She was shocked at his response but made sure to keep her composure.
’Hoho, a human rejected me. How surprising. Most would be lusting over me by now. He is indeed different. I should convince him no matter what.’
"May I ask why you do not want to help us?"
She kept her tone soft, hoping this would convince him that she meant no harm.
Vell, on the other hand, was dumbfounded by the question.
"Are you serious right now? You have us in cages, tied up. Why the fuck would I help someone that does not even trust us?" Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘷𝗲𝗹•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
There was silence for a few moments. She stared at him and then smiled.
"Alright, I will trust you."
She waved her hand, and the cages, along with the vines that were binding them, disappeared into thin air.
Her eyes stayed on him, but he did not care. He got to his feet but quickly fell back down.
He was too weak, and his mana was still not back. It really got on his nerves.
"Need some help there?"
Her tone had shifted. It sounded as though she was teasing him about his pathetic situation, but the softness in her voice would convince anyone that she meant it in a good way.
He ignored her and began meditating to restore his mana.
’My pathways are no longer blocked, so why am I not able to pull mana from my cores? Hey system, are you there?’
There was no response, but it did not bother him. Restoring his mana was his top priority.
After a few minutes of meditating, he could finally use it faintly. He attempted to push past that, but his body began to give out, so he had to stop.
’Shit, what the hell is going on with my body? This is so annoying. It is like I am back to square one.’
He looked up at the woman on the throne, who was still watching him in amusement.
’I hate that look in her eyes. Hahh, let’s get this over with.’
"So, what do you want my help with? No, before that, what exactly is this forest? I know it is way bigger than we were led to believe, and ever since I fought that snake, there has been this strange energy that I keep sensing."
’Ohhh, he is not bad. His senses seem to be sharp, too sharp.’
Her hand twitched and slowly floated into the air, but one look at him gently trying to wake up Yenna, and she changed her mind.
"I am sure humans have a name for this place, but its real name is Ulti, the forest of life and mystery. It is one of the few places outside the tower where one can find extraordinary things. It is a forest that has been around, well, since ever. You can get a lot from this place: power, artifacts, money. But to us, it is simply our home, and that home is slowly dying."
Her words were genuine, but Vell still frowned.
"Ulti, the forest of life and mystery," he repeated, testing the name on his tongue. "You make it sound like some ancient wonderland, but that does not explain why it feels place is alive, watching, waiting. I want a straightforward answer. What is this place, and why do you want my help?"
His words hung in the air for a few seconds.
"You have really good instincts. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing, but regardless, I will tell you the truth. Where do you think monsters like us get our life force from?"
Her tone was no longer soft. This was a serious conversation now.
"That is a strange question. I actually never thought about that."
He scratched his head, trying to think of an answer, but nothing was coming up.
"That is not surprising. Humans do not care for monsters, after all," her gaze shifted to his kids. "Most humans, at least. If that question is hard, then let me ask an easier one. Where does mana come from?"
"From the air," he replied, wasting no time.
She did not like that answer.
"It seems my question was not asked correctly. What I meant to ask is, where did mana come from? How did it end up in the air for different species to use it?"
This question hit him even harder.
"Where it came from? What is that supposed to in? Has not it always been there? Part of the world, just like wind and other forces?"
He was now intrigued by this conversation as he sat down, holding all his kids in his arms.
She nodded slightly, as if she had expected that answer.
"A common belief. But no, mana was not always here. You see, before life even existed on this world, there was nothing, just a barren rock drifting in space. It is said that a dying star in its solar system released a shard, a massive shard which landed on this planet."
She allowed him to absorb this information for a few moments before continuing.
"Over time, this shard sank into the planet, reaching its core, which led to a fusion of sorts. This new core began affecting the world, one layer at a time, until it reached the top side and began affecting the air. This infection is what was later called mana."
He listened, his expression darkening as the weight of her words settled in.
"So, you are saying mana is some kind of cosmic contamination?"
The woman nodded, her eyes never leaving his.
"Precisely. But it did not stop there. Remember how I said there was no life on this planet, not even a single tree or grass? If that was the case, where did life come from? Where did we all come from?"
This was a question he could not answer. He could not even begin to process how he would approach it.
"That is to be expected. It is not something a little human like you could know, but do not worry, I will explain it to you. When the contamination was completed, the planet became semi-sentient. It was alive and hungry, and since there was nothing on the planet to suck the life out of, it began drifting around the universe, eating every planet it came across and contaminating any living thing it found."
Vell’s eyes were wide with shock.
"Wait, are you saying this is not our real planet? No, wait, you said, but if that is true, how can... Fuck!"
This was too much for him to process. The woman could have continued, but she let him rest and absorb everything first.
"The planet is alive?" Yenna said as she slowly woke up with a throbbing headache.