What's To Come (1)

  After Fiona took a moment to wander off into the dark for a bit, she returned with a white robe two sizes too large for me. It was fairly easy to slip into the slick piece of fabric, and once that was done, she fastened it around my waist with a sash. Although comfortable, my new getup was almost dragging along the floor.

  “Okay that’s better. Now then, shall we go?” she stated gleefully, offering me her hand.

  “Lead the way.” I returned her gesture in kind, and the moment our hands locked our surroundings shifted —literally. The thick, rigid bark stretching up into the darkness began moving and twisting unnaturally, producing a series of ominous hacking sounds that resonated from all directions.

  I’d gotten used to the darkness at some point, but now that I was watching my surroundings literally wriggle and writhe its way to life the reality of this being the inside of a massive tree was really starting to set in. The walls of hardened timber moved like a prowling serpent, rippling up and twisting from below with a low, omnidirectional hum that completely consumed any sense of bearing I previously had.

  “That should do it for an exit. Come on, let’s go.” Fiona moved first, pulling me along as we approached the sentient mass of wood. The moment she took a step forward, the walls suddenly froze as if heeding to her presence, ending the terrible seconds of uncertainty.

  Then, the darkness wiped away.

  A section of the wall opened up into an oval space, finally allowing a pillar of light to pierce the shroud of blackness. My anticipation welled with each expectant step as I followed behind the deity, inch by inch. As I approached the great outdoors I could feel my heart rattling with excitement.

  Upon passing through the oval opening, I immediately realized that my anticipation was well warranted. I felt my eyes going wide, jaw slacking and my very breath stolen from me, as though the sight of what I was witnessing had reached inside and seized my soul.

  Fiona swiveled her head around to steal a glance at my stupefied expression. Based on the sounds of her chuckling she must have been satisfied with my reaction.

  “Welcome to Heston, the capital of your homeland~” she affirmed proudly before giving me an inviting gesture with her hand. I accepted unconsciously and stepped forward, gazing at the city I would have once called fictional.

  The first thing that struck me was the tree behind me—massive, of course, and seemingly ancient, its branches spreading outward as though holding up the very sky. Yet, despite its size, it didn’t feel overbearing, perfectly balanced in its placement.

  We stood on a large, circular patch of moss-covered land at the center of a still, glass-like lake. The lake’s surface was dotted with clusters of unnaturally large lily pads, their smooth, green discs reflecting the grandeur of the tree, broken only by the occasional ripple of unseen movements beneath the water.

  From here, the city’s organic ambiance came into view, with its architecture gracefully curving around the lake, making it the heart of the elven capital. I suppose a tree as grand as this, nestled in the center of such an enchanting lake, would indeed serve as a perfect focal point for an elven city."

  “We call this spot the Rizalyth, its named after your ancestor. If you ever need to find me, chances are I’m probably holed up in there.”

  “You live here?” I pondered curiously, still gawking at the shimmering scenery. It was a lot to take in—too much actually, to the point where I didn't even really know where to start. The lesser spirits were still floating about en masse on the outside as well, appearing to cluster at the top of the large tree for reasons I wasn’t yet privy to.

  Between that and the appeal of elven architecture surrounding us in literally every direction, my eyes simply didn’t know where to linger.

  “Yes and no. I spend most of my time here, but the full truth is a bit more complicated. I think we’ve spent enough time mulling over dull details, so I’ll spare you the specifics for now. In the meantime, let’s meet up with your parents. You can take your time looking around while we find them.”

  “Okay, but do you know where they are?”

  Upon asking that I saw her smile deepen ever so slightly. Mid movement, she delivered the answer to my question in a tone that none could refute. “Liam; my dear, this is my domain. I know where everyone is.”

  That wasn’t the kind of tone or declaration one could naturally muster for a lie; even the strange alien aura clinging to her form seemed to glisten in response to her words. I wasn’t sure about the latter implication, but instinctively, I knew she spoke the truth.

  Apparently, an inkling of omniscience was still on the table.

  She took my hand again and moved towards the large lily pads swaying across the water’s surface. Sensing our approach, the aimless bodies stopped sequentially, slowly coming to rest and forming a path that stretched across the lake.

  “Hold onto me Liam, these pads will sink if-

  “Woah!”

