One moment, they were standing in the dim, thorny forest path; the next, they were standing in a small, stunningly beautiful clearing.
The air here was pure, cool, and suffused with a gentle, humming mana. A massive, ancient ironwood tree, its trunk thicker than a house, towered over them, its leaves casting a soft light. At the base of the tree was a circular pool of water, so clear that they could see the smooth, colorful stones at the bottom. The water emitted a faint steam.
"Wow," Lilly breathed, her eyes wide.
"The dryad's heart," Dante announced, dusting off his uniform. "The center of the local ambient magic field. Rowan, the ball is up there."
He pointed high into the colossal canopy of the ironwood tree, nearly a hundred feet up. Wedged in the crook of two massive branches was a tiny, familiar wooden sphere.
Darius's perfect carving.
"I'll get it," Rowan said, already moving. He handed the greatsword to Selene. "Watch the kids. I'm going up."
He didn't climb. He simply focused a burst of wind magic under his feet and launched himself upward in a clean jump. He moved like a projectile, hitting the branch near the ball with a soft thud and immediately snagging the sphere.
He was back on the ground in seconds, landing softly, the sphere held tightly in his hand.
"My sphere!" Darius cried, rushing forward to reclaim his lost carving.
Rowan handed it over. Dante, ignoring the reunion, had walked straight to the pool. He knelt and dipped his hand into the clear water, his expression pensive.
"Rowan, Selene. This place is not radiating magic. It's storing it. The water is saturated with life force. And there's a massive, residual aura here. An old, strong vampire aura. It's faded, but it's anchored to this place."
Selene's eyes snapped to Dante. "Vampire? In the Dryad's Wood?"
"Someone was here, recently, and they were drawing an enormous amount of power from this spot. The life-force in the water is already lower than it should be."
He turned to look at Lucia, who was gently touching the bark of the ironwood tree, her purple bat still perched on her shoulder.
"And I have a theory," Dante continued, his voice low and serious. "The purple bat. The fragmented ancestor. This spot…it's the perfect place for a vampire to recuperate from a long slumber. I think someone woke up."
Rowan looked from the huge, silent tree to his tiny daughter and her familiar. The pieces clicked into place with a chilling sense of dread.
"The King of Vampires," Rowan whispered, the words heavy and cold. "Lucia's great-great-great-grandfather. Alistair Bloodsworth."
"The very one," Dante confirmed, standing up. "The most powerful vampire to ever exist. He's loose, he's been here."
Before Rowan could even nod, a low, melodic voice echoed from the shadowed depths of the forest, a voice filled with ancient authority and a hint of controlled anger.
"Well, well. Look who finally decided to visit my sanctuary again."
A figure stepped from the shadows of the tree line. She was impossibly beautiful, with long, light green hair and deep, green eyes reflecting the greenery beautifully. She wore a white and light green dress and was floating on top of a large collection of thick, green stems with thorns.
The beautiful woman, Flaris, the Dryad of the Ironwood, floated forward, her thorny vine skirt barely brushing the forest floor. Her eyes, the color of new spring leaves, fixed immediately on Rowan. There was a complex mix of emotion in her gaze. It was displeasure, relief, and a deep, maternal affection.
"Flaris," Rowan said, his voice surprisingly soft and warm, devoid of his usual tone. He stepped forward, his massive frame dwarfing the lithe figure of the dryad.
"You haven't changed a bit, have you, my young boy?" Flaris said, her voice lilting, though the underlying tone held a reprimand that cut through his tough exterior. "You still carry more weight on your shoulders than you need to. It has been a long time, boy. Far, far too long."
Rowan paused, rubbing the back of his neck, like an embarrassed little boy caught skipping chores. "I know, Flaris. I should have visited. Life…it's been busy. And I didn't want to drain your mana by coming here unnecessarily."
Just to manifest herself in her human form, it took this ancient tree a lot of mana. She wouldn't show up in this form unless it was a visitor she cared for.
