Chapter 342: Chapter 342 : The world tree (3)

Alex, Elaria, and Jacob passed the last security checkpoint near the World Tree’s inner sanctum and stepped out of the car.

“We have to walk from here on,” Elaria said. “Vehicles aren’t allowed any closer.”

Alex nodded. “Got it.”

They started along a stone path that wound gently upward.

“How long do we have to walk?” Alex asked.

“Not long,” Elaria replied. “Just ten minutes on foot.”

“Alright.”

As they walked, Alex glanced at Jacob. “So, Jacob, tell me something about yourself.”

Jacob tensed. “There… isn’t anything interesting—”

“Just tell me,” Alex insisted.

Jacob straightened his back. “Alright. As you already know, my name is Jacob Rivania, eldest son of Marquis Marek Rivania. I’m a second‑year student at Starfleet Academy.”

“Starfleet Academy?” Alex asked.

Elaria nodded. “Yes. It’s situated inside the elven kingdom. A top‑class academy for students who choose to study here.”

“Is that so,” Alex said. He took another step, then asked, “What about your mother?”

Jacob’s expression dimmed. “She’s no more,” he said quietly. “She died when I was four years old. She was not my father’s official wife, so I’m called his bastard son. I don’t have any real power in the family like his official children, so I have to endure beatings from the duke’s family.”

He looked down. “Thirion is the heir, and he doesn’t like me at all. Because my family serves under him. Because—”

“Because you’re stronger than him,” Alex cut in.

Jacob swallowed. “…Yes.”

“Gotta say,” Alex replied, “you’re exactly the kind of idiot I don’t like.”

Jacob blinked. “Huh?”

“Sticking up for a family and taking beatings for people who see you as expendable,” Alex said. “That’s idiotic.”

Jacob smiled faintly. “Well, I don’t have anyone else besides my father in this world. Even if he doesn’t pay much attention to me… it doesn’t matter.”

“Alright,” Alex said, raising a hand. “You can stop talking.”

Jacob straightened. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

A short while later, they stopped in front of a natural rock formation—an arching, cave‑like entrance woven with roots and glowing, moss‑like plants.

“Alright,” Elaria said. “We’ve reached the location. Just pass through this.”

They stepped inside.

The air changed.

On the other side, it felt like an entirely different world.

Lush greenery stretched in every direction. Waterfalls cascaded down smooth stone cliffs, their mist catching the light in soft rainbows. Trees with crystal leaves swayed gently, and flower gardens bloomed in vivid colors, their petals shining with mana. The scent of fresh grass, water, and wildflowers filled Alex’s lungs.

“Now this is refreshing,” Alex said.

Inside his mind, he added, ’I just hope I won’t have to burn this all down.’

They walked toward the colossal trunk rising at the center of this hidden sanctuary.

As they approached, the branches of the World Tree began to move.

They stretched outward, leaves rustling, reaching toward them—toward Alex in particular—as if eager to touch him.

When one of the smaller branches brushed against his shoulder, Alex swatted it away.

“A really weird tree you’ve got there,” he said.

Elaria’s mouth fell open.

“What in the hell is happening here…?” she whispered.

“Why?” Alex asked, genuinely confused. “Isn’t this normal?”

“You think so, huh?” Elaria muttered, eye twitching.

Jacob added nervously, “Your Highness, it’s not normal at all. The World Tree has never acted like that before.”

“Is that right?” Alex said, glancing up as another tendril of branches tried to poke at him. He swatted it away again.

They drew closer.

Up close, the World Tree felt… alive. Its bark pulsed faintly with light, and branches continued to bend down, trying to brush against Alex’s hair, shoulders, even his face. He kept batting them away, expression caught somewhere between annoyed and uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the air in front of the tree rippled.

White light gathered on the ground, coalescing into a glowing circle. Motelike radiance swirled upward, shaping itself slowly into a humanoid silhouette.

The glow dimmed.

Standing there now was a beautiful elven woman with long brown hair and warm, earth‑colored eyes. Her features were soft yet regal, her beauty serene rather than flashy. She wore flowing robes in shades of green and brown that draped over her body modestly, embroidered with patterns of leaves, vines, and tiny glowing symbols.

The aura around her felt ancient.

Sacred.

Elaria and Jacob reacted instantly.

They dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground.

“We greet the Guardian Spirit of the World Tree,” they said in unison. “Protector of the elves. Mother of all.”

The woman’s lips curved into a gentle, motherly smile at Elaria and Jacob’s obeisance.

Still kneeling, Elaria whispered sideways, “Greet her, you moron.”

Alex scratched his cheek. “Hi, miss. You have a great figure.”

Elaria’s mouth fell open. ’What was I expecting…’ she thought.

“Rise, my children,” the woman said softly.

Elaria and Jacob stood at once, heads slightly bowed.

Her gaze moved to Alex.

“You have brought someone very unique here I have to say.”

Then she addressed Alex directly.

“My name is Mirina,” she said. “I am the guardian spirit of the World Tree. And as you can see, this is the first time in history it has reacted to someone’s presence like this.”

Branches behind her rustled excitedly, still reaching for Alex.

“Well, I guess that’s good then,” Alex said. “But the reason I came here isn’t sightseeing. I’m here for the Fruit of the World Tree.”

