[TWS] Chapter 309 – A New Resident (Patreon)

“Do you know a way to extract all that poison? Or stop it from spreading?” Miria asked while directing a worried glance at the dark contamination.

Althea shook her head. “No. Such things are beyond us, unfortunately. Even with Bryn’s help, I don’t think we would be able to support the Tree until our researchers find the correct antitoxins to counter the mixed poisons. And that’s not including the serpent’s venom.”

“Then what can we do?” The Valkyrie knitted her brows together in an equal show of concern, for both Althea and the Tree.

The Dragon lady continued to gaze at Asterios. “Have you listened to my advice regarding your third source?”

He nodded. “Yes. I chose to strengthen it as much as possible. Some of the energy from that Dragon’s Heart had to be infused into my other sources, but the majority was absorbed by the weakest one.”

“Good.” She moved her eyes to the stump, gazed upon it affectionately, ran her palm over its bark, and turned back to everyone. “There might be a way to save it. But, it won’t be simple. And definitely not painless.”

Althea drew her hand back and started walking towards Asterios.

Grea crossed her arms over her chest. “What do you mean?”

“There’s a ritual that has been passed onto me long ago. With its help, I should be able to transfer the Tree’s essence into a new vessel. Usually, such an operation has an extremely low chance of success as the connection might be rejected since the essence is basically inseparable from the Tree itself. But, your third source has been formed out of the pure strength of nature. Its compatibility with the Tree’s spirit is the highest it possibly could be. It might be able to hold and give the Tree’s soul a chance to continue living,” Althea explained.

“What’s the risk?” Grea squinted at her. “Even without busting out my Third Eye, I can tell how insane the Tree’s energy is. There’s no way it will go into Ast’s underdeveloped source just like that. If you are hiding anything, better spill it out right now.”

Asterios placed a hand on her shoulder with a warm smile, which softened her fiery expression after a short moment.

Then, he refocused on their draconic friend. “It’s not that easy for you either, right?”

She took a peek at Civienne. “It would mean that we are putting the Tree of Life in your hands. If the ritual works as intended, you will gain another reservoir of powerful energy closely matching your Dragon’s Hearts. And everything that’s included with it.”

“What will happen to us?” The queen obviously meant her entire race.

“That depends on both the Tree’s spirit and Asterios,” Althea replied. “The blessings should continue as they were. I can’t exactly predict every possible outcome, but I’m certain that the Tree will still exist inside him, perhaps lacking a physical form.”

“There is no other way, is there?” Civienne met her gaze, to which the Dragon lady shook her head.

“We don’t have enough time to look for a different solution.” Althea smiled sadly.

After a quiet moment between the two, the queen sighed softly. “Alright. You seem to trust this human, and I found no reason to doubt his intentions. Are you sure that your body can handle this?”

“This is my duty, Little Levander. Just as yours is to ensure the safety and prosperity of your people. Such insignificant things should not stand against what has to be done,” Althea reprimanded her. “Let this be my final lesson to you if my destiny is to draw the last breath while staying true to my oath.”

Civienne’s lips formed a tense line and they could see the queen’s fists clench, but she didn’t respond, staring right back into Althea’s firm and resolute eyes. Receiving the faintest, barely discernible nod, the Dragon lady returned her attention to Asterios.

Before she could say anything, though, Grea stepped between them, facing him.

“I don’t like it,” she admitted with a frown.

“I know.” He placed his palms around her waist, pulling her closer.

“We are talking about sources here. Fucking with them has never been a good idea. I’m sure you are aware of that as much as I am,” Grea continued, undeterred.

“Red succeeded,” Asterios countered. “Twice.”

“With a Dragon’s Heart each time!” she basically growled. “That’s completely different! And it was in that insane healing room!”

“We won’t be ripping any sources out this time, nor will we be adding more.” He leaned their foreheads together. “Think about what we can gain. We need all the help we can get if we want to stand a chance against whoever might be pursuing Red. And most importantly, against anyone who would wish you to hurt all of you.”

“It’s still a risk.” Grea wavered slightly under his kind gaze.

“I gave you my word. I won’t leave you alone. Ever.” Asterios moved his palms to her cheeks and brushed them tenderly. “Althea would not bring it up if she wasn’t sure I would be okay. Which can’t be said about her.”

Grea’s teeth pressed into her bottom lip as they continued to face each other. With a groan, she pushed herself into Asterios and crashed her mouth into his. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she chased after his lips hungrily, causing him to stumble backward each time she kissed him.

After a while, she broke apart and rested her forehead on his shoulder. “I’m going to hate-fuck you so hard for this…”

He kissed her hair. “Then I have something to look forward to.”

Tina appeared by their side with a gentle smile. She rested her palm on Grea’s hand and waited until the demon lady extracted herself from Asterios. Giving him a delicate nod, she dragged her away a bit, holding hands with their ex-professor.

