Chapter 15: Solution to the Food Crisis

*11 Days Later*

Sylvaine had reached the castle after a week-long journey. As the castle gates opened, this was the scene she saw:

Jasper was trying to escape from a portal while a group of frenzied people, speaking in unison, were grabbing his leg and trying to pull him back. Jasper was kicking them back into the portal one by one as they screamed,

"Don't leave me, don't leave me!!"

Ignoring their pleas, Jasper continued to kick them back and said,

"I can't fricking believe I spent six months in there just because I wanted to watch something while drinking my blood... Hey, that's enough, let go of my leg!"

With a gust of wind magic, Jasper pushed them all back as they cried out in unison,

"Please don't go! You need to fix this, you need to fix me!!"

After the portal closed on them, Jasper straightened his tie and said,

"If I make a few adjustments, I guess I can call this a successful experiment."

He then saw Sylvaine, who was watching the scene in shock, and walked over to her with a cheerful smile, saying,

"Hey, welcome! Just in time."

Sylvaine, still in shock, asked,

"What was that?!"

Jasper looked at the place where the portal had closed and said,

"Nothing important."

"But it looked important!"

"Well, it wasn't... so are you ready to go to the alchemy room?"

"Y-yes, I guess..."

Once they entered the alchemy room, the creature leapt at Sylvaine, about to hit her face. Jasper slapped it away like it was a mere bug.

The creature hit the wall and tore apart, leaving only a puddle of blood behind.

Sylvaine exclaimed, "What was that?!"

Jasper remained calm, "It was supposed to be your food, but it turned out to be a failure."

"What do you mean, a failure? You told me you succeeded. Did I travel a week for nothing? And I turned down the prince's proposal for this!"

"Calm down, it just needs some adjustments. By the way, with the necklace I gave you, you can teleport to me anytime. You didn't need to travel all the way here."

Sylvaine snapped angrily, "You're telling me this now?!"

"What can I say? You seemed in a hurry last time, so I decided to explain it later."

Biting her lip, Sylvaine said, "I wasn't in that much of a hurry."

Jasper reached for a shelf, took a pill, and handed it towards Sylvaine. "Take a chill pill, you're very angry."

Sylvaine slapped his hand away. "I'm not an angry person! It's just your careless attitude that bothers me."

Jasper looked at the pill that fell from his hand and said, "Right, you're not angry at all."

Then he placed the device on the table and continued.

"You know what you need to do."

Sylvaine applied the device gently to her wrist, letting the blood trickle into the glass. After a moment to compose herself, she asked,

"When will these adjustments be done?"

"I mean, if you lend a hand, we could finish in a few hours, maybe by tomorrow," Jasper replied.

"Okay, what do I need to do?"

"If you could bring me the essence of one of the trees in your forest, it could be useful."

Sylvaine responded with frustration, "You want me to murder one of them!"

"Murder? Isn't that a bit dramatic just for a plant?" Jasper retorted.

As Jasper popped another pill, Sylvaine shouted back,

"They're not just plants, you kno---Gulp... You're such a disrespectful vampire, they'r--hic- sacred..."

Jasper threw a calming pill into her mouth as Sylvaine yelled and celebrated like it was a good shot.

After swallowing the pill, she spoke in a calm, slightly slurred tone, clearly affected by the medication.

"Maybe you're right, th-they're just... just plants..."

Sylvaine's voice trailed off, her eyes half-lidded as the calming pill took full effect. Jasper, observing her relaxed state, couldn't help but smirk.

"Good," he said, picking up a vial. "Now that you're calm, let's discuss how we're going to get that essence."

Sylvaine blinked slowly, her thoughts sluggish. "Essence... right. How do we get it without... killing the tree?"

Jasper leaned forward, his tone more serious. "There's a way to extract it without causing permanent harm. We just need to take a small portion of its life force, a few drops of its sap. The tree will recover."

Sylvaine nodded slowly, her anger dissipated. "I suppose that's... reasonable."

Jasper handed her a small, intricate knife and an empty vial. "You know the forest better than I do. Find a tree willing to help. Explain the situation. Trees are wise; they'll understand the need."

Sylvaine took the knife and vial, her grip steady despite the calming pill's effect. "Alright. I'll do it."

Jasper watched her with a smirk. "You know, when you're not furious, you're kinda cute."

Sylvaine's eyes widened slightly, and a calm, pleased smile spread across her face. "I am? Hehehe..."

Jasper chuckled. "Yes, you are. Now, go and get that essence. We have work to do."

As Sylvaine turned to leave, Jasper added, "And Sylvaine, remember: the tree must be one that's lived for at least a century. Their essence is stronger."

Sylvaine nodded, more determined now. She used the necklace Jasper gave her, feeling the familiar tug of teleportation as she vanished from the alchemy room and reappeared in the heart of the forest.

After she left, Jasper took out popcorn out of nowhere and with the glass of blood he went to watch Asmodeus...

*In the Forest*

Sylvaine reappeared in the heart of the forest, facing the ancient oak she had visited earlier. 

After teleport she came back to her senses and embarrased a little...

She approached it with reverence, placing a hand on its gnarled bark.

"Great Oak, I need your essence to save our people. Will you help us?"

