“-and then I met you.”

“Mmm.”

The young dryad finished her story. He felt some parts were a bit off.

“Can I meet this grandpa you talked about?”

“Okay!” The girl always replied to his requests with enthusiasm.

The dryad led the way and gave him a tour of the place. She explained about the trees and plants they came across. The Biome was huge, similar to the size of Madagascar. Thankfully, this grandpa wasn’t far. There was no member of the animal kingdom here, Viers wondered if bacteria existed in this place.

The giant sunflowers became the pseudo-suns in this place and the light dimmed as time passed. According to his own internal clock, it should be around late afternoon. During the way, Viers and the dryad talked a lot.

“That’s grandpa,” the dryad pointed her finger.

Viers saw a tree and skeleton jutting out from its trunk. It was as if the tree was in the process of swallowing the person. The skeleton’s lower body was already inside the tree, only the torso and above remained. Naturally, the skeleton had no life remaining in it.

The skeleton was just dangling there. Whatever his clothes were before, they were only tatters now.

“Bones… What happened here?” Viers asked.

“I don’t know. Grandpa is always like this.”

“Why are you calling him grandpa?”

“Get closer and you will see.”

Viers did so and saw a visage of a kind-looking old man with an orderly trimmed beard. He was quite handsome, despite looking in his sixties.

Soul? No… just a projection.

“To whoever finds this place, I pray my efforts weren’t in vain. I am Reverend Purity, a humble priest of the Estellian Church.”

“Reverend Purity!” Viers heard Farley gasp. “Lord Viers, he was a well-known Level 5 and one of the most powerful experts of the church. He went missing about a century ago and his fate was unknown.”

Viers figured Farley must have remembered such a thing because she was raised in a family of devil worshippers, remembering the names of the enemy comes with the territory.

“In my travels to spread the faith of the goddess to the world, I stumbled upon a big thriving village. It was protected and prosperous, growing many wondrous plant produce. However, the sparse existence of the male gender above the age of 15 aroused my curiosity. I didn’t find much welcome in the village. The matriarch rejected my presence, they said they already have a goddess protecting them.”

“Finding things odd, I stayed in the village for a while, masquerading as a non-Pathseeker. Three days of investigating and I uncovered a terrifying truth. The village was sending the males to their goddess, a Level 5 dryad, a Biome Master. In the Biome, there were a hundred or so males inside. She… had her way with them and turned them into fertilizer when they got too old or unable to satisfy her. The dryad was old and powerful, already at the cusp of shedding her mortal shell.”

“Unable to tolerate such barbarity and to prevent the birth of an Ascended, I planned to inform the church about this but the dryad had found me infiltrating the Biome. She closed the entrance and left me with no other choice, we battled. She refused my offer of peace and a fight to the death ensued. Regrettably, the people inside the Biome were caught in the crossfire. None survived.”

“After battling for four days and three nights, we struck each other down.”

“The Biome was big and rich, a top-grade Biome. Afraid the Biome residents will go berserk after the master’s death and wreak havoc on the outside, I used the last dregs of my power to seal this place. My wounds were severe but I could still do so and left my inheritance.”

“Normally, I would have designed a trial before passing on my life’s work but the circumstances did not allow such luxury. I can only pray to the Radiant Lady that one with a virtuous heart would arrive at this place in the future.”

Motes of light came out from the bones and went towards Viers. It probed his Intio then went back to the skeleton.

A bulbous flower bloomed from the earth below the skeleton.

“Ah!?” The dryad was surprised. “That never happened before.”

I see… The earlier motes of light were checking if I have Intio or not, whether I’m human or not. Since humans are most compatible with Intio Magisterix Path of Power.

The flower opened like a basket, there were three objects inside.

“Inheritor, I bestow upon you neither power nor Arte but a Profound Codex of my own making, my magnum opus. Scripture of Purity.”

A scroll floated from the flower, hovering in the air

“Most of my magical items were destroyed in the battle, and I didn’t bring many valuables to begin with so only these two remained.”

The other two were a pair of red gloves and a silvery stone the size of an adult’s head.

“Dragonweave Gloves, made from the muscle fibers of a dragon. Very durable, you can use them as a shield of sorts. Only weapons and Artes that have the sharpness of a dragon’s fang could pierce it. Should it get torn, it would mend itself given time.”

“The stone was something that fell from the sky. It fell in a Black Zone a long, long time ago and was infused with potent mana ever since before I took it. I called it a Comet Shard. It should make a wonderful material for forging magical items.”

“Inheritor, I give these all to you. In exchange, I ask three things from you. One, do not use my gifts for evil. Two, make the world a better place. Three, share the Profound Codex with the Estellian Church. I was often traveling and didn’t take any disciples. I wish to share my Profound Codex with my fellow members of the faith, to help scour evil from the world of the Goddess. Inheritor, I implore you.”

