The Weeping Mother

​“Okay,” Baro said. “Let’s go finish this.”

​Elysia stood beside him, and met Baro’s gaze and nodding, her own determination present on her face. Keito stood on her other side, his longsword drawn, his eyes already scanning the path ahead. They moved as one.

​The tunnel widened, its walls changing from jagged rock into something that looked smoothed out. The ceiling was lost in shadows, supported by colossal pillars of stone that resembled the trunks of petrified trees. A faint, sickly purple light pulsed from the far end of the chamber, casting long, dancing shadows along the walls.

​And it was not empty.

​Dozens of figures stood scattered throughout the massive space, their forms silhouetted against the glow. They were still, like statues, their heads bowed. From their simple tunics, leather aprons, and boots, their identities were clear.

​“The villagers,” Keito whispered, his voice tight with dread.

​As if summoned by his words, the figures began to move. They lifted their heads in unison, and the purple light caught their faces. Their eyes were milky and vacant, devoid of all thought or recognition. Thorny vines, thick and black were wrapped around their limbs, digging into their flesh. Shards of sharp rock seemed to have broken through their skin, forming a type of armor. They moved weird, their joints popping and creaking as the vines pulled them forward. A man in the front, likely a blacksmith from the look of his leather apron, let out a shriek and charged, his hands, now covered in thorny gauntlets.

​Baro’s instincts kicked in. A charging enemy was a dead enemy. He raised his axe, the muscle memory of a hundred fights taking over. But as the man’s blank face grew closer, the humanity within the form stopped his hand. These weren’t monsters. These were victims.

​“We can’t kill them!” Keito yelled, echoing the thought that had just frozen Baro’s arm.

​Baro grunted, twisting his axe at the last second. He met the man’s charge not with the blade, but with the flat of the massive axe head. The impact was a dull thud. It sent him stumbling back, but he recovered instantly, the vines on his legs pulling him upright with enhanced speed.

​This was going to be harder than fighting worms.

​The cavern erupted into chaos. Keito was a blur of motion, his longsword not aiming for flesh, but for the vines itself. He moved with grace, his blade a silver flicker in the dark, severing the thickest vines that controlled the villagers’ limbs. A clean thwack as a vine was cut, and an arm would go limp, only for smaller tendrils to snake around it and pull at it again moments later. He was disarming them, but it was temporary at best.

​Baro became a battering ram. He roared, drawing the attention of half a dozen of the corrupted villagers. He couldn't risk swinging his blade, not with its sharp edges. Instead, he yelled, “Enlarge!” and his axe swelled to the size of a tower shield. He used it as a plow, shoving a line of attackers back, the sheer weight and force of his pushes sending them sprawling. He was a wall. It was frustrating but he knew it was better than hurting them.

​Elysia saw her role clearly. She stretched out her hands, closing her eyes and focusing. She pulled the dampness from the air, weaving it into a sheet of near invisible, compressed water on the stone floor in front of a charging group. Their feet flew out from under them, sending them crashing down in a tangled mess, their movements becoming useless on the slick surface.

​Seeing her chance, Elysia changed tactics. She focused, her brow furrowed in concentration. Ropes of liquid shot from her hands, wrapping around the limbs of another villager, holding him fast. The man struggled, the vines on his body straining against the liquid ropes, but they held. It took all of her focus, but it was working.

​One by one, they managed to incapacitate the lost villagers. A severed vine from Keito, a shove from Baro, a binding rope of water from Elysia. The last villager, a woman in a tattered dress, was finally tripped and bound. She lay on the ground, thrashing uselessly, a pained moan escaping her lips.

​The cavern fell into silence, broken only by the ragged breaths of the trio and the soft pulse of the purple light ahead.

​“That was…” Baro started, letting his axe shrink back to its normal size.

​“Annoying,” Keito finished, his gaze fixed on the archway from which the light emanated. “The real problem is in there.”

​Stepping carefully over the fallen villagers, they pressed forward into the heart of the cavern, the passage opened into a secluded area, and the source of the corruption was laid right before them.

​It was a spring, or what was once a spring. Now, a black, gooey sap, thick as tar, oozed from a fissure in the wall and poisoned the water, which glowed with the same sickly purple light. And fused into the wall above the spring was the source: a colossal, ancient figure carved from wood and rock of the mountain itself. It was the form of a weeping woman, her face filled with sorrow, her wooden body fused seamlessly with the stone. This was the mountain’s spirit, its very heart.

​And in its chest there was a pulsating shard of obsidian like crystal. The black sap poured directly from it. Standing guard before the weeping spirit, as if it had just risen from the earth, was a massive Golem. It wasn't similar to the mountain spirit. It was a larger version of the same gross wood, sharp rock, and solidified gunk as the guardians they had just fought. It stood twelve feet tall, its movements slow but radiating immense power. As it turned its face toward them, it made a sound,a low heart pulling moan that echoed the spirit’s silent pain.

