Reunion after 1000 Years

[ Great Jura Forest, Dwelling of Treants ]

"Today's the day, Lady Echidna will return, right sister?" A young green haired girl with blue eyes, said excitedly.

"Mmm. That's right, Doris." Treyni, the Manager of the Great Jura Forest answered her youngest sister with a smile, as they stood on the balcony of the treehouse.

"I wonder what the surprise Lady Echidna will bring is~" Trya, the middle sister with shortest hair out the three Dryas siblings, put a finger on her chin, a thoughtful smile on her face.

'Lady Ramiris.' Treyni wanted to say this, but she didn't want to get the girls hopes up, only for it broken, if Aria didn't bring her. But she believed that it was the surprise that Aria talked about, call it her woman's intuition.

"Elder sister, for you to be so lost in thought, could you be thinking about the date that you will have with Lady Echidna?" Trya smiled teasingly at Treyni.

Before Treyni could reply, Doris spoke up, "Look."

They all, even the other Dryas' in their own tree, looked towards a portal that formed at entrance of the dwelling.

Treyni, as the leader was on guard, but when she saw who walked out of it, she let out a sigh of relief, "Lady—" Her words got stuck in her throat once she saw who came out out after her.

"Lady Ramiris…" Disbelief was apparent on her face, as the Elemental Queen didn't look any different since the time she had left her. The air around her was as tranquil and warm as she remembered.

Ramiris gazed at her, smiling softly she spoke, "Little Treyni, it looks you've grown up, you're no longer that small Fairy I remember."

"Lady Ramiris!" The Dryas' eyes lit up, and they all swarmed to her without a second thought, even the lazy Treants materialised.

"Calm down, little ones, I'm not going anywhere." Ramiris' voice seemed to have a sort of effect that immediately made relax.

"Sorry, your Majesty."

"We were excited to see you after all this time."

"We're sorry we left you, we didn't think you'd be the same." Treyni added with a self-deprecating smile.

But she wasn't the only way who felt that, after all, the other Dryas' had followed her willingly too.

The Elemental Queen feeling their emotions hugged Treyni, looking at the rest of the Dryas' with a gentle smile, "You girls were young and inexperienced back then—even now if I'm being honest," Her words made the eldest of the Dryas' embarrassed, but Ramiris continued,

"I understand why chose to leave at the time, and I won't fault you either, after all, with my memories that had been blurred, I myself had wondered if I'll be the same person in my next life.

Fortunately I was, but if the constant reincarnations taught me anything, it's that change is inevitable in the end. Life is about growth, exploration, and embracing change." Aria who had been listening could only stare in wonder as she saw how the Dryas and Treants treated her words as gospel.

'This junior…She's not a bad talent.' The Echidna stroked her non-existent beard, her thoughts drifting to her childhood friend.

It hasn't been long, only around a week since she arrived in this world, yet Aria missed Maya a lot, now that she thought about it, this was probably the longest that they had been apart.

'Damn, I guess she really was my yin to my yang.' Aria mused, a wistful smile playing on her lips as memories of her time with Maya flooded her mind.

Of course she didn't forget her mother, the one who raised her alone, cause apparently her dad went to buy milk and never returned.

'Well I hope the dude picked up an expired one,' She cursed the dude, after all, who told him to leave her lovely mother all alone. She was one of the best mother's one could ask for, she was chill and didn't mind if she went out to adventure in other countries. Probably because Maya was a rich gal.

….

[ In a Universe, Far, Far Away ]

In the heart of a cave, a young woman sat in quiet repose,her military uniform draped her form with a touch of authority, and a katana lay before her, a testament to her martial prowess. The dim light barely reached her features, creating an air of mystery around her silhouette.

With neck-length brown hair, the woman's appearance seemed rather ordinary at first glance. However, a closer inspection revealed a subtle transformation taking place. The once brown strands appeared to be darkening, and an almost imperceptible red sheen danced along the edges, as if each strand had been delicately washed in blood. This peculiar phenomenon even seemed indiscernible to the woman herself.

In an instant, the young woman's eyes snapped open, the intensity of her gaze radiated an unmistakable sense of confidence and spoke of experiences beyond the ordinary, along with the aura around her that seemed to resonate with a subtle authority.

