God’s Tree

The battle had ended.

Argolaith stood on the last remaining wyvern, its massive form still thrashing beneath him, desperately trying to shake him off.

The sky, once filled with chaos and blood, was now eerily quiet, save for the frantic beating of the wyvern's wings.

It knew it had lost.

It was afraid.

Argolaith looked down at the creature, his mind racing.

How the hell was he going to get down?

He could try jumping, but from this height, if he missed landing on another corpse, he'd break something—or worse.

Then, a thought crossed his mind.

Could he just ask the wyvern to land?

He frowned, his grip tightening on his sword.

Could wyverns even understand human language?

Or would it just look at him like he was insane?

Kaelred, watching from the ground, called up to him with a snarky tone.

"How are you going to get down from there?"

Argolaith sighed.

"I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "Maybe I'll just ask the wyvern if it can land and let me off safely."

Kaelred stared at him.

He blinked.

Then blinked again.

"…You're an idiot."

Argolaith shrugged.

"It's worth a try."

He cleared his throat, staring down at the wyvern.

"Hey," he said, voice firm. "Can you, uh… land?"

The wyvern snapped its jaws at him, shrieking in anger.

Argolaith sighed. "Yeah. That's what I thought."

Kaelred groaned. "I can't believe I'm witnessing this."

But then—

A new sound filled the air.

Something… deep.

Something massive.

The wind shifted.

And the wyvern beneath Argolaith suddenly stopped thrashing.

Its body froze.

Then, in the distance—

The sound of wings.

Huge wings.

Argolaith and Kaelred felt it before they saw it.

The air began to vibrate.

A deep, low hum echoed through the battlefield, as if the very fabric of the world trembled at the force of something… impossibly strong.

Then, they saw it.

A shadow stretched across the land, blotting out the sun.

Then—

From the horizon, it emerged.

A dragon.

Not a wyvern.

A true dragon.

It glided through the air with slow, deliberate wingbeats, its golden-black scales shimmering like liquid metal.

Each time it flapped its wings, the air boomed like rolling thunder, shaking the very ground.

Argolaith went pale.

Kaelred's jaw tightened.

The wyvern beneath Argolaith?

It wasn't trying to fight anymore.

It was trying to flee.

The entire flock had been running from something.

And this was what they were running from.

"…Well," Kaelred muttered. "We're screwed."

Then, without warning—

Malakar stepped out of the shadows.

Before Argolaith could even react, Malakar grabbed him by the arm and yanked him straight into the darkness.

Everything vanished.

No sky.

No sound.

Just shadows.

And then—they were on the ground.

Kaelred barely had time to blink before he too was yanked into the void, landing roughly beside Argolaith.

They were in Malakar's realm.

A pitch-black void, untouched by the outside world.

Malakar's voice was calm, but his expression was grim.

"Don't touch anything in my shadow."

Kaelred shuddered. "Noted."

Argolaith exhaled, trying to process what just happened.

Then—Malakar spoke again.

"Let's wait for that damn dragon to pass."

And so, they waited.

Held within the embrace of the abyss.

Praying that the king of the sky would not sense them lurking beneath its gaze.

The darkness pressed against them like a living thing, but it was not empty.

Argolaith and Kaelred stood within Malakar's shadow realm, their senses slowly adjusting to the lack of natural light.

The air was cooler here, but not in an uncomfortable way—more like the stillness of night just before dawn.

As they stood there, Argolaith frowned.

"What do you mean, don't touch anything in your shadow?"

Malakar exhaled, tilting his head slightly.

"Give your eyes a minute to adjust to the darkness."

Argolaith and Kaelred waited, blinking as their vision gradually sharpened.

And then—they saw it.

At first, Argolaith thought it was an illusion.

But no—there, in the distance, stood a house.

A large, angular structure, shaped like something not of this world.

But it wasn't made from shadows.

It was built from a strange, black metal, its surface smooth, yet it seemed to absorb the light around it.

Argolaith narrowed his eyes.

"What… is that?"

Malakar turned slightly toward the structure, his expression unreadable.

"That is my house."

Kaelred blinked. "You… have a house? In here?"

Malakar nodded. "Of course. When I travel, I need a place to rest. Even an undead needs a roof over his head sometimes."

Argolaith took a slow step forward.

"And what is it made out of?"

Malakar's gaze flickered toward him, a hint of amusement in his violet, undead eyes.

"It's built from one of the rarest metals on Morgoth—Shadow Vibranium."

Kaelred raised a brow. "Never heard of it."

Malakar smirked. "Not surprising. It is not something you simply 'find'—it is something that must be forged under very particular conditions. It is a metal that can contain mana within its structure and is highly resistant to magical erosion."

Argolaith frowned. "So, it's like rune-etched armor, but built into the metal itself?"

Malakar nodded. "Precisely. But let's not go into that right now."

He folded his arms, tilting his head slightly.

"Would you two like some tea and cookies while you're here?"

Argolaith and Kaelred both turned to stare at him.

"…Wait," Kaelred said slowly. "You can eat food?"

