The Cursed Tree

Chapter 1: Elisia

In the midst of war, through the chaos and smoke, Corazon heard it—a cry. Faint, fragile, unmistakably that of a baby. The sound came from the tall grass not far from where she hid. Her breath caught in her throat, her instincts screaming to run toward it. But she couldn't move. Not yet.

Luceo's followers were everywhere.

They prowled the outskirts of the human settlement like vultures waiting for death. These creatures didn't come to destroy everything—no, they came with purpose. They sought the strong, the gifted, the brave. They would drag them into the Orces, the underworld never to be seen again.

The Arcana knew nothing of this.

Luceo's forces moved in silence, like whispers in the dark. They invaded human lands not to wage open war, but to take control from the shadows. Quietly, ruthlessly. And when some humans resisted—when they dared to fight back—the land ran red with blood.

Amid the screams, the clang of metal, and the cries of the dying, no one heard the baby.

But Corazon did.

With slow, careful steps, she moved through the smoke, shielding her presence as best she could. She found the child and quickly tucked the small, trembling body into a nearby horse stable. She was just about to close the wooden door when a shape loomed behind her.

A soldier of Luceo.

It had the form of a man, but bore the head and snarl of a wolf—hairless, fanged, with pure black eyes that glowed with hunger. It stepped toward her and growled, "What are you hiding in there?"

Corazon did not flinch. She shook her head slowly, then spoke with strained breath, "I just came out... I can hardly walk anymore. My legs... they've grown weak."

The creature's eyes dropped to her legs. It tilted its head, narrowing its gaze.

Silence.

Then, with a grunt and a nod that pierced through her, the beast turned away. Corazon let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

When Luceo's soldiers finished scouring the village, they left with those who had dared to fight. The screams had faded. All that remained were the sobs of the broken—those who could only watch as their homes turned to ash, their crops were burned, and their kin were left lifeless in the dirt.

As some of the villagers stood in stunned silence, grieving the wreckage, Corazon slipped away. She rushed back to the stable, heart pounding.

She opened the door.

There, nestled in straw and shadow, lay the baby—a girl.

Corazon bent closer. Her eyes widened. Across the infant's back, glowing faintly even in the dark, was a sigil—mysterious, ancient, unlike anything she had seen.

Questions flooded her mind, but she pushed them aside. This child was alive. That was enough.

She lifted the baby into her arms, held her close, and whispered, "Elisia. Your name is Elisia."

"Corazon! Corazon!", the voices of the villagers rang out in panic, echoing through the smoke-filled sky. Only a handful of them had survived the brutal attack from Luceo's followers.

When they saw her emerge, they stopped in shock—she was holding a baby.

"Whose child is that, Corazon?" asked Linda, her long-time neighbor, eyes wide with fear and suspicion.

"I... I don't know," Corazon replied, her voice still shaking. "I found her crying in the grasslands. I hid her in the horse stable before the soldiers of Luceo arrived."

Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Whispers grew louder, voices laced with uncertainty and fear.

One villager stepped forward. "Could she be the one who caused the withering of the Tree of Life? Is this why chaos has come upon us?"

Corazon narrowed her eyes. "How could a baby be responsible for all of these?"

"It's possible," someone replied grimly. "According to the Prophecy, a child would be born—one destined to become either the key to peace or the spark of destruction for Valemire, Arcana and Orcus. Maybe even the reason why the Orcus are taking people from our lands."

"And what makes you so sure that this child is the one?" Corazon asked. "If she doesn't grow up in the hands of Orcus, then perhaps—just perhaps—she could be the one who brings lasting peace to all of us."

She held the baby closer, as if shielding her from the rising tension.

"Orcus only fears what they cannot control," she added. "And a child raised with love and purpose? That is something to fear."

Corazon could feel the doubt radiating from the villagers. They didn't trust the baby—not because of who she was, but because no one knew who her parents were. To them, the unknown was dangerous.

The Prophecy, as told by the forest nymphs who held the ancient Book of Fates, foretold the birth of a child to parents of immense power—a child who would one day restore balance to the realms.

And because of that, the forces of Orcus had begun preparing their armies.

They feared this child.

And now, in Corazon's arms, the very child they feared might already be here.

"Mother? Motherrrr?", Elisia's voice rang through the small wooden house as she rushed inside, her call cutting sharply through the quiet. It also broke Corazon's deep reverie—a memory from years ago, the moment she had first lifted Elisia into her arms when she was just a newborn, swaddled and crying beneath the cursed sky.

"You don't have to shout like that, child," Corazon said with a sigh, her hands busy slicing vegetables at the table.

"Sorry, Mother," Elisia said, still catching her breath. "I just got really excited! I saw a forest fairy spinning around near the house earlier!"

Corazon stopped. The knife paused in her hand, the blade hovering over a half-cut carrot.

"A forest fairy?" she asked cautiously, her tone changing.

"Yes, Mother. The one that always follows me around," Elisia said with a cheerful smile.

Ever since Valemire had accepted Elisia into its fold, whispers of her birth had inevitably reached the ears of the ruling council of Arcana. Though they had knowledge of the child, they couldn't confirm whether she was truly the one foretold in the Prophecy—the child destined to either restore or shatter the fragile balance between the realms.

To protect that uncertainty—and her life—they decided to keep Elisia's existence hidden from all realms. She was placed in a secret dimension, away from the Arcana and the eyes of the world. Only a few knew the truth: the fairies and the nymphs, the watchers bound to the forest's will, and the High Chancellor himself—Adelio.

After the Orcus began interfering with Valemire, Adelio had ordered the forest fairies and nymphs to discreetly watch over the land of mortals, ensuring that the powerless would not continue to suffer from the grasp of dark forces.

"Was it Flora you saw?" Corazon asked, her voice softer now.

"Yes, Mother," Elisia replied. "She was telling me a story—something about insects that thought they could eat her. It was so funny, I couldn't stop laughing."

Corazon managed a small smile, though her heart remained heavy. The guardians were doing their tasks to keep Velimire safe but despite all these, Corazon knows that whatever Elisia's future is, it's coming near to them.