Alma 67 Leon Goldentree

It was such an unthinkable act that some even questioned if the High Elder was of sound mind. Whispers floated around the aristocracy asking whether or not the time had come for the old man to retire, although none would ever dare to put the idea into action...

The act that had brought the High Elder's mental wellbeing into question?

Adoption.

But that, in itself, was not the cause for the Avunian community's concern. In fact, it was a selfless act of love, something to be praised.

The High Elder's act would have been praised as such under normal circumstances but...

It was ties of blood that united the Avunian race together, whether one was of either bloodline, for they were all descendants of the Alf at the end of the day. They were family.

...What he'd done was anything but normal.

He, one of the oldest survivors of the Unification Era, had done this. The same man who had sacrificed an unspeakable amount to help secure a future for his entire race.

This was the man who had once held the terrifying position of the King's Hand — the second-in-command in the East — answering only to the true ruler of the East, the Lion King.

But given that the Sovereign had left his empire to its own devices, in pursuit of his own goals, the former King's Hand had once served as proxy ruler in his stead.

Although the Goldentree Clan was not of royal blood, they too, just like the Kingscrown Family in the North, had a special history and lineage that afforded them the same authority as if they were.

For all intents and purposes, they represented the will of their Sovereigns.

As such, many viewed the High Elder's decision to adopt… a human child into the Goldentree Clan as borderline sacrilegious, an act that spat on the millennilong history of conflict that the Avunians had with Humanity in particular…

Nevertheless, who could speak against the High Elder? None. The East itself owed him a debt it could never pay back in full and Avunian culture greatly frowned upon the idea of even criticizing one's elders, much less one's benefactor.

Who among the Avunians in the East could ever say he or she was the elder of the High Elder?

Who among the Avunians in the East could say that he or she was not indebted to the High Elder for all that he had done?

As such, history would have its first human prince of Avunian hertiage by order of custom. 

The rogue prince, and future saviour of the East — Leon Goldentree, the Scoundrel of the East.

Reed curiously gazed around the interwoven architecture of the Avunian capital city, the Shining Nexus. The splendor of the city was something else, different than the cold elegance of the Northern capital. It was a living creation made of shifting steel, glowing stone, and gargantuan, elderly trees.

It was a fusion of many elements; some concepts adopted from their ancestors, and ideas taken from other races. Tiny hints of human and Ancient Mulian influence existed, but were overshadowed by the overflowing abundance of nature that had been infused into the city's infrastructure. 

"How does it find you, my boy? It is quite the sight, isn't not?"

Reed nodded and said, "It is wonderful. Almost like a living, breathing work of art, in a certain way. I didn't even know something like this was even possible."

That was not a lie in the slightest. He could not even begin to imagine how the Avunians had accomplished a feat like this, even with the assistance of Anima and the mind-numbing amount of information contained within the Universal Compendium.

Velvund Goldentree grinned and said, "I'm glad you like it. It's a chaotic, lively place these days, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Better it be alive and bustling — even with mischief abound in return — than dead and devoid of life like a crypt....."

"I see..... Well, it's a wonderful city, but what are we doing here?" said Reed.

After he'd explained his circumstances as best he could, the old fellow in front of him had told him that he'd be in good hands from now on. The man introduced himself and whisked him away here on top of a giant tree-spire that overlooked the city.

Velvund chuckled and said, "Why? To bring you home, Leon, my boy. I told you that you'd be in good care, no? So I've already ordered for you to be adopted into my little family here in this city, the Goldentree Clan. It is the least I can for you, who has already done an enormous service for the East and because… I see a bit of myself in you."

That's rather generous of him, even if I told them about the Ashborn-Dragoncrest conspiracy. I mean, just like that? He barely even knows me, aside from what I've revealed about me...

Lacrima quietly said, "I cannot detect any signs of malicious intent from him, boy. Even I don't know what tell you about this. If anything, you should be grateful that considerate, well-natured people like him still exist these days. 'The older the tree, the wiser the fruit,' I guess...." 

Velvund patted Reed's head and said, "It's probably a bit too much for you to take in right now, but know that so long as you stay in this city and bear the name of Goldentree, you will no longer have to endure the undue suffering of your past."

Reed quietly tried to digest the idea of good natured people, but couldn't stomach it somewhere in his heart of hearts.

Of course he knew they existed. Of course he did. Astor, Astrid, Horatio, Ophelia, Sebastian, Violett, and ...Lu'um existed. Although they each possessed their own agendas, they'd still made friends with a person who had nothing, who was nothing — like himself before he gained what he now possessed.

He knew — but even still, he still felt it unbelievable whenever he thought about it.

Velvund noticed Reed's brooding expression and said, "Is something wrong, son? What troubles you so?"

"It's… just that, um, I've never been helped so... straightforwardly like you. Someone who decided, on the spot, to help another person just because he could," said Reed in confusion. "I've met some good people in the North who have been very kind to me, but you're a first for me, Sir."

The old Avunian looked at the lively city and said, "If you'd seen what I've seen, my boy, you'd understand. Why Kindness is the seed of all Hope." He stared at the people down below with a warm expression and quietly said, "This world is inherently painful and miserable — this is truth — but if we all work together, I believe that one day we'll be able to make this place heaven on earth."

He turned toward Reed and said, "And I believe that Kindness is the key to that reaching that future. The connection, the bridge that will unite all of us together." Velvund pulled out a crown made of silver and brilliant marigolds and put it on Reed's head.

"I'm you'll understand what I mean one day, my boy. But for now, take what I've told you and chew it on it whenever you please," said Velvund as he adjusted Reed's silver crown.

Once Velvund finished adjusting Reed's crown, he pointed at the room behind them and said, "Consider this your new room, my boy. For now, why don't you get some rest and take everything I've told you. Let's talk some more tomorrow before I bore you to sleep myself, haha…"

He opened up a spatial tear and said, "If you need anything, ask Rivia outside and she'll help you," and walked into the beckoning darkness of the void.

And just like that, Reed had been left to his own devices.

A gorgeous, if albeit, minimalistic room would be his new room . It was a room infused into the heart of the tree-spire itself — which was a living being. The Anima that pulsed around it thrummed with vitality.

Reed found it strangely comforting in an odd way.

Lacrima hummed a little tune and said, "I would have never thought these little fellows could have accomplished something like this. It's a bit rough around the edges, but it's still miles better than anything I've seen in that frozen wasteland up North…"

What are you talking about? Found something interesting? said Reed as he walked around the room as he inspected his new room.

"The tree-spire, this building itself is possessed by a spiritual automaton of some kind. That is what is allowing the Anima to flow so freely around the entirety of the building. I suspect it can probably even attack and defend against multiple assailants with the hefty amount Anima it controls," said Lacrima.

Wait. It's possessing the entire tree-spire, so doesn't that mean that we're inside of it right now? Doesn't that mean that it's watching me right now?

Lacrima laughed and said, "No, boy. It seems to be preoccupied with something else from the looks of it. But that noisy little girl outside is."

Reed quickly turned around and discovered a pair of faintly familiar blue eyes peeking through a small crack in his door, staring at him as if he were an alien from another world.

As soon as she noticed that she'd been caught, she hurriedly shut the door. A young scream outside alerted Reed that something else had happened, but he didn't want to go outside.

A part of him knew that it'd eventually come around to him, though, so he put on his polite face and walked towards the door… unaware of the implications he would soon create…

Chapter end