"This is an old legend that stretched back to the beginning of the Age of Chaos, way before the High Elves founded their empire."
* * *
The Age of Chaos was a time filled with the rise and fall of great monsters, the birth and extinction of countless races, and landscapes that changed by the day. This period stretched over thousands of millennia, but even at the beginning, the Cross Continent stood firm amid the sea of change.
This was before the rise of the Gods, before the birth of the Beast Kings, and during a time when the world was unstable and broken.
Waves of chaos leaked from the massive cracks that ran like claw marks through the surface of the planet. These mountain range-sized rifts were like deep wounds that had torn chunks of flesh from the world itself, some even encircling up to half the planet.
Many of these cracks torn directly across the Cross Continent.
It was here where our story began.
In the northern region of the Cross Continent, where many rifts intersected and split the land into pieces, there existed a place where the damage was shallow, almost as if it was resisted, and where the force that split heaven and earth could not split apart.
This was an ancient tomb that existed from an unknown time.
From these unsealed walls emerged something that was neither plant nor beast.
It was weak, fragile, and its body had long withered. It stumbled like a husk, missing a part of itself, something very important.
Its freedom came at a cost.
This nameless creature could not live long. Its mind waned as it stood beneath the sun.
The freedom that it sought also brought its end.
Death came as a silent shadow.
Unwillingness drowned its dying body.
In the cosmos, it would be proven time and time again that the most terrifying power was not Creation or Destruction, no, the most terrifying power was [Persistence]. That unwillingness that stirred in all life, that refusal to disappear, the unwillingness to give up, that endless pursuit of revenge, the constant climb for advancement, the dreams of love, and the piety of faith, these were all a form of Persistence.
This nameless creature made a prayer, an action that it would never normally do.
It connected to 'something' that lived at the root of [Persistence].
Its call was answered.
This nameless creature was split into nine parts. These nine parts scattered around the world, rooting themselves in the chaos-infested world that defined the Age of Chaos.
These nine fragments evolved and grew. They absorbed both order and chaos, becoming something new, something unique, something of their own. They became their own existences, yet something remained, a part of the nameless existence still stirred in their fragmented souls. That [Persistence] that anchored its nine fragments together. This was a test, a trial, and if it could persist, then it would be reborn as a new whole.
These nine fragments went out into the world and became the Nine Plant Saints. They were drawn together by fate, their unity being tied to a connected origin. They were not plants, but they were something similar. They could not expand, so they created. They gave birth to the first 'Plant Spirits'.
These plant spirits followed the Nine Plant Saints to create a new empire, the Green Empire.
Following fate's pull, these nine plant saints founded their empire on the exact spot where the tomb of their original self was sealed.
The empire rose like an unstoppable forest.
Its roots reached through the vast landscape. It rebuilt and expanded, restoring the chaotic and damaged world. Its actions were driven by an unseen purpose, as if it had tied itself to a mission to restore the broken world to an orderly place.
This was how the age of chaos started.
Unfortunately, change was a constant in all life.
At the end of the day, the nine plant saints were not plants. They couldn't understand the true nature of a forest, and they couldn't comprehend the primordial nature that hid deep within the green abyss.
Where unity existed, discourse would always come to find it. Where order rose, chaos would follow. Wisdom tore direction, creating a split at the fundamental level, corrupting the true nature of the plant spirits. Sunlight was violently contested, the earth was sucked dry, water became scarce, and daily growth became a battle for survival, where one would either grow or wither. The green empire that had once moved as a forest slowly reverted back to its primordial state.
With this collapse, cracks in the unity between the Plant Saints also began to show.
Life was not linear, and unity was not absolute.
With the differences between the Plant Saints becoming more prominent by the day, the connection between them began to stretch, and eventually started to show signs of breaking.
That nameless existence that tied them together was torn at a conceptual level, its Will splintering.
It realised before any of the others that its trial had failed.
It watched 'itself' helplessly spiral towards destruction.
But then again, [Persistence] could defy all things. Although its mind, body, and will were breaking apart with each passing day, that didn't mean the end. [Persistence] was a power that superseded logic.
It made a decision that would send a violent wave of spiritual shockwaves throughout its nine selves, and tore itself away from its nine fragments, stealing a small part of each. What should not exist escaped from its own frame of existence through pure persistence alone. An unknown being, one that surpassed even its original self, was reborn at this time.
The piercing pain that rippled through the minds of the Nine Plant Saints also had unexpected consequences. For the first time, they felt as if they had woken up. The nine plant saints seemed to realize that they were not themselves. They were part of something bigger, something whole.
This discovery marked the first period of an ancient and unending war that stretched across millennia.
This war came from the different ideological standpoints of the Nine Plant Saints. Some wanted to reunite and become whole, while others wanted to exist alone, using this newfound freedom to enjoy life. Some wanted to explore the stars, while others wanted to rebuild their home. This war resulted in the fall of some, and the rebirth of others.
As for the outcome, like most of this story, it was never recorded.
* * *
The elderly lady finished her story.
Wind and Soryn listened to the story with interest, while Petra devoured a full bag of chips.
Nebula was indifferent, seemingly having already heard this ancient tale.
When the old woman was finished, she took a long breath.
This was a long story with many unknowns, but it had been passed down for a long time. It was sometimes told to children who were too curious.
"Now..." She said, changing the mood.
