Terrarium Adventure - Chapter 13

“Daisy!”

Just like a sun barely appearing after a gloomy cloud, I saw wet brown eyes. Despite me holding Daisy back, Daisy lifted her upper body.

The shoulder which I intended to assist looked so skinny that it would break at any time. Daisy looked at Elder and Mesquite once each who were in front of me with weak eyes. Then, she subtly laughed.

“You obtained good Driards… I really congratulate you.”

…How can you say such things while you were experiencing the pain of someone abandoning you?

Daisy’s words destroyed my emotions which I was trying to maintain. Daisy’s painful past which I looked into without her permission turned into a tear of pity.

If she met better druid or if she wasn’t a low rank or if she hadn’t met me or followed me to the orchard, her background wouldn’t be so pitiful.

“Not yet… I haven’t earned one yet. I can’t be congratulated by you.”

I gently held Daisy’s two hands wiping my tears on my cheeks with a confused face.

“I merely didn’t earn my luck. I told you. My luck is you. I don’t feel fine since I don’t have you.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about Mr. Druid…”

“I want you to be my Driard, Daisy. I will make you happy. As you became my luck, I will do my best to make you happy.”

I tightly hugged a flower which became a mess while I was away so I wouldn’t let go of it again.

Daisy smelled like sand dust while hugging her tightly.

Elder stood afar but he had sweet fragrance and Mesquite had a strong smoky smell when I stayed close to her.

Two Driards with vitality had their own fragrance, but Daisy who was also a Driard had no scent.

This perhaps was telling me that she was dying as a Driard so it made me feel miserable.

“Isn’t it better to run away now? I don’t see any possibility of winning.”

I heard a whisper from the man’s group that did such cruel things.

If Daisy becomes normal, I promised myself to do way more than what they did to Daisy.

“Dream…Dream….”

Daisy moved while she was being hugged. At that moment, I could tell that it wasn’t a dream.

I thought I held her tightly but she let my arms go at once. Then, she held my arms with both of her arms. She pressed my shoulder while jumping with wounded feet and missing shoes.

How is this power coming from this small body? My upper body was lowered and Daisy’s body was flying in contrast.

I heard a water balloon exploding sound. The surrounding land became wet as if there was rain.

“You… You…! Can’t escape here as well! Ahh!”

There was a shout and the sound of leather ripping. The ground shook and a big falling sound appeared. The force that oppressed my shoulder disappeared. I heard Daisy falling while disappearing from my vision. It was certain that Daisy got hit instead of me while the enemy aimed at me.

The view I saw after straightening my back was in great contrast to Elder’s sweet fragrance. The blood smell alerted me.

Numerous Driards and humans were tied up with a skew via numerous tree branches. In the end, Elder’s white flowers were filled with blood.

“What…. is going on….?”

I turned my body slowly like a rusty machine. Daisy had white smoke coming off her back and legs, and she fainted. Mesquite’s shield and Elder’s transparent defense layer also had the same smoke.

Mesquite’s gigantic lance was shooting towards the man who was surrounded by the flower. The man who had his chest penetrated dropped the pink flower in his hand and screamed loudly.

The dropped fruit made the floor wet with a thick liquid. White smoke appeared. It was the same thing from my Driards.

“Jay! Are you okay? The enemy’s Driards know how to create acid!” Mesquite raised her shield and asked me while stepping back.

“I’m…I’m okay. But…”

The light shot by Elder’s hand went to Mesquite and Daisy. However, the light approaching Daisy was reflected.

“It’s the end…”

Elder put his hand away and spoke calmly. There was no way. I was heartbroken looking at Daisy’s skin as her skin melted. I couldn’t touch her.

“Daisy is…Daisy is…”

I shouted at Elder to use a recovery skill right now. However, he shook his head as Daisy didn’t have a soul to accept recovery. Because I shouted, he shot a ray but the ray was reflected back.

“There is no way… You can’t just die after being sick all the time…”

“…I’m okay about being sick, Mr. Druid.”

Daisy’s shaking hand touched mine. Daisy’s voice was so small that I couldn’t hear it if I didn’t focus.

“I’m used to the pain… so I don’t feel any pain after some time.”

Daisy smiled brightly as usual. If there was no blood and dust covering her white face, I would misunderstand that she was just lying on a lodge bed the day we met.

That was how much Daisy’s face was shining from the beginning until the end. However, such a face was about to change like a candle that was about to dim.

