This story is meant to be fairly wholesome and for most viewers. However…
*It contains numerous LGBTQ characters.
*There are vague depictions of xenophobia.

Book of the Dryads – Chapter 10
… And Beyond

Lilac had not anticipated how arduous this journey was going to be, and it had only been a few days! Outside of Grovewall, humans were not accustomed to women with green skin visiting their places. The bandages covering her left arm were a reminder to stay away from humans who weren’t in the know.

Since then, she’s been in the thick wilderness, fending for herself away from any help. She realized this was exactly what Victor had gone through, except for months on end. She was ashamed of how she treated him… That’s why she had to find this land of the Hallow. She had to see this world with her own eyes. She had to see the kitsunes for who they really were. This was not a bid to return to her eldership; that ship had long sailed. The grove was in Skyla’s hands now.

This was so she could be better and do better the next time around.

It seems Victor’s directions were working. While it wasn’t the portal he came through, it was a well-known one, given the fact it was undiscovered by humans to this day. And she could see why: it was rugged, densely forested terrain as far as the eye could see. Which was usually about ten feet or less, given.

She spotted an even more dense tree pack in front of her. Victor’s instructions suggested there was a parting between a part of the trees one could slip through… She trudged through thorny bushes, piles of leaves and twigs, and logs as she searched around this strangely perfect circle of trees. Had she not been a dryad, this would have eaten her alive. How the kitsunes made it through this mess was anyone’s guess.

Her foot slipped on a rotten log, whose bark slid off as her foot made contact with it. She flung forward, her face landing face first into mud.

She immediately pushed herself back up and spat out the mud. “For the love of… This place is a deathtrap! How is anyone-“

But as she turned her head, she saw the slot in between the trees she was looking for. She saw a clearing with a lone tree in it just beyond. A small one, but it matched Victor’s description. Looking closer, she saw that some parts of the two trees were rubbed down, like people had been squeezing their way in between the trees for years.

She placed her hand on the worn spots. She could feel through her magic the passage of time and those who had passed through, leaving their mark on the trees. She could distinctly see each person as they passed through, entirely kitsunes of all sorts. Some passed through twice. More and more, though, most never returned, leaving the Hallow for Earth.

She did as they did, sliding between the trees sideways. It was a tight squeeze, but less for her than the tailed kitsunes before her. In the clearing, she was able to get a better look at the tree. From the lone angle one can see it from the outside, the gap she passed through, nothing was out of the ordinary. But as she walked around it to the back, she spotted a perfectly circular indent in the tree, five feet wide.

She became nauseous when she got closer. The kitsunes’ wild magic emanated from the indent, even inactive. It brought back all the memories of her old home being overtaken by the Hallow’s magic. She swallowed to try to push the awful feeling down and placed her hand in the indent. Victor said the portals responded to magic, so maybe hers would work…

But as her hand glowed, there was no reaction from the circle. That was, until a small dot appeared in the center.

“What’s this?” asked a voice, seemingly coming from all around Lilac. “What strange magic… It’s strong, but specific. Who are you? Why have you come to this place?”

“I am Lilac, a dryad of this world.”

“Dryads? The plant people of Earth? You’re still alive after all these years?”

“Yes. I’m from a grove that survived in secret. I was the elder, until a kitsune came into our midst a few days ago.”

“What happened?” The voice was not accusatory. They seemed worried.

“I… I once lived in another place, where kitsunes opened up a portal into our domain, and the magic of your world overtook ours. The domain collapsed, and I blamed the kitsunes for it. Hundreds of years later, I still hated kitsunes for it, and I made a mess. I was not worthy of my position. I let him stay, and I’m here… To do better…” Lilac looked down, feeling shame wash over her. She had admitted it several times already. It didn’t make it any easier.

The small spark flashed, getting Lilac to jump back. In short order, the spark grew into shimmering water-like energy, filling the entire indent.

“That’s a journey there. I can respect a quest for self-improvement. Watch your step; the first time through a long portal can be disorienting,” warned the apparent guardian.

Lilac hesitantly inched towards the strange gateway. She placed her hand in it, and when it didn’t harm her, she threw herself in. Her mind could barely process all that she was seeing, and overwhelmed, she passed out.

