Chapter 1. Bad Dream

theme: Bad Dream - Ruelle

With a horrible squelching sound, my blade tore through the throat of the final beast. It staggered a step before falling helplessly to the ground. Thick blood bubbled from the gash I'd torn in its neck, soaking into the ground as the creature struggled to draw breath. A harsh shudder ran through its frame before falling still.

I heaved a couple of breaths, forcing air back into my burning lungs as I waited for the thing to move again. When it didn't, I wandered a couple paces closer before poking it with the tip of my sword.

Dead.

"I'm almost disappointed," I said in the silence that followed.

A scoff sounded in the back of my head. 'And, pray tell, just what about it was disappointing?'

"I said almost."

'Right. Of course. My apologies. What about it was almost disappointing?'

"It's just that these ones," I said, sweeping my arm in a broad gesture at the bodies that littered the ground around me, "made it all the way to the base of the tree. I've come to expect more from beasts like them."

They were supposed to be smarter. Stronger. More of a challenge. Not that I was complaining - I wasn't. It was just not what I'd expected.

The quiet echoed around my head when the voice didn't respond. I took the moment to wipe the blood from my sword. The jewel at its pommel glittered harshly as it caught the light of a stray moonbeam as I replaced it in its sheath at my shoulder.

The attacks on the tree itself had been slowing for the past little while, which led me to believe that the fighting on the outskirts was coming to an end. Hopefully I was done for now. I could use the breather.

Just to be sure, I made another sweep of the area to ensure that all of the monsters were, in fact, dead. There was a strangled gurgling sound coming from one of the beasts, a rhinossus, I think, and I drew my sword with a grimace. I hadn't meant to make it suffer. A quick slash across its throat and it finally fell silent.

The tree was safe for now.

Rolling my shoulders, I started down the path that led to the rest of the village. Most of the fighting happened outside of town, somewhere in the Peyoccia plains, and not actually in Halure proper. Even in its weakened state, the barrier did a decent job holding back the monsters that managed to squeeze through the cracks in that first line of defense. Those that did get through were subject to the fraction of townspeople who were brave enough to fight.

Meaning they were subject to me.

Monsters seemed to have a strange sense for blastia and always honed in on Halure's great tree as a target in their rampage. Which is where I set up shop during nights like these. Why spend the energy chasing them down when they would come to me?

Halfway down the path, I came upon the bloodied corpse of a humanoid creature strewn in pieces across the center of the path. A weary sigh escaped my lips as I grabbed a nearby stick and tried to turn the body over.

And immediately pressed the back of a hand to my mouth and tried not to dry heave. It had been mangled beyond recognition.

Glancing around, I saw a glint of metal beneath some of the foliage at the edge of the dirt and moved to pick up the dull sword that I assumed belonged to this poor person. I drove it as far into the ground as I could by what I assumed was their head. I'd make sure that somebody came back for them when things calmed down. Somebody could try and identify them later.

I patted the hilt of the sword twice before backing slowly away, hand over my heart. "Rest easy."

It wasn't always the most pleasant business, protecting the barrier, but for the town to thrive, sacrifices had to be made. Casualties weren't common, but none of us went into fights like this with high hopes. We knew what loss was, and we were ready to face it.

Not that that made it any easier.

The rest of the town was alive despite the late hour, lit faintly by the barrier's flickering light. People had placed lanterns every few yards, giving soft light to the main path. Happy shouts sounded from the plaza, and a small smile worked its way onto my face. If the party had started, the fighting must be over.

"Ah, there you are, my dear!" An older man fought his way through the mass of celebrating people to stand by my side, a small boy that I had never seen before following in his shadow. "It seems that we have won the day! The monsters retreated some time ago. I trust that all is well on your end?"

'No, she left her post to the mercy of the monsters to spite you.'

I nodded shortly. "Yes, Sir. The tree is safe."

"Wonderful! Just wonderful! I knew we could count on you."

