Start of Arc 4: The Tree of Life

I am currently sitting in the field behind the garden, listening to Uncle Black as he explains how to mix light element healing with the destructiveness of fire. It is rather interesting as normally those two don't really fit with one another, yet both have aspects that they share.

This knowledge and many other things were being told to me in the last two weeks, as my training in mana and Magic-Power control advances every day. Also, Uncle Black and Elrion would often train me in the sword and staff, allowing me to get a better understanding of the weapons and my own body.

Meanwhile, the two girls Anna and Alice were also working hard on their domains, being taught by Illois while Alice also learns from Sarek when she has the time.

Well, I am unsure if it is Alice learning from him or Sarek learning from her, but in the end, the result was even better food on the table, and I don't believe anybody would complain about that.

On the other hand, Cyan is also training hard, not letting himself fall back. Currently he is training using normal wooden sword and shield, as Elrion who trains him forbid him to use his scale-equipment. Anyway, after some tests, it appears that aside from Cyan’s increased mana and all-round strength, he can now actually freely choose what he wants to appear when he activates his tattoos.

For experimentation, we begun with making him appear in different kinds of armor, like full body type, armor with open helmet and even one that only covered his vitals. Additionally the sword and shield he already had can now be changed mid fight, while he can also extend or morph them to a certain extent.

Though, the one who could be said to have made the most advancements aside from me was still Sumi, who by now has a lot greater control of her new-found power while also getting the hang of having three tails at the same time.

To everyone's surprise, Sumi's chaos had a lot more abilities than initially thought, though she could still disrupt and interfere with Magic. She also appears to have a unique kind of magic completely based on chaos. Meanwhile, her aura and abilities connected to it also increased, to the level where she can freely manipulate her aura and even let it form on her body as armaments.

It isn't much different from Cyan's Scale-equipment in versatility, yet unlike his, hers isn't that powerful against physical attacks, yet is able to defend against nearly all kinds of magic.

Actually, my aura had changed as well, and with those changes, I am now able to freely manipulate Elements together without rebound, balance, while also disrupting it and completely vanquishing any magic, chaos. There is more, however, I haven't been able to completely use everything properly. Still, It is like the balance and chaos that were already inside me finally awakened, and slowly grew stronger.

Though unlike Sumi, my chaos was by far less trained, and even my chaos-aura is unstable. Yet, Sumi was more than happy to help teach me whenever we train, while I help her train her weapon mastery. It is funny actually, as Sumi appears to have a very good compatibility with the bow, so Saria, our maid who becomes more mysterious with every passing day, actually taught both me and Sumi the way to master it. Though just like me, Sumi is also being taught in the use of martial arts and self-defense techniques, as they don't want her to rely solely on her chaos. The same also applies to me and my magic, so they are also strict with me.

It has become easier though as after I finally managed to control my magic, Uncle Black only made normal magic-training like before, just with more focus on control and precision.

Meanwhile, Luna still remained silent, so I became slightly worried since she was already gone for the past last month. Yet thanks to Elrion's reassurance that certain dragon-evolution's can even take years, I just decided to keep waiting.

And without much back and forth, the second week came to an end, with Uncle Black still keeping shut about the events in the Arcadela Kingdom, making Anna and Alice slowly inpatient.

All of us tried asking multiple times already, yet every-time Uncle Black would refuse telling us, only having a very uncomfortable expression on his face. We all know that something must have went massively wrong, though we can't force it out of Uncle Black.

We do have some speculations, such as the possibilities of a sickness in the palace, or a danger because of assassinations, though nothing is proven.

Anyway, today was a darkness day, meaning there was neither school nor lessons to attend too. So in order to refresh our minds a bit, both me and the girls got permission from Uncle Black to enter the monster-forest.

As the name implies, it is a forest where many monsters live, and one of the few untouched habitats within the vicinity. The main reason me and the girls want to go is because I mainly want to introduce them to her whom I haven't seen in a while.

Aside from me and the girls, Cyan and Saria also tag along, mostly for safety reasons. Though, for once, within the forest, I release all ten tails I have, making me somehow feel comfortable. It is like finally throwing off some annoying shackles, but I can't do much as if the public finds out about my 'situation', many problems would arise.

Well, walking in between the large trees while feeling the moos under my feet, I sometimes see small squirrel like monsters running around, nearly invisible between the leaves with their green fur.

Actually, I don't wear any shoes currently, as thanks to my bodies resilience I don' t have to be worried even if I step into thorns, it still hurts though. And while enjoying the bits of sunshine coming through the leaves and the feeling of leaves and moss under my feet, I slowly pick up pace and run around a bit, letting the wind hit my face.

I wonder, could I use wind-magic to remove the blocking wind and become faster...?

