Chapter 380 - 348: Stopped By Forest Spirit...

(A/N):

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Devara, Karna and Ashwatthama followed the elephant without questioning its chosen path.

The massive creature moved steadily through the forest, occasionally pushing aside thick branches with its trunk or stepping over fallen trees, while the three warriors maintained a comfortable distance behind it.

The tribe leader followed closely, doing his best to remember the route they were taking, though the deeper they went, the more unfamiliar the forest became even to him.

They did not travel without resistance.

Several times, groups of wild boars emerged from the undergrowth and charged toward them.

The creatures had become so aggressive that even the presence of armed warriors did not make them hesitate.

Whenever one rushed toward Devara, Karna or Ashwatthama, the attack was dealt with swiftly.

Karna would knock one aside with the flat of his weapon, sending it rolling through the dirt, while Ashwatthama occasionally drove another away with a controlled strike that left the animal alive but unwilling to continue the confrontation.

Devara himself barely needed to act.

His presence alone seemed to confuse some of the animals, while those that continued their charge were effortlessly stopped.

The elephant occasionally turned around whenever the commotion occurred, giving a loud trumpet as though impatient with the delay before continuing deeper into the forest.

"Your guide seems to have little patience,"

Karna remarked after the elephant gave another impatient rumble.

Devara smiled faintly.

"It knows where it is going. We are the ones slowing it down."

The tribe leader gave a quiet chuckle, though his expression remained tense.

He had never imagined that he would one day walk through the deepest parts of the forest behind a wild elephant while a king and two legendary warriors casually dealt with aggressive boars along the way.

The journey continued.

One hour passed.

Then another.

The forest gradually changed around them.

The familiar trees became larger and older, their trunks wider than the huts in the tribe settlement.

The ground became increasingly uneven, forcing them to climb over roots and descend into narrow valleys.

Occasionally they crossed streams whose water was so clear that the stones beneath could be seen perfectly.

Yet the elephant never lost its way.

It continued walking.

Three full hours passed before the great creature finally began slowing down.

Devara noticed the change immediately.

The elephant stepped through a final curtain of hanging vines and emerged from between two enormous trees.

Everyone behind it stopped.

The sight before them was completely unexpected.

A vast valley stretched beyond the trees.

And the entire valley was covered in white flowers.

Thousands upon thousands of them.

They spread across the slopes and the valley floor like a vast white carpet, their petals moving gently whenever the breeze passed through.

Some grew among the grass, others climbed around the roots of ancient trees, while countless blossoms gathered around a clear stream that wound through the center of the valley.

For several moments, nobody spoke.

Even the tribe leader, who had spent his entire life within the forest, could only stare.

"What..." he whispered.

Karna slowly looked across the valley.

"I have never seen anything like this."

Ashwatthama’s eyes narrowed as he studied the flowers.

Devara remained silent.

There was something strange about the place.

The forest they had crossed had been disturbed, aggressive and unnaturally quiet.

Yet this valley was almost the opposite. The air here was peaceful.

The flowers moved gently in the breeze, and the valley carried a faint fragrance that was unlike anything they had encountered during their journey.

The elephant stood at the edge of the valley and released a deep, almost reverent rumble.

Devara looked at it.

"You brought us here."

The elephant nodded.

Devara then looked across the sea of white flowers.

His expression gradually became serious.

"If the tigers disappeared from the forest..." he murmured,

"then perhaps this is where they went."

The tribe leader’s eyes widened.

"You think the tigers are here?"

Devara did not answer immediately.

His gaze remained fixed on the valley.

Somewhere beyond those countless white flowers lay the answer they had been searching for.

The elephant had not brought them here by accident.

It had brought them to the heart of whatever had changed the forest.

Devara took another step toward the valley, his eyes fixed upon the endless field of white flowers stretching across the land before them.

But before his foot could touch the first patch of flowers, the elephant suddenly moved in front of him and gently pressed one of its massive tusks against his chest.

Devara stopped.

The elephant shook its head slowly.

"No?"

The great creature gave a low, uneasy rumble and once again moved its tusk across Devara’s path, clearly refusing to let him enter the valley.

Its ears fluttered nervously, and its eyes remained fixed upon the white flowers as though the sight of them carried a memory that frightened even such a powerful beast.

Devara frowned.

He looked from the elephant to the valley and then back again.

"You brought us here," he said calmly.

"So whatever is inside must be important."

The elephant shook its head again, this time more urgently.

Karna’s expression became serious.

"It seems to be warning you."

Ashwatthama glanced across the valley.

"Whatever is there, the elephant does not want us to approach it."

Devara remained silent for a moment before gently placing his hand against the elephant’s trunk.

"I understand that you are afraid for me."

The elephant gave a deep rumble.

"But I will be fine."

He smiled faintly.

"You have already brought me this far. Trust me now."

The elephant continued shaking its head, but Devara carefully stepped around its tusk.

The great creature immediately turned after him, almost as though it intended to physically block him again.

Devara sighed.

