Spellheart 9: Chapter 30 (Patreon)

When I checked in on them next, Aelina and the other True Mages and Mage Acolytes finished pacing off the extent of my new Sacred Grove and were already laying down soil and felling trees.

They’d also settled into their new homes, and the Sacred Grove was looking less like a collection of stone huts surrounded by boxes and more like the start of an elegant garden. I wasn’t sure what they had in mind when it was done, but I felt a slightly higher concentration of zeal in the area, so it was clearly working.

I suspected the Sacred Grove was something akin to a living enchantment. Perhaps it would be more evident when the plants were rooted and growing. I’d have to bring Argona in to help me analyze it from the air. By now, she knew enchantment diagrams better than I did.

Back in Castle Mac, I was delighted to find the wisps I’d gotten were ready to hatch, both large and small. Like a child on Christmas morning, I had the boxes brought up to the courtyard.

“This seems like a pleasant place to manifest, wouldn’t you say, Yorik?” I asked my assistant for the day.

Yorik shrugged, and I started opening boxes.

As each box opened, the fist-sized balls of light that had been growing within glowed, growing brighter and brighter until they could no longer be contained. Suddenly, naked elves materialized within them, dropping to the ground like fallen leaves. They blinked and looked around, dazed and confused by their new surroundings.

“Hey there,” I said gently. “Welcome to Hearthwood.”

“Wh-where are we?” one elf asked, her voice trembling.

“Safe,” I assured her. “You’re in the Hearthwood. I’m the Patriarch of this clan.”

The elf stared at me. “Y-you’re not a Satyr?”

“That’s right. I’m not.” I gave her a gentle smile. “I’m not sure how many memories you inherited or remembered from a previous life, but you’re not on the World of Woods and Wilds anymore. You’re on the World of Sanctuary and Serenity, the historic homeworld of the elves.”

“The Satyrs conquered the elven homeworld?” the elf asked, confusion and sadness in her eyes.

“No, far from it,” I laughed. “You’re not under the Satyr’s control anymore. You were sent to me to help me set up a Sacred Grove. Now, I won’t force you to do anything, but I could use your help for a few months. In exchange, I’ll make sure you are fed, housed, and have the free time to figure out your place in the world. If you’re willing to work for me for a while, I’ll make sure you get a head start in life.”

“...Okay.” The elf still looked skeptical, as did her peers listening in. But I didn’t mind their skepticism. They’d learn in time.

“Alright, everyone, let’s gather around,” I instructed, gesturing for the newly manifested elves and wisps to join me. Though their confusion was evident, they seemed to trust me enough to follow my guidance. As they assembled before me.

As I continued to pry open the remaining wooden boxes, I realized that some of the wisps I had seen earlier weren’t actually wisps at all — they were the Fae I’d been promised.

I should have guessed as much since they were supposed to be included with the Sacred Grove. I’d never met the Fae before. Unlike the elves, these beings were natives of the World of Woods and Wilds.

I watched with fascination as they took shape one after another. It was like watching elves manifest but on a smaller scale.

The light of the wisp that they’d been faded, though unlike with elves, it never went out completely. It only dimmed enough to reveal tiny, fluttering creatures that resembled what I would call a fairy, each no larger than the palm of my hand. Besides the wings, their features were largely elven in appearance, with slight frames and pointed ears. Their delicate wings shimmered in the sunlight as they emerged from their containers, giggling and chattering among themselves.

“Hello there,” I greeted them, trying to get their attention. “I’m Theo. You must be the Fae that came with the Sacred Grove.”

“Yep, that’s us!” one of them replied cheerfully, her voice as light as a summer breeze. “We’re fairies!”

“How nice,” I said, thinking they did look very much like fairies. “So you know how to plant a Sacred Grove?”

“What’s a Sacred Grove?” the fairy replied.

“It’s something like a magical garden. Now, what’s your name?”

“Glitterspark!” the fairy said. “What’s your name?”

“Theo, Patriarch of the Hearthwood.” I was beginning to suspect these fairies had short memories. “Can you help the elves plant the Sacred Grove?”

“Nope!” Glitterspark said.

“Excuse me?”

“We’re going to dance! Bye!” Glitterspark took off in a puff of light, headed in the direction of the Sacred Grove.

“Well, guess I don’t have to help them settle in...” I muttered.

The fairies seemed to lack the confusion the Elves experienced after manifesting, but I wasn’t sure if that was because they were better equipped after manifesting or because they were more scatterbrained than an elf. They also seemed a bit happier with their roles as well.

I spoke to those that remained to see if they’d be of any help at all. “The other elves are setting it up over in that direction. Maybe you can go help them plan?”