I eyed the fidgeting boy behind the mayor. He shrunk under my gaze and I raised an eyebrow as the mayor turned to address him.

"Karol, would you mind running back to the edge of the barrier and calling everybody else in? I would like to make an announcement." With a salute, the boy disappeared.

"I didn't know you had grandchildren," I said dryly.

The mayor chuckled, and motioned me to follow him toward the center of town. "No, no. Come now, dear, let us join in the festivities."

I didn't want to - I just wanted to go home and sleep - but the mayor didn't give much room for argument. I made the smart choice to follow.

"The boy's name is Karol," said the mayor as he picked his way through the crowd. "Says he's from a guild. The Hunting Blades, as luck would have it. He did a wonderful job assisting those outside the barrier."

"The Hunting Blades?" I asked, surprised. "As in, the Hunting Blades."

'That was a child.' The voice sounded as confused as I felt. That kid couldn't have been older than 14. I knew the guilds governed themselves differently, more loosely, than the regimented ways of the Empire, but still, that was a bit young. Wasn't it?

And the Hunting Blades? Their reputation preceded them. And not in a good way.

"I didn't know we'd contracted them this year. That's a bit much, isn't it?"

But the mayor only waved his hands. "Dear me, no, paying for their protection would cost a fortune! He just happened to be passing through. When the alarm sounded, he jumped in to help."

'How fortuitous.'

"In fact," he continued, coming to an abrupt stop, "he wasn't the only one passing through whose assistance was welcome."

My eyes narrowed as I scanned the growing crowd in front of us for anyone else I didn't recognize. There was a sudden flash of silver on the outskirts of the celebration, out of place in a town full of craftsmen. My attention was drawn to a familiar emblem emblazoned on polished armor.

I sighed. "The Imperial Knights."

This had to be some sort of cosmic joke.

The mayor nodded and waved them over. The knights, two men and a woman, moved carefully through the crowd until they were before us, standing tall and at attention.

"Hello, Mr. Mayor!" the brunette soldier nodded in greeting. The red-haired woman by his side did the same, and the blonde in the back smiled softly. "This is some party you've got going on."

With a hearty laugh, the mayor clapped the knight on the shoulder. "There is much to celebrate, my boy! The day has been won!"

Karol returned in the same moment the knight responded with a cheerful grin, bringing with him news that all of the remaining townsfolk were safe within the protection of the barrier. The mayor nodded his thanks, then excused himself to address his people. The five of us were left to watch over the crowd from afar.

"So, the Imperial Knights," I mused after some time.

Their attention snapped to me, the quiet figure forgotten in the excitement. I could feel them looking me over, sizing me up, and I fought the urge to straighten my spine. I didn't need to impress them.

Instead, I crossed my arms and tried to look bored. "Why are you here? It's not like the Commandant sent you to protect us. Nobody knew that the barrier would weaken this early."

The trio exchanged confused glances. "Halure is still an Empire city," said the blonde one. "We would never intentionally leave it vulnerable to attack."

"Someone's an idealist," I muttered. "Save that shit for someone who will believe it."

"Excuse me?" the woman cut in, face alight with fury.

I just waved her off. She wasn't important. None of them were. "You heard me."

She started fussing again, spouting off about the glory of the Empire and the integrity of the Imperial Knights and the audacity of some citizens.

I just waved her off. She wasn't important. None of them were.

"Whatever." I turned back to the blonde knight. He seemed the most levelheaded. I could deal with that. "Even if the knights cared about helping us, we're usually guild territory. So again, why are you here?"

"We're on a pilgrimage," blondie explained in that infuriatingly patient voice of his. His comrades shifted behind him, obviously uneasy with my tone. "We happened to be passing through when the barrier began to weaken, and we wanted to lend a hand in any way we could."

"A pilgrimage." I rolled my eyes. "How noble."

