As the morning sun began to rise beyond the horizon, it illuminated the Abandoned Forest, which was much different from a few days ago. A quarter of the forest had been razed to the ground, as if a small, centralized yet destructive storm had occurred; burn marks, deep gashes, and crushed wood littered the ground.
The destruction spanned deeper into the forest, where bodies upon bodies of monsters lay scattered across the ground, their disgusting brown blood seeping into the dirt, killing the earth, creating a large infertile patch for decades to come. Further into the forest, the pile of monsters rose, growing so much that they formed their own ground until we arrived at the edge of the forest's destruction.
At the very edge where the destruction finally ceased, a pile of monsters, resembling a hill over a hundred feet tall, had formed; the brown blood seeping from their bodies extended further into the forest like a river. The number of monsters required to achieve such a pile was enormous, thousands upon thousands upon thousands!
At the peak of the monster-made hill stood a single being. He was a tall, humanoid figure with a darker skin tone, shoulder-length white hair, sculpted muscles, and beautiful, piercing, purple, crystal-like eyes that seemed to contain the truth of the world within him. Two purplish black greatswords in pristine condition were clutched within his hands as he stared off into the distance, his lustrous hair flowing with the wind, while a thick, golden liquid seeped down his skin.
A few minutes went by as he silently stared off into the distance, observing the rising sun that illuminated the ferocious and desperate battle he had survived. Releasing a deep, shuddering breath, the man, the hero, Alexander Vestalis, finally averted his gaze and moved.
Taking a step forward, Alexander leaped off the hill of monsters, landing behind it just outside the new entrance into the Abandoned Forest. Observing the hill, Alexander's stunning purple eyes briefly darted through the surroundings, seemingly eyeing every single monster he had personally slain, only to flash the faintest smile as he stabbed his two great swords into the ground beside him.
"23,345." As Alexander muttered the absurd number, a tree branch from behind him suddenly pierced his chest, causing his ichor to spew forth while he calmly looked behind him, eyeing the tree-monster.
Grabbing Trina, he slashed behind, splitting the tree-monster in two while removing the branch from his chest, burning it; as for the life-threatening wound, it was healing at a rate which would be finished within a minute.
"23,346… Thanks, I guess, for keeping track, Trina." Forcing a smile, Alexander glanced down at the sword within his hand, the purple markings faintly shimmering in response. 'Hehe, you're welcome, Master!' Unseen by Alexander, Trina, within the private dimension, was spinning in a circle with a smile, while Zartha watched with a wry, yet amused expression.
Raising his head, Alexander once again eyed the pile of monsters, heaving a deep sigh as he scratched his head. "Now, how do you suppose I handle over 20,000 monsters? Got any ideas, Zartha?" 'Use the Gods.' Zartha's response filled Alexander with confusion as he tilted his head. "You mean like ask Goddess Eywa for help? I know she's interfered with me twice before, but I don't really think she'll help me even if I pray to her."
'That's not what I mean. Abuse the Gods. Goddess Eywa is widely known for her love of nature and life, while monsters slaughter life. Make some excuse regarding Goddess Eywa helping you, the hero and savior of Cassandra; you visit her church enough times, for it to be a plausible story.' At Zartha's idea, Alexander descended into silence, stroking his chin with a thoughtful expression.
"Hypothetically, it could work. I might incur the wrath of Eywa. I'm on the bad side of one God; I don't wish to make another Goddess my enemy. Just because she helped me once doesn't mean we're suddenly good friends." Furrowing his brows, although Alexander didn't outright reject the idea, he clearly wasn't in favor of it, believing it was too risky to potentially anger a second Goddess.
'Ask her then. She went out of her way to protect you from Goddess Junsuina; she could very well be watching you.' Alexander, unable to refute the logic in Zartha's words, softly sighs before nodding. "If she gets upset and smites me, I'm using you to block it." Dropping to his knees, Alexander stared at his weapon to his right, causing the purple markings to faintly shimmer.
Taking a deep breath, Alexander closed his eyes, clasped his hands, and slightly lowered his head while focusing his thoughts on Goddess Eywa. 'Lovely Goddess Eywa, this humble mortal is asking to use your name. If you wish, I will even sacrifice a disobedient sword of mine.' As Alexander prayed to Goddess Eyaw, slightly mocking Zartha, who scoffed, the Goddess in question was watching everything.
