Chapter 22: We Need a Druid
Agnes Lafarlia Delastir. Her name was once a legend in Hai-Teweru. The most gifted Druid in history. It was said that at her birth, animals gathered, butterflies danced around her, birds sang in the trees, and even nearby humans felt compelled to offer their praise.
A child prodigy in Druidic magic, she received the finest education from a young age. By six, she had mastered basic Druidic spells. By ten, she had mastered all the Druidic paths. By thirteen, she surpassed all other Druids.
She had surpassed her teachers, but her journey had just begun. Her most remarkable ability was her nightly meditation, replacing sleep, allowing her to commune with nature, each session bringing new insights, new spells, which she shared with her fellow Druids.
They quickly recognized her talent, naming her a Sage, a title reserved for the most accomplished Druids. And among the Sages, the most powerful, the one who had contributed the most to Druidic arts, was known as the Grand Sage.
Agnes became Grand Sage at the age of fifteen. Wood Elves matured slowly, their lifespans twice as long as humans’. They reached adulthood at thirty-four, roughly equivalent to a human’s seventeenth year. Agnes, at fifteen, was like a human child of seven and a half.
But no Druid questioned her worthiness. Her knowledge was so profound that some even suspected she was an avatar of the God of Nature himself.
Her legend spread throughout the Elven Kingdoms, a loose confederation often led by the wise Gray Elves, but lacking a single leader. The elves, recognizing her wisdom, saw her as their spiritual leader, a role she neither accepted nor rejected.
Despite her fame, she was humble and reclusive. Few outside the Elven Kingdoms had ever seen her. The portraits that depicted her were based on legends, varying wildly in their interpretations, from tall and imposing to small and childlike, even a few depicting her as a handsome young man.
This promising young genius, who could have ushered in a new era for Druidic arts, died at the age of twenty. The seas were turbulent that year, storms raging, preventing ships from sailing.
The storms themselves weren’t a major threat, but they were followed by the most devastating tsunami in recorded history. The massive waves threatened to engulf half the continent. Mortal magic was no match for such power. Even the combined efforts of all the elven mages couldn’t withstand a tenth of its force.
Agnes arrived as the waves approached the coast, only a few kilometers away. Without hesitation, she chose to face the tsunami alone, knowing that if other mages joined her, few would survive, leaving the Elven Kingdoms vulnerable to human invasion.
The young Druid, with her immense power, held back the tsunami, sacrificing her life to save her people, her heroic act becoming a legend, a source of both pride and sorrow.
Abyss needed her power. Although his memories of her were vague, he knew she was incredibly powerful, capable of influencing nature across the entire continent.
The phenomenon of animals learning magic was spreading, and this genius Druid was the only one who could reverse it without disrupting the balance of nature, a feat even Flora couldn’t achieve. Although Flora was a powerful Divine Arts user, her powers were focused on healing and protection, not on manipulating nature.
Abyss, although a mage, couldn’t control the world’s animals. He needed a specialist.
And then there was the matter of the Lord of Nightmares.
He had tried asking the Nine Gods for advice, but they had ignored him, his prayers unanswered.
They were likely annoyed. He had defeated an Outer God, but they weren’t obligated to reward him. They had simply used each other for their own purposes. And now he was asking them for help in restoring the Outer God’s power for his own use? That was absurd.
Neither Abyss nor the Nine Gods were fools. They knew their alliance was temporary, their goals ultimately conflicting.
Since the Nine Gods wouldn’t help, Abyss turned to Agnes, hoping she could provide some insights into the Lord of Nightmares’ current state.
The Outer God was now a tree. Perhaps Agnes knew how to care for it, how to restore its power? She possessed a fragment of the Creator God’s power. Perhaps she had a solution?
As for how to convince this powerful Druid to join him, he hadn’t figured that out yet, but he wasn’t worried. He had his three followers, and they seemed to have a close bond. Agnes, no matter how eccentric, was still human, wasn’t she? She couldn’t be a monster, could she?
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