Life stretches out and expands.
And it grows without end.
At the heart of the Silva Empire, Dryandel was a forest, and at the same time, an empire.
Here, trees were the pillars that formed the city, its walls, and the ground upon which life was built.
At the center of Dryandel stood the Citadel of Life.
The citadel was formed from a colossal World Tree.
Its trunk soared as if to pierce the heavens, and its leaves mingled with the clouds.
Its roots spread deep into the earth, carrying Silva’s life force to every corner of the planet.
And at the very summit of that World Tree stood Drian’s throne.
The entrance to the citadel had been formed by two enormous tree trunks naturally entwining together.
That gate slowly opened and closed in rhythm with life.
And the walls were made of vines and trees, keeping out intruders while remaining in harmony with nature.
Here, nature and civilization were not separate; they coexisted within a single flow.
Dryandel was, in every sense, a living city.
A city stretching from the earth toward the sky.
With the citadel of the Silva Empire at its center, countless lives were newly born.
The citizens of Silva generally resembled trees more than humans.
And their bodies were covered in leaves.
The citizens of Silva did not merely move across the ground; they also traveled along aerial paths formed by interwoven branches.
Every day, they wandered from place to place along new roads.
“Ah, this path is finally complete!”
“Good. It’ll be much easier to get around now.”
Parts of the paths they walked were living, breathing branches.
It was as though the entire city moved like one living organism.
In Dryandel, there were no separate concepts such as machinery or urban planning.
Everything grew naturally, but that did not mean it spread without order.
Order and circulation existed among them as well, and whenever necessary, they could alter their own forms.
When light was needed, the trees naturally folded their leaves to create windows; when shelter was needed, the branches intertwined to make a cozy shade.
All of these things were born within the order of nature.
The citizens of the Silva Empire took the form of trees, but they were not beings that simply stood like trees.
They moved, spoke, and interacted with one another.
And they scattered new seeds once more, giving birth to new life.
At the center of the city lay the Spring of Life, rich with water and nutrients.
However, that water was not something they had made themselves.
The energy of water that had flowed in from somewhere had formed the spring.
And thanks to that, new sprouts emerged and new trees were born around this place every day.
In Silva, growth was regarded as a blessing.
For that reason, when newborn trees reached a certain stage of growth, they held a ceremony.
Each time, the surrounding trees celebrated and welcomed them together.
“Welcome to adulthood. Now you too will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.”
The birth of new life was the expansion of the Silva Empire itself.
They awakened naturally within nature and became members of the community.
They cared for one another, grew together, and made Silva an ever more abundant place.
Silva was like life itself, growing without cease.
Inside the citadel of Dryandel, located at the highest point in the Silva Empire, Drian sank into thought.
“Hmm. I want to show my children an even wider world.”
The citizens of Silva were still growing smoothly, but they had not expanded far from Dryandel.
Drian gazed toward the distant world and murmured to herself.
“We may stretch out even further. We have the right to do so. To make that happen, we must also strengthen ourselves. We need to raise soldiers and claim broader lands.”
She consumed the Life Cores in her possession and personally established barracks.
The barracks were formed from a vast thicket of thorn trees.
It was a structure created by naturally spreading vines and massive trunks intertwining with one another.
Silva’s barracks grew and changed shape every day, and new training areas were created as needed.
In addition, they were designed so that if an intruder approached from outside, the vines of the barracks would raise their thorns on their own and assume a defensive posture.
Interestingly, because the training grounds changed shape every day as well, the recruits fought mock battles in a new environment each time.
Here, the soldiers of the Silva Empire trained and were reborn as “Thorn Infantry.”
At the center of the barracks was a vast training ground.
Here, trees and vines became obstacles on their own, testing the recruits and inducing practical combat training.
The recruits learned tactics in which, when an enemy approached, they would hide like other trees, then suddenly swing their branches in a surprise attack.
And they did not only walk upon the ground; they moved along vines and swiftly traveled between tree branches.
The weapons used by the Thorn Infantry were enormous thorn vines.
They extended the vines to coil around enemies and fight.
The thorn vines, too, were living beings, and vines that had grown sturdy were stronger than steel.
“How reassuring.”
Drian smiled as she looked down at the Thorn Infantry in training.
“I am glad my children are growing well, just as I wished. All of you were born from this Core of Life. My empire, my citadel, and even I myself. That is why we must not waste this opportunity of life.”
