Brand New Life Online: Rise Of The Goddess Of Harvest

Chapter 1727: The Little Yggdrasil Sprout

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“We have to move…” Anna said. “W-We have to find a way back home…”

“Can we even log out? Are we trapped in Arcadia?” Elisa asked.

“T-There has to be a way out…” Elena said. “M-Maybe a portal… a gate? I don’t know…”

“Hm…” Monica nodded, her eyes filled with sorrow. “I… Eh? Elena, the little spirit, who is it? What is that?”

“T-This?” Elena wondered, glancing at the small wooden sphere. “It’s… my brother. Mom was pregnant with Mark’s child… it’s barely a couple of months old…”

“…!” Elisa gasped. “I had no idea…?!”

“Me neither…” Elena smiled bitterly. “I have to protect… I have to find… a way for him to… I don’t know… grow? I don’t even know what to do…!”

“C-Calm down, Elena, let’s think,” Anna said, nodding. “For now… Ah?”

Suddenly, the sphere floated into midair.

It emanated bright light from within and flew into the Forest of Beginnings.

“W-Wait! Wait! Where…! Where are you going?!”

Elena chased after it desperately, growing more worried about her baby brother.

Her friends followed, as they all ran through the forest.

They entered with ease, finding many creatures and countless spirits inside.

This place still emanated the same vibrant life as always.

But Avalon had fallen to the Demon King of Death!

How could everything remain fine here while he constantly expanded his territory?

“Maybe the Gates of the Underworld remain closed? Then… or… I don’t know…”

While thinking about that, Elena focused on her brother.

The little spirit flew in a certain direction without stopping.

Eventually, they reached it.

The tree at the forest’s center, and the village beside it.

Various familiar faces appeared, noticing their presence.

“Ah, Elena!”

An adorable big squirrel appeared. It was Acorn.

“E-Elena?”

He noticed something on her face. She stared at the tree and the floating wooden sphere.

“A-Acorn…”

Elena looked back at the young squirrel-kin, her eyes filled with dread and sorrow.

“Um? What… what happened? Where’s Lady Planta?”

“…”

“…?”

Acorn grew confused as Elena walked toward the tree, her face filled with disbelief.

The tree was still there.

Her hands trembled. She ran toward the Yggdrasil tree while her brother flew around it, then somewhere else.

“W-Wait!”

She chased after him, reaching a hidden place near the Yggdrasil Tree.

There, a large spirit tree sprout grew, though it was not fully formed yet.

Somehow, Yggdrasil had created a child.

“W-What is this?”

Elena grew confused, only to see her little brother merge with the small tree.

“W-Wait! No!”

She panicked and tried to grab him, but it was too late…

FLASH!

The little tree glowed brightly. It grew a little more, becoming a proper small spirit tree of the Yggdrasil lineage.

It overflowed with spiritual energy and… celestial energy.

“W-What’s… What’s happening?!”

Elena nearly lost her mind, but she heard the little voice again.

“Aeh… Aah…”

“…? Are you there, little brother?”

Elena caressed the tree and closed her eyes to listen better.

“Euuh…! Hya!”

“I see…”

Elena sighed in relief, realizing this was perhaps predestined.

This little tree was somehow her brother’s “avatar”.

Through unknown means even though she could not understand, Yggdrasil had probably created this little seed the same moment her mother became pregnant.

And so, this little tree grew along with her brother.

After reaching Arcadia, her brother was drawn to his “avatar” and merged with it.

She could hear his little voice. He was fine and comfortable.

With this, the child might grow up without problems…

As long as this forest remained protected.

“Then sleep… for now, little brother. You need to rest.”

Elena slowly walked toward her mother’s body.

Yggdrasil.

As she caressed it, her eyes widened.

She felt fluctuations of energy within it.

But…

At the same time…

It felt strange.

Almost… terrifying.

Her hands trembled as Elena stepped back.

“Y-You’re not my mother…”

The tree’s intent fluctuated, then calmed.

It had no soul.

And yet the tree remained alive.

Her mother was dead, yet Elena hoped the tree might still be her.

And yet…

It was and was not at the same time.

“Mom… She was captured by the Demon King of Death then…! Is she in the Netherworld? Maybe this is why the tree is empty now… without her soul? Ugh…”

Elena sighed, feeling a headache again.

“I have to get out of here but… my little brother…”

She looked at her brother’s tree.

She hoped to at least plant him in her mother’s domain.

Now that he would be in another world… she felt afraid.

“Will you be really okay? Really?”

She hugged the tree without letting go.

She felt a small, adorable, innocent warmth encompassed her body.

“Really?”

The warmth covered her even more.

“You promise?”

The warmth enveloped her body even tighter.

“Okay…”

Elena smiled as essence gathered in her right hand, imprinting a rune.

The rune took the shape of a small sapling made of green light.

“W-What is this?”

As she marveled at the small rune, Elena heard footsteps.

Before finding her way back home, she had to tell everyone what had happened.

But could she?

Elena looked at the peaceful village, dreading the horror they might face if they learned their great leader and goddess was slain.

What reaction would they have?

Would it be better to keep her mother’s fate a secret?

While containing her own agony and pain, Elena tried to decide.

“Ah, there you are! Elena! What happened?”

Her friends finally caught up. Acorn came with them, alongside Nieve, who looked quite worried.

“I saw you running and got worried…” Nieve said. “Is everything alright? What happened to your mother or Mark? Are you coming alone this time?”

“I…” Elena’s face twisted in utter pain, her eyes devoid of light. “I…”

Acorn and Nieve swallowed hard, sensing the dreadful feeling from Elena.

Then, they felt a chill down their spines.

They weren’t stupid.

They could guess something horrible had happened to Elena and the others.

Her friends couldn’t speak either. They were overcome by grief, crying silently.

At that point, two figures descended from the skies, drawn by the surge of negative energy.

It was Titania and Erebus.

“Elena…!”

Titania flew to Elena and hugged the girl with all her motherly love.

“T-Titania…! Ahhh…! Mom…! My mom…! Nngh…! Why? Why?!”

Elena cried in Titania’s arms, hugging her tightly while weeping uncontrollably.

By now, they all knew what had happened.

Erebus’s face twisted in dread.

“N-No… you…! What…? What happened to Planta?”

As he looked at the girls, they averted their gazes, crying silently.

“…You can’t be serious! You…! You let her…! You let her die, didn’t you?! You stupid, incompetent…!”

“Erebus, calm down…” Titania said.

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