Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls
Chapter 188 - 188: Yggdrazil.

While swords crossed like lightning and truths were spoken under the weight of silence and steel, in another corner of the castle, stillness settled like a veil of mist.

The sacred garden rested on the southern slope, where the wall curved gently to embrace the ancient forest. There, among beds of blue lilies and white oaks, Sylphie sat—her legs crossed, her eyes closed, her hands spread out on the damp earth. Her beige linen dress blended into the diffuse light that filtered through the treetops, and her loose hair, as pale as wet silver, seemed to float in the calm wind.

Before her, the trail of roots that spread out in a spiral marked the exact spot where the echo of Yggdrazil could be heard—at least by those who knew how to listen.

There was silence... but not the ordinary kind. It was a living silence. Breathing. Charged with something ancient. The leaves around her did not rustle. The birds did not sing. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

Sylphie breathed in slowly, and when she exhaled, her voice came out almost as a whisper:

"...Yggdrazil... hear me."

Nothing answered.

She stood there, motionless, feeling each beat of her heart like a distant drum. She had been trying for hours—or maybe it was just minutes. Time bent around that clearing, as if the world itself hesitated to interfere.

But Sylphie knew that calling was not enough. Connecting to the World Tree was not a request. It was an offering.

She pressed her palm against the ground and bowed her head. Memories came flooding back—of blood, of lost voices, of a time when she was just one apprentice among many, surrounded by books and omens. But now, there were no mentors. There were no guarantees. Just her... and what lived beneath the earth.

She squeezed her eyes tighter, and this time she didn't use words.

Instead, she felt.

The roots of the forest... the warmth of the soil... the pulse that lay dormant in the heart of the Earth. She began to guide her breathing in the rhythm she had learned from the ancient texts—three short breaths in, one long breath out. Breathing in life, breathing out offering.

Then... something changed.

Slow. Weak.

As if a spark of consciousness had awakened deep within the world.

The earth beneath her fingers trembled subtly—a tremor that could not be seen, only felt. Like the premonition of thunder before a storm.

Sylphie stood firm. She did not open her eyes. The flow was fragile. Uncertain. Like the first contact between two creatures who do not speak the same language, but know they are close.

A thin root broke the surface inches from her hand.

Alive.

She felt it brush against her skin, like a shy, almost childlike gesture.

Sylphie whispered reverently:

.

"I ask for nothing. I just… want to understand."

And there, for the first time in days, the Tree answered—not with words, but with images.

Impressions flooded her mind: a shadow growing in distant lands, poisoned rivers, cracks in the sky. But also glimpses of light: a silver gate in the mist, a child with eyes of fire, a shattered crown being forged anew.

Sylphie gasped.

Sweat broke out on her forehead. Her body trembled, but she did not flinch.

"Show me more…" she whispered. "Show me what I need to know…"

But the connection snapped abruptly, like a thread cut brutally.

The root recoiled. The earth fell silent.

Sylphie fell back, gasping, her wide eyes staring at the sky through the branches. Her heart was racing, her hands were shaking, her body was exhausted but also... complete. For the first time, Yggdrazil had recognized her.

The clearing seemed quieter now. Heavier. As if the world itself was holding its breath.

It was then that she heard it—a voice coming from nowhere, from deep within the trees, sweet and sharp as poisoned honey.

"You have disappointed me greatly."

Sylphie stood up suddenly, instinct and adrenaline guiding her movements. She turned—and there she was.

A dryad.

Tall, ethereal, a breath of the forest materialized in flesh and color.

Her hair fell like fiery curls, vibrant like autumn leaves in the evening light. A dress made of living petals and leaves danced around her body with each step—a lush body, with generous curves, insinuating, almost profane, as if nature itself had allowed itself to be too beautiful just on a whim.

The sensuality of this creature was not vulgar; it was primordial. An ancient charm, wild and dangerous, like the song of a nymph on the edge of an abyss.

Her eyes were green, deep as moss under the rain... they looked Sylphie up and down with a cold, almost feline judgment.

"You dared to connect with the World Tree... and you almost succeeded."

The dryad's voice sounded like the rustle of leaves in the wind—soft on the surface, but with something sharp beneath. She walked lightly, as if her feet were barely touching the ground. And yet, each step made the earth itself react, as if the world acknowledged her presence.

"Almost." She repeated, staring at Sylphie with eyes that seemed to contain a thousand seasons. "But it's always like that with yours, isn't it? Always reaching for the sacred with trembling fingers."

Sylphie felt a shiver run down her spine. But she didn't back away. The air around the dryad vibrated like the beginning of a storm, and yet, she held her gaze.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice steady, despite her racing heart.

The dryad smiled slowly, as if the gesture were an old memory.