Flaris gave a small shake of her head. "Oh, please. Your simple visit would have cost me nothing, but your absence cost me much in peace of mind. I missed when you and your siblings would run around my little home."
Her mouth curled up to a beaming smile, like the blooming of a flower. Her smile made the forest around her seem brighter. "But look at you. You've become a truly handsome man, Rowan. Tall and strong, just as your father promised you would be."
Her green gaze swept over the children, who were standing wide-eyed and silent, clutching their little treasures and tools. Her expression softened further.
"And you brought company, too. Five beautiful little blossoms," Flaris murmured, her voice filled with wonder. She focused on Lucia, her eyes lingering on the tiny girl's purple cushion and the small, furry bat perched on her shoulder.
Lucia, sensing the dryad's attention, waved shyly. "Hello, miss! Are you the Queen of the forest?"
Flaris let out a melodic, genuine laugh. "Something like that, little one. And what are your names? Come, tell your Aunt Flaris who you are."
Lilly stepped forward first, holding her rapier. "I'm Lilly. This is my training sword. I want to be a duelist!"
"A duelist! Excellent!" Flaris approved, her eyes flashing with a spark of excitement.
Darius followed, holding up his reclaimed wooden sphere. "I am Darius. This is my first perfect carving. Your tree would make a nice carving, I think."
Flaris floated closer, examining the sphere with a knowing nod. "The soul of a creator. You will find much joy in the heart of wood, young Darius. But you must always ask the tree's permission before you take what is not yours."
Alexia presented her small collection case. "Aunt Flaris, I am Alexia. I've collected samples of the luminescent moss and the soil. Are you interested in potions?"
Flaris blinked and then gave an amused chuckle. "Potion making! What a big brain you have, little one. You must visit me when you begin your potion crafting. I have many rare ingredients that could change your world."
Alex stepped up next. "I'm Alex. I mostly just keep track of everything. It's nice to meet you, Aunt Flaris."
"A record keeper. Every good family needs one," Flaris smiled.
Finally, Flaris looked back at Lucia, who was still clutching her purple familiar. "And what about you, little one? What magic do you use?"
Lucia held up her purple bat. "He's my friend! He helps me find shiny things. He says the water here is yummy, but someone drank a lot of it."
The dryad's smile faded, and her gaze, now intensely serious, moved from Lucia's bat to Rowan, and then to Dante, who was standing nervously by the water.
"You all came to retrieve this," Flaris said, gesturing to Darius's sphere, her tone shifting slightly. "But I suspect there is a more pressing reason why your friend is staring at my pool, Rowan."
Rowan nodded, his playful smile gone. "There is. Flaris, Dante found a strong, residual vampire aura here. A very old one. We suspect Alistair Bloodsworth, Lucia's great-great-great-grandfather, was here. And we think he was recently awakened from stasis."
Flaris fell silent. The peaceful hum of the clearing faltered, and the ironwood tree's leaves rustled violently despite the lack of wind. Her vine skirt twisted, and the thorns visibly lengthened.
She had only been gone from her home for a day to take care of the plants near a place where some monsters fought recently. She only came back early because she had sensed the child of her beloved friend Clara coming by.
"Alistair?" she whispered, the name a chilling sound in the quiet space. "That cannot be. He was entombed. He was asleep. No one, not even his own line, could break those seals without his own wife's hand. I bet she wouldn't wake him up herself as the man needs to heal."
Dante took a cautious step forward, his hands held up in a gesture of peace. "Miss Flaris, you know that the residual aura doesnt lie. I felt it. He was here, and he was drawing deep from your pool to recuperate. The life-force signature is unmistakable, and the timing aligns with the emergence of Lucia's familiar, a possible fragment of his consciousness."
Flaris's green eyes narrowed, the ancient rage of the forest gathering in her expression. She fixed her gaze on Rowan. "And you. You knew of this girl's lineage, and you brought her, a child connected to one of the dangerous beings on the continent, into my home? A home you haven't visited in years, I might add!"
