My world-tree system-Chapter 47 - 46: Sown with the wind

Foster stood on one of the great roots of the World Tree, watching the city slowly rebuild itself in the fading light of day. Vollua was a shadow of its former self, scarred by war and destruction, but it held firm.

Around him, the surviving elves were busy. Some were repairing damaged dwellings, others were reinforcing the plant defences of the protective dome. But one question remained unanswered: resources.

There were barely thirty survivors, and despite their mastery of magic and nature, they couldn’t sustain themselves forever on the meagre provisions they had left.

- In a week’s time, we’ll have nothing left,’ Foster murmured to himself.

He took a deep breath, shaking off the fatigue that weighed on his shoulders. He too had his limits.

- Find out what you can,’ he finally told the six elves gathered in front of him. Don’t take unnecessary risks. Hunt and gather what nature has to offer. The dome won’t protect us from hunger.

The six nodded and left the city, disappearing beyond the protection of the World Tree.

The wind whistled softly through the ancient trees, and the group of elves advanced cautiously through the dense vegetation.

The forest on the outskirts of Vollua was no longer as safe as it once was.

At every suspicious rustle, archers bent their bows, ready to shoot an arrow.

The shadow of the Obscurus still hung over these lands, and none of them had forgotten the brutality of their assault.

- Look, over there!’ breathed one of them.

At the bend in a clearing, a solitary figure appeared.

She was dressed in rags, her long golden hair matted and smeared with mud. Fresh scars lined her arms, and her eyes, once bright, seemed haunted.

- An elf? whispered one of the hunters.

They approached slowly, on guard.

The young woman gasped when she saw them, then fell to her knees, trembling.

- Please...’ she whispered in a broken voice.

Her gaze met that of the group leader, and he immediately recognised her features.

- Kassandra?!

The elves exchanged surprised glances.

Kassandra, missing for so long, was there, unrecognisable.

One of them crouched down, placing a cautious hand on her shoulder.

- By the spirits... What happened to you?

She lowered her head, her body shaking with light sobs.

- I was captured... by the Obscurus.

The elves froze.

- They... tortured me. They did things to me...

She shivered, as if the mere mention of her suffering brought back the pain.

- I managed to escape, but...’ she swallowed, her gaze darting, ’I had nowhere to go.

One of the hunters clenched his fist, a flash of rage in his eyes.

- Those bloody monsters...

Another helped him carefully to his feet.

- You’re free now. Come with us.

A shaky smile spread across Kassandra’s face.

- Thank you, Kassandra.

All the way back to Vollua, Kassandra played her part to perfection.

When they came across a fresh deer track, it was she who spotted it first.

- Look at these tracks,’ she breathed as she crouched down.

The other elves gathered around her.

- They’re recent, no more than an hour old.

One of the hunters frowned.

- How can you be so sure?

Kassandra placed two fingers on the soft ground and rubbed them gently.

- The dampness is still there, the earth hasn’t had time to dry in the wind. Look at these broken branches too...

She pointed to a shrub whose leaves had been crumpled.

- The sap is still fresh, the animal came by a little while ago.

An experienced elf nodded, impressed.

- She’s right. If we follow this trail, we can intercept it before it takes cover.

The group exchanged a knowing glance before setting off at a leisurely pace through the forest, following Kassandra’s precise directions.

A few minutes later, they spotted a robust stag grazing peacefully not far from a stream.

- We won’t be able to get any closer without being spotted,’ muttered an elf as he cocked his bow.

Kassandra observed the situation, then grabbed a stone from the ground and deftly threw it into a bush on the opposite side.

The stag immediately turned towards the noise, offering its flank to the hunters.

- Now!

A volley of arrows flew silently, and the animal collapsed, struck by lightning.

The elves let out a sigh of relief.

- What precision...’ breathed one of them as he put his bow away.

Kassandra shrugged her shoulders with a humble smile.

- Survival instinct.

They quickly butchered the animal and collected the meat before setting off again.

Later, on the way, she once again demonstrated her astonishing knowledge of the forest. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

- Don’t touch those berries,’ she warned, pointing to a bush with bright red fruit. They’re poisonous.

Then, a few steps further on, she stopped again.

- These, on the other hand, are edible.

She picked a handful and handed it to an elf, who reflexively checked before nodding.

- She was right.

The hunters could not fail to be impressed. Despite her suffering, Kassandra was proving to be a great help.

Meanwhile, in the heart of Vollua, Foster was overseeing another crucial project.

Foster stood in the centre of the clearing they had designated as their future field, observing the ground with a calculating gaze.

- This land must live again.

Around him, two elves specialising in magic, Rëan and Sylis, had joined him. Since their transformation by the World Tree, their abilities had increased tenfold, and Foster was determined to harness this potential to ensure the city’s future.

Rëan placed a hand on the ground, his pupils glowing emerald.

- This land is poor... exhausted by fighting and bloodshed.

Sylis straightened up, a worried crease on her forehead.

- Even with our seeds, nothing will grow here until we’ve restored its balance.

Foster crossed his arms, thinking. Restoring infertile land was no easy task, but he knew that the elves possessed a unique magic, deeply linked to nature.

- So let’s do it. Let’s use what we’ve got.

He reached out to the trees around them.

- The Woods of the World are not just for defence. They live, breathe and feel. We can draw on them to breathe life into this land.

The two elves exchanged glances, then nodded.

- We will try.

Rëan and Sylis placed their hands on the ground, letting their magic seep into the parched earth. A shiver ran through the ground, and slowly the dust rose, as if an invisible breath had just awoken the earth.

The surrounding trees reacted immediately. Their roots quivered, sinking deeper beneath the surface, offering their energy to restore the scarred soil.

Foster felt the echo of their power vibrate through his own body, like a heartbeat resonating in unison with nature.

- Yes... That’s it. Carry on.

A slow tremor ran through the earth, and before their very eyes, the colour of the ground changed. It went from a barren grey to a richer, more fertile brown.

Sylis suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for breath.

- It’s working!

Foster didn’t waste a second. He took out a bag of seeds carefully preserved in the city’s old stocks.

- Sow them now.

The elves complied. Each seed fell onto a soil that welcomed it eagerly, like a thirsty person finding water after a long drought.

Then, with a final flow of energy, Rëan and Sylis pushed the magic further, calling for growth.

And there, the first shoots sprouted.

Tender, frail, but very much alive.

Foster watched them with subdued satisfaction.

- We’re going to rebuild... Little by little.

It was only the beginning.

But it was a promising start.