As they stepped into the clearing at the center of the island, the very air seemed to pulse with a sickening energy.
The ground beneath their feet was uneven, cracked from the power of the massive tree at its center. It loomed before them, an enormous, twisted... thing.
Its trunk was thick and dark, veins of red and black running through its bark like a pulsating heartbeat. Peonies bloomed all over its surface. The leaves, too, were a brilliant crimson, flickering in the breeze like flames dancing on a fire.
It was over fifteen meters tall.
The sight of it sent a shiver down Vastarael's spine. The air felt heavy, thick with the scent of decay and the stench of the cursed blooms. He had expected something monstrous, but this... this was on another level. It was as if the very life force of the island was funneled into it, twisted into something dark and unnatural.
Before they could take a single step closer, a sound broke the eerie silence. A low, creaking noise like the cracking of ancient wood. The tree's massive stem began to split open and from the gaping wound, something... someone, emerged.
The figure was humanoid but nothing like any person they had ever seen. Its body was covered in bark-like skin, brown and mottled with patches of peonies that bloomed and withered in time with its movements.
Crimson eyes burned in its face and long red hair cascaded down its back like the tendrils of a vine, alive with movement. The creature stood at least two meters tall, its eyes burning with malicious intent.
Its features were sharp, jagged like a twisted reflection of humanity, shaped by nature itself into something monstrous. It looked as if the very essence of the tree had formed into this grotesque humanoid form.
"That's a Verdarite."
Vastarael narrowed his eyes when he heard Phaenora's realization.
The creature was also a descendant of the Four Ancient Races.
Every Ancient Race has the Royals, who are the first and most powerful of the other members of their race. Dilasyus Richinaria is a Royal Aeterium, which also makes his children Royals as well.
For Verdarites, World Trees are their Royals. Verdarites were not just beings of flesh and bone like the others. They have tree like forms.
For the other Verdarites, those who are not Royals, they remain in their true form, bound to the earth. Their appearance is that of massive trees, with bark as thick as iron, their branches heavy with leaves and flowers or fruits. These trees were ancient, their roots stretching deep into the heart of the land.
But the one standing before them, the creature that now taunted them from the tree's heart, was no ordinary Verdarite. This being had emerged from the Crimson Curtain Peony Tree was not an ordinary Verdarite but an embodiment of the Verdarite's royal bloodline.
Vastarael's senses flared with unease. This creature was dangerous, more so than anything he had faced on this island.
Vastarael's mind raced as the creature's cruel grin spread across its face. The Verdarite stood with an unnatural ease, flexing its long, twig-like fingers as if testing the weight of its own body.
"So, the trespassers come to my domain," the Crimson Verdarite spoke, its voice an eerie mixture of the wind through trees and the crunch of roots breaking through soil.
"How amusing. You think you can defeat me, little mortals? The peonies have taken everything from this land. You're no different. You're just more prey."
Vastarael felt the weight of the creature's malice in every syllable. They were insignificant in its eyes. To the Verdarite, they were just another passing storm, another moment in time that would be swallowed whole by the endless hunger of the land.
"You've already lost," the Verdarite continued, stepping forward, its bare feet scraping against the rocks. The peonies on its skin bloomed brighter as it moved, feeding off the energy in the air, drawing strength from the tree.
"This island is mine. And you will be nothing but a memory, crushed under the roots of the Crimson Curtain Peony Tree."
Vastarael clenched his fists, Sapphire forming around his knuckles in a flash of blue. His gaze locked onto the Verdarite's crimson eyes despite the overwhelming sense of dread that clung to him like a second skin. Phaenora stood beside him, her posture tense, as if she were weighing her next move. Shimmer, still silent, stayed close behind, her small form almost invisible against the backdrop of the towering monstrosity.
The Verdarite chuckled, watching their reactions with cruel amusement.
"Do you truly think you have the strength to challenge me? I am the embodiment of this island. I am the defender of the blooms, the curse of the land. There is no escape, no salvation. Only death."
Vastarael's eyes narrowed. He had never faced anything like this before. The creature's connection to the tree, its power...he could feel it pressing down on him like a weight.
And as the Verdarite took another step forward, a twisted grin still plastered on its face, Vastarael knew that the battle had only just begun.
They have a 0% chance of defeating him.
The battle had already been decided in the creature's favor. The Verdarite's very presence felt suffocating. With its hulking form and that twisted, mocking grin, Vastarael couldn't help but feel that even if they fought with every ounce of their power, they wouldn't stand a chance.
