"It all began when a man named Olaf first stepped foot on the native soil of Czésta," Markus stated. "The island nation many people knew as the country of countless opportunities. The advancement of magic and technology had convinced this man that if he wished to succeed and create a life of happiness and prosperity, he would have to journey to Czésta."

"Many of his friends and family described him as a half-witted ox, a brute of a man whose intelligence was pitiful. His mother and father, the Siegfrieds, were very wealthy and owned a manor in northwestern Svítzland because of his father's success as a court physician. They bore only one son, who was abnormally large for his age, and decided that they shouldn't have any more children for the safety of the attenuated mother."

Silva knew that the word was another one for "weakened," which gave her a sense of concern about what the story would tell next. Was it going to foretell a sorrowful conclusion in the future of this man's life?

"The man grew larger than his parents at an adolescent age," Markus explained. "This pressured them into putting his size to use. They said they would register him into the military academy known as the Knight's Guard in Czésta. If he prospered in that academy, he could become a well-paid royal warrior of one of the kings of Svítzland. His father was well acquainted with the young King Heribert I, whose castle ruled over the province Fruchtbern which was where their manor was located. Because he was the court physician of Heribert I, Olaf's father was rewarded with wealth and status."

"But Olaf was too docile, too timid to be trained in basic combat," said Markus. "He instead loved to explore the world around him, finding things amongst the earth that were fascinating to the human eye. He loved nature and wildlife around him, which was the reason why he couldn't fight with the intent to kill."

"And so, when Olaf was sent by ship to the Knight's Guard, his meek and dimwitted nature caused his time at the academy to fail. Just two years after Olaf was enrolled in the academy, he had flunked all of his training lessons and classes, forced to leave alone and without any way of knowing how he would get by in a foreign country."

"He was forced to leave?" Silva blurted out, as she was very surprised by this. "Well, then why wasn't there a ship given by the Guard to take him back to his mother and father?"

"That is the unfortunate fate for young boys like my father," Markus told her calmly. "Boys who fail to become a warrior must leave the academy. They usually do not go far in their lives. Many of these boys live the rest of their lives as one of the poor or become criminals. The royal order does not give kindness to failures, especially ones who fail the Knight's Guard."

Silva didn't know what to think after hearing that. She knew that the Knight's Guard, run by the Czahun royal order, was very intense when it came to their military power. Day by day they seemed to keep training more and more young boys from all around Czahunlia, and for what purpose? There was no war to fight, and their army was fearsome enough.

"Olaf's mother and father had paid a hefty price to send him to the Guard," Markus continued. "So, Olaf was told in a letter that he would have to live by himself for about a year or two in Czésta. Perhaps this was an excuse not to bring him back to Svítzland, as his mother and father were incredibly egotistical and greedy, only caring about his earned expenses that would be sent to King Heribert. This would give them more wealth and more status for the king. Now they only thought of Olaf as a cursed child, whose stupidity made him a plague to his family and their wealth."

"And they left him in Czésta," Silva scoffed with disgust. "What kind of parents would do that to their own son? Even if he was dumb, that's no reason to just abandon him!"

"Silva," Markus said, but this time it sounded firm. "Your morality is justified, but it is hard to understand why this nation is the way it is. There is no right and wrong when it comes to gold. But please refrain from interrupting or else I might forget the whole story altogether."

Silva kept her mouth shut after that. Markus took a deep breath from all of his talking and continued with his parents' story.

"Olaf would soon prove to the world that he had talents. When he arrived in Edelbanks, the capital city of Vyngard, he decided to become an archaeologist. Of course, he did not know what an archaeologist was at the time, but his skills and interests related to what archaeology was. Many artifacts and treasures that were excavated from ruins and caves were done so by using magic, but Olaf's brute strength and his eye for nature was a perfect combination for an archaeologist."

"But of course, artifacts cannot be discovered without a person knowing about their origin and history," Markus explained, "And if they were genuine or artificial. The most important thing, however, was if they could sell for a good price."