“Oooh, a plan! I love plans!” another Fairy chimed in, buzzing excitedly around my head. “I can make plans too! I plan to find a leaf and make a hat!”

One of the elves spoke up and explained what I already suspected. “You won’t get straight answers from fairies. They don’t actually do any work on a Sacred Grove anyway. They’re more like the plants. A natural part of the grove’s magic. They are even more key to it than we are though. Without them, a Sacred Grove can not function. Only they can create ley lines from natural zeal accumulations.”

“They move seeds where they need to go, mostly by accident,” another newly manifested elf chimed in. “But they don’t really know what they’re doing. It’s just instinct.”

I chuckled, amused by the tiny eager little fairy’s eagerness. “Noted. Thank you.” I led the fairies and the newly manifested elves to the Sacred Grove site, where they joined the others at work. I looked over the few remaining boxes.

I’d suspected this kit wasn’t the first one the Satyrs had given away. It was too well organized for that. Despite the lack of labels, the set had a logical layout and all the basic materials needed to get started. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that kits like these were available on the open market across the Ten Thousand Worlds on planets better connected to interplanetary trade than mine.

I was impressed to find Fate-aspect spellhearts among the boxes. Those were tough to store and even tougher to get. Now that I was looking, I spotted the distinctive tell of fate magic on a few of the more powerful elves. After hunting down Aelina, I soon learned the reason for their presence.

“Fate zeal is used to accelerate the flow of time around certain plants,” Aelina explained. “Just having a single Fate-Aspect true mage can cut the time to grow a Sacred Grove down to a tenth of normal time. It’s part of the reason the Satyrs were so eager to hunt down elven spirit cultivators. The same is true of Space Magic. You’ll notice we have quite a few space cultivators here. That’s to decrease the amount of size the Sacred Grove takes up. And Nature cultivators like me optimize growth conditions. A Sacred Grove that’s being worked by fairies alone without the presence of elves would be so large you could cover an entire planet with one and only make a single demigod.”

“I see...” No wonder the Satyrs had been so eager to enslave elves. Without them, the Satyrs would be a backwater, and the power their cultivation methodology could provide them would be minuscule.

Then I had an idea. “Say, Aelina, if you had the help of a Sorcerer-level Fate and Space cultivators, do you think that would help the Sacred Grove mature faster?”

“Certainly!” Aelina replied. “It would increase the grove’s efficiency dramatically as well.”

I pondered that though. If things went smoothly, maybe I’d ask Melise and Tivana to help.

***

The sun had reached its zenith, casting a warm glow over the Hearthwood.

As I observed them, Illiel approached me, her voice cautious. “So, this is a Sacred Grove. It looks like it will be quite a pretty garden when all is said and done. Your new workers all seem like hard workers. And those little fairies are quite cute.”

“Indeed,” I agreed, watching an elf expertly weave threads of zeal around a nascent tree. “They seem very determined, don’t they?”

“Quite,” she replied, adjusting her glasses with a small smile.

It was unsettling to have received them in what was essentially a political apology gift, but I reminded myself that without them, I wouldn’t be able to operate the Sacred Grove.

Besides, they would enjoy far more freedom here in the Hearthwood than they would have had in the Worlds of Woods and Wilds. In Satyr territory, they would have been slaves, mere tools for powerful rulers. Here, though, they would be free to leave once their work was complete or if they found suitable replacements. The thought comforted me somewhat as I watched them diligently labor.

“Is there anything we should do to help them?” Mayatania asked, standing beside me with her hands clasped in front of her.

“Let’s give them some space for now,” I said, glancing at her concerned expression. “Just observe them as they work. I still expect tricks from the Satyr King.”

“Of course, Theo,” she agreed, looking relieved. “I... I’d rather not go down there, though. Not if I can help it.”

“Bad memories?” I placed a hand on her shoulder.

Mayatania nodded.

“I understand.”

The Fairies buzzed around us, scattering seeds in their dancing and playing. I saw Glitterspark singing, and as she did so, nature zeal flowed through her and into the plants around her, reshaping the mana within the grove. I hadn’t quite put a pin on how their magic worked, but it seemed to resonate with the land beneath them. They would be as much a part of the Sacred Grove as the plants they were sewing now. The fairies seemed even more important to the Sacred Grove than the elves were. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that Sacred Groves as I understood them were descended from whatever wild environment the faeries came from.

Eltiana playfully tried to catch one, laughing as it darted out of her grasp. I know she could have caught one if she really wanted to. She was just letting them think they could get away.

