Chapter 52: The Great Spirit

Chapter 52: The Great Spirit

Chapter 52

The ground was spongy squelching under his bare feet as Kai followed the group into the jungle. It had rained the day before and it showed. The leaves of the trees and shrubbery reflected the few rays of light that made it through the green canopies on their wet surface.

The smells of greenery and earth were intensified by the recent rain. The occasional droplet trickled down with a quiet tap when it met leaves or their heads. The sound added a new note to the melody of the jungle made up of the rustling breeze and early chirping and calls of the numerous inhabitants of the forest.

The Veeryd jungle certainly had its charm. Looking around, for a moment Kai forgot everything else. The air was filled with the smell of life and new growth.

It wasnt anything special and yet it was. How many times did he get the chance to visit a completely untouched place back on Earth? Even here on the archipelago, there were few places as immaculate and filled with life.

With a smile on his face, everything felt perfect. Then the whispers of the other kids broke the spell. Turning around a few were giving weird looks, the others were just chatting with each other. Elder Soluli, who was leading the group, seemed resigned this was the best he could achieve. Not even the gaze of the spirits was enough to keep a bunch of seven-year-olds completely quiet.

Keep up. The hunter closing the group told him, giving him a light shove. Kai stopped himself from glaring and increased his pace.

A child from old town asked how much farther they needed to go. A hard look from the elder was enough to tell him that was pushing the line. The kid fell back down amidst his chuckling companions with a castigated expression.

No one else raised the question, even if Kai could feel they were all wondering about it. No more than two minutes had passed, but patience was not something kids knew of.

Kai walked beside Telu, who was the last of the line. The chubby kid threw him a look, immediately trying to start a whispered conversation, but a grunt from the hunter behind them was enough to silence him.

Chill out, dude. Even Moui is more affable than this guy.

He threw a sympathetic look at his chatty fellow, internally glad of being spared from doing small talk.

As the minutes passed and they went deeper, Kai became more aware of the suffocating humidity, the sweat on his skin and insects buzzing annoyingly close to his mouth and ears. What would he not give to possess Mouis skill that kept away any sort of flying nuisance right now. Alas, the hunter guy he was stuck with appeared to be an inferior copy even in that aspect.

The walk went on longer than was comfortable. Two more kids attempted to ask how much farther they had to walk with the same result before the elder stopped walking. Kai looked ahead curious, he couldnt see anything that stood out, only more trees and vegetation. There must be something since elder Soluli assumed an even more solemn and pompous tone when he turned to address them.

Were almost there. Must I remind you to show respect? His gaze lingered on every single kid. You certainly do not want to dishonor your family and ancestors.

The mayors stern gaze lasted for a few more seconds before he softened his tone a little. If you behave properly and show promise, you might gain the favor of the great spirit, Yatei. There is no honor greater than that.

After he was sure his words had time to sink in, elder Soluli straightened his posture and led them forward. The kids did their best to imitate the gait to varying degrees of success. Kai fought hard to suppress a chuckle. That would most certainly be considered disrespectful.

As they moved beyond a particularly thick bush, pushing aside a branch, Kai almost bumped into Telus back. Raising his gaze he immediately understood why he had stopped.

In front of him stood the most massive tree he had ever seen. A trunk wider than he thought possible, probably bigger than his house. A sea of roots extended for dozens of meters in all directions, forming some kind of open meadow in the thick jungle. Its branches stretched overhead, bigger than most trees were wide and completely covering the sky with a vibrant green ceiling.

The canopy looked closer than he expected, but only because the trunk was so massive he would have expected the tree to be impossibly tall too. Vines hung from its branches to the ground, with a glance Kai saw numerous birds and monkeys moving among the large green leaves.

His skin tingled, even the mana was slightly thicker around here. Activating Mana Sense Kai was astonished by the thick currents of mana moving through the roots. The main trunk was outside the range of his skill, which was probably a blessing in disguise. He needed to tune his ability carefully if he didnt want to cause himself a head-splitting headache.

Waiting for all children to be silent and look at him, the elder started narrating. Hundreds of years ago, many generations before mine, our ancestors were shipwrecked on these shores. With nothing but jungle for miles and miles in every direction. Desperate for a solution, they prayed to the spirits for guidance. After three whole days, there was still no sign. The little food they managed to salvage from their ship had been consumed to the last crumb. However, our ancestors were faithful to the spirits. Even if their conditions worsened they continued to wait for the spirits sign, swearing they would spend their life repaying the debt if they were saved.

Taking pity on their plight, Yatei sent them a vision on the seventh night. A path through the jungle they had to take if they wanted to be saved. Our ancestors were scared at first, the path led them into the Veeryd jungle. A place none of them had dared venture into before. But they had faith in the spirits and did as they were told.

No beasts dared attack them as they walked into the jungle. Yatei protected them, leading them here. The elder reverently touched the trunk. As soon as they saw the great tree, they knew they were saved. From its branches hung large juicy fruits, a single bite enough to satiate them for a week.

Thanking Yatei for his generosity, our ancestors understood they didnt need to fear the jungle as long as they remained faithful to the spirits. They spilled their blood on the great tree and swore an oath this place would become their new home. In honor of the great spirit that saved them, they founded Greenside.

Its tradition for each new generation to come here after their seventh birthday to thank Yatei and ask the great spirit for guidance. Now it is your turn.

Elder Soluli concluded his story, the children making sounds of awe.

Kai wasnt so easily convinced. The story left out a lot of details. For one he saw no sign of fruits on the tree. Moreover, Greenside had been a completely unremarkable village before the Republic stuffed it full of people. Some may argue it still was. Not really screaming the chosen town of the great spirit.

Maybe he was just annoyed by the elders attitude. Hiding his thought with Acting, Kai listened in silence as the mayor sang the praises of the spirits and of Greenside for a while longer.

After he was finished, the seven-year-olds formed a line before the trunk to say the oath and thank Yatei. Kai was the last of the new town kids, which meant the last of all. Elder Soluli pricked the index finger of each child with a knife to spill a drop of blood on the trunk.

When at last it was his turn, Kai stepped forward and offered his hand. His lips pressed into a thin line as the mayor pierced his finger deeper than felt necessary.

Damn old geezer!

Suppressing a curse, Kai stepped towards the massive trunk. There was a darker spot where generations of children had let their blood spill on the old wood. Kai put his hand in the same spot. Eager to get this over.

I thank the great spirit of the land, Yatei, for giving us a home and a land to live on. I swear to honor him with my actions. May his wisdom light my path forward into adulthood. Kai recited with a clear voice the words.

This close to the tree, he could feel its powerful mana tingle on his fingers. He was small and insignificant in front of such an unfathomable entity.

Suddenly a small filament of mana separated from the current and reached out from the tree toward his hand. Before he could realize what was happening, the tendril connected with him. A wave of mana swept through his body, his brain unable to form any coherent thought.

When his mind cleared, he found himself staring at the leafy branches of the great tree above. Then a much less pleasant face appeared in his vision. Elder Soluli looked down at him.

Kai realized he must have blacked out for a few seconds. An uncomfortable root was digging into his back. He slowly climbed back to his feet, checking himself over. Everything felt fine apart from a small bruise on his arm from the fall. The cut on his index finger hurt worse than that.

The mayor was saying something, but Kais thoughts were focused on the pinging light of a new notification.

*Ding*

The great spirit, Yatei, has heard your oath and judged you worthy. A blessing has been bestowed upon you!

You are awarded: +3 Favor!