"You are the one charged with the defense of the tree, are you not?" said the woman.

I nodded.

"You don't look like much."

I stared at her, unimpressed as she looked me up and down. Who the fuck did this girl think she was? "So long as I do my job and the tree is safe, I don't have to look like much, do I?"

"I thought you'd be more impressive."

"You are three feet tall," I said slowly. "Don't talk down to me."

After a beat of shocked silence, laughter bubbled past the lips of the brunette in the group. "Man, she showed you, huh Sodia?" He patted the girl on the back as she sputtered indignantly.

Wiping his eyes, he smiled at me, then offered his hand. "I'm Liam. Liam Horth, and the others are Flynn and Sodia. Not many people get the better of her like that. It's nice to meet you."

Warily, I took his hand and shook it. "Isadora."

"Well, Miss Isadora," the one called Flynn cut in, "would you consider showing us to the tree? It'd quite a sight from afar, but I'd like to see it up close, if that suits you."

Wow, what a kiss-ass. Still, something in me swelled that he was asking my permission. I felt important.

A cheer went up from the assembled crowd. The mayor stood before them, waving as they dispersed, most of them heading home for the night. Others headed back toward the edge of the barrier to start the long process of clearing bodies.

'There is no harm in it, is there, now?' prompted the voice when I had been silent a heartbeat too long.

"I'd like to see it too, if you don't mind," squeaked a small voice.

We all turned to see the boy, Karol, scratching awkwardly at the back of his head. Not that I'd forgotten about the little guild boy, but he'd been quiet throughout my exchange with the knights. Now he peered up at me, pleading with his big brown eyes.

"Sure," I grumbled. "I will show you to the giant tree. Because it's so difficult to miss. Wouldn't want you to get lost trying to find your way to the biggest tree in Terca Lumireis. Can't have that."

If the knights heard me, they didn't choose to sass me back - a development I was grateful for. Instead, they struck up a light conversation with Karol as I led us back up the hill to the base of the tree. They probably felt bad for forgetting he was standing there too.

'A curious child, isn't he?'

"Curious as in 'kill my cat,' curious or curious as in 'weird,' curious?" I breathed back.

Laughter like bells filled my mind. 'A bit of both, I suppose. Curiosity is good for the soul.'

"What I don't understand," I responded quietly, "is what he's doing with a guild like the Hunting Blades. He is literally a child."

'Not that the guilds stand much on ceremony like these knights do. Perhaps he is a prodigy. Or perhaps he was simply born into that lifestyle.'

The voice had a point. You had to be at least seventeen to enlist with the Imperial forces, even if you were a legacy kid. I didn't know much about the Guild Union, but I'd worked with them enough to know that they functioned very differently. It was why they'd separated themselves and established Dhangrest.

Still.

"Well, he doesn't have the personality I thought one of them would have. He's kind. Timid, even."

'He doesn't have to look like much, does he?' I scoffed as the voice echoed my earlier words back to me.

"I never said he didn't look the part. That sword he carries around takes care of that." The thing he had strapped to his back was almost as big as he was. It was a wonder he didn't fall over trying to lug it around. "I was talking more about his demeanor."

Behind me, I heard the high pitched voice of the boy in question grow higher with nerves as we came upon the body of the dead villager.

"What is that?"

That. I turned my head sharply, teeth almost bared as I snapped. "That is a person, and you will be respectful of their sacrifice."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karol cower behind Liam, who also shrank back a bit. Flynn and Sodia shifted uncomfortably for a moment, eyeing the brutalized body. Eventually, Flynn took a step forward and gave a short bow toward the sword I'd planted in thanks.

My throat was tight as I started back for the tree, leaving my failure behind with the others. They would follow when they were ready.

'I can see what you mean about the boy being timid.'

Arriving at the top of the hill, I sidestepped the mess of felled monsters as I made my way toward the tree's massive roots.

I placed my hands on my hips and peered into the shifting shadows. "Do you have any idea where she went?"

