The source

Before the battle with the clones began, Tenebrea was already walking deeper into the forest, like something was beckoning for her. There were beasts that stared at her and did not perform any attacks. They all had a common characteristic: they had plants growing from their bodies. The once hostile creatures now seemed docile. They separated as Tenebrea walked deeper and deeper until she finally arrived at a tree. Unlike what would be expected, the tree looked normal; in fact, it looked less than normal. There were barely any leaves on the trees; the branches and bark were already wilting and decaying. To a normal person, they would think the tree was just a normal dying tree, but Tenebrea saw more than what was on the outside.

The tree roots expanded several kilometers underground, and it was feeding and taking energy from all the creatures within it. In between all the roots, there was a humanoid figure sitting like it was on a throne.

The humanoid figure looked up as if it could see through the soil and stared at Tenebrea, who also stared at the figure.

The ground slowly opened up, and a small feminine figure was formed in front of Tenebrea. Its body was green, and it wore a dress that was brown like tree bark. It had pink hair, the color of lilies. It had the body of a little girl, with her adorable purple eyes and puffy cheeks. The figure just stood silently in front of Tenebrea and was also examining the strange vampire in its presence.

Tenebrea finally broke the silence: "You have his aura."

"You know, father?" The feminine being said enthusiastically. Her voice sounded so innocent, but it reverberated all around Tenebrea, like it was the forest speaking to her instead. It was eerie, but at the same time, it sounded beautiful.

"Yes, I do. How did you gain his aura?" Tenebrea already had an inkling, but she still decided to ask.

"I don't remember. All I know is that I was pushed by the wind and uprooted from the earth. I was carried a great distance until I was finally released by the pull. I thought my time to die had come, but I woke up and realized I could move and do all these mystical things. I later realized it was due to this." She held a golden orb in her small palm. Tenebrea's eyes glimmered as she stared at the orb, but she did not attempt to take it from the little plant girl.

"I met a couple of fallen, ogres, dark dwarves, Lycans, and other beasts. They all tried to attack me, so I retaliated in fear. They were really weak; I also ate them and gained their knowledge and memories, as well as some of their abilities." She gave a weird, human-like smile.

"A couple months ago, I felt my father's presence from the south. I think since this piece of him gave me life, we are now linked."

"So, he is awake." She closed her eyes and tried to scan for her power fragments. There was still one on the Daemon continent, where the dark dwarves resided, and two on the two other continents. She could feel one of the fragments coming closer, albeit slowly.

She opened her eyes slowly. 'Soon, we will finally meet.'

"The power from the fragment gave you sentience, and with the energy within you, you increased your rank to what it is now. Manifesting the energy within you created a home for yourself, and then people threatened that home, so you ended them. That's fine, but I think it'll be better if you follow me." Tenebrea suggested.

"Follow you? Why would I do that? Father would come here to pick up his sphere. I'd rather just wait here." The adorable plant girl said as she sat down on a stool that formed itself out of wood.

She sat on the stool, swinging her leg, and looking at Tenebrea with her big eyes. The only thing missing from this scene was the little girl licking a lollipop.

"Well, your father is going to come to me first. If you were with me, he'd meet you faster. Don't you want that?" Tenebrea, for the first time in her life, felt a headache coming through. Since this being was created from the energy of Licht, she did not want to harm the innocent-looking girl, so she had to use her power of persuasion.

"Father would meet you first? Hmm, okay then. I'd follow you, but then I'd have to leave all my toys and playthings." She said this as she looked at the beasts, which clearly had fearful expressions but were also docile.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure you get plenty of other fun playthings along the way." Tenebrea patted the head of the little girl, who just closed her eyes with an expression like she enjoyed it.

"Uhmm, those people in the back, are they yours?" The little girl asked. A fog appeared with the images of Julius, Scarlet, and the others fighting. They were clearly exhausted, as they had killed the clones several times, but they just kept coming.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them." Tenebrea gave a nervous chuckle. She had been so engrossed in the conversation with the little girl that she had forgotten the people who were practically fighting for their lives.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the group managed to kill the clones again.

"If Master doesn't come soon, we are all going to be in big trouble." Julius sat on the floor, panting.

"We are already in big trouble." Scarlet had lost the cold nature she always had. She was currently resting on a tree trunk, trying to catch her breath. The others were also extremely exhausted and trying to relax before the clones showed up again.

Anastasia did not pant like the rest, but from her expression, it was obvious she was also tired. She then noticed something weird.

"They still haven't appeared. Normally, by now, they would already be here."

"Yeah, Ana's right," Talia said as she used her trident as a crutch.

The group looked around, waiting for a probable ambush. Finally, the bushes began to rustle, and everyone was alert. There was a fog, and none of them could see or sense through the fog. As it finally arrived in front of them, the fog dispersed, and right before their eyes stood Tenebrea and an adorable green girl.

"Yo!" Tenebrea put two fingers up, making a peace sign.