"Finally, we are here!" Arin exclaimed as he stepped off the pier and hurried towards the family's compound in the city. He barely gave himself time to look around before making his way through the streets, eager to reach the horses and continue their journey home. According to the letter, their arrival in the forest was of the highest priority, and failing to arrive on time would mean going against the wishes of their ancestors. Although he did his best not to show it, Arin was considerably more anxious than he wanted anyone to notice.
His urgency was so great that he failed to notice the unusually large military presence throughout the city. Soldiers were stationed at various locations, and military personnel seemed to be moving about with a purpose that was difficult to miss. It was an extraordinary sight, especially considering that the city was not currently under any immediate threat. Arin would only learn later that these forces had been deployed to ensure that every person belonging to the guild could reach the forest in time for the establishment of the mana vein.
Karl had apparently arranged the entire matter well in advance. He had approached Herman and asked him for a favour, promising to provide two thousand mana stones in return for his assistance. Although Herman had absolutely no idea what the Sonnenbergs intended to do with so many mana stones, he was certainly not foolish enough to ignore the significance of the request. He had spent the previous six months studying the available intelligence and understood that something important was taking place, even if he could not yet determine what it was.
Furthermore, anyone who had been paying close attention during the previous month would have noticed a rather unusual development. Every Trade Family and Great House had begun recalling its direct bloodline members and loyal servants wherever possible, making sure that the people most important to their respective organizations were present. Their ancestral lands were now filled with people, and the preparations taking place there were far more extensive than an ordinary family gathering. It was clear that something significant was about to happen, even if almost nobody outside the participating families knew exactly what to expect.
"Any idea why we need to hurry so much?" Bertho asked as he kept his head lowered and allowed his horse to maintain its full speed. He had noticed Arin's unusual behaviour and was beginning to wonder whether his cousin knew something that he had not been told. After all, receiving an urgent letter was one thing, but being expected to return at such a pace suggested that the matter was considerably more important than an ordinary family meeting. He glanced towards Arin, hoping to get at least some explanation.
"I have no idea, but we are about to find out," Arin replied. He was just as curious as Bertho, although his immediate concern was reaching the family compound as quickly as possible. Whatever the ancestors had planned, they clearly did not want anyone arriving late. There was little point in speculating while they were still on the road, so he focused on guiding his horse towards their destination.
Meanwhile, inside the Crimson Forest, Karl was overseeing the final preparations for the ceremony. He turned towards Bennie, who was standing near the arrangement of mana stones surrounding the Nature Heart sapling. The stones had been carefully placed in a circle, but Bennie still looked rather confused about the entire undertaking. He had been instructed to help with the preparations without receiving a proper explanation of what they were attempting to accomplish. Considering the number of people involved and the importance attached to the occasion, he was beginning to suspect that the ancestors were planning something extraordinary.
"Have all the mana stones been placed around the Nature Heart sapling?" Karl asked as he inspected the arrangement. His expression was serious, and his attention moved from one part of the formation to another, checking that everything had been prepared according to the instructions. The stones were not ordinary materials, and their placement was essential to the ceremony. A mistake at this stage would be unacceptable after everything the family had invested in making this day possible.
"Good. It is almost time. Has everyone arrived?" Karl asked again, this time looking towards the people responsible for overseeing the gathering. His stern expression made it clear that he expected a precise answer rather than an excuse. Teun was nearby, helping his father coordinate the ceremony and ensure that everyone was in their assigned position. He was just about to respond when a distant sound interrupted him.
The unmistakable sound of galloping horses approached the gathering. Several people turned towards the source of the noise, and Karl's expression changed slightly as he recognized that the last members of the group were finally arriving. Arin and the others had clearly pushed their horses to their limits to make up for the time spent travelling. Their arrival was just in time, although there was little room left for further delays.
As Arin brought his horse to a halt in front of Karl, he quickly dismounted and greeted the assembled family members. He was still catching his breath from the hurried journey, but he made sure to show the proper respect to the people gathered before him. The ancestors, elders, and patriarch were all present, making it immediately obvious that this was not an ordinary occasion. Bertho and the others followed his example as they approached the group.
"Hello, Patriarch. Ancestors. Elders," Arin greeted them, bowing slightly. The others repeated the greeting, showing their respect before waiting for further instructions. Karl acknowledged them with a small movement of his head, but he did not waste any time on unnecessary conversation. There was still something important that needed to be done before the appointed hour.
"Good. Now that everyone is here, I want you, Arin, to sit down and connect with the forest," Karl instructed. "Tell it to try to establish a connection with every single person sitting in the circle, especially those who belong to our bloodline." His words were direct, leaving little room for questions. He then turned around and pressed a button on the side of his watch, sending a signal to the other Great Houses and Trade Families that the Sonnenbergs were ready to begin.
Arin followed the instructions and found a suitable place to sit down. He closed his eyes and began reaching out towards the forest, allowing his awareness to spread through the familiar network of life surrounding him. However, the moment he established the connection, he was nearly overwhelmed by what he felt. While he had grown accustomed to the forest's presence and could usually understand its general condition, the emotions coming from it were far stronger than anything he had experienced before.
What on earth are we doing today that has the forest this worked up? Arin wondered inwardly. He could feel an almost overwhelming sense of joy spreading through the trees, plants, and even the smallest patches of grass. The entire forest seemed to be celebrating something, and the intensity of that emotion was unlike anything he had encountered in the past. It was so strong that he could barely understand how the forest could contain such excitement without expressing it in some more obvious way.