---Saria-POV---

Today was another semi-free day. As a maid, normally we don't have the same concept of free days as most others, yet I don't worry about that. I actually enjoy my time with Arin, ups, the young master.

Well, today it seems that Arin decided to visit the monster forest. Normally it would be called insane to send a nine-year old to such a forest, even if it was a dragon kin. However, unlike them, Arin doesn't have a worry in the world when coming here.

In any case, he seems to enjoy being here, and so do the others that come with him. Especially the two Human-girls Alice and Anna are quite fond of the forest, looking around with wide open mouths.

Actually, I expected some of the monsters to jump out by now, such as a scaled-boar or a purple-viper, yet nothing happened.

I don't believe the others noticed, though I definitely did. My experience in the hunting area told me more than enough about the monsters nearby, yet none even came close. I actually suspected them to wait due to a more powerful monster waiting nearby, but the actual reason surprised me.

All of the monsters were kneeling on the ground, watching Arin pass them by without a shred of killing intent. Normally even if a monster submits from being beaten or realizing that they can't beat their opponent, they would still release a minimal amount of blood-lust, yet nothing like that could be felt.

I am intrigued by that, so I neared one of them, but the moment I separated too far from Arin and the group, they once more bared their fangs, threatening me as I came closer.

So, without doing much I returned to the group, only to watch the spectacle of monsters bowing to Arin to continue.

Honestly, I don't know what to think anymore, as currently all monsters appear unnaturally docile while Arin is running around the trees nearby.

Though, I do remember Sir Geyser mentioning something interesting once, I believe it was about the first awakening of Arin's true fox-body subconsciously, as well as his blood rage shortly after they left the Abryssal-Canyon.

He told the others and me that after Arin lost consciousness and was laid to rest, most monsters bowed to him, as during his blood-rage, he managed to unlock his mana-veins, like most races do after some training or special events. Yet unlike all others, he, together with the mana-veins, unlocked his bloodline.

If I understand it right, then the bloodline he inherited from Lady Lumi can be traced back to the Fox-Queen who was married to the Divine-Dragon, leaving Arin with a bloodline of both fox and dragon. Maybe that is the reason he has ten tails?

Anyway, with his awakening of the bloodline, he automatically crowned himself the King of Monsters, as an inheritor of the origins of ancient.

Well, I don't fully understand what happened, but Monsters are unnaturally sensible to bloodline-auras, which makes them do things based on that. So, as much as I understand it, both Arin and Sumi have unnatural Blood-line auras, leaving most monsters to bow to them and obey their commands.

(AN: Chapters 11 & 25 are the events leading to Arin & Sumi unlocking their bloodline, and with it, unleashing their potential magically and physically (Not the instant-Power kind). However, the Origin-Seed has nothing to do with it, as that one has a different principle.)

So, while enjoying the abnormal calmness of this forest, the girls in front of me keep chatting with one another, laughing from time to time. Sumi is still a little reserved, yet due to having lived with the other two for over a month, she mostly opened up to them already. It is actually funny to see Sumi slowly open up to everyone, as when she first joined us, she would barely talk to anyone except for Arin and Sir Geyser.

So, showing a slight smile, I suddenly notice Arin practically vanishing, not leaving even a trail of wind behind.

If he was running around extremely quickly before, then now he was just gone, with only my trained vision picking up movement from time to time. It is like he is running at a speed I can barely even perceive anymore, and my vision is a lot better and faster than that of even most of the dragons.

So, being shocked at the sudden agility and speed of Arin, the next thing I can perceive is only the sound of a loud crash, before in the distance I see a massive tree falling to the ground, resulting in another explosion.

Slightly scared that something might have happened, I begin running in its direction, followed by the girls and Cyan. It didn't take long until we arrived at the place everything happened, yet what greeted us was beyond our expectations.

In front of us was Arin, bleeding from his head and chest as mana gathered and begun healing the wound, while in front of him, a tree-stump stood, with the tree belonging to it laying behind it, fully broken off.

Well, as I only have a few suspicions yet no proof, I only go towards the still befuddled Arin as I help him stand up and check his wounds. There were several injuries that would normally make humans panic, but seeing that the bleeding already slowed down and his wounds slowly closed, I could only sigh in relief. After using my mana to check up on him, I realized that luckily it wasn’t as bad as it looked from the outside.

Normally such a wound could have even killed someone his age if unlucky, yet seeing that there was nothing to worry about as he already begun regaining consciousness, it must mean he was not lethally harmed. However, I do wish to hear an explanation of what happened, especially if it could bring Arin into such a state.

Once everyone arrived, Anna used her Light-Attribute to accelerate the healing process, while Cyan and me remained on guard, leaving Arin’s care to the girls. They didn’t disappoint, and only after a bit more than twenty minutes, Arin was fully healed, opening his eyes as he regained consciousness.

