Change is as inevitable as time, just as no power is absolute, and the warrior that learns to accept that will step ahead of the others. Adaptability is the only irrefutable method of survival.

~Cernunnos, Lord of the Wild Things

Nidhogg’s draconian face gave nothing away, but inside he was sighing.

Ghede was the most hated guardian. Today he dressed in all black, which darkened his blue face to the color of midnight. He held a shovel, the handle resting on his shoulder. However, it was a tool that shouldn’t be underestimated because they were sure it belonged in the Heavenly Rankings. He sharpened the spade to the point it could cut finer than a blade.

“If this is about Crow, you can forget it. You were the one that introduced the pact of non-interference.” Mugna filled the silence.

“All I want is for him to return the Python’s Tongue.”

“He can’t. The Sacred Order of the Awen has already drawn him to their world. The last message he sent claimed he would bury it within their lands. It is too late to stop him, and there is no way to reach him unless he escapes.

“Bullshit!” Ghede roared, but Mugna laughed and tossed him a vestige.

“See for yourself. You underestimate the unfated too much. Once that key came into Crow’s possession, its original fate was wiped clean. Whatever it was to be used for, you can forget it.”

Ghede held the vestige to his forehead and watched the message. Crow even had someone record him with the object and laughed when he explained what he’d do with it. It was recorded right as the ring on his finger activated. Blood red vines lashed out from the ring and sprouted black thorns dug into Crow’s flesh before cocooning him. The entire thing was so fast that the girl on the other end hadn’t finished gasping before they pulled him into the ground and disappeared.

“Mugna, if you receive this. Please let me know the chances of Crow returning. Even if it’s very low, please respond.” Mara’s red eyes were a testament to how worried she was.

“Who is this woman?”

“Crow’s wife. Why? Are you going to target her? It’s pointless. He won’t know if you touch her, and killing her won’t bring the tongue back to Tur Briste.”

Brada laughed hysterically, but Ghede didn’t dare do anything to either Mugna or her. If talking about raw power, he was the weakest of the guardians. However, his strengths were in his scheming. “This Druid boy isn’t bad. Decisive and offloads problems like they were never his to begin with. I wonder how many of the Hexen will grab hold of those Awen relics to join in on the fun.”

“You should mind your own people. Your thirteen apostles are self-righteous monsters that have killed more people than five of my Witch Doctors combined. That’s saying something, considering how much we deal with death.”

“My apostles never leave Sunfrost city. If they’ve killed that many people, it’s because they asked for it by invading.”

“If that was true, they would have a righteous aura, not a murderous one,” Ghede snorted. “I’m a servant of death and at the crossroads, remember?”

“You dare criticize me? What happened to that little genius of yours? Oh, that’s right, he forsook his cultivation and became a Spiritualist. If that doesn’t sting, I don’t know what does. Not to mention your gamble for the key to whatever lost temple. You’ve practically failed at everything except raising a bunch of corpse lovers.”

“Okay, you’ve stirred the pot enough. What are you really after?” Mugna asked.

Ghede stared at Brada for a few long seconds, but she didn’t even bother glancing at him. “Since we’ve decided to block wars on this planet, I suggest a competition of nations. We’ll hold one every two years eight months before Shield trials begin.”

Nidhogg didn’t have anything to refute, nor did the other guardians find fault with the suggestion. Even ten-year-old Mugna pulled at his chin as if stroking a beard he didn’t have while he remained deep in thought. The other guardians felt it was funny, but they didn’t interrupt him.

Brada realized something but hesitated to speak. It was almost like Ghede was taunting her, asking her to play along, and she resisted. Whatever he was up to, there was no way that pervert would take a loss. She once crossed him in the upper realms, but Ghede was an underling of Baron Samedi at the time. No one had seen or heard of Baron Samedi in a long time, but she didn’t find that surprising. The Baron had one of the twelve chaos items, or did—is that why Ghede is desperate for the Python’s Tongue?

One of the other guardians asked the question that Brada avoided.

“Where will you host this tournament? And what are the rules?”

Ghede chuckled, and Mugna continued to observe. He had already long since guessed what the Hex Vodun was after. He invited the Beastlords to the northern continent of Darach because he suspected that even though the Vodou and Hex weren’t allies, the Python Tongue united them temporarily.

It was evident that Crow didn’t know why the Beastlords had to become their allies. Still, Mugna guessed long ago that the Vodou wanted unrestricted access to Oiche.

“We all know the most famous Arena on Litavis. Is there any question where the event should be held?” Everyone’s eyes shifted from Ghede to Mugna.

“It didn’t make sense that the leader of the Vodou would seek us out a few years back, but now it does. The Arena was always your backup plan, and you believe it can connect to hidden realms, correct? More importantly, your proposal is because you believe it can connect to the Sacred Order of Awen’s realm,” Mugna’s childish voice somehow sounded dignified.

“Does my reasoning matter? It still benefits the children.”

“It doesn’t matter to me since the Arena can’t be controlled as you want. A south entrance is never activated because it’s part of the outer city. Still, we can open it if you want this competition. There is no way I’ll allow outsiders to stay inside the inner city of Oiche. And let me be clear, under my boughs, there is one rule that never changes no matter who enters—no killing. Since the interior of the Arena is its own realm, I won’t say much about people dying in those fights. However, if any outsider kills, their entire party will be taken for execution. And undead are absolutely forbidden.” Mugna recited his rules in quick succession. “Last, as the host, the people of Darach will not be responsible for the rewards the winners will get.”

“What rewards?” Ghede asked.

“Are you a fool?” Brada laughed. “You want to have a tournament of nations and not give out resources or rewards. Who’d want to attend a pointless struggle for dominance? Ulterior reasons aside, I like this idea. Since we have a famous blacksmith, I can have him provide a reward or two for every competition.”

