Six days later.

  I walked for days without sleep, in an almost trance-like state. Maintaining the animus was likely the only way I could remain on my feet. The constant twitching of my muscles over time became increasingly severe. I knew beneath the surface that the corruption was spreading, slowly poisoning my blood and killing me.

  Movement became a challenge as my legs began to protest. Still, I kept going, even though I knew I was getting ever closer to death. Something as simple as walking became a complex task of carefully placing one foot in front of the other. The unconscious mechanisms of stepping no longer came easily. My balance was difficult to maintain; at times, I felt like I was a puppeteer, as if my body were not my own.

  I couldn't stop walking, and at some point, I lost control of my bowels. Pride, self-respect, and even my neurotic need to remain clean meant nothing.

  I lost vision in my left eye and vomited blood nearly constantly. Throughout my journey to the center of the forest, I saw many strange creatures. Deer with crystal antlers and odd bipedal humanoids with long arms and white fur. The most interesting creature was a bird with four wings and no feet. In some odd way, I related to it; it had to keep flying, as landing would certainly lead to death.

  Surprisingly, none approached; some would come close and investigate, but as soon as I turned my head to them, they would flee. The bravest was a bright orange bat-like creature with black stripes, the size of a hound. It followed for some time, but never approached. Something about me repelled them; perhaps it was the smell.

  I spotted a massive tree practically piercing the sky; it had to be near 500 feet tall. A small smile came across my face, and after coughing up some more blood, I walked toward it.

  ~

  It took almost four hours to reach; it was in the center of a massive clearing. I expected I would find something, some sign of the dryads, yet there was nothing to suggest such, other than the clearing being an almost perfect circle, nearly 500 feet wide, with the tree in the center. It certainly wasn't natural, but other than an odd, sweet, almost honey-like scent in the air, nothing stood out to me.

  ‘Perhaps they’re in hiding.’

  “Hello,” I shouted, though my voice was hoarse.

  I walked up to the massive tree, searching amongst the branches for something, anything.

  “If you can hear me, can we parlay?” I tried again, only to be met with silence. A quarter-hour of searching yielded nothing, and as the minutes passed, I felt my body becoming even more difficult to control.

  ‘If they are hiding, perhaps I should draw them out; I don’t have the time to investigate. According to historians, trying to burn the forest was what caused the death of over a hundred thousand people. Let’s hope that I don't get instantly killed.’

  Looking around the clearing, I started gathering scraps of branches, stacking them up in a decent-sized pile. Then, with some effort, I set it on fire and tossed my heat absorption ring inside, creating a binding between it and my amulet.

  I let it burn for several minutes until my amulet was full.

  “Please don't instantly kill me,” I muttered. I bound my amulet to my dragon's breath glove and aimed it at the tree.

  Before I increased the strength of the binding, a voice behind me said, “I cannot suggest this course of action, human.” It was a woman’s voice, sweet-sounding but incredibly monotone.

  I spun around, frightened by the sudden voice, and saw her. She was a stunningly beautiful woman with proportions so perfect that it was unnatural. It was as if the greatest sculptor in the world carved her form from wood, the same bark as the massive tree. Her hair was made of thin vines.

  The breasts had no teats, her sex was just a barren surface, and she had no navel. But everything else: her face, hips, and legs were beautiful. Though her eyes were open, they were simply wood; I wasn't sure if she could actually see.

  “Apologies, I was trying to get your attention,” I said quickly, my heart racing.

  “I assumed as much; regardless, you are forgiven.” She said. The mouth didn't move, but the sound came from her regardless. “Now I must ask, human, why do you desire my attention?”

  I took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. “I’m dying. You are my only salvation from an early grave.”

  The wooden woman tilted her head to the side. Stared at my wound for long moments, then spoke, “The infection has spread to your major organs; your blood is poison, and the body is shutting down.” Then she looked at my face. “This is not a concern of mine, human. All things die.”

  ‘Infection? Odd turn of phrase, but it doesn't matter. She did not contradict that she could be my salvation. Alright, sympathy is out of the water; let's try bargaining.’