It was a Divine Corrupted Miniature World Tree.
His thoughts flashed back to his time with his father, Dilasyus, who was a Royal Aeterium.
The weight of that bloodline, the unimaginable power that came from being of a royal bloodline, how it made others bow before you. The same concept applied to these Verdarites. This tree was the royalty of their race. And this one before him was no ordinary being.
It was power incarnate.
But there was something more, something that struck at the core of his being. As he focused, as the world around him faded into the background, Vastarael activated his Soul Vision.
A sudden wave of cold panic ran through him as the essence of the Verdarite came into view.
It didn't have a soul.
Not in the traditional sense anyway. The figure before him was hollow, a shell, an empty vessel. His eyes flicked to the tree that supported it—the towering, crimson giant whose roots spread through the land like the veins of a great beast.
It has a giant black soul.
And then… Vastarael saw it.
Inside the massive tree, a sapphire string stretched out from his body trailing toward the heart of the tree. And there, embedded in the very heart of the tree, was a familiar starry soul. It pulsed with recognition.
Narisva.
His breath hitched in his chest.
His pulse quickened as he traced the energy further. There were two more souls.
Farrynelle. Xander.
They were trapped inside the tree.
The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. The stakes had just shifted.
But worse. If the tree was truly alive, if it was the World Tree's power that connected them, they could die in an instant if the tree chose to sever its ties with them.
His fists clenched at his sides. He couldn't just stand there and let them die.
[Farrynelle, Xander and Farrynelle are inside the tree.]
Phaenora's eyes widened, realization dawning in her face as she turned toward the immense World Tree. She replied telepathically as well.
[It's not just the Verdarite you have to deal with. It's the tree itself. That's where the danger lies.]
He could feel the Sapphire Bond, the connection he had with Narisva getting stronger.
His plan, however, had to change.
First, he had to ensure that they didn't get killed. But second and more importantly, he had to release Narisva, Farrynelle and Xander before it was too late.
But as he readied himself, the Verdarite, with its terrifying grin, took another step forward, its voice a low, guttural chuckle.
"So you've found them," it hissed, its voice an eerie blend of tree bark and human mockery. "But you are too late. The World Tree claims them. And you... you will be nothing more than fertilizer for its growth."
Vastarael didn't flinch.
"No. You're wrong."
He would save them. He would free them.
[Phaenora, the very moment I say 'now,' take Shimmer and get out of here and count to nine seconds. The second he attacks, we're dead.]
[Understood.]
Vastarael summoned his Divine Weapon. He then tired to use the telepathic link onto Narisva that he used Sapphire Bond with her before the First Epoch Cycle. He was doing this while talking to Phaenora as well.
[Narisva? Can you hear me?]
The answer was immediate.
[I can hear you loud and clear. I can even sense you! Hurry up and save your friend! Farrynelle and Xander won't last much longer!]
[Listen to me. How far can your teleportation reach?]
Narisva took two seconds before she replied. At that time, Vastarael was done talking with Phaenora and was circling the tree.
[As long as I see the farthest distance, I can teleport to it. But the mist... and it blocks powers too.]
[It won't. The second you hear me say 'now,' get ready to summon your teleportation while holding Xander and Farrynelle. Okay?]
[I don't know what you're planning but alright.]
Vastarael sighed as he faced the Verdarite.
"Hey ugly tree. Have you ever heard of Cognitive Dissonance?"
The tree humanoid was silent.
"It suggests that when the brain encounters something unexpected or out of the ordinary, it experiences a brief period of confusion or disorientation as it tries to reconcile this new information with existing knowledge or expectations."
"Are these your last words?"
"Yes, but let me finish. The brain needs time to integrate the new information, adapt to the change and update its understanding of the situation. During this time, the brain may be frozen or slow to react, which can feel like a moment of hesitation or shock."
"..."
"And it takes a few seconds. For emotional impacts, it takes like one to three seconds. But what about real pain?"
The Verdarites scoffed, "You want to test this out with me? I don't feel pain. This isn't my real body."
"Perhaps. But that makes it better. I'm going to give you seven to ten seconds since you've never felt pain."
Vastarael grinned as he faced the humanoid tree, his grip on the glaive getting tighter.
"I can't kill you. I'm too weak and I'm prey to you. However, there's one thing you forgot."
"And what is that, puny divine child?"
"Predators always tend to lose their guard whenever they corner their prey."
He instantly threw his glaive that it caused a massive shockwave. He didn't aim for the humanoid tee figure standing in front of him.
He aimed it at the tree.