Sky? She pushed herself up.
The ritual area around her was completely annihilated; neither the circle that Vilas drew nor the vegetation was present.
Only a sound of dripping water from the depths of the underground reached her ears.
She tilted her head up.
The tree was gone, or at least most of it.
"I expected Vilas to be here when I woke up," She said while walking toward the exit, her eyes darting from side to side.
The now fragile stone crumbled underneath her steps.
I knew that the energy burst affected the physical world, but to destroy the tree. She made her way outside the chambers and turned around.
Only a hollow stump remained of the world tree, and the village inhabited by Vilas was eradicated.
"You!" Poludnitza shouted, lunging at Aqua and digging her spear into her throat. "We trusted you! What have you done?!"
She raised her hands. "I empowered Valerie, but the energy splashback destroyed the world tree."
Poludnitza stared her down, yet she could not sense any deceit.
Katarina flew behind Poludnitza, a tear in her eye. "Champion… Why? I thought we were friends."
"You killed our mother!"
Aqua shook her head. If she had indeed killed Valerie, then the planet would have crumbled.
"The planet is not dust, is it?"
Poludnitza tilted her head. "What?"
Aqua nodded, it was clear to her that the Vilas did not know what the consequence of Valerie's death would have been.
She moved the spear away from her throat. "If Valerie were dead, the planet would have crumbled. The sheer fact that life still exists is proof."
Poludnitza glared at her, and Katarina did not even dare meet her gaze.
A certain blue-haired girl appeared next to Aqua. "She speaks the truth, my dear daughters."
Both Vilas snapped toward the woman, their eyes widening. "M…mother?!"
Valerie smiled warmly while placing one hand on her chest. "I missed you so much."
In an instant, her spear dissolved, and she jumped into Valerie's embrace.
Katarina inched closer, her eyes staring at Aqua. "Champion… I am sorry."
Aqua tilted her head. "For what?"
"For thinking you betrayed us," She said softly, a tear running down her face while she gripped her scarf. "My heart couldn't have handled it."
Aqua's lips widened into a wide smile. She lunged forward and wrapped her hands around Katarina. "I am not angry at all. You were wise to assume I had betrayed you."
Katarina buried her head into Aqua's bosom, her wings fluttering. "You are amazing."
After a moment, Valerie and Poludnitza separated. The Vila queen stepped toward Aqua, she bowed so deeply that her head almost touched the floor. "I am so sorry too! I should have known better than to think someone marked by the world was malicious. You have made our Mother return to us, and for that the entire Vila race is eternally grateful!" She spoke, losing her breath in the process.
Aqua pur down Katarina and gently patted Poludnitza. "No need to apologize. On the contrary, I should apologize for not managing the energy backlash."
Aqua smiled, her gaze panning to Valerie. "You can manifest in the physical world now?"
She nodded. "Without any issues, thanks to you."
Aqua crossed her arms. "Good… now I need to apologize for the world tree. I could have saved it if I were better prepared."
Valerie chuckled. "No, I think it's good that it's gone. The World tree was a symbol of my weakness and decay; now I can start anew."
Aqua rubbed her chin, her eyes falling onto the Vilas. The two girls looked slightly worried, despite the renewal of their mother. "What is wrong, Poludnitza?"
Poludnitza twisted her foot into the ground awkwardly. "We… relied on the roots of the world tree to create our village. We have nowhere to go now."
Valerie tapped her mouth. "Hmm, It is fine, I can create something for you."
Aqua observed the interaction. Despite everything, she still had a vague sense of guilt pooling in her chest. It was she who destroyed their village, that was not to mention that the forest was far away from the rest of the civilization.
For some reason, Aqua wanted to bring the girls into the Elven Kingdom.
Nobody deserved to be isolated like Vilas were. She raised her hand. "Ladies, may I propose something?"
The trio looked toward her with curiosity.
"Would you like to move to the Elven Kingdom with me?"
They blinked at her. Poludnitza turned to Aqua. "Are you sure? We never lived in a large civilization that kingdoms usually are."
"I am sure. I can even provide housing for you."
Aqua reached into the void.
Katarina's eyes sparkled. "Champion is so cool!"
After a moment of rummaging through, Aqua retrieved a large idol, similar to Endurance yet this one had a city skyline engraved into it. She looked at it. "To think this thing would become useful so soon."
It was one of the best flying fortresses elves had built in her world, and with the support of her teacher, it was improved even further.
The trio of girls stood behind her, carefully observing her actions.
Her fist tightened, and the idol shattered.
The structure slowly formed high into the sky, bloating out the sun.
An immense reverse mountain soon hung above them, and a massive green crystal protruded from its centre.
Katarina and Poludnitza stared in awe.
Aqua stretched her hand toward the flying fortress. "This is the Rising Sun Fortress. One of the most glorious creations of my people!"
Valerie's hand shook. "I… how?!"
"My old world was quite advanced," She stated casually. She stepped forward, and a portal opened before her. "It also has a built-in portal nexus, so we don't need to fly. Come on."
The trio nodded and quickly followed Aqua.
The girls appeared in the middle of the large, spacious marble court. The magical lights illuminated the white stone streets, and the crimson banners fluttered in the wind.
A large pale blue crystal floated behind them.
The buildings were elegant and mostly consisted of red, white, and Golden colors.
