“I have some of the best equipment in the Multiverse,” I said as I watched them fly about. “And I mean that. You think I should get it?”
“No,” Tinus said. “But it’s better to use inferior equipment you’re used to than better equipment you’ve never touched. Besides, we rarely use equipment.”
Drokai flew around, capturing the liquids and working together to bind and heat them in the air. It was all magic and domains and super cool to watch.
“I’m not sure how you can help,” Tinus said.
“Processing,” I said. I whipped my finger, and multiple base ingredients flew into a sphere together, shifting and molding. “I need to process the main ingredient to get credit.”
“Absolutely not. This ingredient is far too valuable.”
“And the payoff is more so,” I argued. “I’ll put things into perspective. Epic requests usually come from doing something that affects your entire planet, and you’re rewarded accordingly. Lithco told me that if I were on the outside, the Oracle would’ve orchestrated the takeover of the second largest empire in the First Domain with quests to hand to me, and would aid me for fifty years in overtaking the first. Wraithwood was obviously different. We wanted good people in small numbers, but it still released twelve hundred gold requests, each of which is worth a hundred million each. And each one of those gives people powerful rewards to protect Areswood Forest. That’s what an epic request does. Legendary requests mean that your actions have made their mark on the multiverse as a whole. Not a few planets, but rather garnered the attention of a substantial portion. As such, its reward moves planets, not people. A legendary reward will help you conquer galaxies and beyond.”
Tinus exhaled and looked at the ground. “Substantial portion? Isn’t gardening attention what we want to avoid?”
“Yes. But Areswood is already famous, and Brexton is calling a multiversal auction. If he spurs a substantial portion of the multiverse into action, he’ll get a legendary request, and who knows what he’ll do with it. Tinus, we need that request.”
He motioned for the Drokai to fly the plant to me. “Let her help. Just make sure you’re ready to take over.”
An alchemist nodded but then looked at the flower sadly. “Feels wrong to actually use this,” an alchemist said. “It’s been there so long it’ll feel empty without it.”
“Wait…” I looked between them. “That’s the same plant?”
“It is,” Tinus said. “Nyralith’s seasons, mana, and water are carefully regulated, and this plant is rather stable. Not once has it wilted in over a hundred millennia.”
“Did you plant more?”
“We’ve tried, but… Come with me.” I followed him to the corner of the room and covered us with a privacy barrier. “There’s something that you need to know.”
I swallowed. “What?”
“That plant’s not from the Fourth Ring. It’s not from the Fifth Ring. Brindle brought that back ten thousand years after he left the Fifth Ring.”
“Wait, he cursed himself?” I asked.
Tinus shook his head. “He didn’t. Brindle entered the Seventh Ring and walked right outside Galfer’s Gate. That’s how he ascended to being a god. He walked right into the First Domain—with all his powers intact.”
In other words, Brindle walked in the Seventh Ring and returned with the ability to bypass the Domain system completely.
“Then it’s true…” I muttered. “The key to the domains is in the seventh ring…”
The Oracle didn’t know how Brindle left Areswood without cursing himself, but it logically ascertained he bypassed the domain system. He was the reason that it was trying to conquer the forest. Or perhaps there was more than that. I, like the bitter Drokai, was speculating on why Brindle left and whether it condemned the forest. For all we knew, he needed to leave, or he felt it was the only way.
“We don’t know that,” Tinus said. “If it were, Brindle would’ve put stronger guardians in the forest.”
“Not if it didn’t have consequences. Plus, it’d confirm that Areswood contained the keys to the domain system.”
He shrugged. “Listen, Mira, I’m simply telling you that this flower is irreplaceable. Brindle modified it to grow here—it doesn’t belong here. If you mess this up, you’re destroying something truly priceless.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “But we need to.”
“Then let’s get started.”
I walked to the alchemist. “Where should I start?”
