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The three-stop journey that was more or less connected to Nara Varuna finally came to an end.
After returning to Vanarana, Lumine wanted to go and see the Vanarana of the past, but was told that it had already been sealed, so she had no choice but to give up.
However, with Araja's reminder, they realized that there were still several Aranara who were closely connected to Nara Varuna. They had once participated in the Festival Utsava together with Nara Varuna as well… and had been deeply influenced by him.
For example, those who didn't care much about cooking, yet went outside to train in culinary practice.
For example, those who had no concept of age or gender, yet took on the roles of older sibling and younger sibling.
Lumine found Arapacati, the Aranara who, like herself, played the role of a younger sibling.
"About the matter of 'siblings'…"
"When Arapacati and the older siblings heard Nara Varuna talk about 'little sibling,' he felt very happy, and also very sad. So, we understood that, to an 'older sibling,' a 'little sibling' is a very important Nara, and to a 'little sibling,' an 'older sibling' is also a very important Nara."
Arapacati seemed to have misunderstood the question slightly, and the question itself had been somewhat vague, so Lumine did not interrupt.
"We thought it was very good, so Arapacati and the older siblings decided to become 'older siblings' and 'younger siblings' too. Nara Varuna said that this was very good, and that one must cherish their family."
"That's right, you must cherish your family…" After a brief pause, Lumine asked again, "Did he… did Nara Varuna ever tell you about his little sibling?"
"He did. He talked about her a lot, a lot."
Thinking of Cloud Retainer—if it were Aether, it shouldn't come to that… Still, Lumine's expression tightened slightly. She pulled Arapacati aside, away from Paimon and Victor Wang, to talk in private at a distance.
When she returned, Victor Wang saw that all doubt had vanished from her face. The matter of Nara Varuna being Aether should be settled.
After that, Lumine decided to help Arapacati call back the four older siblings who had long been outside training in culinary practice.
The Varuna Contraption, the Ruin Golem, and the Ashvattha Tree—each of the previous three stops had something novel and fascinating. This stop, however, didn't really require revisiting the past. After some thought, Victor Wang chose to split up from Lumine and fulfill the responsibility Arana had brought him here for.
To deal with the Withering that the Aranara had not yet noticed—the three Ashvattha's Concourse, as well as the Fane of Ashvattha.
"The Ashvattha's Concourse are very sacred, very sacred places. We usually don't go there, so we don't know where they are. If Nara Victor wants to check Marana, then we can go look for them."
"If we still need to search, then forget it."
Victor Wang was only informing them. He already knew the locations of the three Ashvattha's Concourse, as well as the melodies of the three Aranara who had turned into Vasara Trees. With that knowledge, even without Aranara accompaniment, he could complete the task of clearing the Withering on his own.
Acting alone, and making use of teleportation, would actually save a great deal of time.
He then asked Arama, "What about the Fane of Ashvattha? Can I go take a look?"
The location of the Fane of Ashvattha wasn't hard to miss—it lay between Vanarana and the Vanarana of the past. The simple Aranara held no doubt toward the goodwill of a good Nara, so Arama led Victor Wang there.
"The environment here is very good. It doesn't look like it has been eroded by Marana, but the state of the Ashvattha Tree is a bit strange… it feels somewhat weak. Maybe it's related to the Marana that's been sprouting everywhere lately."
"…"
"Nara Victor? This is the Ashvattha Tree. It's a very, very amazing tree. All Aranara are the children of this tree."
"I sensed the presence of Marana within the Ashvattha Tree…"
"?!"
Arama was so frightened that he flung himself backward.
"Nara Victor is very strong. If it's real, then it should be inside the Ashvattha Tree's dream! But you are not a child of the forest—only I can go inside… If we really encounter Marana, that would be very scary…"
Normally, one would need a Festival Utsava garland to gain the Ashvattha Tree's recognition. Victor Wang didn't have one. He took out a few small flowers he had obtained while helping around earlier and cautiously extended his hand toward the tree.
A ring of green light first spread across the Ashvattha Tree, acknowledging Victor Wang. Then, he entered the tree's dream.
Arama, who had been left standing there in a daze, hesitated for a moment before mustering his courage and following him in.
What he saw inside made his heart tremble.
"How could this be… There really is Marana inside the Ashvattha Tree's dream…"
"We're here to help."
Victor Wang was already taking action. With his current strength, a Withering of this scale was nothing to him. In less than a minute, dozens of Rifthounds were reduced to ashes, and the Withering Tumor was destroyed.
But Arama couldn't feel happy.
"The Ashvattha Tree has already been eroded by Marana to this extent. It can no longer give birth to new seeds… We must report this to Araja immediately…"
…
"Didn't Nara Lumine and Paimon go to call back Arapacati's older siblings? Why are you back so quickly?"
"Hehe, because we can teleport!"
"So it was teleportation."
"Eh? You're not surprised?"
Araja leaned on its small cane and tried hard to recall. "Aramuhukunda's Arangalarri was also called 'teleportation.' Using Sarva, one could travel quickly. I should have experienced it personally long ago, though I forgot. Later, I heard about it again in stories."
This time, it was Paimon who was shocked. "Aranara can teleport too?!"
"Hehe, Paimon, don't be surprised. Aranara can turn witnessed deeds into Arangalarri, so as long as we keep growing, we can become very, very strong."
"No wonder… Aramuhukunda was the first Aranara. He's seen so much—he must be the strongest, right?"
"The strongest Aranara is Aradasha. He can defeat iron monsters as big as mountains, and can even use stone locks to bind those iron monsters."
"You're not talking about those super huge Ruin Golems, are you?"
In an instant, Paimon's expression was priceless. After the shock, she asked, "Lumine, could you do that too?!"
Lumine couldn't help thinking about it herself, but said aloud, "Paimon, where is this sudden competitive spirit coming from?"
"It's not competition! Look, Araja has been smiling this whole time. Hurry and say you can do it too!"
"Hehe, this old one isn't laughing at Nara. This old one is thinking that when Nara Victor and Arama return, and when Arachatora, Arasaka, Arapas, and Araphala also return, everyone can hold the Festival Utsava. The Aranara's Nara friends, and the Nara's Aranara friends, singing joyfully together."
"I see…" Paimon scratched her head awkwardly. "Wait, isn't this a bit sudden?"
"This is called a surprise among Nara."
"I kind of guessed it," Lumine whispered.
"Hehe, look—Nara Victor and Arama are back." Thinking about how, after such a long, long time, they would hold the Festival Utsava again, Araja couldn't help but feel happy. "But… Arama seems a little unhappy?"
Of course, Arama was unhappy. He looked completely wilted.
"The Ashvattha Tree has been eroded by Marana…"
"The Ashvattha Tree has been eroded by Marana?!"
Araja's joy vanished instantly, replaced entirely by shock.
"But doesn't the Festival Utsava produce Bija? We can use Bija to save the Ashvattha Tree, right? 'Bija is very powerful. As long as it's a wish to help others, it can be fulfilled.' I remember it being said like that."
"Paimon is very smart, but Bija is borne from the Ashvattha Tree… To obtain Bija, we must first heal the Ashvattha Tree… But to heal the Ashvattha Tree, we need Bija."
"Ah… this…"
Victor Wang spoke unhurriedly. "Don't worry. I already noticed something was off there earlier, so I asked the Dendro Archon for you. She might be able to repair the Ashvattha Tree."
"Greater Lord Rukkhadevata… With her power, it might really be possible."
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