Omega's Rebirth

The inner hall of the High Maiden’s cottage was a strange looking space, that was the first thing Dante noticed the moment he stepped into the hall.

It was unlike the rest of the cottage which was what one would expect to be a nymph’s abode.

Nymphs were beings of the forest, nature to them was a source of life, a source of magic and a significant part of their existence.

Hence it was no wonder to Dante that the entire nymph settlement was a cross between a forest and a town.

The High Maiden’s cottage itself was built from wood and only natural materials, as were all the cottages Dante had seen on the way here for as far as they had come into the settlement.

The inner hall of the High Maiden’s cottage was somewhat like a meadow.

There were large trees spread about, with their branches and leaves creating a canopy above that left the hall dimly lit.

There was only a small path carved through, leading from the door to the throne and trees grew on either side of the path, the path itself was littered with fallen leaves.

Other than that, the rest of the hall seemed like a flower field with many different kind of flowers in sight, it seemed more like a garden than it was an inner hall.

At the center of the hall sat the throne Dante had already taken note of.

The throne was carved out from a large tree that grew right out of the ground, with it’s roots spread out on all sides in a star like shape.

The tree stood tall and proud, many branches still extending from it and somehow, Dante could sense there was still life in the tree.

The branches still produced leaves and fruits, Dante was not certain how a throne was carved out of a tree without the tree dying out.

But what was most strange about the hall were the glittering ornaments hung about from above, creating a quiet chiming sound.

There were dozens of them and Dante spared a glance up, his gaze furrowing into a frown.

There were ornaments, strange items, carved runes and even talismans dangling from the branches of the trees.

The scent of incense and spices hung heavily in the air, Dante wondered for a moment if this was a shrine of some sort or a nymph’s hall.

Thinking about it, Dante had once read somewhere that there where nymphs blessed with the gift of divination and there were others who dabbled in outlawed magic like spirit summoning and other arts that could be considered dark magic.

But the nymphs had been granted freedom to practice their cultures centuries ago so long as no innocents were harmed by it.

Dante shook his head slightly, he would not entertain any curiousity about his surrounding, it was no concern of his what this was.

The hall was perfectly silent save for the unsettling chiming sounds from the strange objects dangling from above,

There was that and the barely audible sound of footsteps from out in the hallways when a nymph occasionally walked by.

Not many nymphs resided in the High Maiden’s cottage, Dante guessed other than her aides, there would hardly be anyone else.

To be more exact, it was not a guess, Dante could only sense the presence of just about ten nymphs in the cottage and he knew two were headed for the exit. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

After delivering their prize, the nymphs had taken their leave even before the High Maiden revealed herself.

Now Dante was left standing in the middle of the inner hall while the High Maiden was somewhere in her forest like hall, somewhere Dante did not care to know.

A moment passed and still the High Maiden made no attempts to approach, Dante had to wonder if they were playing a game of hide and seek.

If it was so, Dante had no intentions to be a part of it and so his eyes fluttered closed.

’Ten scales...nine scales... eight scales...’ Dante counted down in his head to maintain his calm,

Though Dante would much rather be counting the seconds it took as he snuffed the life out, one offending nymph after the other...but for the time being, this would have to do.

Dante could feel the High Maiden’s eyes on him, she watched his every move...it was only that there was not much to watch since Dante did not plan on moving a single step from where he stood.

Dante was not certain if his sole company had realized watching him from the shadows would get her nowhere, because she finally moved.

"The hall you stand is the sacred hall of the Nord nymphs..." The High Maiden broke the silence first.

"Not many are privileged to step into this hall... especially not a foreigner. I do not like strangers...you see." The High Maiden continued.

Dante could sense her movement, her light dainty steps as she made her way to him, the swishing of her dress around her ankles, her slow steady breathing, but he was not at all curious to see.

Dante’s eyes were closed and he intended to keep them that way till it pleased him to do otherwise.

"Perhaps you would not have to be a foreigner for too long..." The High Maiden murmured.

The High Maiden took her time getting to Dante, her steps were slow and measured, Dante could tell he was already under intense scrutiny from the moment he stepped into the hall.

It was a slim chance, but Dante hoped the High Maiden would not be pleased with him.

That way, he could be on his way and everyone could move on as if none of this had happened.

But if things went on like this, Dante could not promise all would be well with the nymphs when he got free.

The High Maiden stopped before Dante for a moment, leaning in close that her scent engulfed Dante completely.

Dante was certain her face was barely an inch away from his.

"Blessed day beloved... I hope your journey here has been nothing but pleasant." The High Maiden whispered, her breath fanning over Dante’s face.

Dante said nothing in response, he would not be exchanging pleasantries with some nymph.

"Hmmm...no words..." The High Maiden commented casually, her fingers rested lightly on Dante’s shoulders.

Dante kept a straight face as the High Maiden circled him slowly, her fingers following her path as she around till she stood before Dante again.

"For a human, you are rather strange in countenance...calm, collected... confident, and I do not smell a bit of fear... neither excitement..." The High Maiden spoke again

"Do you plan on keeping your eyes closed? You should say something, anything...if you are quiet like this, then I will take it you are in agreement." The High Maiden said quietly.

"Is there trouble with your sight, that you need to come this close to see me? Or do you just have no regard for boundaries?" Dante asked in a blank tone.

The High Maiden did not respond immediately, but after a moment, she broke into laughter and leaned away.

"And here I thought you would not speak to me...we will get along just fine, I can tell." The High Maiden whispered as she stepped back.

__________________

"The Nord clan?" Estelle asked as she glanced at the head guard.

Estelle was now seated with Lord Farren and the elders of the Druid Clan in a different hall where Lord Farren had relayed the situation to the elders.

It had not been an easy task but with Lord Farren’s help, the elders had finally agreed to aid Estelle.

Estelle had also recently realized the head guard was Lord Farren’s son and soon to be High Master of the Druid Clan.

"My sources report that is where Lady Starron’s spouse was taken. The group he encountered are subordinates of the High Maiden of the Nord clan."

"Hence, it is not an overstep to conclude his intended nymph is the High Maiden herself." The head guard reported in a grim tone.

Estelle sensed the change in the atmosphere in the hall and she frowned slightly.

"If Dante is the High Maiden’s prize, what would that mean for us?" Estelle asked uncertainly.

"The High Maiden of the Nord clan is known for her defiant nature. Under her rule, the three clans have clashed more times than was necessary."

"It would have been easier to confront the Gypsy Clan, but this..." One of the elders began, trailing off at the end.

Estelle could understand from the elder’s tone that this High Maiden was not a person to be trifled with, but to Estelle, it made no difference whatsoever.

"Be it the High Maiden or a forest spirit, I will not let them have Dante." Estelle stated firmly.

"The High Maiden of the Nord clan will not be easily reasoned with, but I shall send word to her in writing at once." Lord Farren assured with a sigh.