"What is this thing? Orion, this wasn''t part of the mission!"


    Vigilance took over Amelia''s mind as she began to observe the ''thing'' in front of her.


    Giant green wings, two giant antennas, a thin gray body, and brown insect eyes. It was definitely a fly, a moth, and a mosquito merged into a single being. It was the ugliest creature she''s seen so far.


    There was one particular detail that intrigued her. The ''thing'' had actual colors on it, compared to the gray, white, and black all the other regular insects had.


    It also had another problematic feature, and that would be its obvious use of wind magic, which was unusual, too.


    "Orion, what is this thing? Aren''t there only monsters like these around here?"


    She pointed at the pile of corpses behind them.


    "Karteira? Are you alright?"


    He ignored Amelia''s question for now and focused his attention on Karteira, who was completely frozen next to him.


    "It''s him. The one that injured my leg and my eye. I... What should I do, Orion? My body refuses to move."


    He could see how tensed she was, with her body drenched in sweat.


    The giant insect stopped flying and dropped to the ground, using his mosquito-like legs to stand. It kept its eyes fixed on the group.


    They were tiny in its eyes.


    "For now, just wait. I''ll think of something. If you can''t attack, retreat immediately."


    That word pierced her mind. The battle addict, Karteira, flees from the enemy that injured her before.


    "Don''t joke about that. I''m fighting."


    She grabbed her right leg and touched her blind eye, which started to itch at the sight of the aggressor.


    "I have thanks to give to this bastard for scarring a maiden''s body."


    Her body began to heat up.


    "Cerulean Aegis!"


    And just like that, she was ready to attack. But she did not simply let her rage engulf her. This time, she waited for Orion and Amelia to be with her before jumping in.


    ''She''s controlling herself? This is new. Fine, I should answer Amelia right now while it seems to be waiting.''


    He turned his face toward Amelia while still keeping an eye on the thing.


    "What you see there, Amelia, is the strongest type of monster created by Miasma."


    —


    The day Orion surprised the realm with his explosive power, he entered the room where Tiohr-nam''s trunk rested. It was the room where he met the Queens for the first time.


    He had a few questions before preparing to go underground, and he wondered if the tree could offer some advice once again.


    ''I can feel it somehow. She''s awake, or maybe just a part of her? I''ll try calling her.''


    He was alone in the room, with only his breathing echoing in the room.


    "Fairy Tree Tiohr-nam, I would like to speak with you if possible."


    Silence remained for a minute, until his eyelids felt heavy.


    He closed his eyes, giving in to the feeling he felt before.


    When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the same surroundings as before, with greenery on all sides and a giant tree at its center.


    He approached the tree and waited for a bit.


    The tree''s trunk opened, and a familiar Avatar appeared from inside.


    "Welcome, Orion. I am sorry to receive you like this, though I hope you can excuse me."


    With great astonishment, Orion frowned at the sight of the Avatar.


    "You are in a way worse state than a few days ago. Is it that bad below?"


    Tiohr-nam was exhausting her life force to maintain the protection over the ring, and the damage to her main body was putting her closer to death with each second that passed.


    Her avatar expressed the state of the tree, and it wasn''t pretty to see. Her age seemed to have skyrocketed, which made her equivalent to an old woman close to eighty.


    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Only small patches of her hair kept a green color, and she almost had no muscles on her.


    "It is. I do not have much time left, but please protect them if I ever leave this world first."


    "By them, you mean the fairies? You know I can''t do that. It''s your job."


    "In this state, do you think I have much longer anyway?"


    Anger filled Orion. He had always hated it when others let fatalities drive their lives.


    "There''s always a solution. If you can''t find any, ask the Queens. Stay alive, and watch me save you and your creations."


    Tiohr-nam opened her emerald eyes with difficulty, and a strained smile appeared on her face.


    "Who would have thought the child of two factions that previously fought each other for centuries could show such kindness to a being like me?"


    Containing his will to respond to her pessimistic view, Orion turned to his kinder side. He understood that she was on her last leg, closer to death than most, which affected the way she thought.


    "You don''t deserve to die. Only me and my parents'' enemies deserve it."


    After making his stance clear, Tiohr-nam focused on the small amount of strength she had left and straightened her body.


    "Well, Orion, what was it that you wanted with me? Is it something I can help you with?"


    Following a clear nod, he asked about his mission.


    "Most likely. I would like to know what to expect under your roots. Being unprepared is asking to be killed."


    "If you know, that is. If you don''t know, I won''t bother you further when you need to preserve your strength."


    After gathering the strength to talk, Tiohr-nam answered his inquiry.


    "I should have spoken to you about it last time, but I missed the chance to do so when you showed frustration."


    His gaze dropped, reflecting on his past actions.


