Seeing that the white monkeys had spotted me, I cursed to myself. ‘Damn, now they know I'm here.’ I thought to myself, not intending to stick around.

  I forced my aether to accelerate, but it wasn’t listening to my commands. At this point it was taking all of my effort just to stay afloat. This entire time I had been carrying the mysterious letter and my sword behind me simultaneously. I knew that if I dropped those items I would likely be able to regain my speed, but I felt that would be ill advised. After all, this sword was my only physical weapon, and the letter probably held clues to finding my mother.

  Resolving my will, I continued to travel towards the large tree in the distance. Those monkeys had clearly spotted me, but I hoped they would leave me alone. It was obvious they had no chance of reaching me, so maybe that’s why they disappeared below the treetops.

  The next score of minutes were a blur as I trudged myself forwards, urging my aether to push my body past its limits. As I drew closer to the towering tree, its otherworldly features began to reveal themselves, an enchanting blend of ethereal beauty and raw power. Most noticeably, the tree had glowing, blue leaves!

  The bark seemed to shimmer with an iridescent blue hue, glowing streaks tracing intricate patterns along its length. Each vibrant leaf pulsed with celestial energy, a blazing sapphire against the backdrop of the forest.

  Picea had taught me to sense celestial energy during my long tenure with her, and as I focused my eyes, I was awestruck by the sheer magnitude of power that emanated from this ancient being. Its aura was a beacon, a celestial bonfire that danced and flickered against the canopy, rivalling even Picea's potent energy.

  Though my own celestial core remained nascent and untamed, the difference between Picea's emerald aura and this tree's blinding blue radiance was stark and undeniable. It was as if the very essence of the cosmos had converged upon this single point, a confluence of energy both mesmerizing and terrifying in its intensity. Despite its startling appearance, the tree exuded a sense of tranquility, its presence a soothing balm against the ominous whispers of the forest. As my weary body cried out for respite, I knew that this giant tree offered the shelter I so desperately needed.

  My control over my aether began to falter, my energy waning like a flickering candle in the darkness. The tree's branches, thick and sturdy, beckoned me closer, an invitation I gratefully accepted as I drifted toward them. The second I had landed upon a broad wooden perch, my body succumbed to exhaustion—my limbs trembling as I rolled onto my back. The throbbing pain in my head clouded my thoughts, and the world around me was swimming in a haze of fatigue.

  As I lay there, enveloped in the tree's ethereal glow, I surrendered myself to my exhaustion, the questions and uncertainties that plagued my mind fading into the background. For now, all that mattered was the steady rhythm of my heart and the solace of this strange, celestial tree. It must have been half an hour before I could even sit upright.

  I realized at some point that my nose was bleeding, and no amount of wiping would make it stop. My crimson vitae was now leaking from my nostrils in pools, and my head was spinning like it was a top. Clearly, using my aether in such an intense way was dangerous. I had been exerting my power for more than an hour and a half at this point, but one hour was likely the limit I could comfortably use it for. As I laid upon the branch I could feel my faculties leaving me, and my eyelids began to feel heavy as my vision darkened.

  Before I fainted, I managed to pierce my sword into the bark of the tree. The letter fell down to my side on the wide branch, and I could only hope it wouldn’t drift off somewhere. As I laid down, I remarked that the air at the top of this tree was refreshing in every way imaginable. Illusive and phantasmal scents wafted over me, lulling me into a state of ease.

  ‘It almost smells like cotton candy.’ I mused, quickly falling into a sweet, blissful sleep.

  Low grunts from the darkness roused me from my sleep. I quickly noticed that night had fallen, and the only light came from the pale moon, painting the forest with its glow.

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  I felt a shiver run down my spine as I spotted a pair of crystal-blue eyes staring at me through the shadows. I quickly reacted, using my power to summon my sword to my defense. The iron sword gleamed in the moonlight as it pulled free from the thick tree bark, floating protectively in front of me.

  Those blue eyes seemed to look right through me, and my heart skipped a beat as I saw a second pair of eyes watching me from another direction. I frantically looked around, trying to understand what was happening. I was horrified to see that the blue eyes were multiplying, and soon, dozens of eyes peered at me through the darkness.

