Maevvan couldn't help but look towards the floating island. It had been several months since she and her army were posted here. Day in and out, she was busy delegating task to her men. Not only that, she had been testing the barrier to the island along with other leaders of the current allied army.

It was a strange mix with former enemies working together. Especially with the power hungry Alvian empire whose leadership and soldiers were oddly subdued in regards to their interactions with the other kingdoms. Though, it made sense to Maevvan considering that the demon army had once again restarted their invasion. Since the Alvian empire bordered the demon realm, it was safe to say that they were willing to work with others to gain an edge in the coming battles ahead.

Countless trials, they failed. No matter how much they attacked the barrier, it didn't seem to go down. Rather, it only seemed to get stronger with time. This confused everyone as the barrier wasn't as strong as before. It was then that a member of the Alvian Research Academy brought forth an idea that the island was now connected to a strong entity. It was this entity that was causing the current rise in the barriers strength as it fed it a surplus amount of mana. How much mana? The elven researcher could only guess.

Then, a change occurred a couple of days ago. The huge tree in the middle of the island changed before the eyes of many. Its once murky brown bark changed into a luster white as its green and yellow leaves transformed into a beautiful set of pink and red. Petals slowly fell from its branches and a painting like scenery was etched into the minds of all who saw it.

A bad premonition could be felt by everyone and soon the camps were busy sending messages back to their lord. Patrols were also intensified and reinforcements were requested by many of the camps. Maevvan did the same as she couldn't help but think that a fight was soon to break out. As Maevvan stared at the floating island, her eyes moved towards the shrine like entryway at the island portion of the bridge. She squinted her eyes and rubbed them as she looked at the entryway again.

Sure enough, she saw several figures with spears and clothes that were familiar to the eastern kingdoms. She couldn't help but freeze as thoughts began to flow through her mind. More specifically, she wondered how people managed to bypass the island's barriers.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

A single shout was all it took for all hell to break loose. Metal clanged upon metal and sounds of screams permeated throughout the camp. Maevvan broke from her stupor and immediately grabbed her sword. She then dashed out only to be faced with a scene she wouldn't expect.

"Dryads!?"

She watched as a fabled race of many stories appeared in front of her. They were beautiful to say the least... and were very much angry. As the dwarves reformed their lines and braced their stout shields, the dryads easily penetrated with grace and agility. They sliced and diced through their opponents with long polearms with no intention of leaving anyone alive.

Maevvan quickly got into the fray, her experience showing through as she began to fight alongside her men. Yet, even with her experience, she proved no adversary for the Dryads. Rather, she had to focus and stayed on the defensive as she parried the fast and accurate strikes of her opponent. Maevvan then began to notice that even her most seasoned warriors were having trouble and were slowly getting killed one by one.

"Abandon the camp! Maintain formation and slowly fall back!"

Maevvan, seeing their disadvantage, quickly called a retreat. The dwarves then slowly began to fall back, their shields interlocked in hopes of at least stopping the fabled race's blows. To their dismay, the Dryads simply thrusted into the small chinks of the iron wall and pulled the shields from the inside. Another set of Dryads would then pull the unlucky stragglers who would then be cut down by another. It was methodical and frightening for the experienced dwarves.

Yet, they did not dare break ranks for they knew that a unorganized stampede would cause more casualties than their current predicament. Slowly and surely, they made their way out of the camp. Maevvan felt her heart tightened as she heard the occassional scream of her brethren. Luckily for them, as soon as they passed a certain distance, the dryads no longer went after them. Seeing that the dryads were no longer attacking them, Maevvan let out a relieved breath.

"Hold fast!"

The dwarven line stopped. She then analyzed her battered army and saw that she only had half the strength she used to have. This was a huge blow as she was the one who personally trained each and every soldier in this legion. She grit her teeth as she stared at the dryads in front of her. Anger was still visible in their eyes and if looks could kill... Maevvan would be died.

"Who is your representative?"

Maevvan called out to the dryads. Only glares were given to her as a reply. This infuriated Maevvan. Why would the dryads attack them? They did nothing to them and yet, they were ambushed and killed off as if they were livestock. She was about to start screaming at them until an individual appeared. Unlike the others, you could tell she was the leader just with her presence alone. If that weren't enough, her clothing screamed she was someone of importance.

"I represent her majesties defensive force."

Maevvan was confused.

"Defensive force? Of what kingdom may I ask? Depending on your answer, its possible that trouble would occur between our nations."

"We bow to no kingdom. We only serve the temple of the spirit goddess."

Maevvan couldn't help but double take. She couldn't help but think that their army was bested by soldiers of a temple? If anything, temple soldiers shouldn't be as strong or as skilled as the dryads in front of them. Anger slowly rose from within her as she began to remember the men and women she lost.

"So a temple dares to attack soldiers of the Empire with no clear provocation? Your actions will lead to the destruction of your temple!"

The dryad in front of her scoffed.

"No clear provocation? Then what of the empty forest here?"

Maevvan couldn't help but raise her eyebrow. She couldn't fathom why the dryad in front of her would point to the empty forest... that is until she realized who it was she was talking to. Her face became pale at the realization and Dryad also noticed the change.

"Under the priestess's order, we are to chase away our enemies from our land. Every one of you have killed thousands of my sisters before they even had a chance of serving our high priestess. For that, you and all the others are forbidden from ever entering unless our priestess ordains it. Until then, we will cut you down the moment you try to pass through our territory."

Maevvan and her soldiers couldn't help but be fazed at the pressure that dryad's gave off. As much as Maevvan wanted to be angry and argue with the dryad, it was a fact that they had cut down many of the trees to build their camp. They had no defense as in the eyes of dryads, they had committed genocide on a mass scale. A hundred vs a thousand, in the dryads eyes, they were in the right. Maevvan couldn't help but bite her lips in frustration. She then sighed... an action she's been doing ever since the whole ordeal.

"Can... can we at least get our dead?"

"... no. I don't have to answer why as you already know the answer."

Maevvan's heart sank. With grief in her voice, she ordered her battered army to retreat back to dwarven territory. As for Lina, she simply watched the battered dwarves slowly walk away. The anger in her eyes slowly disappeared as she stared at the empty forest.

"Never again will our kind face such an act. Until the end of time, we will protect these lands and her highness."

The dryads cheered at their victory. As for the rest of the world, news began to spread of a new kingdom centered around Avalon. Soon, rumors began to pop up and a name of the unknown kingdom was termed by many. That day, the spirit kingdom of Avalon had emerged as a major power in the continent.