After seeing the walls ane, I thought nothing could impress me anymore, but I was wrong. The tree in front of my eyes is a true marvel of nature, though it’s hard to believe that water and sunlight alone could have produced such monstrosity. Tall enough that its top is out of sight, and wide enough to exhaust orying to walk around it, this tree is undeniably the sn of the forest, the king among kings. Straight and bare like all the other a ohis immense oak ands respect from its peers, which do not approach within a hundred meters, leaving it tn at the ter of a clearing scattered with shrass and roots that seem to bear the weight of the world. A mystrite stone as rge as a house is lodged half the trunk—assuming it’s as tall as I imagine—flooding the entire area with a dazzling glow from its wooden prison.

  As I approach the trunk—because my legs seem to have kept walking without my sent—I begin to notice details carved into the bark of this vegetal pilr. I don't know what divine force could have cut into such bark, but it wouldn’t have had much more trouble slig through a mountain. Two particurly visible cuts spiral around the trunk from its base up to about fifty meters high. Ihese twin serpents divide into thin branches, each leading to outgrowths that bud from the wooden armor. Now close enough that the trunk fills my entire field of vision, it seems these outgrowths are topped with snted wooden pnks aligned side by side...

  ～ Could those be… roofs?! Is that really what I’m seeing? No, it ’t be... Are there houses built into the cracks of the bark?!

  As if to shatter my doubts, a male voice suddenly rings out from one of the bark’s cavities, urging a panion to hurry up a ready. Another voice responds wearily before the sound of a smming door echoes to my ears. I finally see the two men desding along one of the branches carved directly into the bark, the first scolding the sed for smming the door carelessly. Reag one of the two main notches, they start running along the spiral path and are quickly hidden oher side of the trunk.

  — Don’t tell me you live in this... thing? I ask bewildered, uo find a word fitting enough to describe su enormity.

  — Ishizora, let me introduce you to Elvijkiar, the eldest of the elders, the wisdom of the world, the heart of nature, and, as you guessed, it’s also my home.

  I ’t believe my ears. It seems I could spend my entire life wandering through Historia and this try would never cease to surprise me.

  — e on, follow me. Mother is waiting for us oher side, he says casually before striding off.

  — She’s waiting for us?! How does she know—

  — Mother knows everything, he interrupts without even turning around, cutting off my question with the fewest words possible.

  ～ Mother knows everything! Well, that’s clear enough.

  I linger for a few seds, staring at the gigantic trunk, trying in vain to capture its summit. When my neck starts to ache, I hurry after Natsuki, who is not waiting for me.

  Now that I’m just a few meters from the trunk, I barely make out its curve. The only proof that I’m not moving in a straight line is that the sery ges slightly as we go around the obstacle. A few moments ter, we pass under a re enough to probably shelter aire family of grizzlions, including cousins and grandparents, with still enough room for them to dance around a campfire. Just thinking about it makes me smile. Old Tak often told me I had aive imagination and that it would be a powerful on iure. I ’t really see how imagining grizzlions dang around a fire could be of any use, but it wouldn’t be the first time I get a headache trying to make sense of his words. The root plunges into the ground about twenty meters ahead, like a giahworm that fell asleep and fot to hide its rear end. This part of the tree, g luminous stones, is a true refuge for darkness. I y eyes and ihe fresh air cirg there. Uhe stagnant air that made me dizzy during my st visit to these woods, the ohe trunk is as pure as it is soothing.

  Once ba the light, my eyes squint for a brief moment. When I open them again, I see people busy with various activities. Young, shirtless, sweat-drenched men lean against the trunk, wiping themselves with towels while admiring the fruits of their hard bor, which appears to be a massive pile of logs. They smile, clearly satisfied with their work. A young woman brings them something to drink, and they start chatting together, their versation occasionally punctuated by loud ughter. A man and a womaurn from the forest with wicker baskets filled with bdry, talking with smiles on their faces. A young girl with a long red braid is focused on stringing a bow. I wouldn’t give her fifteen years, and I’m surprised when she finally ma. But on closer look, the muscles in her arms make of the fact that she’s the rightful owner of the on, which is as tall as she is. She closes oo i her work, then draws the bow with discerting ease.

  ～ I wouldn’t bet mu the ces of the unfortunate souls she sets those azure eyes on.

  She suddenly loses focus when children e running toward her, cirg around her with ear-trins, one clearly trying to catch the others. She ughs heartily, thehe on down and starts chasing them in turn. I feel my heart ache, touched by this cheerful atmosphere that reminds me of feelings from a fotten life, of days long gone and forever lost in the abyss of my memory.

