The morning sun filtered through the dense canopy as Asha guided Jon along a narrow, winding path draped in ivy and glowing flowers. Birds with iridescent feathers flitted from branch to branch, singing softly as if to herald their approach.
Jon (calmly):
"You've been quiet, Asha. Something on your mind?"
Asha (smiling faintly):
"I'm just thinking about what she'll say when she meets you."
Jon:
"The Great Spirit? Is she really that powerful?"
Asha:
"More than powerful—she's timeless. She sees the flow of the world, the roots of fate... and she's also a little strange. But she's kind."
Jon nodded, adjusting the sword at his back as he helped Asha over a large root. They soon reached a secluded grove where the sunlight poured through in beams of gold. At its heart stood a massive tree, ancient and twisted, its trunk lined with glowing symbols. Beneath it sat a figure—beautiful and surreal.
She had long, thick light-green hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall of vines, and teal eyes that shimmered like starlight in the morning dew. Her dress was an elegant tapestry of blooming flowers, alive and radiant, woven into the very fabric of nature itself.
This was Dryas, the Great Spirit of the forest.
She looked up as they approached, tilting her head curiously before standing with graceful fluidity.
Dryas (giggling softly):
"Oho~ So this is the young man who's been stirring the winds of fate. Jon Snow, isn't it?"
Jon bowed his head respectfully.
Jon:
"I am. It's an honor to meet you, Lady Dryas."
Dryas (twirling a flower around her finger):
"Oh, such manners! I like that. You remind me of a squirrel I once knew—very polite, always stealing fruit."
Asha covered her mouth with a quiet giggle. Dryas skipped forward and placed a delicate hand on Asha's belly.
Dryas (softly):
"And you, my sweet Oracle... you've grown strong. This child will change many things."
Jon (raising an eyebrow):
"Oracle?"
Asha (blushing slightly):
"I... I didn't tell you everything. The spirits chose me before I was born. That's why we came here. I'm meant to guide the Spiritfolk one day."
Dryas (smiling mischievously):
"And you, dear Jon, protected her through dangers even I couldn't see clearly. For that, I thank you."
She gestured for them to sit on a patch of soft moss beneath the glowing tree. Asha leaned comfortably against Jon, while Dryas floated into the air, cross-legged, sipping dew from a flower cup.
They spoke for a time about the forest, the Spiritfolk, and the quiet life Jon had found. Dryas was whimsical and strange, shifting topics mid-sentence and asking questions like "Do your dreams ever bloom?" or "What color is your shadow when you're angry?"
Jon took it in stride, offering calm responses and watching her with cautious curiosity.
But suddenly, Dryas froze.
Her playful demeanor faded. Her teal eyes locked onto Jon with chilling focus.
Dryas (quietly):
"…Something sleeps inside you. Something vast. Hungry."
Jon's body tensed instinctively. His chakra pulsed for a second. The moment passed—but not before Dryas slowly floated down to his level, kneeling and placing her hand gently over his heart.
Dryas (voice grave):
"You carry a beast… A spirit not born of this world."
Jon (gruffly):
"I didn't come here to bring danger. I've got it sealed. It's under control."
Dryas:
"Eight tails… the Gyūki, the Octobeast. Its presence echoes like a storm across the ley-lines of the forest. It could awaken… and when it does, even this grove may burn."
Jon didn't flinch, but his hand moved to his chest. Deep inside, he could feel Gyūki stirring slightly, as if irritated by Dryas's detection.
Asha (placing a hand on Jon's):
"He's not dangerous. Jon has never hurt me. He saved me, Dryas. He saved our child."
Dryas was silent for a long moment. Then she leaned back with a whimsical smirk, her earlier seriousness evaporating like mist.
Dryas (lightly):
"Then that settles it! The great Gyūki or not, he's yours. If he threatens my forest, I'll deal with him then. Until that day... be a good boy, won't you, Jon Snow?"
Jon nodded. There was mutual respect now, even if Dryas's mood was hard to follow.
As they stood to leave, Dryas waved at them with flower petals dancing in her hair.
Dryas (singing lightly):
"Take care of the Oracle, Jon Snow... and try not to explode."