The condition of the forest only made the situation more confusing. Every blade of grass seemed to be in perfect condition, bursting with vitality as though it had received an extraordinary amount of nourishment. The trees appeared equally lively, and their branches seemed almost ready to produce fresh leaves despite the season. It was particularly strange considering that winter had only just passed. The forest should have been recovering from the cold, not behaving as though spring had already reached its peak.
In fact, it felt as though the entire forest had wound itself up and was waiting for the perfect moment to burst into life. Arin had never experienced anything quite like it, even during the most favourable periods of the year. The trees, grass, and surrounding vegetation all seemed to share the same excitement, creating an atmosphere that was almost impossible to describe. He could not help wondering whether the ceremony itself was responsible for this reaction.
As for Karl's instructions, Arin quickly discovered that the forest barely needed any guidance at all. The moment he attempted to direct its attention towards the people sitting in the circle, he realized that it was already gravitating towards them. The forest seemed eager to establish connections, and even a small stream of mana from an individual was enough to create a link. It was as though the entire environment had been waiting for this precise moment.
Arin continued guiding the process, making sure that the connections reached everyone in the gathering. He paid particular attention to the Sonnenberg bloodline, as Karl had specifically emphasized their importance. However, the forest's enthusiasm made the task considerably easier than he had expected. Rather than needing to persuade it to cooperate, he was almost struggling to keep up with its eagerness.
"Good. After three hours of waiting, the appointed time has finally arrived," Karl thought as he checked his watch. The gathering had remained in position throughout the wait, allowing the connections to settle and ensuring that everyone was ready. The atmosphere was tense, but nobody dared interrupt the ceremony with unnecessary conversation. Karl looked around one final time before preparing to begin.
At precisely five o'clock in the afternoon, he raised his head and started the ritual.
"Lady Gaia, I beseech you to help our family establish a true mana vein," Karl declared as he bowed towards the sky. His voice carried across the gathering, and the words were spoken with the seriousness appropriate for such an important request. The family had spent an enormous amount of money and resources to reach this moment, and the success of the ceremony would determine whether those sacrifices had been worthwhile. For Karl, there was no room for hesitation now.
Across the continent, similar speeches were being delivered at the ancestral lands of the other Great Houses and Trade Families. Their ceremonies began at the same appointed moment, following the schedule that had been carefully coordinated beforehand. As the requests were made, the ground beneath their feet began to illuminate. Runes and lines appeared across the surrounding earth, spreading outward in increasingly complicated patterns.
The formations were far more elaborate than anything most of the participants had ever witnessed. Lines crossed one another, connecting different sections of the ground and forming an intricate structure that extended in three dimensions. It was not simply a collection of runes drawn across a flat surface, but a complete formation that seemed to occupy the space around and beneath them. The participants could barely take in the entire arrangement before it began to change.
The mana stones started melting away, gradually disappearing into the ground as the formation absorbed their energy. The stones that had been carefully collected and transported for this very purpose were consumed one after another, their physical forms dissolving as their mana entered the formation. The light intensified, and the complicated network of runes continued to spread. Everyone present watched in silence, waiting for the final response.
Then a single word was spoken.
"Granted."
The neutral voice boomed across the forest, reaching everyone who had participated in the ceremony. It carried no obvious emotion, yet its declaration was unmistakable. The request had been accepted, and the ritual had succeeded. At that very moment, the terrifying pressure that had surrounded the gathering suddenly disappeared.
The ground was now filled with a formation made entirely of mana. The runes and lines remained visible, but their appearance had changed, as though the energy that had once required the mana stones had become a permanent part of the structure. While the people above ground could only see the result of the ceremony, something far more important was taking place beneath their feet. Deep underground, something was being nurtured.
At the same time, the entire forest went wild with joy. The trees and vegetation seemed to respond to the successful establishment of the mana vein, and the forest's excitement grew even stronger than before. It was almost as though the surrounding nature had begun performing a dance to celebrate what had just happened. Arin, who remained connected to it, could feel the overwhelming happiness spreading through every part of the forest.
Similar scenes were unfolding across Europe. At the ancestral lands of the other Great Houses and Trade Families, the ceremonies had also been completed, and the results were becoming impossible to conceal. The formations had appeared, the mana stones had been consumed, and the requests had been granted. Whatever had happened beneath the ground, it was clearly not an isolated event involving only the Sonnenbergs.
However, before the spies stationed around the various ancestral lands could properly relay the information to their superiors, an announcement was released to the world. The timing was deliberate, and the message left little room for anyone to ignore what was coming. It stated that Orazio Vassevilliers would make an announcement the following morning at eleven o'clock regarding the use of mana stones and the establishment of true mana veins.
The announcement sent the world into a frenzy. Newsrooms immediately erupted into activity as journalists, editors, and analysts scrambled to understand what the statement could mean. The connection between mana stones and genuine mana veins was something that governments, researchers, and powerful organizations had been trying to understand for months. Now, one of Europe's most influential figures was promising to address the matter publicly.
The financial markets reacted just as dramatically. Stock exchanges across the world experienced sudden movements as investors attempted to anticipate the consequences of the announcement. Companies connected to mining, mana stones, cultivation, and the emerging mana economy suddenly found themselves under intense scrutiny. Nobody knew exactly what Orazio intended to reveal, but the possibility that mana stones could be used to establish real mana veins was enough to shake the entire global economy.
For the Great Houses and Trade Families, however, the most important part of the day had already passed. Their ceremonies had succeeded, and the world was only beginning to realize what had happened. By the time Orazio stepped forward the following morning, the consequences of the day's events would already be spreading far beyond Europe.