Higher Plain Ch 25: Singed, Ground, Tethers & Weakness!

(Faylina)  The wind still howled faintly as I looked out over the charred crater where the Morvren once stood. Smoke curled into the air lik

(Faylina) 

The wind still howled faintly as I looked out over the charred crater where the Morvren once stood. Smoke curled into the air like burnt prayers. I held my breath, peering into the smoldering ruin at my feet, hoping—really hoping—that thing was truly gone.

"I didn't even like that spell," I muttered to myself. "One little fireball, and now the landscape looks like someone dropped a sun on it."

The cracked earth, glowing embers, and scorched trees made it clear—this place would take years to recover. I'd always hated using magic on the lower plains. My weakest spells, at my current size, were like... oh, I don't know, accidentally stepping on a village while chasing a squirrel. Big, loud, and guaranteed to upset at least three councils.

But now there was silence. The smoke began to fade. The corruption in the air cleared. For the first time since that thing had appeared, I could breathe.

And then—him. A small figure darting across the torn-up terrain. I narrowed my eyes, squinting past the dust and ash, and my heart jumped.

"Krelzor...?"

There he was. Still running toward me like a man on a mission, legs pumping awkwardly, cloak flapping behind him like he thought it could give him lift. I started to shrink—slowly, carefully—my body steadily descending from the clouds as the spell I'd maintained eased away.

I hated this part. The joints pop, the muscles ripple, and there's always a weird buzzing feeling behind the eyes. And don't get me started on how awkward your clothes feel after. But I needed to meet him face-to-face. I wanted to.

By the time I reached a size that was merely "ridiculously large" rather than "planet-scaring," he was almost on me. And then—he hugged me. Just like that. Threw his arms around my waist and squeezed.

"Thank the high stars you're okay!" he shouted, muffled against my side.

I blinked, genuinely surprised. My arms instinctively folded around him, more careful than they'd ever been. I could feel my cheeks heating. Blushing, really? I just fought a nightmare godbeast and this was the part that flustered me?

"I-I'm happy you're okay as well," I said with a smile, hoping my voice didn't crack like a teenager's. Ugh.

We stood there for a few more seconds before I realized we weren't alone. Prince Aldric and his retinue, battered but alive, made their way over the wreckage. The prince looked me over—still pretty tall, still a little singed—and nodded grimly.

"That was... something," he said.

"Yeah, it was something alright," I replied. "That thing—" I turned to the prince, my tone growing serious, "—was a Morvren. But not just any one. That... that was something more."

Aldric raised a brow. "I thought those were stories. Children's tales meant to keep people from wandering into the woods."

"They were stories. And the Morvren haven't existed down here in the lower world for... centuries. Millennia maybe," I said, my brow furrowed. "Even back home, they're rare. But that one—it wasn't normal. It was smarter. Meaner. And it spoke to me."

That shut everyone up for a second.

"It said it knew me," I continued. "Said it had waited to get revenge on those who sealed it away. That seal wasn't supposed to break. Ever."

"So... what? There are more of them?" Krelzor asked quietly, his face pale.

"I hope not," I muttered. "But we can't take that chance."

Prince Aldric nodded. "Then we rebuild. We fortify. We prepare. If there are more... we'll be ready next time."

I admired his resolve. It wasn't easy, standing tall after your whole camp got leveled by a literal blob of death and nightmares. Still, the way he glanced sideways at me made it clear he wasn't sure whether to thank me or fear me.

"I'll help," I said, raising a hand. "Whatever you need. I caused enough collateral damage today just existing. Might as well use it to fix what I can."

He smirked. "Appreciated. Just... maybe no more fireballs near the livestock?"

"Deal," I said, grinning despite myself.

But deep inside, the dread hadn't faded.

That thing—it wasn't just a random beast. It knew me. Knew my people. And the power it had? No normal Morvren could twist its form like that. No normal Morvren could think like that.

"Father, what should I do?" I thought silently, staring out over the scorched land. "What have we let loose down here?"

The clouds rumbled softly in the distance. The silence that followed didn't bring peace.

Only questions.

***

(Prince Aldric) 

Prince Aldric stood at the edge of the ruined bluff, his cloak flapping in the still-hot wind. The scorched earth below was quiet now—no roars, no tremors, just the slow settling of ash and the occasional crack of falling debris. Beyond the charred battlefield, two figures made their way down the winding slope: Faylina, still towering, though smaller than before, and the young man, Krelzor, pacing beside her like a determined shadow.

The contrast was almost comical—one a mountain of muscle and mystery, the other just a lanky farmboy trying to keep up. They weren't speaking from this distance, but the way they walked together spoke volumes. Familiar. Comfortable. Connected in some way Aldric didn't quite understand yet.

Behind him, one of his advisors—a narrow-eyed man with gray streaks in his beard and too much concern on his face—stepped forward. "Your Highness," he said in a low tone, "is it wise to let the giantess simply... walk away? We don't know what she is. Or what she could become."

Aldric didn't respond right away. He kept watching, arms crossed over his chest. The giantess moved carefully, each step measured, like she didn't want to break the world beneath her. Krelzor kept glancing up at her, saying something that made her laugh—soft, rolling, almost bashful.

"She saved us," Aldric finally said. "She killed that thing. And I saw her hesitate before using her magic, like she knew the damage it could cause. That matters to me."

"With all respect, sire, she leveled half the forest. And the camp. And—"

"And if she hadn't," Aldric cut in, "we'd all be dead."

The advisor clamped his mouth shut.

"We're not going to contain someone who can crush a fortress by accident," Aldric continued, his tone calm but resolute. "We're not going to threaten her or antagonize her, because we don't have the power to do that. Not yet. What we can do—" He paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "—is keep watch."

The advisor raised a brow. "On her?"

"And on the boy," Aldric said. "Krelzor. He might be nothing more than a farmer, but she listens to him. She protects him. That gives us a tether. If she's connected to him, then we keep both of them close."

He turned finally to face the others—his captains, his scribes, his few remaining guards. "Let them go home. Rebuild the camp. Send scouts to the outer villages. And make sure my eyes in Eldermere and Grelling Row know those two by name."

"Of course, Your Highness," the advisor replied, bowing slightly.

Aldric turned back to the horizon, where the pair was now two distant shapes cresting the hill.

"Let's just hope," he muttered to himself, "that whatever's coming next doesn't make her our only hope again."