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Chapter 38: The War of Time
But Roma’s condition was not as optimistic as Brandon had imagined. As time passed, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Only now did Brandon realize that Roma's mind must be harboring some secret he didn’t know—perhaps buried deep in her subconscious. The deeper it was hidden, the more painful its revelation would be in this moment.
For a while, the air was filled only with the sound of their labored breathing. Roma herself slept peacefully, but Brandon feared she might never wake again.
He couldn’t help but glance at the Golden Magic Tree. The connection between dream and reality had grown perilously fragile, and the tree could awaken at any moment.
“Freya?”
Freya clenched her fists, too nervous to speak. Brandon had said they only had five minutes, and time was running out. Yet Roma still seemed lost in her nightmare. But Freya knew it wasn’t the young man’s fault; after all, this secret was known only to her in Buchi.
She cursed herself for not telling Brandon earlier, but how could she have anticipated such a complex dreamscape? And hadn’t Brandon also refrained from speaking, fearing it would disturb their mental state? Yet his silence had backfired.
But the young man didn’t succumb to panic. His mind raced, and suddenly, he tossed the Lustrous Stinger toward Freya.
“Make her hold it.”
“What?”
“This sword has the power to repel evil. Have her grip it.” Though Brandon spoke confidently, he knew the elven blade’s true strength lay in its ability to bolster willpower by one unit, which might just save Roma from her dire predicament.
Oh, Marsha! He silently prayed to the omnipresent supreme being in Vonder, hoping she’d show mercy to Roma. Whether it was the sword’s power or Brandon’s prayer reaching Marsha, Roma soon let out a soft groan, blinked her eyes, and woke up.
She rubbed her eyes, looked at the two of them, paused for a moment, and then cheerfully exclaimed, “Freya, you’re here too! You won’t believe the nightmare I just had!”
“Ah—!” Freya froze, then let out a muffled cry of joy. She didn’t hear a word Roma said; instead, she threw her arms around Roma and wept with relief. She had thought all hope was lost, but Brandon’s plan had worked.
“Roma, you fool!”
“F-Freya, what are you talking about? I’m not a fool!” Roma protested, flustered and earnestly defending herself as if struck by a fatal blow.
Brandon, however, remained calm as he watched Roma struggle to deal with Freya’s sudden outburst. With the infusion of belief and the aid of the Lustrous Stinger, there was a high chance Roma could awaken from even the deepest nightmare. What worried him more was the potential lingering effects on her.
But seeing her dazed expression, Brandon realized he was overthinking things.
“All right, stop crying,” he said. “The Golden Magic Tree is about to wake up. Save your words for after the battle.”
The ponytailed girl wiped away her tears and nodded. “What do we do now, Brandon?” she asked.
“This battle isn’t ours to lead. In this valley, there’s a Stone Burrowing Worm—”
“What’s that?”
“Roma, don’t interrupt! A Stone Burrowing Worm is an elemental creature from an Earth Element plane called Stonehold. They’re natural predators of the Golden Magic Tree. Before the worm matures, the tree can keep it at bay using its vast root system. But it takes eighty to a hundred twenty years for the worm to mature, and we don’t have that kind of time. So we need to help it.”
“Help it?” Freya asked.
Brandon took the elf blade from Roma and replied, “The Golden Magic Tree itself is weak. Its only means of attack is using its roots to pierce intruders above ground. Our job is to force it to do so. The more roots it pulls up to attack us, the fewer remain to block the Stone Burrowing Worm. Eventually, the worm will breach the valley.”
“But we only have ten minutes. After that, the first wave of Withered Beasts will flood the valley. If we haven’t succeeded by then, you must run west without hesitation. There’s a tunnel in a nearby ravine—it’s very conspicuous.”
“And you?” Roma looked up at him.
“Leave the rearguard to the gentleman. That’s your ladylike grace.” Brandon tapped her smooth forehead lightly. Then he turned to Freya, who was tying her ponytail back for the upcoming fight. Catching his gaze, she nodded firmly.
Brandon hesitated. He had expected Freya to insist on staying behind. But her expression showed no reluctance, only newfound resolve. It seemed she had gained something valuable from her dream.