She scoffed. “Threaded mana extraction, nearan extraction, aura extraction, freeze dry, separation… what don’t we need? You can’t even do this without a multi-layered domain.”
“Tell me the blueprint.”
“What?”
“The blueprint. Gaseous properties. Layers. Give it to me.”
“Wait, you can actually make one?”
I laughed. I had obtained a lot through the help of powerful entities. Yakana. Brindle. Rare and spectacular resources. There was no way that I, a botanist from Earth, could have challenged a prodigy like Hadrian in four years. There’s no way that I’d be able to learn soulmancy this millennium.
That said, I did work hard. I had been a prodigy in both mana core and soul core creation, and I had learned alchemy the hard way. I practiced a god’s teachings, as well as tutoring from Lithco, Trant, and Felio. I learned Moxle Dilation, and I had almost reached the third stage of Mental Shielding. I practiced martial arts and magic every day of my life for four years. I may not have been anywhere near Felio’s level yet, but if I couldn’t do this much, I’d never be able to forgive myself.
“Yes, I can. Now give me the domain blueprint.”
She did, and I set to work, creating a domain around the flower before separating the leaves, and skillfully extracting mana, neara, and aura from them. I even separated the different types of neara. I performed this procedure under Moxle Dilation, using absolute precision. I then employed a flash freeze technique that Felio taught me to freeze the petals, retaining the chemical formula, before grinding the petals in a pestle and separating the different ingredients into separate containers.
I measured the ingredients, then moved them to the elixir station to work with ethanol, as the Drokai worked on fusing chemicals I had never heard of before.
I didn’t know what they were working on, but I could do the processing. So I heated alcohol and fused the ingredients. I would succeed. I would save Kai and protect this forest. It wasn’t an option—it was a necessity.
Jaylin didn’t hate Mira, but she’d never forgive her. She was glad Mira left at first, but then it made her furious that she didn’t return in three days. Didn’t she even care?
It was the only thing she thought about other than the injustice as she watched Kai sleep. He was unconscious, but in a deep, terrible way where people wince and roll and groan like they were in a state of perpetual nightmare. He’d crack his eyes briefly and then collapse and go back to a delirious state.
The only good sign was that the varicose veins around his body were slowly receding.
Even that couldn’t elevate her mood, though. Felio brought her food, and she could barely eat. It made her sick.
Jaylin had a mother. A great mother. But her brother was a father, a brother, and a caregiver. He paid for everything so that she could pursue her dream. He got them into Wraithwood. Now, after Mira stupidly tried to help him, he destroyed his dreams.
She glanced at Vengeance—the sword that kept them alive all of these years.
He’d never be able to use it again.
It made her tear up.
Someone knocked on the door. Jaylin didn’t respond. She remained silent, hoping the person would go away. They didn’t.
“I’m not hungry,” she said when the door opened.
A response didn’t come. Instead, someone stumbled to the bedside and collapsed onto the ground.
Jaylin’s eyes widened when she saw Mira. The woman looked beleaguered, tired—tormented. She shook her head, closed her eyes, and said, “I did my best…” Her shoulders slouched, and she said, “I should’ve just let them do it, but… I had to make hard decisions.” She took a deep breath. “So you’ll just have to pray.”
Mira pulled out a small tube that radiated a blueish-purple light. It looked so surreal that Jaylin thought it was poison, and it emitted so much pressure, she thought it would kill them if she simply opened it.
Mira put it back, but lifted Kai up.
Jaylin panicked. “Hey!”
Mira turned to her with serious sadness and stress in her eyes. “You’re not going to say yes, so I’m taking responsibility. If I kill your brother, I’ll…” Mra turned away.
“What the hell does that mean?” Jaylin screamed.
“It means that, through trust in a distant god and subpar alchemy skills, I have created a miracle cure for your brother. But it might kill him, and you’re going to say no, so I’m saying yes for you.”
“The hell you will!” Jaylin screamed, trying to grab her brother. Mira stepped back with ghostly speed, making Jaylin think that she was an illusion.
