A Small Dive in History

Hello everyone!! Super long hold up my bad! I moved into university dorms and everything has been a hell hole of a mess to keep up. I still want to transition to another site so that'll take a lot of time.

But guess what? I finished Mokuren's design!! See the beginning of the next chapter for her design!!

*Mokuren's POV*

"*Incoherent*... Moku-"

The voice was muddy, trodding through deep water to reach me. Only as I come to my senses through the haze, did it became more clear.

"Mokuren-sama? Mokuren-sama!"

A sensation of spider webs sticks to my face as I open my eyes to a messy curtain muffling me.

"Pweh! Pweh!"

Spitting out and blowing the hair off my lips and face, I taste the slight hint of flowers left in my mouth. Ugh... did I oversleep? Still groggy, I look around and see an open notebook lying face down on my stomach.

"Oh right, the designs."

Today is the day. Grabbing the bark of the book, I flip through the pages, scribbled with crossed-out dresses, shoes woven through reinforced plant fiber… and the latest, the Naga lower sleeve. Small, root fiber for abrasive resistance, leaf and cotton fiber on the inside layer for comfortableness. But the design for it hmmm… a small hand emerges into my view trying to grab my attention.

"Mokuren-sama! Good morning! Do you want me to prepare some towels for your morning bath?"

Lilium… sparkling with pink particles and a shining smile to match, I find it amazing how she never seems tired and is always up early in the morning.

Papers crunch underneath my feet as I lift myself off my hammock… spread on the floor were papers and foiled up balls. I sprout a vine and pick them up, unfolding them to see more failed designs ripped out of frustration... I need a break.

"Thank you for waking me up Lilium, it's alright. I'll go bathe myself, want to come along? You cam call your other girl friends over too."

I allure her with the offer, it'll just be a bath in the spring for all of us girls… time for some relaxation, and they deserve it too. Lilium loops around in the air quickly holding her bright red face, drawing pink trails in the air.

"Oh no Mokuren-sama, that would be scandalous! It would be too unruly for us to see you bare!"

So naive hehe. Smoothing out my nightgown, I tread carefully across the floor, need to clean this up later.

"It's fine, just a bath~"

As I pull the hair caught on my horns, a thin film wafts down like falling leaves. Horn shedding… huh… is it almost time to shed my antlers and grow new ones already? I hope it doesn't get as winding and long as my mother's. Would be an absolute nightmare of a bad hair day.

Looking at myself, a mess waking up and staying up late… how far I am from presentable for today's "date" with Kyui. Walking out of my workshop, Lilium follows hesitantly by herself.

I follow the Magami Aura's inner sanctum stream from the small lake. The steady, quiet trickle of water accompanies me until I heard the soft pitter-patter of the small waterfall of our spring. It sits under the shade of trees, the light refracted off the spring surface in glimmering warmth.

The clothes on my body slip off and the roots that held them in place retract back into my spine. I flick my tail as I stretch bare, leaning back and my body free of confinement. I must admit, the little flower's got a point, it feels good.

I arch my back, letting the light bounce off my breasts casting a golden hue across my fair skin. Unlike most dryads, I don't have a green hue to my skin tone.

My hands gently squeeze my breasts together, silky smooth and round… we Dryads sure have it nice, no need for skincare or anything and our skin is flawless.

"Moku-Mokuren-Sama! I can see!!"

Lilium covers her face flustered as she turns around in a hurry. I walk over and gently pull on her tiny arms.

"Come on, nothing… too embarrassing to see, I'll lead you to the spring."

Leading her to the edge, the steamy water graces my feet with my first step in. The serene water ripples in waves as I enter, letting the spring wrap me in it's purifying warmth up to me chest.

Washing away my stress and waking me up, the clear sensation that sharpens your senses. In other words, it felt rejuvenating.

Plopping down on a small stone in the middle of the spring. I see Lilium carefully bathing herself on her own little island… averting her eyes from me as she notices me.

Leaning against the smooth stone bed and closing my eyes, I rest my head as the roots of my body gently brushes my hair… besides the awaiting date, have I anything else scheduled today?

"I believe you have a visitor, Emilia, coming over soon, keematee gahana (Hindu to English: precious jewel)."

With a near splash, my mother comes in, disturbing the peace of the spring as waves splash my face. Urgh!

