Within an hour, we were all back together. It was a sight to behold as approximately six thousand of the most eclectic mix of races marched across the grassy plain. Still looking strong, despite our losses and what we had been through.

As we trudged southwards away from the forces of our enemies, Wind of the Wild walked by my side.

“That did not go how I expected,” he complained. “We lost close to 100 Wultr and Woltar in the battle to return and save you. Their loss will be felt keenly.”

“Damn right it will. We lost around a hundred Goblins, Drengalfar and Dokalfar. My life before coming to Falritas, didn’t usually involve this much death. It’s hard to bear, and I spend most of my time trying not to think about it or it will fucking crush me. I have too many people relying on me now for that. But thanks for coming to save us. I appreciate it,” I replied with a half arsed effort at hiding my sarcasm. Considering it was us who had risked our lives to save him and his pack, I thought he had a damn cheek.

“I feel there is much we could have done better, which could have saved many lives.”

“Would you like to enlighten me, Wind? Because right at this moment, I feel like you’re fucking criticizing my part in this.”

“Not at all. Only that we must learn.”

“Yeah.” I agreed, feeling ever more irritated at his words. “So what should I learn from that fight back there, then?”

“That is for you to decide,” he said, as if he was being wise rather than an absolute prick. I almost snapped a retort, but bit my tongue. No one needed me and Wind of the Wild going at it right now. So I reversed it instead.

“And what did you learn exactly?”

He looked as thoughtful as a wolf could look. “Many things, I always learn from battle.”

He was good. He wanted to criticize me, but he was trying to goad me into attacking his decisions first. I felt a smile creep on my face.

“That is good to hear. There was definitely a lot you could learn from that battle.”

His yellow eyes snapped to me. I could see the anger there clearly, but he was wise enough to fall silent at least.

“That was without doubt the most peculiar and civilized argument I have ever heard,” Danivra said. “Well done, Lord Clive. I believe his main issue was your rescue of Sania. I must admit, when you teleported away from me, I had reservations about your decision, but somehow, you managed to rescue us all.”

“I fucking know what he’s driving at. Yet if the prick ran instead of stopping to fight after we’d broken through their lines, then everything would have been different. And quite frankly, I was willing to die to save Sania and I’d do the same again.”

“But you wouldn’t do that for everyone. You didn’t do that for everyone who died today.”

“I try to as much as I can. But it’s completely different with Sania. She’s my soul mate. She carried me for miles when Natom lopped both my legs off. That was when we didn’t know they would grow back, either. She’s stood by me and made sure I survived and grew, again and again. If there’s ever any chance I can ever save her, that comes first. She’s not the only one either. I’d do the same for you, and Grigor. Olata, too, if I’m honest. Maybe even Grastad depending on how much of an arsehole he’d been that day. So... yeah. Nothing to learn there. I’d do the same again tomorrow.”

“I am… happy to hear I would be one of those you would risk it all for.”

“You’re surprised? You shouldn’t be. I’m nothing without you guys. Nothing at all.”

We chatted for a while longer, Sania talked to Wind of the Wild, and I felt a bit of animosity that the oldest Wultr was acting like he wouldn’t have left her dead. As part of my embryonic plans, I was going to ensure she got more powerful than him now. I wasn’t quite sure how I’d go about the specifics, but the wheels were still spinning in my head.

After an hour’s further walking, I spotted a forest on the horizon. Olata still walked, but as soon as I saw it, I turned to the Fae Queen.

“I reckon I owe you a favor, Olata. Let me carry you ahead to that forest, so you can start healing.”

“I… why thank you, Clive,” she beamed. “While I don’t wish to be a burden I will be grateful to take you up on that offer, and thank you for remembering.”

“I can get you there quicker,” Wind of the wild said.

“Thank you Wind of the Wild, but there’s no need. Clive has plenty of speed.”

I stifled a fuck you grin at him and held out a hand for Olata. She jumped up onto it lightly and then onto my shoulder, her weight barely noticeable.

Before leaving, I spoke to the other leaders of our group. “I reckon we’re all due an early camp, seeing as we’ve just been running and fighting solidly for two days without sleep.”