​The Golem took a step, and the entire cavern floor trembled.

​“Elysia, Keito, stay back!” Baro yelled, his earlier frustration replaced by clean battle focus. “This one’s mine!”

​He charged, a furious roar tearing from his throat. He was the shield. He was the only one who could hope to withstand the creature’s power. The Golem swung a massive arm in a wide arc. Baro met it head on, his enlarged axe held horizontally. The impact was wild! A loud CRACK echoed through the sanctum, and a shockwave erupted from the point of impact, kicking up a storm of dust and pebbles. Baro’s boots slid back a foot, his arms screaming in protest, the newly healed bones in his ribs groaning under the strain. But he held. He gritted his teeth, a crazy grin spreading across his face. He could take it.

​While Baro locked the creature in a contest of brute strength, Keito moved to its flank, his mind racing. He was the sword, but the direct assault was useless. He saw his blade scrape harmlessly against the Golem’s rocky hide, the shallow gash immediately filling with the same black sap that poisoned the spring, sealing the wound. It was regenerating, drawing its power and its very substance from the corrupted ground.

​He darted back, his eyes scanning, analyzing. The Golem’s movements, though powerful, were sluggish.

​“It’s no good!” Keito yelled over to Baro. “We can’t beat it like this! It keeps regenerating! The source has to be the shard in the spirit’s chest!”

​Baro shoved the Golem back with a furious heave. “Great observation! Any brilliant ideas on how to get past its giant fists?” he grunted, bracing for another blow.

​“We need to create an opening!” Keito shouted, his mind formulating a plan. “Elysia! You have to be the one to heal it! Your power is the only thing that can counteract this! Baro, on my mark, you have to give it everything you’ve got! Pin it down for just a few seconds!”

​Elysia’s heart hammered in her chest, but she nodded, her eyes fixed on the weeping woman of wood and stone. She felt a strange kinship with the ancient, wounded spirit. She understood its pain.

​“Ready when you are!” she called out, her voice clear and steady.

​“Baro, now!” Keito yelled.

​Baro let out a loud roar, that was less a battle cry and more the unleashing of his inner anger. He didn’t block the Golem’s next attack, he lunged into it, hooking the crook of his axe around its arm. He planted his feet, his muscles bulging with strain, and used all his strength, all his rage, all his stubborn refusal to back down, to lock the Golem in a stalemate. The creature struggled, its power pushing against him, but Baro held, his entire body a single anchor of willpower.

​“Go!” he screamed through clenched teeth, his face red.

​That was the signal. Elysia ran. Keito moved with her, his sword a protective barrier, deflecting a shower of splintered rock dislodged by the struggle. They were almost there when the Golem, in its fury, managed to wrench its other arm free, swinging it wildly toward Elysia.

​“Keito” Baro shouted.

​Keito darted forward, placing his free hand on the flat of Baro’s axe. A flash of silver light flowed from his palm and down the handle, enveloping the axe head in a shimmering aura. “Hit the shoulder!”

​Understanding flashed in Baro’s eyes. With a final, explosive surge of strength, he pivoted, redirecting the Golem’s momentum, and swung his moon enchanted axe in a upward arc. The blade struck the joint of the Golem’s free arm. It shattered… The creature’s arm exploded into a thousand pieces of rock and wood, momentarily stopping its attack and buying Elysia the final second she needed.

​She reached the base of the Weeping Mother. The air around the spirit was dense. Ignoring the rampage behind her, the splintering rock and Baro’s furious shouts, she placed her hands on the ancient, weeping wood.

The world around her dissolved.

One moment, she was in the cavern, the sounds of battle raging behind her. The next, she was adrift in an endless cold darkness. The cavern, her friends, the Golem…all were gone. Now she was alone. In the far distance, a single point of light flickered. It was a soft glow and from it, she could hear the faint sound of weeping. It was her. The spirit. The Weeping Mother.

“I’m here!” Elysia called out, her voice not reaching across the void.

She ran, her feet finding no ground, her body propelled by sheer will toward the light. She had to reach her, but as she moved, the darkness beneath her began to stir. Thick, black and purple tendrils erupted from the dark. They were slick and cold, wrapping around her ankles hard. More shot up, grabbing her wrists, then her waist, pulling her, trying to drag her into the dark. She cried out, struggling against their grip, but they were strong, possibly feeding on the fear that was beginning to grow in her chest.

A voice, sounding like a raspy croak, slithered into her ear from behind. “There is nowhere to run, little elf.”

A shadowy form swirled up behind her, and cold, spectral fingers gripped her chin, forcing her head to the side. She saw the face of an evil spirit, a man whose features were shifting within the shadow. His eyes glowed with the same purple hue as the corruption.