In a place far, far away, outside the mortal plane, was a realm of pure, vibrant light and life mana. Within the mana was a forest of divine proportions, a forest so beautiful, so full of life that it could never exist within the mortal plane.
Trees were seemingly scraping the very sky, their barks shimmered with embedded jewels, and their leaves were of pure light. The ground was a soft carpet of glowing moss and lush, thick grass; the air itself was heavy with the scent of every imaginable flower, while motes of light floated about, seemingly dancing.
Beasts of pure light walked about, each one in harmony with the divine forest itself, and the rivers flowed with what seemed like liquid starlight.
At the center of this divine forest stood a massive temple, a structure carved from the most precious wood in existence—the divine heartwood of Yggdrasil—and laced with unalloyed pulsar energy. Special markings lined the outside of a temple, like the veins in a living body that faintly glowed with life mana so thick it might as well have been liquid.
At the top of the temple was a statue of a woman holding a spherical object, cradling it within her embrace like a mother would a precious child. Deep within the temple, where water flowed and auroras shimmered, a single woman could be seen at the center of it all.
She was akin to a Dryad, but more grand, more divine. Her skin was a mosaic of vibrant mosses, fungi, and soft petals from countless flowers, all constantly blooming and withering in a slow, hypnotic rhythm. Her hair was like flowing vines and blooming flowers, the latter of which changed colors according to her emotions.
Her eyes were like two beads of clear water, reflecting the sky, forests, and the very soul of anyone who dared to gaze into them; her horns were massive, like majestic antlers from which new life—leaves, flowers, and even small birds—sprouted and took flight.
Eywa, hearing a familiar voice praying to her, stirred from her meditation and shifted her gaze ever so slightly. She stared through the immense distance that separated her and Alexander before focusing on the scene of him on his knees, praying beside a massive pile of monsters.
Listening to his prayer, an amused expression crossed her face, causing the white flowers on her vines to fade to a faint pink, reflecting her amusement. Eywa didn't respond to Alexander immediately, but instead lifted her gaze, staring at the entrance of her temple, where a lone figure suddenly arrived.
"Yes, Goddess Eywa?" Deeply bowing, the Dryad approached Eywa, who gazed at her like a mother would a child. "Lavender, my child, do you see what your husband has gotten himself into this time?" Faintly smiling, Eywa averted her gaze, looking back at Alexander while Lavender briefly froze before deeply sighing, a mix of concern and exhaustion.
"Haa, this boy. Please tell me, what did he do this time, Goddess Eywa?" Rubbing the bridge of her nose in exhaustion, Lavender raised her head and looked at Eywa, who simply smiled before motioning her closer.
Nearing Eywa, Lavender sat cross-legged before her, prompting one of the many vines connected to Eywa to gently wrap around her two horns, connecting Lavender's vision to her own. As Lavender witnessed the scene of Alexander, stark naked, kneeling and praying before a pile of thousands upon thousands of monster corpses, she was first frozen in disbelief, then hit with overwhelming confusion, followed by immense relief, only for a deep wave of exasperation to linger.
'Oh, lovely, smart, Goddess Eywa, please allow me to use your name. If you do, I shall owe you a favor.' Hearing Alexander's prayer, Eywa faintly chucked, causing the whole divine realm to react to her melodical laughter as it rapidly flourished in response. As for Lavender, her expression was one of anger at hearing Alexander pray to her Goddess so disrespectfully. Even if he were the love of her life, he wouldn't be spared from her irritation.
"This bastard. I die for 14 years, and he loses any semblance of respect! Please forgive him, Goddess Eywa; he is clearly stupid." Lavender, feeling an ounce of responsibility, apologized on Alexander's behalf, though Eywa waved her hand, having not been offended in the slightest.
"Oh, you underestimate your boy, Lavender. I would cut away a piece of my realm to earn a favor from him." Eywa's casual remark shocked Lavender, since, while for most Gods, their realm was merely the place they resided, nothing more, nothing less. But for Eywa, the Goddess of Life, Rebirth, and Nature itself, this realm was a part of her and was tied to the mortal realm.
"His favor means nothing now, but soon… Soon, it will mean more than a favor from anyone." Although confused, hearing how serious Eywa was, Lavender faintly nodded, knowing better to question a being far more ancient than herself.