-
The purple garden was the hidden backroom of Verllisan's Vines. It was a poison garden that required special clothing to enter, and although the girls were immune to most poisons, that wasn't something that they flaunted around.
They were taken to a side room where they changed into full body protective suits.
Petra felt like these weren't very reliable, but it didn't really matter.
They were led to the back room where a series of special sealed doors needed to be passed before one could reach the poison garden. The custodian repeatedly explained the dangers involved, but Petra just found it funny. The garden on top of the Tower Spider was many times more poisonous than this little place.
The girls also realised for the first time just how ridiculous their poison resistance had become. For them, working around poisonous plants was a normal thing, but watching this woman continuously explain how the common plants that Petra kept around to nibble on were some of the deadliest plants on the continent... It was just so funny.
Even Nebula had to hold back a chuckle.
When the tour was done, Petra purchased a few seeds that she lacked and found interesting. She was praised for her good eye by one of the shop assistants, but Petra was just filling out one of her mental catalogs.
After changing back into their regular clothes, the girls paid and left the building.
-
On their way out, they passed a strange man in fancy clothing.
To outsiders like them, they didn't recognize this man, but to the store clerk, she recognized this man as a servant from the city Lord's mansion.
The majority of people were still looking for the black-haired Petra, but the City Lord's Mansion was one of the few places that had the correct portrait, so when the servant casually passed Petra, something flashed in his eyes. He didn't stop her, he didn't ask anything, he ignored her and walked past to enter the garden.
This meeting was casual and uneventful, but it would shape Petra's short stay in Sevensen.
-
When the girls left, the elderly shop owner shooed away the few shop assistants and stood in silence.
After a long time, tears fell from her eyes.
She was old and withered, clearly having lived a long life, but even in this long life, the number of times she had cried could be counted on one hand.
"Idiot, I had given up hope long ago. Why now of all times? After Postpit's death, I couldn't handle your disappearance at all. I looked for so long, you know…. Ah, stupid fourth sister, why can I still smell you? Why is the hope I cut off so long ago suddenly finding its way back to me?"
The elder stood there in silence, the ethereal shadow of an endless root flickered beneath her robes.
"Stupid sister, it's not just you, right? I can also smell second sister. Were you together all this time?"
The elderly lady lowered her head.
"It's too late. I hope you don't blame me."
Her words trailed off, disappearing into the void.
-
Later that night, the girls returned to the inn.
They ordered a large meal and ate together in the quiet tavern. They were served roasted pig, spicy beef chips, a litany of fruits and vegetables, and all of it was mixed together with the tavern's specialty garlic sauce.
After they ate, they returned to their rooms, ready to rest for the night.
Petra shared a room with Nebula, so she clung tightly to the big sister's leg and used her as a free ride to climb the stairs. When they laid down, Petras little head quickly disappeared beneath the sheets, her little body soaking in all the extra warmth.
Nebula sighed.
A chilly wind slipped through the cracks in the slightly old wooden window.
The girls fell asleep amidst the creaking of wood and the dulled mumbles of the nighttime pedestrians.
* * *
Sevensen, City Lords Mansion.
The quick echo of footsteps rang through the hall.
Passing under white marbled ceilings and art filled walls was the man who Petra had seen earlier in the day. He pushed past the heavy oak doors, moved with purpose, and held a spark of excitement that repeatedly flickered in his eyes.
He unceremoniously burst into the room, entering the city lord's study, and startled the tired city lord.
"Lord Adend, I found her, the girl that Bauer was looking for!" His voice was high, cutting through the nighttime atmosphere.
The city lord furrowed his brows.
He was both angry and confused.
It took a moment for his mind to turn enough to pick out the few faces who fit this description. With a flash of inspiration, a childish face suddenly popped into his head.
His eyes rolled, a shrewd and cunning glint igniting in his gaze.
He hummed, remaining behind the desk.
The servant continued. "I found her shopping. She doesn't seem to realize that people are looking for her!"
City Lord Adend tapped the desk.
He calculated something in his head.
Although Bauer didn't say it, he was no fool. This girl was both the target of Bauer's revenge, and the missing Northern Regions Heavens Chosen. She was a big-ticket target, a walking treasure trove that could bring ruin or reward depending on how he played.
He dismissed the servant, sending him away with a small reward.
Adend got up and poured himself a glass of wine.
He walked to the window, looking at the night sky.
His cooperation with the Mercenary Alliance had crossed many lines, but this mattered very little to him. Most people would say that he didn't have the ability to stand toe to toe with a division leader, but he disagreed. He and he alone knew what power he had hidden.
What bothered him was not the untrustworthy fellows from the west, but the intruding bastards that came from the east.
Although the eastern region had exiled themselves, that didn't mean that their power had disappeared from the continent. On the contrary, they had been tightening their authority with each day that passed.
His recent headaches all came from one problem, and that was the missing girl, Dorthy Quella.
To have such an important figure disappear in his city was like a stone being thrown into a calm pond.
The darkness that had long been concealed was slowly dug up, and one thing after another slowly came to light. He had avoided implication in many of these incidents, but there was always a limit. If the eastern region really wanted to push the issue, then he might be doomed. As long as they continued their witch hunt for their missing Hero, he didn't have much to worry about.
He swirled his glass.
His eyes narrowed.
Who should he give Petra to…?
He could either appease Bauer's wrath or delay the Easterner's crusade.
His reflection through the window was split, half stood in the light and half stood in the darkness. His eyes flickered with an intense contemplation.
* * *