“What? They almost killed you? Those bastards should die a thousand deaths!” shouted Alluin as he wiggled around.

“Easy there, mister, you’re already a mess. No point letting the thorns keep wrecking your body like that. Besides, isn’t Liza just fine and dandy?” asked Fang Chu as she threw the half-elf an inquiring gaze.

“Not thanks to them! If she didn’t have medical knowledge… I shudder just thinking what might have happened!”

Seeing her father’s wounded body, Liza sighed and drew one of her knives. She carefully cut the vines binding him one by one, paying special attention to the smaller tendrils wrapped around his head.

Once he was freed, the first thing Alluin did was open his eyes. Thankfully, they were in a dark chamber with the hazy light of the heart of the forest being the only source of illumination, otherwise he would’ve been blinded for a good while. Nevertheless, it still took some time for him to get used to things, as he could only see hazy forms at the beginning. When he could finally see the face of his daughter, the elf couldn’t stop himself from getting misty-eyed again. He tried to get up to hug her, but his body was feeble and thus he staggered. To make matters worse, Liza instinctively withdrew at his attempt. He knew why, he understood it, yet it hurt more than being stabbed by a thousand blades.

When she saw her father struggling to get up, Liza steeled herself and went over to help him. She wasn’t sure of how to proceed, as any script or thoughts she’d prior to their meeting were long gone out of the window. She only knew that she couldn’t keep on hating him like before, for his situation wasn’t so different from hers. He was also a victim to forces beyond his control that led to this series of unfortunate events. That didn’t mean she’d forgiven him and everything was fine however, but at least it was a start. Maybe one day she would be able to forgive him and, perhaps, forgive herself too.

“You’ve grown into such a beautiful young lady. Your mother would be proud. You resemble her a lot…”

“Don’t.”

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Get me a little closer to the heart of the forest, please. With its help I’ll be able to recover in no time at all.”

Liza brought him closer and helped him stay steady as he grasped the heart of the forest with his two hands. First, he let the energy of the strange seed drip into his body slowly, but as his constitution recovered, he began to drain it more and more aggressively. Soon he went from an emaciated elf that was bleeding nonstop from many small cuts to a muscular one, bursting with vitality and not a single wound on his body. As soon as he could stand on his own, Liza quickly let him go and retreated a few steps backwards. At this moment he looked exactly like she remembered him; it was like he hadn’t aged a day at all.

“Phew, that’s more like it. Now that I feel like myself again, first things first,” said Alluin as he turned around to face Liza one more time. He raised his arm slightly with the intention to caress her cheek, but remembering her reaction from a short moment ago, he decided against it and lowered his arm again. “I know you probably can’t forgive me, but I’m sorry. For everything. When we have more time, I’d love to hear about everything you went through and all the complaints you might have against me.”

Liza held his gaze for a moment, only managing an “we’ll see,” after a while. Then Alluin turned to Eliot, Ben, Boro and Fang Chu, engraving each one of their faces in his mind. Those were his daughter’s friends and companions, people that he and his daughter owned a lot to, for many reasons.

“Let me introduce myself properly, I’m Alluin Vanarel, Liza’s incompetent dad. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I’m Fang Chu, but you can call me Fanu. I’m glad you didn’t turn out to be scum of the earth,” said the redhead nonchalantly.

“Eliot.”

“Boro.”

“I’m Ben, pleased to meet you.”

“Thank you for looking out for my daughter and please remain being her steadfast and loyal friends.”

“Father!”

Looking at Liza’s annoyed reaction, Ben couldn’t help but wonder if the ability to embarrass their kids when they were in their mid to late teens was a universal trait all fathers possessed.

“Of course,” said Eliot and Boro energetically.

“It’s my pleasure to have her as a friend,” said the redhead.

“I’m the one constantly being helped out, so…” replied Ben.

“Good!” said Alluin.

“Now that the introductions are over, we should leave. They probably already dealt with the twin-headed bears and in a few hours the fires will be no more,” said Ben.

“Don’t worry, now that you’ve freed me, there’s no one here that can harm you guys. I will protect you till the end. It’s also a good time to take my revenge on those that reneged on their words to me. Once this is all over, we can sit down and talk at leisure,” said the elf.

“Don’t be conceited, at this point even I could probably beat you,” said Liza.

“Now, now, don’t look down on your papa. From your group, only Fanu and Eliot would be able to beat me. But you’re right, there is no way I could hold down against the entirety of the Valenfele on my own, that is, not if I didn’t have this,” said Alluin as he pointed towards the heart of the forest.