“Such a struggle,” he whispered, his breath icy against her skin. “So much needless effort. Why fight it? Give in. The sorrow is so much warmer than the fight. The convergence will take you. It will take this whole world. It cannot be stopped.”

The tendrils pulled harder, and Elysia felt her strength failing. The spirit’s words were poison, seeping into her mind, dulling her resolve. He was right. She was just one girl. How could she possibly stand against complete darkness? The fear was overwhelming. Her struggles weakened. Perhaps…it would be easier to just let go.

But as the darkness began to creep into the edges of her vision, a different memory pierced through the fear. A memory, fresh but strong, of Baro’s stubborn, unwavering grin after she had healed him. Then, a memory of Keito’s steady gaze in the dark passage after the cave in. They weren’t just teammates, they were her friends. They believed in her. For the first time in her life, she had people who saw her not as a fragile, frightened nobody, but as someone strong. She had a purpose.

‘No.’

The thought was a tiny spark, but it was enough.

‘I will not give in.’

The gem on her forehead flared with a brilliant blue light. The warmth of it spread through her, a stark contrast to the cold chill of the darkness surrounding her. Her own hands began to glow with the same luminescence. With a cry of effort, she flexed, and the light erupted from her, shattering the remaining tendrils.

The evil spirit recoiled, his shadowy face twisting in rage. “Insolent child! The chain of events has already started! You will be consumed!”

He lunged at her, his form dissolving into a swarm of shadowy ravens. But Elysia was no longer afraid. She stood her ground, and the bright, blue light of her gem flashed, a concussive blast of pure energy threw the spirit back. Before he could recover, she raised her glowing hands. The water in the dark realm answered her call, swirling into shimmering, powerful ropes of water. They shot forward, wrapping around the shadowy spirit, binding him.

He writhed and struggled, but the magic was too strong. It sizzled against his form, dissolving his substance. Elysia pulled her hands down, and the water dragged the shrieking spirit down into the darkness from which he came.

“It’s too late!” his voice echoed, a final, desperate curse. “The convergence is inevitable!”

And then, he was gone.

The darkness remained, but it was no longer scary. Elysia turned back toward the crying light in the distance and ran. This time, nothing stopped her. She reached the softly glowing figure of a woman, her form made of what looked like stardust. Elysia didn’t hesitate, she wrapped her arms around the spirit, hugging her tight. The spirit flinched, then slowly relaxed into the embrace.

“It’s okay,” Elysia whispered, her voice filled with a certainty she had never known. “He’s gone. You’re safe now. I’m here now to fix things.”

The spirit lifted her head, her face was breathtaking. A single tear rolled down her cheek. A soft, melodic voice echoed not in Elysia’s ears, but in her mind. ‘Thank you, child. You have healed a wound I thought eternal.’

As the spirit spoke, the darkness around them began to melt away. The black void washed away like the tide, and in its place, a beautiful garden began to flourish. Gorgeous flowers bloomed from nothing, their petals unfurling in different colors. Soft grass grew beneath their feet, and the air filled with the gentle scent of rain and blossoms. The spirit rose, her sad form now smiling and whole. ‘I will take it from here’, she said, her voice filled with gratitude and strength.

From Baro and Keito’s perspective, after Elysia placed her hands on the weeping figure, she had simply stood there, motionless, her eyes closed. The only sign that anything was happening was the gem on her forehead, which was pulsing with a light so intense it was almost blinding. The Golem continued thrashing, and Baro was nearing his breaking point, his axe the only thing between the monster and Elysia.

“Elysia, what’s happening?!” Keito yelled.

Then, just as the Golem reformed its arm and raised both its fists for a final blow, Elysia’s gem flashed once more. In that instant, the shard embedded in the Weeping Mother’s chest let out a high pitched sscream and shattered into dust.

The effect was instant. The Golem froze, the purple light in its form faded out. Cracks appeared all over its body, and then it disintegrated, crumbling into a harmless pile of rock and wood.

Elysia’s eyes opened, and a couple tears rolled down her face.

And as she looked out to the others, the ground at her feet began to change. A patch of soft, green moss spread out from where she stood. A single blue flower pushed its way through the stone and bloomed. The change spread like a wave, washing over the entire sanctum. The soil became rich and full. Flowers of every shape and color bloomed in their path, and gentle, glowing vines snaked up the stone pillars.

For a moment, nobody spoke. The only sounds were the gentle melody of the purified spring and the soft rustle of leaves that now grew where the rotted wood once was. Baro was the first to break the silence. He let out a low whistle, his eyes wide as he slowly turned in a circle, taking in the impossible garden. He nudged a glowing mushroom with the toe of his boot.

“Right,” he said, his voice calmer than usual. “So… are we going to talk about the fact that Elysia just… redecorated?”

