NOVEL NEXT Chapter 116: Yggdrasil
[Center of the Stormy zone.]
Under the perpetual gloom of a churning, dark storm, a colossal tree defied the elements. Its trunk was as strong as steel, its branches vast and powerful, and its leaves a brilliant green that seemed to radiate their own light. This immense tree had stood for tens of years, unmoving and unshakable. But suddenly, one of its lower branches groaned, snapped, and crashed to the ground. Even the smallest of its branches was so huge that its impact created a chasm in the earth.
Perched high in the canopy was an unknown creature. It had the body of a cat, sleek and red, with the enormous, leathery wings of a dragon. The sleeping beast's eyes flashed open, and its gaze immediately darted to the golden fruit that sat nestled beside it. It was a perfect, glowing orb, and seeing it still there seemed to bring a sense of relief.
The beast then turned its attention to the thousands of Giants kneeling in silent devotion at the base of the massive tree. Standing before this immense kneeling throng were ten leaders, each between 20 and 50 meters tall—the same leaders Patrick had spoken of.
"It seems the second princess is here," the beast said, its voice a low, resonant hum.
It stood up, its lithe body poised on the tree branch, eyes fixed on the ten towering leaders. "And those three pests are also here." It shifted its gaze to the south and let out a long sigh that seemed to stir the very air around them.
"But the princess is more important. Bring her here. We need to feed her to the Yggdrasil." The beast spoke, referring to the tree itself.
The Giants all bowed in acknowledgment. Half of them, along with two of the leaders, rose to their feet and lumbered away into the stormy darkness.
"I knew it... those bastard Dragons would expose this planet to the rest," the beast muttered to itself.
"I've followed the Queen's orders, sealing him here... If he gets out, no one knows what will happen." It turned its head toward the south again.
"But what are the Queen's slaves doing here? Those fools don't know me..." It paused, a new thought dawning.
"Wait... Are they here for the Chaos Ring? Is the Queen already back?"
The beast shook its head, dismissing the idea. "No... that's impossible. I would have sensed her by now."
The creature lay back down on the branch, its attention returning to the resplendent golden fruit.
"With the couple's blood, the tree was created, and with their combined energy, the fruit of endless possibilities was made... Only the Queen can eat it. Anyone else must die."
______
[Back to Sunny.]
Sunny followed Star and Vancouver back to the wooden house. Despite the shock of seeing his uncle here, he didn't give even the slightest clue that he was surprised.
'Well... I'm not actually his real nephew; I just took over the body,' he thought, as they all stopped in the spot where the seven had been sitting just minutes before.
"Brother, how did you guys get here?" Star asked the moment they all settled down.
"Distress call... When the ships exploded, I got the alert and rushed over," Sunny said, his gaze fixed on Vancouver, who was also staring back at him with an unreadable expression.
"Then..." Star turned to Ellen. "How did she get here?"
Ellen's voice was barely a whisper. "I... I snuck onboard."
"....?!"
Star was dumbfounded. "This place is dangerous, and we can't reach anyone outside this planet—"
"—I can," Sunny cut her off, his words a calm interruption.
"You can?" David raised an eyebrow. "If you don't know, all our cosmic brains have been shut down, and no drone can fly all the way through that storm."
Sunny didn't respond with words. Instead, he activated the system, which also served as his cosmic brain. A collective gasp escaped the group as a holographic screen materialized in the air before them, glowing brightly. Their eyes were all fixed on the display as Sunny initiated a call.
".....?!"
"It... It works?" David was flabbergasted, his mouth agape.
"Thank goodness! How is Ellen?"
Josephine's face appeared on the screen, her question about Ellen so filled with genuine concern that both Sunny and Star raised their eyebrows in surprise.
'Why is she so worried about Ellen? Is she finally accepting her?' Sunny thought to himself.
He'd known Josephine was just putting on an act before, but now, it didn't seem like it. Even his senses told him she was genuinely worried about Ellen's well-being.
"Ellen is safe and with me," he said, shifting the screen to show Ellen.
"There are a lot of things going on here. I'll explain everything once we get back."
"That's good. We also have things to tell you all. Wait, what about Star?" Josephine asked, her gaze moving around the screen, searching.
Star stood and moved closer to Sunny, positioning herself so Josephine could see her.
"Don't worry yourself, sister-in-law. We're all together and safe, and Alexandra is with us." Star said with a reassuring smile.
"That's a relief," Josephine exhaled.
"You said 'we.' Is someone else there with you?" Sunny asked.
Josephine moved the screen to Jinx, who was still holding the tablet in her hand, her eyes distant.
"Why does she look so absent-minded?" Sunny asked, confused by Jinx's expression.
"Oh... Maybe it's just shock," Josephine said, her voice a little too quick.
"Best friend... How are you?" Ellen finally spoke, her voice timid.
Jinx blinked, turning her head to the screen. She stared at Ellen with a mixture of emotions—joy, sadness, and something else that Sunny couldn't quite place. After a long moment of silence, she finally smiled.
"Be good, little dragon. Stay with your father, and never leave his side, okay?"
Ellen nodded at her words, a simple gesture of obedience.
"Good... Okay, then. I have something to do. I'm waiting for you guys' return," Jinx said, then stood up and walked away, disappearing from the screen.
Although she didn't say it, Sunny knew something was wrong with Jinx. He turned to Josephine.
"What happened to her?"
"Come back home, and I'll tell you... Now that you've found Star, you'll be coming back, right?" Josephine asked, her tone hopeful.
Sunny turned to Ellen, then to Star, and shook his head. "We need time to search for the gate, and it seems there are some bad people here. I need to take care of them."
"That isn't your job," Josephine pointed out.
"I know... But they're after something that might strengthen my enemy," Sunny said, his voice firm.
"So you're doing this without even knowing if they're good or bad people? And no one is stupid enough to get on that planet..." Josephine stopped herself, letting out a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry," she apologized.
"No... Worrying about us means you care," he said, his voice softening. "Don't worry. We will be back."
Josephine nodded, her face still filled with concern.
"Take care."
Sunny nodded and disconnected the call. He then looked up at David and Vancouver, who were still completely stunned by everything they had just witnessed.
"Why the face?" he asked with a smirk, his eyes glinting as he stared at the two men.