“I pray that I leave the world a better place from the one I was born into. O Radiant Lady, I surrender my soul to you.”

The visage of Reverend Purity faded, his face was full of contentment. He returned to the Radiant Lady with a smile.

Viers was thinking deeply.

So that’s how it is. This Purity guy killed the dryad… Luca talked about a goddess in her great-great-grandfather’s time. Similar timeframe. But the dryad survived… or is she an offspring? Perhaps she reincarnates? There are a few possible cases. Did the priest suspect the dryad could still be alive?

“Girl, it seems this guy killed you a long time ago.”

“Mmm,” she looked at the skeleton but there was no hatred in her eyes. “I heard the earlier part a hundred times already.”

“Do you hate him?”

“No. I don’t remember any of it so it doesn’t matter.”

Truly, she is like a pure child. There really is no malice in her. Whatever her previous self was, she is no longer that person… then–

“I see… Well, this is his stuff. Want it?”

“Is it delicious, kin?” She asked.

Viers looked at the scroll, gloves, and rock.

“I don’t think they are food, so no.”

“Then you can have it. It’s no use to me.”

“…Okay, thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” As always, she replied energetically.

I’ll let the items be for now. The dryad takes priority.

“Girl, sit here.”

Viers patted the grass in front of him as he sat, the dryad followed.

“What are your plans now?”

“Mmm, living with kin?” She said after some thinking.

“Unfortunately, I can’t live here with you. This is your place, not mine.”

The little girl looked sad.

“But, but, this can be your place too. I’ll always open my gates for you, kin!” She pleaded, tugging at Viers’ sleeves.

“I still can't. I have to go somewhere else and more importantly…” Viers paused. “I can’t trust you fully yet.”

The dryad eyes were wide open. She let go of Viers sleeves and slowly slumped as she sat. There was silence for a few seconds before her eyes became watery. Soft sobs entered Viers’ ears.

At this point, Viers was ready for battle. In case the dryad went berserk but she didn’t.

“Hicc… will you leave me too, kin?”

“No… I’ll return from time to time. For the coming days, I’ll spend time with you. We can still be friends.”

“I… want a family.”

Amidst her cries, the little dryad eked out a sincere wish.

“…You want me to be your family?”

The dryad nodded once. Slowly, gently, but surely.

Viers made a difficult face. He didn’t enjoy making a little girl cry but to become a family was not a light matter. That status wasn’t something he would grant easily, especially to someone he just met today.

“Do you truly mean that?”

“Yes,” the dryad wiped the tears on her face.

“If you want me to be your family then are you willing to entrust your life to me?” Viers’ tone was as cold as steel. The girls inside her head were shouting something but he didn’t pay attention to them.

“Hicc… My, life?” She repeated.

“Yes. If you’re willing then from then on we’ll be together. We’ll take care of each other. If you’re sad then I’ll be sad. If you’re happy then I’ll be happy.”

The dryad was still crying but she opened a smile. With her hands, she guided Viers’ hand and put it on her chest.

“My life is yours.”

The whole area exploded with mana. Trees shook and the air trembled but the dryad and Viers were like in the eye of the typhoon, undisturbed.

Viers didn’t think she would accept, he didn’t even know what she was doing. But his confusion didn’t last longer than a couple of seconds, he felt a connection was forming between them.

“Kin, please bestow me with a name.”

The connection was like a thread, continuously weaving more and more upon itself until it became a bridge. The foundation of that bridge was massive, the Biome itself was pouring its strength laying that foundation.

I see.

Viers now had an idea of what she meant to do.

“I name you Dia. The dryad who is reborn. I care not for your past but for your future. As long as you do not betray me, I’ll care for you as if you are my own. Giving you my care and protection. This oath I give to you.”

Viers pulled his sole working hand from her chest and created a small amount of water from the palm. He gently poured the water on her head.

“Dia…” the dryad closed her eyes for a moment to embrace her new identity, relishing her christening.

“I, Dia, now swear to–”

“My true name… is Viers Isuel. A name that I won’t share with people I don’t trust.”

Viers interrupted, gently stroking her hair. He fondly looked at her like looking at his own child.

Dia’s smile brightened.

“I, Dia, now swear to Viers Isuel. I give him my life in exchange for a true bond between us, a symbiosis. Like a sprout under the protection of a strong oak, I accept him as my master. By the earth and water, I swear this.”

The whole Biome thrummed. Every single blade of grass, each leaf in every branch, all plants in the Biome reacted. They glowed with a luminous viridescent green, very vibrant.

Two oaths were exchanged and the bridge between them was forged. The mana in the Biome enveloped them and the trembling stopped. Viers and Dia were showered by the hundreds of glowing leaves falling from the trees all around them.

Viers gained a familiar.