Chapter 216: The tree’s spirit, the seed of life.
“A mission?”
Alvran lifted his head, and the first thing he saw were those flawless ruby eyes.
The background paled into fuzzy images as what remained would be the goddess that stood within the air before him.
Her eyes, they locked onto him with a weight he could not ignore.
Shimmering like the brightest supernova in the distant infinity.
But then...
Inside them, though faint, sat the unmistakable flicker of worry.
The moment he recognized it, he straightened, voice urgent.
“My master, my creator… please, tell me what troubled you. Whatever it is, I will see it resolved.”
Mize gave a small nod, lifting her hand with a slow, effortless motion.
At once, a projection formed, light bending into shape until a vast waterfall-like screen hung in the center of the chamber, suspended in the air.
It rippled faintly, as though alive, and then broke apart into countless smaller panels.
Each fragment showed a different scene: streets, towns, battlefields, all at once, unfolding in real time.
Alvran’s eyes narrowed.
“This is…?”
Mize’s gaze stayed fixed on the shifting images.
Her voice, though calm, carried a faint edge.
Like a bunch overlapping tones, ethereal.
“I am disappointed in you, Alvran. You sit here, tucked away in safety, while outside... the world falters. I entrusted you with my will, and yet…” She shook her head lightly.
“Still, I shoulder the blame, I never told you clearly enough how much the lives of those mortals mean to me.”
“M–my master, I—” Alvran stumbled over his words, panic rushing through his chest.
He reached a hand forward, as if grasping at the air to plead for her forgiveness.
But with a mere flick of her wrist, a soft current of wind swept him back.
The panic drained from his mind as quickly as it had come, his emotions pressed into balance by a touch of her power.
“Send out the army,” she said, her tone now even. “The Broken Blade Legion is one of my swords. It is meant to carve a path of light across this world. Have them save those people from the titans’ jaws, and bring the survivors into my territory.”
“I… I understand, my creator.” Alvran’s voice steadied again as he dropped to one knee, his fist pressed to the floor. “I will personally lead them. Under your name, I swear to crush these creatures.”
“Not enough.”
Her words cut clean, and Alvran froze in place.
Mize’s eyes drifted downward in thought, her expression calm.
Slowly, she reached inward into her chest, toward the depths of her heart, the space where her most guarded treasures resided.
The mirage realm.
From it emerged a glowing orb, its light spilling outward until the entire chamber was bathed in brilliance.
The glow pulsed like a living heartbeat, its radiance so sharp that Alvran lifted an arm to shield his eyes.
The light came and went in waves, and from within it, Mize’s will unfolded.
The goal was to create something that could help to increase the broken blade warrior's numbers.
That was the current purpose of her presence's today.
Her voice carried through the chamber.
“The Seed of Life.”
At those words, a dozen mental tanks within her were emptied instantly, almost half of the total tanks.
The creation was complex, her clones rapidly working on this creation.
The chamber trembled as a heavy pressure pressed outward, only to be swiftly tamed under a single lift of her eyes, the pressure dissipated into the air.
Alvran’s heart lurched against his ribs.
For an instant, it felt as though his very body would break under the weight pressing down just now.
Then, just as quickly, the pressure was gone, leaving only the echo of the wooden walls creaking, leaves rustling...
He lowered his hand from his eyes, blinking against the fading brilliance.
What he saw left him wordless.
Mize descended slowly through the air, her right hand extended.
Resting above her palm was a single leaf, glowing faintly, its veins shimmering with a light that looked both fragile and endless.
Blinding and yet tamed.
From it, he sensed an almost endless energy. An energy was he was very familiar with since he too operated the same, the energy of life, the energy of nature.
Different from the warp's energy.
“Here, my child.”
He moved forward without hesitation, dropping to both knees before her.
His eyes locked onto the object as she guided it forward, letting the strange leaf hover just above his palm before withdrawing her hand.
Her gaze shifted, her voice carrying forth into the space.
“This… is the Seed of Life.”
“T–the Seed of Life?” Alvran’s voice was hushed, awed but uncertain. “My master… what purpose does it serve?”
