NOVEL NEXT Chapter 19 – The Pact of Leaves
The woods beyond Emberleaf had changed.
Not in shape—but in spirit.
The trees still rose tall and twisted, their bark veined with glowing green lichen. The canopy filtered sunlight like stained glass, bathing the forest floor in shifting hues. But the air hummed differently today—quieter, sharper, like it knew this meeting mattered.
Kael moved between the roots like he belonged there. Rimuru bobbed on his shoulder, casting a soft turquoise glow. Nyaro padded at his flank, tail low, golden eyes scanning the shadows.
Great Sage:
"Approaching designated coordinates,"
"Five Raveni signatures confirmed. Tribe type: forest kin. Affiliation: neutral. Current posture: non-hostile."
"Good," Kael muttered. "Let's keep it that way."
At the edge of a moss-covered ravine, a flicker of movement caught his eye. Five figures stepped out of the underbrush—tall, lean, with wood-dark skin and antler-like horns curling from their temples. Beastkin. Raveni.
The tallest among them carried a staff etched with vines and inlaid crystals. She wore a mantle of bark and feather. Her eyes—sharp, golden, and ageless—met Kael's without hesitation.
"You are the ember child," she said. "The one who names."
"I am Kael Drayke of Emberleaf," Kael replied evenly. "And I come to offer more than names."
Rimuru gave a proud little bounce.
The woman tilted her head. "I am Thalis. Seer of the Thorneye. We've watched your rise. We've watched the fire grow."
Nyaro growled low. Kael placed a hand on his shoulder.
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"I didn't come to burn. I came to plant."
Thalis's eyes narrowed. "Speak, ember child. What do you offer?"
Kael stepped forward. "We've built a village. We've survived monsters, fog, assassins. But now we want more than survival. We want trade. Knowledge. A pact. In return, Emberleaf offers territory—north of the fire ridge. We'll clear it. Mark it. Your tribe can dwell there freely. All I ask is shared defense and shared roads."
A silence stretched.
Then Thalis said, "You are young. Too young to speak like this."
Kael smirked. "Then maybe your forest is older than your ears."
Behind him, Rimuru pulsed bright red in agreement.
The Raveni bristled—but Thalis raised a hand. "You speak fire with purpose. We will consider."
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a seed—softly glowing, cradled in silk moss.
"This is our answer," she said. "Plant it in Emberleaf. If it grows, the pact is sealed."
Kael accepted it with both hands, feeling the warmth hum through his fingers.
Then Rimuru drifted forward, gently brushing Thalis's shoulder with her surface.
The Raveni's eyes widened.
"Your slime is… not a slime."
Great Sage:
"Skill synthesis activated."
A ripple of energy passed between Rimuru and Thalis's staff. Light shimmered. Rimuru floated back, glowing gold and green.
Great Sage:
Kael blinked. "She can… talk to trees now?"
Great Sage:
"Loosely interpreted. But yes."
Thalis smiled. "Your companion is strange. And strange is powerful."
Kael bowed. "Then let's hope we're strange enough to survive what's coming."
The Raveni disappeared into the woods like smoke.
Kael turned to Rimuru and Nyaro.
"Let's go home."
That night, Kael stood at the edge of the Emberleaf clearing, the glowing seed in hand. He knelt beside the dry patch beneath the monument tree—the same tree he carved the first sigil into—and pressed the seed into the soil.
Rimuru floated beside him, still glowing faintly.
"I hope you like it here," Kael whispered.
Behind him, the goblins gathered—Nanari, Zelganna, Gobrinus, and the others.
"What is it?" Gobrinus asked, chewing a mushroom stick.
Kael rose, brushing dirt from his hands. "A promise."
As he turned, the ground trembled faintly.
A sprout broke the soil—already glowing, already alive.
Nanari gasped. "It's reacting to the leylines."
Kael smiled.
"The pact is sealed."
And far off in the forest, Thalis opened her eyes.
"It begins."