=======

Lilac’s eyes opened as she started hearing murmurs. Before her were foxes. Kitsunes. They were looking over her, looks of confusion and intrigue. When they noticed she was waking up, a few of them smiled.

“Oh, good, you’re coming to!” said a lavender one with brown hair. “You came through the portal unconscious!”

“But a dryad… Wow, we thought they were extinct already!” commented a dark red kitsune.

“Clearly not. And if she’s tough enough to make it through the Road of Peril, they’re much tougher than they gave themselves credit for…” replied a silver kitsune with pink hair.

“R-Road of Peril?” Lilac stammered.

“Indeed,” replied the silver kitsune. “A lot of kitsunes use that to get in and out of the Hallow, mainly because humans get too torn up by the trail to follow all the way. At least, the tougher kitsunes use it.”

“Would you know a Victor? Victor Arden?” Lilac asked.

The silver kitsune dropped his head and appeared deep in thought, his nine tails rising as he contemplated. “I think I’ve heard the tragedy of the Arden family. Nearly entirely wiped out, and the lone survivor disappeared. Is he the kitsune Melain over here mentioned your kind took in?”

Lilac nodded. “He was in bad shape, and-“

“I heard, and I appreciate you letting him stay in your domain. I also heard that your original domain was destroyed. I would know more about that incident, but that’s not the point. The point is, it left a mark that bred hate in your heart. Now you’re seeking to put an end to that. It’s an admirable goal, Lilac. Know first of all you will be safe in our world, so long as-“

“I stay away from caves and canyons, right?” Lilac responded.

The silver kitsune smiled. “I see Victor already warned you of the Decay. Good on him.” He turned to the counterparts. “I think we will be fine on our own, you may go.”

The other two nodded and walked out of the room. Lilac noted the lavender one – Melain, it sounded like – had six tails, and the other one had three.

“Who were they?” Lilac asked.

“Melain was the six-tailed one who guarded the portal. They were the one to guide you and carry you here. The other was a nurse, although your dryad biology isn’t well-known, and there wasn’t much we could do. We were thankful that you had only some minor scrapes and bruises, and a regenerative power to boot.” The silver kitsune held out his hand. “I’m Dorrian. I’m the leader of this settlement you’re in.”

Lilac took it and shook. “Thankfully, I’ve been taught what that means.”

“A handshake? You weren’t familiar with those before?”

Lilac shook her head. “There was a human settlement nearby, composed of many who we helped over the years. We officially allied ourselves with them about thirty years ago. That was my first experience with a handshake…”

“Well now, this keeps getting interesting. So there can be alliances between humans and magic beings… I, for one, was optimistic it could happen, but others focused on those who waged war and treated others unlike themselves like refuse.”

“You just have to find the right ones. The people there were open, looking to get away from those very things.”

“And I believe they’re in the majority, not the minority. You see a lot as a Changemaker like myself. With age-“

“Comes perspective. I know, I’m almost a thousand years old.”

“That makes two of us!” Dorrian replied with a laugh. “Most kitsunes live to be a hundred to a hundred and fifty, but us Changemakers – the ones with nine tails – live much longer.”

“I was wondering about that… You said you knew something about what happened to my domain centuries ago?” Lilac asked.

Dorrian nodded. “I was actually there to observe their trial. They were treasure hunters, and they weren’t being careful with portals to Earth. They didn’t care about anyone other than themselves, and they were promptly jailed for the damage they caused. It was also a pain to return all which they took from Earth…”

Lilac sighed contently. “So, they were punished after all…”

“There’s more.”

“More?”

“The Hallow itself is likely dying because of them. The magic spillover attracted Darumond, the evil genie that cursed our world to a slow death. He came through the remnants of a portal they left behind on this continent, southeast of here, a land they now call-“

“Louisiana… He came through the portal to my former domain, didn’t he?”

“Upon further investigation, it was a destroyed dryad realm, we found. If that is where you lived, then yes.”

“So they didn’t just destroy my home…”

“They’re called the Ruin Seekers by history now. Because they failed to abide by laws of portals we laid down millennia ago, they brought ruin wherever they went. And eventually, ruin followed them home.”

