The Martial Unity

What if the barriers between them disappeared entirely?

They would be able to wield the power of East Genora as if they were a singular entity. It would be a being of a whole new dimension of power.

“I am a fool,” Mother Maeria realized. “I had alienated others because they couldn’t feel the Fear, and I had allowed myself to be alienated by them. My fear blinded me to something that is so elementary for more than a century…!”

Her elderly eyes flared with power.

“We must become one!”

RUMBLE!!!

The world shook as the mighty Mother of Nature mobilized the tremendous power of her true body, unleashing across East Genora and into the East Genoran Flora Network.

RUMBLE!!!!!

Rui marveled at the astronomical amount of power that she was able to mobilize by her lonesome, shifting the very tectonic plates that underlied all of Genora with enormous might.

RUMBLE!!!!!!!

The world shook as Mother Maeria entered a state of euphoric enthusiasm unlike anything she had experienced since she felt the Fear. East Genora shook as Mother Maeria mobilized her power mind and power, spreading it across the continent.

It was hardly gone unnoticed.

’Elder sister?!’

’What are you doing?!’

’Are you finally joining us?’

“I will be doing more than just that,” Mother Maeria remarked. “I wasn’t lying when I said that you ladies need to experience the consequences of your own actions, but it appears that I have as much of a lesson to learn.”

’What?!’

The world continued shaking as the mighty tree continued mobilizing a tremendous amount of power.

“What…” Rui hesitated. “What are you trying to do?”

“What else?” Mother Maeria’s tone was one of determination. “I am trying to reach this so-called Transcendence that you have informed me about. If it truly exists, then I will achieve it!”

Her eyes sharpened fiercely.

“I will achieve absolute oneness!”

RUMBLE!!!!!!!

The world shook as she took the power that she had mobilized, trying to spread it far and wide along with her own mind and soul.

“Hear me, sisters!” she reached out to each and every Mother of Nature in East Genora. “Let us resonate with our minds and souls! Let us reach oneness together!”

To say that the Mothers of Nature were baffled was an understatement. Mother Maeria had grown increasingly aloof and distant from the rest of East Genora for more than a century now. She had once spoken indecipherable and incoherent nonsense about fear, which had caused a fissure to develop between herself and the rest of her sisters, who began wondering if Mothers of Nature could go senile.

This fissure had impeded them from developing the kind of collectivism and kinship that they would need to bind their power together to become one.

Mother Maeria’s eyes widened as a stunning realization dawned on her.

“It was a test…”

Her tone was reduced to a whisper.

“The Fear was a test!”

It was a test for the elves.

To see whether it brought them together or tore them apart.

The strongest Mother of Nature was bound to eventually sense the Fear once she grew strong enough. Resonating with her sisters would have exposed her to the soul-freezing terror of Fear.

If her bonds with her sisters were weak enough, then she would be torn apart from her sisters rather than growing more one with them.

If her courage was not strong enough, then she would never resonate with her sisters in fear of sensing the Fear once more.

Only a woman with both courage and kinship would be able to pass this test to a higher dimension of power.

“I almost failed…” Mother Maeria realized. “I almost failed because of my shortcomings…”

She turned towards Rui with an expression of gratitude.

“I am indebted to you, Rui. I would not have come to this simple realization if it weren’t for you. You have my gratitude.”

Rui shook his head.

“I’m the one who is indebted to you. I’m just paying back the debt I owe you for saving my life.”

RUMBLE!!!!!!!

The world shook as Mother Maeria closed her eyes, spreading her power and mind far and wide across East Genora. “It is time, sisters.”

Her eyes opened with determination.

“Let us resonate in nature together.”

Resonance of Nature was a state of overlap in the mind and soul of the Mothers of Nature. It allowed them to very superficially and very partially tap into the ideal of oneness for a limited amount of time.

It was ego and individuality that impeded a complete overlap.

No matter how close they were together, their egos and individuality impeded the process tremendously.

Mother Maeria closed her eyes.

“I must let go of my ego.”

Her tone deflated.

“I must let go of my individuality.”

Her expression grew serene.

“I must let go.”

A profound sense of harmony overtook her being as she began resonating with her sisters.

RUMBLE!!!!!!!

The world shook as the Mothers of Nature resonated deeper and deeper.

Deeper than they ever have before.

Mother Maeria tried letting go of her individuality and ego as she struggled to surrender herself in all of her entirety to nature.

It was not easy.

Mothers of Nature had pride, and a lot of earned pride.

They had become a deeper part of nature through the Singularity of Nature.

They were spiritual and political leaders to their elves, who worshipped them as goddesses. They bore a tremendous responsibility over the biosphere within Genora, and that prevented them from surrendering themselves to nature.

And yet, Mother Maeria made a remarkable amount of progress.

She chopped away at her ego.

She chopped away at her sense of individuality.

“I am of nature…” She whispered. “And to nature I will return.”

And that was when she felt it.

A bone-chilling fear.

A terror she had experienced only once in her entire life, one that left such a profound mark on her that it had altered the trajectory of her life.

“Fear…” she whispered. “This is Fear!”

RUMBLE!!!!!!!