Asterios glanced at the other girls gathered around him, who also nodded warmly. He could tell they were just as worried but also believed in him. Gathering everyone for a quick hug, he walked up to Althea.

“To answer your mate’s earlier question, I don’t think you are at serious risk here,” she said, glancing at Grea. “Worst case scenario, you will suffer great pain as the Tree’s essence rebounds and escapes into the surroundings. Then, it will be lost forever, while you should recover shortly with no repercussions. Possibly even with minor benefits as the ritual will stimulate your source.”

He took a peek at the unhurriedly spreading infection, then turned back to her. “What do we do?”

“I’ll have to ask you to disrobe completely, I’m afraid.” She smiled apologetically. “I know that your clothes are made of your aura, but it will be safer with no external interference.”

“Well, at least Grea will get a nice show.” Asterios smirked at the demon lady over his shoulder, seeing her roll her eyes, even though they locked on his butt right after. “Let’s get this over with.”

He dismissed his apparel, feeling just a tad awkward to be standing in front of Althea and Civienne in his birthday suit. Thankfully, the Dragon lady displayed a professional approach and began without any delay, focusing on the center of his chest. He watched her fingers, hands, and forearms morph into a more draconic form as emerald scales surfaced over her skin. She then shoved her left fist into the Tree’s bark, breaking through, and aimed her right at him.

“Are you ready?” she asked, peering deep into his eyes. “It will hurt. A lot.”

“I’m sure I’ve had worse.” He smiled.

She smiled back. “Don’t fight it. And good luck.”

Taking a deep breath, Althea schooled her expression, pressing her sharp, claw-like nails into his sternum. With one last nod, more to reassure herself than him, she thrust into his chest, her hand and half of her forearm disappearing within his body.

Asterios growled and instinctively grabbed her limb as pain spiked through him. Then, he felt her fingers wrap around something and a pulse of agony rippled through his entire being, causing his draconic features to materialize in a blink. His wings, tail, horn, and scales were out in a flash as he continued to growl at her, not even noticing how much suffering Althea was in for acting as the conduit in this ritual.

But, he understood one thing. How the female Dragon felt when he’d shoved his own hand into her while under Red’s control.

“Remember! Do not fight it!” Althea shouted over her own pain and grunting.

A green flash filled his vision a moment later and an insane amount of energy flowed right into his source, evoking a fierce scream from Asterios. He saw glowing, malachite veins spreading all over his uncovered skin, originating at the point of their connection. Just as she’d advised him, he tried his best not to repel the force flooding his very existence.

Right as the distressed voice of Miria reached his ears amongst the muffled shouting surrounding him and Althea, everything went black.

※ ※ ※

When he regained his vision just as abruptly as he’d lost it, Asterios found himself standing next to an active volcano.

“Great. Back here,” he muttered, looking himself over. “No surprise I’m just as naked as I was outside, though.”

Not sure if Althea’s words about his clothes concerned this place too, he decided to leave them out for now. It wasn’t like he would stumble onto anyone else in this weird realm inside his soul or something.

Still having his wings, he flew into the air to check for any noticeable changes. At first glance, nothing seemed amiss. He was located more or less right between the two mountain ranges of red and black fire, with the massive behemoths hovering over the part of the realm he’d previously called no man’s land, where no volcanoes sprouted up from the ground.

The very moment he was going to comment on the lack of any difference, the entire place shook, and he could feel the tremors even in the air. Suddenly, the neverending clouds of dark dust covering the absent sky parted as a massive golden beam of sunlight pierced through them, shining on the boring badlands at a slight angle.

Right in the middle of the empty strip, something burst out of the obsidian bedrock, sending pieces of black stone flying in all directions. Ast’s eyes widened to the brim as brown tendrils shot up, coiling around themselves in a spiraling fashion. They grew, and grew, and grew, soon towering over all the small mountains, possibly ending up taller than the main two volcanoes. Wider too.

Then, the tips of the thick wooden tendrils spread to the sides at the very top, creating what definitely had to be branches. His guess proved to be correct as beautiful leaves started growing on them a moment later, filling the tree’s crown with shiny, emerald shapes. The greenish umbrella finished fully forming in no time, right before his eyes.

The trembling slowly ceased as the gray clouds sealed themselves shut once more, banishing the pleasant light from the dark realm. Yet, the humongous tree remained unfazed. It stood proudly between the two nations of volcanoes, claiming the empty land as its own kingdom.

Finally breaking out of his daze, Asterios chuckled to himself. “It’s starting to get a little bit crowded here.”

He flapped his wings and cautiously approached the new arrival. Nothing stopped him from getting close and he landed in front of the unimaginably thick trunk of the gigantic tree. He had no doubt that it was many times wider than the stump which currently rested in the middle of Althea’s lair.