'Why should I? I am not her keeper.'

"You're so helpful."

'I aim to please.'

I sighed. "Whatever. She'll be around here somewhere. Let me know if you spot her?"

'I suppose I can accomplish this incredibly difficult task for you.'

I scoffed at the voice. It was so sassy sometimes.

I was climbing up one of the roots, the gnarled one that was my favorite place to hide when I was younger, when I heard the others finally reaching the summit of the hill.

"Holy hell… What happened here?" Liam asked.

"Did you do all of this?"

Turning, I saw Flynn kneeling by the body of some large, brutish monster, looking up at me expectantly. Liam and Sodia were wandering around the clearing, eyes wide as they took in the carnage. Karol hung back by the path, nervously clutching at his giant excuse for a sword.

I nodded and slid back down the root. If she didn't show up on her own, I'd come back and find her later. "This is where I come on nights like tonight. Not a lot of them actually get all the way here, but it's better to be safe than sorry when it comes to protecting the barrier."

"Not a lot?" Liam sounded incredulous. "Izzy, there have to be more than a dozen bodies here."

I bristled at the nickname, but just shrugged. It wasn't like they'd all come at once. The worst it had been was when three wolves from the Quoi Woods had snuck through and attacked. But even then, I hadn't been fighting alone.

Karol came and stood by the base of the tree with me, looking up to scan the barrier symbol above the top of its highest branches.

"Tonight was pretty tame," I said. "It can get much worse, depending on how weak the barrier gets".

Sodia nodded, a displeased grimace marring her features. "I'll admit, I'm impressed that you managed this all by yourself."

"Not by myself," I admitted, standing up a bit straighter and glancing around. "I actually- "

I was cut off by a low growl coming from the shadows behind me. The knights all moved to ready their weapons. Karol choked and paced back a few steps.

'I found her.'

So helpful.

I turned back toward the base of the tree as a pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked in the darkness. A lithe shadow jumped gracefully down from where it had been hiding in the roots until it landed, crouched, on the ground in front of me.

Glossy black fur reflected the starlight, making the single, orange stripe across the top of its muzzle visible. A spiked tail was ringed in the same orange, and the scales lining its spine bristled to mirror the creature's agitated state.

Liam, who was closest to myself and the creature, drew his sword and held it ready. "Izzy? I think you missed one."

I just folded my arms across my chest and leaned casually against the trunk of the tree. "I don't miss."

"Is that a Bengal Beast?" I heard Karol breathe. "They're really rare and super tough! I thought the Hunting Blades had wiped them from existence a few years ago."

I nodded at his words. The kid knew what he was talking about.

"Well, they missed one, then." Liam was exasperated, and shifted his weight to the balls of his feet.

"Okay, so, let's take out this one too," Sodia prompted.

The beast snarled in response, sinking low to the ground.

"Be careful, Liam," warned Flynn. His own sword was drawn as well, but he'd opted for a more defensive posture to Liam's offensive one. "We don't know much about this creature. It looks intelligent."

"Of course she's intelligent," I scoffed. "Look at her."

The bengal beast snapped her teeth at Liam, who had taken a small step forward. He tensed, but didn't back down. Neither did the beast.

"Okay, her? What's her deal then?" he asked shortly. "And why are you just standing there?"

"Because she won't hurt me."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Izzy," he said warily as saliva dripped from the creature's bared fangs.

I just raised an eyebrow. "I'm not the one threatening her. She doesn't like you for it." I tossed my hair behind my shoulder and stared pointedly at the knights. "I don't like you much for it either."

Said knights shared a bewildered look before looking back to me, eyes wide and confused.

'Just tell them before they actually harm her,' the voice suggested.

It had a point. I didn't care if she attacked these knights, but they looked competent enough to actually hurt her in retaliation. And if she got hurt I would lose my shit.

