2: THE TALKING TREES II

Somehow her great skills had her to the Academy's top 10 talented. She's the master of all basics but no one tried to ask her if she could tutor some students though there are some.

They—the students who tried her patience, were left with broken bones. After graduating, she decided to stay in Vally Forest it is to isolate herself from the humiliation she got before when she was declined to be one of the Divine Knights. She too didn't join any guilds. She pursues some missions alone.

"Who's this you're taking me to, father?" Elani disturbing her father's reverie had held his hand and looked up to him.

She's just 10 but Raphael entered the Academy when he was 6. Elani's not that young. The feeling of anxiousness that Raphael felt earlier, faded away when he realized that he was just 6 at that time.

"Malaya's a colleague of mine. I, Olivia, and Malaya were always on top of everyone. We never fail except that Malaya and Olivia didn't join any guild or even being a Divine Knights for some reasons I do not intend to know."

He answered without giving a glance at her daughter. Elani's staring at his father until she tripped herself in some tree stem.

The tree shrugs its leaves as if it was giving a small chuckle. Little did she know, the tree moved its branch to trip Elani off but before she tripped, Raphael had clutched her daughter so strong that Elani had been lifted off the grounds before she hit the land.

"Watch where you're going." He let Elani stand.

Elani was still holding her breath. She didn't believe what just happened. Is it just her or she thought the tree really meant tripping her? She gave a stern look at the tree that had his stem out.

Later, the trunk of the tree had turned around. Her eyes widened in shock. The tree is alive! Of course, it is alive but this tree is moving.

She tightens her grip on her father's hand. Raphael felt that Elani's being scared as she was being shaken. He then looked at where her daughter is looking and saw a tree with eyes and mouth. Elani buried her face at the legs of Raphael but the latter didn't even give the tree the satisfaction that he was scared of what is happening. Raphael knew these trees can talk but not every day. The tree looked like he was tired and spoke 7 ancient words.

Iv avemour ur iv ljeiod quenna peksif

Then the tree turned its back and didn't move again. It was only standing still and his leaves are brushing off to other tree leaves due to the sudden air. Raphael knew what the tree has said but he didn't want to let Elani know.

Not now. Not yet. Elani peaked if the tree had to stop scaring her. Raphael continued to walk without calling for her daughter. When Elani realized she was being left behind, she ran to her father and kept her eyes on the ground. How can that tree talk?

"Ancient language cannot be taught to your generation. It is due to the fact that nimphians will use this strong magic to eradicate some nimphians. Ancient language is a powerful language that the king had it ban all over the country as for the safety of his people."

Elani's eyebrow twitched. She doesn't understand what her father has said.

"We'll be in Malaya's in two days so for now we'll build our tent there." Elani was cannot comprehend what Raphael said. They didn't bring any tent at all. Raphael pointed to a tree in front of them.

"Stay back, Elani." Elani instantaneously obliged and stepped back. She watched his father raised his right arm at a heart level.

He opened his right palm and the left hand grips his right wrist. He began to say something that Elani could not hear. His hands glowed in light blue and circled his palm towards the tree trunk. Elani watched as an igloo formed far in front of his father. She gasped and cupped her mouth. She could not believe that there's magic for igloos. It was big for two.

The igloo was smoking in coldness she then realized that the igloo will only stand in cold places.

"Father, will that hold long?" She asked in curiousness.

"Yes. It is a magic igloo it's not any ordinary igloo that will melt. Go inside it's not that cold as it looks like."

He stood still and looked at his daughter as he was waiting for her to get inside. Elani began to totter even though it was just a half-day of their journey, she feels like she's been walking for 3 days. She exhausted herself with a lot of information too.

When she was young, she didn't go to cities or towns. She just stayed at their house. She never experiences the magic. The walking got into her when she sat down in an ice block inside the igloo. Her legs feel sore. Raphael had not entered yet the igloo. He closed the door and somehow locked it with a magic spell.

Elani was too tired to ask her father why he's staying outside. She walked herself towards space. Surely her mother had packed them a blanket and a pillow, but it was empty when she turned to see her bag. She was carrying an empty bag all along.

She growled and cursed under her breath but she thought What if it's another magic? But what should I say?

"Blanket," She said as soon as the word slipped through her mouth, a light gold powder was glistening inside her empty bag. In a minute, a blue blanket showed inside—it was her dear blanket.

She pulled it and placed it on the ground and sat on the blanket. She took her bag and opened it widely. "Pillow," as soon as she had her pillow, she lied down. She closed her eyes not worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow.

Elani was running through the woods. Why am I running? She asked herself. She stopped and looked back hesitantly. Widened eyes, she continued to run. It was darkness. The darkness was killing all the trees and grass on land. She is going to be eaten by darkness! Her heart raced; her breathings are heavy. She cannot hold long.