“I was going to say!” Grastad protested. “If you don’t count the naps, I think we’ve been running and fighting for a lot longer than two days.”

“At least your wife’ll be happy you lost that belly you were growing,” I said seriously.

He adopted a solemn expression at my words. “I assure you, Lord Lazy, I will be replenishing my lost stocks when we return to Far Reach. Give me a month and I’ll have my waddle back. Of that, I promise you.”

“We’ll see about that,” I laughed. Then lifted up from the floor. Sania and all of Olata’s fae people following. They chittered, as they buzzed around us, gibberish mainly and I could hardly believe Olata was ever like them. Even the second evolution fae seemed barely lucid half the time.

The forest was fairly dense, the first of its kind that we'd seen on our path south. The Fae charged through the first Bushes and trees excitedly.

“Down there please,” Olata said, pointing at a particular spot, a small clearing that showed a glimpse of a stream running through.

We landed and Olata hopped off my shoulder enthusiastically. Her fae flittering around her as she went.

I took a moment just to enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest. The trees seem to offer an illusion of safety that I enjoyed. Sania moved swiftly over to the stream, crouching down to scoop crystal clear water to her mouth. I hadn’t realized how thirsty I was until I saw her drinking and went over to join her.

I took a few handfuls of water and then sat on the bank To watch the fae play happily among the trees.

Olata sat in front of a large tree that was overhanging the stream. With Singularity sight, I watched as the green hues interacted with each other. The energy from the water was a very light, almost translucent shade of green, while the energy emanating from the tree was a much deeper shade. The sparse patches of grass were somewhere in between.

Olata wove the different shades in a complex pattern pulling them into her body. I watched in awe as her wing slowly but steadily began to repair itself.

As soon as it had straightened out fully, her wings seemed to come to life, flickering rapidly without any visible effort from the fairy queen. She hovered up from the forest floor, still holding onto the power. Being able to see it made it much less mysterious, yet at the same time more amazing. I couldn't help but want to draw on the energy of nature myself.

I looked at Sania about to say as much but she was laying there with her eyes closed, looking for all the world like she was asleep.

“I wasn’t too tired as every time I evolved it was like being made again and I felt completely refreshed.

It seemed like it was worth something to give a go. I focused on the energy from the river first, and tried to think of myself as a magnet to the energy. The effort was rewarded with no change in the energy of the river. I tried to push it as I would with a portal or a shield. While the energy moved, it also continued to flow around my efforts. It was fluid, constantly moving, and that was something different to the spells.

I tried the grass near where I sat, next. That wasn’t flowing at least, but I found the same issue. The energy moved through the grass in constant flux. Puzzled, I was about to give up when Olata appeared by my side.

“What are you doing, Lord Clive?”

I laughed nervously at her tone. Like a school kid getting caught doing something they shouldn’t have been. “I am… interacting with nature.”

“I can feel that you are. What is your aim?” she asked, cocking her head to one side curiously.

“Uhm, nothing really. I can just see it, and I saw you messing with it to heal yourself. I was just curious.”

She nodded. Smiling, I was glad to see. I wasn’t in trouble at least.

“I’m impressed that you’re able to divert its flow, without a natural affinity or training. Though I suppose you are not entirely human.”

“Oh, you mean the demon part?”

“Oh no,” she laughed. “I meant the Creation aspect. Curiosity and Creation are entwined are they not. What are you actually doing to affect Nature’s energy?”

“Just pushing and pulling, really. I tried to draw it into me at first, but it wouldn’t come, so I just started moving it.”

Olata shook her head. “That makes sense. You’re trying to control it! Nature Neuma works differently. First you open yourself up to it. If it feels an affinity with you, it will flow into you. If not, then you cannot touch Nature.”

“Can you increase your affinity?” I asked. Intrigued by the thought.

“You can. Even those of us who are one with Nature continue to improve where we can. Though for those not in tune with Nature, it is more difficult.”