Keito didn't take his eyes off Elysia. The awe on his face was mixed with concern. As a Silver Warden, he was trained to understand magic, to categorize and counter it. But this… this was something else entirely. This wasn’t casting a spell; this was…actually he didn't have a name for it.

“Elysia,” he said, his voice soft. “What happened? When you touched the spirit… what did you see?”

Elysia looked from Keito’s gaze to Baro’s. She took a breath.

“I… I was pulled inside. Into the spirit’s mind? It was a realm of darkness, and she was there, a prisoner.” She paused, gathering her thoughts. “But she wasn’t alone. The corruption wasn’t just a crystal, it was some guy. An evil spirit, or maybe a shadow… He was the one poisoning her.”

She described the struggle in the void…the tendrils, the whispers. Baro’s hand tightened on his axe handle as she spoke, his expression darkening at the thought of the spirit.

“I fought him,” Elysia continued, her voice gaining confidence. “And I won. But before he vanished, he said something.” She met Keito’s eyes. “He said it was too late. That a ‘convergence’ is inevitable, and the chain of events has already started.”

“Convergence?” Baro grunted. “Sounds bad. What is it?”

“I don’t know,” Elysia admitted. “But the way he said it… it felt bigger than this mountain. Bigger than the village.”

Keito placed a hand on his chin, his mind racing to connect this new information with Warden lore. “There are old tales… texts that speak of world altering events, of some crazy stuff hapening. Most considered them myths.” He looked at Elysia, and then at the impossible garden around them. “Perhaps they weren’t.”

Baro shrugged and turned away … he didn't want to think about it and they just went through alot…. Suddenly, a single bell shaped flower appeared at Elysia’s feet, a variety none of them had ever seen. It pulsed with a silver light before closing and detaching from the ground. She picked it up instinctively. It felt warm to the touch.

The moment was broken by Keito’s practical nature. “We’ve won the battle here, but our task isn’t finished. The villagers.”

The word jolted them back to the present. They made their way out of the inner sanctum, the passages behind them now lined with soft mosses and glowing flora, the evil atmosphere completely gone. They emerged back into the vast outer cavern.

The villagers, who they had last seen writhing in pain, were now sleeping calmly on the mossy ground. The last traces of corruption had vanished from their skin, leaving them pale and exhausted, but back to normal.

Baro walked over to the burly blacksmith he had first shoved and nudged him with his boot. The man stirred with a soft groan but didn’t wake.

“Okay, they’re alive and not trying to kill us anymore. That’s good,” Baro stated. “But they’re all out cold. How are we supposed to get two dozen sleeping people out of a cave?”

Elysia knelt beside a young woman, placing a hand on her forehead. She felt no fever, no lingering corruption…only exhaustion, as if their bodies were recovering from a long work out.

“I don’t think we can wake them, not yet,” she said, looking up at the others. “Their bodies and minds need to heal from what was done to them.”

They then headed back down to the village to get help. They found Mara outside the small building that served as the village hall, her face filled with worry as she stared at the darkening mountain pass. Her head snapped up as they approached, and a wave of relief washed over her.

“You’re back,” she said, rushing forward to meet them. Her eyes scanned each of them, noting their battered bodies, the grime, and the sheer exhaustion clinging to them. “Are you… are they…?”

“They’re alive,” Elysia said, offering a tired but reassuring smile. “All of them. We found them.”

Mara’s hands flew to her mouth, her eyes welling with tears. “Truly? Oh, thank the mountain spirit. Where are they? Can we bring them home?”

“They’re safe, but they’re unconscious,” Keito explained. “The corruption… it took a heavy toll. They need to be carried back. We’ll need as many able bodied people as you can spare, along with stretchers and ropes.”

As Keito began to organize a recovery party with the small crowd that had started to gather, Mara pulled Elysia aside, her small hand gently taking Elysia’s arm. She looked from the young healer to the mountain.

“The air… it feels different,” Mara said, her voice filled with gratitude. “The mountain feels… calm… for the first time in months.” Her gaze returned to Elysia, happiness in her eyes. “It was you, wasn’t it? You healed it.”

Elysia nodded, holding up the bell shaped flower she had taken from the sanctum. “The spirit is at peace now. And so are your people.”

Mara took Elysia’s hands in both of her own, squeezing them. The tears in her eyes were ones of thanks.

“I don’t know how this village can ever repay you,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “You three… you faced the darkness that we couldn’t and brought back our light. You saved our families. You saved our home.”

Elysia smiled…she had never been thanked like this before… for the first time in a while she felt completely whole and happy. This truly was the beginning of something great. She hugged Mara and waited for the others to come back. This would be their final night in Everglen and it felt weird that she was going to head back to Rynhaven. She tried to stay up but it felt like forever since she was able to relax and soon she passed out…