A TALE OF CAGES AND VINES (COMPLETE)

PART 13 - SALVATION

Salvation

A moment later, the ground started to shake and Kalen watched in awe as a new Dev rose from the Stone formation in a glowing green pond. He was now clearly a woman. She was...she was just utterly dazzling. Her face smooth. No scars on her skins and she was dressed in a long greenish white dress that covered her ankles. Her hair was dark drown but the lips of her hair was green. It hung down loose and she wore a simple headband of that liked to be carved out of wood. Her usual tattoos were gone replaced with new glowing reddish and green ones.

He thought this was just devastating. He was watching the birth of a new creature. And it terrified him for some reason. He looked down at the captain and was relived to see him alive.

When he looked back up, he saw that Dev was levitating a foot's length above the water. She opened her eyes which were now glowing a faint green though he could see a tinge of red in there. Dev blinked once before scanning the place. Slowly, she took her first steps towards land.

The trees seemed to move with every step she took. Once she stepped on the land, fresh white flowers sprang up from where her feet step. Looking down, she smiled for the first time and kneeled down to touch the blossoms.

"Dev?" Kalen called out gently.

"Devika," She replied in most amazing voice he had heard. It sounded like the old Dev but now it had a certain twang to it. It made his heart beat fast. She stood and looked to him as Kalen gulped before asking, "What?"

"That is my name now," Devika said as she took one step towards him. Then another. And another. Until she was right in front of him.

"Leave, now. I will not hurt you as long as you promise to never return to this land," she told him as her hands began to glow green.

"Dev...I mean, Devika, "Kalen corrected himself hastily, "The war, I can't just up and leave..."

Devika smiled at him, "You will...Because this war is no longer this land's problem, "She kneeled reached out to touch his cheek, "This war will leave my land. And so will you, Ranger Holloway."

Kalen looked pained though her hands felt so soft. No longer rough and full of callouses from her years of handling pickaxes and ropes," I..."

"But I will never forget you. I will remember your name and your family in return. For the kindness you have shown me, one day if I do meet your descendants, I will aid them."

She stood and then walked past him," When I return, you must not be around. Ulsa will rise again and anyone not bearing Zelowalli blood will perish."

Kalen watched her before nodding and moved to helped the captain. He could probably him carry out and to a horse. As he began constructing his plan, he was taken aback by the sound of trees uprooting and being swirled around in greenish magic. The trees were coming to life.

Thinking fast, he pulled the captain by his arms and tried to leave as fast as he could.

Dev or rather, Devika was going to do something and he needed to be far away before that happened.

Devika raised her glowing hands as her pupils flashed green. In her minds eye, she constructed the perfect creature. A ferocious man made from the trees, with twin horns and a terrifying face. The eyes would flash red and green and they would carry spears. She needed at least a dozen of them.

The second creatures had to be huge, with big horns and carried rocks or boulders. They're bodies would be made from Witchka, so they were the perfect bait and killing creatures. The were all fashioned from Ferdinand's image.