A light night rain drizzled down as the man holding the black umbrella walked past the animals lying prostrate on the ground. With the cat on his shoulder, he finally saw what the pond truly held.
From the sky, the water's surface, and the earth, nine identical green chains stretched out, pinning the Skull Sword in the center of the pond. The sword's power strained against the chains, but the entire forest seed to be fighting against it.
Had it not been grievously wounded in its duel with Jenkins, the Skull Sword would never have been suppressed so easily. In this mont, the wondrous forest seed to possess a will of its own. Its vast spirit of nature was imprisoning the Skull Sword through the nine chains, and with the help of the surrounding animals, the blade had no chance of escaping anyti soon.
"Has this forest developed a will of its own?"
Jenkins was startled by his own thought, but there was no one to answer his question. He glanced back nervously, half-expecting a face to suddenly appear on one of the surrounding trees and greet him.
He stood quietly in the rain for a while, still not understanding his cat's intention in bringing him here. Chocolate's earlier behavior seed as if it were being controlled by sothing; now, thinking back, it was likely summoned by the forest, just like the other animals. But he couldn't fathom why he, too, had been led to this place. That sword was a Cursed Item. Even if Jenkins could control it, he would never dare to keep it by his side.
"ow~"
The cat on his shoulder let out an impatient sound, as if it disliked this place and wanted to go ho. Jenkins leaned forward, squinting at the seal in the pond. Only then did he see that it wasn't just the nine chains restraining the sword. Piercing completely through the bone blade was the broken remnant of his wooden runic sword.
The wooden sword, forged from nurous materials, had broken during its clash with the Skull Sword. Jenkins had used the latter half to pierce Pomphey's chest, after which it lost its power and reverted to an ordinary object.
He had assud the front half of the blade that flew off had t the sa fate. He never expected it would still be with this terrible sword, faithfully performing its duty.
"You want to get that broken sword back?"
He whispered to his cat, but the only reply was the sa inscrutable "ow~".
"That's probably not a good idea. Even though it is mine, if I accidentally cause the Skull Sword to break free, I'd be to bla for whatever happens."
"ow~"
Jenkins still couldn't understand what the cat ant.
Although he had no intention of taking either the Skull Sword or his broken blade, he decided a closer look wouldn't hurt. The animals didn't try to stop him, so Jenkins bent down and struck the water's surface with his Frost Punch, constructing a large sheet of ice.
He carefully lay down on the ice sheet and, paddling with his hands, made his way to the center of the pond with his cat. Everything was so tranquil. The light, drizzling rain fell upon the lake and the soil, upon the chains and the Skull Sword.
"Once Miss Bevanna is back, we'll report this to her. After the Church contains it, there won't be any more threat of an undead scourge."
Jenkins let out a sigh of relief, muttering to himself. But the cat on his shoulder grew restless. It suddenly leaped from his shoulder, landing squarely on the poml of the Skull Sword. The little cat crouched there, and facing the night rain and the moon, it let out a tender cry:
"eow~"
"What are you doing?"
Jenkins reached out and snatched his cat, placing it back on his shoulder. He turned to leave, wanting to prevent any further trouble, but suddenly heard a distinct "crack!"
He spun around in alarm, just in ti to see the nine chains and the broken blade shatter in unison. The fragnts of the chains and the wooden sword transford into a verdant radiance that enveloped the Skull Sword. Without its restraints, black smoke erupted from the sword like a volcanic explosion.
"Oh no! Did Chocolate break the seal? Or did I?"
He didn't hesitate for a second. He reached out and grabbed the sword. A green light flared from his arm, rging with the glow from the chains and the broken blade to suppress the Skull Sword once more.
In a daze, he watched as these disparate sources of verdant light coalesced into one, forming a thick vine that snaked out from his hand and bound the Skull Sword tightly.
The scene was sowhat reminiscent of his Life's Breath ritual, though the vine from that ritual was far more powerful than this one.
Once everything had stabilized, Jenkins felt a little lost, unsure of what had just happened. He then heard a rustling sound from the banks of the pond. The animals that had been lying down rose to their feet, their gazes fixed on him. They gradually began to gather to the south of the clearing, as if beckoning him to follow.
After leaving the pond, the herd of animals and the sword-wielding Jenkins moved through the forest together. Yet no matter how much noise they made, no one seed to notice.
Familiar scenery gradually ca into view. The giant tree, the inverted figure beneath it, and the tranquil pool appeared before him.
The silent twin moons hung in the sky, illuminating the scene as the soft patter of rain tapped against the leaves. The herd of animals stopped at the edge of the forest, and only Jenkins, with his cat, approached the great tree.
At a spot on the trunk directly across from the pool of panacea, the great tree split open, revealing a modest hollow.
"Hmm..."
Jenkins felt as if he understood sothing. He looked up at the tree's sky-blotting canopy, then glanced back at the herd watching him quietly. Without a word, he plunged the sword in his hand into the hollow.
The vine on the back of his hand was uprooted, flowing entirely into the hollow. The black smoke coiling around the sword vanished the mont it entered the tree.
The tree began to tremble violently, and Jenkins instinctively took a step back. The hollow slowly healed, and as the Skull Sword was gradually enveloped within the trunk, a verdant radiance spread across the entire tree.
The rustling of leaves completely drowned out the sound of the rain, and soon the tremor spread, causing every tree in the forest to begin shaking. It felt sothing like an earthquake, yet the ground remained perfectly still.
Less like an earthquake and more like a haunting. Jenkins had never seen an entire forest tremble in unison.
He half-worried the surrounding trees might suddenly co to life and roar, "For the honor of the treants!" But what he actually saw was a verdant radiance erging from the great tree at the center.
The light originated from the completely sealed hollow, then spread up the trunk and seeped into the umbrella-like canopy. Once the entire canopy was glowing with vibrant green, the accumulated spirit of life erupted, spreading out across the entire forest.
With the great tree as the epicenter, the wild grass and low shrubs on the ground began to grow again at a speed visible to the naked eye. The trees gained new rings, and the animals in the clearing seed to undergo subtle changes. Further away, the guards and the entire city were washed over by the green ripple, the power of life healing all the living.
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