Finally

Ivy shook her head with a broad smile, ignoring all of the unseen acts that led to the realization of her great dream.

- We know almost nothing about the great beasts, the guardians, the nobles, and most importantly, the rulers of this enchanted kingdom. She declared like a young teacher at her first class.

- You really want to know everything about this place, don't you? From the lowest level to the top of the hierarchy.

Ivy smiled and knew how to answer with sincerity, although in the end, no one realized, something had changed. For when the moment of euphoria had faded, she felt more complex feelings come over her, including sudden fatigue as strange as it was intolerable. As she exchanged incoherent words with her friends, she thought how strange life was. All her life, although short, she had dreamed of visiting the fabulous kingdom of Vaegos, she imagined it every day. But now that this dream was coming true, she didn't feel the same euphoria, though still deep, as she had in her hopeful years. She wondered if one only loved something so much when it was unattainable. Once obtained, it lost its magic, its beauty. But she was certainly not going to show it to her friends. Not ever. They might come to hate her. And she didn't want them to come to that. So she might as well continue to play her part brilliantly, after all, some of it was true, only it wasn't quite as bright anymore.

- Of course, it was! So now, tell me quickly what the procedure is to get there! The paperwork, the permissions.

Ivy took out her tablet, Roj gave her a specialized site, in which she had to register her student identity. While they checked the young Kaltan's data, before giving her permission to explore the forest, Roj continued his presentation.

- As for my brother, I don't think you'll have a chance to thank him for a long time.

- Why?" Linelle inquired curiously.

- Because he's already gone to Vaegos. Two days ago. He didn't even wait an hour to get his things together and get there, going in with all the willpower he surely had.

Roj had spoken with a certain abruptness tinged with bitterness, as if this trip hid some kind of deeper, darker reason, which upset Linelle and the brunette. But Ivy wasn't listening to her boy friend anymore, because the authorization had just been sent to her and confirmed thanks to a mark, a small blue eight-pointed star with a beautiful carved crown in the middle, and which just happened to come out of the tablet to be engraved on her left hand.

She contemplated the mark for a moment, barely believing her luck and reality. Then she straightened up, her heart filled with an almost painful joy, and looking without really seeing them, her three friends completely stunned, she exclaimed gloriously.

- Here, I have the official authorization! Now I'm ready!

***

Ivy prepared herself meticulously by composing her luggage to meet all her needs in the forest. A thick, heavy-duty midnight blue suit that molded her body tightly and revealed her graceful curves, similarly highlighting her beautiful long, flaming hair and the whiteness of her satiny skin, leather boots, especially suited for explorations, and a denim bag where all the necessary supplies were magically tucked away to fit.

As she smoothed her cap and arranged her long hair so that she could pull it over her head, she thought about everything she knew about this limitless realm.

Vaegos - the forest of infinity and deep magic where various types of rare and extraordinary creatures lived, people of various races and ethnicities, incredibly protected by mythical and powerful beings.

Its secrets, history, greatness and nature were so mysterious and immense that almost nothing was known about its creation. It was a dangerous, uncontrollable and unpredictable territory where the strongest reigned, but also courageous beings who loved to serve and protect all those who sought refuge in them. In short, although fascinating and attractive, it was above all an empire based on a society, all in all similar to the others, where the good and the evil had to intermingle relentlessly.

Arriving as she had long wished in front of the imposing wrought iron gate engraved with powerful spells and surrounded by dozens of columns on which statues of mythical beasts were enthroned, Ivy finally felt the delirious sensation of being able to tread the kingdom so desired. But strangely, while thoughts of all the adventures and discoveries she would finally be able to make should be the only things occupying her mind, the young explorer thought instead of this strong and mysterious being who stood, and surely with unbearable pride, atop this world, so vast and who had decided to live in a way that surpassed all conception. To take and maintain control of such a vast world where all law was erected by one being and the few to whom he would have agreed to delegate some semblance of power, Ivy thought she could never truly understand such a being nor his terrible fate.

When the portal finally opened to the magic of the stellar mark on her hand, a slight smile appeared on her lips and taking a deep breath, she entered Vaegos.