  ‘There must be dozens, no maybe a hundred eyes.’ I realized, instantly understanding that I was incredibly outnumbered.

  The dim light from the moon illuminated enough of the forest for me to catch glimpses of white figures dashing across the treetops around me.

  ‘It’s those white monkeys! Those f*ckers must think I’m an easy snack!’ I thought, using my aether to float towards the sky. I broke through branches and stray vines in my ascent, and they dug into my skin as they scratched or sliced my limbs.

  I merely clenched my teeth and continued upwards though, for if I hesitated for even a moment those creatures would have grabbed me. As soon as I started flying, the monkeys began to furiously shriek and scream, their commotion literally shaking the forest. Picking up my speed, I tried to break through the tree line above my resting place. I had been sleeping on a wide branch several meters below the treetops, and the ground was likely seventy meters below me at this point.

  In my exhausted and delirious state I probably thought that this was high enough—it clearly wasn't. A scrawny monkey with one tail hollered as it launched itself towards me from a neighboring tree. These monkeys were small, likely not much larger than a small child on average.

  However, their speed was astounding. This monkey quickly reached my position before I could react, and it slashed out at me with sharp claws. A single attack like that would likely tear my throat out and leave me dead.

  Luckily, at this moment my sword was already right next to the monkey. My aether sent the sword in a sharp arc as the monkey was cleanly bisected in half. It’s legs were severed from its torso, and the momentum of its jump caused its dismembered pieces to slam into a nearby tree.

  I quickly turned around to see that half a dozen more white figures were now jumping towards me. The monkeys screamed as they launched themselves, intending to grab me out of the air through sheer numbers. Without even thinking, my sword travelled through the air in a blinding flash and tore through the first monkey. It didn’t slow down as it cut through two more monkeys right behind it.

  Turning around, the sword continued in another pass as it neatly dissected another three monkeys who had just launched themselves into the air. A rather large monkey with three tails howled as it narrowly dodged the sword, twisting its bulky body out of the way. I commanded my sword to return to me though, and it flew through his neck and severed its head before it could even land.

  With this first wave subdued, I tried to regain altitude before I was swarmed again. I willed my aether to move me forwards, but a sharp impact suddenly smashed into my head, sending me tumbling out of the air.

  As I fell, I spotted a monkey with two tails cackling as it hooted on a tree. It was holding a rock in its hands as it prepared to take aim a second time. The bastard had thrown a rock at me.

  I quickly regained my senses, even as I could feel my form swaying like a boat caught in a swarm. I grabbed a hold of my sword and letter before they had fallen too low, and then stabilized my aether. My forehead stung with a sharp pain and blood was dripping down my forehead, right into my eyes as they darted back and forth towards the darkness around me.

  Luckily, this time I saw the flash of a rock flying towards me, so I was able to drift to the side to avoid it. When I looked back towards the other side of the wilderness, the sea of blue eyes had somehow grown. Without warning, a sea of white began to converge on me from the trees. The monkeys released a cacophony of screeches as they flew towards me, intent on tearing me into shreds.

  I strained my aether into action even as my body was telling me I couldn’t. My sword flew towards the wave of white monkeys as it cleanly tore limbs and tails from bodies, or separated torsos from their other halves. Many of the monkeys couldn’t even let out screams of pain as they were turned into minced meat that fell into the darkness below. No matter how many of the creatures I cut down though, ten more seemed to show up in their place.

  I ducked down as I saw a monkey fly over me, missing me by a mere foot. Even as I quickly dispatched it with a swift slash of my sword, another would appear behind me to throw me off guard. My ascent towards the sky never slowed, but it was becoming clear that they were going to overwhelm me if I couldn’t move faster.

  Turning around, I cut down a pair of monkeys that had snuck up on my blind spot, but four more were immediately behind me! Just as I was moving to dispatch them though, I caught a glimpse of a dark object flying towards me.

  It was so fast I didn’t even have time to process that it was in front of me, and before I could command my aether to move it violently smashed into my chest. My lungs collapsed in on themselves as my ribs were instantly broken. I coughed out blood as I flew towards a nearby tree, my thoughts and plans turned to mush in the face of this sudden attack.

  I couldn’t even wheeze out a single breath as my eyes glazed over—my body limp as it slammed into several branches on the way down towards the forest floor.