The Wolf, The Lion, and The Dragon - (Vol.9)

Ch.9 A Tale Involving a Tree

3rd Pov

The sound of a page-turning is heard.

Narrator: "A door opened for Alyx at the Tree."

The door automatically opens. The Great Tree of the Ever After is shown, towering over the Jungle Acre.

Narrator: "Before she goes back home, the girl had a great many questions to ponder."

Then the Tree is later shown in a sketch from the storybook.

Narrator: "After all the lessons she learned, and the friends she'd made (the page turns) and lost."

Summer Rose is sitting on her chair, telling the story of "The Girl Who Fell Through the World" to a young Yang Xiao Long and Ruby Rose, who are fast asleep.

Summer: (narrating) "Who had she become? Would she still be the same Alyx when she went back home? The leaves of the tree rustled, and on the wind, Alyx heard one more question..."

Elsewhere in The Ever After, Ruby is seen, now petrified in wood.

Summer: (narrating) "What... are you?"

The two teams are going through the forest. Jaune and the girls are on Juniper, while Josh, Cyra, and Owen are on Raiden's bird form as he flies beside Jackalope.

Raiden: "We need to find her before she becomes something else!"

Weiss: "But she was taken by the Tree. We still have no idea how to get to it!"

Jaune: "I don't understand! Alyx, the Pleasers, now Ruby! What does this place want?"

The group keeps going, finally arriving at the flooded village. Pleasers' remains still float on the surface of the newly created lake. Strangely for them, the Tree is now closer to them, on the water just beyond the destroyed dam. Raiden lands and lets go of his teammates.

Jaune: "I don't understand... What did I do wrong?"

Weiss: "We can figure this out. There's got to be a way to get to the Tree."

???: "Hello there."

A small figure made of red crystals walks to the group, holding a basket.

???: "You appear upset. Would you be so kind as to tell me how I can help? Perhaps you are hungry?"

He offers some food from the basket, but Jaune declines.

Jaune: "(confused) Huh? (shaking his head) No, that's okay."

???: "If I can get you anything else, please don't hesitate to ask! That's what I'm here for!"

Owen and Raiden whisper to each other.

Owen: "Hey, Raiden, doesn't it reminds you of something?"

Raiden: "You mean Pleasers...so that means... Ruby.."

Jaune: "What? What are you?"

Red Genial Gem: "We are the Genial Gems, and we've arrived here to clean up this beautiful land and create something wonderful and pleasing."

Other Gems walk into the water, cleaning it from the debris left from the flood. Unlike their previous bodies, water can't hurt them now. Gems put their hands into the water, making a glowing light appear. Water rises in the air and dances a bit before finally transforming into a crystal structure. Tree leaves fly by as they look in awe.

Josh: "It's them... the Pleasers resurrected just like they said. Into something less... fragile."

Weiss: "It's just like they said. They came back from the Tree, better."