She wordlessly followed the odd figure as she tried to figure out what it was. Its movements were very odd, as it used a mixture of walking upright then crawling. The other odd thing was the ck of visible limbs; it looked like an odd fur ball which was almost floating, but Melora could definitively say it was walking, mainly because its footsteps could be heard. The oni she was talking with earlier was walking behind her. He had recovered his senses but still remained silent.

  After walking a few more steps, they stopped in front of a rge tree. The figure seamlessly went through it. This was simir to the elf gate, so Melora followed suit. She was then greeted with a rge green field. It was empty and expansive. Confused, she turned, but the gate had disappeared. Something was amiss. The figure in front of her suddenly fell like a doll.

  “Is anyone here?” Melora spoke as she reached for her sword, but she did not feel it. She turned to her belt, which was now missing, then her bck armor was repced by a grey gown. She touched her head, and her golden hair was braided, revealing her slightly elongated ears. A table and two chairs suddenly appeared in front of her. She reluctantly sat down as a cup and teapot appeared; it then poured tea into the cup. Melora wasn’t sure if this was magic or an illusion.

  “I heard the humans enjoyed tea. I hope it is to your liking.”

  Melora blinked, then suddenly there was a woman in all white sitting across from her. She had distinctive but very narrow horns which looked quite beautiful compared to Adeline’s, which made her look fierce. She stared down at the cup once more, then took a sip. The tea tasted very sweet, but she wished it had a special Credoan flower. The flower suddenly appeared as she stared at the woman across from her once more.

  “Is this a pne simir to the ones made by gods?”

  “You are very smart, but no, this is merely a small pocket I created in the forest.”

  “Ah, I see. I take it you’re the leader of the ogres and onis outside.”

  “I wouldn’t say soq, but they have grown on me. You can call me Arel. More importantly, you are a very odd-looking human, if I can even call you that.” Melora felt slightly self-conscious as she covered her ears and made sure not to reveal her elongated fangs.

  “Are you a demon?”

  “Just because I have horns doesn’t mean I am a demon. They are not even called that to begin with, urgh.”

  Arel rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her tea. Melora started to slightly panic, thinking she had said something wrong.

  “It’s not you, dear. I just feel like I am starting to become like my husband. The mere thought fills me with dread thou I am gd he is still alive and well.”

  “Your husband?”

  “Yes, Azazel, a very old demon. I do miss him dearly.” Flowers started to grow on the field as Arel reminisced about the past. Her eyes turned towards Melora.

  “Don’t tell him about this; it is our little secret.” Melora nodded as Arel let out a sigh.

  “Now, where was I? Ah yes, do you know what you are, child?”

  “I am a human.”

  “You don’t even believe that, but I am not here to convince you. What you are, child, is the first-ever angel-human hybrid, but you have gone a step further. You met a god, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, I did.”

  “Is that why that sword of yours is so important?” Her sword appeared in the air and slowly fell onto Melora’s p. She partially unsheathed it as the familiar silver bde could be seen.

  “Such an odd human you are, truly fascinating. Do you even understand how to use your own powers?”

  “I am training, and I have made a lot of progress.”

  “It would be easier if you accepted what you are. You need to stop fighting it.”

  “If I stop, then I would lose control and hurt those around me.” Melora stared at her tea as she took a sip of it, savoring the taste.

  “How about we do this? You came looking for an alliance, so let’s make an arrangement.”

  “What arrangement would that be?”

  “You protect the forest and give my people what they need. In return, you will have access to my army, and I will also tell you the true potential of your powers.”

  Melora thought deeply. The terms were very easy on paper, but it was far more complicated, especially the protecting the forest part. Did this just include this forest or every forest in this world, even those in other continents? Secondly, this was her choosing between the empire and the forest. She loathed the empire, but she was not yet ready for outright war, but her knights plus the ogres and onis could be formidable, coupled with Adeline’s forces. This could be countered by the surrounding kingdoms joining forces with the empire.

  “I will need time to make this decision, if you don’t mind, but I have a question.”

  “What is it, my child?”

  “Are you a dragon?”

  “That I am. It is odd to sit across from a Stormville. I remember when your ancestor slew Birom. When you first walked into this forest, you were pathetically weak, but now you are something else. I did not foresee this at all.”

  “Neither did I; she changed my life,” Melora spoke in a fond tone as Arel got closer with a smile.

  “Oh, do I sense romance? Who is the lucky person?”

  “There is no one yet, okay? Let’s just circle back to the real conversation.”

  “Your life will never be the same, you know that, right? You will probably outlive most kingdoms and empires, granted you don’t get killed. You have the one thing humans crave the most—time—so use it wisely.” Melora remained silent as she stared at Arel, whose hair slowly turned dark, and her eyes turned green. Her horns and gown also turned green as if she was wearing the earth itself. It was then a bright blue neckce appeared on Melora’s neck. Her fangs slowly retracted as her eyes returned to normal.

  “Take this as a gift; I quite like you.”

  “What does this do?”

  “It dampens your abilities; you can now walk among the humans. It was a gift from my husband; he spent a lot of time making it, but you have more need of it.”

  “Is this how you were able to hide for so long?”

  “That is correct.”

  “Won’t the empire know of your location now? Isn’t that too dangerous? I can’t have this if it means you will be hurt.”

  “You spoke of trust; this is my way of extending it. Now leave and think about my proposal, and when you have made your decision, come back to me.”

  The field faded as she returned back to reality. As her vision returned, the first thing she saw was the familiar rge tree in front of her. She turned and wordlessly made her way back with a rge ogre leading her; the weird figure was nowhere in sight. Her knights and Scales could be seen standing in high alert, but that loosened once they saw her. They all left the forest as her initial goal was achieved. She regarded this as a success, but at what cost? Melora instructed Scales to stay behind in case something happened.