Mirina nodded calmly. “I had already figured as much.”

Her expression turned more serious.

“But you do know,” she said, “that the World Tree only gives its fruit to the pure‑hearted. Those who can even sacrifice themselves to save others.”

The system’s voice chimed in Alex’s head.

[ Host, you’re out. ]

’Will you shut up,’ Alex replied inwardly.

Mirina studied the three of them in silence.

“From the three of you…” she began. “The princess has already failed the test once before.”

Elaria stiffened, cheeks flushing slightly.

Mirina’s eyes shifted to Alex.

“As for you, child,” she said, “I cannot see through you to judge whether your heart is pure or not. Which is strange… because this has never happened before.”

Her gaze moved finally to Jacob.

“And you,” she said gently. “I can see that you possess a good and pure heart. No malice. No ill will. A quality I have not seen in hundreds of years.”

Jacob swallowed, eyes wide.

“So,” Mirina concluded, “I will let you pass… and take the trial.”

“But whether you can have the fruit or not,” Mirina said, “will depend entirely on the will of the World Tree itself.”

She turned her gaze back to Alex.

“As for you, child,” she added, “you can also pass and take the trial. So please extinguish that black fire you are hiding behind your hands.”

Alex smiled.

The dark flame that had been quietly burning on the back of his hand winked out as if it had never been there.

Elaria glared daggers at him. “What the hell were you trying to do…?”

“Nothing,” Alex said innocently. “See? I have a pure heart too—unlike you. That’s why she’s letting me pass and not you.”

Elaria opened her mouth to retort, but Mirina spoke first.

“Follow me.”

Alex and Jacob fell in behind her.

They hadn’t gone more than a few steps before Mirina stopped abruptly, eyes widening as if hearing something no one else could.

“I understand…” she murmured. “As you wish.”

She turned back to Elaria.

“The World Tree has chosen to let you pass as well,” she said. “You have gained the blessing of nature itself by becoming the Avatar of the Goddess of Nature.”

Elaria’s face lit up, a brilliant smile spreading across her lips. “Seriously?”

“Yes,” Mirina confirmed.

Elaria immediately shot Alex a smug look.

Alex clicked his tongue. “Tch.”

A gate formed before them—out of nowhere.

Glowing lines traced themselves in the air, weaving into a tall, arched doorway made of pure light and intertwined branches. Beyond it, nothing could be seen but shifting mist.

All four of them stepped through.

The world flipped.

The sanctuary vanished, replaced by an entirely different reality.

—

They stood now on the edge of a massive crowd packed into a public square. The air was filled with shouting, jeers, and the restless rumble of bodies pressed together. At the center, on a raised platform, stood a young man who looked barely twenty.

Cuffs made of heavy, rune‑inscribed metal bound his wrists, sealing his mana. His clothes were torn and stained, hanging off him in ragged scraps. Bruises and cuts covered his skin. Yet his back remained straight, his eyes dull but unbroken.

The crowd booed him relentlessly.

Mirina’s voice echoed beside them, though her body no longer seemed entirely solid.

“The person you are seeing,” she said, “is the Hero of this world. The one who killed the Demon King to save its people.”

Elaria and Jacob stiffened, horror creeping across their faces.

“Then what happened to him?” they asked almost together.

Alex didn’t flinch.

His eyes simply stayed fixed on the young man walking steadily toward the execution platform, the noose waiting for him.

“After he defeated the Demon King,” Mirina continued, “there was no longer a purpose for his power. To kings and powerful nobles, he became something else…”

“A threat.”

She went on, voice calm but heavy.

“They decided he was too dangerous to exist. They knew that if they confronted him openly, they would be wiped out. So instead, they targeted his family. When he finally surrendered to protect them, they captured him.”

She looked at the crowd, at their twisted expressions.

“And then they framed him—claiming he had been corrupted by dark arts.”

Jacob swallowed hard. “Why have you taken us here?”

Mirina smiled faintly.

“This is the trial the World Tree has assigned the three of you,” she said. “It is up to you to decide what you will do.”

Her eyes swept over them.

“You can save him,” she said, “but then he will bring destruction everywhere in the pursuit of revenge. Or you can let him die, and injustice will claim one who sacrificed everything to save the very people now eager to see him executed.”

She stepped back, her form flickering.

“Afterward, the World Tree will decide if you have passed or failed.”

Her body dissolved into particles of light, her final words echoing around them.

“Remember to make your choice carefully.”

Then she was gone.

Alex, Jacob, and Elaria were left alone among the faceless, jeering crowd.

Jacob clenched his fists. “What can we do?” he said, voice shaking. “We can’t let him die… but if we save him, he’ll bring death everywhere.”

Alex began walking forward.

Elaria turned. “What did you decide—”

She broke off.

Alex was already gone.

“Where is he?!” she yelled, spinning around.

On the platform, the executioner tightened the rope around the hero’s neck. The crowd roared louder, hungry for the spectacle.

In the next second, as the hero was about to be hanged, a silver‑haired boy appeared beside him—just there, as if he’d always been standing at his side.

Alex leaned close and whispered into the hero’s ear.

“I’ll give you what you desire,” he said.

“Destruction itself.”

—

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—

A/N:

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