Anuver's voice remained light, almost conversational, as if he were asking about the weather.
"Oh? From your reaction… you know exactly where it is."
Audrey's fear spiked. The bow in her hands snapped up again, arrow nocked and drawn, the tip glowing with concentrated divine power the full might of a domain goddess channeled into one desperate shot.
"Wh… why do you need the fragments?" Her voice shook, but her aim held steady. "Aren't you already strong enough?"
Anuver tilted his head, considering her question with genuine amusement.
Hm. She really doesn't know.
The original Anuver had hidden his true motives even from the goddesses. He'd scattered the fragments himself, but never told anyone why. Not even them.
But I know. I remember the game files, the hidden lore, the ending nobody reached.
The fragments aren't just power. They're the key to what comes after.
He met her eyes again, smile widening.
"Why? To revive him, of course."
The words hit Audrey like a physical blow.
Her fingers released.
The arrow flew a streak of pure verdant light, carrying every drop of her divine authority, enough to level mountains and shatter lesser gods.
Anuver leaned slightly to the side.
The arrow missed by inches, streaking past his ear and exploding harmlessly against a distant ancient tree, carving a smoking crater into the bark.
He didn't even blink.
"Oh dear," he said softly, stepping forward until he was close enough to see the tremor in her hands. "Why so furious? Are you that against reviving a dead person?"
Audrey's breath came in sharp gasps. "You're out of your mind. That's not a person. Everyone knows what it is… and you the very being who defeated it are going to revive it? Why?"
She steadied her voice, forcing steel into it. "If you don't tell me, you'll never get the fragment."
Anuver's smile turned playful. Shit, acting is hard when you already know everything… but damn, this is fun.
In the space between one heartbeat and the next, he was simply there beside her.
His hand settled lightly on her waist, fingers resting against the living bark armor as if it were silk.
"Relax," he murmured, voice low and warm against her ear.
Audrey's eyes flew wide. She hadn't seen him move. Hadn't felt the air shift. One moment he was in front of her, the next he was at her side, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body.
How…? Even against the strongest gods, I should have sensed…
Her bow lowered involuntarily, hands trembling.
"Why… are you doing this?" The question came out small, fear finally overtaking her defiance.
Anuver's thumb traced a slow circle against her waist, casual, almost affectionate.
"Relax, relax," he repeated. "I won't kill you. In fact… let's explore that village together. I want to see it."
Before she could protest, his arm slid fully around her waist, guiding her forward toward the great translucent barrier that domed the elven capital.
Audrey stiffened but didn't resist couldn't resist.
Anuver stopped just in front of the shimmering wall of energy, tilting his head as he studied it.
"Hm. This barrier is fascinating. Pure energy of creation… looks like you've been using my artifacts quite well, dear."
He spoke the last two words in a language Audrey had never heard ancient, resonant, carrying the weight of something older than the Domains themselves.
She stared at him, confused. What tongue is that? I've never…
Anuver waited a beat, listening.
No response.
Hm. Still not awake yet. Did I come too early? No… I'm right on time. So why the silence?
With a soft sigh more curious than annoyed he reached out and touched the barrier with two fingers.
The entire dome rippled.
Then shattered like glass, dissolving into motes of light that drifted away on the wind.
Audrey's face went pale.
"This… you've gone mad. Why would you destroy the barrier? It keeps the elves safe from the monsters outside!"
Anuver turned to her, silver hair catching the twin sunlight, golden eyes gleaming with quiet excitement.
He smiled.
"Because, Audrey… the fun's just starting."
The barrier's dissolution sent a shockwave through the endless green. Leaves rustled in a sudden wind, birds scattered from the canopy in panicked flocks, and distant howls rose from the outer forests monsters sensing the protection was gone.
Audrey's face drained of color. She whirled toward the now-open city, vines around her wrists twitching as if trying to rebuild the shield by instinct.
"You… you've doomed them," she whispered, voice cracking. "The elves… the children… the monsters will swarm in minutes."
Anuver didn't even glance at the horizon. His hand stayed loosely on her waist, thumb tracing idle circles against the living bark armor.
"Relax," he said again, tone light, almost bored. "They'll be fine."
Audrey stared at him, jade eyes blazing with a mix of terror and fury. "How can you say that? You just "
With a casual flicker of his free hand, reality rippled once more.
The shattered barrier reformed in an instant stronger, thicker, humming with a deeper golden undertone beneath the verdant green. Not Audrey's original shield. Something far more absolute.
The distant howls cut off abruptly, as if an invisible wall had slammed down.
Anuver finally released her waist and stepped forward, hands in his pockets, gazing at the elven city with open appreciation.
"Shit… this looks way better than on a PC screen."
Graceful spires of living wood twisted toward the twin suns. Bridges of woven vines swayed gently between massive branches. Waterfalls cascaded from platforms high above, catching the light in rainbow mist. Elves lithe, pointed-eared, clad in leaf-woven armor lined the edges, bows drawn, faces pale with panic.
But the moment they spotted Audrey walking unharmed beside the intruder, the tension shifted. Bows lowered slightly. Whispers spread like wind through leaves.
Anuver strolled toward the heart of the city: the colossal world-tree, its trunk stretching impossibly high into the canopy, roots forming natural archways wide enough for armies to march through.
An elven warrior tall, silver-haired, clad in ornate leaf-mail, wielding a sword of glowing wood stepped forward boldly. He leveled the blade at Anuver's throat.
"You! Who are you? How dare you barge into this sacred land?"
His voice rang with authority. "Get on your knees this instant!"
Anuver stopped, blinking once.
Huh. Is this guy stupid? He's blocking me even after seeing Audrey right here?
Audrey's face went even paler. She recognized the warrior one of her elite guardians and pure dread flashed in her eyes at his suicidal arrogance.
She stepped forward quickly. "Move. Now." Her voice was ice-cold, laced with divine command. "If you don't want to lose your life without even a chance to reincarnate in the next cycle."
The elf's eyes widened. He dropped his sword and stumbled back, bowing deeply.
But the damage was done.
The moment the thought crossed his mind Who is he, acting so arrogant in front of the Goddess of Verdant Life? his body exploded.
No sound. No warning.
One instant he was there.
The next only a fine red mist drifting on the breeze, staining the nearby leaves.
Elves gasped. Some screamed. Others fell to their knees.
Audrey froze, staring at the empty space where her guardian had stood.
Anuver didn't even look back. He just kept walking toward the world-tree, hands still in his pockets, as if nothing had happened.
"Anyway," he said casually over his shoulder, "lead the way, Audrey. We've got a fragment to pick up."
The city fell deathly silent.
And Audrey trembling, terrified, and utterly powerless followed.