"Pleh! Mother! Could you be more careful or at least change your size so you don't splash water everywhere?! You would think the Goddess of Nature could be more gentle and more becoming of her title."

Mother looks apologetically at me with a small giggle. Standing only knee-deep in water, I bear witness to the evansecent beauty of her round behind and bosom many ladies would only dream of having.

"Whoops sorry!"

If only her appearance matched her clumsy personality. Soon after, no longer awkwardly only knee-deep in water, she shrinks her size down from 10 ft (304.8 cm) to somewhat more manageable size. Again, the surface of the spring rests, and the nearby small waterfall's naturalistic melody is heard once again.

"How are the borders beyond the village looking?"

I ask her, her cradle of antlers brim with life and flowers and new buds blossom. Her arm emerges from the water, as water drip down her smooth arm as she makes a holding gesture.

"Peaceful as always, under my supervision, planet Aurora has become a haven for every animal and people alike. But there are always things we can improve upon and ourselves."

Wasting no time to praise herself… I let it go, it was good to see mother back to her spirits. The rising steam of the spring begins to mist as dew droplets form on our antlers, teetering on the brink falling.

Kyui and Sura are gonna train more now, Sura's developments are steady for now. But still, in some unnatural foreboding, she scares me... it seemed odd how cheerful and child like she is now, to the moment she lost control. That surge of power seemed way too familiar to that monster...

"Mother?"

Verdant energy emerges from her body as the energy of creation itself cradles a new life... a young small, golden bird, with a long tail sits on mother's finger. It tweets happily before flying off, a new addition to our biodiversity.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember the first time I met Asura?"

A splash of water, then silence… stunned at my sudden question, mother turns to me with a concerned raised eyebrow.

"Well… haha, when they first came to visit… you clung to me like a sapling hanging on dearly to be not blown out by the wind. You were so scared hehe."

She chuckles looking at me to which I cover my cheeks with one hand, to avoid visibly blushing. A sound of reminicent sighing escapes her mouth.

"But I too held fear, never before have I felt such an unnerving presence… you could feel their gaze almost crush your soul. But it was not unkind… just… intimidating."

I remember, from back then. Though not clearly, the overwhelming crushing atmosphere I never forgot.

"What was Asura like?"

"...awkwardly kind, they even knelt down to greet you as you hid behind me. They helped create this haven."

"Is that right…"

Hard to believe such a violent being was ever gentle... I cannot bring myself to see them as kind, not after all the bloodshed they caused upon this universe. But I also cannot the fact they helped in creating peace... peace through violence.

Stuck in my inner debate, was when I took notice of a presence knocking on the Magami Aura doors. Emelia!

I get up, rising out of the water. The wind brushed cooly against me as I dried off. What should I wear? Hmmm… maybe. Tapping myself, tight, green vines form fibers along my body revealing a tight, floral green dress with glowing emerald etchings.

"I'll be going, mother, thank you for sharing."

"Play safe, keematee."

I scoff at her remark, say that when you become more responsible like me, mother. Xata appears, sprouting from the ground as creaking branches intertwine to form their body.

"Mokuren-sama."

I smile and latch a vine onto Xata, with a bite, it pulls and I feel the force yank me into the air and with a thump, land on Xata's back. I grow some flowers, Magnolia, and place them on Xata's mane.

"Where's Blair? Still slumbering away hehe? To the entrance, feel free to go fast."

Xata's rib cage seems to shudder in hidden excitement as it bounds across the plains, the wind a flurry in my face. The door opens with the hum indicating its massive size, and outside stood a timid succubus in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Morning Emilia, come in."

Positioning her bag a bit, Emilia pumps up her shoulders to carry the heavy load. I exchange a nod with Xata, Emilia didn't even register when she finds herself flopped in the air... landing onto Xata's back behind me with her bag as Xata picked her up with extended branch

"Woah!"

I look to the side at Emilia with a understanding smile.

"Don't worry, just ask next time if you need help hehe."

Emilia shyly shakes her head in affirmation before staring at me awkwardly. She almost whispers trying to hide her stifled giggle.

"Your… hair… looks a bit messed up."