“Gotcha, so I probably won’t have much luck then. If it wasn’t for the Singularity, I wouldn’t have been able to interact with it at all. Back home I wasn’t ever really a forest dweller. Unless you’re talking about the concrete variety. How do you use it if you can’t control it or make it do anything?”

“It’s a symbiotic power. It can feel your body, your mind, your needs. If you cultivate a good enough relationship with Nature, then it will grant your needs as well as it can. Part of the relationship is that we cycle the energy. Nature becomes more by being channeled with sentience.”

“That sounds nice. Better than sharing your power with a dick god who demands loads of shit from you that you might not even agree with.”

“Indeed, but not all gods are bad surely,” she said with a wry smile for me.

“I hope you’re not trying to suggest I’m not a dick, Olata.”

The fae queen laughed, then indicated that I should try again to interact with nature.

Taking a deep breath of the forest air, I looked around, admiring the beauty of the moment. The noon sunlight shining down on us, glittering off the water and bathing everything in its golden glow. Sania asleep on the ground, beside me and Olata hovering a few feet away in a position that looked incredibly comfortable despite her rapidly beating wings.

I almost forgot about all of our people making their way toward us as I focused again on the green energy around me. This time, I held out my hand, offering it to the neuma in the air, without demand. Nothing happened. I didn’t actually mind. I had the potential for more than enough power. It was purely because I liked the look and the feel of it.

Just as I was about to remove my outstretched hand, the emerald coloured Neuma from the grass beneath my hand began to flow into me.

“That’s it!” Olata said excitedly. “It accepts you. Keep going, Lord Clive!”

I did as she said. Spurred on by her excitement. In my mind's eye, I could see the green energy moving into the meridian of my right arm. The one with the combined Meridian and the Immortal shell. As it moved further up, it began to absorb into the Meridian, seeming to lose its identity as the green faded. I was concerned for the energy, but noted that there was still a very faint light green tinge to the area.

“Wonderful Clive, can you feel it? The needs of the grass beneath you?”

“HA, yeah!” I said with enthusiasm. “That’s amazing. It was almost like the energy was asking for a trade. I obliged, offering up a little Neuma, from my reserves. I hadn’t thought it through, and all three powers were pulled from my core, Dark, Light, and Ethereal. It wasn’t much, but when I heard Olata gasp, I opened my eyes. I saw her eyes looking at the grass with wonder.

I looked down to see the grass had changed to the color of my arm, translucent and crystal like.

“Oh hell, that’s mad,” I said, gently touching the grass with my fingers. It was still soft, which was good. I didn’t want everyone moving into the clearing and cutting the shit out of their feet because I’d made crystal grass.

“How did you do that?” Olata asked.

I shrugged. “Just swapped a bit of Neuma. I didn’t have an intention beyond that.”

“She landed down on the grass and pushed her own hand over it. Truly remarkable. We should certainly explore what else you can do with your powers.

She was distracted by the sound of distant voices, traveling through the trees. Wultr and Elves began to appear. We watched them enter and drop in the first available space. Creaking and crunching of branches followed as the Nysti and goblins barged their way into the clearing. At least the Nanooks had the sense to drop into their human forms to enter. Danivra reached my side before anyone else, looking speculatively at the ground.

“Clive manipulated Nature,” Olata told her excitedly.

Danivra’s eyebrows climbed high. “You were able? Do you think you could manipulate Rock, Shadow, and Soil?”

“I honestly don’t know, but it’s cool, right?”

“If you can draw on different sources of nature, then yes. Combining elements in different ways could be amazing.

“I kinda thought that the Ethereal energy I have, is a blend of all the elements anyway because while it’s almost transparent, I can see the other colors within.”

“I don’t honestly know,” Danivra said. But to ensure you reach your full potential, we will work it out together.”

I smiled at that. “Well if we have to work out how to become the god of creation, then I can’t think of any other people I’d rather have with me than you lot.”

“Perhaps Devotion,” Danivra added, and I felt Sania perk up at that. She still wasn’t keen on the idea of bonding with the goddess. Hell, I wasn’t keen on the idea either, but I wouldn’t be able to put the decision off much longer.