The Divide is a more common name for The Great Dividing War. The scholars speak of it as the bloodiest, most gruesome, and most life-changing war to ever befall the world. It was a war which occured a thousand years prior to The War of the Fallen, and there weren't many alive today that dared to speak of the events that occurred during that bloody war that split the world apart and made it what it is today. Alana often counted herself lucky that she hadn't, but the tales she heard from her father were gruesome enough, considering King Alonzo was only a small child when it happened.

The God Mikaelis wreaked havoc on the then named Osoa, and burned more than half the continent to the ground. There was still traces of his destruction, one being The Old Forest. The Old Forest never recovered, and evil spread. Even the protectors of that forest, the Druids, became dark unforgiving creatures.

Alana stares toward the entrance into Laanfier, only half keeping an eye on the festivities happening around them.

"We leave tonight. If you do happen to change your mind, then I will leave Laanfier and that will be the end of it" Vivian begins. "However, if you do not follow through, then Arraila will fall to ruin, and this time, Mikaelis truly will burn us all"

:::

Jakob's heart was beating so fast he feared it would jump out of his chest. He glances behind the carriage, immediately regretting doing so as he saw just how close some of them were. He grabs his other dagger, but his gut sinks as he realizes he won't be able to fight these things off with just a single dagger. His other one he threw away along with the body of the child-like druid. He looks towards the sky, closing his eyes for a moment as he heard the growls and shrieks of the dark druids becoming closer and closer.

'I pray now to Laraiya, Goddess of Fire and Battle, to aid me in this fight'

Jakob didn't know if his prayer would work, but he at least had to try. His kingdom didn't usually pray to her unless they were battling another kingdom, and Jakob figured this counted as a battle even though it was 1 against at least 20 druids. Jakob closes his eyes, just for a few seconds, and he opens them again only to find more Druids in front of him.

These Druids did not give off the same vibe as the ones chasing him did. He noticed that the clothes they wore were the same, though the colours were vibrant and fresh. Jakob felt safe, because he realized that these Druids were the good ones from the legends before The Divide.

He heard one of the older Druids shout something in an ancient language he didn't recognize, and the Druids clashed with the Dark Druids. Not wanting to be caught in the crossfire, Jakob jumped off the side of the carriage. With his dagger held tightly in his right hand, he slashed at the Dark Druids, their dark blood spraying all over his clothes.

He knew he'd definitely have to burn these clothes sooner or later. He cringed at the smell, but kept fighting. He was running out of breath far quicker than everyone else as he was not trained enough for this kind of fight. He continued to push through the tiredness of a seemingly endless battle, right up until he was injured. One of the Dark Druids had sunk their knife deep into his leg. Jakob cried out in pain, cursing the Dark Druid, though that wasn't the worst of it.

That same Dark Druid clawed at him, and managed to tear the front of his shirt. Jakob stumbled backwards against a tall tree, and was prepared to take another blow...but nothing else happened. The Dark Druid was yanked away and slaughtered by a Druid.

Jakob's vision was fading fast, and though he tried to keep himself upright, he failed miserably. All he saw before he completely blacked was a young looking Druid male run to him, shouting out his name.

'How did he—' was Jakob's final thought before he blacked out completely.

:::

Jakob awoke several hours later in an unfamiliar place. The smell was fresh, and reminded Jakob of the forestry back home in Thalaree. The second thing he noticed was the flowers and the greenery that surrounded him, and the fact that he seemed to be laying on a bed made from those very flowers amongst other, soft flora gathered from the forest floor. Finally, the Druid male leaning over him, worry present in his dark forest green orbs, made him suddenly aware he wasn't alone.

Jakob blinked his eyes into focus, shuffling back on the handmade bed. "Where—where am I?"

"You are in my home, Jakob Rein" The Druid smiles, "and we have been expecting you for a while"

"Who's we?"

"Us; the Druids. You are heading for the Tandour Outskirts, yes? We are going to aid you in getting there" The Druid males voice was soft and pleasant to the ear, though considering the events that transpired earlier, Jakob was rightly cautious.

"What is your name?"

The Druid male smiles. "My name is Rhun. I am a healer, and son of the only surviving Elder Druid Dekhir"

With shaky arms, Jakob pulls himself up into a sitting position. "Dekhir the Druid of legend?"

Rhun nods, a frown on his delicate face. Jakob finds himself staring a little too intently at Rhun, his heart skipping a beat or two.

"My father is gravely ill. His being is so tied to this forest, and as it dies, so does he"

"Then shouldn't your father already be dead? This old forest died a long time ago-" "Parts of it still live, Jakob Rein" Rhun cuts in, "though it is not much, it is what keeps my father living"

Jakob sits on that thought for a long while, his mind replaying all the stories he'd heard about the legendary druid Dekhir, Saviour of the Old Forest. His mind then wandered to what Rhun had mentioned about parts of the forest still living.

"Where are we now?" Jakob murmured.

"We are on the edge of the forest, in the part that's still living. I decided to take you here to make it easier for you to exit the forest without running into those terrifying creatures"

Jakob nods, stretching his muscles and wincing when he hears his bones cracking. He'd obviously been out for a while, because his entire body ached. His eyes wander back to Rhun who was wandering around the small bedroom like space. The room was decorated similarly to the bed he was laid upon, with flowers of every variety and color, and vines hanging from the ceiling. There was a natural glow to the room, and Jakob noticed there was only one singular window to his right, and from what e remembered the surrounding forest was dense and dark.

Jakob was still wary, watching Rhun's every move. The boy was dressed in a way that seemed feminine, though he distantly remembered reading somewhere that Druid's don't particularly care about the difference between what is feminine and what is masculine. Rhun had on a flower crown that mimicked the shape of a crown worn by a royal in one of the kingdoms, and wore a comfortable long dress made of dried reddish-brown leaves. Jakob remembered that the men wore dresses about the home, as did the women. They were seen as casual wear, like wearing sleepwear around the house as Jakob did back home. Rhun's eyes were a deep brown color, and the greenery around him made the boys eyes stand out that much more.

There was a rustling in the background, and another druid entered the room not 5 seconds later. Rhun's eyes lit up, and Jakob wondered if perhaps Rhun had a lover he failed to mention. Upon closer inspection, this other Druid looked almost identical to Rhun. Maybe a twin?

"Jakob, this is my younger sister Elira"

"Only by 2 minutes" Eliragiggled, then turned to Jakob.

The way she walked made it seem like she was floating,and her dress was made of fresh leaves and had pink and orange flowers woven into it. She inspected him, as if checking for injuries. It was then that Jakob looked down, and for a moment he was embarrassed that he was shirtless, but suddenly noticed that the wounds on his chest were gone.

"You healed him well Rhun" Elira hummed, "Father would be proud"

"He is not healed completely. The dark druid's poison is still flowing through him. I need to neutralize it before he could even begin to hope of leaving"

Jakob inwardly groaned, knowing this would add possibly a few days to his originally short trip. Jakob then tried to shift into a sitting position, though that proved futile as a searing pain made him fall back onto the bed with a shout. Rhun hurried over with a clay cup in his hand filled with a deep green liquid.

"Here, drink" Rhun ushered him.

Though still wary of Rhun, Jakob drank the liquid anyway. It was surprisingly sweet and a little tangy. The pain slowly started leaving him, and in a few moments he was out again. Rhun and Elira spoke quietly for a few moments as Jakob fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.