Lilac looked down. “It may have been that the dryads’ anger also attracted him to your world. We were so angry, we started hating your kind for the damage you caused…” Lilac was looking more distressed as she continued. “I might have made a wish for your kind to be harmed, and it’s happening! This might be my-“

Lilac felt a hand on hers. She looked up to see an understanding pair of silver eyes looking into hers. “Don’t blame yourself. Anger and resentment can make people think and say things they wouldn’t otherwise. And besides, Darumond thought we were a threat to him, so he would have come for us eventually. Maybe he was attracted by that negativity, but in the end, it doesn’t matter. What matters is we move on, grow into better people for it, and focus on what we can change. I see that in you, Lilac.”

“Thank you… Is there… Anything I can do to help?”

“I appreciate the offer, but not even three dozen Angelic Genies could stave off the death of our planet. And I’d assume you would know how powerful they are. If they can’t do it…”

“No one could,” Lilac finished. “But how? Darumond was a genie, right?”

Dorrian closed his eyes. “Maybe once, but I think he moved beyond that…”

“Then it’s true. Calamities exist.”

Dorrian nodded. “Yes, I believe after a time, Darumond became a Calamity. Such spells demons do not know or would ever try, given they want control of the world, not to render it void. A Calamity, on the other hand-“

“Is destruction incarnate. They live to bring everything to an end,” Lilac finished.

“Fortunately, we had a trick up our sleeves... But that is a story for another day. As for you, Lilac, what is the plan, now that you’re here?”

“I… I don’t know. I hoped I could help, but it sounds like the curse is ensuring that my power to command plants wouldn’t be enough to stem the tide. Besides, could I even control the plants of your world?”

Dorrian contemplated for a minute. He then smiled. “You know, my power is a vast understanding of my world’s magic. The way it works, the meanings and intricacies of it. It’s admittedly a bit useless to people born with the power, given they have an innate understanding of how their own power works… But perhaps I can teach you the ways of our magic!”

“Dryads mostly control plantlife – with some other innate abilities. Do you think that’s possible?”

“It might just be perspective and understanding. Some kitsunes have powers very similar to what we’ve heard of dryads. Perhaps, by teaching you how to interact with our world, you can then teach our people how to interact with yours… Given the Hallow’s coming fate.”

Lilac realized at that moment the kitsunes knew their world could not be saved. Their plan ultimately was to find a new home. Maybe even on Earth. But she could tell most had a respect for the natural order of things. Dorrian perhaps hoped the people of Earth could teach kitsunes ways of the Earth so they could seamlessly become part of it. That would mean, for instance, controlling Earth plantlife instead of their own Hallow plantlife.

This is what Lilac had to do.

“I’ll do it!” she replied. “I’ll try to learn your magic, what I can.”

“You don’t know how much that means to this old kitsune… I’ve been hoping for centuries to teach what I know. I’m looking forward to it – but it’s late already, and you may need more time to heal. Perhaps we can try starting tomorrow?”

Lilac nodded.

“In that case, rest well. If you need, you can accommodate yourself as you please. But if you do summon plantlife to make yourself comfortable, could you please make it usable to us later? We’re going to have to clean it up later anyway, and as you can imagine, hundreds of years of Decay hasn’t done good for our resources…”

“I can do that. I think I have some ideas…”

“Thank you.” Dorrian bowed. “Have a good first night in the Hallow, Lilac.”

“Thank you. And good night to you, Dorrian!” Lilac said, smiling and nodding.

Dorrian closed the door behind him. Lilac looked around and noted the dirt floor. She summoned her power, and plants began to grow from the soil. They were the same familiar greens and browns she always knew, not the teals and pinks from the Hallow plants she remembered from the past.

Strange, so it seems I can only summon Earth plants with my magic… Does that make me the corruptor here? Lilac shook her head. No, no. Don’t think like that! Maybe Dorrian knows something we missed all those years ago? Maybe Hallow plants and Earth plants just look different, but they’re mostly the same?

Lilac slipped into the bed she made for herself. The frame was made from durable hardwoods she hoped the kitsunes could reuse for tools and structures. The bedding was made of fibrous materials she figured could be made into cloth, like cotton.

It took time, worrying and wondering. But eventually, Lilac did fall asleep. In the end, she looked forward to seeing if she could understand a new kind of magic…

CHAPTER 10 END.

By CrystalSeaDragon44