Freya’s composed demeanor hinted at the makings of a future Valkyrie. Brandon smiled approvingly before turning back to Roma. “Put on your ring.”
Roma proudly raised her hand, showing off the stark black-and-white ring.
“Your task is to listen for sounds underground. Report anything you hear immediately.”
“Yes, Brandon.”
“Then let’s move. We’ll approach the Golden Magic Tree through the stone ridge below. The terrain suggests there’s a fault line that will delay the tree’s detection of our intentions.” As he spoke, Brandon led the way, moving swiftly. He climbed onto a rocky outcrop, then signaled for Freya and Roma to follow.
Freya grabbed Roma’s hand and pulled her along, signaling clearly: Stay close, don’t wander, and I’ll protect you. Her actions were meant to free Brandon’s mind so he could focus entirely on attacking the Golden Magic Tree.
The trio quickly crossed beneath the stone ridge. Brandon’s memory proved flawless—they encountered no resistance until they reached the boundary. But as soon as they crossed it, Roma heard a rumbling sound from below.
“Brandon, there’s noise underground.”
Their leader’s heart skipped a beat. “Spread out! Quickly!”
Freya shoved Roma to one side, and the three scattered just as two thick vines erupted from the ground. But the Golden Magic Tree hadn’t anticipated its prey seeing through its ambush. When its roots emerged, Brandon was ready, striking with precision.
The young man leapt to his feet, raising the elf blade high and bringing it down on the barrel-thick vine. The blade sank halfway in, and silver flames erupted from the edge. The Flame of Purification burned with a sizzling hiss, causing the Golden Magic Tree to tremble violently, sending echoes throughout the valley.
It summoned reinforcements. Brandon’s heart sank. Time was indeed running short. He glanced back to see Freya execute a graceful roll to evade a sweeping root, then slash her sword into the vine. Though her strike only penetrated a third of the way, the skillful maneuver impressed him.
That’s at least level-two Eruin military swordsmanship. Looks like Freya gained quite a bit in her dream.
“Brandon, there’s more noise!” Roma called from the edge of the battlefield.
“How far?” Brandon shouted instinctively, then immediately regretted it. He had unconsciously treated Roma like the team’s Nightingale, but Roma was merely perceptive, not a professional scout.
“A hundred meters… seventy, maybe,” Roma guessed.
“That far?” Brandon parried another vine, slicing it clean off. The severed root collapsed lifelessly, its end charred black.
“Sixty meters now.”
Brandon hesitated but decided to trust Roma. “Freya, forget it! See that path? Charge through there.”
Freya barely paused, deflecting a whip-like root with her sword. Wind feathers surrounded her, forming a protective net that cushioned her fall as she rolled across the ground. In moments, she was back on her feet beside Roma.
“Roma, follow me!” She grabbed Roma’s hand and sprinted toward the path.
“Wait, what about Brandon?”
“He’ll catch up!”
Finally learning to trust her teammates instead of going solo, huh? Brandon felt a wave of relief. He had been worried Freya might complicate things, but when he saw the vine pursuing her, he acted without hesitation, slicing it cleanly in two along the previous cut.
With the enemy dealt with, he didn’t linger. The sounds from underground were now audible even to him, confirming Roma’s accuracy. But he couldn’t help but marvel: How had that clumsy girl heard noises from seventy meters below?
He estimated it would take at least five units of Perception to achieve that level.
The thought flashed through Brandon’s mind as he turned and ran. Catching up to Freya and Roma was no challenge for someone as agile as him, but they were repeatedly intercepted by the Golden Magic Tree’s roots. On the third attempt, a massive boom echoed from the southeast corner of the valley. Instantly, all the attacking roots withdrew.
Even without Brandon’s reminder, Freya and Roma understood: the Stone Burrowing Worm had entered the fray.
“Did we win?” Roma asked, unable to hide her excitement.
Brandon shook his head. They still needed to reach the core area surrounding the Golden Magic Tree. Over the next few minutes, the tree would constantly weigh which threat posed the greater danger and adjust its root defenses accordingly. But this strategy of robbing Peter to pay Paul wouldn’t last forever. Eventually, they would prevail.
The only question was whether they could accomplish everything within the allotted time.
Less than five minutes remained.
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