God's Tree-Chapter 132: Returning With the Lifeblood

The golden mist curled around Argolaith as he walked back down the path, his steps steady, deliberate. The second tree's presence still lingered behind him—not watching, but remembering.

Valtheryn had spoken.

The lifeblood was his now.

Sealed within the rune-etched vial, hidden safely within his storage ring.

But the weight of it was still there.

Not physical.

Not magical.

Something deeper.

Something that whispered of promises yet to be fulfilled.

The golden mist thinned. The roots that had once blocked his path had parted, allowing him to step forward, back to where Kaelred, Malakar, and Thae'Zirak waited.

Kaelred was the first to react. His arms were crossed, and his eyes immediately scanned Argolaith as if expecting him to be different. "You're back. You're alive. That's a good start."

Malakar, ever composed, studied him in silence. But his violet flames flickered slightly. He saw it—the weight of what had changed.

Thae'Zirak's massive form shifted, wings adjusting as his golden eyes narrowed. "The tree has marked you."

Argolaith simply nodded. "It's done."

Kaelred sighed, sheathing his daggers. "Right. Well. Do we celebrate? Or do we start running again?"

Malakar tilted his head. "Did it speak?"

Argolaith met his gaze. "Yes. Its name is Valtheryn."

A pause.

Kaelred frowned. "Wait, wait. It has a name?"

Malakar's violet eyes burned brighter. "The old trees do. Few are ever given."

Thae'Zirak let out a low rumble of approval. "It accepted you, then."

Argolaith nodded. "It did. But not without questioning me."

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

Kaelred snorted. "Great. The trees interrogate people now. What did it ask?"

Argolaith exhaled. "It wanted to know my purpose. Why I wanted power. What I would do with it."

Kaelred studied him for a moment, then shrugged. "And? What did you say?"

Argolaith's voice was steady. "I told it the truth. That I want power to protect the people I care about."

Kaelred's expression softened for a moment—just a flicker—before he smirked. "Huh. Maybe you should've asked it for a castle while you were at it."

Malakar stepped closer. "And the lifeblood?"

Argolaith reached for his storage ring, touching the place where the vial was kept. He didn't pull it out—it wasn't meant to be displayed.

"It's safe."

Thae'Zirak's massive tail shifted slightly. "Then you carry a part of something far older than you."

Malakar's voice was quieter. "And it will change you."

Kaelred exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, yeah. Ancient magic, heavy responsibility, world-shifting consequences—I get it."

Then he frowned. "But what now? We're in the middle of a tree-infested nowhere, and we still have a long way to go before we can even think about stopping."

Argolaith turned toward the edge of the clearing, where the golden mist had begun to lift completely.

The path forward was clear now. The second tree had no more trials to give—but the journey was not over.

"We move forward," he said.

Kaelred groaned. "I knew you'd say that."

Malakar's eyes burned steadily. "The second tree was far from the last. And there will be more who seek to take what you carry."

Thae'Zirak stretched his wings. "Then we should not linger."

Argolaith turned his gaze to the distant horizon.

The second tree had given its lifeblood.

But the road ahead was still long.

And he was not finished yet.

The air was lighter now.

Not free, not truly safe, but lighter.

The trials were over. The second tree had given its lifeblood. Argolaith could still feel its presence lingering deep within his storage ring, sealed in the rune-etched vial, pulsing like a heartbeat waiting to be awakened.

But there was no time to linger.

The journey was far from over.

And as they stood at the edge of the clearing, the mist fading around them, Thae'Zirak was the first to speak.

"We should go to my creator."

The words came suddenly, firm but without urgency, like a statement of fact rather than a request.

Kaelred, who had just taken a deep breath and seemed ready to complain about something, immediately froze. Then—

"I'm sorry—WHAT?"

Argolaith turned to face the dragon hybrid. Thae'Zirak stood tall, his golden eyes unwavering as he looked at each of them in turn.

"My master," Thae'Zirak continued. "The one who created me. Zolgrich, the First Lich."