“However, if Mr. Druid is hurt… I will be in pain. I don’t feel pain in my body… but it would hurt mentally. I’m happy that you are safe.”

I couldn’t move as my body was hardened, as if I were stuck inside ice. It was hard to breathe as well. The only two eyes which held onto Daisy’s slowly disappearing smile and endless tears were my only movements.

“I’m happy. I had a valuable master even for a short period… I thought it was a dream. However, I realize that I know I protected Mr. Druid… I realize that I’m in a very happy reality.”

Daisy’s thin hand fell like a loose-leaf as she had no energy left to lift her arm. I tried to put my arm down to hold her, but I missed.

“No…. Don’t die. Don’t close your eyes. Daisy.”

“Mr. Druid… you… said I’m lucky. I feel the same. You are my luck. Mr. Druid. … Also, you are my hope.”

Then, the silence came. Daisy couldn’t speak again. Closed eyelids hid Daisy’s beautiful eyes. It felt like the world ended.

Even if this place was inside the game world, it was my first time observing someone dying that I knew of.

Daisy was always friendly and had given me a lot of help. Without Daisy, I would be standing forever in an alley while hiding from people.

She became a bright light in an unknown world. I should have stayed longer with her. I should have gone on a walk instead of visiting the orchard. I was just so happy coming inside the game. It was pointless.

It felt like my heart was ripped apart so I hugged her with my arms and stayed quiet. As I was breathing, the air felt like a sharp object stabbing my lung.

A wild shout came out from deep inside my throat. I kept my body low until the sand dust from the ground pressed against my forehead. Elder’s fragrance came to my shoulder to comfort me. I didn’t want to think about anything right now.

At that moment.

“Jay! Jay! Lift your head up! Look at the front!”

I heard Mesquite’s urgent voice. My body didn’t move so Elder put out his long arm to wake me up. The sand on my forehead was blown away. A warm, white light penetrated my vision.

Daisy was shining white. Then, her small body turned smaller while she was surrounded by white light. As she became smaller, she became a very small ball. I couldn’t close my eyes due to such a surprising phenomenon.

Mesquite dropped her lance and shield on the ground. She gently pushed me while she was on her knees so that two free hands wouldn’t touch the ball.

“My master, Jay. There is a small hope from Daisy.”

The light ball came to me while guided by Mesquite. I gently received the ball with two hands. It felt as if my hands were shining.

“That’s how it is.”

Elder spoke to himself and held my hands which appeared powerless.

“The pure Driard born from a tree goes back to the tree if they die.”

The ball shrunk, but it became warmer.

“However, if the body combines with other species other than the tree, in rare cases, there is special energy carved inside the soul. That’s the reason why Daisy can stay here without returning to the tree.”

There was a shining golden fruit after the white light disappeared. I saw this fruit before at the orchard. The fruit Driards are born from. The fruit which Elder and Mesquite were before birth…

The peel broke and two golden leaves appeared. That made me hold my breath, “The special energy carved in Daisy’s soul is reincarnation. The seed ready to give rebirth is here.”

“My master, Jay. This is a little hope which has come to you.”

It felt like a small, young seed was saying hello to me.

My heart started beating fast. How did I give birth to other Driards? Can I do it here? Do I need to go back to the orchard?

“Jay, calm down. Take a breath. When a little tree meets you, do you want to show that you are out of breath?”

Mesquite’s pumpkin eye color gave me warmth. Elder’s hand full of light gently covered my eyes and nose. My breath came out all of sudden. I felt a bit dizzy.

“My master, Jay. Hurry and go get a dry pot. The place where we met for the first time. We need to go there to great a red and small flower.”

Mesquite gently lifted me up. Then, she lowered her back to remove the sand from my pants.

She destroyed my emotions which I was trying to maintain. Daisy’s painful past which I looked into without her permission turned into a tear of pity.

If she met better druid or if she wasn’t a low rank or if she hadn’t met me or followed me to the orchard, her background wouldn’t be so pitiful.

“Not yet… I haven’t earned one yet. I can’t be congratulated by you.”

I gently held Daisy’s two hands wiping my tears on my cheeks with a confused face.

“I merely didn’t earn my luck. I told you. My luck is you. I don’t feel fine since I don’t have you.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about Mr. Druid…”

“I want you to be my Driard, Daisy. I will make you happy. As you became my luck, I will do my best to make you happy.”

I tightly hugged a flower which became a mess while I was away so I wouldn’t let go of it again.

Daisy smelled like sand dust while hugging her tightly.