𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐖𝐍 || 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 | 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

Chapter LXII: Withering Lives

Ruler of All Realms Pt. 4

A/N: As a present for William Vangeance's birthday, here is an update! I actually cut this chapter in half because it's yet to be finished, but I think it's better that way.

~

SOLENE FOLLOWED the dwindling mana path faintly humming beneath the ground, leading to a wide forest, near the western border about three miles away from the farthest towns of the west Forsaken Realm—Barlow and Zargos.

Yuno had told her more about how William’s World Tree Sanctuary worked, informing her about activating magic ley lines that connected the roots of Yggdrasil to every part of the kingdom. Only the Wizard King could see the ley lines in all its glory, but they should be able to sense its magical power surging in the ground and follow them like a path.

It was her first reconnaissance mission with other Magic Knight squads, so she was a bit more nervous than before. Even more so when Yuno had assigned her on her own, and now she was tracking how far this magical ley line would go until she got to the border outpost of Zargos.

She would’ve arrived there thirty minutes ago if she hadn’t sensed that William's magic was faltering the farther she walked. The mana was getting fainter and fainter until she could no longer sense it.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as she looked up to where her feet took her—what was once an enchanted forest was now drained of all life. Its leaves had withered, its branches dried and diminished, and its roots creeped up the ground as if it was reacting to something. Something that looked like death.

Or poison. Solene thought. She picked up her courage to go deeper into the forest, remembering that she and Sophia once investigated this forest because of an enchanted wild beast. She almost set a cataclysmic wildfire throughout the entire forest, but it was saved because of Sophia’s magic. She couldn’t say the same about its state now. The enchanted forest was beyond saving. There was no hint nor any spark of mana in the whole area.

If ever, it felt like the opposite of enchanted. The withered trees loomed over her like haunted ghosts that whispered of revenge and cried of sorrow, so much sorrow, that she thought it might drive her mad—that her life might as well get drained like the rest of them.

She stopped in her tracks when she spotted a peculiar marking on a large oak tree whose strength was sucked out of it; its branches looked like bones and its bark as dark as a starless, moonless night.

Behold, a faint marking of a white serpent slithering upwards. It did not look like it was carved into the tree when Solene touched it, rather it seemed like it was part of the tree. It almost seemed like it was a symbol. Or a sign.

Or a spell.

Could this forest be… poisoned?

She quickly pulled out her communication device, contacting Yuno as soon as possible. She had to let him know of this information. A similar occurrence showed in a report from the new squad of patrols composed of Magic Knights from the Green Praying Mantises and Blue Rose Knights in charge of checking the disturbances in the remains of the Forsythe Fortress. It had been a heavy blow to the Golden Dawn when they learned that the forest where the Ents were residing had all been emaciated. Solene couldn’t imagine what William’s reaction was like when he learned about it. Fortunately, according to Yuno, Nion and the other surviving Ents have successfully evacuated, using their tunneling system to get into the kingdom where they would be safe within William’s spell. It was the night after Solene had returned to the Golden Dawn.