“It is for you to absorb,” Mize replied simply. “To take it into yourself, and become one with this tree you have raised here.”
"Then the purpose will become clear for you "
Alvran echoed her words softly, as though weighing them on his tongue.
“To absorb… and become one with the tree?”
Confusion flickered across his face, but only for a moment.
Under Mize’s gaze, doubt had no place.
He drew in a breath, straightened his back, and with no hesitation, pressed the leaf toward his chest.
And like a ripple across still water, the leaf slipped through his clothes and skin as though both were nothing more than surface tension.
It sank into his chest, vanishing in an instant.
“U-urk…! My master—” Alvran’s breath caught in his throat, his voice strained.
His body convulsed as dense, greenish lines crawled outward beneath his skin, spreading like veins of living fire.
The mark etched into his forehead blazed, luminous.
The chamber was swallowed in a fierce green glow, harsh and blinding, but the radiance did not escape Mize’s control.
Her eyes narrowed.
A single wave of her hand settled the storm, energy folding back in, quieting like a gale pressed down by an invisible palm until the room was calm once more.
Alvran’s body trembled.
The crawling lines faded slowly, dimming until his skin returned to its normal shade.
His knees struck the floor with a dull sound, and he hunched forward, lungs heaving, breath dragging as though every inhale scraped.
Moments passed before he forced his head up again.
His gaze met Mize’s.
Those eyes, red and clear as twin rubies, steady as distant galaxies, watched him without a blink.
“My Master, my Creator…” Alvran rasped, his words shaking. “This tree… it’s calling to me.”
“Is that so.” Mize gave a small nod, a note of relief softening her otherwise composed tone. “Then bind yourself to it. You should know how, instinctively.”
“Yes…” Alvran’s reply was firm despite his ragged voice.
He lowered his head again, eyes clouded.
No one outside the chamber would know of the turbulence within.
Under Mize’s calm, unblinking gaze, Alvran pressed his palm to the wooden floor at the chamber’s center.
The grain of the wood seemed to answer, trembling faintly beneath his hand.
A sudden pulse flared.
Boom!
From outside, the colossal tree shuddered once. Just once, but the weight of it was enough to make the earth groan.
Citizens felt the tremor ripple under their feet.
Broken Blade warriors paused mid-step, visors flashing as their helmets registered the brief quake.
The sentry guards at their posts stiffened, their hands tightening around weapons.
Yet no one dared to investigate.
Overhead, the brief pulse of green light rippled across the sky, visible even through the thick canopy, before vanishing the next second as if it had never been.
Still, it did not pass unnoticed.
“Did you feel that? Just now, the ground shook.”
“Yeah, and the light, green, strange. Did something happen to the World Tree?”
“Alas… I hope it’s nothing bad.”
Whispers traveled quickly among the streets, civilians gathering in small clusters, pointing upward.
The sentries spread through the city, voices firm, ushering the people back, restoring order before tension could bloom into panic.
Back in the chamber, silence lingered.
Nothing seemed different, nothing except Alvran himself.
His face was bright with exhilaration as he stood, a spark of awe lighting his features.
“My Master, I… I’ve succeeded. The pact is complete. I am now one with her.”
“So, it’s a female.” Mize nodded faintly, as though the detail was expected. “That is natural. She will be giving birth to many offspring from now on.”
Her voice remained calm, but her words carried a subtle meaning. “The requirements I set are simple, Alvran.”
“I understand, my Master.” He dropped to one knee, head lowered. His voice trembled, but not from weakness. “I will not fail you.”
Then, after a pause, he lifted his head again, hesitant. “Master… the tree’s spirit wishes to meet you, if you allow it.”
“Tell her to come here.”
Mize’s response was brief, she also was curious about the tree spirit's appearance.
Alvran turned slightly, whispering into the air, words too faint, too soft to be caught.
The wood beneath his palm glowed faintly, then from the space beside him a soft, bubbling light rose.
It shifted, gathered, and slowly took form.
The glow curved into the figure of a woman, her presence gentle, her hair falling in green strands almost identical to Alvran’s own.
The spirit of the tree had come.
"M-ther!"