I just stared at the dryad in front of me in confusion.

"W-What?" I asked, taken aback a bit by the strange request.

"You heard me, I want you to be my child. For years I had watched the people of the villages in my forest. And in those many, many years I have come to envy mothers. I mean, the feeling of raising a child must be... something unimaginable. I know that this forest is already my child but... a child made of plants and dirt is not the same as a child made from flesh and bones," Elvia said with a wide smile on her face.

Well, I didn't expect something like that...

"Alright, let's say I were to agree to your request. What exactly would it mean to be your... child?" I asked carefully.

She put a finger on her lips and looked up at the night sky far above us.

"As my child, I would treat you well. I would protect you. I would cuddle you when you're afraid, support you when you're sad... I would do everything to make your life good. But as my child, I would expect you to stay with me until you are an adult. That is my only condition," she said.

What do you think? I asked Ira.

Hmm... it seems to be our best option. And hey, maybe having a caring mother again might help you, Ira said.

A desperate smile appeared on my lips and Elvia looked at me confused.

Thanks for reminding me, I said to Ira.

I-I'm sorry I didn't... Ira began.

No, no... it's fine, I get what you mean, I responded.

"Fine, I'll be your child if you grant me magic. I'll also stay with you until my antlers begin to grow," I said.

I didn't think it was possible but the smile on Elvia's face became even wider. She clapped and then suddenly stood right in front of me and pulled me right into a hug, a tight hug. I was pressed against her breasts so hard that I felt like I couldn't breathe.

"I thank you. I really do," she said.

"Yeah... ple-please... I... I need... air," I said, struggling to even speak.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," Elvia said as she let go of me.

"N-No... it's fine," I said as I was gasping for air.

She's strong... we could kill me without even noticing.

"Now, it's getting late so let us go to sleep," Elvia said.

I nodded and she gave me a sign to follow her. Together we went through gaps between trees and ended up at a naturally formed tent, its walls made of many, many layers of leaves and thick branches. Next to it was a glowing, golden flower that grew right next to a small, glistening pond similar to the one in the other glade. Elvia took me by the hand and led me into the tent where she lay down on the ground with her legs folded in a way that there was enough space between them and her belly for me to lay there.

"Lie down," she said, pointing at the free space between her thin legs and her furry belly.

"You want us to sleep together?" I asked.

"But of course! As my child, I need to keep you safe from the cold air at night!" Elvia said matter-of-factly.

I couldn't help but smile... it was a sad smile but Elvia didn't seem to notice. As I lay down and pressed my back against her belly I thought that maybe this time I could finally enjoy having the warmth of a mother. Maybe she could help me with the voices and all the other issues I had after... after the spell broke... I felt myself shaking and in response, Elvia pressed me against herself tighter. She was warm and her rhythmic breathing was... it was calming. I could feel myself drift to sleep quickly.

A tingling sensation went down my spine and suddenly spread across my skin all the way to my eyes. I woke up but instead of finding myself in the tent, I was alone, surrounded by high grass.

Where am I?

"A dream I'd say," Ira's familiar voice said from right behind me.

I turned around and saw her standing above me, still naked, staring down at me with her purple eyes.

"A dream you say? And why am I suddenly having a dream of a..." I stood up and looked around. There was nothing but tall grass that reached to about my waist. In the distance, I could see the horizon and the night sky with some stars. The moon was right above me and there was nothing else here besides me and Ira. "A dream of grass, I guess?" I asked.

"You wanted magic, didn't you? This is how you get it... well, it's where you get it. How you go about obtaining it is a whole thing on its own. You'll need to figure that out on your own," Ira explained.

"Alright, alright. And how come you're here?" I asked.

For a second she thought about her answer.

"As long as a dream's not based on a memory I'll be there cause... you know, I live in your mind honey," Ira said.

I chuckled. "Makes sense, now let's go and find me some magic!"

With no idea where to go, I just began walking straight ahead. Ira followed me. But there was nothing. We walked for what felt like hours and there was... nothing... nothing besides grass and grass and to top all of that off, even more grass. I sighed out loud.

"Well, if she wants to give me magic maybe she should also tell me how to get it... after all, I'm her child now," I said as I threw myself to the ground.

Something pierced my back and I immediately jumped back up.

"Fuck! What was that?!"

"Something sharp," Ira suggested.

"Oh shut it," I responded angrily, rubbing my back. "Now I'm even getting attacked in my own fucking dream..."

I crouched down and looked for whatever had just stabbed me. All I found was a thorn protruding from a long, dark green stem along with many other thorns.

"I think I have an idea," I said, grabbing the stem with one hand.

I ripped it out of the ground, ignoring the thorns digging into my hand. The long stem broke out of the ground and I lifted it up above the grass. More and more of the long stem... or rather a tendril appeared along with small pieces of dirt that flew into the air.

"Let's follow it," I said.

"Whatever you say," Ira responded.

And so we followed the thorn tendril, occasionally I had to rip more of it out of the ground.

"How long is this thing?" I said after we had been walking for what felt like hours already.

But then I finally saw something in the distance. It seemed like an altar. A cube made of stone with a red piece of cloth on top of it. I quickly ran up to it, Ira still following behind me. Once I reached it that it was overgrown with thorn tendrils that I hadn't noticed from the distance. In the middle of the stone cube, hovering right above the centre of the red piece of cloth was a glowing, white-blue orb.

"Uh, this is a magic concept," Ira said with excitement in her voice.

I examined it without touching it.

"So how do I use this exactly?" I asked.

"You just touch it," Ira stated.

"And then I get magic?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right," Ira said.

"Alright then..."

I took a deep breath and reached out with my right hand. The moment my fingers touched the... magic concept I felt a surge of power going through my entire body. It felt wonderful. I closed my hand around the magic concept and absorbed all of it. All my muscles tensed up for a second and then everything went black, my breathing was heavy and I felt something pressed against me.

When I opened my eyes I saw a slither of sunlight.

"Oh, you're awake," Elvia said happily. "How was it? Obtaining magic from me," she asked.

"I... I'm not quite sure," I responded before taking another deep breath.

I guess it worked... and now I just have to stay with her until I'm an adult...