  The sounds of sloshing ripples blotted out the latter end of that warning and before I knew it my body was already submerged up to my neck. All four of my limbs flapped and flailed madly in a desperate bid to stay afloat, something I had never really practiced in this body.

  What a dreadful blunder. I cursed inwardly.

  Suddenly, the cradle of water I had been desperately fighting against disappeared, and I felt my body being lifted by some unseen force. My eyes struggled to register what exactly happened, but it didn’t matter. By the time my vision adjusted, I was upright again, standing on the same pad as Fiona—albeit drenched and soaked.

  “I’m glad to see you’re so enthusiastic about this Liam, but let me take the lead for now. You need to learn how things work here before you even think about running off somewhere.” she asserted with a stern finger, intent on conveying her point.

  “Sorry, I was being impatient. I’ll hold myself back a little more.” I slapped by dripping cheeks a few times to suppress the maddening swirl of my own thoughts. Through the stinging sensation of my cheeks turning read, I found clarity.

  “What was that?” Fiona asked, peering down.

  “It's something humans do when they’re confused. It helps me think clearly.” I answered, rubbing my jaws that were likely dyed red from the impact.

  “Really?” Fiona cocked her head. “I’m not sure why a young child like you would need to clear their head very often, but just make sure you don’t pick up too many of those strange human habits.”

  “I’ll try not to.” I replied meekly with a grin, and brushed aside my dripping bangs. Taking note of my plight, Fiona casually flicked a finger and banished the thick coating of water sticking to me.

  “H-huh?” I stammered unconsciously, blinking at my hands that couldn’t even be called damp anymore. That wasn’t a spell per se, but she did it so fast that I didn't even have time to register the feeling of moisture being plucked from my skin.

  Giving a gentle tap to my forehead, she whispered the words “You’re welcome.”

  “Y-yeah...thank you.” Stunned by the deity’s casual flaunt, that was all I could say.

  “Oh come now, I couldn’t take you back to Julia and Mavis looking like that. Here, take my hand this time I’ll show you the trick to balancing on top of these.”

  I obliged near instantly.

  The deity guided my movements with impeccable precision. She was practically dictating the way I walked with nothing more than the subtle shifts in her posture. Strangely enough, I found myself entranced by her wordless guidance.

  The lily pads were too large to be crossed in a single step so I had to carefully trace her movements as she walked, applying my weight where she removed hers. “You’re aiming for the center...”

  “Yes, that’s the goal but you have to use one foot at a time or else you’ll sink again. Honestly, the thought of just making a bridge crossed my mind many times but your grandfather insisted that we leave it like this. Apparently, he doesn’t want any of the children here to ‘grow too soft’.” She lamented, shaking her head with a wistful smile.

  “Say, lady Fiona, my mother never really mentioned them before but what are they like—my grandparents, I mean.” skipping over to the next lily pad, I perked my ears willfully, eager to extract any information I could before the inevitable meeting.

  The fact that I hadn’t thought to ask this before was starting to weigh on me.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Mhm, well your grandmother Mavis is about as tame as they come most of the time. She’s not really one to make a fuss but Erwin on the other hand, he’s what you would call a sleeping dragon—calm one minute, brutal the next. Although the latter half only tends to come out when he’s working up a sweat, like fighting for instance.”

  I felt my weight sinking into the lily pad under my feet. Careful not to make the same mistake again, I anchored my other leg in the center of the floating mass and cautiously climbed over to the adjacent pad.

  “How strong is he?” my question earned a smirk from her.

  “Well around here they call him the Grandmaster so his title alone should speak for itself, but don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time to gauge his strength yourself.”

  Switching pads again, I felt my brows furrowing from that hint. “What do you mean?” I pressed reflexively, only for her to dismiss my question with a thin smile and a series of slow shakes from her head.

  We were getting closer to the small jade bridge protruding from the shore. Since there wasn’t any form of cover in the middle of the lake, quite a few curious eyes had detected our presence and were now eagerly waiting for us to make landfall.

  In a way, it felt like I’d finally arrived at the true city of Heston—it was sublime. A vast canopy of leaves stretched overhead, draping the city in a cool blanket of shade that was occasionally pierced by small shafts of sunlight streaming through the gaps. The buildings scattered throughout were mostly crafted from wood, but some stood out as more robust, expertly carved from precious stones like jade and serpentine. Their polished surfaces caught the faint light, casting subtle gleams that added an otherworldly quality to the scene.