"Delta," I called. The creature's ears twitched at the sound of my voice. "That's enough. We know you're the Queen."

The creature huffed and tossed its head. Continuing to glare at the weapons pointed at her, she moved soundlessly and wound her way between my legs. She roared once more at the knights, and Karol whimpered.

"Wait, what?"

I ignored Liam as I stroked the soft fur behind Delta's ears and placed a hand flat against the flared scales around her neck, easing them back to rest flat against her body. Her muscles slowly relaxed at my touch. Eventually, her eyes closed and she pushed her head into my hand, chest rumbling as she purred.

"Would you look at that." Flynn laughed softly as he returned his sword to its sheath.

Liam just flipped his sword onto the ground and sat down hard. A small cloud of dust erupted from the force. "I feel dumb."

"You look dumb too," I said. Delta huffed, agreeing with me.

Karol still looked wary, but he took a step toward us. Delta blinked up at him and tilted her head in curiosity. She huffed at him, making his hair flutter around his face. Shakily, he reached a hand out, holding it still a few inches from her nose. Her eyes closed, and she pressed her head into his hand. Karol laughed as he pet her carefully.

"She's yours then?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not mine so much as I take care of her and she takes care of me. She's my partner."

"Hey, Isa!" a voice called from the path. "We're going to start burning carcasses now, so we'll take these ones away if you don't mind."

"Right," I answered. "I'm assuming you found ours on the path?"

"Yeah, might be Gerald. Nobody's seen 'im for a few hours now. We moved the body, trying to find his wife now to see if she can't identify 'im." It was a somber response.

I took a breath. I'd be avoiding the west side of town for a while if Gerald was dead. Sarah was going to be devastated. "Alright then. I'll give you a hand with these."

"No need, no need. There's enough of us to handle this. You've done plenty for us today!" A crowd of people joined us at the base of the tree and got to work moving the bodies to the plaza to be burned. I allowed a soft smile as I nodded my thanks.

"Come on, Delta. Let's get out of their way."

The three knights decided to stay and help the townspeople, and I parted their company with a wave. Karol followed me down the hill.

"They seemed nice," he said after a moment of silence.

"The knights or the others?"

"The knights. They aren't at all like I expected them to be."

I hummed. "I suppose they're not terrible. They did help defend the town today. I heard that you did too?"

The kid straightened his spine with pride. "I sure did! We kicked monster butt!"

I chuckled as he punched the air in victory. "I'm sure you did. Thank you for that." I turned to head down a lesser used path to the right, Delta running on ahead to our house. "So what brought you to Halure? The mayor said you were just passing through."

"I've heard stories about Halure's barrier before, but I never thought I'd get the chance to see it for myself. It's pretty cool, and the tree is ginormous! Who would've thought that a tree could grow to be that big?"

I turned a keen eye toward the boy. "How old are you, Karol?"

He stood up a bit straighter and puffed out his chest as he answered. "I'm twelve!"

An actual, literal child. That wonder in his eye made more sense now. Our tree was legendary, but this kind of unbridled enthusiasm was such a childlike response.

Still. That didn't mean the tree wasn't amazing. I smiled up at Karol as he skipped ahead of me. "Yeah, it's something, isn't it? Just wait until it blooms."

I saw his face light up as he glanced back at me. "I can't wait to show-" He stopped suddenly, staring at a spot above my head.

"Is," he began slowly, his words coming out faster and faster as his anxiety grew. "Is that supposed to happen? I don't think that's supposed to happen. Why is that happening?" He was pointing towards the top of the tree.

Concerned, I turned to search for the cause of Karol's panic. The barrier's seal was glowing brightly, more so than what should've been possible. I sucked in a sharp before taking a few paces back up the path.

'Oh dear,' I heard my mind murmur. I huffed in response, and continued watching the abnormality. The light grew more and more blinding until it suddenly winked out.

What the fuck.

