The Dream, The Team, and The Trees

Raas floated in the eerie darkness, his mind was a haze of emotions and experiences.

He was dreaming.

Distant voices spoke aloud. Like cosmic gingles, they ring in his head. Some are so familiar, some unrecognizable. But they were all soothing, happy, and joyful. It was as if they were applauding his return. He couldn't quite make out what the voices were telling him. But he knew, instinctively, they were calling him to wake up. It wasn't his time yet.

"Oh~ how you have grown."

"This is your well-deserved rest, little one."

"Hah, a true fighter!"

"Finally he has arrived!"

"I wonder what will happen next..."

"You can rest here, but don't stay too long, little one."

"What a great feat!"

"Even Luck is being outshined!"

"Someone has #######!?"

But with the last voice so loud, booming in his mind, he opened his eyes. With a startle, he felt like falling endlessly, it was like an eternity and a blink at once.

Unexpectedly finding himself on a marble floor he felt at home. The ground beneath was warm and welcoming to the touch. 

'How weird.' thought Raas absentmindedly as he practically melted into the ground.

The serpent's mind was foggy, clouded. It was so full of thoughts and ideas, questions upon questions, but somehow he always lost his thoughts somewhere else before it could finish. He was just mindlessly bathing in the bliss. However, the calls of many voices still rang in his head. Instinctively he knew he had to wake up from the deep slumber, but something pulled him deeper. He didn't want to wake up. He wanted to stay here. Sleep.

He looked around and found tall pillars of gold and emerald holding the roof where a picture of an unnaturally beautiful person cradling a small grey snake in her hand, protecting it from thousands of mindboggling creatures, monsters... entities of unimaginable size and shapes.

He felt a connection to the mural, like an intuition telling him she is someone important to him. But he was sure he never saw the woman in the mural.

His mind wandered as did his body.

Looking around he saw many scenes depicted in the pillars, walls, and ceiling. Grand wars, great tragedies, sad love stories, and many more. Every single one of them is being tied together somehow.

Some are vaguely familiar, some just confusing.

He shook his head trying to focus, but his mind was blurred. So he pressed onwards, slithering past many things he saw but couldn't remember. Raas swore he saw a woman standing in the distance smiling. Or did he? He couldn't remember.

It was just so confusing.

He couldn't even form questions in his mind, just aimlessly wandering.

...

[Eastern outskirt of the western continent Enos]

"Mavis I know you have deep pockets, but isn't this going to cost you a fortune?" asked the tall bulky man, tirelessly marching next to the Star Mage.

"You don't have to worry about little ol me Patrus."

"Well, I am more worried about my payment than anything else. Anyway, isn't the king still furious about how the last mission?"

"Oh you mean the total fuck fest with the dungeon guardian? Don't worry about it. His majesty will come around eventually."

"... I don't think it will just be water under the bridge when we go back, uncle..." said Simon, a step behind them, carrying a backpack and a long wooden staff.

"I can't believe how you even avoided an execution, Milly." Fitz Dores the guild master of Featherwind shook his head.

Milly hung her head as her lips trembled.

"Oh shush you. She has learned her lesson. Luckily I managed to shield the dungeon and calm it down." Mavis looked at Milly with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Didn't you Milly?" Emphasizing her name.

She just nodded. Her usual pep and happiness were gone after meeting the king. Even Mavis was sweating a little bit after the debrief of what happened, but he never let it show and he will take it to his grave. After all, the king was the second strongest person on the central continent not too far behind Mavis himself.

Simon looked at her and sighed. The entire ordeal with Flegon the dungeon guardian left her missing with one eye that was replaced by one of Mavis creations. And as payment, she now is coming with them on this "mission." Luckily nothing more happened, as it could have been much worse.

Mavis, feeling that the mood has dropped whipped his head to his nephew, "And aren't you sad that your little princess can't come with us?"

"For the hundredth time, no. She is under house arrest because of that stunt. And by the way, you doing the whole "shield the dungeon space and calm the dungeon down" thing only made the situation worse. You nearly broke the whole thing down. I swear on Suha that one of these days your magic will kill us all."

"Didn't know you were religious..." whispered Mavis under his breath begrudgingly. Taking a deep breath he suddenly stopped, opened his arms, and spoke, "Welcome to the western continent Enos, where monsters are rare and deadly, trees are sacred to anyone but humans, and a place of constant war!"