"This persuaded Olaf to study many things, the history of Czahunlia and its races, the environment and wildlife of the lands, and the places of Czahunlia that were only known as ancient ruins now. He soon became a knowledgeable man, having succeeded in the expectations his parents had placed on him ever since he was born. These places would be where he could find the most valuable pieces of history."

"He first had to become a traveler, who searched for valuable artifacts and natural treasures like gemstones. Yet, his adventures were not easy. Many days Olaf had little money, at times having to survive off killing the wild to quench his hunger. It was a belief he had first loathed, but his acceptance of it was what kept him alive."

"He traveled for years to many places around Czahunlia, sneaking onto cargo ships to get around the sea, wandering around the foreign land for something of value. Six years later, Olaf was twenty-two, finding artifacts in the mountains of the dwarves, the forests of Mŷstrus and Léska, the ruins of various abandoned monasteries and castles in Alagonia and Svítzland, and several other places in Czahunlia that have been long forgotten."

"But above anything else, there was a place that surpassed all the ones he discovered before. It was a caved-in palace that was buried underneath the Strazené Mountains in northeast Bruscheton. When Olaf came upon a secreted mountainside, a large oak door stood as the entrance to the palace. Inscribed on the door were various runic letters and symbols that Olaf found to be the ancient language of the Huns, the ancestors of the Czahunlian people. Olaf was not able to translate the runes, but to his surprise, they were announced to him in a deep, condescending voice that he could understand.

"Only descendants of the king of Hunland may enter, it proclaimed. And only they will be rewarded for their ambition. Place your hand on the door if you are worthy."

"The king of Hunland?" Silva asked, remembering that she was supposed to stay quiet. "Is that supposed to represent the king of Czahunlia? Does that mean that your father was a descendant of the royal family?"

Markus was about to reprimand her for interrupting his story again, but instead sat in deep thought about it. Had he pondered this as well in the past?

"My father quarreled with himself many times over this, but it was too impracticable for it to be true," he answered. "His parents originated from Svítzland and had no relations to the Czahun royal family at all. Besides, the history of these people is kept secret exclusively for the royal family, so he could have no way of finding out the truth."

"However," Markus said with a smile on his face, "Once he placed his hand on that door, it slowly opened, and Olaf was able to enter the palace. As he crept down the dark passageway of the cavern, Olaf soon found a light in the distance, starting to walk towards it."

"He described the passageway as a hall of the dead, with coffins stacked inside the walls and the air silent and rotten. That had all changed after Olaf had finally reached the light, and the atmosphere was entirely different from before. With one glimpse, he realized that he was beholding a marvel beyond any discovery he made before."

"There was the palace of the Huns, with pillars of glistening quartz that ascended several stories up until they reached the palace ceiling. The floors were not cavern rock, but polished stone, the walls looking the same too. It had the very feel of an underground palace of kings. Olaf could not see much, as it was still dark beside one light, so he used one of his matches to light a torch on the palace wall. He then began to uncover all sorts of rooms and areas the palace had to offer."

"He first found an arena for battles, with pillars enclosing the area where selected champions would fight each other. There were slabs of stone around the arena for the audience, and a seat in the center, made of black quartz for the king. Beyond the arena, Olaf discovered a bathhouse, with water flowing from the mouth of a stone statue. It symbolized an old man with a long beard, a wizard hat, and a large staff. Olaf assumed the bath was for the king and his descendants only."

"To the right of the bathroom, Olaf found an extended hallway with bookshelves on every corner, acknowledging it to be the archives of the history of the Huns. Unfortunately, Olaf could not transcribe any of the books because of how ruined they'd become, and the pages were full of language he did not know. He had placed some of these books in his bag anyway in case he could eventually learn to read them."

"After the archives lay the rooms of the king and queen, as well as for their children. These rooms held treasures inside that Olaf thought to be quite valuable. One, in particular, was in the king and queen's room, and it was a golden bracteate situated above the bed. On the bracteate was an image of a warrior riding a horse with two ravens flying beside him, and the warrior had his sword raised to a raging beast. Olaf described it as a wolf with human-like arms and legs."

"Olaf took this bracteate as well as some other treasures, and his last destination was the lone light that stood in the center of the palace hall. When he reached the center of the hall, he found a grand oak tree with branches and leaves that extended out to the ceiling of the palace. To Olaf, it was the greatest sight of the entire palace."

