A journey of Shadowverse and Honkai Impact 3rd

"..."

The oak tree tried very hard to understand what Sera was talking about, and this effort took an hour. Finally, it responded to Sera's question decisively and left a trace of its soul on the illusory and ethereal contract.

"Thank you for your efforts. I promise you that you will never regret it."

The preliminary ritual preparations had already been completed. Sera took out the Green Bud Staff that she had carried with her for a long time with a faint smile. After stroking her old friend for a while, she temporarily placed it into the body of the oak tree.

Instantly, surging vitality flowed through the tree's body, then gradually became richer, strengthening its spirituality, and allowing the oak tree named Baltek to be imbued with a hint of the breath of the Ancestral Giant Wolf and the Mother of Creation.

"Grow up, Bartek. When your branches and leaves can reach the sky and your roots spread across the earth, this will be a new forest."

“In the forest of new life, we will grow together, share joys and sorrows, and move towards a future where hope is always there.”

The girl's voice sings the hope for the future and talks about the ideal that hangs high in the sky. In this tiny corner of the planet, she wishes the world on earth to become a dreamlike Eden and the dust on the earth to turn into stars in the sky.

She will persevere until the birth of paradise.

111. Destined One

In the spring woods, the remaining snow piles up on the earth-colored ground, like a lonely island, waiting for the day when it will be completely swallowed up.

On the contrary, the forest is becoming more and more vibrant. Animals are running and jumping through the forest. Some are seeking the sweet roots of plants, while others are eager for the delicious meat of prey.

The fresh air, completely different from the one in his residence, moistened the hunter's lungs, making his old body seem to have new vitality. He was fully armed with a hunting rifle, and was followed by a sturdy Labrador retriever with jet-black hair exuding a vigorous aura.

It is March 2010, 3. A hunter named Abel returns to his old job in the spring when the snow gradually melts, hoping to find a good prey in this forest that has nurtured countless lives to meet his economic needs.

"Hey, Abel, you have to work hard. At least half of today's harvest is due to you."

The old boy with thick hair and beard rubbed the hair of the hunting dog that shared his name, and the strong dog also made a gentle whimper, indicating that he would definitely use his efforts in exchange for three delicious meals today.

"Yes, that's right. I have a feeling that we will have a big harvest today."

The old hunter laughed heartily. He looked at the dark land covered with weeds, and suddenly a gleam of light appeared in his bright black eyes, because in his sight there were several huge hoof prints that were faintly glowing. Judging from the size, he knew that it must be a big one.

He took cautious steps, checking to see if there were any signs of other large animals. After confirming that it was safe, he looked at his dog again. Seeing that there was no movement, the old hunter Abel felt relieved and began to concentrate on analyzing the fresh footprints on the ground.

It must be a bison.

Abel's mind flashed with the animal's sturdy body. It was a European giant beast that was taller than a brown bear, with dense hair covering its bulging muscles. Its sharp horns could immediately turn into a terrifying weapon once in motion. Even a lion or a tiger would be pierced to death if they were not careful.

Frankly speaking, this is not a good hunting target, because except for a few unique individuals, bison are part of a group. Even if the hunt is successful, you have to consider whether the mad herd will send you directly to heaven under the sound of gunfire.

But there is a saying that goes well: Wealth can be found in danger.

After thinking about the value of the bison, the greedy old hunter licked his lips and resolutely set out on the trail with his hound. In the hunting rifle that was ready to fire, the bullets eager for killing were waiting for the moment of firing.

.........

Any slight change in wind direction would be captured by the thick beard and hair, making the old hunter feel the silence and throbbing of time being stretched out, and even the fingers on the trigger became a little stiff.

Relax and just pull the trigger, just like when you were young.

Pull the trigger, fire the bullet, hit the target, and win.

It's simple, not difficult at all.

His heart began to beat rapidly. Unable to suppress his old habit, the old hunter fired the first shot with all his might. A burst of pungent smoke was expelled, and the shot bison began to flee like crazy, relying on its wild instinct to find the direction away from the threat.

"Abel!"

The sharp roar was followed by the ferocious roar of the hound. The sturdy hound caught up in the blink of an eye like black lightning, and behind it was the old hunter who ran hard with renewed spirit.

The wide tactical boots trampled on the hard ground, and the dark mud was splashed everywhere by the powerful impact. After a while, the old hunter was panting with a red face, but he was unwilling to give up the rare opportunity.

The blood of the bison attracts hounds and hunters like a treasure, and it is also like some kind of sweet bait. The direct temptation can make people temporarily forget the fatigue from the soul, until the body, unable to bear the weight, lets out a sharp groan, forcing rationality to temporarily return.

"Whoosh..."

Like a leaky bellows, the exhausted Abel had to stop. Year after year of aging had long made him lose his former strength. If he had been a soldier in the past, he could have run hundreds of kilometers in the rugged terrain even with a load, but now, he had to admit that humans have their limits.

"Abel!"