As I blinked the spots from my vision, I heard Karol whimpering beside me. "The barrier, it's..."

"Gone." This shouldn't have happened. What? "How could it just disappear?"

"I didn't think that was possible."

I shook my head, at a loss. "It shouldn't be. I made sure the tree was safe. I made sure."

Right?

"But it's gone. Monsters are going to get in."

"No, they -" I cut myself off with a firm shake of my head. Karol was already panicking. I couldn't afford to lose my head too. "No. It's going to be fine. There has to be an explanation. We'll fix it."

The boy's hands were shaking in the pale moonlight, his face was horror stricken. "Well, what do we do?" His voice was quivering as well.

A harsh gust of wind shook the tree, drowning out the panicked sounds of the townspeople drifting up the path. Then, as quickly as it had disappeared, the seal burst back into life. The town was bathed in the soothing light of the barrier once more.

Though it was considerably dimmer this time.

"I don't understand," whimpered Karol. "What just happened?"

I scrubbed at my face with both hands and tried to explain what I could. "The barrier weakens every spring. Right before the tree blooms. But that?" I shook my head. "I've never seen it go out. Not completely."

'Something isn't right.'

"I know," I answered quietly. "But what?"

"Is?" I turned to face him. "I'm going to find the mayor and see if there's anything else I can do."

I nodded, then turned back toward my house, finally feeling the exhaustion settle into my bones. It had been a long day. "I'm going home. Come find me if anything else happens, yeah?"

With a frantic nod, Karol disappeared again.

I stared up at the barrier with a sinking feeling in my chest that everything was about to change.

Delta woke me early the next morning with a low whine in my ear. The sun was just beginning to peek through my window, and I shoved the lump of fur and scales off of my chest with a huff.

"Dude. Personal space. Or I'll kick you to the floor tomorrow night."

Delta snorted at my empty threat but plodded toward the end of my bed.

I rolled over in bed to open my window further, letting a cool breeze play with my hair. Scooting over to lean on the sill, I took a deep breath of the calm air, still half asleep. Delta came back over and nuzzled at my chest.

I stroked her ears absently, my mind slowly coming more alive as I let the dawn wash over me and wake me up. My thoughts soon drifted to the blastia. There was a part of me that hoped everything had just been a bad dream. Waking up meant it was over.

Leaning a bit further out my window, I studied what I could see of the great tree.

It looked … like a tree.

I didn't know what I was looking for. It appeared relatively normal for this time of year. Blossoms were slowly starting to bloom on the very ends of the outermost branches, lightly dusting the tree with pink.

'Do you see it?'

I rubbed at my eyes and spoke through a yawn. "I see a tree."

'Yes, thank you for that wonderful observation.'

I gestured absently out the window. "It's very tree-like. Please don't talk in riddles. It's too early for that."

'The barrier, Isadora.' I snapped awake, a cool feeling washing over my bones. 'It's not there.'

Shit.

"It's probably just out again. It'll come back soon, just like last night." Maybe if I said it like it was true, I would believe it.

I rolled out of bed and stretched my arms above my head. Delta tossed her head, shaking out her fur and flaring her scales before jumping out the open window. I ran a hand through my hair, then quickly braided it back and tied it off with one of the ribbons at my wrist.

Pulling on a clean shirt, I sighed. "I'll go check it out if it'll make you happy."

I said it for the voice, but that cool feeling was turning to something deeper. Something more sinister. I had a bad feeling about this.

When the voice didn't respond, I laced up my boots and grabbed an apple from the basket on the table. Sword in hand, I stepped out my front door and put up a hand to block the rising sunlight from my eyes.

Halure was a beautiful town, if not a bit quiet. The people were easygoing and kind. They genuinely cared for each other, and worked hard to keep things peaceful. It was a good place to raise a family. We rarely had trouble. I waved good morning to an elderly couple out for a morning stroll as I returned to the base of the tree.

