Alda gazed deeper into the jungle. The power that dwelled within this green heaven on earth was… abundant. Perhaps it was that very force that had stirred the trees into half-awakened monsters. Now, she only needed to give them a final push.

  Alda had decided that this emerald land would be her holy ground, her sanctuary of life and nature. As she descended, she could sense that some of the oldest trees could perceive her presence.

  “Greetings, tree spirits of the new-old,” Alda said. Her voice carried divine resonance — the speech of creation itself. Even the roots quivered, and the leaves trembled as her words reached them. “I bring a pact to offer. A pact that can grant you life — true life — through the sanctity of nature and the green.”

  Her divine words carried through the jungle, awakening curiosity among some of the forest spirits, though others remained still and content. That was fine. She only needed a few to listen.

  “With my power,” she continued, “I can awaken those who desire it.”

  Alda’s being pulsed. Her essence, her godhood of life and nature — spread like a wave through the jungle, and all the nascent tree-beings felt it deep in their cores.

  Then, one of them answered.

  It took her by surprise. It was among the oldest of them, a presence vast and calm: it's name Heart of Tree and Bark. It had already almost awakened on its own, its mana core pulsing faintly. It had delved deep into the earth, drinking from the life force of the green heaven itself. And now, Heart of Tree and Bark was listening closely to what she said.

  “For I wish to protect this Green Heaven, and those who dwell within it,” Alda said, her tone sincere. She showed them her sight; what lay beneath the soil, what sustained them all.

  Heart of Tree and Bark, along with a few of the elder ones, seemed to understand. They sensed that what she wished to protect was the very life that had birthed them. Slowly, the Heart agreed to her pact.

  Alda smiled, this was almost too good to be true.

  “I grant you the power of life and nature. You shall be my first speaker.”

  Her power brushed gently over the rest of the forest. “To those who accept my gift, I shall grant bodies of flesh and skin, that you may walk the earth.”

  Some trees stirred in agreement, and her divinity embraced them.

  The transformation came swiftly. The trees that had once been still began to shift and fold in on themselves, glowing with a soft green light. Bark turned to skin, branches to limbs, and the roughness of wood gave way to flesh and bone.

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  From the sacred light, slender beings of fair skin and bright hair stepped forth — the first elves of Veern.

  Heart of Tree and Bark looked down at himself; yes himself, for that was what he was now. Flesh, bone, and blood filled where once there had only been sap and bark. The sensations were strange and overwhelming.

  He looked up to the High One — the radiant orb of light that had given him both sight and a new way of life. But now, his thoughts came faster, sharper. Awareness bloomed within him.

  He tried to speak. His mouth moved, but no words came. Frustration welled in him.

  “Easy there, new one,” came the gentle yet powerful voice of the High One. “It will take time for you to grow accustomed to your new form.” She looked him over with quiet pride. “You seem stronger than most of your kin.”

  He turned and saw that many of his new brethren lay on the ground, trembling as they discovered their new bodies. One among them — who he knew as Spirit of Leaves and Wind — was stubbornly trying to stand. She stumbled, fell face down, but rose again. and fell again.

  It brought a smile to his face.

  “Soon, you will awaken your mana,” said the High One, her light glowing warmly. “These changes are the beginning of your path. Walk it as you will — but know that I will be here to guide you.”

  Heart of Tree and Bark felt awe. The gift she had given was beyond words. Yet in his new clarity, something else stirred — a sense of loss, of imbalance. He turned his gaze northward and froze.

  There, something stirred in the sands beyond the jungle. Something that had killed one of his far kin..

  “Hi… High One,” he stammered. Speaking was still difficult; the divine tongue felt heavy on his lips. “One of my kin… is dead.” He said in the High one's tongue.

  The words froze every sound in the jungle. As the first words of Heart of Tree and Bark were spoken, even the wind held its breath.

  Alda stopped. Her power surged outward, sweeping across the green. “That’s new,” she murmured.

  There had been a few times in Alda’s long existence when something truly surprised her — this was one of them.

  Not only were these new elves a form of life she had never encountered, their connection to nature was almost equal to her own. and they understood her divine speech — and could answer her.

  For newborns, they were prodigies walking.

  It was fascinating. Beautiful. A creation beyond her original intent.

  But now, as her gaze turned northward to the desert, she felt the disturbance Heart of Tree and Bark had sensed. One of their kind had indeed been slain — and not by time or decay. Something new had taken life from her pact.

  Through the shimmering horizon, she saw movement beneath the sands — monstrous shapes devouring one another, wormlike creatures feeding upon their kin. A shiver of irony passed through her. Both the trees and these worms had sprung from the same primordial source of power.

  Alda exhaled softly, her divine light dimming to a thoughtful glow. 'So be it,' she whispered. 'If death has come to my paradise, then my new children must learn to face it.'

  Her gaze turned toward the young elves, still learning to walk, still unsteady on their new legs.

  ‘They will need to learn how to fight,’ she said quietly to herself, “before they ever learn how to write.’