My world-tree system-Chapter 45 - 44: Protection

Hello everyone, just before I start, I’m going to take up a bit of the previous Chapter to give you a better idea of what’s coming next, so don’t be angry if you see any similarities. ._.

A heavy, almost sacred silence hung over Vollua. The air still vibrated with the power released by the woods of the World, and Foster, still kneeling, felt the last pulses of energy spreading through every root, every leaf, every stone.

He opened his eyes again.

Before him stood the Tree of Liana, more imposing than ever. Its massive trunk was streaked with pulsating veins of energy, and its foliage, once a deep green, seemed woven with gold and light. It no longer looked like a simple tree, but a living entity, a plant deity.

But something was missing.

Foster could feel the immensity of the power contained in this tree, he could hear the resonance of all the connections that linked the 156 Woods of the World to it...

But he couldn’t hear her.

Lïanna.

Her spirit wasn’t there. There was only a void, a painful absence that knotted his insides.

Foster clenched his fists.

Then a metallic noise echoed in his head. A notification.

Quest completed: Survive the invasion while keeping 150 World Woods alive] [Reward: Designation of the Mother Tree].

[Reward: Designation of the Mother Tree].

He frowned. A new screen appeared before his eyes.

[Designation of the Mother Tree]

[The Woods of the World are numerous, but they remain alone, and this solitude hinders their growth and power. One tree must stand out and be the centre of their power].

[Effect 1: Complete strengthening of the tree designated as the Mother].

[Effect 2: Reinforcement of the offensive and defensive power of each of the son trees].

[Effect 3: Hidden effect].

Foster stared at the screen for a moment.

He didn’t hesitate for a second.

His gaze landed on Lïanna’s tree, the one that had been her sanctuary, the one that still carried her essence.

He raised his hand and spoke its name.

- Lïanna’s tree.

Immediately, a shockwave spread through the air. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The Tree of Lianna lit up with a golden glow, its roots spreading out with supernatural vivacity, connecting with the 156 other trees in the city. A stream of energy burst from the ground, a storm of vegetal aura pouring into its trunk.

Foster recoiled under the power.

Lïanna was absorbing all their power.

The other Woods of the World, hitherto independent, bowed before her. Their branches stretched, merged and intertwined as if to form a single being.

The Mother Tree had been born.

A muffled roar rose from the depths of the earth. A shudder ran through the entire city, vibrating in the air like the song of an ancestral forest awakening from a long sleep.

Then, the Woods of the World moved.

Their roots, at first immobile beneath the soil of Vollua, began to stretch, to make their way to the surface. They emerged in spirals, soaring into the sky like immense wooden snakes. In a single movement, the branches spread out, seeking each other out, weaving together with an almost unreal fluidity.

Where a simple canopy of vegetation might have sprung up, a living rampart was rising.

The dome took shape, immense, titanic, covering the entire city with a canopy of unparalleled density. Thousands of branches had intertwined, forming a tangle so tight that no light filtered through. Vollua’s interior was plunged into an ethereal semi-darkness, pierced only by flashes of golden light running through the bark and foliage of the dome.

This was no simple barrier of wood and leaves.

Anyone who didn’t belong to the children of the World Tree didn’t exist in the eyes of the dome.

The roots, soaked in Lïanna’s sap, pulsated with an unfathomable energy. They weren’t just wood, they were an extension of the Mother Tree’s consciousness. They felt, they analysed, they decided.

Anyone who dared to approach the dome without being recognised as a child of the World Tree would not simply come up against an impenetrable wall...

He would be erased.

The wood would not block his path. It would absorb him.

The plant fibres would react in an instant, crawling under his skin, slipping into his muscles and bones, devouring his very essence. His flesh would liquefy, his soul would disperse into the sap. He would become food for the Mother Tree, a mere fertiliser to nourish the city he had sought to desecrate.

There would be no warning.

Only disappearance.

Inside Vollua, those who were part of the World Tree could feel it. Foster, the elves, even the youngest, could sense the implacable aura that ran through the ramifications of the dome.

They were recognised.

The dome knew them, accepted them, protected them. It did not hinder them. They could walk through its walls of roots without the slightest difficulty, threading their way through the branches as if it were a simple forest.

But for an outsider... there would be no way out.

The enemy could no longer attack Vollua in the manner of conventional armies. Laying siege to a living, conscious fortress was absurd.

The Obscurus, the future invaders, no matter their number, their strength or their power... they would not pass.

The dome rose to its highest point, and with a final shudder, it closed completely, sealing Vollua under its absolute protection.

Foster looked up at this infinite canopy of vegetation.

The elves scattered around the city looked up in amazement.

They had survived the attack, but they understood that something much greater had just happened.

Their sanctuary had been reborn.

Vollua was no longer just a town.

It had become a living fortress.

Foster, trembling, placed a hand against the bark of the Mother Tree. He waited... hoping...

But nothing came.

He felt neither his voice nor his conscience. Just the whisper of wood, the pulse of infinite power... but not her.

His heart ached. He had hoped... He had believed that...

He closed his eyes, letting out a shaky sigh.

- Come back, Lïanna...’ he murmured.

But the Mother Tree remained silent.

A few days had passed since the Obscurus attack. The earth still bore the scars of the battle, and although the city was protected by the plant dome, the heavy silence that reigned in Vollua bore witness to the heavy price they had paid.

Foster stood in the centre of the main square, facing the survivors. Around thirty of them.

There had been more than fifty of them before the war. Now their ranks were thin. Where once there had been chatter and laughter, now there was only silent tension, a marked weariness on every face.

Foster looked at them and his heart sank.

They weren’t just fighters.

They were his brothers and sisters in arms. Those who had survived the horror, who had seen their friends fall to the enemy’s blades. Those who had remained standing, despite everything.

He would have liked to give them time, to mourn their dead, to heal, to breathe.

But they didn’t have that luxury.

Taking a deep breath, he banished the sadness from his eyes and replaced it with the attitude of a leader. When he spoke, his voice was calm but firm.

- There aren’t many of us, not nearly as many as there used to be. But we’re still here. And we have to keep moving forward.

Tired eyes looked up at him. Some nodded, others simply waited to see where he was going with this.

- We can’t stay locked up under the dome without taking action. Our reserves are running low. If we want to survive, we’ll have to get out, hunt, find food for the community.

A murmur ran through the assembly. Go out? After all they’d been through? After what they’d seen?

Foster raised a hand to calm the worries before they turned into panic.

- We don’t know what awaits us outside. The Obscurus have been dispersed, but they may not all be gone. There will be dangers. There will be risks.

He scanned the faces, making sure everyone understood the seriousness of the situation.

- That’s why those who go must be quick, discreet and able to defend themselves if necessary. We’ll go in small groups, never alone, never reckless. The forest is vast, and if we know how to get around, we’ll be able to pick up what we need without attracting attention.

There was silence for a moment, before an elf spoke up.

- What exactly are we looking for?

Foster nodded. It was the right question.

- Anything we can use. Meat, fruit, medicinal herbs. But not only that. Look for traces of the elves who followed the former queen of the woodland elves, perhaps some of them were lucky enough to escape again...

He paused, letting everyone assimilate the information.

- Above all, don’t take any unnecessary risks. If you feel something is wrong, turn back. We’ve already lost too many of our own.

The group nodded, more determined than before. There was still fear, of course, but there was also resignation. They had no choice.

Foster met Köflik’s eyes, then those of Giovanni, Yänn and Kähn. They too had changed.

They too knew that their survival now depended on their ability to adapt.

And Foster, as Lord of the World Tree, would not let them go under.