"I am part of what you tried to touch. The flesh of the forest. The skin of the root." She inclined her head slightly, and flowers on her dress opened with the gesture. "I need not explain myself further. Just know: your weakness has angered Yggdrazil."

Sylphie felt her chest tighten. The words fell on her like heavy leaves.

"How… so?"

"How dare you, as the chosen one, present yourself broken?" the dryad retorted, her voice now filled with something ancient and impatient. "You should understand what it means to lose your core. The heart of your power. Stolen. Desecrated. Yggdrazil doesn't blame you… but someone else."

Her eyes slid over Sylphie's body, assessing her like a gardener assesses a tree that has yet to bear fruit.

"Do the bare minimum, at least. Grow stronger." The glow in her eyes grew incandescent, as if green flames were growing behind her irises. "You carry something greater than you understand. And you are not ready."

Sylphie swallowed hard.

"Are you saying that I… that I still can?"

The dryad narrowed her eyes.

"You will be more than a guardian. You will be a goddess. But until then, you are just a target—fragile, visible, desired. The forces that crawl beneath the world have already noticed you. And they have no mercy."

She began to dissolve into petals and pollen, as if her body were dissolving into the very essence of the forest.

"Wait!" Sylphie stepped forward, her voice cracking with urgency. "How do I become stronger? Tell me the way!"

The dryad, now almost entirely disoriented, turned her face one last time.

"Connect with Nature. Not as a mortal… but as what you are meant to be."

And then, she was gone.

Silence.

Sylphie stood there, alone, the wind rustling the branches above her—and yet, the garden no longer felt the same. The trees seemed to be watching her. The earth itself seemed to be waiting for something.

She took a deep breath, smelling the moisture, the soil, the living roots.

She knew what she had to do.

Connect.

Merge.

Grow.

Not for glory, not for power.

But because if she didn't…she would die.

In the thick shadows of the forest, among ancient roots and silent moss, Kael watched.

Across the clearing, Sylphie was still breathing deeply, her hands on her chest, trying to absorb the words of the dryad who had just disappeared. But Kael didn't look at her with pity or concern—there was something deeper in his gaze. Something between guilt and recognition.

"Why didn't you tell me you were Yggdrasil herself?" he murmured, never taking his eyes off Sylphie.

The leaves near him shivered. A soft whisper ran through the branches. And then, she appeared at his side, as if she had always been there.

Ygg, now in her dryad form, was a serene and powerful presence. Her red hair waved in the wind even when the air was still. The flowers on her dress still breathed, pulsing with the cycle of life around her.

"Who knows?" she replied with a half smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I thought it best to keep my distance. If she connected with me directly, without preparation… it would cause more than just a little trouble."

Kael finally looked at her, and there was something soft in his voice when he asked,

"Are you mad at me?"

Ygg turned slowly, his eyes like green mirrors of forgotten ages. When he spoke, there was no fury—but there was no forgiveness either.

"It is obvious." His voice was heavy with the mountains. "Our contract was clear. You were to protect her. She lost her core, lost her strength, nearly lost her very essence. And where were you?"

She stared at him intently.

"In another realm. Accelerating time. Aging in search of power… while she bled here."

Kael looked away, his fists clenching slightly.

"I did not leave willingly. The Witch Queen forced me. Forced time upon me."

"You still chose to stay," Ygg said mercilessly. "You had the chance to return before. And yet… you hesitated. You looked at the world, Kael, and forgot about the seed that lay beside you."

Silence.

The wind whispered through the trees, as if the forest itself was listening to that ancient conversation.

Kael took a deep breath. He didn't try to defend himself anymore.

"Then why do you still let me stay by her side?"

Ygg watched Sylphie from a distance, now kneeling, her hands buried in the ground, trying to feel the pulse of nature again. The dryad's expression softened—not in forgiveness, but in acceptance of what was yet to come.

"Because she still believes in you. And because, despite everything… you can still protect what's left."

She took a step away from him, the leaves on her dress rippling like green tides.

"But make no mistake. She will grow. She will become something that neither you, nor I, nor the world, are prepared to see. And if you want to stay by her side… you will have to bleed too."

Kael lowered his head, his eyes closed for a moment. A strange aura came out of her body and Ygg jumped back quickly. "What are you doing?!" She said nervously, sealing the space around her so Sylphie wouldn't hear anything.

"It seems you're forgetting. I'm doing you a favor by protecting her. I'm not gaining anything from this." Kael said nervously. "I would already protect her with or without our agreement, so put yourself in your place."

Kael's eyes were like an abyss. "I said I want you, but you're not essential if I want to become stronger." He muttered…

"I'm not your subordinate, don't treat me as such."

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