Anuver walked leisurely through the silent streets of the elven city, hands in his pockets, taking in the sights with open curiosity.
That guy earlier… he thought, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. If I remember the game lore right, he was supposed to be a future subordinate of Karou. Loyal elf knight, tragic backstory, the works. Guess he just got speedrun-deleted instead.
Audrey followed a step behind, silent, face pale. Her vines twitched nervously around her wrists, but she made no move to stop him.
They reached the base of the world-tree a trunk so massive it blotted out the twin suns, roots thicker than houses arching overhead like natural cathedrals.
The air here was thick with life: glowing pollen drifting like snow, faint songs of unseen birds, the constant hum of pure mana.
Anuver stopped, turning to her with a casual tilt of his head.
"Audrey. Now will you hand it over… or should I take it myself?"
Audrey hesitated only a heartbeat. Then she stepped forward, placing both palms against the smooth bark.
The tree responded instantly.
Massive roots shifted and parted with a deep, resonant groan. Bark folded inward like living doors, revealing a hidden portal a swirling gateway of emerald light leading into a pocket realm.
They stepped through.
The world changed.
No more city or sky. Just an endless expanse of pure, vibrant life: floating islands of moss and flowers, rivers of liquid light suspended in air, trees bearing fruits that pulsed with divine energy. At the center hovered Audrey's real body the colossal, ancient core of Domain 3 itself.
A towering feminine figure formed from the world-tree's heartwood, hundreds of meters tall, hair of cascading vines and leaves, skin of smooth bark etched with glowing runes.
Eyes closed, as if in eternal meditation. Roots and branches extended from her like limbs, cradling the domain's essence.
Anuver looked up at it, genuine appreciation in his gaze.
So this is it. In the game, we had to grind tons of quests, reputation, side stories… just to meet Audrey's real body.
He glanced back at the smaller Audrey the avatar who had stopped a few steps behind, eyes fixed on her true form with something between awe and dread.
"The real Goddess of Verdant Life," Anuver said softly, tone carrying that familiar mocking edge. "And an old friend of Anuver. Now… mine, old friend."
Audrey's avatar stopped completely, breath catching.
The avatar Audrey collapsed to the ground, her body going limp and motionless like a marionette whose strings had been severed. Her emerald hair spilled across the mossy floor, eyes closed, chest no longer rising an empty shell.
At the same instant, the colossal true body shuddered violently.
Bark cracked along its massive limbs with sharp, echoing snaps.
Vines retracted with a rustling hiss, pulling back into the trunk like recoiling serpents. The towering figure began to shrink folding inward, condensing with a low, resonant groan that vibrated through the entire pocket realm.
Leaves fluttered down like rain as the giant form compressed, light pulsing brighter with each reduction.
In mere seconds, the hundreds-of-meters-tall incarnation had transformed into a small, human-sized woman standing gracefully in the center of the realm.
Her vibe was completely different from the avatar no longer cold and guarded, but ancient, relaxed, with a playful warmth that radiated like sunlight through leaves.
Long, wild hair the color of fresh spring foliage cascaded down her back, moving slightly as if stirred by an unseen breeze. Her skin was pale and smooth, marked with faint vine-like patterns that glowed softly.
She wore a simple dress woven from living petals and moss, clinging loosely to her curvaceous figure.
She tilted her head, jade-green eyes sparkling with mischief, lips curving into a teasing smile that revealed perfect white teeth.
"Ohh, dear," she said, voice light and melodic, laced with playful affection. "You're finally here to take the fragment, huh?" She stepped closer, hips swaying gently, one hand resting on her curve as she leaned forward slightly. "But can't you tell me why you need it so suddenly?"
Anuver's golden eyes met hers without flinching. No harm in telling her, he thought, a faint, confident smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Of course," he replied smoothly, his smile widening into something warm yet knowing. "To revive him."
Her teasing expression vanished in an instant. The playful spark in her eyes died, replaced by sharp seriousness. Her posture straightened, shoulders squaring, lips pressing into a thin line as her brows furrowed deeply.
"Stop lying," she said firmly, voice losing all lightness. She crossed her arms beneath her chest, fingers tapping impatiently against her elbow. "If you.had any intention of reviving him, you would've done it long ago. Why now?"
Anuver walked closer to her, steps deliberate and unhurried, his silver hair shifting slightly with the movement. He stopped just inches away, towering over her smaller form, golden eyes locking onto hers with calm intensity.
"Oh dear," he said softly, voice dropping to a low, reassuring murmur. "You were sleeping, so you don't know. The darkness has been born again, and we need his power to stop it."
Audrey shook her head sharply, loose strands of green hair whipping across her face. She uncrossed her arms, one hand gesturing dismissively as her expression twisted into disbelief.
"Hey, don't take me for a fool," she snapped, eyes narrowing. "I know your strength, and whatever shit that darkness is, it's not even close to one percent of what you're capable of."
She held his gaze for a long moment, searching his face, then let out a resigned sigh. Her shoulders slumped slightly, the tension easing from her posture as she dropped her hands to her sides.
"But whatever," she muttered, voice softening again. "There's no point arguing with you."
She brought her hands together in front of her chest, fingers interlacing precisely. A soft green glow ignited between her palms, spreading outward like rippling water.
The massive, empty shell of her former true body behind her tore open with a deep, rumbling crack bark splitting wide, roots peeling back like flesh.
There it was.
Suspended in the air at the center a broken diamond, no larger than a fist, pitch black.
Not dark. Pitch black. Light bent around it, swallowed whole. No reflection, no depth just absolute absence in crystalline form.
That thing had been continuously guarded with life energy in a never-ending loop glowing roots weaving and unweaving around it eternally, keeping it contained, keeping it dormant.
Anuver's eyes fixed on it, his smile returning slow, satisfied, and undeniably excited.