Prelude

“I don’t know what you mean.” Jubu’s voice held hints of unease, eyes showing suspicion at the grand elder’s words. He was an intelligent youth, so he could roughly guess at the meaning.

“You are smart, young Quickwind. You should know that we elves aren’t the true powerhouses of the forest; that glory belongs to the world tree and all the trees of life.”

“Of course,” the young druid nodded.

“We cannot live away from the trees for any length of time. Once we lost it, our kin will find it difficult to bear children, our warriors will remain weak, and our druids will slowly degenerate. The trees of life are the pillars of support for our existence.

“However, what do we have to give them in return? Our only duty is to protect the trees and chase off their enemies. However, this isn’t something only we can provide. In other words, the elves cannot live away from the trees of life but...