Ah, of course… I smooth out hair out before leading Xata back to my place, at a speed that doesn't make you look you came out of a hurricane. As we approach my workshop and library under the shade of the canopy, several fairies including Lilium hover over to help carry the bag from Emilia.

"Wah!!"

Even with several fairies they almost drop like a stone as they take the bag off Xata's bag. Emilia reaches out her hands in concern.

"I'm sorry! Just let me carry it, it's ok!! I do it all the time at school…"

Lilium forces a struggling smile on her face as she barely levitates the bag with her levitation magic.

"It's ok! I can handle this!:

She flexes her tiny fairy arms as proof, but I catch her muttering.

"What is in this?! It's heavier than 5 giant orders of food I served at the sushi restaurant one time."

I'll let her struggle a bit for amusement hehe. Setting out textbooks after textbook onto the bench beside my library, we sit on each end examining the pile between us.

"Chronicles of the Forgotten World, Part I."

Emilia announces with near dramatism as she picks up the book and shows it to me with glee in her eyes. I chuckle as he waves the book around like some mystical artifact.

"Chronicles? Really? Those things exaggerate the Forgotten World too much, nothing but tall tales formed from rough truths."

She waves her finger.

"Yes! But don't you find the stories in them fascinating?! They hold some merit… tales from the past, the culture, bits and pieces of what it's like back then."

Holding the book close to her chest, I could tell how much she loved it. I was a part of the Forgotten Era... but I only so young, a mere few years before the Age of Rebirth.

"Hehe, I understand."

She blushes and places the book lovingly back onto the pile.

"In all the books, there's always a mention of the legendary Asura and the Prometheus clan. With Goddess of War Durga and the old wars with all the gods."

Emilia looks down in curious wonderment. She isn't wrong, even the historical records I've dwelled into... many of them conflict on just who or what Asura was, even their origin is speculated. Emilia's small eyebrows scrunch cutely together as she continues.

"But it's odd, so many conflicting stories and sources of the legendary Asura... some of untold violence, some of them being a monster, some of them being a savior. But everything in the Forgotten Era seems to always point back to Asura, a pivotal driving force from a time long lost... I wonder just who... or what exactly they were."

An old, buried memory surfaces of censored blood and gore... as a kid, staring at the crythoscreen, watching on in horror at the pure desolation so many empires, cities, were left. Standing amongst the corpses... I remember when the shot zoomed in upon the destructor itself clade in molten fire.

"Even I don't know for sure... but for me, Emilia."

Even though I've found out those empires belonged to conquering tyrants and invading forces back in the old wars...

"The blood that was shed, all the genocidal violent deaths, I never saw Asura and the Prometheus clan in the same redeeming light my mother did. Is peace paved through violence really right?"

Silence falls for a bit... before Emilia softly adds.

"Everyone has a cause to fight for right? Perhaps... we couldn't imagine what they have gone through, what they thought was right. Perhaps they realized, there was no other way."

...that, I cannot deny. Trying to lighten the mood, Emilia quickly picks up another volume of Chronicles of the Forgotten Era and almost drops it.

"Wah!"

I couldn't help but laugh at her awkward attempt to help, but it worked.

"It's a guilty pleasure of mine on top of the formal study of World History. And speaking of which, we have this crazy new teacher! Calls herself One-Shot sensei, and she's a cyborg."

That's an odd name… a cyborg too, that's rare.

"One-Shot Sensei?"

"Yeah! She likes to drink right in front of us in class and seems rude… but I think she's cool."

Drinking in class?! What kind of example is this crude warmonger trying to set? Has our high school set its standards so low as to hire such misguided people? Emilia's eyes drift across the spanding shelves behind us.

"Nothing in the school's library has so much history as yours… how did you get these books? I've never seen them before."

"Most of them are my mother's, and many of them less so books but historical records."

Kept over the history of this universe… this place was once my mother's own library. Together, I and Emilia continued our coveted book meeting. I let her borrow some more books, I really hope she does well, it's hard to meet such a dedicated student nowadays.

"Well Mokuren-Sama, I have to go, my class is gonna start soon."

"Oh I know, I'm going there too after all for a special time today."

Emilia cheekily points at me.

"Your 'date' with Kyuu-san?"

Emilia giggles lightly. I get off the bench with a light hop in excitement.

"You bet! Now, would you like to see the dress I had in mind for the special occasion?"