“Did we succeed?” he asked himself, gently placing a hand over the healthy, brown bark.

Something akin to a heartbeat tickled his palm, making him flinch slightly. Not what he’d expected to experience.

Then, gentler quakes shook the ground as the tree creaked in front of him. The tendrils slid aside from the point where he was touching, opening up an entrance leading further into the trunk.

Having in mind his previous interactions with anything inside this weird place, Asterios decided to follow the wooden tunnel. Just as he’d thought, at the core of the tree, he found a big cavern with a throne in the middle. Even though he spotted no sources of light, the entire area was bathed in a pleasant, warm glow.

But, before he could even think about approaching the throne, something completely new happened.

Bright green energy coalesced right in front of it, swirling mesmerizingly. After a few seconds, it assumed an elongated shape, which then took a more defined form. Ast’s brows rose as the light faded away and revealed the figure of a woman just as tall as he was.

That wasn’t the only similarity, though.

She was just as naked too, with all her alluring charms completely exposed. Though, her body was rather different. Her skin had a light brown shade and was decorated with coiling patterns resembling that of a tree’s core. Rather than a person, she looked more like a statue carved out of the finest timber. Instead of flowing hair, much darker bundles of vines ran down her slim back like dreadlocks. A bunch of them resting over her front, adorning her modest but pert breasts. As for her eyes, they were similar to Grea’s, filled with glowing green light rather than red.

Taking a deep breath, the woman stretched gracefully while glancing all around. “Such an unusual Inner Sanctum. I remember no Dragon with one like this. It’s definitely brimming with power, though.”

Her voice was gentle and calming but carried a note of hidden joy and mischief. It was like every word she spoke smiled at the recipient. Asterios could swear he heard a faint, muffled, distant giggle echo in his mind.

“With all due respect, but you are…?” He raised a curious brow at the unforeseen lady.

She graced him with a friendly smile that seemed to melt all the tension in his muscles.

“I think you already know,” the woman replied.

“The Tree of Life,” Asterios muttered and her beautiful smile grew.

“Correct.” She roamed her hands over her figure. “I assumed the form most suitable for us to communicate, based on your experiences and subconsciousness.”

“Taking the shape of a beautiful woman?” He snorted softly, and suddenly realized something. “Then, Althea’s oath…”

“Was sworn to me.” The woman nodded.

“So, she knows.”

“Yes.”

“And you two have been together this entire time?”

“No,” the Tree answered with a sad expression.

“Why?” he asked.

“The seal that was meant to hide my power and presence put me in a deep sleep. I wasn’t conscious anymore like right now since the moment the temple was finished and the formations were completed. I only woke up after you destroyed the arrays, which was indicated by the faint, green glow surrounding my stump,” she explained. “I then briefly spoke with Althea after the fight as she came closer, suggesting to her that she holds the ritual which bound my spirit to you. It was the first time we interacted in a long time.”

“Weren’t you the slightest bit worried about me? About what I would do?” Asterios frowned gently. “Althea made it sound like this was quite serious.”

The woman smiled at him once more. “I’ve seen enough of the fight to judge your character. And the fact that Althea had no qualms with my suggestion only reaffirmed me in my observation. I don’t yet know everything about your history with her, but I was able to sense her trust in you.”

“And now you are part of me, or this place you called Inner Sanctum,” he said thoughtfully, met with a delicate nod.

A brief silence fell onto them as they both gazed at each other without moving.

“Do you perhaps wish to know why the Dragons kept assaulting me?” She was the first one to break it.

“Considering the fact that you aren’t just a magical tree, most likely to enslave you,” Asterios guessed.

“Correct again.” The Tree grinned proudly. “I’m not sure if there are any other members of my race left in your realm since we’ve been extremely scarce even back then, but we often call ourselves Dryads or treefolk. My kind’s true form is a sapling that grows in strength over the course of its entire life while blessing the land spanning around it and all the creatures living in its vicinity. As long as they aren’t hostile to the little Tree.”

Asterios nodded to show that he was listening to her explanation and the Dryad began slowly pacing around the chamber as she clearly reminisced about her early days.

“I was fortunate enough to live long enough to reach the stage of an Arch Dryad, which can usually be recognized by the size of one’s Tree as it’s our physical body. Then, the elves arrived in this land and settled down in my shade. They noticed my influence fairly quickly and began worshiping me, directing their gratitude for the safe and fertile land. One day, I made contact with their first queen, opening a passage into my Tree just like I had earlier for you. She agreed to form a contract with me and so our story began,” she spun the tale.

“That’s how you became their spiritual guardian, linking their existence with yours.” He scratched his chin, receiving another appreciative smile in response.

“Yes. After that, their souls would become a nourishment to my Tree after their deaths, finding peace within nature. Meanwhile, the living enjoyed even greater boons through my spirituality, which is a conjunction of life and nature, affecting them more directly. My power over those elements is great enough to allow me to bring the most grievously wounded entity from the brink of its end, and to terraform entire continents to my wish,” the woman added.