"You are quite stubborn."

He then looked toward the valley once more.

"I will not enter recklessly. But if the tigers are somewhere beyond those flowers, and if something has caused the imbalance in this forest, then I need to know what happened."

He took another step.

This time the elephant did not block him.

But before Devara could take a third step, a voice suddenly echoed across the valley.

"STOP."

The single word carried an authority that made the entire clearing fall silent.

Devara froze.

Karna’s hand immediately moved toward his weapon.

Ashwatthama’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the white flowers and the distant trees.

Even the elephant became completely still.

The voice had not come from behind them.

It had come from somewhere within the valley.

Devara slowly lifted his gaze and stared across the endless sea of white blossoms.

For several seconds, nothing moved.

Then the flowers near the center of the valley began swaying despite the fact that there was no wind.

One patch. Then another. Then another.

Something was moving through them.

The tribe leader instinctively stepped backward, tightening his grip around his spear.

"Who is there?" he called.

No answer came.

Instead, the same voice spoke again, this time with a warning that seemed to carry across the entire valley.

"I said stop."

Devara’s eyes narrowed.

He remained where he was, but his body became completely alert.

"Show yourself," he said calmly.

"I have not come here to harm anyone."

The flowers continued to move.

And somewhere beyond that endless field of white, a figure slowly began to emerge.

The figure slowly emerged from the sea of white flowers, each step causing the blossoms around her feet to sway gently.

At first, Devara could see only a silhouette hidden beneath the countless pale petals, but as she came closer, her appearance became clearer.

She was a forest spirit.

Unlike the frightening creatures described in ancient stories, she did not possess a monstrous appearance.

Her form seemed to have been shaped directly from the forest itself.

Long, flowing hair carried shades of deep green and brown, resembling vines and the roots of ancient trees, while small white flowers had naturally grown among the strands.

Her skin carried a soft earthy tone, and faint patterns resembling the veins of leaves stretched across her arms and shoulders.

She wore a simple garment woven from leaves, flowers and thin strands of bark, yet there was something strangely elegant about it.

Her eyes were the most unusual feature.

They carried the deep green of an ancient forest, but beneath that color was an intelligence that made it obvious she was not an ordinary creature.

She stopped several steps away from Devara.

For a moment, neither side spoke.

The tribe leader stared at her in disbelief.

"A forest spirit..." he whispered.

Karna and Ashwatthama remained cautious, but neither drew their weapons.

Something about the spirit’s presence made it difficult to consider her an enemy.

Devara could feel it as well.

There was power surrounding her, but it was not the oppressive or hostile kind.

Her presence felt deeply connected to the land around them.

The flowers seemed healthier wherever she walked, and the plants gently bent toward her as though recognizing their own kin.

Devara slowly lowered his hand, signaling Karna and Ashwatthama not to attack.

The spirit looked toward him.

"You should not have come here."

Her voice was calmer now, though there was still a warning hidden beneath her words.

Devara studied her carefully.

"You stopped me because you believe this place is dangerous."

The spirit nodded.

"Not because I wish to harm you."

She glanced toward the elephant.

"And certainly not because I wish harm upon the creatures that brought you here."

The elephant gave a low rumble at her words, almost as though recognizing her.

Devara looked around the valley.

"Then tell me what this place is."

The spirit remained silent for a moment before looking across the endless field of white flowers.

"This valley is part of the forest, just as I am. I was born here."

She placed her hand gently against one of the flowers beside her.

"When a forest thrives, it creates life beyond trees and animals. Sometimes that life takes another form. Spirits are born from the essence of the forest itself."

"Some become guardians. Some become healers. Some become cruel when the forest around them is corrupted. Some grow alongside the trees and protect everything within their territory, while others are twisted by hatred, hunger or the darkness that enters the land."

Her gaze returned to Devara.

"I am one of those spirits."

Devara nodded slowly.

"And you are not responsible for what is happening to the forest."

The spirit’s expression became slightly saddened.

"No."

She looked toward the distant trees.

"I have watched it happen."

Those words immediately caught Devara’s attention.

"You know what happened to the tigers?"

The spirit looked at him.

"I know where they went."

The tribe leader’s eyes widened.

Devara stepped forward slightly, but this time he stopped before crossing into the flowers.

"Then tell me."

The spirit’s expression changed.

"There is much you do not understand about this forest, King Devara."

Devara’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You know who I am?"

The spirit gave a faint smile.

"The forest knows."

The flowers around them gently swayed.

"I knew you were coming long before you entered this valley."

Devara glanced at the countless white flowers.

For the first time since entering the forest, he felt that they had finally reached something that could explain the strange events taking place around them.

The spirit looked toward the elephant and then back at Devara.

"And if you truly wish to know what happened to the tigers, then you must first understand what lies beneath these flowers."

Her final words left the clearing completely silent.

Devara’s expression became serious.

"Then tell me."

The forest spirit looked at him for several seconds before finally speaking.

"The tigers did not leave this forest."

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(Author note:)

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