The carcasses had long since been removed from the little clearing, thanks to the hard work of the townspeople. The only evidence that they had ever been there were the discolored patches of dirt where their blood had stained the earth.

"Alright, any ideas for what I should be looking for?" I asked the voice in my head.

It huffed. 'No. But I sense the waning of Life. Something is gravely wrong.'

"Awesome," I said through my teeth. Delta came by, twining herself between my legs. I relaxed a bit at the familiar touch "Alright, let's figure this out."

After more than an hour of searching for something out of place, we came up empty handed. I took a seat with my back against the trunk of the great tree.

"No scratches on the bark, nothing wrong with the roots, the blossoms that are coming in look healthy, and I have no idea what else to look for." I pressed the palms of my hands into my eyes. "But the barrier is still out."

Delta whined and laid her head in my lap.

'Life is waning,' the voice insisted.

"I heard you the first time," I snapped.

'Do not take your frustration out on me.'

I grumbled to myself but didn't apologize. "I just don't understand. There isn't anything here to suggest that something is wrong."

There was a sudden groaning, then a loud snap as a branch came crashing down from the lower levels of the tree. It landed with a thud just a few feet in front of where I was sitting. Delta was on her feet in a heartbeat, belly low to the ground and scales flared, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Once my heart rate settled, I raised a weak finger. "Alright. Maybe there is evidence that something is wrong."

I slowly crawled over to the fallen branch, lightly patting Delta's side on my way over. The branch wasn't particularly large, only a few feet long and about the thickness of my arm. I ran my hand along its bark, growing increasingly concerned when pieces came off easily in my hand. Examining the end that had snapped from the rest of the tree, I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

The branch was dead.

'Life wanes,' the voice said sadly.

I shot to my feet and looked up at the rest of the tree, scanning it for any signs of other dead branches. My mind raced as I tried to pinpoint a cause.

"That can't be right. Between the Aspio mages and the herbalists, this is the most fussed over plant on the continent. All of the dead branches were pruned literally last week. It shouldn't be like this already."

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

The sound of Delta was pawing at the ground drew my attention from my own spiraling thoughts. I turned to see her scuffing around in the dirt near the base of the tree. When she saw that I was looking in her direction, she tossed her head and laid down, her tail flicking impatiently. I moved to kneel by her side, brushing my hand over the discolored ground that had caught her attention.

"Is! I saw the branch fall, are you okay?" Karol came running up the path, slightly out of breath.

I waved a hand dismissively. "I'm fine. But the tree isn't."

"Yeah, I noticed that the barrier was still down." His voice was serious and his eyes dark, reflecting the severity of the situation. "Do you know what's going on?"

I shook my head. "I don't understand. The tree is dying, and the only thing that's even remotely out of place is just blood left from the fight last night."

Karol grew quiet, staring at the dark stains on the ground. "Well, monster blood typically has toxins in it that are harmful to the living things around it, right?"

"Sure, that's what makes fighting them more dangerous than most people realize."

Karol gestured toward the dirt. "Maybe when the blood soaked into the ground, it got to the roots? And it poisoned the tree like it would poison you or me."

My mind raced. "Shit. Okay, sure. Maybe. But this is a big tree, Karol. It would take a lot of blood to knock it out like this." I stared around the clearing. There was no way this was the only factor. There had to be something else at play that we were missing.

"It's the only lead we have, though."

He had a point. I was at a loss.

I rose to my feet, peering into the high branches of the tree as I did.

If the tree was dying, there was no telling what that could mean for the people of Halure. When the blastia fused with the tree, the fate of the town became irreversibly intertwined with the fate of the tree.

If we lost the tree, we would lose the barrier blastia.

The City of Blossoms would die.

My hands balled into fists. I wouldn't let that happen.

With a short whistle, I called Delta to my side before turning to face Karol.

"Come on. We have a tree to save."

Welcome to the ride.

Revised 05/07/2021

-Han