World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 95: To The Great Root

Nox woke up with the sun in his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear the blur, and saw Serian across the room. She was moving, her body a smooth line as she worked through some kind of elven exercise.

Her arms went up, then down, and her feet didn’t make a sound on the floor. He just watched for a minute, his head still full of sleep. It was actually kinda addictive to stare at.

She stopped then, her chest rising and falling slow. "You are awake," she said, her voice quiet.

"Yeah," he said, pushing himself up. "What are you doing?"

"Merely maintaining my readiness," she replied, putting her Blade back in its sheath. "It is important to keep my body sharp."

"Guess so," he mumbled, stretching. "I’m gonna need some coffee."

He moved around a bit. "Seriously, though. No coffee?"

"The forest does not grow such beans," she said, a small smile on her face.

He was about to say something back when a knock came at the door. It wasn’t a hard knock, just a few quick raps.

The heavy bar on the outside slid back with a scraping sound. The door opened and Mela stood there, but she didn’t step inside right away.

"My mother wishes to speak with you both," she said, her voice formal. "She has made her decision."

Her eyes went from Nox’s face to Serian, who was now standing by the small window. Then her gaze dropped to the floor, to her feet. Her sentence trailed off.

"You are... walking," she said, her voice full of disbelief. She looked at Serian’s ankle, which was no longer swollen or bruised. "But your leg... it was broken."

Serian just nodded. "Nox has a gift for mending things."

Mela’s head snapped toward Nox, her eyes wide with we and suspicion. He just shrugged, leaning against the wall and trying to look bored.

’sigh,’ he thought. ’Now they’re all gonna be staring at me like I’m some kind of miracle worker. This is gonna be annoying.’

"A gift," Mela repeated, her voice quiet. She looked from Nox’s blank face to Serian’s calm one. "I see."

She was quiet for a long moment, then she seemed to shake herself out of it. "Come. My mother is waiting."

She turned and led them out.

She led them back down the winding path. The other dark elves stopped what they were doing to watch them pass, their faces still hard and full of contempt, but now there was a sign of confusion in their eyes as well.

They saw Serian walking without a limp.

Mela kept glancing back at Nox, a look he couldn’t quite figure out.

’He healed her,’ she thought, her mind replaying the image of Serian’s bruised and swollen ankle. ’A broken bone, fixed in a single night. How?’

He just stared straight ahead, ignoring the glares. He could feel their eyes on him, and he hated it, reminded him of the old days.

Serian walked beside him, her steps even and sure, as if her injury had never happened at all. She saw the tightness in his jaw, the hard look in his eyes.

She moved a little closer, her voice a low whisper. "Nox, just ignore them. It does not matter."

’It matters to me,’ he thought. He didn’t like being looked at like he was some kind of animal in a cage.

They reached Fena’s house, and Mela pushed the door open, stepping aside to let them in.

Fena was standing by the fire pit. She looked up as they entered, her expression calm and unreadable. She opened her mouth to speak, but Nox cut her off.

"You need to tell your people to back off," he said, his voice flat. "The staring is getting old."

Mela flinched, her eyes going wide. She was shocked that the human is still speaking to her mother like that, so causally.

Fena’s eyes flicked to his arm, her face still calm but her fingers tight on the stick in her hands. She didn’t raise her voice, just said, "I’ll speak to my people later about the staring."

Serian caught the quick glance, her own eyes dropping to Nox’s hand. She finally noticed the tattoo. freёwebnoѵel.com

’When did he get that? It wasn’t there before,’ she thought, her stomach twisting a little. ’And why’s the elder acting like it’s a threat?’

Nox leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed, the tattoo now hidden under his sleeve. "Good. They keep gawking, I might start swinging." His voice was flat, but there was an edge to it, like he meant it.

Mela just stared, her mouth slightly open. ’She’s not even angry. He threatened her people and she’s just... calm.’

"I have made my decision," she said, her voice quiet but clear. "I will allow you to approach the Great Root."

Serian’s eyes went from the tattoo on Nox’s arm to Fena’s face. The Elder wasn’t making a concession. She was speaking to him like an equal, or maybe even something more.

’It’s the mark,’ she realized. ’She’s not afraid of him. She’s afraid of what’s watching him.’

Nox just pushed himself off the wall. "About time," he said. "Your forest is dying and you’re wasting time talking."

Mela flinched again, but Fena didn’t react to his tone.

"There is a condition," she stated, her dark eyes fixed on him. "I will accompany you. I will observe your methods myself."

"Whatever. As long as you don’t slow me down."

"I will not be the one slowing us down, human," she said, her voice turning cold again for a moment.

Serian stepped forward. "I will go as well."

Fena’s gaze shifted to her. "You are still injured."

"Nox healed her," Mela blurted out, then immediately looked like she regretted speaking.

Fena’s eyes narrowed, her attention snapping back to Nox. He just met her gaze, his expression bored. She looked at him for a long, quiet moment, the unasked questions hanging in the air.

"I see," she said finally, though it was clear she didn’t. She turned back to Serian. "Very well. You may come. It is better you are where I can see you."

She then looked at her daughter. "Mela, you will remain here. Keep the patrols vigilant, but tell them to hold their distance from the Great Root. No one is to approach."

"Yes, Mother," she said with a bow of her head.

"We leave now," she announced, turning towards the door. "The Rot does not wait."

Nox just grunted and followed her out, not giving anyone a second glance. Serian hesitated, then fell into step behind him, her mind still trying to make sense of the dragon’s eye on his hand.

’Finally getting to start this mission, wait for me, sweet EXP.’

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