Chương 31: Arrow of the Kingless Forest

A man walked forward from the light. He wore green from head to toe. A green cloak draped over his shoulders. A green hat sat low over his blond hair. Even the mask across his face was green, hiding part of his expression while leaving his wide grin fully visible. His beard was well kept, and his eyes were a deep, striking blue. In his hands, he held a bow and arrow. Ava stared at him. She could feel it immediately. This was not a person. Not truly. He was something greater. A legend carved into the night sky.

A constellation given form.

"Slay the rich," the man said, his grin widening, "and let their blood feed the poor." He stepped closer, the frozen world silent around them.

"The strong are only toppled by the weak, my dear." Ava's breath caught.

"A constellation…" Her voice was filled with awe.

"A true Luminaire of the stars." The man placed one hand over his chest and bowed.

"Reverse the order of the world." His cloak shifted though there was no wind.

"Bring forth that which is unexpected." He looked up at her, blue eyes gleaming beneath the brim of his hat.

"I have high expectations for you, Miss Starbell." Ava tightened her grip on her daggers. The man raised his bow.

"Fire, and let your heart be true." Light gathered around the arrow.

"Now call upon my name." Ava's eyes widened.

"You already know it," he said.

"It has been engraved upon your heart." He smiled.

"Merely speak the words you know are true." The light exploded. Time unfroze. The falling leaves moved again. The fake sun shone over the garden. Lillian's lemon trees creaked, their roots and branches still poised to strike. Noah took one startled breath. Adam's eyes narrowed. Cyrus adjusted his glasses, staring at the new light forming in Ava's hands. Ava stood in the center of the clearing, blood still trailing from her mouth. But her eyes were fiercer than ever.

The daggers in her hands dissolved into starlight. Then a beautiful bow appeared in her grip. Its frame was elegant and green, carved like twisted branches from an ancient forest. Golden light ran along the string, and small leaves of mana drifted from it like sparks. Ava raised the bow. Her voice rang through the garden.

"Come to me." The stars answered.

"I call upon your name." Lillian's eyes widened.

"Arrow of the Kingless Forest." Ava drew back the glowing string.

"Give me your power." An arrow of green and gold formed between Ava's fingers. Then she rushed forward. Even with a bow in her hands, Ava did not step back. Her body still remembered close-range combat. She was used to daggers, quick steps, and fighting within arm's reach. The bow was new, but it did not feel foreign. It fit her. As an elf, archery was already carved into her blood. The moment her fingers touched the string, she understood how to pull it. How to aim. How to fire.

Lillian watched her approach and laughed.

"This world never stops being strange." The lemon trees bent around her like living guardians.

"Even in the face of battle, one miracle can change everything." The branches shook. Dozens of lemons broke free from the trees. They flew toward Ava like small yellow grenades. Ava's eyes sharpened. She drew the string. An arrow formed. She fired. The first lemon froze in midair. A yellow pulse spread across its surface, locking its movement before it could detonate. Ava fired again. Then again. Each arrow struck with perfect precision.

The lemons stopped one by one, hanging in the air like decorations beneath the fake sun. Lillian's smile faded slightly. Ava's ability had fused with the arrows. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Anything the arrows struck could be stopped. Not only bodies. Not only weapons. Even the lemons. Even the explosions waiting inside them. Then Ava noticed something else. Each lemon pierced by her arrow began to shrivel.

The bright yellow skin dried and wrinkled, as if something had been drained from it. At the same time, warmth spread through Ava's body. The pain in her ribs lessened. The cut on her cheek closed. The burn from the earlier explosion faded. Ava's eyes widened. This bow… It was not only stopping her enemy. It was taking from them. And returning something to her. Lillian clicked her tongue.

"A Regalia that steals vitality from what it strikes?" Ava pulled the string again. Another arrow appeared naturally between her fingers. No quiver. No reload. No wasted movement. The bow created arrows as quickly as she could fire them. Ava smiled.

"It suits me." She stepped forward, firing arrow after arrow as roots burst from the ground to stop her. A root froze. A branch shriveled. A lemon withered. Each shot stole a little more strength from Lillian's garden and returned it to Ava's wounded body. When the freezing finally wore off, the lemons detonated behind her. But the explosions were weak. Small. Drained. The blasts barely shook the air. Ava walked through the smoke, bow raised and eyes burning with fierce light.

