A surge of warmth seeped through his body. It reminded him of being a child in his mother’s arms. The pain lingered, despite Kiri’s attempts to heal him. Her magic healed his leg and allowed him to walk as he had before the incident with the gigantic eagle. He still had to get used to the idea that some creatures were dozens of times larger than they were back on Earth.

Kiri led him through the forest and while she retained that cold, distanced attitude for most of the time, he thought he noticed a few cracks here and there. A pleasant surprise for sure, considering he needed as many friends as possible and fewer enemies in this hostile world. Her face was beautiful, even more so when she smiled and glared at him with those shimmering green eyes. Sure, he noticed them at Tamulan and her village but it wasn’t until they were both alone that he felt he could actually appreciate her.

“We’re here,” Kiri said, lifting a bundle of tendrils up for him to pass under. “Don’t go around touching everything.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Johann said as he entered the Grove. He had enough near death experiences to last him a lifetime.

He stopped mid-step and took in the massive tree. Roughly the size of a factory but at least twice as high, with thick branches and leaves the size of a roof blocking out the sun. The Grove was dim but lit up by a myriad of flowers that gave off a soft glow.

“You are the first human to ever be here,” Kiri said as she passed him. “Life first emerged from these trees. It was the Alseid that spread the seeds across the world and nurtured it to full bloom.”

“It’s...” Johann began but couldn’t find the words. Too taken was he by the sheer amount of beauty before him, including Kirilamei. His heart soared as he followed her from one plant to the next accompanied by a sweet fragrance.

Kiri gently touched the petals of flowers and gave them the magical energy she possessed and had used to heal him. The glow increased, becoming more vibrant as the stem of the flower stiffened. She moved to the next flower but instead of setting to work, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers between his.

Johann’s pulse raced, as she guided his hand towards the next flower. He caressed the silky smooth surface and felt her warm energy seep through his hand and into the flower. This one became more lively as well and poked its head up straighter.

“Life is giving and taking, a distribution of energy amongst all forms,” Kiri said. She began to pull her hand away, but he held on and gazed into her eyes. She blinked in surprise. “You can’t just keep taking without giving back.”

Johann felt an urge build up inside him. An insatiable desire to be around her. Kiri wanted him to give back, and he’d be more than willing to give anything if it meant be with her.

Kiri slipped her fingers out of his grip and strode to the tree at the center. The one she referred to as Mother.

Leaves rustled in the wind. He never saw a tree that big before and felt dwarfed standing in its shadow. Vibrant waves of energy pulsated from the tree, as if it reached out with invisible hands and caressed his arms.

“She likes you. Even though she isn’t quite sure what to make of you.” Kiri laughed, covering her face as she stroked the bark of the tree. He couldn’t help but smile hearing her cute laugh and how she tried to hide it from him. “Mother thinks you’re a monkey.”

“A monkey,” Johann frowned, deepening the creases on his forehead. “That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”

“Too late. I already told her she’s right, but mentioned that you might not be as naughty.”

Johann pressed his lips together, nodding as he went through what she told him. “Okay, then I’ll just leave you to talk with your tree friends here. I’ll just be over there if you need me.”

“Hey!” She called at his back. He paused. “Thanks for coming along.”

Johann shrugged and continued walking to the pond. He sat down on a rock and inspected his leg. His joints ached but the pain was minimal compared to what his feet were going through. He bent over and took off his boots.

The cream colored socks faded into dark red stains by his toes. He sucked in a deep breath and held it as he tenderly gripped the tip of his sock. Pain shot through his foot and his breath came out choppy. He ground his teeth together to keep from screaming. Johann was a man and not a boy, he could take a little pain.

The blisters worsened from his trek through the forest. His toes looked horrible with the skin rubbed off and bleeding. The fresh air nagged at the gash in his foot. He looked back and made sure Kiri wasn’t nearby when he dipped his foot into the pond. He pressed the palm of his hand against his mouth and bit down hard. His foot shook, stirring up waves until he hardened himself to the pain. The pain faded after a few moments. He sighed and glared down at his feet.

Johann needed to get back to Germany and recover. It didn’t matter how beautiful the landscape was or how much time he wanted to spend with Kiri, he wanted professional medical attention. Asking Kiri to heal him all the time would be too much, he thought. He didn’t want to appear even weaker than he already did. Women loved a strong man in their life that could lead them.

Charlotte left him because he wasn’t good enough. On Amazon his situation worsened. He was entirely useless and had to rely on Kiri and her tribe to keep him alive.

Johann removed the emerald bound to his leg and held it to his feet. The energy was weak but he could still feel the gentle vibrations from the stone’s energy setting to work and mending parts of his wound.

A glistening light off to the side caught his attention. He peered down at the depths of the pond where he spotted a gem resting along the bed. Johann scooped it out and examined the smooth stone. It was smaller than his thumb and heart shaped with the edges rounded off after years of being underwater.

Johann glanced back into the pond to see if there were any more. A piece that small wouldn’t bring him much back home. The emerald leaves, on the other hand, would be worth a fortune if he found out where Kiri salvaged them. He put the gem in his pocket and stood up.

Every minute he spent in their world, people were dying in his. Kiri told him it would take three days for the link between their worlds to be opened again. Three days until he could return the letter. He picked up a rock and flung it skipping across the pond. He couldn’t sit around idly for that long.

“Did the water harm you?”

The voice snatched Johann out of his thoughts and brought him back to his surroundings. He quickly stuffed his feet back into the boots.

Kiri strolled past him and brushed long strands of her hair back behind her ear.

“I don’t think I can understand your people,” Kiri began, keeping her voice soft. Every dryad Johann met was beautiful but there was something about Kiri that sparked an interest in him. It wasn’t just that she saved him from Zafira. She seemed more reserved than Ajalla, hiding herself from him. A part of him longed to discover those depths. “So much anger against the world around you.”

“That’s easy for you to say but it’s me those spiders were going to devour. Don’t even get me started about the eagle,” Johann said with a grin. “I can’t walk in any direction without wondering if the next plant or rodent I see might just try to kill me.”

Kiri offered him her hand. “Want to help me plant some seeds?”

Whisks of fantastical lights danced in the air to the beats of the songs the dryads chanted. None of it compared to the beauty he saw sitting crosslegged across from him. Kiri, the more he thought about her the more his heart twisted in his chest until all he could do was think of her.

Johann never garnered any experience in courting women, especially on his own. His father introduced him to Charlotte and her brother during a visit to his shoe parlor. They only saw each other over the weekends when he had time to spare from his studies and even then, there had been a stiff tension between them. To never get too close or show emotions that might offend the other folk. Etiquette dictated his life in Germany.

He needed to take matters into his own hands if he wanted to do more than just look at Kiri. But what? They only just met and he’d be leaving the next day. Hardly enough time to build up a meaningful relationship. It would be better for him to let it slide and enjoy the memories.

Kiri didn’t ned to cast any spells, she was the magic.

“What did I miss?” Ajalla said, taking a seat next to him. She had a handful of nuts in her hand and plucked one in her mouth with an audible crunch. “Not bad. I can see why animals burry their nuts.”

“Just finished the first song,” Johann said, helping himself to her offering.

Ajalla tapped her knees, eyeing him closely. She shrugged and focused on the three Alseid dancing at the center of the presentation. They used their energy to invigorate flowers and have them follow their motions in an unusual doppelgänger manner.