"So doing such things for our ancestors was nothing out of the ordinary!"
Two druids, who had just reached their mid-teens this year, couldn't take their eyes off the dark green shield in which animals representing the elements were swimming.
"According to what Ainle said, if we want it enough, we can achieve it easily too!"
Even though the scorching lights of noon left red marks on their faces and their necks begged them to look forward, the young druids hadn't bowed their heads even for a second. What they watched wasn't a sacred shield left by their ancestors to protect them, but something a druid they had known for a long time and who wasn't very talented did on his own.
"One day I will be this strong too; then, no matter who comes, they won't be able to hurt my loved ones!"
While the eyes of the little druid, expressing the words passing through the hearts of the Main Druid Settlement people, burned like fire, a smaller group was in a meeting inside the Sacred Tree.
The five roots hadn't been able to shake off the uneasiness of dramatic developments; their state of being on tenterhooks was evident from not sitting in the seats present there for them.
"You are saying that you contacted our ancestor who presented this place to us and she bestowed all this power upon you!"
Ainle had told his experiences to the council making small adjustments; although he generally cut out the parts containing violence, he also expressed some of them so they could grasp the nature of the power he held in his hand.
"A brand new age will begin for our nation, but we have one last test we need to pass!"
While the young druid spoke, expressions full of disbelief appeared on the faces of all five roots without exception; was the one facing them the naughty, daydreamer child with his head in the clouds whom they had known since his birth?
"Our enemies understood what they are facing; it is only a matter of time before they come back much stronger!"
The sentences coming out of his mouth as if they were classic words said during an ordinary encounter would create a bombshell effect on the opposite side, that is, the Council.
The shield protecting them had disappeared, and now the person they thought was their savior was announcing that they would have to face a much bigger trouble.
"What are you talking about Ainle; did it come to your mind to tell these after leaving us defenseless!"
The First Root, no matter how much he tried to hold himself back, finally couldn't endure and snapped at the young druid.
"I am doing my part, fulfilling the will of our ancestor who protected us until today. Her aim was the continuation of our lineage and what she wanted happened; unfortunately, even she couldn't foresee the situation would develop like this!"
Ainle didn't break his composure faced with the raising of voice by one of the people he feared madly once upon a time; he had no intention of harming the First Root, but knowing he was the superior side when they confronted each other was enough for him.
"Our ancestors didn't bully anyone, nor can it be said they prevented those who did. Those who sacrificed themselves to present this place to us thought that after a while, people's grudge would subside, and surviving druids would continue their lives in peace!"
"They couldn't foresee that the ambition of the oppressed would be this great, that it would turn into a revenge chain lasting for generations; while wanting to prevent us from standing by the oppressor, they couldn't see the days when we would be wiped off the face of the earth!"
The Five Roots were aware that the sacred shield protecting them in the past had weakened recently; although they couldn't give an exact date, they knew it would leave them soon too.
"What's done is done, there is no use lamenting after this hour. Tell us, what will we do now, my son!"
The Fourth Root, Ainle's mother, had said every word emphasizing it as if indicating her trust in her child; after this event making Nafız sitting in a corner behind the young druid smile, the entire plan would be revealed.
"Where we stand will be our last line of defense; we will meet the enemy coming upon us right here!"
When the young druid fell silent, Council members expecting a detailed explanation, perhaps fantastic ideas from his mouth were dumbfounded; would this child be their savior or their disaster?
"Orc warriors, can you ask for support from your civilization?"
The First Root in a state of panic turned to the duo maintaining their silence since the beginning of the meeting and looked for a last ray of hope.
"The Supreme Khan of Orcs will allow the druids we saved and the humans joining us to return and fight; for more, we can only trust ourselves!"
The old druid wasn't expecting such an answer at all; inwardly, he thought orcs, who managed to establish their homelands right next to them, should give them more support.
"Elders, if we don't stop looking at others' hands to shape our destiny, soon there won't be a race named druid on earth. I saw our ancestors and their might with my own eyes; turn and look inside yourselves, I am sure you can find what I saw there too!"
Ainle had said his last word; he understood he couldn't meet at a point with these old people due to prejudices and fears engraved on their bones no matter what he said.
Being together with children and youth welcoming him when he went out of the giant tree was the most important issue for now; he knew that the better they nourished these seeds ensuring the continuation of his lineage, the more beautiful the flowers blooming in the future would be.
While time passed in the blink of an eye like waters of a river flowing madly, the rest of the world was uneasy as a result of a nightmare they buried long ago resurrecting again.
While the rumor that there were druids capable of using magic on the Wild Swamp continent was heard all over the world, powers pulling their forces from these lands in panic had gathered to make a situation assessment once more.
It was inevitable for heated arguments to occur; they were forced to come together against a common enemy, but everyone had the unpleasant sincerity of people looking for an opportunity to dig each other's graves.
When they finally announced the decision a week later, it was evident how scared they were; every civilization would send one of the 2nd Class forces in their hands to the region to eliminate the threat on the Wild Swamp Continent.
The operation they conducted only with third-class forces was moved to a higher level; actually, they wanted to send first-class forces, but civilizations fearing losing units forming their cores in case of any mishap were afraid to engage in such audacious actions.
"Welcome to your home, my Druid Brothers and Sisters!"
At the moments when the rest of the world set their armies on the road to nip the snake in the bud, the Druid Settlement was overflowing with the sweet feeling of reunion.
All druids, suffering on the continent for long years and setting out on an adventure after two orcs, had returned to the place they belonged, to the small piece of land they called homeland.
When druids setting out toward the unknown leaving the settlement returned without a single missing person, their loved ones wondering about them would go mad with joy. While they were in this state, I wonder what the others, seeing their relatives whom they perhaps couldn't see for decades suddenly in front of them, felt.
Mothers accepting their son's death albeit with difficulty, children growing up making the pain of losing their parents a companion, had found the people they prayed to see in their dreams at night in front of them.
Nafız felt her nose stinging; she was experiencing moments where emotions unique to someone tested with the loss of loved ones in both her lives burned her skin.
"Are you okay?"
How could Alyon not feel the grief of his friend with whom he had been together since his birth? Although he experienced the scrawny female orc's might and savagery first hand, the grey-haired orc knew very well that she had a fragile side she hid deep down, in a place she didn't want anyone to reach.