Lillian tightened both hands around her cane. The old strategist was beginning to understand. Ava had not simply gained a weapon. She had gained a way to fight back against those who overwhelmed her. A way to steal power from the strong. A way to keep standing when she should have fallen. Ava drew the string again. Green and gold light gathered at the arrowhead.

"This is my turn now." Ava rushed forward. Roots shot up from the ground to intercept her, but she no longer treated them as obstacles. She treated them as steps. Her foot landed on the first root.

"Reversed Chariot." A yellow pulse flashed. The root froze beneath her. Ava kicked off it, using the stopped movement as a foothold to launch herself faster. Another root came for her side. She stepped onto it. Froze it. Jumped again. Each attack Lillian sent became another path forward. Ava moved through the garden in a blur of green, gold, and yellow light. Lillian raised her cane. The wood began to split open. Roots burst from it, curling around her arm like snakes.

Tiny seeds hidden within the cane sprouted all at once, growing into fresh branches heavy with lemons.

"So fast," Lillian muttered. The lemons began to glow. Ava did not hesitate. She pulled back the bowstring. An arrow formed. She fired. The arrow shot through the air, cutting past the roots, branches, and half-grown lemons. Then it stopped. One inch from Lillian's throat. The old woman froze. The arrow hung there, glowing green and gold, perfectly still. Ava had delayed her ability. She had not stopped the arrow when it left the bow. She had stopped it right before it could kill. Lillian looked down at the arrow.

Then at Ava. Ava stood before her, breathing heavily, bow still raised. Blood stained the corner of her mouth. Her legs trembled from exhaustion. Her mana flickered weakly around her fingers. But her aim did not waver.

"Give up," Ava said. Her voice was tired, but firm.

"I've won." For a long moment, Lillian said nothing. Then she sighed.

"Fine, fine." Her shoulders relaxed.

"What a tough group this is." The roots around her cane loosened. The lemons stopped glowing. Lillian gave Ava a small, tired smile.

"It seems the next generation still has some promise." She deactivated her ability. Across the garden, the lemon trees began to wither. Their branches sagged, their leaves dried, and their roots slowly pulled back into the earth. The fake sun continued to shine above them, but the garden suddenly looked older. Much older. Ava lowered her bow. Noah rushed to her side.

"Ava."

"I'm fine," she said, though she leaned slightly against him. Noah did not argue. Lillian walked past them and approached Cyrus. Cyrus stiffened. The old woman reached up and pinched his cheek.

"I see you've grown up quite well, sonny." Cyrus stared at her.

"Have we met?" Lillian laughed softly.

"You were much younger then. A little ankle-biter." Cyrus blinked.

"Ankle-biter?"

"I remember before the war, Quinn and I were run ragged trying to watch you and that terror of a sister." Her eyes softened with memory.

"Cynthia nearly burned down the kitchen once because Quinn told her she could not have sweets before dinner." Cyrus's expression shifted.

"Quinn?" The name struck something buried deep. A memory flashed through his mind. A blond maid humming softly. A hand reaching down to lift him before he fell. Cynthia laughing somewhere nearby. A warm house. Then the memory blurred. Cyrus held his head.

"I…" His breathing grew uneven.

"I can almost remember." Lillian's smile faded.

"That makes sense." Cyrus looked at her.

"What does?"

"Your memories were partially erased after all." The garden went silent. Cyrus's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about?" Lillian did not answer directly. She turned toward the door leading deeper into the castle.

"When you meet Lady Medusa," she said, "be kind to her." Cyrus took a step forward.

"Answer me."

"She has been through a lot," Lillian said softly.

"More than most could bear." Her wrinkled hand tightened around her cane.

"I know why you are here. If you listen to her, if you try to understand her, she may give you the book willingly." Cyrus stared at her, shaken. Lillian glanced back at the group.

"But be careful." Her tired eyes narrowed.

"Those Crows are nasty things." Then she began walking away, leaving the withered garden behind her. Cyrus did not follow. He stood there, silent, as fragments of memories stirred in his mind. Quinn. Lillian. A warm house. A woman whose face he still could not fully see. A tear rolled down Cyrus's cheek before he could stop it. Noah noticed, but said nothing. Ava lowered her bow completely. Adam looked toward the next door. The garden battle was over.

But the closer they came to Medusa, the less this castle felt like enemy territory. It felt like a graveyard of memories someone had desperately tried to keep alive.