“It’s what Kai would want,” Mira said.
“Yeah! And he also wanted to thread a third evolution core!”
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“And that was his choice!” Mira’s eyes flashed with cold light. “Just like it was his choice to enter the most dangerous forest in the multiverse. Just like it was to follow me. I feel guilty for even offering him the core, I do. But it didn’t take a genius to know what would’ve happened if he did it. So yes, Jaylin. I feel guilty. I feel sorrow. But what you’re looking at is ninety percent Kai’s fault.”
Jaylin stepped in front of the door. “You’re going to wait until he wakes up.”
“No. Because if other people see him crippled, they’ll know I fixed him. And that’s a multiverse-wide security threat—and you’re going to keep silent.”
Silent strings wrapped around Jaylin’s heart, squeezing so hard that Jaylin gasped and fell to the ground.
“One of two things is going to happen,” Mira said. “Either Kai is going to wake up tomorrow and everyone’s going to think he miraculously recovered, or he’s going to die. And since you won’t make the decision Kai wants, I am.”
“No…”
“Kai pledged his life to me. I’m his leader. I’m his queen. And queens are benevolent when they succeed, and cruel when they fail. Now move.”
Jaylin wasn’t sure why Mira didn’t just pass by her. She was acting tough, but she was looking for Jaylin’s permission. Something about that got through to Jaylin, and she cried and moved out of the way. Mira’s body dissolved in an illusion, and she disappeared out of the door.
Jaylin squeezed her eyes shut and prayed in Kai’s stead.
3.
If the Drokai made the elixir, it would’ve worked, but since I did, success wasn’t guaranteed. If I succeeded, and Brindle’s recipe was correct, Kai would heal by morning, and I could tip the scale on my legendary reward chain quest. If my participation had destroyed the elixir, I would lose everything.
It was all or nothing.
I walked into the public bath with Kline, stripped Kai, and put him into the water. I then fed him the elixir and watched as his skin and muscle peeled off, exposing bones and organs. This elixir broke apart the body in stages and rebuilt it—and it was even more gruesome than Lake Nyralith. But I didn’t look away, I forced myself to watch my decision.
I was a queen, and as I said, queens were benevolent when they succeeded and cruel when they weren’t. But whether something succeeds or not, queens must bear the weight of their actions, so I waited and prayed that it was enough.
4.
It was early morning when Mira returned with Kai in her arms.
Jaylin rushed up to her brother, who was limp in Mira’s arms. She expected the worst, but he was breathing, and his skin was flushed with vitality.
“Is he…?”
Mira shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
She laid Kai onto the bed and then walked to the door.
“Wait!”
Mira turned back.
“Where are you going?”
Mira locked eyes and said, “To seize the military.”
With those ominous words, she walked out of the room. For the first time since meeting Mira, she felt like she was talking to a leader—a true leader. It made her… sad. But it also filled her heart with hope and strength. She looked back at her brother and watched his chest rise and fall. She’d just have to wait and see.
5.
I met with Trigan once I left Kai with Jaylin. “What’d the people decide on the coup’s response?”
Trigan told me. I raised an eyebrow. “That’s pretty extreme.”
“It isn’t if you aren’t planning a coup.”
“Well, that’s not happening. But it certainly makes things easier.”
“You have something else instead?”
“Yeah. If my troops want power, I’ll give it to them. Call the meeting.”
That afternoon, I flew in front of twelve hundred people and assumed my place as queen for the first time.
“Trigan tells me that your solution for dealing with this was to essentially sign slave pacts to me and this forest,” I said. “That’s admirable and touching. But it goes against everything that Wraithwood stands for. That said, I have reflected upon this world and its customs and have found a compromise.