The sounds of luxurious fountains reached their ears, and the artificial golden golems patrolled.
In the air, soaring, slender spires, elegant archways, and magical bridges that seemed to defy gravity gave the city a beautiful aesthetic.
In a way, it was more of a city than a fortress, yet due to the height it floated at, it was nearly impregnable, and if something flew to it, a powerful golden barrier prevented any intrusion, while the wards prevented spatial manipulation and teleportation within the city.
Aqua hummed. "You can claim any of the buildings you want for your home; each one has various magical appliances, including an Aether Synthesizer."
Various plants decorated the sides, giving the city a sense of harmony with nature.
Katarina pulled at her sleeve. "Umm… champion… are you sure? We never lived…" Her voice was interrupted by Aqua's finger. "I wanted to give you something, and this city will be a fine home for your distinguished race."
Katarina nodded.
"First of all, come to the central nexus; you need to register so that the constructs don't attack you when you use magic," Aqua said while beckoning them.
The trio silently followed, their eyes sparkling at the brand new sights.
At a closer look, the crimson banners depicted a golden phoenix with that same material being used as a trim.
Aqua stopped.
"Is something the matter, Aqua?" Valerie asked.
"No, just wait and see," She said before clapping her hands.
Soon, an autonomous carriage stopped before them. "This is incredible." Poludnitza could only state the obvious, still too stunned to ask anything.
The door opened, and the girls stepped into its luxurious interior. After a moment, it moved on its own.
They passed the streets and soon arrived at the large building. They made their way in and stepped toward a large blue crystal.
It was the core of the city, a control for all the constructs and every citizen.
Aqua placed her hand on top of it.
Recognized Entity: Aqua, Rank: Owner.
She smiled, despite never using the fortress, it still recognized it.
"Girls, place your hands on it."
One by one, they were registered as the citizens of the Rising Sun.
"I will give you three administrative access, and then you can bring everyone else."
Aqua closed her eyes and guided the core.
Administrators Acknowledged: Aqua, Valerie, Poludnitza, Katarina.
Aqua pulled her hand back. "Good, now let's go back to the portal nexus. I want to show you how to use it."
"Yes, ma'am!" Katarina exclaimed before her mouth was covered by Poludnitza's palm.
The carriage picked them up and carried them to the central marble courtyard.
They approached the pale blue crystal, and Aqua turned to the trio. "This here is the portal nexus; only citizens may operate it, or someone who was vouched for by a citizen."
She placed her hand onto the crystal.
A thought invaded her mind. It would have been good to create a portal nexus in every elven city, making their transportation a lot easier.
"By default, it will allow you to portal under the city, or into the city. If I set up more of these across kingdoms, anyone could travel anywhere."
The crystal conjured a small spectral screen that displayed the map underneath the city. On the side was a smaller screen that was completely empty, which would display the available portal nexuses.
The trio looked over her shoulder. "So how do we use it?" Katarina asked.
"Quite simple, just press where you want to portal to," She said while pressing at the spot where she had summoned the fortress from.
In an instant, a dark swirling portal opened. "Let's go down."
The trio followed and found themselves back where they were.
"So what do you think of your new home?"
"I'm speechless… to think you would do something like this for us, after mere days of knowing us," Poludnitza spoke.
"I will always be the ally of someone protecting my home, and I did destroy your village, so this is the least I could do."
The Vila queen nodded, her lips stretching into a thin line. "Thank you again."
Aqua then turned to Valerie. "I am sure you will spend a lot of time in the city, so I will make sure to visit frequently."
Valerie nodded. "Of course, Aqua."
Katarina's eyes sparkled like usual. "Champion, you are so cool! I can't wait to explore our new home more."
Aqua took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. "Before I forget, to enter the city, you just need to will the portal to open, as long as you are a citizen that is."
The trio nodded.
"Good, go bring the other Vilas soon."
In the instant, Katarina and Poludnitza flew to find every member of their village, after all, a new life awaited them.
The rustle of leaves and smell of lavender reached her, and soon Lesh appeared in front of them.
The spirit knelt, "I sensed the world's strength returning, Lady Valerie."
"Lesh, good to see you again," Valerie said, smiling.
"I protected the forest as was my duty."
The world soul stepped forward and placed her hand onto the spirit. "You did an excellent job."
"Lesh, would you like to move to the city too?" Valerie asked, yet the spirit shook its head.
"The forest is my home, and I would like to remain."
"I see…" Valerie sighed before giggling softly. "Of course."
Valerie then turned to Aqua. "Would you give me some privacy? I want to talk with Lesh."
Aqua nodded. "Of course, I will likely return to the Elven Kingdom for a while; I will be back," she said before teleporting back into the city.
Aqua smiled. Everything went perfectly.
Yet a sense of unease tugged at her mind.
Then, a letter appeared in her hand before Soleah's [Heart of the Phoenix] activated.
Aqua's eyes widened, and her smile faded, quickly turning sour.
"What?!" She shouted, her eyes falling onto the emergency letter.
Her eyes darted. "Savages and Dragons? They managed to reach Onost?!"
The heat around her rose.
They killed Soleah. Her fist clenched and teeth gritted. "They dare invade my home?!"
They would pay dearly. Her illusion broke, releasing her blazing wings, and in an instant, she found herself above Onost.