her.
"We owe you an apology," Elthira said sincerely. "When you first arrived, we tied you up and treated you like enemies. We only wished to protect our tribe, but that does not excuse what we did."
The other elders lowered their heads even further. "Please forgive us."
Maeve was indeed upset that they had tied her up and even stuffed a cloth into her mouth. However, despite everything that had happened, they had also helped her find a way to stop the pain that had haunted her for so long.
"You only wanted to help me," Maeve said as she quickly waved her hands. "I understand."
The elders slowly looked up, surprise filling their faces. None of them had expected her to forgive them so easily.
Elthira let out a sigh of relief before placing a hand over her chest. "Thank you, Maeve."
Maeve was caught off guard for a moment because she didn’t remember ever telling them her name.
But after thinking about it for a few seconds, she quickly realized what had happened. Earlier, Ikarus and Axan had shouted her name over and over while rushing toward her.
Anyone with ears would have learned her name by now, thanks to her husbands.
The thought made Maeve smile awkwardly. "I guess I never introduced myself properly," she said with a small laugh. "I’m Maeve."
"I am Elthira," the elderly woman replied with a warm smile. "The the elder of the Sylvara Tribe."
One by one, the other elders also introduced themselves.
Maeve greeted each of them politely, and the tense atmosphere that had filled the village only a short while ago completely disappeared.
After everyone had calmed down, Elthira looked toward several villagers standing nearby.
"Prepare the guest hut," she instructed. "And bring whatever food we still have."
The villagers immediately nodded. "Yes, Elder!"
They hurried away without the slightest complaint. Their steps were much lighter than before, and many of them couldn’t stop smiling because hope had finally returned to the Sylvara Tribe.
Not long afterward, several villagers entered the guest hut carrying wooden trays filled with food.
They carefully placed the dishes on the table one by one. There was warm vegetable soup, roasted mushrooms, steamed roots, fresh fruits, wild berries, and soft flatbread made from crushed seeds. The meal was simple, but every dish had been prepared with great care.
Elthira lowered her head apologetically. "I’m afraid this is all we can offer," she said. "Our tribe follows a vegetarian diet, and most of our crops withered as the Mother Tree grew weaker. We hope you won’t mind."