Yet, as she allowed herself to be enveloped by the tranquility of her surroundings, a sudden itch in her nose disrupted the solemnity of the moment. With a soft "Achoo!"

The young woman's poised demeanor faltered, a bemused expression crossing her face as rubbed her nose, she wondered aloud, "Is Aria talking about me or something?"

Shrugging, she once again closed her eyes.

….

[Back With Aria]

Ba-dump!

"E..d…a."

Ba-dump!

"Ec..dna."

«Notice. Unknown individual has been detected to have Soul Connection with individual 'Echidna Tempest'.»

"Aria!"

The notice from Scholar and a shout snapped Aria out of her reverie.

With her mind back, she noticed that everyone was staring at her in worry, especially Fenrir and Elaine. It was then that she noticed her aura was in a chaotic state, and if it wasn't for Ramiris, the result would have been catastrophic.

So without wasting a moment, she quickly retracted it, giving them an apologetic smile, "Sorry about that, and thanks for that." She gave a thankful look to Ramiris.

The Elemental Queen furrowed her brows, asking, "Are you alright, Echidna?"

Pursing her lips Aria answered, "As a good as person can feel after feeling like they've been pulled from their body."

"That was oddly specific." Ramiris' narrowed eyes glowed for a moment, before returning to normal, "Though you seem fine."

"Of course I'm fine, rather I'm feeling fantastic!" The Echidna's sudden outburst surprised everyone, one moment she was perplexed, and the next she was excited.

"Lady Aria, did something good happen?" Elaine asked, using the Echidna's 'real' name as if it was the most natural thing.

Aria nodded happily, "Indeed. A worry of mine that has been plaguing since I came to this world has been settled." Saying so, she looked at Fenrir who was upset the moment he heard her words, and she could more or less tell what he was thinking.

"Fen, it's not your fault that you weren't able to notice that I was troubled, I just didn't make it obvious. And since it wasn't something I could control, I tried to avoid thinking about it," Aria reassured Fenrir, patting his heavenly fur.

"I understand, Mother." Fenrir purred(?) in contentment, while inwardly swearing to become strong enough that all his Mother's worries would be resolved by him.

The Elemental Queen stared thoughtfully at Aria, a few theories in her mind about what got her excited, though it wasn't her place to ask, even if they somehow formed a Soul Corridor with each other.

"By the way, Echidna, what did you do to the Dryas' and Treants?" This was something she could ask without worry, after all, she is their Ruler.

"I gave them bodies and a home." Was it not obvious enough? That was the kind of look Aria was giving Ramiris.

With her lips twitching, Ramiris replied, "I can tell that the Dryads, rather, Dryas' are inhabiting Material Bodies, and Treants had the shape of theirs changed. You didn't hurt them to achieve that did you?" Her eyes narrowed as she asked, and although she knew it was unlikely, it's her duty as a Ruler to ask this.

"Lady Ramiris, Lady Echidna did not hurt us during the process, and as Elemental Queen herself, she has no reason to harm us." It was Treyni who answered quickly before a misunderstanding occurred.

Ramiris had the urge to roll her eyes at that, only she knew what sort of abomination the Aria was, Elemental Queen is a first of her many future disguises.

It was at this moment that the Echidna commented on Treyni's words, "It's as Treyni said, I only chopped them up, while completely dominating the Treants material bodies."

Seeing the innocent expression on the Echidna's face, the Elemental Queen knew that she was trying to get a rise out of her, so she would do the same, and a use weakness she believes Aria has,

"And here I thought that now that I could recall my memories better, I could further your understanding in Spirit Magic and also teach you Summoning or Illusion Magic~"

"Master, this disciple has eyes yet failed to Mount Tai, please give her a second chance." The Echidna's behaviour did a complete 180 and she was now sitting on the ground Japanese style, with her legs folded and all.

"Heh." Ramiris had a victorious grin on her face, she didn't forget how she had been frightened by Aria's monster form after all.

****

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

As for the reason why I didn't upload yesterday, well, I was preparing for the apocalypse…I'm just joking, I had a headache.