His eyes remained misty for a bit, looking around while holding his head in pain. His wounds are gone, so this is probably only a feedback from whatever he had done. So, remaining there, it didn’t take long until he could calm down and stand up, moving once more. Nevertheless, before he could continue running around, I point towards the broken tree and demand an explanation.

“Arin, would you be so kind as to tell me why, and how this happened?!?” (Saria)

Ups, I believe some of my pressure leaked, as Arin makes a slightly startled expression. Luckily, he doesn’t fear me for it, so I guess living together with that dragon helps one get used to such things. Still, seeing his shocked expression the moment he saw the tree, I realize that he probably wasn’t even aware of it before.

He probably is the strongest kid out there, yet he is still careless from time to time. I guess I can’t put my expectations too high, he is still a child after all, even if a slightly more mature one.

Well, even if he continues to mature, he will probably remain so small for a while, so I guess I still can create some more costumes… fufufu.

Being lost in my imagination for a bit, I realize a bit late that Arin already took some distance from me and is hiding behind Cyan. Well, calming myself, I only look towards his direction while restraining my loose smile, have to remain professional.

Well, leaving that and the following banter from the girls behind who seem to have seen through me, Arin keeps explaining about what occurred.

Honestly, I am not even surprised anymore. Using magic to remove the wind-pressure and accelerate is a good idea. Yet because of the loss of control, he failed to navigate and ran at high-speed into a tree, causing not only himself, but also the tree to take damage.

Somehow, I expected something like that, but honestly, this time Arin was too careless.

Luckily, the air pocket created while using that magic dampened most of the impact Arin felt, though that doesn’t justify his actions.

So, forcing Arin onto his knees, not letting him cheat with his tails, I begin remonstrating him.

“Arin! Do you know what you did?!” (Saria)

To my pressuring opening words, Arin only manages to squeeze out a few words in a silent tone, which would be inaudible if it wasn’t for me being a dragon.

“Uhm... b-because I used magic without thinking it through…?” (Arin)

He didn’t even look me in the eye while speaking, while his tails remained on the floor, and his small fox-ears atop his head hung down. So, while he is still listening, I begin telling him in what state we found him, leaving him wide eyed and in shock.

After hearing what happened, and analyzing his wounded state, I told him that he could have died should something have gone wrong. I also tell him that he shouldn’t experiment with magic when there is no one to supervise it, and he should also first consult either us, his uncle or his teachers before trying anything new and/or weird.

Under my stern gaze and repeated warnings, Arin only drops is head further, staring at the ground before him.

Yes, he may be still a child, but he has to learn the meaning of his actions, so I take my time to teach him thoroughly, while the girls slowly begin pointing worried gazes at me. Though in the end, I only want him to stop being too reckless, as it might kill him one day, just like many of my kind in this era.

However, when I finally stopped reprimanding him and my heart finally calmed its wild beating, I kneel down and place my hand on top of his head, trying to cheer him up again, even if only a bit.

“Look Arin, you had us worried that something might happen to you. Look around yourself, you are not alone. If something truly serious happens to you, what shall we do? You have to realize that you can’t blindly do things, because if you hurt yourself, it hurts us as well, as you are important to everyone here.” (Saria)

To my words, the girls and Cyan only nod and smile towards Arin, who by now had one of his emerald green eyes peek through his bangs.

Actually, seeing him be like that, I can barely stay mad at him, yet he seems to have understood, as shortly afterwards tears begin falling to the ground. It didn’t last long, but once his breathing calmed again, he looked up at everyone and said sorry, mentioning how he will not do something like that again.

Towards his apology, the others only show smiles, while Anna already snuck up behind him and caught one of his tails. This action surprised Arin quite a bit, as he wasn’t paying attention, causing his reaction to stimulate our laughter.

Arin on the other hand appears embarrassed at the typical fox-yelp he let out the moment Anna caught his tail, hiding his red face behind another of his numerous tails.

Honestly, if I had a child, I would wish it to be like him… no, what am I even thinking…

Before my confusion at the sudden thought could wear off, a loud scream interrupted me and pulled me back to reality.

In front of me, everyone was staring at the massive face right in front of Anna, with a large mouth equipped with massive fags. Those fangs could probably kill her instantly once she is bit, yet just as Alice and Anna were activating their domains while Sumi surrounded herself in chaos energy, suddenly Arin’s voice penetrated the silence, completely startling everyone.

“Wolf-mom? Hahaha, it’s great to see you.” (Arin)

While everyone remained frozen at the sudden change in situation, the giant mouth retreated from Anna before the rest of the body revealed itself from the underbrush. What came forth was a large Wolf with crimson fur and a pup waling beside her. Even if I say pup, it is still larger than the kids here already, shocking everyone in the group.

