1427: Sacred Forest

Sacred Forest

With their bodies still being restrained by Klea's spell, this group of people understood they had no other choice but to listen to this unknown person's will. However, that didn't mean they turned submissive.  1

In fact, the one who acted like the leader, a man with a scar on his face, glared at her and aggressively said, "You are an outsider, aren't you?! We will not allow you to enter this place!"

Klea had been to this forest about two years ago, so she of course knew about these Akavi warriors. However, she didn't remember them being this aggressive at that time. Their peculiar attitude could only mean that something had gone wrong these past two years.

Before she could even convince this group of Akavi warriors that she truly meant no harm, Klea's noticed another group of people was approaching. Surprisingly, she could sense that there were quite a few who possessed strength comparable to a Rank 6 acolyte among the newcomers.

Committed to resolving this situation immediately lest it worsen and go out of control, Klea decided to not do anything. She just remained where she was, awaiting the arrival of the second group. Of course, she still retained control of the first group in case things didn't go her way.

When the second group was about to arrive, Klea finally realized who these strong people were. She was a little surprised when she found out she actually knew all of them, as the last time she saw them, they were only comparable to a Rank 4 acolyte at most.

"Who is it!? Who dares to trespass this sacred forest?!"

A female voice sounded clearly in the air, originating from one of the three who had just arrived with another group of Akavi warriors. Klea gave a smile and said, "Glita… do you not remember me?"

The ones who arrived were the Fey sisters that Emery cared about: the youngest Glita and the twins Lilith and Lelith. The three of them had met and learned various spells from Klea when she visited the forest in the past.

There was a moment of silence as the Fey sisters, especially the twins, scrutinized Klea. The first to respond was naturally the youngest Glita.

"Sister Klea!? Is that really you?!"

She looked like she was about to pounce on Klea, but the two Lilith and Lelith quickly stopped her. The three approached cautiously until they reached a distance that was not far but not close either, where they started to take a few sniffs.

Moments later, the petite Glita jumped towards Klea and this time the twins didn't stop her. Seeing the bundle of joy rushing swiftly towards her, Klea opened her arms and welcomed her into her embrace.

"Sister, it really is you! You have returned!"

When they saw the Fey sisters recognize the intruder, all of the Akavi soldiers calmed down and promptly put aside their weapons. However, Klea wasn't relieved yet as the next words that came out of Glita's mouth sent her to a pause.

"Where is Brother Emery? Is he not coming with you?"

Klea held her small body tightly as she calmly brought her to the floating tube following her. As they took a look beyond the transparent glass, the three of them immediately became hysterical.

Having anticipated such a reaction, Klea quickly tried to calm them down. It took a few minutes before the Fey sisters could calm down from the shocking revelation. Despite that, there was still sorrow on their faces. 

It was at that time that Klea revealed her intention of coming to the Forbidden Forest, which then caused them to regain their bearings.

"I came here trying to save him. So please let me talk to Gaia."

Hearing those words, the three Fey sisters once again adopted the solemn look they had earlier and Glita said, "Sister, a lot of things have happened since you left. But yes, please follow us. We will take you to the village."

When she arrived at the hidden village, Klea quickly noticed there were at least twice the number of people compared to two years ago. But at the same time, they seemed more wary of her being an outsider.

As they walked through the village, Glita told her about the attack carried out by the Romans about six months ago, who were led by the 'outsider' – people that were not from Earth. 

That incident caused the death of many warriors including their Chief Brennus, which was the reason why the hidden village was now led by two people: Cavvi as the Chief and the oldest of Fey sisters Tyra as the new Priestess.

People started to gather around her and soon enough they learned about Emery's condition.

Because of the deeds he had done, everyone in the village basically idolized Emery. Hence, the reason why seeing his cold body filled them all with despair.

After the three led Klea to meet up with Tyra, the new Priestess led her through the small cave and into the Gaia Shrine, where the familiar glowing plants and the huge tree welcomed her arrival. 

However, as soon as they arrived, Klea quickly noticed how Tyra appeared distraught as she said, 

"Unfortunately, Gaia has been quieter than ever, even the Lady of the Lake rarely shows herself anymore. Even so, I still hope that will change now that you are here."

Klea first looked at Nimue's body that was lying within the pond and scrutinized it closely. After she ultimately found nothing, she started to slowly approach the huge tree. First she gave a soft pat to the bear- like creature who lay next to it before finally placing her hand on the tree surface.

Nothing happened for a while until Klea asked the question in her mind.

"Please, if you have a way to save him… Please tell me."

At that moment, finally, Klea saw something. Within the darkness, she heard a soft growl and then the back of what appeared to be a dark wolf-like creature.

"Emery…" She asked in a confused tone. "...Is that you?"

The moment she said those words, the creature turned around and glared at her fiercely. Now that she could see its face up close, she knew it wasn't actually Emery. 

A streak of crimson furs could be seen running through its forehead, which reminded her of the creature she had seen fighting Emery during the Battle of Camelot.

"You… you are her, aren't you…?"

To her surprise, the creature turned to rage and jumped at her, bringing her out of the vision back to reality. Immediately, Klea looked at Tyra and asked, 

"Where's that girl? The one called Morgana?"

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