  — you stop standing there with your mouth open? Ask Natsuki, not b with delicacy, before pulling me by the wrist. First of all, it’s gross, and I’ve still got plenty of things to do.

  Wheices the tear rolling down my cheek, he lets go of my wrist and asks if I’m okay. I don’t know what to answer, sihe cause of this overflow is unknown to me as well. I wipe the loear with the bay wrist and rub my eyes, which had started to sting from being held wide open for too long. After a loud sniff, I signal to Natsuki that everything’s fine.

  — I swear… you’re surprisingly weepy fuy. So, it is true that clothes don’t make the maeases, though the worry doesirely leave his face. See that building over there? He points to a storucture using one of the gigantic roots as a roof. That’s the kit. Let’s drop the bags off befoing to see Mother.

  Since we ehe forest, I pletely fot about the bags that had threateo y hands not so long ago. As we pass by the young woodcutters, they stare at me as if I were some strange object, but there’s no trace of disgust in their purely curious gazes. Everyone we cross paths with stops what they’re doing to look at me, quickly making me feel very unfortable. I settle for wearing a goofy smile as I follow my guide to the root that shelters the kits.

  A tall, tanned-skinned young woman suddenly steps out from inside and freezes when she sees us approag. Her dark brown hair is tightly tied ba a ponytail that rests against her lower back. Her bare shoulder, long eyeshes, the ce tied elegantly on her left hip to ch her bck tunic with red trim, and the two silver buds ad her earlobes give her a coquette look that sets her apart from the other women here, whose appearance doesn’t refley desire to look pretty. This all trasts with her powerful forearms ed in tight red bandages and her visible biceps, proof of the effort she puts into her training.

  — Eeeeyooo! Natsuki!

  — Ishizora, meet the source of all my troubles, he says in a sigh, low enough for only me to hear.

  Her stern expression suddenly softens when she looks at me, as if deg how best to grill me.

  — Sorry, Mai, I got here as fast as I could.

  — Hard to believe those words ing from a ic scker.

  — At least my breath doesn’t smell like a viper’s, he retorts, ung into a staring test.

  The fierce battle showing no signs of a winner, I step in with a timid voice.

  — Pardon me…

  They both snap their eyes toward me in frightening sync, making me instinctively take a step back.

  — So? Who’s he?

  — A traveler I met in the capital. He seemed a bit lost, so I helped him out—hehe dey…

  — Any excuse is a good one for sg off, I see. And you even made him carry ys?!

  — It was a fair exge!

  — Right, sure, and what did you give him iurn for having to put up with you all afternoon?

  — Hey! When it es to pany, I’d say mine far outshihat of a ky witch with a wart on her lower back.

  — H-HOW DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT?! She shouts, ed.

  — Don’t act so surprised, the whole family knows.

  — It fell off three days ago! And it was tiny!

  — As tiny as the Atalmor Mountains.

  The young woman’s face turns scarlet. Siheir sparring—verbal so far but looking like it might turn physical soon—seems endless, I step in again before there’s a casualty.

  — o meet you, I speak loud enough to grab their attention. Natsuki didn’t mention he had such a charming sister.

  ～ I hought I'd say something so cliché one day, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

  — Well, at least there’s someone here who knows how to respect his elders. Though I’m wary of people who hand out pliments too easily.

  ～ Just as I feared… Oh well, at least I’ve got her attention.

  — When will you finally learn to tell the differeween a forced pliment and genuine siy? Needles Natsuki.

  — I was looking for information, I quickly add before his provocation take hold, and Natsuki held up his end of the bargain in exge for my services. Without him, I’d probably be ba the road empty-handed by now.

  She now starts cirg me, iing me from every angle.

  ～ I’ll never get used to being scrutinized like this…

  — And may I ask why he thought it was a good idea t a strao a pce supposed to stay secret?

  — He doesn’t look dangerous, replies Natsuki, and Mother always says travelers are wele at her table. You know she ’t resist hearing stories from an Ex-Muros.

  — An Ex-what?

  — Ex-Muros, ahe young woman without taking her eyes off me. That’s what eople who live outside the high walls, she expins while lifting one of my arms to examihe underside.

  — Be careful with her, she wouldn’t hesitate to attack you in your sleep if you so much as annoyed her, warsuki as she leans her face closer to mine, as if pnning to dive into my eyes.

  — If I’m not mistaken, aren’t you supposed to be helping i tonight? She asks sharply, keeping a remarkable lid on her irritation. What are you still doing here?

  — But I promised to take him to see Mother—

  — I’ll ha! Go chop the onions before I chop yours, she threatens without even gng at him.

  — Alright, alright, he admits defeat with a sigh, before taking vacation.

  ～ These two bicker like a pair of baby swimming panthers. I guess sibliionships transd species.