“Starting today, soldiers will have the option—they can grow naturally, or they can sign pacts of absolute fealty for the duration of their stay in Wraithwood in exchange for raw power. If you want to be a third evolution—I’ll let you become stronger than I am. But you will submit to me fully, and suffer an absolute curse upon leaving this forest. If you’re willing to sell your soul for power—I will help you become strong beyond your wildest dreams.”
A wave of shock swept through the forest. Everyone expected to sign a pact for free, but I was offering them extraordinary power for doing so.
It seemed fair. If people sold their souls for power outside this wall, it felt fair for them to do the same here, albeit on a scale beyond their wildest imaginations. But for those who were peacefuls, for those supporting, for those who came here to escape oppression and live free lives, they would have that option, too.
“That isn’t to say that you cannot become a third evolution entity without it. Those, like Malo, who have showcased extraordinary loyalty will also be able to obtain strength. They earned it—just like people earned it in my world. So starting today, there’s two routes to power. You can sit down, shut up, work hard, stop bitching, and expect nothing until you earn my and Wraithwood’s absolute trust and loyalty, or you can seek power for power, and become our strategic fighting force, blunt instruments of destruction.
“Many of you like to live your life that way—and so I offer it to you. I also offer you absolute strength and freedom for performance. That’s up to you.
“That said, obtaining loyalty is a far longer road. So, unless you want to wait until I obtain protections and controls against coups and violence, the pact’s the only way to move quickly. You’ll still have the option to leave, subject to proper behavior, but you will bear the curse and leave unable to speak of this forest at all. That’s your choice.
“Regarding the military, as of this moment, I’m both Head Guardian of the forest, Wraithwood forest, and our military. I will build you up, make you strong, and ensure you’re ready to come. And you will follow my orders and those I put in charge without question. The two people will come up now. Tyler Hill…”
The military members turned rigid when he walked to the front.
“I’m making you the grand general of the Wraithwood Forest.”
The area turned still. Even Tyler was surprised.
“You’ve proved capable of learning from direction in the Guard Corps, and proven your loyalty and adherence to our way of life.” I turned. “Malo Wintrah...” He walked forward and knelt. “I’m making you Lieutenant. Your job will be, over the next seven years, to make all decisions with General Hill and prepare him for what’s to come. I will be watching you both. And General Hill…”
Tyler gulped.
“I’ve chosen you because I trust your competence and adherence to Wraithwood and our values. But if you are not as competent as General Lieutenant Wintrah by the seven-year mark, or if you’re roiled in scandals, abuse your power, or lack the respect of the military, I will demote you. So don’t disappoint me.”
He slammed his chest against his heart.
I scanned the rest of the soldiers. “To Wraithwood’s soldiers, let’s make something clear. As of this moment, you will follow orders without complaint. You don’t talk back. You’re paid instruments of destruction; defenders of our way of life. You have an obligation to your people above your own. So work hard, protect your people, and get strong. I will be strong.”
I flew down to Ferna and Trigan. “Prepare an adequate pact. I’m going to hunt for resources.”
They nodded, but Aiden interjected.
“Allow me.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Allow you to… what?”
“Gather resources,” Aiden said. “It’s time to build my horde.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that I need to scar my body for dominion,” Aiden said. “After that, I can gather a forest-wide army to act as eyes, ears, and defenders. It’s called a horde. Killian used it to conquer planets.”
Killian Roskbaro was Aiden’s god. It gave Aiden the Dominion skill that allowed him to terrorize smaller beings into respecting him. It worked by scarring the souls he killed onto his body.
“Can you kill your beasts?” I asked sadly.
“I can enchant Kael to kill while they’re hunting, and cull dangerous populations,” Aiden said. “In this world, you need to kill to protect.”
I bit my lip. “If that’s what you want.”
He nodded. “I also want permission on another matter.”
“What’s that?”
“This harvest, I want to negotiate to get Halten out of captivity. If he makes forty-nine more trips into Areswood, he’s free. I figure we can get him to facilitate trade. Bring out alchemic supplies and bring in military goods.”