  These stone structures contrasted sharply with the wooden ones, their intricate carvings depicting scenes of nature—coiling vines, blooming flowers, and flowing rivers—rendered with astonishing precision. A soft coating of moss blanketed the untamed patches of land, while the sidewalks and streets were paved with smooth cobblestones of a uniform gray, so polished they seemed to deflect the sun’s rays entirely.

  Despite the abundance of shade, the city carried a surprisingly light and vibrant atmosphere. It was thanks to the interplay of sunlight, the wandering lesser spirits, and the Aether crystals placed at regular intervals. Together, they created a luminous ambiance, subtly brightening the surroundings and lending the city an almost ethereal charm.

  Finally, we arrived on solid ground.

  The curious congregation previously eyeing us from afar instantly crept closer and gave a subtle, uniform bow to the deity beside me who returned the friendly gesture with a casual wave.

  An earnest display of reverence and respect.

  “Hello everyone, this is Liam, he’s Erwin’s grandson.” Fiona proclaimed, signaling towards me with her hands.

  I took a moment to scrutinize the approaching elven figures, my suspicion sharpening my focus. They bore a striking resemblance to humans, save for one distinct feature—their elongated, pointed ears, some so sharp they seemed to jut from their heads like sleek spears.

  Aside from that, the other curious thing about these people was that, like Fiona, they all had a thin sheen of ethereal aura coating their bodies, swaying gently with their movements.

  “The grandmaster’s?” a trim elven man repeated, curling a finger to his chin.

  Unsure of how to respond to all the curious eyes, I naturally defaulted to Julia’s teachings. “Thank you for having me, everyone, my name is Liam, son of Julia Rocco. It's nice to meet you all.” I finished the greeting with a bow and slowly raised my head expectantly. To my surprise, my greeting was met with loud cheers instead of scorn and ridicule.

  “BAHAHA! Welcome, welcome, Liam! It’s a pleasure to finally meet the grandson of Heston’s grandmaster!” The man bellowed with hearty laughter as he stooped to my height. Without hesitation, he began scrutinizing me, subjecting my body to a series of sharp turns, shakes, and rustles as if inspecting a prized artifact.

  My eyes were sent adrift from all that shaking, rattling my vision as though the world itself had toppled over. I was hopefully anticipating a certain deity’s intervention but once I caught a glimpse of Fiona pleasantly observing our interaction, I knew I had no other choice but to endure it.

  “W-Woah! Y-you have it already!?”

  The mellow greetings I was getting from all over were abruptly replaced by a wave of shock and awe. There was still a slight ringing in my ears after enduring the loud laughter at point blank range, but my hearing was still good enough to discern the tone of surprise in their rippling murmurs.

  “Yes everyone, I know what you all want to say. I'm honestly a bit surprised myself but as you can see, Liam already has the signum.” Fiona told them confidently.

  "I heard the rumors about a hybrid washing up with the Signum, but to think it was Erwin's grandson of all people. Lady Fiona, d-does that mean he'll be participating in this year's trident?" the man asked, his words barely a mumble.

  “No, unfortunately not.” the deity replied, waving away his concerns. “Liam is still too young for that, and its honestly not for me to say.”

  “But, knowing the grandmaster, once he finds out...”

  “I know.” She said, cutting the man off with a finger to her lip. “Erwin already made his intentions perfectly clear to me so I’m well aware of his plans. However, let’s allow the little one to find out for himself first.”

  “Oh, now I understand!” the man exclaimed, smiling slyly before shifting his gaze to me and nodding knowingly.

  Fiona’s message—whatever it was—had been successfully relayed. The mention of the signum and my grandfather had them all giggling like children.

  “Yes, now with that being said everyone, you’ll have to excuse us.” Bidding them farewell, Fiona took my hand again and lead me down the cobbled streets. I tried my best to match her pace—not just for the sake of keeping up, but because I simply didn’t know how to deal with all the eyes peering at me from both above and below.

  Even the buildings intricately connected to the unnaturally thick branches overhead had curious eyes peering down at me.