The first plants took root before the day was over, and I noticed the flow of zeal through the area shift ever so slightly.

It was impossible not to notice. Even Sacred Grove as low-level as this one, couldn’t be missed. An elven heartwielder would be drawn to its power.

I suspected most of the energy was actually coming from the fairies and elves working the grove, but the plants and soil were playing a role somehow, as was the artful way they were arranged.

It was hard to spot any pattern in the layout the elves and fairies chose. Only a few parts of the grove were arranged in neat and even rows. The babbling brook running through the grove seemed completely natural, though I was certain it hadn’t been there before.

The tiny saplings taking root would form the centerpiece of various displays, though right now the flowers that would surround them were outgrowing them. I was certain the nature cultivators managing the grove would take care of that soon enough, though.

I had originally intended to wait a little longer before putting the grove to the test, but seeing it in action for the first time made me excited. I could hardly wait to see what the grove could do. I decided to put its powers to the test.

“So, Aelina, how do I use the Sacred Grove’s powers?” I asked.

Aelina smiled. “Follow me to the heart of the Grove.”

Aelina led me through the budding grove to something that looked akin to a pedestal. From its location, it would someday be in the exact center of the Sacred Grove.

The pedestal was grown from wood. The tree seemed like an archery, though a little sweeter and already full of blossoms on every branch. There were no leaves on the branches though, only flowers.

The branches weren’t growing naturally either. They swirled around one another, cupping the fist-sized ball of light in the center of it all.

“Behold, the Sacred Grove’s Keystone wisp,” Aelina gestured.

“Wait, really?” I asked. “How? I thought Keystone Elves were immensely valuable?”

Why would the Satyr King give me a Keystone Elf when the whole thing that had gotten him into this mess was his desire for Sava.

“This is not a Keystone Elf,” Aelina corrected. “Just a wisp. She failed to manifest many generations ago and is stuck as nothing more than a wisp forever more.”

“Ah. I see. And a real Keystone Elf is more valuable?”

“Far more so,” Aelina explained. “Not only can they be killed and divided into many more wisps for weaker groves, but they can also replace an existing Keystone Wisp. You see, a wisp like this one can only take a Sacred Grove so far. She was only True Mage in life, and so the Sacred Grove will have a tough time surpassing that level. There are a few tricks that could push the grove to the Wizard realm despite that, but no further. A living Keystone Elf on the other hand, represents limitless potential. If she can be raised to Sorcerer, she can support a Demigod. If raised to Demigod, an Immortal Ascendant.”

“And if one were raised to Immortal Ascendant?” I asked curiously.

“I don’t know. But I suspect the Satyr King intends to find out.”

I grumbled a little. No wonder the Satyr King wanted Sava so badly. She was already at the Wizard realm and making tremendous progress as a Spirit Cultivator. She could probably already be a Sorcerer if she didn’t have alchemy, spells, and techniques to master.

There were plenty of cultivators I’d met who pushed to the next cultivation level early without a care for utilizing their powers to their fullest. They were always weak for their level. But in the case of a Keystone Elf, that would probably be a benefit. After all, the Satyr King would only need her wisp. And with the resources of an entire world at his disposal, it wouldn’t be too hard to manufacture such a powerful elven cultivator.

Things were making sense now. Though I’d never been to the World of Woods and Wilds, I was realizing what must have happened. The Satyr King defeated his longtime rival for planetary control, the Fairy of the Immortal Glade.

Now he had more territory than ever and wanted to expand his Sacred Grove once more. But his current Keystone Elf couldn’t be more than a Demigod, therefore limiting him to the Immortal Ascendant rank. Acquiring a living Keystone Elf like Sava was essential for him to advance any further.

“So, what do I do with her?” I asked.

“Place your hand upon her and lay claim to her with your will,” Aelina instructed.

I did as she bade, and warm silver light enveloped my palm. This elf had been a spatial cultivator, like Tivana.

Little tendrils of silver zeal wrapped around my hand. Their master had been sleeping for who knew how many years, and she was sleeping still. Without a will to guide her power, they sought any direction they were offered. I provided that direction.

The process likely took a Satyr hours, since, without a Sacred Grove they had no magic of their own. But for me, it was but a work of moments. Zeal was as plain to my eyes as the ordinary world, and bending it to my will was second nature to me. I felt a connection settle into place. It took the form of a silver chord stretching from my naval to the Keystone Wisp. The chord was a faint and weak thing, but it was there. So long as it was intact, power would flow from the grove into me.

“That was skillfully done, sir!” Aelina said, genuinely impressed. “Now, care to test your new powers?”

I grinned. “Absolutely.”