"With one more glance, he noticed the source of the light. It had come from a sword enriched in gold, with a hilt that gleamed brightly in the dark palace. There also lay a peridot gemstone in the center of the hilt. The sword was stuck in the great oak tree, with the hilt slanted up for Olaf to grab it."

"Perhaps he had taken the runes on the door too seriously, but Olaf's ambition and greed could not be controlled. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and began to pull it out of the tree, hoping that this sword would be of even greater value than anything else he had taken in the palace. But as he did so, he heard a thunderous voice call out to him, and it had come from the oak tree itself."

"Who has dared to defile the sacred ground? The tree declared, and Olaf was taken aback. He could not begin to fathom how this tree was talking to him, let alone it being within the underground palace. You have interrupted the sleep of Mlad'at, the Guardian Tree. State your presence in the palace of Hun or face the wrath of the Guardian."

"I mean not to defile this hall of marvels, O' great and wondrous tree, Olaf responded, his tone sounding respectful towards this unnatural entity before him. I only wish to rest my eyes upon the halls of my ancient ancestors that I have heard about in the legends of the world above. It was a definite lie, but Olaf hoped the tree would believe him since he had passed the rules on the entrance runes and was said to be a descendant of the Huns."

"Yes, the runes never lie, Mlad'at responded, but if you are only here to gaze upon the palace, then why did I feel your hand grasping onto the sword bestowed to me from the Furious One himself? Only descendants of Hun who are worthy to take the sword can pull it from my roots. But you, you are not worthy of this reward."

"Surely, I am not worthy of a gift such as this, Olaf said to the tree in return. But there must be some gift that will suffice my yearning ambition as a proud descendant of the Hun. Doing so would surely please me enough to leave this sacred palace and never speak about its whereabouts to anyone else."

"That would be wise, Mlad'at had announced, who wished for the palace to remain forgotten. Very well then, I will grant you a gift from the Guardian Tree. This gift will be fit for your desires, so do with it as you wish hereafter. Place your hand on my trunk, and I will bestow you a gift from the gods."

"Olaf did as Mlad'at had told him, and within a couple of minutes, he felt something surging inside of him, taking over his entire body. The Guardian Tree told him to chant the words země jsem já (Of earth I am), and soon Olaf discovered that he harnessed the power of Earth magic inside of him now."

"You wish to be a successful archaeologist, do you not? Mlad'at said to him. Then I believe that this gift will suit your desires perfectly. Now leave this place and never return, Olaf Siegfried."

"I am ever so grateful for this gift, O' Guardian Tree, Olaf replied in full gratitude. He had now been given magic by this tree and could do so many things with it in the future. It was a gift that was greater than any of the other treasures he had found, especially in a world like Czahunlia. I will take my leave now and never return, as you wish. Farewell, Mlad'at of many wonders and marvels."

"You flatter me too much, said the Guardian Tree. Well, I have not received much of that for a long time. Farewell, then, Olaf Siegfried. But before you leave, heed my warning, as this gift that I have given you will come with a consequence if you do not use it wisely. For offspring that you conceive, born a son brings good fortune, born a daughter brings misfortune. This is the curse of the Huns that the descendant must bear for the sins of their ancestors. Take this warning to heart, for if you do not follow it, misfortune will come upon you."

"And so, Olaf exited the underground palace of Hun with the treasures he had lied to the tree about and the earth magic bestowed on him. With that magic, he could become someone wealthier than his parents, wanting them to feel ashamed for abandoning him. If they had found out about his success and begged for him to return, he would snivel at their hypocrisy and refuse. That idea was what corrupted Olaf Siegfried after he had found and left the palace of the Huns."

"Wow," Silva could only say, as she was left speechless at Markus's description of Olaf and this Guardian Tree. "So that was how you got your earth magic, I suppose. I just didn't think it would happen like that. It doesn't seem real at all."

None of it did. A palace underground with dozens of treasures and riches, an arena of stone, a bathhouse, and a throne room for the king and queen. Most of all, there was a talking oak tree in the center of this palace that had the power to give a mortal magic. How was that possible?