    ''I see, I made it harder for her to explain everything.''


    Looking into her tired eyes, he apologized.


    "I am terribly sorry about my previous behavior. This was too sudden for me to process after everything that had already happened."


    He bowed, showing his sincerity.


    "Do not apologize. There were a thousand different ways I could have mentioned it, and the way I did was the worst of them."


    "I heard everything from the twins too. I was oblivious at the time to how many things happened during that single day."


    She let out a small groan as she moved her shoulders to adjust her position.


    "Allow me to explain everything, then. It should not take long."


    Orion moved closer to a root emerging from the ground and sat on it.


    As if the tree wished for it, the root completely extracted itself from the dirt and brought Orion closer to the Avatar.


    He maintained his focus and looked inside her fatigued emerald eyes.


    ''I can see something in her eyes... What... is that...''


    While he was staring at her, she began to explain.


    "There were three waves of corrupt beasts that came to destroy my roots and steal the ring."


    "From those three waves, a large amount of corruption took over the simple creatures underground."


    "I do not know specifically what kind is down below, but there are a lot of them. As I said before, I can sense numerous creatures, around ten thousand."


    Orion nodded, recalling the exact words she spoke previously.


    "During those waves, a different type of corruption appeared from the creatures reproducing. I could feel it, and I can still feel it under me."


    "This dreadful corruption that took over one of the corrupt beasts transformed it into a superior entity."


    Imprinting each piece of information into his brain, he noticed that Tiohr-nam was speaking slowly, going as far as exhausting herself for his sake.


    "They only appeared after the first Hero arrived in this world. He called these creatures the ''Corrupted Lords''."


    "They can lead a specific part of the whole legion of corrupt beasts linked to it physically. Members of its family, basically."


    What she was saying was simple. The gray corrupted had leaders, and those said leaders were powerful.


    "You will have to kill them if you want to end the legion. This is an arduous task, and I am well aware of it. Once again, I am sorry to have you do this."


    Orion fell into deep thought, absorbing the information.


    "How did the Hero kill them?"


    "The Hero? Let me remember."


    Tiohr-nam closed her eyes and racked her memories for such details.


    "He was strong— way stronger than you can imagine. He killed an army of ''Corrupted Lords'' instantly with a swing of his sword. I believe there was no falsehood in his feats."


    With a faint smile, Orion made a remark.


    "That doesn''t help me plan ahead, you know?"


    She answered with a smile of her own.


    "Do not whine; I''m still thinking."


    This was something he would have heard from his mother, Orianne.


    "If I recall correctly, he always said that the weak points of these monsters were the cores inside their bodies. Find them, burst them, and the victory is yours to take."


    This helpful detail was enough for him.


    "That should do it. Thank you, Tiohr-nam. I feel more prepared knowing such beings are there. It won''t take me by surprise, at least."


    Closing her eyes, the tension left her body as she slowly slumped against the tree.


    "You are welcome. You should find three Lords underground, so do not overestimate yourself. Retreat when you feel danger, and attack when the moment is opportune."


    "Make your words a reality, young man, as the world needs someone like you more than ever."


    His opinion on the tree became more positive with this exchange, as his mind was unclouded from exhaustion and stress.


    "I will do as much as possible to alleviate your pain. Just think of a way to stay alive, and everything will be over before long."


    "Thank you, Orion. I wish you luck, and I hope you can retrieve your father''s ring."


    The root slowly began its descent, the Avatar falling back into sleep. The tree once again fell silent, and Orion woke up where he was standing inside the room.


    He stretched his numbed arms and exited the room, now knowing what to expect.


    —


    "Orion! Why did you not talk about it with me before?! You kept precious details from me again! You too, Karteira, why didn''t you say anything about this?"


    She pointed at the ''Corrupted Lord'' in front of her.


    "How was I supposed to know it was a special being? I don''t go talking to my mother like you do!"


    Not knowing that these two were orphans, she threw a painful jab at them.


    ''Oh, that''s right, that tree is the mother of every fairy. Wait, it''s not the time for that.''


    Orion''s previous thoughts dispersed rapidly, and he focused on the moth, fly, and mosquito hybrid.


    "I can''t seem to see its cores, so we''ll have to hurt it pretty badly. It seems ready to attack too, so go carefully about it, you two. Find the places it guards the most, and you''ll find its cores."


    Instructing them, Orion glanced at them on each side.


    "Fine, there''s no other choice anyway. Hup!"


    Amelia jumped on Orion''s back, locked her legs around his waist, and obtained Dawn once again.


    With both Dawn and Dusk now in her hands, she balanced herself and took an offensive posture.


    "Get in position, Karteira. It''s time to show it what we''re made of."


    They were ready to fight, while the monster kept on looking at them.