The shouting stopped the hunting dog not far away. The hunter who followed him climbed a small slope while resting, still thinking about the blood of the bison, but after searching for several minutes, he found nothing. Even the hunting dog shook its head humanely, indicating that it had not found any trace of the bison.

"It shouldn't be."

Muttering to himself, unwilling to believe, he searched back and forth for traces of blood under the tree, in the soil, and on the gravel. The old hunter Abel was silent with his white hair and beard, and his red face still retained the heat brought by running.

He breathed steadily and searched hard, but suddenly, uncontrollable chest tightness and pain attacked his tired body, and everything in his vision fell into darkness.

Human life is as fragile as a candle in the wind. When we are old, it may suddenly go out at any time. At that moment, it seems that everything has lost its meaning.

The chaotic, blurred, and dim light was like the call of death, making people wonder whether there was heaven or hell behind the light. Unconsciously, the old hunter opened his eyes again.

The air is the same as always, with the fragrance and freshness of the forest, but without the fishy smell of soil, and with every breath, the body is filled with endless energy as if it has truly returned to youth.

Endless new green bloomed in the sky, absorbing the sunlight from the sky, but strangely leaving enough warm light on the ground. In the spring world composed of pine, cypress, oak, cedar, birch and other tree species, there was nothing related to death. This made Abel certain of one thing.

He ascended to heaven, his body corrupted but his soul redeemed.

"Roar--"

"Wang Wang..."

Suddenly, the old hunter was startled and heard familiar calls and unfamiliar roars. Immediately, realizing something, he acted subconsciously, grabbed his hunting rifle beside him, and stood up from the open space carved with exquisite patterns. His movements were done in one go, full of the smooth beauty of flowing water and the capable style of a soldier.

Old buddy, you can't get into trouble!

While running, Abel saw various scenes in heaven that were very different from reality, such as birds living in harmony with snakes, foxes sharing fruits with lynxes, and many other wonders. Gradually, he understood the beautiful rules of heaven.

Here, the law of the jungle seems to not exist, and the so-called common sense is vulnerable in the face of a harmonious ecology.

So, old friend, how did you get up here?

Feeling relaxed, breathing the free and sweet air of heaven, and with a redeemed soul in his arms, the old hunter Adam saw his old friend being toyed with by a brown bear.

The brown bear was tall and terrifying, and was accompanied by a familiar-looking bison, the same one he had injured before. His hunting dog, however, had abandoned its duty as a hunter and began to sing and dance under the oppression of the strong man. Its beastly dance moves involved it sometimes standing on all fours and sometimes standing on two legs.

To be honest, Abel couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

Does heaven still allow performance artists to develop?

This strange idea popped into his head.

112. This is the forest

Abel ultimately did not choose to help his dog. This was not only because the tall brown bear was too scary, but also because after watching for a while, he unexpectedly felt that his dog seemed to be able to jump quite well.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, something even more shocking happened before the old hunter's eyes, because the brown bear actually stood up and clapped its huge paws in a rhythmic melody, as if responding to the hound's dance, and Abel also heard a different vocal rhythm from it.

This is really crazy.

Suddenly, the old hunter felt a hostile gaze. While he was still shocked by the scene, the bison, which seemed to be safe and sound, mooed a few times at the tall brown bear. Then, the brown bear's intimidating gaze turned over and fell on the hunting rifle on his back.

A huge black mountain was moving, a huge black wave was approaching, and the rumbling sound and shadow seemed to block out all the light in the paradise. The bear, standing upright at a height of more than three meters, stared coldly at the weak hunter, and it was self-evident what its outstretched paw was asking for.

"..."

The existence of the top predator oppressed the brain nerves, which in turn gave rise to panic. In an instant, the old hunter thought a lot.

If he handed over his gun, would he be gored through by the bison? Would the brown bear forgive him as a hunter?

Everything was unknown, but in the end, Abel cursed himself in his heart.

Yes, how could there be murder weapons in heaven?

The body became lighter after figuring it out, and a sense of freedom of completely integrating into the new environment echoed in his heart. The hunter who handed over the hunting rifle was not surprised to see the powerful movements of the brown bear. The industrial products of modern civilization were no different from tofu in its hands. With a light pinch of its bear paws, the well-made hunting rifle was completely turned into waste, and it could no longer take any life.

Then, something ridiculous happened under the leadership of the brown bear. The mooing bison walked forward with malice and kicked out with a hoof at lightning speed. In an instant, the dazed old hunter flew far away. The sound of him falling heavily to the ground was extremely violent. If he had not received treatment with healing magic before, he would have died by now and truly gone to heaven.

"Haha. (Now, it's all written off.)"

The bear, as the main messenger, began to point fingers at the bison and hounds. His gestures carried magical fluctuations. In the subtle spiritual resonance, they all understood what the bear meant.

"Cough cough cough..."

Damn, this hurts so much.

He stumbled to his feet, feeling the piercing pain. The hunter's face was twisted like the intertwined roots of a tree, and it looked so hideous that it seemed as if he would die in the next second.