But Markus's magic was real. What Silva didn't understand was how he could believe such a tale, it being the reason he was born an elemental magic-user. How did all of this relate to Markus and his parents, and also his sister Andreja?

As if he had read her mind, Markus cleared his throat and smiled at Silva. This time, it looked like a smile full of sadness.

"Olaf continued with his archeologist work for many more years," Markus continued where he left off. "Before he knew it, the king of Edelbanks heard about his artifacts and became interested in them. He then asked for the bracteate Olaf found to be a decoration in his castle. In return, he would grant Olaf noble status, and would grant him riches if Olaf kept supplying the kingdom with similar artifacts."

"Soon, Olaf became a very wealthy noble much like his parents. He later fell in love with a woman he met at a ceremony in Edelbanks, which celebrated his coronation into royalty. Her name was Matylda, and she was as beautiful as a golden sunflower in the summer."

"They later married and lived for a couple of years in Olaf's artifact shop. When they had enough money, they decided to relocate to a secluded manor in the farmlands, which was open for sale at the time. They took great care in their home, the most special part being their garden that they both loved dearly."

"With Matylda's love of botany and Olaf's earth magic, they soon created an elegant and tranquil garden. They soon gave birth to me several years later, so that I could enjoy the garden as their son. Two years after that, my mother gave birth to a daughter, naming her Andreja."

Then Silva remembered what Markus had said before, about what Mlad'at had warned Olaf after he had been given his earth magic.

They gave birth to a daughter, and the tree said that a daughter would bring misfortune. So...that misfortune was...

"Olaf had forgotten about the Guardian Tree's warning. Thus, he and Matylda were given a curse when I was thirteen and Andreja was eleven. For stealing the sacred treasures of the palace and ignoring the tree's warnings, Olaf and Matylda developed a 'stone sickness' that first paralyzed the limbs."

"This sickness seemed to be caused by Olaf and Matylda possessing Earth mana inside of them, and Olaf could not control his Earth magic anymore. It had taken over his and Matylda's entire body and paralyzed them, and they had suffered this disease for about a year until the sickness had reached their brain. They could not move any longer, both dying of a stroke soon after."

Silva took a second to realize that tears were coming out of her eyes.

Yet, she didn't know that asking Markus for this story would cause so much sadness for her inside. Silva finally realized why Markus had moved to Czésta City at an early age, and why Andreja had moved to Mara when she was older. They were both affected by the death of their parents, not wanting to stay in the house for much longer, as it would remind them of what they had lost.

She finally realized why Markus had acted the way he did, and why he felt sympathy for Silva and her mother's cruel fate. Silva reminded Markus of his younger self, who had been stripped of care from his parents and forced to grow up as an adult suddenly and sorrowfully.

Silva knew that they were different still, as she was just a baby when her mother died, so she had no memories to mourn. Markus, on the other hand, had spent sixteen years with his mother and father in their manor. When they'd died, he must've suffered from those painful memories of his childhood with them. So, in a way, he had suffered a lot more than Silva did.

And there were so many times that I yelled and screamed at him, Silva remembered, telling him that he could never understand my situation and he could never understand what I was feeling inside. But all this time, he did understand, because he had the same kind of life when he was my age.

Silva looked at Markus again, seeing a face without that painful smile. Now he looked empty as stone.

Markus didn't say anything for some time. All he did was look down at the floor and the red carpet lying on it. Then, he looked back up, and Silva was still staring at his emotionless face.

"I'm going out for a bit," he said to her silently, "To clear my head, that's all. Get some rest now, Silva."

He got up from his position in the chair, slowly trotting towards the back door, calling out to Emilie before he left. Silva was wondering if Emilie had heard anything about the story, but she still had the same pleasant look on her face that was occupied with making dinner.

"Don't be out too long, dear," her voice echoed out while Markus had almost closed the door. "I'm almost finished with supper here."

Markus nodded and left the manor, and Silva lay resting on the couch on her side, with many thoughts circling her head.

