Akun pressed on, his words firm and resolute. "No one needs to tell you. You and your clan are weak, not even up to the dragon grade. Even if you all decided to confront me at once, you still wouldn't stand a chance. Let's avoid pointless bloodshed and follow me to where you're holding Oliver." The choice now lay with Rinalef and her clan.
Rinalef clenched her teeth and gripped her dress tightly as her mind drifted back to a time before she had ventured out of the castle. She recalled a solemn meeting with the five elders of their tribe, an assembly of wisdom and ancient knowledge. Unlike the other races inhabiting the god forsaken forest, Dryads didn't age. Their appearances remained unaltered, frozen in their prime. Their lives were intrinsically linked to the energy within their cores, and they would only meet their end when this energy was entirely depleted.