God's Tree-Chapter 97: The Path to the First Tree

The Vault's entrance loomed behind them, its doors sealed once more.

Argolaith, Kaelred, and Malakar stood in silence for a moment, absorbing everything they had learned.

The Watchers. The Unwritten.

The reality that the world itself would try to erase Argolaith.

Kaelred was the first to speak. "So… what now?"

Argolaith turned his gaze to the horizon. "South."

Malakar arched a brow. "South?"

Argolaith nodded. "That's where the first of my Five Trees is."

The journey was far from over.

But the next step was finally clear.

As they started walking, Kaelred adjusted the straps on his pack. "Alright. Let's think this through."

"We've got miles to cover, and we're heading deeper into unknown territory."

"Do we have enough supplies?"

Argolaith smirked. "I've been hoarding ingredients for months. We won't starve."

Kaelred snorted. "That's comforting."

Malakar walked lazily behind them, his skeletal fingers interlocked behind his head. "And the threats?"

Kaelred glanced at him. "You mean besides the fact that Argolaith apparently pisses off fate just by existing?"

Malakar laughed. "Yes. Besides that."

Argolaith's gaze flickered southward. "I don't know what's waiting for us. But I won't stop."

Kaelred sighed, shaking his head. "Of course you won't."

The Black Plains stretched endlessly, their dark soil cracked and lifeless.

It was a place untouched by nature—a land devoid of time's influence.

Kaelred kicked a rock absentmindedly. "You know, we should probably start planning beyond just 'walk until we find the tree.'"

Argolaith shrugged. "One step at a time."

Kaelred groaned. "That's not a plan."

Malakar chuckled. "It is if you have no better option."

Hours passed. The sun hung low in the sky.

Argolaith's thoughts drifted.

To what the first tree would be like.

Would it be massive, towering over the landscape?

Would it whisper to him, the way Malakar's had when he found his?

Would it change him immediately—or would it test him first?

Kaelred's voice pulled him from his thoughts.

"How far do you think it is?"

Argolaith considered it.

"Far."

Kaelred rolled his eyes. "Fantastic."

As night fell, they set up camp beneath the glow of Morgoth's twin moons.

Malakar idly stirred a small arcane flame, its eerie green light flickering across their faces.

Kaelred leaned back against a rock, arms crossed. "I have a feeling this trip south isn't going to be simple."

Argolaith chuckled. "Since when has anything been simple?"

Kaelred smirked. "Fair point."

Malakar's gaze flickered toward the horizon. "One way or another, you're getting closer to the answers you seek."

Argolaith nodded.

Tomorrow, they would continue south.

Toward the first of the Five Trees.

Toward the power that would finally awaken his magic.

And toward whatever trials awaited him next.

The fire crackled softly, casting flickering shadows across the Black Plains. The night air was crisp, the sky above them a vast, endless canvas of stars.

Argolaith sat with his arms resting on his knees, gazing at the fire as if deep in thought. His mind had been running in circles ever since they left the Black Vault.

The Watchers. The Unwritten. The idea that fate itself wanted to erase him.

And yet, something even larger loomed ahead—his Five Trees and the power that lay within them.

Breaking the silence, Argolaith finally turned to Malakar.

"Don't I need to mix the life blood of all five trees together before I mix it with my blood?"

Malakar, who had been lounging against a rock, twirling a small orb of shadow magic between his skeletal fingers, stopped. The flame-like orb vanished, and he straightened slightly, his hollow eyes glinting with something between amusement and curiosity.

"Ah. So you've done your reading."

Kaelred looked up from where he was sharpening his sword. "Wait. What are you talking about?"

Argolaith leaned forward. "I read in some old texts that you can't just absorb the life blood of one tree. It has to be all five, mixed together before merging it with your own blood, or the process won't work… or worse, it will kill you."

Kaelred's hand froze mid-motion, his expression suddenly far more serious. "What do you mean 'kill you'?"

Malakar chuckled, his voice dark and knowing. "He means that the process of obtaining magic isn't as simple as drinking a potion and waiting for miracles."

He tapped his temple with a bony finger. "The Five Trees are connected, woven into a singular cycle of power. If you take the life blood of one tree and attempt to merge with it… your body will reject it."

Kaelred frowned. "Reject it how?"

Malakar shrugged. "Best case? You die instantly. Worst case? You survive… but your body is twisted into something that is neither man nor beast."

A silence settled between them.

Kaelred scowled. "And you were just planning to wait until he got to the tree before telling him this?"

Malakar smirked. "I wanted to see if he'd figure it out first."

Argolaith shook his head. "So if I want to awaken my magic, I need to find all five of my trees first… and only then can I mix their life blood?"

Malakar nodded. "Precisely. Only when all five essences are combined does your body recognize it as your own."

Argolaith leaned back, exhaling. This complicated things.

He had been expecting to reach his first tree, take its life blood, and feel his power awaken. But now, he understood…

This was only the beginning.

"How did it work for you?" Argolaith asked, glancing at Malakar.

Malakar chuckled, his hollow eyes gleaming with old memories. "Ah, my dear Argolaith, my process was a bit… unconventional."

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Kaelred raised a brow. "Meaning?"

Malakar tilted his head back slightly, as if staring into the past.

"I did not find my trees. They found me."

That caught their attention.

Kaelred frowned. "That's possible?"

Malakar's skeletal grin widened. "Not for mortals."

Argolaith narrowed his eyes. "But you were mortal before you became a lich."

Malakar shrugged. "Yes. But by the time I was ready to claim my trees, I was already… beyond mortal limitations."

Kaelred sighed, rubbing his temple. "Of course. Of course it wasn't normal."

They let the conversation settle, each of them lost in their own thoughts.

Argolaith had his answer.

He wasn't just looking for his first tree—he was looking for all five.

His journey was far from over.

The fire crackled softly, and the three of them sat in thoughtful silence beneath the starlit sky.

Tomorrow, they would continue south.

To the first tree.

To the first step in awakening the power that would define his destiny.

The embers of the fire smoldered in the pre-dawn light, a faint warmth against the chill of the plains. Argolaith stood at the edge of their makeshift camp, staring south.

The path ahead stretched endlessly into the distance, but something was different now.

There was a weight in the air. Something ancient. Something watching.

Kaelred walked up beside him, adjusting his cloak. "You're feeling it too, aren't you?"

Argolaith nodded. "Yeah. It's faint, but it's there."

Malakar emerged from the shadows, his skeletal grin ever-present. "Ah. So the tree calls to you already."

Kaelred exhaled sharply. "This early?"

Malakar chuckled. "Did you think they would simply wait until we arrived? The Five Trees are not passive. They are aware."

Argolaith's grip tightened. He had always imagined finding the trees would be a challenge—but he hadn't expected them to reach for him in return.

Kaelred crossed his arms. "So, what does it feel like?"

Argolaith hesitated before answering.

"Like… a pulse. Like the air itself is heavier, denser. It's not hostile, but it's there, waiting."

Malakar's gaze darkened. "That is the tree's will."

"It is testing you."