Meanwhile, at the center of Dryandel, countless enormous trees covered the sky, and within them, two great trees were engaged in deep conversation.
“We must grow southward. The south is warmer.”
“No, we should grow eastward. We can receive more sunlight from the east!”
They were in the middle of a heated debate over the difference between sunlight and temperature.
Each insisted that their own location was superior and refused to yield an inch.
“You know nothing. Since the south is warm, of course growth is faster there!”
“I’m telling you, that’s not it! The sun rises in the east! That means we can receive more energy from the morning onward!”
Their argument grew increasingly intense.
The small shrubs nearby also began watching with interest at their noisy voices.
“Are those two at it again?”
“Last time, they were fighting over whether wind or rain was better.”
Between the two trees, emotions gradually ran high.
“Hey, if you like the south so much, then get lost and go south! This is the east!”
“Where I put down my roots is up to me!”
They suddenly swung their branches.
The two trees began grappling, lashing their branches at one another.
The surrounding trees and vines murmured as they watched.
“Wh-what are they doing?”
“Look at that. What a commotion.”
“Shouldn’t someone stop them?”
“Hey, you there, youngsters!”
A short distance away, a gigantic tree bent toward them and shouted.
“You’re dropping your leaves, you fools! Stop making such a racket!”
The fighting trees paused for a moment at his shout. They spoke.
“Hmph! What do you think, mister?”
“You’re in the south, so I bet you’ll agree with me, right?”
The large tree shook his trunk from side to side.
“My, my! Each has its own advantages. The south holds warm energy and provides us with a temperature suitable for living, but the east is the direction where the sun rises and shines most brilliantly, so it accelerates our growth. That does not mean the other directions are meaningless. The energy that moistens us comes from the north, after all.”
“Hmm?”
The two trees turned to look north.
“What’s over there?”
“I do not know exactly, but from time to time, the energy of water flows here from far away in the north. And that water greatly helps our growth. Thus, it can be said that we grow with help from three directions.”
One tree asked again.
“Then what’s in the west?”
The large tree answered briefly.
“Mm, you do not need to know that.”
Just then, a group of shrubs tried to pass between them.
They were a unit of Thorn Infantry who had finished training at the barracks.
The Thorn Infantry of one unit were marching in formation.
The infantryman at the very front was leading the rest.
“We walk at leisure. There is no need to hurry. Because we do not stop, we advance in the end!”
The leaves that had fallen between the two trees were kicked by the feet of the Thorn Infantry and were almost completely swept away.
“This path is a mess every time we come here.”
“No need to guess. Those two must have been fighting again until just now.”
As the Thorn Infantry passed by, whispering among themselves, one tree asked them,
“Where are you lot going now?”
“Her Majesty has summoned us. It seems there is an extremely important mission.”
The infantrymen answered the tree’s question without stopping their steps.
A short while later, Drian, emperor of the Silva Empire, and her retainers gathered in one place to hold a meeting.
Tarvan, who was in charge of the army and tactics, spoke.
“Your Majesty, they say a unit of Thorn Infantry has arrived in front of the citadel.”
“Good. Well done.”
Bramir, who was responsible for sensing the wind, spoke.
“The recent currents of the wind are unusual. Far to the south, the flames of the Ignis Empire are spreading, and to the north, the waters of the Aqua Empire are gradually swelling. We too must grow, but in the end, we will come into conflict with them.”
Drian slowly nodded.
“Contact with outside forces is inevitable. Neither side appears likely to threaten us, but what do you think?”
When Drian looked at Tarvan, he answered.
“We must make appropriate use of both sides. Since Aqua in the north aids our growth, we must make the fullest use of them. Of course, we cannot simply receive without giving anything in return. Meanwhile, Ignis in the south needs us. But Ignis may one day become another shield for us as well. In the end, if there is something given, there is also something received, so we must prepare for the time when we face the two empires.”
Drian rose from her throne. Moss grew beneath her feet.
“Understood. For now, it would be best to attempt cooperation with Aqua first. At present, there is no need for contact with Ignis. However, in order to prepare for future danger, we may also lend them our strength. Our Silva Empire will advance in our own way. Tarvan, lead the army and grow. Never stop. Wherever we stand will soon become forest.”
“Yes. I shall do as you command, Your Majesty.”
The forest of the Silva Empire, like the Ignis Empire and the Aqua Empire, gradually widened.
However, far away in the west as well, the movement of some energy was detected.
It was an existence that directly threatened the Silva Empire.