  I nodded solemnly. “Yes, but I do not wish to die yet. If you can save me from death, free me of the…infection. I’m more than willing to bargain.”

  The wooden woman didn't move or make any outward sign that she was willing to agree. “I was ancient when the first of your people landed upon these shores, human. Your magical trinkets and knowledge mean little to me.”

  She slowly started sinking into the ground. “You are welcome to die beneath my branches. Your body will be treated well.”

  ‘No, no, no.’

  “Please.” I said quickly, “There must be something I can offer.” The woman didn't respond and just kept sinking into the ground.

  ‘Think, think, think, Myr.’

  I needed to find the right words, the exact words that would convince her to use her magic to heal me.

  ‘Coin? Of course not.’

  ‘Tools? Laughable.’

  ‘What is it? What can I say, to convince a creature older than the empire, older than human magic?’

  The Dryad was roughly at her waist, and still I couldn't find the words. There was nothing I could offer her; this creature was beyond my understanding.

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  ‘What could I say for her to save me with her magic?’

  My mind whirled as I considered my options. When she reached her chest, I spoke. “I’m willing to offer a sacrifice.”

  The dryad stopped, and slowly she unearthed herself.

  “Do you understand what that means, human, to sacrifice?” She asked.

  “The first human magus, Flaketh, said that magic required sacrifice. I’ve lived by that creed for years. I’ve sacrificed much since then: friends, family, love, companionship, my morality, and even sanity to a certain degree. I am willing to sacrifice more.” I answered.

  “What of your future?” She asked. Before I opened my mouth, I considered what she could mean by that.

  “My goal in life is the pursuit of magic, the mastery of my animus. So long as this doesn't hinder this, then I would be willing to sacrifice my future.”

  She was silent for long moments. “Human life is measured in years and decades; you wither and die. The only part of you that is eternal is what you give to your offspring. So long as this line is unbroken, a piece of you will live on forever. I am unaging, unchanging, unending. The only way for me to improve myself is to take that future from others, incorporating that capacity for change into myself.” She paused, then added. “It has been a long time since I’ve tasted the essence of a draconic animus. There is even a remnant of a Snow Aciad in you. And you, especially with the progress of your animus, can help me facilitate change.”

  ‘I have so many questions. The Snow Aciad was probably the odd cat thing. What does she mean by ‘essence’? None of that matters at the moment. I need to ensure I survive.’

  “What effect would it have on me? And why can’t you just take it? I’m not exactly in a position to stop you from forcing the issue.”

  “You would be rendered incapable of bearing offspring. The draconic and Aciad essence within you will be extinguished. Did you not wonder why you were not attacked in the forest? Magical beasts can sense a strong animus. But that also meant the essence they would consume from you would be equally potent.”

  “Would that not be an incentive for them to attack me?”

  “Yes, but a powerful animus that walked smelling of poison and death is a formidable repellent.” She summed. “As to your other inquiry, do you not feel their emotion in their last moments of death? If I forcefully removed a part of your animus, emotion would follow as strongly as yours. It would affect any offspring I produce, corrupting and poisoning them. Possibly twisting them into something beyond my desire.”

  “Offspring? So far, I have only seen one of you.” I asked.

  “You have seen millions. You see this form and think it is me? No, this is but animal mimicry to facilitate communication.”

  ‘Ah, so that’s why it looks like a comely woman.’

  She continued, “I am the forest; every tree is my offspring, every tree is me, all connected, all one organism.”

  I straightened and looked around me, muttering, “Millions of trees interconnected across thousands of miles of forest, forming a consciousness...fascinating.”

  “So you need outside influence to change?” I asked.

  “All magical beasts do. The systems that slowly improve organic life over time. For humans and non-magical creatures, it is biological in nature, facilitated by reproduction. But for magical creatures like myself, to improve, I must consume. We plateau in growth as a stronger animus becomes increasingly difficult to incorporate. Even in death, the animus would fight, becoming more poison than boon; the offspring would become corrupted by it.”

  ‘I wonder. Is this where the belief in the thrice-cursed spawned from? It sounds far too similar to be a coincidence. How many other humans has this creature treated with before me.’