The one who was the least shocked was Arin, as he quickly came closer and begun scratching the head of the pup nearly double his size. The wolf-Mother only looked at us for a moment, before sending a proud smile towards her pup, seemingly happy with the occasion.

She didn’t mention a word at first, and only laid herself down while watching the two kids play. However, it actually appeared more like a battle between a giant red ball of fur and a mass of silver tails.

Though in the end, Arin introduced the wolf-mother and her pup to the girls, as both Cyan and me already met them a few times. It is actually funny seeing that tranquil scene of kids playing together with an oversized pup, so after a while both Cyan and me sit down to talk a bit with the wolf-mother while the kids play.

However, just as we tried to begin talking, a blue shimmering figure appeared right beside us, which is the spirit-form of Lady Lumi. It seems that after the events more than a month ago, her form once more stabilized, leaving her able to communicate with us from time to time.

Meanwhile, this time it is the wolf-mother that is surprised, as she never saw Lady Lumi before. Yet just as I want to introduce them to each other, the two appear to have already begun talking with one another, hitting it off shortly afterwards. I wonder, is it because they are both mothers?

Well, it didn’t take long until suddenly a silver shadow passed by and tackled the semi-physical form of Lady Lumi. It is no one less than Arin himself, which in return earns him a big hug from his mother.

The two laugh for a moment, however, Arin shortly afterwards just falls silent while enjoying the hug, with his tails happily jumping around.

Still, having suddenly left the game of tag the others were playing, Anna and Alice could only stare at Arin in surprise, or better, at the bluish glowing form of a nine tailed woman which he was being hugged by.

I had to stifle my laughter at the expressions they are making, yet they somehow appear to begin understanding the situation, as Arin must have told them about himself already. Though I cannot blame them for being surprised, as not many can say that they have a loose soul for a mother…

Leaving that aside, being a bit shy, Alice and Anna introduce themselves to Lady Lumi, whom then greets them back, telling them how cute they are. Slightly embarrassed, the girls began talking to her, asking question about her and how she came to know Arin, as well as how it is to be a loose soul.

Yet, even with the girls talking above his head, Arin didn’t budge and only kept laying in his mother’s embrace, not willing to leave. Though, the feeling his face as well as his tails talk about is in no way bad, with the smile beaming in light that I could lose myself in, while his tails keep thrashing around happily.

Luckily, his tails don’t have much initial power behind them so it isn’t dangerous, the could still smother me and the others though. Anna on the other hand does not seem to mind, seeing as she is currently clinging to one energetically while talking with Lady Lumi.

Watching this whole situation, I only now realize that everyone here is a women aside from Arin, Cyan and the pup, with Cyan already having left the immediate circle to escape the situation for now. Well, I can understand him, as it can get too much for him rather quickly if one thinks of his shy nature.

“Very well, thanks for the talk, but I need to rest, so I hope to see you all at another time. And to you Arin, stay nice alright?” (Lumi)

Saying her final words, she only hugs Arin strongly one last time before ruffling his hair a bit and vanishing, leaving only blue glitter in the air behind, while a thicker blue mist enters Arin’s head.

I am still not used to seeing that, as I always imagine it to hurt when she does that. However, Arin doesn’t show anything aside from joy of her hugs and slight disappointment because she left, so I guess my theory is wrong.

Still, I am not willing to go through such an experience. That aside, with everyone finally calming down and the sky already turning darker, we begin making our way back to the mansion.

To no one’s surprise, Arin somehow managed to convince the wolf-mom to come with us for a while, so currently all of the four kids are riding the over three meters tall wolf. The pup also wants to join, as visible from its attempts to climb his mother, yet due to its growth lately, it seems to have become too heavy for something like that.

It begun whining, until Cyan took it onto his back and begun carrying it, which made him look more like a fur-ball with legs. I am actually unaware what motivated Cyan to do this, yet it is entertaining to watch anyway, so I will not say a word.

And so, with a few shenanigans on the way, we finally arrive in front of the mansion shortly before the sun vanished behind the mountains.

All of us have a good mood, as Alice kept telling jokes on the way. Though I didn’t understand all of them, since I can’t recognize certain words, such as ‘car’…

Anyway, the moment we arrived in the courtyard and were about to enter the mansion, suddenly a massive black Dragon landed not far away from us, before vanishing in a thick mist of mana and revealing the usual lean man of about 1.80m in size with black hair and scales.

It is no one less than the mansions master, Sir Geyser. Yet before any of us could raise our voices, his voice resounded in the vicinity, with a slightly irritated undertone in it.

“Everyone, pack your things. We will be going on a journey…” (Sir Geyser)