Rowan felt a little guilty hearing this. He really hadn't visited this friend of his mother's in a long time. He would come by often back in the day, before he went off to the army and when he came back, he became occupied with the farm and romance.
"She is my daughter. We came here to retrieve a toy. And unlike most of her clan, she doesn't have the violent bloodthirst." he said.
The dryad closed her eyes, the sheer weight of the dryad's tree pressing down on the clearing. After a long, agonizing moment, the tension eased, and the wind stopped.
"The Bloodsworth madness is vengeful bloodlust, Rowan," Flaris finally said, opening her eyes. "But Alistair… he was different. He was someone who preferred peace and preservation of family. He wouldn't have fought that black dragon if wasnt for it hadn't attacked first. And yes, he was here. I can feel it too."
She pointed a graceful finger toward the massive ironwood tree. "He was up there, in the highest branches, drawing the mana slowly, meticulously, without permission. And he was not alone."
Selene, who had been holding Rowan's greatsword, spoke up, her rapier-master's focus immediately engaging. "Not alone? A guard?"
"No," Flaris replied, her tone grave. "A woman. A creature of pure shadow, unlike what I can understand. I can not feel her clearly, but I feel her hunger. She was feeding him, keeping him stable. She was shielding him, cloaking his aura from my senses until it was too late."
Flaris floated down to the edge of the pool, her green dress nearly touching the water. She dipped a hand in, and a shimmering film of clear mana coated her skin. "He has left, and he has taken a great deal of my reserve with him. He is active, Rowan. And he has an accomplice."
She looked at Lucia again, her eyes softening. "But the little one… she is the key. Alistair has always had a protectiveness for his bloodline's young. The bat is perhaps his way of observing, of guiding, or perhaps even protecting the newest generation."
Lucia, oblivious to the gravity of the conversation, looked up at her father, her eyes wide. "Is my grandpa a monster, Daddy? The bat says he was hurt."
Rowan knelt, bringing his eyes level with hers, his massive hands resting gently on her shoulders. "No, Lu. He's family. And sometimes, family is complicated. Your grandpa is strong so he will be fine."
He turned back to Flaris. "What do we do? If he's loose, he's going to cause trouble. The King of Vampires is the last thing the continent needs with the drought looming."
Flaris sighed, the ancient weariness returning. "You must leave now. I need to close off my home and let the pool regenerate. But take this with you."
She plucked a thick, smooth, white bark from a branch of the ironwood tree. It glowed faintly in her hand. "This is a piece of the ironwood's heart. It is the strongest, most stable wood in the world. You can use it to communicate with me."
She then looked at Alexia. "And for you, little alchemist, take this." She extended a hand, and a small, perfectly preserved sapling of the ironwood, the size of a thumb, rested in her palm.
"Plant this in a small, well-tended pot, and keep it close to your little sister. It will act against all things that try to harm her."
Alexia accepted the seed with a nod. "Thank you, aunty. I will take care of it well."
Flaris then turned to the children. "My little blossoms, you must be brave. The forest is safe right now. Go home, and do not tell anyone you saw me. This must be our secret, for the safety of the woods."
She then locked eyes with Rowan, the lingering affection replacing the worry. "Go home, Rowan. Protect your beautiful children. And next time you visit, don't wait until a lost ball forces your hand. Bring your little ones here, and I will personally play with them."
Rowan gave a low, grateful bow for the seed that would protect Lucia. "Thank you, Flaris. For everything. I promise to visit more often."
He gathered his children, ensuring their things were secure. The moment they all stepped out of the clearing, the world twisted again, and they were back on the dim, dirt track of the outer forest. The air was instantly cooler, less vibrant, and the heavy scent of moss returned.
The Dryad was gone. If you took another step towards the dryad's home, you would get bounced back by a springy wall.