The old man said that he didn't tell anyone else of this story, which makes sense since it is such a painful one to tell, Silva said to herself. But they deserve to know this, and also why he's always been away for so long. There's still so much that I don't know, but I do know more than them and that does not settle with me right.

Engrossed in thought, Silva wasn't getting any sleep at all. Now the sun was setting, and her side still ached.

I need some sleep, Silva thought. I need some sleep or else I'll feel terrible when I wake up again. I need to deal with this pain and think about something pleasant before I fall asleep. Think of something, Silva.

It was hard to think of anything, let alone something that made her feel happy. Silva experienced memory after memory, with each one as unpleasant as the next. First, it was the dream of her burning down the forest, then it was the dream she had of her mother being eaten alive. After that, she sat in the chair where Markus was sitting before, but instead of Silva lying on the couch, it was Markus's mother instead.

She lay there in a yellow dress, her face expressionless, and the rest of her body pale and immobile. No tears or sad smiles were there, which Silva imagined a dying mother would have in her final moment. She noticed the little girl beside Matylda, representing Andreja, sobbing, and telling Matylda that she'll be all right. There was another figure standing above the mother, a doctor. His face was full of hopelessness as if he knew there was nothing more he could do to try and save Matylda.

Do something! Silva said to the doctor, realizing that she had said this not long before. Do something, anything to help her! I don't want to see her die!

The doctor did not respond, only standing there with his clipboard, as if he were recording Matylda's death like she was an experiment. Then, Silva turned back to Matylda, walked up to her, and touched her hand which looked so sickly white.

Crying with Andreja, Silva saw that Matylda's eyes were filled with emotion this time. She gave them one final smile with all her strength left until she felt completely cold. Then the memory faded to nothingness.

What...is...this? Silva asked, as her voice was shaking from witnessing Matylda's death. Who...did this...to them...who...would do...such a terrible thing...?

Then, as she had finally remembered the answer to this, a voice relating to this entity called out to her.

Greetings Silva Dreida of Ilasloyka, the voice proclaimed. It is an honor to introduce myself as Mlad'at, the Guardian Tree of Hunland and the Furious One. You have already come to know about me from Markus Siegfried's story, I assume, so that saves me the trouble of a long and tedious introduction. I have come to present a gift to you as a descendant of the Huns, and you may find it very useful for your own desires. Follow my voice and that will lead you to me. I await your humble arrival.

She awoke from her slumber to find herself out of breath. Taking a couple of deep ones before she was calm again, Silva began to piece the fragments of her dream together.

Silva looked out the window of the manor, noticing that it was the middle of the night. The radiance from the moon reflected from the window, which was silhouetted on Silva. The manor was silent, and Silva assumed that everyone had already eaten and gone to bed by now. She had gotten the rest that she had hoped for, but it had come atthe cost of bringing up those memories.

What I had heard wasn't just in my head, she realized. That was the voice of that talking tree in Markus's story. It was calling for me.

Silva could still hear the voice of Mlad'at in her head, just as the tree had said. She knew that she couldn't ignore it. The tree must have placed that memory of Matylda inside of her head to remind Silva of the situation. If she ignored it, it would keep eating away at her fragile mind forever.

That tree is evil, she thought, for showing me that terrible dream and putting Markus's parents in that state. I don't care if it had a reason for doing so, there's no real gain one can get for doing these things.

Silva got up from the couch, and her side wasn't hurting as much as it did before. It must have been from Emilie taking such good care of her bruise as she always did. Silva didn't want to think that the tree had also magically made her feel better for this moment, but those thoughts didn't go away so easily.

It seems like the type to do anything to get what it wants, she thought. No matter how bad those things are. I don't know what I'm about to get into, but I have to be strong to face this evil. I have to be strong.

Following the voice of the Guardian Tree, Silva rushed to the back door, put her brown-soled boots on, and opened the door ever so quietly to not awaken anyone sleeping peacefully upstairs. She felt the night wind breezing between her ears and brushing past her hair. It was better, she thought, to come at this head-on than to leave it be for some time, and that was exactly what she was going to do.

Silva picked up her feet and ran as fast as she could across the plains. Above her was the moon, which almost looked like it was staring right at her with a smile on its face.