5-77. The Shard of Nature's Might
Elijah collapsed onto the ground, having left the latest challenge far behind. For a long time, he just lay there, his eyes closed as he steadied his breathing. As much as he had gained inside, he never wanted to see anything like it ever again. He didn’t even want to think about the horrors he’d witnessed, though no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t push any of it away.
In retrospect, the battle against the ta’alaki archdruid hadn’t been that harrowing. In fact, if he’d had to rank it alongside the other three challenges he’d encountered, he would have placed it at the very bottom. Even the fight against the aviak had been more difficult. Yet, that had never been what the challenge was meant to be about. Rather, the situation itself – of a corrupted circle within a Druid grove – was where the true test lay.
Elijah’s mind wandered back to the accusatory shades that had haunted him for the last part of the challenge. Even knowing they were caused by the corruption hadn’t helped him to deal with any of it. It was only when he’d acknowledged and accepted the three parts of his nature that he was strong enough to truly destroy the taint.
But that wasn’t all that had happened. As he lay there, on a blessedly dry island in the middle of the swamp, he cycled back to the notification he’d received just before the archdruid had revealed herself.
| Congratulations! Your Mind has reached the Jade Stage.
|