Malakar's smirk widened slightly. "Yes. For the most part, anyway. I don't require it for sustenance, but I still enjoy the taste of well-prepared meals."

Argolaith crossed his arms, skeptical. "And where do you even get cookies in a shadow realm?"

Malakar gestured toward his house.

"I make them."

Kaelred snorted. "You? Make cookies?"

Malakar nodded. "From spiritual wheat."

Argolaith frowned. "Spiritual wheat?"

Malakar's eyes gleamed.

"Yes. A crop that only grows in places saturated with pure mana. It absorbs essence from the surroundings, which enhances its magical properties."

He continued, his voice taking on an almost professorial tone.

"Once harvested, I grind it into flour using a millstone enchanted with ancient necrotic runes."

Kaelred muttered under his breath, "Of course he does."

Malakar ignored him and went on.

"I then mix the flour with the nectar of Ember Roses—flowers that bloom only under moonlight, known to enhance spellcasting clarity."

Argolaith raised a brow. "So, wait—eating your cookies actually increases magic ability?"

Malakar smirked. "Mildly, yes."

Kaelred shook his head. "This is insane."

Malakar wasn't done.

"I also add powdered Obsidian Sugar, which is made from a rare mineral that absorbs mana from the atmosphere."

Argolaith sighed. "Let me guess—it makes the cookies stronger?"

Malakar nodded. "It gives them a faint magical resistance. A subtle enchantment, if you will."

Kaelred groaned. "So you're telling me that not only do you bake, but you bake arcane-enhanced battle cookies?"

Malakar gave them a deadpan stare.

"I do not 'bake battle cookies,' Kaelred. I simply enjoy finely crafted magical cuisine."

Kaelred held up his hands. "Sure. Fine. Whatever you say."

Argolaith, however, was intrigued.

"…I kind of want to try one."

Malakar smirked. "Of course you do. Come."

He turned toward his house, gesturing for them to follow.

But just as he took a step forward—

The air trembled.

A low hum rumbled through the shadow realm.

The walls of darkness quivered, as if something immensely powerful was pressing against reality itself.

Kaelred tensed.

"…It's getting closer."

Argolaith's jaw clenched.

They could still hear the beating wings outside the shadow realm—slow, deliberate, but unbelievably heavy.

The dragon was not in a hurry, It had nothing to fear.

And that was the most terrifying part.

Malakar narrowed his eyes.

"Do not move," he murmured. "Let it pass."

They stood in silence, listening as the immense presence loomed above them.

The weight of its existence pressed down upon them, even through the protective veil of Malakar's realm.

It was like standing beneath the sun, knowing that if it willed it, they would be reduced to nothing.

Minutes stretched into an eternity.

Then—the presence began to fade.

The hum of vibrating air slowly diminished, and the beating of wings grew distant.

Finally—the weight lifted.

The dragon had passed.

They exhaled in unison, tension slowly draining from their muscles.

Kaelred ran a hand down his face. "That was horrifying."

Argolaith nodded. "We were lucky."

Malakar's gaze remained fixed in the direction the dragon had gone.

Then—he smirked.

"…Now. Shall we have some tea and cookies?"

The three figures walked through the dark expanse of Malakar's shadow realm, heading toward the black metal house that loomed in the distance.

The oppressive darkness of the realm no longer weighed on Argolaith and Kaelred like before; their eyes had adjusted, and now they could see with perfect clarity.

Argolaith, genuinely intrigued, turned to Malakar as they walked.

"So, what kind of tea do you drink? And where does it grow?"

Malakar glanced at him with a wry grin.

"It is made from Shadow Leaf. And I grow it here."

Kaelred raised an eyebrow. "Shadow Leaf?"

Malakar nodded. "It is a rare plant that only grows in the darkest places on Morgoth—far from sunlight, in the depths of shadow-choked caverns and the crevices of forgotten ruins."

Argolaith's interest piqued even further. "So it's naturally infused with shadow magic?"

Malakar chuckled. "Indeed. It has a calming effect for those attuned to darkness. For others… well, let's just say it can be an acquired taste."

Kaelred groaned. "Can't you two ever talk about normal food?"

Malakar tilted his head. "I haven't ever talked about food with either of you before today. It seems like Argolaith is enjoying our conversation."

Argolaith nodded. "I am."

Malakar smirked. "And if you don't want any, Kaelred, I won't give you any."

Kaelred narrowed his eyes. "I feel like that's more of a threat than a kindness."

Malakar shrugged. "Besides, you'd probably break your teeth on the cookies."

Kaelred blinked. "Excuse me?"

Malakar gestured toward Argolaith. "He, on the other hand, won't. His teeth are already strengthened from eating strange magic plants over the years, I assume."

Kaelred looked between them in disbelief. "You can't seriously believe that."

Argolaith simply shrugged. "He's probably not wrong."

Kaelred groaned into his hands. "I can't believe this is my life now."

Malakar chuckled as they approached the house. "Oh, also—if you see what looks like a living creature wandering around, don't worry about it. It is my pet."

Kaelred gave him a skeptical look. "…Your pet?"

Malakar nodded. "Yes. Try not to startle it. It doesn't like loud noises."