“Good call. We’ll see the vraxle. In the meantime, I’ll figure out how to enrich the crops with mana and neara so we’re not so reliant upon meat.”
“Brindle didn’t teach you that?”
“He didn’t. He only taught me soulmancy. Nothing beyond that.”
He cracked a smile.
“What?”
“It’s just… It’s been four years, and you’re just learning plant magic.”
“Oh, shut up.” I huffed and walked past him. “Now I’m going to sleep. If you need me—just don’t.”
I could feel him smiling behind me, and that made me feel good.
I was a queen now, but it was nice to know there were still people willing to backtalk me. Ten minutes later, I crashed onto my bed. I wanted to sleep, but Kline stepped onto my back and lay down.
“You can’t be serious.”
He started grooming his paws.
I groaned and summoned Sina, Ryn, and Dain.
“Get him.”
Sina flew up the bed with the lurvine. The four jumped on my back as they fought and chased each other around the room, but I didn’t care. It was worth it. Two minutes later, I fell asleep, praying everything would work out.
A lot was happening so fast, but I needed to keep pressing on.
Crop magic. Halten. And Dreamscape. That’s all that was left to do. As a queen, the rest of my life ran itself. Three more things, and I could just sit back and train and let the years fly by until the auction.
It was so far away, but it also felt so near. Four years had already passed. Nine more would pass in the blink of an eye.
6.
The next morning, I sat out in front of the early-spring crop fields, holding a second evolution core. I then went into my guide, went into rewards, and went into the rewards section.
As a reminder, Rewards were different from requests. Each level came with a free request of varying grades and an info request. In addition to that, I could earn rewards through completing class-related skill sets, and I had earned tons of small ones along the way, but I still had numerous rewards from ranking in the Trial of Worth. These rewards had three options.
When I chose one of my three platinum skill rewards, it popped up with three options that fit my current goals. They read as follows:
- Multishot
Grade: Platinum
Description: You’ve severely neglected Nybral, which remains your most powerful weapon. Not only that, you’ve disregarded its functionality, opting to make it a glorified poison-distributing advice. As a result, you haven’t unlocked any of its evolutionary skills. Change that and get on the path to epic weaponry by learning multishot, a skill that splits arrows in networks to hit enemies. It will increase your precision, make the weapon usable without blinding everyone around you, and set you on the path to unlocking new skills.
This was obviously a strong option. I was a powerful close-quarters fighter, and my illusions made me lethal against large groups of intelligent individuals, but I was completely helpless against people like Ikala. Having Nymbral to blind, disorient, and rip through enemies like that was obviously needed. But I had discovered that when I bought skills, I rarely looked at them after learning what I needed at the time. They just became glorified encyclopedias or were forgotten. If I bought Multishot before I planned to practice, it’d disappear, so I just pushed it aside and looked at the other options.
- Monarch’s Intimidation
Grade: Platinum
Description: In just one week, you’ve moved from mopey philosopher to ruthless tyrant. It’s great character development; why stop now? Learn Monarch’s Intimidation, a mental attack that reflects your mindset. The stronger your power becomes, both in terms of physical power and military might, the more absolute your mind becomes about your strength. The larger your perceived strength, the more intimidating the attack becomes. And once you’re stronger than a person, you can send their mind into a frenzy of fear and panic—the perfect mindset to let you get your way.
WARNING! If you don’t have this skill, most generals and leaders who believe they’re stronger than you will use this skill and disregard you. By utilizing this skill, you can meet the people who use it head-on.
Note: Your Mental Shielding strength will nullify this skill. But in the multiverse, a skill like this is just common courtesy.
I didn’t know what to say about this skill, so I pushed it into the back of my mind, the place where I swear I’ll think about it later and then never do. I had Mental Shielding to avoid shit like this.
Finally, I saw the skill I was looking for.
- Superior Crop Enrichment
That’s the one I read carefully.