Chapter 21
…
'How can he possess a sacred dew? Only those who gained the acknowledgement from the sacred tree will gain a sacred dew as a gift.'
'This is impossible. Who is he?'
…
"She is still weak. She has too many injuries," Kyren said with a frown.
Veyra looked back toward the glowing deer. Hope was plastered on her face.
"Can you please bring us now, Irelda?"
Pushed deep her bewilderment and confusion, Irelda nodded her head.
"I put her on my back for now. I led you three to our home just as I promised…"
Melyra suddenly floated and fell onto Irelda's back. She resumed by letting her gaze drift to the side.
"Atlas. Rain. Take the two of them…" Irelda instructed.
"Yes, madam…" two voices replied in unison from nowhere.
Then, one part of the mist surrounding them parted, revealing two massive wolves the size of cars, stepping closer.
Without showing any hostility, they bent down to make it easier for the children to ride.
Without hesitation, Veyra jumped onto one of the wolves, as if she were familiar with them.
But Kyren hesitated, unsure.
He recalled reading in a novel that beasts typically disliked communicating with humans, much less allowing them to ride.
'What's with this treatment of theirs?' he wondered to himself.
Though he eventually jumped above too, after seeing the wolf look at him in doubt, then sniffed at himself, wondering whether he was smelly or not.
"No, my smell is as fine as the moon wine. What's wrong with you, kid!!!"
Is what the wolf wanted to say, but held back, swallowing the comments.
…
As they arrived at the deeper part of the Whisper Forest, they finally reached a huge, sparkling waterfall.
As they stepped onto the water without falling, Irelda subsequently murmured a few incantations that Kyren couldn't understand, even though the Primal Tongue was supposed to unite all languages.
Afterward, the waterfall parted in the middle, revealing a cave entrance.
As Irelda and the wolves stepped inside, the waterfall returned to its original state.
Everything was dark for Kyren and Veyra, but it didn't hinder the beasts from running with their powerful legs.
Eventually, a small light appeared, growing larger as they drew closer.
Finally, they found their way in.
Before them stood a large gate made of woven vines.
As they approached, it began to move, creating an opening.
Inside, massive trees formed natural halls, their intertwining roots serving as walls.
The ceilings were adorned with glowing vines, and hollowed trunks acted as homes or gathering places.
Crystal-clear streams wound through this sanctuary, with ponds and small lakes reflecting the shimmering light from the moon above.
A variety of animals roamed here, from carnivores to herbivores and omnivores.
What set them apart from the animals on the Earth of Kyren's first life was their size, the magical elements, or something unique and intriguing that adorned their bodies.
Examples were like glowing horns on stags, or fire orbs circling a fiery bird as it flew.
Flowers glowed softly, illuminating the surroundings like lanterns.
Seeing these wonders for the first time, Kyren and Veyra gazed in awe.
However, their excitement was clouded by worry and complicated emotions.
Veyra was anxious about her father's safety, while Kyren's hands trembled as he thought of his mother's condition.
'Is she fine now?'
Kyren quickly pushed that thought away, didn't want the worst ever skipped past his mind, yet hoping for the best – that his mother was alive and well.
Meanwhile, many beasts paused their activities, even waking those who had been napping peacefully.
Their eyes widened in surprise at the sight of their rare visitors: two children and an injured woman.
…
Irelda instructed her subordinates to let the two children rest first in an empty tree while she took Melyra to their healer at the main grove.
Inside the tree, soft grass covered the ground as far as their eyes could see, illuminated by a few flowers that glowed gently in the dim light.
Given that none of the beasts here could transform into their humanoid forms yet, Kyren had already expected the space to be this simple.
He let himself fall back onto the grass, leaning against the inside trunk of the tree.
Veyra soon followed his example, settling beside him.
The atmosphere was heavy with silence, as neither of them knew what to say or even felt inclined to start a conversation.
It was all too sudden.
Memories started to flood their minds.
The two of them laughed in the carriage from a joke made by Uncle Malrik, to the time they ate bread with the old coachman, and by the end, the two helped by gathering some broken branches for the campfire.
But then everything changed abruptly.
The sudden attack that killed their kind carriage driver, the three church members revealing themselves as demons, and the blow to the back of their heads that left the two unconscious.
Without anyone even needing to explain to them, they both pretty much came to the same conclusion: it must have been Kyren's mother who instructed Melyra to do that to them.
"Kyren. Your mother will be okay. I'm sure she will," Veyra said, her empty eyes still cast downward, betraying her own uncertainty.
Kyren sighed, knowing she was in the same predicament as him.
'Who knows what happened to Uncle Malrik?' he uncomfortably thought, feeling a pang of guilt for being comforted by this little girl.
He looked at his own hand and clenched it tightly.
'I'm still too weak. We are not supposed to leave our house before I'm strong enough. But that house wasn't exactly safe either. All the people of Valentine's I scan are either being possessed, controlled, cursed, or having a Demon Seed inside them.
'Even that Scarlet woman is actually a demon. But weirdly, that little girl who is supposed to be the patriarch and the matriarch daughter is the only one who is still a human. What is their plan???'
Confusion swirled in his mind, and he felt exhausted.
His head spun as if he were having a terrible fever, even though after he had officially become a Transcendence and began to circulate Nirvana inside his body, he never felt sick anymore.
But now, he felt terrible, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on him, threatening to crush him.
Kyren gritted his teeth and glanced at the system interface.
[Black Feathers Nirvana Circulation Method: Upgradeable] -> 200,000 Joy Points
- - - -
He was still 24.000 points away from having enough to exchange it.
'Why is everything so goddamn expensive? Damnit! Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!'
He clutched his hair in agony, his eyes reddening with worry for his mother, as it was the most dominant emotion within him.
He felt sorry for himself and angry at his own uselessness.
He had...