  — Sorry for the se, she apologizes softly.

  — Haha, don’t worry about me. I shouldn’t even be here to begin with.

  — You’re wrong.

  — What do you mean?

  — No one ends up here by act. Your meeting with Natsuki robably the will of Varandir.

  ～ I find it hard to believe that some mythical creature lost to the sands of time could have influenced our entirely… random enter.

  — ce does, she decres, as if reading my thoughts. From the bloodiest battles to the flower where the bee nds, everything is written in the Vahna.

  ～ Her devout words, free of any doubt, make me decide it’s better not to share my hesitations with her.

  — Besides, though it’s hard for me to admit, Natsuki usually has a good sense when it es to judging people.

  — You’ve known each other for a long time, haven’t you? I envy that.

  — What?! I really don’t see what there is to envy, she reacts instantly.

  — Sorry, I spoke as if I knew something about your retionship. But for a solitary traveler, your bickering sounds as pleasant as the crag of a winter fire.

  A sudden flush rises to her cheeks, and she turns her head away, embarrassed, revealing an uedly cute side of her.

  — Follow me instead of talking nonsense. I’ll take you to see Mother, she says, using it as an excuse to hide her embarrassment as she turns her heels.

  I stop her by suddenly grabbing her arm, elig a small cry of surprise that catches even me off guard.

  ～ Her arms are definitely as hard as rock. Only strict physical training could produce such a result at such a young age. I ’t imagine what could scare a woman like her about me. Maybe I was too familiar? I still don’t know anything about social boundaries and proper manners… Oh well, she fot the most important thing herself.

  — I still don’t know your name, I say as I release her arm.

  — Where was my head! You’re right, I’m sorry. But that’s still no reason to grab people by the arm without warning.

  — Haha, sorry about that, I’m not used to all this…

  — All this?

  — You know, people.

  — It’s nothing, she says after stifling a ugh. I’m Mai, call me just Mai! And you are?

  — Ishizora. Simply Ishizora.

  — What a strange name… You’re definitely not from around here. o meet you, Ishizora. May the auide and protect you, she says ceremoniously.

  ～ Must be a local expression.

  At that moment, a shout echoes from the kit. Curious, I peek through the doorway and see Natsuki cuttiables with incredible vigor, his passioensity making it seem like he’s charging into battle, ready to quer or perish, though his vegetable oppos don’t seem capable of fighting back. The other people i have stopped to look at him, impressed.

  — Holy dang beetle, he sure is fired up, I say, equally impressed.

  — He’s always been like that, Mai admits with a bsé look.

  — Hey Natsuki, the oldest cook chimes in, you might want to slow down a bit if you don’t want to cut your—

  Another shout, of pain this time, escapes from Natsuki’s mouth as a few drops of red liquid bead at the tip of his finger.

  — You see? It wouldn’t hurt you to listen to your elders from time to time.

  After finishing sug on his finger, Natsuki apologizes before starting again with even more enthusiasm.

  — Natsuki, yetting blood everywhere, protests one of the cooks.

  — His stupidity hasn’t ged a bit, Mai sighs, to which I respond with an amused smile. Let’s hurry now. Mother is waiting for us, she says coldly before setting off at a pace closer to a sprint.

  ～ Even though it’s the sed time I’ve heard that phrase, it still sends a chill down my spine. What kind of person could this ‘Mother’ be?

  Caught between impatiend apprehension, I walk quickly enough to keep my guide in sight but slow enough to create some distaween us, f her to slow down a bit. Wheurns around and notices I’ve fallen behind, I pretend to be marveling at the surroundings. Mai suddenly stops in front of a huge root—too tall to sider climbing over and so long that I ’t see where it disappears into the ground.

  ～ Could she have gotten lost in her own backyard?

  She turns toward me, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently. When I finally catch up, just a few steps from the massive root—if you even call it a root—I spot a spiral staircase desdih it. An

  intense, shifting light spills from the underground, as if beings of light were dang an enting ballet, invitio e down. Seemingly tired of ing her o chee, Mai gestures for me to go first with a broad, obviously fake smile. I step onto the narrow staircase hesitantly—my way baow cut off, I have no choice but to follow the flickering light toward an uaiination.

  ～ Was the staircase very short? Or have I simply been hypnotized by the glowing light refleg off the walls, losing even my sense of dista wouldn’t be the first time today.

  At the bottom of the staircase, I stop in front of a curtain filtering the intense light beyond, like a portal to another world. Mai urges me to gh, and I swallow hard, trying to imagine what lies oher side to mentally prepare myself. Just as I’m about to take the big step, she suddenly pushes me forward, and I find myself thrown into the light like a child tossed into the sea to learn how to swim.