LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 139: I Want To Be A Druid
"So, you're saying that the reason we've been fighting all these years, the reason why we have our soldiers stationed at the border, is because of you?" Felix asked, massaging his temples.
"Yes." Maria said from where she sat, watching her three sons who had all remained standing. It hadn't started that way but throughout the course of her story, they'd all risen to their feet at one point, Darius pacing.
Her eyes flicked to Ren who remained by the balcony, watching the soldiers outside the castle. She suspected that a part of him had figured it all out. He wasn't as shocked as her two eldest sons.
"That's good." Felix nodded.
Maria raised her brow in question. What could possibly be good about this?
"Father made the right choice." Felix said. "You're better off here. It doesn't matter what the barbarians want, mother. They won't get to you."
Maria had no idea what to say in response. What do you say when your husband, your kids, and the people under you are suffering, and may die, just to keep you alive.
Her fist tightened beside her. Just until we're strong enough to kill the Dryad.
"Wait a minute! If we're half barbarian, does that mean we can become Druids if we want?" Darius stopped his pacing to stare at his mother.
"Yes." Maria nodded. "I can make you all Druids right now if I want to."
"The Dryad?" Ren spoke from the balcony, finally turning to look at her.
"Yes." Maria gave another nod. "The Dryad is the soul of its Green Tree, which means I'm always connected to the tree. It means I don't need berry powder to use Druidic magic. It also means that I can produce the sap of the Green Tree without having to be at the tree."
"I want it." Ren said, pushing off the balcony and walking into the room. "I want the sap. I want to become a Druid." He said, something inscrutable in his eyes.
Maria stared at him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Her eyes flicked to her other sons, seeing the curiosity and anticipation in their eyes.
"You're all not taking this seriously." She said. "Didn't you hear what I said? The barbarians are here for me!"
"And so what?" Darius said. "Did you really think we'd hand over our mother to the barbarians just because they wanted you? Father is more pragmatic than any of us could ever hope to be, and yet, he hasn't handed you over."
"There would be no winners in this war. People will die. People I love. Both barbarian and Ross." She whispered. "If the Tribe of Three wins, a Calamity would be born."
She saw Ren flinch subtly out of the corner of her eye. "A Calamity that, given time, would raze the world to the ground."
"If House Ross wins and the Dryad is killed, thousands of lives would be lost. Not just that, the Green Tree would die forever and the Druidic Magic of every barbarian tied to the tree would disappear forever."
"And handing you over would just make matters worse." Felix said, crossing his arms. "It'll mean the creation of the Calamity. Is that what you want?"
"You said it yourself, mother." Her eyes flicked to Ren, who stared her with a soft smile. "This won't end until the Dryad is dead. All we need to do is just to kill the Dryad."
She stared at her sons, a mixture of motherly love and guilt churning within her. She looked away, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall. She smiled for their sake but deep inside, she was terrified. If it were up to her, they would never be in the same country as the goddess they were preparing to kill.
It was times like these that made her want to cry her heart out. What would her children and Abram do when she was dead? She couldn't bear the thought. So, she focused on Ren.
"You understand that even if you drink the sap, you still need berry powder to use the ability." Maria said.
"I do." Ren nodded solemnly.
"You understand that if the Dryad is killed, your Druidic magic would disappear."
Again, her son nodded. "I do."
Maria stared at her son for a long moment before exhaling. "Alright. Bring me a cup."
In a few minutes, there was a cup in front of her. She closed her eyes, concentrating on the Dryad sealed within her. It howled for blood, trying to push through the cage holding it back.
She ignored it, pulling out the power from it and directing it to her palm. A buzz rose up within her, not unlike the one gotten from sniffing berry powder. After all, she was bypassing the fruits and going directly to the source of the energy.
Opening her eyes, she placed her hand over the cup and glowing green sap poured slowly into it. She could feel a negligent amount of blood draining from her, but she ignored it. Even if the Dryad was within her, the laws of the Green Tree remained the same. Freely given blood for sap.
"Here." She handed it to Ren. "Drink."
Ren took the cup from her, his brothers looking curiously at the sap over his shoulder. They'd declined to drink of it, not wanting to put energy into a form of magic that would eventually disappear.
Ren looked up, meeting her eye, before downing the sap.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Ren's veins lighted up a vibrant green, the energy flowing into his body. He staggered, his green eyes glowing a bright emerald.
"Woah!" He whispered, eyes wide, energy coursing through him.
"How does it feel?" Darius asked, a wide grin on his face.
"It feels… amazing!" Ren said, voice filled with wonder. "I can feel every living thing around me! It's like a map in my head!"
"That's the energy of the sap changing your body." Maria said, a smile on her face. She could remember the day she'd also drank from the Green Tree. "It'll fade soon. If you want to feel the people around you, you'll need berry powder."
Ren opened his mouth to speak, a grin on his face, but was interrupted by the voice of his brother.
"Guys?" Felix called out as he slowly walked onto the balcony. "You... you need to see this. Right now."