When the two orcs started conveying the experiences they lived to each other, they weren't aware that they were assembling the pieces of a puzzle; actually, no matter how hard they tried, a part would always remain missing.
This most important part was being told to Ainle as of now; unlike his friends learning the before and occurrence of the events, the scrawny druid was listening to the result.
"When the last orc capable of using lineage power escaped too, we were considered to have completed our mission; the only thing we had to do was to retreat slowly and keep the casualties at the lowest level, but this wouldn't be easy at all."
"If our enemies' aim were lands or gold, maybe we could have had a chance, but they wanted only our lives."
"Arrogant orcs failed to control themselves faced with the situation; although they knew better than their names that they would die, they ran advancing to the front lines. This suicide attack had perhaps ended a tradition lasting for centuries too; for the first time, orcs were making themselves shields for druids!"
The eyes of the goddess, startled as if reliving that moment, had become slightly wet; the surroundings of this beauty, enabling onlookers to dive into various dreams and bringing spring to one's inner world even by just standing next to her, were painted in the grey of sorrow.
"Ma'am, how did my ancestors survive this disaster!"
"Ainle, do you know why those managing the council are still called roots and young druids are called saplings?"
Realizing he would learn something new, Ainle got very excited; although he didn't have the slightest idea about the answer, this wasn't upsetting him right now.
Observing the young man opposite her, the woman who was a monument of beauty wouldn't insist much; in these minutes when his horizon would open to infinity, she would only tell Ainle the forgotten truths.
"Every druid warrior possesses a tree growing with him inside his soul; he absorbs and accumulates the nature energy he will use in his spells through this way!"
The scrawny druid's breath was cut; although he thought the status titles in their society were used due to their fondness for nature, the truth was much different.
"The glory of this tree determined the person's level; unless a druid's tree of life was destroyed, there was no way to kill him!"
Ainle, always thinking they were the race at the bottom of the world, couldn't believe his ears after what he heard; he knew orcs could live for centuries without dying unless there was an external intervention, but druids having a similar feature horrified him, to say the least.
The might of his ancestors rose before him like a giant wall; the scrawny druid, who used to see himself as inferior only against others, now felt this feeling against his kinsmen in the past too.
"Don't blame yourself, little one; the situation you fell into occurred entirely as a result of our choice!"
How could his ancestor opposite him not understand Ainle's mood? She would start telling the rest of the story to the young druid eating himself up inside.
"When orcs suffered genocide, it was our turn; even though we retreated deep into the Wild Swamp, they weren't leaving us alone!"
"It was time for us to make a decision too; forming a protection shield with our last power, we started discussing. Before long, we would make the decision; it was inevitable for us to make a sacrifice for the continuation of our lineage!"
Right here, the goddess paused her speech; time had accelerated in a weird way. First, a few wrinkles would appear on the world-beautiful woman's face, then with her whitening hair and waist bending forward, the beautiful woman's appearance changed dramatically within seconds.
"We started the work by taking our kinsmen, in whose souls a tree sapling hadn't formed yet, inside the magic circle we established. There was a druid warrior at every point of this huge circle in whose center I stood; the moment I took out my tree of life I grew in my soul, they also absorbed all energy of their own trees of life and transferred it to me!"
"Here, Ainle, the story of the shield protecting you and the giant tree supporting it is nothing other than this!"
While the trembling timbre of her voice, getting its share from the change, added even more sorrow to her words, the old woman had finished all she would say.
The scrawny druid would sometimes think about the shield protecting the Main Druid Settlement; there had been times when many possibilities formed in his head, but none could even come close to the fact that his ancestors' life force protected them.
His fists had closed in such a way that his blood was dripping to the ground drop by drop due to his nails digging into his flesh; remembering the times he spent carefree and indifferent, he got even angrier at himself.
"Ainle, come here!"
The old woman's voice was losing its color gradually; faced with this situation, the young druid would struggle to do what was said rapidly.
When Ainle came to the place mentioned, a green magic circle appeared on the ground; at the same time, he could feel the body heat of the old woman hugging him.
"This was my last duty I had to perform; now I can sleep in peace together with my comrades."
"Ainle, the time has come to take what is yours!"
The next moment, the bright light overflowing from inside the great pyramid would illuminate the large city resembling a labyrinth; everyone had to close their eyes for ten seconds.
Only a single person was seeing everything in all its nakedness; the young druid, separated from his home for a long time, was watching the surroundings with longing.
The Five Roots in a meeting, adults watching what happened outside the shield with anxiety, and small druids running with joy without being aware of the situation seemed as if they were all right beside Ainle.
The young druid, in a dream he didn't want to wake up from, was enjoying seeing the place he belonged to, albeit for a few seconds; however, when the light gushing from his body stopped and he remained alone at the top of the pyramid, Ainle would understand he needed to return to the moment he lived.
The goddess falling from the peak of beauty into the claws of old age in an instant was no longer there; leaving a staff floating gently where she used to be, she had mixed into nothingness.
Seeing the item resembling a roughly carved tree branch, Ainle knew this was left for him; just as he knew he reached a different level of understanding and entered into interaction with nature at a completely different level, he was also quite clearly aware of this.
When he reached out and grasped the staff, the young druid's heart filled with peace as if finding the missing piece he had been looking for for years; fears gnawing at his inside constantly but whose reason he couldn't discover had almost evaporated and flown away.
"My supreme ancestor, your legacy will live with me; I won't let down you and the noble druid warriors!"
While speaking, Ainle looked like a hero out of epic tales; besides the spirituality of his voice, many changes had occurred in his physical appearance as well.
He was no longer the scrawny druid coming out of the Druid Settlement; now if they came side by side, Alyon could only be taller than him by a head. The life energy overflowing from his soul had plumped up his muscles; his body hadn't lost its proportion despite his increasing height, and a light settling on his countenance had transformed him into a truly attractive figure.
He still had simple clothes on him, but now while proceeding toward the ground of the pyramid to the side of his two friends, Ainle looked like a god who decided to descend from the skies to the earth.
He wanted to explain the situation when he stepped on the ground amidst Nafız and Alyon's astonished looks, but a metallic voice that would ring in his ears would ensure he stopped.
"All dungeons on the Wild Swamp are completed; you have earned the right to receive the Soul Bud!"
The moment the weird words finished, three green light beams flew and entered inside the trio's chests; although the two orcs didn't know what this meant, Ainle was quite aware of what was happening.
"Nafız, Alyon, the Soul Bud is a seed planted in your soul; it will grow and develop with you and undertake the duty of shield to protect from all kinds of spiritual attacks!"
Nafız, understanding for a long time that weird things were going on, became completely sure after these words; that old boy was gone, someone completely different had come in his place.
"What will we do now; outside is swarming with enemies!"
When it was registered that they reached their goals, Alyon would think ahead although it wasn't his habit; the question he asked was the detail challenging him the most in this endeavor.
Unlike him, the young druid was giving a very comfortable image; what he would say a moment later was completely a manifestation of his self-confidence.
"Just as we came, we will walk out and go!"