Eislyn shot up with a start, frantically pawing at the ground around her. After a couple moments of panic, her brain had awakened and she had calmed down. Her safety pillow named Su apparently had enough and had left their tree hole to scout the forest around them sometime earlier.
Eislyn peeked out of the entrance to her little hideout, looking left and right at the impossibly large and vast trees spreading all around her. The forest itself felt unbelievably spacious, more like a man made cavern than a self sufficient ecosystem. Each tree looked like a giant support for a stony ceiling, in reality a canopy made of dense gray leaves. She looked below herself, noting the eye watering 500 foot drop from the hole Su had secured. Her body started to sweat nervously.
“Looks like another morning of waiting.” Eislyn huffed as she leaned against the stony wall of the tree, it's cold surface chilling her enough to cause a light shiver. She had to pee badly but didn’t want her companion to return to the smell in their small cavern. And she knew better than to stick a fleshy target out of the open hole in the tree, lest a member of the local fauna spot an easy meal.
She decided to meditate lightly while waiting, seeking to distract herself and further understand the changes in her body since she’d been rescued many years ago. The memory was still quite fresh to her, 13 years later, and the dream had only made the details clearer once again. The great spirit centipede, Kirkayak, had left an indelible impression on her mind. Though the terror she experienced had traumatized her for life, she still felt an almost sacred awe for the creature. After traveling with Su for so long, she had come to realize that magical beings of that sort had almost always lived a life of extraordinary danger, luck, and determination.
Su had told her that Kirkayak came from one of the old lands, maybe 100 years after magic arrived. Eislyn frowned as she spiraled down this same path again, realizing she had no idea what the old world was or why magic ever “arrived” there. She opened her eyes, breathed, and returned to mediation. So Kirkayak was very, very old, is what she really knew. Creatures that are that old are always addicted to mana, consuming ever increasing quantities as they approach “the ceiling”, as Su calls it.
A hand clapped on Eislyn’s head.
“GAAAAAAH UFAafafa!” Eislyn screamed and gibberish spilled from her mouth as she fell over. Su simply looked down at her with one of his usual half expressions, the right side of his lip turned up slightly and his right eye crinkled around the corners. Eislyn had been around him long enough to know he was fairly happy with her reaction, not smirking in mockery but smiling with mirth. His face just didn’t show it after his most recent hunt.
“Can you say something when you see me meditating instead of trying to ruin my pants?!” Eislyn remembered the building sensation and jumped up in a hurry. “Take me down right now, you bastard.” She grabbed his arm, brokering no disagreement. Su, for his part, immediately grabbed Eislyn tight and with a snap the world shifted.
—
From the forest floor, Eislyn could hardly see any of the magnificent, cavern like space from earlier that morning. The roots of the Stone Trees were oppressive, blocking line of sight to just about everywhere that wasn’t directly up. Eislyn once again had to thank her protector-cum-father figure for defining a path through the labyrinth.
“Why were you gone this morning Su?” Eislyn never beat around the bush with her protector, as she had come to learn how amenable he was to conversation. Back when she had first met him as a tiny six year old, it was almost impossible to speak up around the eight foot tall giant. She had instinctively clung to him, the last human she knew, but being comfortable was another question.
“It was nothing important. I thought I felt a beast but there was no sign of one around.” Su gave Eislyn another half smile, his left eye struggling to squint with warmth. His face was noticeably more recovered after a few hours of travel. Eislyn smiled back and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief seeing his recovery. She knew he probably couldn’t even die at this point, but nerve damage seemed like a uniquely debilitating problem for his magical body.
While Eislyn was thinking to herself, Su frowned slightly and opened his mouth again, “Though I’ll admit, I was certain there was something in my range. I don’t have anything to go on but my gut says be careful. I’ll ask my friend about this once we arrive.”
Eislyn looked at Su as they walked, his eyes meeting hers. His broad face and warm features were calming to lock onto, his blue eyes stood out against his heavily tanned skin and dark hair. If he wasn’t so massive, he’d just be a decently handsome man. Knowing what she knew, she was almost embarrassed how long it took her younger self to be more comfortable with the man. His desire to care for others was maybe his most notable trait, not accounting for the magical parts.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Eislyn reached out and gave Su’s hand a tight squeeze while they walked. “What is Underwood like?” She couldn’t help her curiosity and had to ask about their destination. She and Su had already talked at length about the first town they intended to visit in the thirteen years since he saved her, but like an excited puppy Eislyn simply returned to the start of the conversation again, seeking new answers to the same questions.
