Village Head's Debauchery

"Can't you figure out what happened to her?" Anara asked, her expression filled with hope.

"The only explanation I could come up with is that this might have something to do with her abilities, or perhaps it's one of the conditions of being a half-human, half-tree nymph child. It's hard to tell since I have no reference, but I can assure you that nothing is wrong with her, and this condition might rarely occur again," Greta responded.

"Okay, if you say so. I'll be taking Grace back to the farm then. Please, help Orion with this when you--" Anara began, but as she was about to complete her sentence, a reverberating sound of lightning tearing through the air resonated across the room and within their ears.

Grace's body jerked slightly before slowly relaxing.

.............

Second Border City

Patriarch Rylan's Mansion.

"Was it really that bad?" Patriarch Rylan asked, looking at his daughter as he carefully fed Eyva a piece of Kalna fruit.

"Yes, it was. I practically disgraced myself when we arrived at the Garden and went in. These stupid ears were the cause of all this," Isadora cried out, holding her two ears on her right side and attempting to pull them off her head.

Patriarch Rylan sighed as he witnessed this scene. He could tell that there was something else his daughter wasn't telling him. However, as long as it wasn't harming her and appeared to be a problem she could handle, he respected her decision to keep it a secret, especially when it had something to do with Orion since she was working as his personal assistant.

Patriarch Rylan asked, "So, how were the Garden and the Pixie Kingdom?" His voice was filled with curiosity.

"It was beautiful, more than anything I've ever witnessed. If I could, I'd want to live there forever," Isadora responded, remembering everything she had witnessed.

Patriarch Rylan nodded, his expression pondering as he continued to feed Eyva her Kalna fruit. "You know, I've been thinking about something."

"What is it?" Isadora asked, focusing her eyes on her father curiously.

As the former leader of the Four-eared Lone Rabbit Runaway City, her father could easily decide on whatever he wanted to do, even without the council's approval, and he rarely sought her opinion. So, for him to suddenly mention something like this, she understood it must be extremely important.

"Earlier today, I checked the entire race to see how they adjusted to the new environment. The results of this investigation were surprising; they were extremely uncomfortable, not because of the abnormal sky-splitting events that have been occurring for a while now, but because they found it hard to switch from the metal scraps they once called home to these beautiful, magnificent structures."

"Also, since many haven't met other races, they find communicating with others living in the Orion's Cities difficult. Some even begged to live outside the Orion's Cities without shelter, now that the entire territory was devoid of the Vylkr vines," Patriarch Rylan responded.

He paused before continuing, "Of course, I amwellaware that all these are natural responses due to their previous circumstances. However, I've come to realize that after the tree nymphs are done regrowing the vegetation outside the territory and the expansion of the Orion Cities begins, many of them might choose to live outside of it."

"So, I am considering asking Mr. Orion if we canbe allowed tolive within the grown vegetation. However, since this also implies securing a refuge for the Four-eared elves race, I don't know if he would agree."

He shook his head tiredly when he finished speaking. He didn't dare ask for land outside the Orion's Cities since this meant they would be on equal footing with the Village and the other races within the Orion Cities. So, he could only settle and plead to see if they would allow him to move their refuge outside of it.

Hearing Patriarch Rylan's words, Isadora suddenly had a pondering expression. She understood why her father had shared this with her, as it was a tricky topic.

Suddenly, as Isadora was putting her thoughts in order, a resounding, immense roar of lightning reverberated through the atmosphere, astounding them briefly before they quickly disappeared from their position, appearing outside the mansion with their eyes focusing skyward in bewilderment.

"What's going on now?" Patriarch Rylan asked, his voice filled with worry at the unexpected turn of events.

…...........

Looking at the vibrant, chilling streaks of lightning consistently flashing through the sky and spreading across the horizon, Seig shook his head, turned around, and walked back home.

"Captain, don't you want tofind outwhat's happening?" Evadne asked, observing Seig's actions in confusion.

"Of course, I do want to know what's going on, but I feel that it isn't something we should concern ourselves with and will resolve itself later. I thought staying here would be more peaceful than living in the 'Sleeping Fox' Runaway City, but it's even more suspenseful and filled with more tension than back home. I'm going to rest before the next test commences," Seig responded, grumbling as he walked into the building, closing the door behind him.

Evadne exhaled deeply at his words, feeling the same way, but she focused her attention skyward, continuing to observe what might occur next.

…..........…

The resounding roar of lightning spread across the entire Orion's Cities, reaching even the Village. The Village Chief, Stronghold leaders, and various warriors immediately raced towards the direction the pillar of lightning had risen from, doubt covering their expressions.

...........

As Orion raced through the atmosphere at unimaginable speeds, his body dissolved into countless streaks of raw, unbridledbolts of lightning. They darted in and out, twisting and twirling into thick, rolling Vylkr-infested clouds.

It was as though they moved with a mind of their own yet were all connected, sometimes converging to form a fleeting silhouette of his human form before scattering into wild, joyous streaks. He couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of euphoria wash over him.