My world-tree system-Chapter 62 - 61: Losing touch

Sitting on the edge of one of Vollua’s terraces, Foster watched the horizon, lost in thought. Kaïus. The word had echoed in his mind like an unsolvable riddle ever since Kassandra had mentioned it.

He had searched his own memories, those of his former life. He had plunged into every nook and cranny of his memory, trying to piece together the fragments of knowledge he had once possessed. He remembered wars, myths, ancient creatures, lost civilizations... but nothing matched the name.

Frustration mounted.

He had hoped for an echo, a clue, a tiny detail to come back to him... but there was absolute emptiness.

There was nothing.

- Damn it..." he muttered, his fingers clenching against the wood of the railing.

This wasn’t right. He had so much knowledge of his former existence, so why didn’t that name mean anything to him?

He hated this feeling.

The feeling of knowing that an immeasurable danger was approaching, without having the slightest idea of how to prepare for it.

If he couldn’t rely on his own memory, then he’d have to look elsewhere.

A sigh escaped his lips. He didn’t like the idea... but he had no choice.

If anyone knew anything, it was the ancient avatars of the World Tree Seed.

They had guided him in the past.

They had seen and experienced far more than he had, and it was they who had told Kassandra about it.

He had to try to contact them.

- You seem preoccupied

Foster turned. Lïanna had just joined him, her long, fire-colored hair cascading over her shoulders. Her deep green eyes shone with concern.

- Is it that obvious?" he replied, flashing a tense smile.

- You haven’t been up since earlier, and you’re staring at the horizon as if hoping for an answer.

Foster sighed and nodded.

- It’s about what Kassandra said... Kaïus. The name confuses me.

Lïanna approached and leaned against the railing beside him.

- Didn’t you find anything in your memories?

- Not a thing. And that’s what’s bothering me. I don’t know anything about that name.

Lïanna remained silent for a moment, pensive.

- Maybe it’s older than our own people.

Foster raised an eyebrow.

-We’ve existed as woodland elves for thousands of years. Did anything even exist before us?

- That’s a possibility, isn’t it? If Kaïus had been as influential as Kassandra told us, then our people would have kept a trace of him.

Foster gritted his teeth.

- You’re right, and it’s worrying because we have no leads and nowhere to look.

A heavy silence fell between them.

Foster straightened up and crossed his arms.

- There’s only one solution left.

Lïanna looked at him attentively.

- Contact the old avatars," he murmured.

She nodded.

- It’s true... they might know something, but if they haven’t contacted you directly, there must be a reason.

- Maybe, but it’s my only lead.

Lïanna moistened her lips, obviously concerned.

- You’ve never tried to summon them on purpose, have you?

- No, I haven’t. Up until now, they’ve just come to me at their own pace.

- Do you think it could work?

Foster shrugged.

- There’s only one way to find out.

Lïanna put a hand on his arm.

- Do your best, Foster, and even if you fail, know that it’s not all on you, so we’ll be fine, we can look for other ways.

Foster glanced at her.

- I’ll keep that in mind.

- Good, now go and good luck.

Foster took a deep breath.

- Thank you, Lïanna.

Lïanna slowly withdrew her hand and let him go.

Foster turned away and went down the stairs to the roots of the Mother Tree.

This place was almost like a sanctuary; Lïanna’s energy was the purest, the strongest, and it was like a comfort to Foster.

He sat cross-legged, resting his palms on the ground, which vibrated with subtle energy.

His breath slowed.

His mind opened.

He plunged into that connection he’d experienced in the past, that strange space between the real and the invisible, where he’d been able to hear the old avatars.

Their presence was still there, somewhere.

He could feel it.

- I need answers.

His mental voice expanded, searching for a hook, an answer, something.

But nothing came.

The silence stretched on, heavy, disturbing.

Foster frowned.

Usually, they appeared at their own pace, but here he was deliberately trying to call them.

And they weren’t answering.

- Why the silence?

He forced his mind to go deeper, to dig into this connection.

A veil had just appeared between him and them.

Foster gritted his teeth and tried to force his way through.

Something was blocking communication.

He tried a second time.

He failed.

A third.

Failed.

A fourth, pushing his energy deeper into the link.

The shock was brutal.

A searing pain shot through his skull and he found himself expelled from his meditation, gasping for breath.

He jerked his eyes open, palms trembling, heart pounding.

The oppressive silence still reigned.

He’d never felt like this before.

It wasn’t just an absence...

It was closure.

Foster sat there, catching his breath with difficulty.

- How much longer are you going to go on like this?

Foster opened his eyelids again, annoyed.

- Do you have a better idea?

She shrugged, but he could see in her eyes that she was thinking hard.

- That veil... you can’t go through it alone.

Foster sighed.

- That’s exactly the problem.

- So why don’t you try with me?

He stared at her for a moment.

- ... You mean bind yourself to me and force your way through?

-If you alone can’t pierce this veil... maybe the two of us can.

Foster hesitated.

He knew she was right. He sensed that this barrier wasn’t impenetrable.

It resisted, but it wasn’t invincible.

- Okay, let’s give it a try.

Lïanna nodded and sat down cross-legged opposite him.

- Will you guide me?

Foster exhaled deeply, concentrating on his connection with the Seed.

- Close your eyes. Let yourself go... and follow me.

Immersed in their meditation, they blended together through Foster’s link with each elf of the World Tree and guided Lïanna to him.

A veil diffused a murky light before them.

It was almost translucent, but it distorted everything on the other side.

Foster approached it, with Lïanna at his side.

- Can you see it? It’s there.

She placed a hand in front of her, without touching the veil.

- It fluctuates... but it keeps us from going any further.

She closed her eyes, and a thread of green light emanated from her, wrapping itself around Foster.

He felt their bond strengthen.

- We push together," she murmured.

Foster nodded.

They stretched their combined strength toward the veil.

It didn’t move immediately.

Then it rippled.

Like a sheet of water disturbed by the wind.

- More," Foster ordered.

They insisted, gently.

Without violence, without force.

They let their minds intertwine, their energies mingle, in perfect harmony with the World Tree.

And suddenly...

The veil parted.

A tiny opening appeared, and in that gap...

- Seek and find Erzäe’s sanctuary, time is running out", a voice suddenly said, before suddenly fading away, the veil regenerating and forcibly pushing the two out of Foster’s mental space.

Foster inhaled sharply, brought back violently to reality. He opened his eyes, gasping for breath, as if expelled from an all-too-real dream.

Lïanna, too, jerked back.

They were back.

The veil had closed, pushing them back without mercy.

But not before they heard that voice.

- "Erzäe’s sanctuary"... Lïanna murmured, still in shock.