Chapter 42: Historical Trauma!
The platform remained tense even after Eileen was escorted away, her presence lingering like a poisonous afterimage in the air. People kept whispering about her constantly.
Only once the guards vanished into the living corridors of the world-tree did the Dark Elves slowly begin to breathe again.
They lowered all their weapons and eased their mana signatures, and the crowd continued to whisper uneasily while they dispersed, through more than a few glances were cast towards Jax with admiration.
Lyla remained where she was, shoulders squared, gaze fixed in the direction Eileen had been taken.
For several heartbeats, she said nothing. Then she exhaled slowly, the breath carrying far more weight than it should have.
"That could have ended far worse," Lyla said quietly, stepping closer to Jax.
Jax turned to face her fully, golden eyes steady, "It still might," he replied. "But it won’t end on her terms."
Lyla inclined her head, acknowledging the truth in that, "On behalf of the Dark Elven Clan," she said formally, placing one hand over her chest, "Thank you once again Jax. You protected our land, our people... and you returned one of our own alive, despite everything."
Her gaze flickered briefly toward the distant corridors again, "That couldn’t have been easy."
Jax shrugged lightly, "What’s difficult for you is quite easy for me Lyla, don’t worry, there’s not much I can’t handle,"
Something unreadable crossed Lyla’s expression, followed by a faint, genuine smile, "I can’t wait to see how successful you’ll be in the future. The Demon Kingdom is truly in good hands,"
Hydra, who had remained in her massive dragon form throughout the exchange, shifted her weight and leaned down slightly, emerald eyes gleaming with curiosity, "So," she said, tone far too casual for the gravity of what had just occurred, "are we done glaring at each other? I was promised a forest tour at some point."
That finally broke the tension completely.
Lyla let out a quiet laugh, rubbing her temple, "Yes," she said, turning her attention to Hydra. "I suppose I did promise hospitality."
She glanced back at Jax. "If you and Hydra are willing, I’d like to show you the settlement properly. Not as a battlefield... but as a home."
"I’d like that," Jax replied.
Hydra straightened proudly, "Good. Then I’ll stop looming."
With a soft pulse of mana, Hydra’s colossal form began to shrink, emerald scales dissolving into light as wings folded inward.
In moments, where the Dragon had stood was a tall, striking woman with flowing emerald hair, smooth green-toned skin, and eyes that still glimmered faintly with draconic light.
She stretched her arms above her head and rolled her shoulders. "Much better. Flying is fun, but walking reminds people I’m friendly, especially with this new aura Jax gave me, I can actually get close to others,"
Several Dark Elves stared at her.
"Compared to the last time I saw you, you look much better. Guess Jax helped you solve your little issue?" Lyla asked.
"Yep, he did, now I can actually get close to people, how fun," Hydra said.
That earned a curious look from Lyla, who then gestured toward the sprawling settlement. "Come. I’ll have Amaya escorted to the healers, then we’ll begin."
As they moved, the Dark Elven territory revealed itself in full.
Homes were grown directly from the massive trees, carved and shaped without harming the living wood.
Platforms spiraled upward around trunks thicker than castles, connected by bridges of braided branches and glowing vines. Bioluminescent flowers lit the pathways softly, responding to footfalls and mana signatures.
Treants stood like ancient sentinels throughout the territory, their massive forms adorned with moss and rune-carved bark. Some inclined their heads subtly as Jax passed, recognizing the authority in his presence.
Hydra walked slightly ahead, clearly enjoying herself, fingers trailing along glowing leaves and enchanted bark. "You know," she said, "This place looks just as good as you described when I last met you, can’t believe I actually get to see it now,"
"You have different tastes from your peers. Orianna hates it here, always loathes when we meet up," Lyla said as they continued, passing a training platform where young Dark Elves were practicing archery and spell-craft.
All the young Elves paused briefly as instructors ushered them aside with hurried bows. Further along, druids tended to root-networks beneath the platforms, reinforcing mana flow damaged by recent incursions.
Jax observed it all quietly, "You’ve invested heavily in preservation," he noted. "Not just defense."
"Yes," Lyla said. "Which is exactly why Eileen despised my leadership."
Hydra slowed slightly, glancing back, "Did she really need to take it so far? What was her deal anyway?"
~SIGH!~
Lyla released a heavy sigh as she heard that sentence before finally responding, "Eileen was our Chief Alchemist. She was extraordinary. A brilliant mind who obsessed about inventing and learning. However, she had a fatal flaw. She believed the only language the Church understands is annihilation."
"And you disagreed," Jax said.
"I did," Lyla replied without hesitation, "Because retaliation at that scale would cost tens of thousands of lives. Our people weren’t in a good enough situation to handle such a massive battle. It would be less of a battle and more of us clinging on,"
Her voice hardened slightly, "However, Eileen didn’t see it this way. She saw it more as a necessary sacrifice of all of those people. She even suggested we align ourselves with other clans to fight those battles for us, sacrificing them,"
Hydra frowned. "That... never ends well."
"No," Lyla agreed. "I refused her proposals, and restricted her access to alchemical research, ordering people to oversee her work,"
"And she vanished," Jax finished.
"Yes," Lyla said softly. "I believed she’d fled. Or been taken. I never imagined she would turn her anger inward."
They reached a high observation platform overlooking the forest canopy, where the land stretched endlessly in shades of green and silver.
Lyla stopped there, hands resting lightly on the railing grown from living wood.
"I failed her," she admitted quietly. "Not as a leader... but as a guardian. I saw her rage and thought time would cool it."
Jax stood beside her, posture relaxed but attentive. "People like that don’t cool," he said. "They either burn out... or burn everything around them."
Hydra leaned against the railing on the other side, arms crossed. "For what it’s worth," she added, "you stopped her from doing worse. That matters."
Lyla glanced at her, then nodded. "It does."
She straightened, composure returning fully. "Tomorrow, we’ll convene the Council. Eileen will answer for her actions,"
Her gaze shifted to Jax. "And after that... we’ll resume your formal introduction to the Clan."
Jax smiled faintly. "I look forward to it."