Kaelred threw up his hands. "Yeah, okay. Sure. Let's go visit the first undead in existence, the one who shaped necromancy itself, the one who literally decided death and life should stop being separate things. No. Absolutely not. That's the worst idea I've ever heard."

Malakar, however, did not react with shock. His violet eyes simply flickered slightly as he turned to Thae'Zirak.

"You believe he will aid us?"

Thae'Zirak's golden gaze darkened. "I believe he will have answers."

Kaelred groaned. "Okay. No. Explain. Why would we willingly walk to the doorstep of the guy who raises the dead for fun?"

Thae'Zirak regarded him calmly, unbothered by his outburst. "Zolgrich is not simply a necromancer. He is the necromancer. He has lived beyond the age of the first kingdoms, beyond the rise and fall of the oldest empires."

Kaelred gestured wildly. "Yes, we know. That's the problem."

Thae'Zirak continued, ignoring him. "He does not seek power for power's sake. His knowledge is deeper than any living scholar's, deeper than what even the trees themselves remember. If anyone understands what Argolaith carries—it will be him."

Argolaith narrowed his eyes. "You think he knows about the lifeblood?"

Thae'Zirak let out a slow, thoughtful breath. "He has studied magic beyond the limits of mortals. He has seen what lies beyond the world itself. If nothing else, he will know what questions to ask."

Kaelred shook his head. "You're all insane. This is insane. We just finished dealing with ancient tree magic, and now you're suggesting we go to the most dangerous undead in existence?"

Argolaith looked to Malakar. "What do you think?"

The lich was silent for a long moment. Then he said, "It is a path worth walking."

Kaelred looked offended. "Excuse me?"

Malakar did not look at him. His glowing eyes remained fixed on Thae'Zirak. "The first lich was never driven by war or conquest. He has shaped the very foundation of magic itself, bending what should be impossible into something real. If anyone understands the limits of what Argolaith carries, it is him."

Kaelred gestured wildly again. "You're agreeing?! You of all people? The one who hates other liches?"

Malakar's flames flickered slightly. "Hate is irrelevant. Knowledge is not."

Argolaith exhaled slowly. "Then we go."

Kaelred looked between them, realization dawning. "Oh my gods. I've been outvoted."

Thae'Zirak nodded in approval. "Then we leave at once."

Kaelred groaned. "Of course we do. No breaks. No food. No resting. Just straight to the most dangerous undead in history."

Argolaith smirked slightly. "If it helps, you can stay behind."

Kaelred scoffed. "Oh sure, leave me alone in an ancient, cursed forest filled with weird magical trees and creepy glowing roots. That sounds so much better."

Thae'Zirak stretched his wings. "The journey will take time, but I can carry you there faster than you could ever walk."

Kaelred scowled. "Oh great. More flying."

Malakar stepped forward. "Before we leave—where exactly does he dwell?"

Thae'Zirak turned his golden gaze toward the distant horizon.

"In the Hollow Bastion."

The name fell like a weight in the air.

Even Malakar went still.

Kaelred ran a hand down his face. "That… that sounds exactly as bad as I think it does, doesn't it?"

Malakar's voice was measured, but there was something unnerving beneath it.

"The Hollow Bastion is not a city. Not a kingdom. It is a place that exists between what is living and what is dead. A fortress carved into the marrow of the world itself, where time moves differently, and those who do not belong are… unmade."

Kaelred turned slowly to Thae'Zirak. "And that is where your master lives?"

The hybrid dragon's gaze did not waver. "It is where he watches."

Argolaith adjusted his cloak. "Then that's where we go."

With no further delay, they climbed onto Thae'Zirak's back.

Kaelred muttered the whole time, "This is how people die. This is how stories end."

Malakar stood effortlessly near the back, silent but watchful.

Argolaith sat at the front, eyes locked ahead.

And with a single, powerful beat of his wings, Thae'Zirak launched into the sky, soaring past the great roots of the second tree, rising above the mist and ancient land that had tested them for so long.

The journey to the Hollow Bastion had begun.

And whatever awaited them there—

Would change everything.