Chapter 575: The Cypress Witch Awakens (Part Two)
The emerald green aura surrounding Ashlynn faded away while a brilliant, jade-green light began to spill from cracks forming in Ollie’s bark-like skin. At first, the cracks were small, but they quickly spread across his entire body until he glowed with the light of a dozen lamps, shining brilliantly in the night.
"Lady Ashlynn," he said as his eyes fluttered open to find his head resting on her thighs while she looked down at him with puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "I’ve made you worry," he said weakly. "I’m sorry I was so... stubborn."
"It’s fine," Ashlynn said as she lifted him up into her arms, giving him a fierce hug that was quickly joined by Heila from the other side. "You’re back now and everyone’s here to welcome you home."
"Welcome home, Ollie," Heila said as she waved for Virve to join them in giving the young man a crushing hug from his coven-family.
"Ow, ow, that’s enough, too much, too much," Ollie yelped as Virve gathered the entire coven into her powerful, furry arms, delivering a bear hug that lifted everyone momentarily off the ground."
-CRACK!-
For a moment, the entire coven froze, fearing that Virve had cracked Ollie’s ribs in a moment of exuberance. A heartbeat later, more bark-like skin sloughed away and the jade-green glow that had emanated from Ollie’s skin began to condense toward his left side.
"Ollie?" Virve asked, setting everyone down gently and looking at the pale skinned human with genuine concern. "I didn’t hurt you, did I? I, I’m still adjusting to my new strength and..."
"No, no, not hurt," Ollie said quickly as he pulled the plain, undyed tunic over his head, removing it for the first time since his vigil began.
Several gasps rippled through the crowd of onlookers as they watched the jade-green energy gather just above Ollie’s left hip, sinking into his skin before flowing upward over his ribs. The energy darkened as it grew and spread, taking on the shape of a mighty cypress tree, spreading its branches across his chest and around his back to cover one shoulder blade.
The energy also swept low across his waist, giving rise to two distinct cypress knees across his toned, sculpted waist, while two more emerged on his lower back. The energy didn’t seem like it was done, however, as the ’branches’ of the growing mark trembled, dropping needles that vanished when they reached his waist, leaving a series of watery ripples around the trunk and each of the cypress knees.
"Is this... is this my mark?" Ollie asked as his fingers lightly traced across the mark left on his skin. In some light, the pale greenish hue of the mark might be mistaken for a bruise, but given its size and shape, it was difficult to imagine that it was anything other than a mark bestowed by powerful magic.