"Roar. (It only hurts a little, you won't die)"

As if unable to bear the hunter's weird old face, the brown bear walking upright made a roar that humans could understand. The magical feeling made the hunter stunned, and then he exclaimed about the magic of heaven.

It’s worthy of being a paradise. Even bears can communicate with me normally.

"Do you really think this is heaven, Hunter?"

The ethereal voice, unisex, contained a sacred pulse, and the figure that appeared immediately afterwards was incredibly bright, a ball of pure light, or perhaps a young sun, its words naturally clear, like the chant of the world itself.

"Isn't it?"

Recognizing the ball of light as a sacred being like an angel, the old hunter felt that his abdomen, which had just been hit hard, was recovering rapidly under the shining light, and the piercing pain was becoming weaker and weaker until it disappeared.

"For every resident, this is indeed a paradise, but for people, it is still controversial."

"Humans are a species that has developed civilization. So-called happiness and paradise are things you define for yourselves."

"I think if you want to believe this is heaven, you should at least see the whole picture."

The calm and clear words made the truth clear and understandable. Facing the unknown sacred existence, the old hunter nodded and did not argue on this topic anymore. He just asked in doubt.

"You're right. Can I walk all over this place with my own feet and see it all with my own eyes? I really hope to have a clear understanding of this place now."

The ball of light flickered for a moment. It was the sound phenomenon caused by the vibration of mana affecting the atmosphere.

"You can walk around and see everything here, but your body still needs to heal."

"Hunter, come forward and you will be blessed with the vitality of youth, and the illness that afflicts you will be freed from your body and mind."

Abel had no doubts. He obediently stepped forward and bathed in the divine light. When his vision was filled with countless rays of light, his old and dry body began to surge with fresh vitality.

From the depths of the bone marrow, from the roots of the cells, the precise technique guides out the potential hidden in the human body, destroys the physical diseases caused by unhealthy lifestyles, and restores everything to peace.

"This is a newly born forest, a paradise where plants and animals live in harmony. You came here because of illness, and became connected to this place because of hunting. You can choose to stay here, or you can choose to leave. The forest will not hinder any of your decisions."

"But remember, you must not harm me. When you choose to leave, the forest will bestow upon you unspeakable shackles to protect the peace here."

The mana that made up the light dissipated. After saying all this, the old hunter was left with only the feeling of freedom as vast as the sea and sky. Returning to his youth, he felt the power surging in his body, and he wanted to shout out loud, cheering for his fantastic life situation.

After watching all this, the brown bear led the bison away. The hunting dogs, which had regained their freedom, whimpered a few times, expressing their confusion and hunger to the hunter.

Mana was remotely controlled to complete this series of operations. The girl, who was the mentor of the Forest of New Life, curled up on the soft mattress, adapting to the phantom pain caused by the trial. After more than a month of construction, the third arrow of pain finally fell as expected.

This is the third one.

The trial of six arrows in total was already halfway through. With a pair of blue eyes open, Sera breathed softly on the bed. Her silver hair had grown a lot longer and was like condensed moonlight, draped over her back, giving the growing girl some of the beauty of a young girl.

Closing her eyes, she tried hard to adapt, accept, and understand the process of pain. It seemed that the process itself was a unique learning experience. From this most direct sign of life, Sera had a vague and wonderful understanding.

Do not kill, give pain, look down from a high place, everything is just a phenomenon.

113. Hunter's Choice

The green sea growing in mid-air is a symbol of lush trees. Even in spring, the branches of the paradise are already hung with various fruits, which are a gift from the forest to the residents and are full of vitality.

The dark-furred hound opened and closed its jaws, and its sharp teeth pierced into the soft fruit, which immediately stimulated the release of a large amount of juice. The huge amount of water output obviously confused it.

He quickly spat out the fluorescent green fruit, smacked his lips with his mouth full of juice, licked the sweet juice, and as if he had discovered the goodness of the fruit, the hound happily bit the fruit on the ground into his mouth and began to enjoy the gift of the forest.

The old hunter Abel was sitting under a lush tree. He also had such a fruit in his hand. The fluorescent green skin had strange patterns on it, just like a watermelon in summer, but its shrunken size and the clear juice inside were not what he remembered.

Take a gentle bite, and the rich flesh will release an excessive amount of juice compared to its size. If you can't still feel the presence of the flesh, you might think it is a drink of ice water.

His stomach felt full, and in the few minutes after he finished eating, Abel just wiped his hands and sat quietly under the tree, his not-so-thin back leaning against the rough tree trunk, with a relaxed look on his face that he had never had outside.

Whether this was heaven or not, he already knew from the words of the mysterious being.

Perhaps in terms of life and death, this is not a beautiful world that can only be reached after death, nor are there sweet rivers flowing with milk and honey, but the precious ecology here is more precious than gold.

And the mysterious power that made him rejuvenated, like a magical glow, was still vivid, fascinating and he longed for it.

Then, it is obvious what choice to make. Even if he has to be shameless, he must get the chance to stay here.

"Abel, how about we live here from now on?"