The elf then proceeded to make a cut in both of his palms. With his hands bleeding, he grasped the seed. The heart of the forest absorbed his blood, enhancing the connection between them. Alluin then began a battle of wills to grasp the mysterious seed out of his father’s control.

His previous replenishment or Liza’s act of opening the way to the depths of the great tree were simple actions to the heart of the forest. They were like a drop in the sea, easy to miss. However, his current overbearing act of taking control was like a gigantic tsunami that could cover half the ocean. Only a complete doofus would remain unaware.

-

“That’s good, only a few more and we’ll be done!” shouted Uilan. Just as he was about to bark his next orders he stopped with a jolt, all color draining from his face. “Not good! How could this be happening?” he exclaimed in surprise before quickly closing his eyes.

“What’s wrong, elder? Are you feeling okay?”

The other elves surrounded Uilan, but he remained unresponsive. He couldn’t answer their pleas, as he was fighting an invisible battle of wills at the moment, one that he was losing rapidly. Normally one would need to have physical contact with the seed or its sprouts to command it, but Uilan had been its owner for countless years and his control over it could be called superb, allowing him to maintain a faint connection to the wondrous item even when he was far away.

However, keeping this connection was his limit. There was no way he could compete against his son who had the seed in his grasp at that moment. The old elf began to sweat as he felt his connection to the heart of the forest grow thinner and thinner. After a couple of minutes, his connection to it was finally blocked off entirely. Once it was over, he finally opened his eyes.

“Damn! That irresponsible brat! What has got into his head right now? And how did he freed himself to interfere with the heart of the forest?”

“The heart of the forest? What happened, elder?” the other elves asked in panic. That mysterious seed was a true lifeline for their tribe.

“Alluin, that brat! He took advantage that I was away to meddle with the heart! Half of you stay behind and deal with the fires. It might be harder and take longer, but do it properly! The rest of you come with me, we’re returning immediately!”

Uilan left most of the shamans behind and grabbed the warriors to follow him. Altogether, twenty elves were making their way back to the settlement as fast as they could while the others remained behind to dowse the fires.

-

“It’s done,” said Alluin as he grabbed the seed and ripped it from the thin root that was holding it aloft. As he did so, the entire great tree began to wither in a rate noticeable to the human eye, with its bark drying and emitting splintering noises. Perhaps in an hour or so, this once majestic tree would be no more than dry wood.

“What’s done? And what’s the use of that thing?” asked Liza.

“The heart of the forest is a natural treasure, or perhaps something greater than that, since we’ve never known anything else quite like it. The Valenfele have been using it to create the mist that these woods are known for. We elves can see through it like it wasn’t there, while the other races can barely see a few meters ahead. Inside the mist our presence is greatly masked and even our mana is cloaked. You can imagine how much of an advantage that gives us in this place. We’re basically unmatched when defending our home. The mist also has a bunch of other features that keep the forest healthy and safe.”

“So that’s why they managed to sneak on us like that!” exclaimed Fang Chu.

“Pretty much. You should all thank my daughter, for she is the only reason you’re still alive,” said Alluin.

“A half-elf,” muttered Ben.

“Exactly. As a half-elf, Liza can see farther in the mist than they’d expected and, as such, was able to spot them before they were fully prepared.”

“If that’s the case, didn’t they screw up big time?”

“Thankfully they did, but it’s no wonder. Do you have any idea what the odds are that a relationship between a human and an elf will bear a descendent? Incredible small. There’s a reason I call her my little treasure, you know.”

“Don’t. I won’t say it again.”

“My bad, my bad,” replied Alluin as he made a dumb face.

“That’s really useful and all, but I don’t see how taking that advantage away from them will make you able to face the entire tribe by yourself,” said the redhead.

“Just imagine how much energy it takes to cover an entire forest with such wonderous magic… now the mist is gone and I have control of this incredible source of power in my hands. You could say I’m nearly invincible,” he chuckled.

As they talked, they finally approached the entrance of the tunnel and the decapitated body of the elf shaman they’d hidden inside.

“Oh, if it isn’t the bastard Lazul! It’s a shame I wasn’t the one to send him off,” said the elf coldly. As of now, Alluin wasn’t much attached to the Valenfele any longer. There was simply too much his tribesmen had put him through. He didn’t hate them necessarily (if you excluded a few individuals), he only felt indifference. Lazul, however, was one of those individuals he detested. He was present in the group that came to fetch him in the human world and was indirectly responsible for his wife’s death. Not only that, he also participated in the ambush that almost killed his daughter. Therefore, Alluin had no tears to shed for his former companion.

“Now that you took the seed, it’s not opening anymore,” said Liza as she retracted her hand from the mess of entangled roots that barred the entrance.

“Let’s just blast through then!” he exclaimed.