Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle Chapter 1116: The Fairy Realm’s Plan

Axis twirled through the air, her wings fluttering with delight as she circled the greenhouse. She felt immense joy upon noticing the thumb-sized mana crystals taking shape along the margin of the pond.

"Fantastic! Incredible! I simply must share this wonderful news with Shane!"

Although the World Tree remained just a sapling at nearly three meters tall, and its influence was restricted to the sanctuary's perimeter, it provided undeniable proof. It was living, thriving, and manifesting miracles despite the absence of the Fairy Realm.

She let out a gentle laugh as she pivoted over the water.

"You are quite tiny, little one, but behold... you are already bestowing mana back upon this world."

The fairy zipped between the boughs of the World Tree, stroking the leaves with her fingertips as if coaxing it forward.

She understood that its reach was constrained.

The glass walls of the greenhouse confined its aura, forcing its power to remain solely within the Eclipse Domain for the time being.

It certainly had not reached the stature of a true World Tree yet; for now, it was merely a Shelter Tree.

However, Axis possessed the knowledge that the introduction of fauna would bring delight to the World Tree.

Life would envelop it, causing its aura to expand.

She envisioned the scene with clarity: goats grazing near the roots, hens pecking at the earth, and rabbits bounding through the verdant patches. Perhaps one day, birds would construct nests in its canopy, butterflies would flutter in the breeze, and the greenhouse would transform into a living sanctuary.

A giggle escaped Axis at the prospect, and her wings began to emit soft, glittering motes of light.

"Indeed... once Katrina brings them here, this space will teem with vitality. After that, little tree, you shall grow even more potent."

Clinging to this hope that warmed her spirit, she alighted near the pond to wait for Katrina’s return.

***

In the meantime, Katrina stood beyond the boundaries of the Eclipse Domain, observing the forest that sprawled before her.

Her goal was to reconnect with the wild, aiming to retrieve creatures that would harmonize with the World Tree. As it turned out, her summoning ability required more than just the expenditure of Spirit Points; there were several other conditions to meet.

She shut her eyes and finally activated her Survivor Skill.

"Appear..."

A soft radiance enveloped her, and the atmosphere shifted. A gray mist began to manifest in their immediate vicinity.

Then, a chill gust swept through her.

Before long, birds descended from the treetops, rabbits emerged timidly from the undergrowth, and squirrels skittered closer.

Squeak... Squeak...

Their gazes radiated pure curiosity.

Katrina smiled, finding that the cost in Spirit Points was far lower than anticipated.

"Accompany me," she murmured. "There is a location that requires your presence."

Attracted by the resonance of her summoner’s aura, the animals congregated around her.

With deliberate, soft steps, she guided them back toward the shelter and into the greenhouse.

***

Axis’s eyes widened to see Katrina arrive, trailed closely by the animals. The fairy clapped her hands, her wings buzzing with frenetic energy.

"You truly brought them!" she exclaimed, darting around the rabbits and squirrels. She could not stifle her laughter as the birds began to perch upon the branches of the World Tree.

The greenhouse seemed to spark with renewed brilliance. The presence of the animals infused the area with warmth and vitality. The leaves of the World Tree glowed with increased intensity, their aura pulsing in sync with the movements of the creatures.

Axis hovered beside Katrina, her tone vibrating with happiness. "Look! The tree is joyous! Can you perceive it? Its mana flow has already intensified..."

Katrina offered a nod.

While she lacked the ability to detect mana directly, she could certainly feel the refreshing aura wrapping around her like a gentle embrace.

***

From that day forward, the daily life of Axis underwent a transformation. She was no longer merely a solitary guard for the World Tree; she had become its caretaker, its companion, and the overseer of the life thriving around it.

Each morning, she fluttered through the greenhouse to monitor the animals and the vegetation surrounding the area.

Thanks to the mana saturating the environment around the World Tree, the animals did not even need to forage for sustenance.

At most, she would sprinkle mana dust upon the rabbits to maintain their health or sing to the birds to encourage them to keep nesting in the upper boughs.

She even teased the squirrels, chasing them playfully as they darted along the trunk.

Her most cherished responsibility involved tending to the pond.

The mana crystals developed gradually, glowing ever brighter beneath the water’s surface.

Axis would hover above them, humming a soft tune to encourage them to grow.

Though she knew her humming lacked any biological effect on their growth, she simply enjoyed the act.

Occasionally, she would retrieve one to admire its pristine quality under the light before carefully returning it to the water.

"You are becoming quite exquisite..."

She also engaged in daily conversation with the World Tree.

"You remain small, yet you possess strength. With these lively creatures, you shall never be lonely and will develop all the faster. Eventually, your roots will venture beyond this shelter, and your mana will touch the world outside."

In the quiet of the night, Axis would perch on a branch and contemplate the stars through the glass ceiling.

She was intimately aware of the perils lurking beyond the shelter walls. The Zombie Apocalypse raged on, and she could not simply depart without protection from Shane or guidance from the Elves.

In a world devoid of mana, stripped of the World Tree’s aura, she doubted she could endure for even an hour. Even hoarding mana crystals would only serve to postpone the inevitable—survival out there was essentially impossible.

Thus, she chose to dream. She imagined a distant future where mana permeated the earth, and the virus finally withered away into oblivion.

She pictured survivors moving freely beneath an open sky, no longer gripped by terror, illuminated by the radiance of the World Tree.

A smile played on her lips as she whispered, "I am convinced this was the Fairy Queen’s design from the very beginning."

Axis hovered over the surface of the pond, forced to contemplate her future responsibilities.

She felt a rising sense of apprehension. Even the mana crystals, usually a source of comfort, failed to soothe her; instead, they stirred an unsettling feeling within her.

Axis clenched her small fists.

She knew that the Queen, who purportedly detested humans with a burning passion, had bestowed the Elf Recruitment Stones upon Shane and granted him the pocket dimension holding a fragment of the Fairy Realm for a specific motive.

It was all too convenient—entirely too deliberate.

Narrowing her eyes, she turned toward the World Tree, a dark suspicion forming in her mind regarding what was to come.

She recalled the other World Trees Shane had cultivated: one here in the Eclipse Domain, and another within the Floating Fortress. The realization made her wings tremor with anxiety.

Axis’s breathing grew shallow.

Then, a more sinister realization took hold.

She hovered lower, burying her face in her hands.

Memories resurfaced of the Fairy Queen’s deep-seated hatred for humanity and her solemn vow to see them utterly eradicated.

Axis shuddered.

"Ugh... just what are you planning, my Queen?!" she cried out, her voice reverberating faintly through the greenhouse.

Her allegiance to Shane was genuine. He had provided her with a mission and a place to truly belong, and she remained faithfully by his side at this moment.

Yet, she was a fairy, bound by her innate nature, and the will of the Queen pressed heavily upon her heart.

Axis’s wings drooped.

The internal conflict felt unbearable, yet it refused to dissipate.

Pressing her palms against her temples, she murmured to herself.

"I do not know if I am capable of it... I do not know if I can betray him."

The leaves of the World Tree rustled softly, as if offering a reply.

Axis glanced upward, her eyes wide as she searched for some hidden meaning in the sound.

Was the tree offering comfort? A warning? Or was it merely signaling that its maturation was an unstoppable force of nature?

She remained hovering there, caught between divided loyalties—to Shane, the human mentor who had gifted her hope, and to the Fairy Queen, whose overarching plan might demand the total destruction of everything Shane had worked so hard to create.