***

Ivy didn't know how long she had been in the forest. She only remembered opening the huge protective portal of Vaegos, feeling an unmixed joy and stepping inside, then walking on and on, pausing only for a breath, and looking with interest and growing avidity at everything that could be seen. Her sturdy, magical suit, on which she had spent all her savings, was more than enough to provide her with everything her body needed, from adequate water, to clean air, to constant energy, while being able to defend her from disease and outside attacks that could harm her system. Unfortunately, the young explorer soon realized that in a world as wild, unforgiving and powerful as Vaegos, outside magic had very little effect on what she had to do.

So her watch had stopped working hours ago, she felt the fatigue creeping over her despite all the effects of her suit or even her own magic. And the intensity of the disproportionate power that covered the entire territory had irreparably confused her sense of direction and her concept of time.

However, far beyond all his expectations, Vaegos was, as its legend said, immense and fabulous, simply fabulous. Certainly, after taking her first steps, she had only been welcomed into the realm of mysterious life by trees and simple, ordinary creatures. She guessed that it was a rampart that protected Vaegos from prying eyes. But further on, as the young woman was getting tired of this banal and obviously disappointing view, she reached what she guessed was the first great obstacle of the kingdom, an eloquent border made of hundred-year-old trees, as gigantic as they were moving, besides, the moment Ivy got close to one of them, or enough to irritate them, their ropy roots, waved and let her know that they would not let her penetrate further. Ivy grinned in defiance and irony, lifting her head and running to face this test of strength and skill. She had to use all her skills and science of magic to dodge the roots, to take cover from the incisive falling leaves, to crawl across the dry, rough ground. Once, she was almost crushed between two huge roots whose tree seemed to sneer at her capture. As they tightened their grip on her frail body, Ivy, who did not want it to come to that, had to resort to using a highly allergenic magic powder and scattered it on all the surrounding roots. She felt more than she saw the pain of the hundred-year-old trees, which must have cursed her for centuries for this rather cruel act. Ivy bit her lips as she watched them writhe in pain and suffocation, and felt truly miserable. But after a few minutes, she decided to pull herself together, because after all, it was those damn greens that had attacked first. She was a most legitimate and innocent visitor, so no one, least of all ancient trees, should stand in her way to do her in-depth studies on the majestic territory of Vaegos.

So adjusting her clothes, proudly straightening her chin, she looked at the angry trees with her piercing gaze and then deliberately turned around to continue her journey. But despite her courage, she couldn't resist running away.

- I'm sorry!" she shouted as she disappeared behind the tall shrubs. "It's for a good cause!

Later, Ivy finally found her bliss when she arrived at a clear and limpid swamp, located in a vast basin, and which happened to be the free habitat of countless small, shiny, and colorful caterpillars. These caterpillars, which were called Koulal by an ancient naturist magician, and which generally fed on insects, had two forms, either as hairy as quadrupedal mammals, or they were as smooth and slimy as gelatin, and they changed their forms at the touch of strangers. That's why the one that climbed up Ivy's arms as sticky and cold had become a hairy caterpillar that chewed gently on her skin through the special fabric of her clothes. Ivy laughed with pleasure as she gesticulated softly at the ticklish chewing but soon came to her senses as the playful caterpillar reached the exposed skin of her hands. Then she suddenly remembered that the hair and saliva of the Koulal were highly allergenic.

- Don't tell me that this is my punishment for the abominable trick I did to your hundred-year-old trees," she moaned, throwing the now-hated caterpillar away and starting to scratch. "It really didn't take long.

Ivy left the pool as quickly as she could while applying an ointment to her rash when she arrived once again at a place that was still huge but most peculiar, which she even described as hostile. In fact, she had already, without realizing it, penetrated the place. And when she finally came back to her, she noticed that she was in the middle of a forest all in black but whose ground was of a snowy white, dusty and frightfully cold. The atmosphere was heavy, so heavy, almost unbearable. Great magic was working there without being able to fight it. But with her usual stubbornness, Ivy took on this new challenge and moved forward as fast and as proudly as she could. But after a few minutes, she finally had to give up because the magic was so overwhelming and suffocating. The white dust rose up and almost lit up the forest with its hazy whiteness, and enveloped the young woman entirely. She lost control and began to sink again and again into a frightening trance. She almost lost herself and closed her eyes for a long sleep when the twitching of leaves startled her. She felt her heart grow strangely heavy and looked at the source of the noise.