"""..."""

Mavis's "speech" was met with groans and headshakes.

The enthusiasm was never there, to begin with, but it somehow got even lower.

"Tough crowd. Anyway! I have some news. Do you want the good news or the bad news first!"

Simon sighed. "Good news first."

"Great! I found the Acutra with the solstice venom! Aaaannnnddd it had sparks of divine ichor in it!"

Patrus did a double take, "What in the nine Hells!"

"Is that why we are here?!" shouted Simon.

"And the bad news..." asked Milly carefully.

"Well... we may or may not have to participate in a war on a continental scale..."

...

[Western Great Forest of Enos]

Enormous trees that pierce the clouds sway gently in the wind. The air was fresh, free of pollution and the smell of nature wafted through.

It was brimming with life and vitality. On a continent this ridden in scars of war and destruction it was a place of tranquility and peace. And it was all thanks to the keeper of the forest. Covering the outer forest was dense mist and arrays of mind alterations that kept the forest somewhat safe from all the chaos outside, but that didn't mean that the humans hadn't tried anything.

All that lived in it knew the relevance of the forest keeper. The animals and monsters that wandered the forest all bowed to the keeper's will. But he was no tyrant, no to them he was a gentle being, using his god-given power to create this haven for them where they could live to the fullest.

"I just wanted a little bit of peace and quiet, but instead I get to be stuck here on this cursed continent... can't even escape the north where the humans are, the east is the warzone, the west the giant ocean with that thing in it, and the south the elves." The keeper sighed and rumbled, but despite that, he was smiling. He watched the sun hang at its peak, basking in the sunlight.

A small breeze ruffled the leaves. "Finally some change is coming." With a stretch the earth beneath him shook, the ground rumbled and the birds fled.

"Time to get some preparations done before those pesky insects interfere again." Cracking his head and rolling his shoulders, he stretched his palm out before a golden ichor dropped into the dirt. The forest floor greedily took it in. Silent rumbling that slowly begins to grow could be heard. And then it was silent, not even the chirbing of insects could be heard. The earth split apart in front of the keeper and a creature unburrowed from the ground. It's head round with dozens of armored eyes, and rows of teeth marred its gaping mouth that endlessly spiraled inside into complete darkness. Two long feelers sprung out and waved in the air, scanning the location. A deep raspy voice rang out as hundreds of eyes narrowed down on the keeper. "Enos, what do you need my service for? My children and I are quite busy."

"There are some incense suckers around, take care of them. Also, this time we are on the spike ears side. But don't interfere too much. You know how they are towards our grove."

"... Sure, it will be done. But why the sudden change after so long?"

"The winds have turned. There are now lots of eyes on this place. But if we play it right, tranquility will once more return to this continent. Or so a little bird tweeted."

The creature dipped his head and disappeared into the grounds, leaving no trace behind. As soon as it left sound returned.

The keeper took a deep breath, leaves rattled and wood groaned.

"I am getting too old for this bullshit..." whispered the keeper after confirming he was alone.

Wandering through the forest he came to a pond that stretched on for miles. Its crystal clear surface reflected his image. His head parted ways revealing a small green bead held in space by golden strings. He ripped out the green bead and threw it into the pond. "Keep it safe, I will be away for a while." The pond rippled in patterns, but no water splashed as the bead hit the water.

It sunk into the depths and the pond sparked for a moment.

With a nod, the keeper walked away to the edge of the forest right where it bordered the human and elven nations. The mist parted for him and the silent stalkers and protectors made way. Walking out of the forest his face scrunched up. "What a filthy air. Time to get to work."

Placing his hands on a tree a wave of energy surged through the forest. "My children it is time to reclaim what is rightfully ours. Go forth." All the nearby trees awaken and morphed. The once silent trees grew arms and legs ripping out of the dirt. Arms made out of thick bark and stone. Armored platings covered their body. Vines with hundreds of spikes wrapped their bodies. An eerie glowing orb inside their chest pulsed with energy.

But that wasn't all.

Bundles of grass and bolders melted together into animalistic shapes and forms. Flora and fauna seamlessly melted together to create entirely new creatures. Birds with wings of metal-like leaves. Wolf with stone armor or vines covering their bodies. And a thousand other variations.

And just like that a whole forest moved out.

Enos smiled and looked proudly at his creations, before walking back. "Today is going to be a great day"