“And such powers would be at the beck and call of the True Dragon that would succeed in making you into their slave,” Asterios noted.

“Not just me but also the entire elven race.” She sighed gloomily as if the bare thought about it brought her great distress. “Thankfully, Althea came. She and the queen of that era thought up a plan to hide me from everyone’s gazes while also creating a safe haven for her. Our goals aligned as if connected by a string of fate. We thought that it would have been enough, but it looks like we’ve underestimated our assailants. True Dragons don’t give up this easily, and as you’ve witnessed yourself, they would rather destroy what they can’t take for themselves than leave it behind.”

“So, the Matriarch really was some Dragon’s slave?” he asked and she nodded, bringing another pensive silence between them. “And so, what happens now?”

“Now, with your and Althea’s help, I’ve managed to take root in your source, which was possible thanks to the fact that it formed naturally on its own, with the energy and essence of pure nature it drew from the environment.” The Tree made a delicate bow towards him. “What happens next depends fully on you. I’m completely exposed, my true soul laid bare in front of your darkest desires. You are an arm’s reach from achieving what all those other True Dragons failed to, and there’s physically nothing that could possibly stop you from claiming your reward.”

She went silent, staring at him with the same, pleasant smile, but Asterios could easily tell how much different it was. The tension between them was thick enough to cut with a knife as the heaviest silence since the start of their conversation descended on them. Her bright green eyes didn’t leave his crimson irises for a fraction of a second, waiting for his next words with bated breath. If she even had to breathe.

Asterios shook his head with a deep sigh. “I’m not going to enslave you. That’s not how I want things to go. It’s not my way, at least if I can help it. I agreed to save you, not to take advantage of your dying state. This was meant to be your safe haven, not a prison cell.”

Her smile instantly turned true, reaching from eye to eye. Then, with a completely unexpected speed, she burst forward like the wind, followed by the noise of rustling leaves. Before he could react, the tree lady’s lips met his in a deep but gentle kiss, an earthy taste filling his mouth and the scent of freshly cut wood tickling his nostrils.

As she continued to push her tongue into his mouth, some kind of buzzing energy flowed into him, alongside a warm, sweet fluid that ran down his throat. His third source stirred and pulsed strongly, matching his rising heartbeat. When the caramel-skinned woman finally drew back, he could perfectly see her full smile, filled with relief and satisfaction.

“I’m glad my decision proved to be correct. My powers are now completely open to you as I’ve just finished submitting myself to your source willingly.” Her smile wavered a little bit. “Unfortunately, while you possess an affinity with nature and life, you do not possess a mastery within those elements, so you won’t be able to express the full extent of my magic. At least not yet. Your body will be stronger, your wounds will heal much quicker, and your Summoner techniques focusing on recovery will grow more efficient and effective, though. But, your winged mate, which I think was called Bryn, and Althea, will greatly benefit from using my spiritual energy through you just like they have been doing with your draconic sources.”

“Althea isn’t bonded to me.” Asterios chuckled at her mistake.

A wide grin was all that replied to him.

He shook his head at that. “So, now you have fully planted your roots inside me, living in my soul, or this realm, whatever it is. But, the danger is gone. The serpent is defeated, and the Matriarch is vanquished. Can’t I somehow let you out so that you can return to being your own person in the outside world?”

She sighed softly. “No. My Tree is dead. I’m dead. It’s only thanks to your unusual source that I’m able to exist any longer. You are now my Tree, and as long as you live, so will I. But, don’t misunderstand this. I don’t hate this situation. I’ve been asleep for long centuries, missing my freedom greatly. Now, I can experience the world again by your side, from within you. To be honest, I would have never imagined siding myself with the enemy. Yet, I have no doubt that it has made me safer than ever before.”

Then, she finally stepped away and graced him with one more delicate smile.

“Now, it’s time for you to leave. I’m sure you’ve noticed that time passes differently here, especially when you are present.” She placed a gentle hand on his chest. “Everyone must be waiting for you. They need you. Althea needs you.”

Asterios nodded firmly, then after a few seconds, smiled a bit sheepishly. “Well, usually, I have some trouble leaving this place right away, so give me a moment, alright?”

The woman giggled sweetly. “I’ll lend you a hand just this once, then.”

A pleasant breeze swirled around them, causing her vine-like hair to flutter hypnotically. Ast’s eyes became extremely heavy as the scent of wild forest filled his nostrils. He didn’t fight against it, embracing the relaxing lethargy.

~Oh, right. I totally forgot to introduce myself.~ One more giggle resounded deep in his mind as his consciousness faded away. ~My name is Tia. As far as your tongues are able to capture it, at least. It’s been a pleasure, Master.~