The other guardians chimed in after that, and soon, the details were all hashed out. Mugna didn’t care because he was still mulling over what Ghede was after. Could the rumors of Baron Samedi having a Chaos Artifact be true?

The thing that scared Mugna was that the truth didn’t matter. The slightest whisper of a Chaos Artifact would bring out all the hidden monsters. Mugna, even as the strongest guardian present, wasn’t qualified to hold on to one, much less anyone in Tur Briste.

***

A few hours later, Mugna visited Gavin, who was too shocked to speak. Reaching Yggdrasil always seemed like this mythical dream, and seeing his old friend succeed was a lot to take in. The tournament was minor compared to this.

“What do we do now?” Gavin asked.

“Those formations I asked you to create hundreds of years ago. Are they ready?”

“They are. Crow thought that the Scarification tattoo on his back was my masterpiece but wait until he sees what I’ve done to Oiche. I’ve layered so many formations into Father Oak’s roots that even an upper realm cultivator could die if he doesn’t behave. The inner city’s walls are damn near impenetrable that not even air can escape if I decree it.

“And the tunnel?”

“No need. I’ve done something better. Crow found some interesting content in the Triskelion Archives on Void Tunnels. I had a small warehouse built in the outer city, which will house the gateway that connects to the one inside the Keystone room. You just need to open it when you are ready.”

“And locals can use the original exit?”

“Correct.”

“Where does the Void Tunnel go precisely?”

“The warehouse is in the southern district of the outer city, close to the southern gate. I’ve had the council staff the warehouse with people and provide information to outsiders.”

“Accommodations?”

“I know it’s shameless on my part, but the Maddox clan owns several inns, restaurants, and warehouses in that area. It is a busy trade hub because the mercantile goods from the Golden Sands Coast come in through that gate. Figured it’d be good if outsiders were infusing our economy with outsider gold and goods,” Gavin explained his plans.”

“Nice. This is better than the original plan. What about the Origin energy?”

“The accumulation formations are all within the inner city, with the strongest in the west and east sacred lands around Father Oak’s trunk getting the highest purity. The outer parts of Oiche will still gain a significant boost, too. It’s unavoidable since we are drawing the energy to the inner city and can’t just make it appear there.”

“And have we decided which clans to give the acquired manors to?” Mugna asked. Wiping out clans, including some of the original nine, was necessary to create opportunities for others to rise. There were many empty manors in the inner city that they planned to use as rewards for the loyal Draoidh clans. Now that Litavis was about to change, the most critical task was for the Druid Order to establish an unassailable foundation.

“I have a list of them and ranked based on their dedication and talent.” Gavin tossed Mugna a vestige and couldn’t help but smile at the child-like appearance. “I’m not sure this appearance of yours inspires much awe.”

“This little kid can still kick your ass, old man,” Mugna chuckled and reviewed the content of the vestige. After some time, he frowned and put it away. “Let’s start with the False Dawn Academy and open its doors as soon as possible. There will be some changes. I want four campuses with their own unique libraries, dormitories, and teachers. They’ll be linked to a central campus with the main amenities like the cafeteria, arenas, training areas, and classes teaching less sensitive information. The first and most important campus will be for the Bards. The other three are for the pure-blooded Draoidh, the mix-blooded Druids, and the last one for the Beastlords. Any Druid that awakens their bloodline, pure-blooded or not, will automatically enter the first campus. Even those without a Source can enter.”

“You want to include the Beastlords?” Gavin was surprised because the original intention was to solidify the strength of their people, so if Crow succeeds, he has talented people to rely on to support him.

“Yes. They are part of our nation now, and I’ll take the time to explain it to their elders. I’m sure they’ll have no objection. It won’t come without a cost.”

“Ahh, you want them to help the Druids gain beast contracts.”

“And we help them expand their current repertoire of techniques and spells. They are sorely lacking in this area. Most of them are no longer human and don’t think like they do. They are more direct, and relationships are simpler. They hate who they hate and admire who they admire. There are no games with them when it comes to relationships. Like beasts, they will remain loyal to those that treat them well and disobedient to those that abuse them. They are invaluable allies that we can promote alongside our own people.”

“High praise coming from a treant,” Gavin laughed. Most of the races of man lumped plant-like creatures in with beasts, but the reality was different. They didn’t view each other as the same species, and if confronted, the two would fight.

“Not sure I am a treant anymore, but point taken. Last thing. Bards will only be taught by Bards.”

“Why?”

“I want the experienced Bards to take on apprentices that align with their path. Barnes and Crow taught me that these types of apprenticeships are essential.”

“I like that arrangement, but I suggest one change. Don’t limit it. Many elder Bards have focused on Scholarly Talents, which are part of the main campus. Many Talented children pursuing these arts would benefit from an apprenticeship.”

“Get it started and have the council help you. I plan on climbing the tower in a few months when the trial opens.”

Gavin’s eyes widened, not expecting that Mugna would leave just like that.

“You can get a Shield?”

“I believe so. I’m more human than treant now. Don’t worry. My Source is so potent that I can run to the thirtieth floor without issue. After that, I’ll come back to reevaluate my strength. And I can return here at any time. I’m still linked to Father Oak, so you can speak to me through the tree’s heart.”

“So many changes,” Gavin sighed.

“Yes. Now, get the council together and activate the formations. Better to get it started now before opening the academy.”

“On it,” Gavin said and left the room.

Mugna stared off into the void, taking a moment to himself. The first since he’d regained his freedom. “Danu… wait for me. I’ll finally be able to fulfill my promise to you. Just hold on a little longer.”