  “Don’t mind them, Liam. They're just a bit curious, that’s all. They don’t mean any harm," Fiona asserted softly as she led me toward an arched flight of wooden steps climbing uphill.

  “I’m not afraid. Its just that...I wasn’t expecting this.” I muttered, struggling to tear my eyes off the pair of elven children dashing past us.

  “Oh? How exactly is this different from your imagination?” She quipped, glancing back to catch a glimpse of the startled expression on my face.

  “My mother always said that humans weren’t very close with druids and elves so I expecting the people here to be a lot meaner, but....”

  “But?”

  My words faltered for a moment, but quickly flowed once I caught the sly intent in her tone.

  “...everyone’s a lot friendlier than I thought.” I said sheepishly, doing my best to avoid her triumphant gaze.

  “Well of course you would think that.” Fiona laughed.

  “If it were a few centuries ago, you might have been spot on, but things have changed in recent times. With the establishment of the guild—a neutral organization—more people are becoming raiders nowadays, so tensions aren’t as high as they once were between the races on the continent. Granted, there are still some who hold a grudge over the crusade, and we remain cautious in our assessment of the few humans we allow here. But for the most part, things aren’t as bad as they used to be. A little time truly works wonders for these matters.”

  I had already braced myself for a wide array of hardships yet to come, but her revelation made me question whether I even needed them anymore. The thought left me frozen in place, literally stuck halfway up the impressive flight of stairs.

  She detected my absence immediately.

  “Liam.” Fiona called from the front, her cool tone commanding the full weight of my attention.

  “You’re not the first child to be born from such a special union, there are quite a few hybrids here in Sylvan. In your case, things are a little different because your bloodline is particularly potent, but nonetheless...” she paused and slowly walked back down a few steps to join me.

  “...nobody here has anything against you. Especially not with this on your forehead—remember how I told you that it's a sign of our connection?” she asked, tilting her face further into view.

  “Yeah I remember.”

  “Well it basically means that you’re very close to me, so don’t worry I won’t let anything bad happen to you. After all I’m your second grandma!” she declared proudly, flexing her slender arm.

  "Hehe, sure I’d like that.”

  “Lovely! Now all I need is for the other two to sign off on it.”

  I wasn’t sure what she meant by that and I didn’t even have time to mull it over, my body was already being pulled up the stairway. Once reached the top, I patiently waited for her to explain what exactly we were doing up here.

  The city of Heston made full use of the thick canopy of trees and the ground below to establish its settlements. The high-rise structures blended seamlessly into the natural environment, interconnected by a network of thick branches and roots weaving through, around, and under the treehouses. Wooden bridges spanned shorter distances, creating an intricate, spiderweb-like network above the already established ground bases.

  We were above ground on a small stone platform built into the underside of a sprawling tree canopy that led to two large wooden doors. This must have been someone’s house, and though I had no idea who the owner was, it didn’t matter now. The muffled voices echoing inside and the familiar sensation growing stronger with each step told me we had arrived at our destination. Above all, it was the nostalgic lights coming into view—once I cleared the excess from my vision—that gave me the clearest confirmation: my parents were here.

  “That smile on your face says it all. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?” Fiona teased with a gentle tap to my shoulder. “Mhm. They’re here.” I said, grinning foolishly

  I moved towards the doors instinctually, ready to apply the appropriate amount of force when I felt something else.

  “Lady Fiona, who is that?”

  The voice came from above, nestled within the dense canopy of branches and leaves that spread out from above the doorway.

  “Irina, you snuck out again, didn’t you?”

  “I couldn’t help it this time! Master promised to help me with my training today. It’s been over a week since we last did any training at all.”

  “What an impatient child. You know the adults are busy right now.”

  “But...”

  Fiona continued to converse with the innocent sounding voice, but at some point, my mind began filtering out their conversation. The second I craned my neck up in that direction, my body froze in place. Not from the melodic tone or the banter, but because of the information being conveyed by my eyes.

  Never once had I doubted them, but for the first time ever, I was starting to wonder if my eyes were playing tricks on me. That radiance, that presence, it was one I could never forget. Dancing like starlight, the correlation was unmistakable—that young girl, the one currently keeping watch from above, she was Luelle’s reincarnation.