  “I don't feel any change from what I consumed.”

  “You are not evolved to consume the essence of a creature. It is similar to how a cow can acquire sustenance from hay, while you will gain almost nothing. It lingers within your animus, dormant, clawing, but it will wither and die in time.” She clarified.

  “Are there any other side effects of this sacrifice?” I asked.

  “The effect would be permanently written into the fabric of reality with which you exist. This means certain parts of your reproductive system will not function correctly. I believe elderly human females experience this.”

  “What is the animus?” I asked.

  “I use the word ‘animus’ because that is easier for communication. There is no such thing as an animus.”

  “What? But I’ve been using it for some time; that is how magic works. You yourself say you have an animus.”

  The dryad paused, trying to find the right words. “You see the animus separate from yourself. But that thinking is incorrect. You do not have an animus; you are an animus.”

  “But I willingly activate it when using magic. I don't see how...” The dryad interrupted me. “Your body facilitates the interaction of your animus with the real world. The Animus, you, are but a puppeteer.”

  “T-then what am I doing when activating the animus?” I asked.

  “You are bridging the gap between your mortal consciousness and the infinite chaos that is reality. You pulled back the veil, allowing you to interact with the infinite chaos.”

  The dryad paused, clearly attempting to dumb down a complex subject for a lesser intelligence. ”It is not natural for you, like a creature who has no eyes suddenly gaining sight. The strength of your animus is how far you can push back the veil to touch, mold, and change the infinite chaos. Humans and most creatures are limited; you use runes, pale representations of patterns within chaos… mere facsimiles to interact with said chaos, imposing order. Do give your hand precise instructions, or do simply command it, and the body follows. That is the difference between your human magic and true magic.”

  I was barely keeping up with her explanations.

  “What is primal energy?” I asked.

  “All things are energy: heat, light, movement, rocks, water, magnetism, gravity…everything. Primal energy is chaos.”

  As the Dryad spoke, the questions in my mind were compounding on each other. What were runes truly? Could I learn such magic? How do I learn such magic? Why were humans so limited? How did she come about? How does she know so much about magic?

  I was so intrigued, I briefly forgot about my impending death. I opened my mouth to speak, only to vomit up bile, stained red with blood.

  “You are approaching death. The longer we speak, the more difficult the task of repairing you will be. I ask once again, so there can be no misunderstanding. Are you willing to sacrifice your future to me?” The dryad spoke with a sense of finality. Yet, for some reason, I hesitated.

  ‘Odd? I’ve never considered having children, yet I hesitate. Perhaps there is some instinctual part of me that desires a legacy.’

  I sighed and rid myself of those feelings.

  ‘Magic requires sacrifice. What would it be like… feel like? Can I even trust it? It doesn't matter; I'm dead anyway. I’ll have to trust that the creature isn't lying.’

  “I, Myr, the maiden of Fire, willingly sacrifice my ability to procreate to you, Dryad of the Dalianar forest,” I said with finality.

  There was a slight tilt in the wooden woman's head, then she said. “I accept and will take nothing other than your sacrifice. In return, I will heal your body and save you from death.” She said.

  “It will take some time to repair you. How long depends on the extent of the infection,” she announced after a few seconds of silence.

  I had so many more questions but little time to ask them. But I had to take the chance. There were no other options. A last thought popped into my mind. How could she heal, and how does she understand human biology enough to identify what was wrong and know how to fix it at a glance?

  “Could you secure the items in this pack?” I asked, dropping it to the ground.

  “It will be done, Human,” she said.

  “Name’s Myr, by the way,” I added. “What’s y…”

  A spike of wood erupted from her shoulder and pierced through my shirt directly into my abdomen. It broke my animus, and I was wracked with pain as I fell backwards. An instant later, my body grew numb, and my thoughts slipped from me. I stared up at the massive tree, confused, but I felt no fear. My clothing literally disintegrated; the dryad walked over and picked up my nude form.

  Then she pressed my back against the tree, and I slowly sank into it as if it were water. I watched with numb fascination as wood closed around me. The last thing I saw was the dryad’s beautiful face, which sported a small smile.