Gaia's Champion Ch. 13

"Eva..." he began.

"Goodbye, Wayne."

Those words turned his fear into sorrow as the phantasm faded away, turning into smoke before vanishing. Eva then leaned over and flicked her finger at the chains, making them vanish as the clones had. Her duplicate sat up and stared at her unchained limbs in disbelief. She then stared at Eva before she broke down in tears and hugged her.

"What do we do now?" Eva asked her clone.

"Now, we go home," her clone responded. She then dissolved into mist before becoming one with Eva. Eva took a deep breath, her mind reeling with what just happened. She then stood and glared at the surroundings in distaste.

"My mind, my rules, right?" Eva asked Jason as she stared around at the cavern.

"That's right."

Nodding, Eva then closed her eyes and imagined something else, something different. A place she had only seen in her dreams and a place that she knew was her truth. The cavern faded away, giving way to a large and fruitful orchard, thriving by the foot of a mountain. A small river rushed nearby, burbling and passing quickly. The sound of it was beautiful as it added to the tranquility of this place. Eva opened her eyes and smiled.

"This is..." Jason breathed.

"Yeah! I have never seen a place more beautiful!" Phalmina remarked.

"Do you understand now, why I spared humanity?" a voice called out to them, commanding their attention. Phalmina's eyes widened, and she hit her knees immediately, averting her eyes from the glowing figure who approached.

"There is no need for that, my child. Stand, please," she implored.

The fairy did as she was asked and stood; her face the epitome of joy. The figure then stood before them, still featureless, as it had been when Jason saw her. Only now she was more pronounced, making it easy to tell that it was a woman. Both Jason and Phalmina could sense this... entity smiling at them, as though it was pleased.

"You have done well, to restore that which was stolen. Go and bring my teachings of love, peace and co-existence to the world," she bade them. The surrounding glow brightened and flashed, knocking them out and sending them back to the real world.

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Jason blinked and moaned groggily as he sat up, feeling like his back was kinked. He glanced over at the two women next to him, who were similarly stirring. Eva took in a deep breath as she rolled over to a kneeling position, while Phalmina shot to her feet in a burst of energy.

"Was that..." Eva asked out loud, letting the question hang.

"Yes! It was!" Phalmina replied, tears escaping her eyes.

"Mom? Are you going to be ok?" Amy asked as she embraced Eva. Elizabeth was not even a moment behind, pulling Eva to her.

"I believe so. I don't feel... like I'm out of control," Eva replied.

"She is restored to where she should be. If you need proof, here," Jason said, walking over to the orange tree, picking a ripe one from it. He then lobbed the fruit to Eva, who caught it easily.

"Concentrate and focus on it. When you are focused, imagine it growing right in your hand," Jason told her.

Eva then nodded and concentrated, closing her mind and picturing the fruit. The seeds inside growing, bursting from their casings and the stalks pushing out, the start of a new life. A gasp came from both women who stood with Eva, and she opened her eyes to what was happening.

In her hand, the orange had split open in several places, with the stalks of several seeds having pushed through the skin. Roots from the seeds had also broken through the bottom, slathering Eva's hand in its juice. She stared at this miracle in wide-eyed wonder, as she then looked back to Jason who was smiling.

"This is just the beginning, just wait until you..." he started before his head turned as he sensed someone coming from the entry point on the forest floor.

"Someone's coming! I can smell them!" Xaera growled as she made several gestures, her hands lighting up with golden yellow troll magic.

"So can we!" Daelina said as she, Emalia and Phalmina took flight, calling upon Gaia's magic to aid them.

Jason did the same things, imagining several things he could do to the assailant who dared trespass on this sacred ground. They didn't have to wait long, as the lone figure came through the entryway and stood in predawn light. It was a woman who stood there, but she was oddly dressed and glanced about in confusion. Jason then squinted at the woman before his face lit up in recognition of her.

"Sheena?!?"

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And that's chapter 13 everyone! Worry not, as chapter 14 will be forthcoming very soon, as soon as I get some sleep, lol! With so much happening now, expect every successive chapter to have more action and more things happening! With all of these new changes and unexpected new allies, things are about to get a lot more interesting for this Druid and his allies!

Anyways, thank you for taking the time to read my work and I do hope that you've enjoyed it! I'm open to constructive criticism and will seriously consider any suggestions made about various story arcs. Please feel free to rate and comment on my work down below. If you like what I write, don't be afraid to follow and share, though your views, ratings and comments are quite enough for me.

In the meantime, this is C.H. Darkstrider, signing off to grab a beer and some quality time with the wife! ;) You will attain whatever you most desire, as long as you believe in yourself. Cheers!