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POV: Seraphina Veridan
The forest breathed softly around me as I walked between its ancient trees. Mother had already left the palace for the gathering of the races, and I didn't waste a single moment—
I slipped out the moment she was gone.
Ever since the last attack by the Abyss followers—the day I almost lost my life—Mother refused to let me step beyond the palace walls. I defeated them all… yes.
But her fear for me locked me inside, and I never blamed her. I know her protection comes from a place deeper than love; it's instinct.
Humming a melody I memorized from my phone, I let nature's rhythm blend with the tune, reminding me of how beautiful our homeland is. I wished peace would return… wished the Abyss would disappear along with the tragedies it brought upon countless souls.
When I reached a large waterfall, a violent surge of mana slammed into me—like a pressure wave exploding through the air.
Instinct moved before thought; I slipped into a combat stance instantly.
I saw no one… but my caution refused to ease.
I drew my long, slender sword, its green-tinged wooden hilt feeling like an extension of my own body.
Step by step, I advanced.
True, I still hadn't awakened yet… but Mother's training was enough to keep my heartbeat steady even in the face of terror. She is one of the five strongest beings in the world—
and that fact alone gives me strength.
But suddenly… another mana wave struck—this one corrupt.
Cold enough to send a shiver up my spine.
Harsh… like brushing against the shadow of the Abyss itself.
It flashed into existence—
and faded instantly.
I followed the trail until the sight before me froze me in place.
A World Tree sapling.
My breath stopped.
It was my first time seeing one with my own eyes.
To outsiders, it might look like a strange, glowing tree…
but to us—children of the forest—it is a sacred reality.
Still a baby, but pure enough to cleanse an entire valley.
I didn't linger long.
I needed to find the source of the corruption I felt.
While scanning the area, a faint sound echoed from within the sapling itself.
I darted behind a nearby trunk, watching carefully without blinking.
Then something I never imagined happened—
A boy stepped out of the World Tree.
His black hair spilled down smoothly, too beautifully to be real.
His face… gods above.
Not normal—no, far from normal.
His looks rivaled the most elite men of our realm.
Sharp golden eyes, tinted faintly with violet, glowed as if seeing far beyond the world itself.
His physique…
Strong. Refined.
Shaped as if crafted from a different lineage altogether.
Heat rushed to my cheeks.
I swallowed hard.
Are… are they all born like that?
He scanned the horizon with the wariness of a king.
Seeing no danger, he closed his eyes briefly…
And when he opened them again, they gleamed with a dangerous golden light.
Dark shadows wrapped around him, weaving into elegant black clothing that only enhanced his overwhelming aura.
Then he did something even stranger:
He began collecting the sacred resin from the sapling—
delicately, precisely—
as if performing an ancient ritual.
When he finished, he straightened his back with a quiet, noble authority…
not like a human boy, but like an heir to something far greater.
His voice, when he spoke, was cold as a blade—yet mesmerizing:
"Let's get out of here."
His body dissolved into smoke—
and he vanished.
I clasped both hands over my mouth to stifle the scream rising in my throat.
Was… that truly a World Tree child?
How?
Spirits do not give birth… they do not reproduce.
So how could a boy emerge from a spiritual tree?
And is he even human?
No one could look like that… no one could radiate such presence… such frightening beauty.
Before I could make sense of anything, the sapling itself began to sink into the ground—
slowly…
quietly…
as if the world was hiding its secret.
The soil closed over it until not even a dent remained.
I stood frozen.
My first time seeing a World Tree sapling…
My first time seeing a boy emerge from it…
and then the tree disappeared entirely.
Would anyone believe me if I told them?
The answer carved itself into my mind:
No. They would call me insane.
I turned sharply and sprinted back toward the palace, my heart pounding in terror I had never felt before.
---
Meanwhile…
While Arthur attempted to absorb the sapling's vitality,
the World Tree had been in a state of near-hibernation.
But the moment it felt its bond with its child sever,
it awakened—
and its grief and fury shook the core of its being.
When it spread its domain to see who touched its child,
it sensed a wave of ancient, foul corruption.
The Abyss.
It realized instantly:
the Abyss had begun targeting its children.
In response, it withdrew every nursery sapling scattered across the continent of Veridan, pulling them deep into the earth.
Then it spread its sacred barriers around the entire continent—
sealing everything inside.
Nothing would enter.
Nothing would leave.
Finally, it commanded all guardian spirits to purge every Abyss agent in sight.
Through this single action, Arthur rewrote the fate of the World Tree—
granting it a new future…
or perhaps a new end.
But one thing became certain:
The continent of Veridan became far safer than ever before.
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