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Within the central area of the fallen Ancient Spirit Forest, a large, mutated tree kept growing larger and vaster, spreading its dark roots across the entire forest, draining away the life and souls of the living beings that died nearby, while constantly generating new monsters from its roots.
Giant Mushrooms sprouted almost endlessly from its roots, while the dead trees began mutating and transforming into Dark Treants, roaring furiously, and hunting down any living being they could find…
The once peaceful forest had been transformed into an area of bloodshed and destruction. When it used to be such a beautiful place filled with greenery… It all changed. Now, it had become something similar to what that Vampire had said to August.
This forest has become a factory to create an "army" of monsters, and the one behind it all was the very child the villagers thought was just a victim…
Within the hollow interior of the Accursed Demonic Tree, his body rested. Wrapped around black, miasmic tentacles, and roots and branches piercing his skin and flesh.
His chest shone brightly with a red crystal that kept growing bigger and bigger, his face looked sleepy and exhausted, his eyes barely open.
"Uncle…"
However, no matter how hard he tried to pretend, it was clear that on his face, the boy showed deep sorrow.
The sorrow and desperation of being forced by his abusers to become a monster himself.
"You should not speak, you're merely a vessel, a connection between my power and this forest."
A terrific voice spoke into the voice's mind.
"Your will and mind will soon disappear. Stop fighting!"
The miasmic tentacles and black colored branches continued spreading across his body, draining him of his free will, and energy…
"This world… Shall be drowned in darkness. Those that cut me down will pay with their lives."
.
.
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(Maria's POV)
Once we talked and discussed about the origin of this forest's destruction with August, we moved everybody else back into the houses we built up, and made sure to leave several Undead and a few of my own Phantom Clones to take care of them.
We swiftly improvised potions that could slow down the expansion of the Miasmic Mold across their bodies using the very mushrooms we killed. It resulted that they were actually a really good analgesic against them.
However, they weren't a cure, but something to prolong their inevitable deaths… That is, if we don't find the origin of this Mold, kill it, and make a proper cure with its materials.
"We'll get going now, uncle." Emeraldine said, holding her uncle's hand. "Make sure to drink these potions whenever you feel a bit too sick, okay?"
"Okay." August sighed. "I wish… I could be of more help, but I feel like I can barely walk…" He cried.
"We'll solve this problem as fast as possible." I answered with a smile. "Once we deal with that… boy, and then the monster tree over there, I think Emeraldine could be capable of healing everything back to normal. She had become a Demigoddess after all."
"Hahaha… I-I never thought my dear Emeraldine would grow so powerful… You're… you're our last hope, my dear…" August cried. "Please… that boy… Ash… I don't know if he was truly being forced, even now, I feel doubt in my heart. I don't want to blame him for everything… That Vampire that appeared there… Maybe he.. Cough… Maybe he forced him…"
"…We'll see how things go." Emeraldine sighed. "If he truly… did not intend to do the things he did. Then maybe there can be a way to save him… But I don't really know, and I wont know until we face him."
"That's true…" Sighed August. "Do as you may, I trust your judgement, Emeraldine. Your mother… would be proud of what you've become now. Someone so strong and confident, and with many friends…"
"…" Emeraldine sighed, hiding the fact that before meeting us, she had failed her uncle and her mother. After all, she felt ashamed of the fact she was enslaved by bandits, and… abused so much.
In those times, she felt helpless and despaired. Until we arrived and helped her. Until… Well, I showed up in her life.
She doesn't really have to tell this to everyone, but it might be the right thing to tell it to her uncle, that she's not… all that he thinks she is.
I gently touched her shoulder.
"Uncle… I need to tell you something…" Emeraldine sighed. "Before we go there… Can I have some private time with him?" She asked us.
"Sure." I nodded. "Let's go outside, everyone."
I walked outside with everyone else, as I explained to them what Emeraldine wanted to explain to his uncle as… censored as possible to the children, who didn't knew exactly.
"Is auntie Emeraldine okay, mama?" Nyx wondered.
"She's fine! She just needed some time alone with her uncle to tell her everything that has happened to her since she left here…" I said. "They have a really strong bond, as if she were his own daughter. So I guess she needed to tell him the truth, mostly because she felt someone guilty for making him think everything in her life always went perfectly…"
"Even if it is painful, sometimes the truth is necessary." Sighed Lucifer.
"Muh…" Nyx sighed, feeling rather sad herself, she was being carried by her father, as she rubbed her head over his chest.
"Mom, I was thinking about something…" Takeshi said.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Is it about Ash?" Laura asked Takeshi. "I think I was thinking the same as you…"
"Ah, about that boy?" I wondered.
"Yeah… W-What if he's like us?" Takeshi wondered. "Maybe he was also forced to become something like a Homunculus, using those materials extracted from the Evil God's Fragments…"
"The Vampires were behind our creations, right?" Asked Laura. "So maybe… Maybe he was in a similar situation, and was forced to do this because he fears the Vampires?"
"…I had already considered such a thing." I sighed. "But if that boy… is fully intending to destroy this entire place, we'll still have to fight him, and maybe even…"
"B-But it can be different, right?" Tear asked. "Like… with me?"
"…"
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