Above the vast layers of clouds, in a divine realm of unparalleled splendor, a shining castle whose crystal towers seemed to touch eternity stood tall.
In this setting, a solemn peace reigned. Winged beings flew carefree across the skies, while mermaids swam in the clear, deep waters of a lake among the clouds. On the vibrant ground, children with the characteristics of various animals ran and played in harmony.
Sitting delicately beside the crystal-clear water well, amid the splendor that was that divine kingdom, a Goddess watched the reflection of the waters with an expression that mixed tenderness and concern, as if trying to stifle a deep melancholy that weighed on her heart.
Her appearance was something that defied any mortal description: She had long hair that oscillated between white and translucent cyan, flowing around her as if made of pure mana or liquid starlight, shining softly against the castle’s gloom. On her head, she wore a thin gold crown studded with small shooting stars, looking like something so valuable that humans would kill to get something as beautiful as that.
Her dress, though seemingly simpler, was a comfortable, ethereal white gown with finely embroidered gold details. It had a layered skirt reminiscent of the petals of a celestial flower, while small translucent creatures, resembling mana jellyfish, floated around her, silently reacting to the emotions she exuded.
[Visual Representation Here or Discord.gg/NunuXD]
Despite all the magnificence around her, her focus was fixed on the bottom of the well she was leaning on, where she watched a pleasant surprise: two mortals who had come to her world.
Among the millions, or rather, at that point, billions of mortals from another universe that she had helped bring to Elysium, something that the other Gods of that world came to hate her for doing, but which she knew was necessary, these two little mortals were a duo she couldn’t stop watching.
Her curiosity began when she realized that the boy had obtained a Mythical Race, but disappeared for an entire day, then returned with a slightly different soul signature, yet at the same time the same.
That alone was something that made her worry and pay more attention to him.
’It can’t be possible that the creatures of the void have already reached the point of taking control of mortals from another universe to destroy Elysium... right?’ She thought uncertainly, fearing the worst when she first sensed that change.
So to make sure nothing would go wrong, especially considering the immeasurable potential that body had, she decided to pay special attention to him.
But as she observed him more closely and carefully, Astraea was able to breathe a sigh of relief, realizing that he was still human, probably a human who had gone through something troubled in his original universe, but still a human.
"I hope bringing these humans from another universe wasn’t a bad choice for Elysium..." Astraea thought worriedly, unsure whether her choice had been the right one or not.
From what she had observed in the pocket dimensions of the ’Newbie Villages’, the humans of that universe were just as, if not more, destructive and reckless than the humans of Elysium.
And that became a major concern for her.
Fortunately, she was no stranger to the chaos caused by humans, so she was already working on countermeasures to prevent them from becoming uncontrollable, but seeing the exceptions in this race, such as the duo of the little Blue Slime and the delicate White Fox, among thousands of other humans with great potential within them, made Astraea calm down a little.
"Please, children, don’t cause more destruction than I brought you to prevent... Don’t make me regret this decision..." She said quietly to herself, comforting herself as she felt the gratitude that the little fairy Elle showed to her brother’s two saviors.
-xXx-
Back at the Beetle Tree, while Halon’s main body, accompanied by two small clones, worked tirelessly to digest the colossal body of the Beetle Queen, Lisa and a small clone of Lohan were comforting Elle and Pip, who finally managed to look up and saw the dead Beetle Queen being devoured by the Slimes.
For the little fairy boy, the sight of the one who had caused him so much suffering being devoured in such a merciless way was so gratifying that his eyes could not resist, shedding bright tears that dripped onto the ground, spreading a hint of life through the dead wood of that tree.
No one there realized how shocking it was, considering that the two fairies were too emotional to worry about such a miracle, while the Slime and the Fox had no idea that it was a miracle.
Pip felt his body tremble, but this time it wasn’t out of fear. The little fairy boy spoke, his butterfly wings still glowing with the Queen’s blue, metallic energy.
"Elle cried for many days because Elle couldn’t convince the noble fairies to rescue Pip..." The little fairy girl said, crying, hugging her brother tightly, fearing that he might disappear at any moment.
[Visual Representation Here or Discord.gg/NunuXD]
"Pip remembers how Queen Beetle wrapped Pip in cold silk and began to inject something that wasn’t Pip’s... Pip felt as if Pip’s very soul was being stretched and filled with a sweet and terrible liquid metal." The little fairy shuddered, remembering the invasive sensation.
"The Queen didn’t just want to use Pip for food, the Queen wanted to turn Pip into her puppet, a soldier who would work tirelessly doing everything she commanded, and her first plan was for Pip to invade Petal Village to capture everyone for her..."
"Pip felt Pip’s heart beating so hard that Pip thought it would explode..." He continued, his voice still trembling, but now charged with a new strength. "But now... Pip feels the mana inside Pip flowing like an overflowing river! Pip feels that Pip is now even stronger than the Chief of Petal Village, and while that is very good, Pip is still afraid of the chaos Pip would cause by invading the village under Queen Beetle’s control..."
Where Pip’s tears touched the fossilized, dead wood of the tree, small green vines and white flowers, similar to those that adorned Aeliana’s hair, began to sprout silently.
"The important thing is that you are safe now, Pip." Lohan transmitted through Lisa’s mental link, his voice calm and pleasant. "We did what we promised Elle, I hope you don’t use your new strength for anything bad."
Lisa nodded, agreeing with Halon’s words, but seeing through Pip an opportunity for something greater. "Now that we have mastered this tree, our intention is to make this place our own, protecting this tree as our new home, and sheltering like-minded friends to explore the world, and if possible, prevent tragedies like yours from happening to others as well."
Upon hearing those words, Pip’s eyes lit up with something new.
Although he was still scared, it was in Halon and Lisa’s actions that he saw the bravery he had so envied when he was younger.
Even after leaving the tree with Elle and returning to Petal Village to reassure the villagers, a small seed of something greater had been planted, slowly beginning the process of germination.
NunuNote: You can find all Visual Representations at discord.gg/NunuXD