Su lifted his hand with Eislyn’s still attached and patted her head. “You’ll see before sundown. The Mother Tree is impossible to miss, once we’re past these roots I’ll bring you to the mid column so you can take a look around.” Eislyn felt her heart thump wildly hearing they were close to the Mother Tree. Su was never one for flashy descriptions, and even he made the thing sound incredible. The Great Stone Forest was all Eyslin had ever known, and imagining what its origin looked like was enough to make her trip on a particularly stiff and poorly shaped root.
Su caught her lightly with unstructured magic, simply willing her to regain her balance. Eislyn let out a yelp before she realized what was happening, blushing slightly as she turned to Su.
“Why can’t I do that yet? What am I doing wrong?” Eislyn rubbed her arm sheepishly as she mumbled.
Su gave her a soft smile as he thought for a second. “How’s your magic coming along with the new exercise I gave you? I really had a good feeling last night watching you practice.” He softly encouraged Eislyn to share her progress.
“I just can’t do anything Su. I know you say I have way more mana than the average magical being but what good is it if I can’t even access it? None of the exercises even cause a ripple in my mana, I can’t cast anything. I feel so useless to you lately…” Eislyn trailed off, not willing to whine more in front of the man she respected and afraid of crying if she continued.
Su hugged Eislyn tightly, giving her many reassuring pats. “You aren’t useless Eislyn, you’ve been my only company for thirteen years and that’s more than enough for me. It's my fault we still don’t know how to access your mana. I plan to ask another friend in Underwood for help, so don’t worry.” He patted her back more before thinking of another suggestion. “We’re close enough now, I’ll teleport us in front of the Mother Tree.”
Eislyn was happy to be in Su’s warmth, and even happier to learn she didn’t have to walk any further on her own. She opened her mouth, about to enthusiastically agree with Su, when with a snap the world suddenly shifted.
—--
Eislyn blinked her slightly blurry eyes, not believing the incredible thing she saw in front of her. In front of her spread a cavern, like the one from the forest mid column she had seen before, only the scale was entirely different. For miles the forest seemed to only have sporadic trees, and an otherwise unbroken empty space with dim, filtered light flowing through a vibrant (albeit gray) canopy of gigantic leaves. What had Eislyn speechless, however, was the incredible magical being which owned the canopy.
The Mother Tree spread before Eislyn like the beating heart of an enormous beast, its veins and arteries running all along the forest floor as they connected to other trees, further away than Eislyn could ever guess by eye. The entire tree pulsed with a verdant green, in stark contrast to the gray trees all around it. The cavern would’ve been horribly dim if not for this light of life. The tree was some miles wide and tall, a number she had neither the brain nor skills to figure out on her own.
Eislyn shifted her gaze to the vast meadow below the tree. In truth, it was just a forest of many normal sized trees that appeared to be a meadow. Cutting across the landscape like a massive scar was the hulking trunk of the previous Mother Tree, which must have stood twice as tall as the current one in its life. Through many holes in the trunk, Eislyn could see what looked like little lights glowing all along the hollowed behemoth. As her gaze followed the tree, she saw moving dots among the many rotted holes which allowed entrance to the hollow.
Eislyn broke her reverie with an excited laugh, running her hand through her hair as she observed the unreal scene before her. “Is the whole world this beautiful?” She asked to the air. Eislyn didn’t expect an answer, but Su surprisingly opened his mouth.
“Once you learn some magic, why don’t you find out for yourself?” He smiled, Eislyn’s excitement infecting his mood.
Eislyn frowned, thinking about her own magic progress. “Did you say that to tease me?” She crossed her arms, pouting while still appreciating the beauty in front of her.
“No, no you know I’m bad with words Eislyn. I have faith in my friend here, you’ll learn magic I promise you.” Su waved his hands in the air with a placating gesture, his smile a bit strained now.
Eislyn raised her eyebrow before unwinding her arms. “Do you really think so?” She asked hopefully, turning towards Su with her resentment quickly forgotten. “Can we meet your friend today? I don’t know if I can wait any longer Su, I’m going to explode if I have to wait.” Eislyn was practically bouncing in place while she spoke, her excitement taking over.
“Let’s get to town first. I haven’t been here in fifteen years but I’m sure we can work something out.” Su patted Eislyn’s head, wondering what sort of situation he’d find once they arrived in Underwood.