The tree's leaves rustled, and it seemed to shudder slightly. Sylvaine took this as a positive sign, but in truth, the tree was not pleased. It had spent centuries growing and thriving, and the thought of giving up its essence was distressing.

Sylvaine, misunderstanding the shudder as consent, smiled. "Thank you, Great Oak."

She carefully made an incision in the bark, and golden sap began to flow. As she collected it in the vial, the tree trembled violently, its branches shaking as if trying to dislodge her.

Unfazed, Sylvaine continued to fill the vial, murmuring, "You are doing a great service, Great Oak. Your sacrifice will not be in vain."

The tree, in a last desperate attempt, tried to close the wound by tightening its bark. Sylvaine, however, was quick and managed to collect the necessary essence before stepping back.

Thank you," she said again, bowing deeply.

With a final, mighty shudder, the Great Oak seemed to sigh, a deep creaking sound emanating from its trunk. Sylvaine, satisfied with her mission, used the necklace to teleport back to the alchemy room.

*Back at the Castle*

Sylvaine reappeared in Jasper's alchemy room, holding the precious vial of essence. Jasper was on the balcony, watching Asmodeus' fight a group of heroes. The air crackled with tension as swords clashed and spells flew.

"Oh man, the best part was about to start," Jasper muttered, sensing Sylvaine's return. With a resigned sigh, he snapped his fingers and teleported himself to the alchemy room.

"Perfect," he said, taking the vial from her. "This will make all the difference."

Sylvaine eyed him suspiciously. "What were you doing before I arrived?"

Jasper hesitated for a moment, then replied, "I was working on the formula, making sure everything was ready for this crucial step."

Sylvaine raised an eyebrow but decided not to press further. "Alright, let's get started then."

Jasper carefully added the essence to the cauldron, watching as the mixture shimmered and changed color. The room filled with a faint, sweet scent.

"Now," Jasper said, "we just need to test it."

He gestured to a new, smaller creature in a cage. Sylvaine watched as Jasper performed the ritual again, this time adding the essence to the cauldron. The creature drank the potion, its body contorting and changing.

After a tense moment, the transformation stabilized. The creature looked stronger, healthier, and its eyes gleamed with essence of the tree.

Jasper turned to Sylvaine, a cautious smile on his face. "Let's see if it worked this time."

Jasper turned to Sylvaine, a cautious smile on his face. "Let's see if it worked this time."

Sylvaine let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing slightly. "I really hope this solves our problem."

He placed two plates in front of the creature: one filled with various bugs and the other with an assortment of plants. The creature looked at both plates, sniffing curiously. Jasper and Sylvaine watched intently, holding their breath.

The creature hesitated, then turned away from the plates. Instead of eating, it sat down and seemed to draw energy from the air around it. Its skin began to glow faintly, much like the leaves of a tree absorbing sunlight.

Jasper's eyes widened in amazement. "Incredible... It's not eating either. It can produce its own sustenance, just like a plant. And check this out—it's packed with meat, and it reproduces super fast. We've basically created a new, sustainable food source."

Sylvaine's eyes sparkled with joy and relief. Overcome with emotion, she impulsively hugged Jasper. "Thank you, Jasper! You've done it!"

Jasper stiffened for a moment, surprised by the hug, then chuckled. "Well, don't thank me too much just yet."

Realizing what she had done, Sylvaine quickly pulled away, her cheeks turning pink. "I-I mean, it's not like I was worried or anything! I knew you could do it."

Jasper smirked, enjoying her flustered reaction. "Sure you did. But there's one more thing—we need to find a partner for this creature. So, you'll need to get more essence."

Sylvaine's happiness vanished in an instant. "What? Are you serious? I just got back!"

Jasper shrugged nonchalantly. "Alchemy demands sacrifices. Plus, it's not like you had any other plans, right?"

Fuming, Sylvaine grabbed the necklace and teleported back to the forest. 

*In the Forest*

She stormed towards the ancient oak, only to find it dead, its once vibrant leaves withered and fallen.

"No...," she whispered, her heart sinking. Panic and anger surged through her as she realized the tree had given its life for the essence. "Jasper, you liar! You said it wouldn't die!"

Her scream echoed through the forest, mingling with the rustling leaves. She fell to her knees, clutching the earth where the great oak had stood, tears of frustration streaming down her face. How could she have trusted him so easily?

Determined, she stood up, her resolve hardening. If Jasper thought this was over, he was sorely mistaken. She would confront him and make sure no more trees would suffer the same fate. With a deep breath, she activated the necklace and teleported back to the castle, her mind set on holding Jasper accountable.

*Back at the Castle*

Jasper looked up as Sylvaine reappeared, her expression stormy. He raised an eyebrow, sensing the impending confrontation.

"Let me guess," he said dryly. "The tree didn't make it."

Sylvaine glared at him, her fists clenched. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

Jasper sighed, his expression turning serious. "I thought it might. But we needed the essence, and now we have a chance to save a lot more lives. Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made."

Jasper didn't really care about the lives he saved, his experiment was a success and that was all that mattered to him.

Sylvaine's anger wavered, but her resolve remained. "We need to figure out how to do this without killing the trees. Promise me, Jasper. No more unnecessary deaths."

Jasper nodded, his eyes meeting hers. "How naive," he said softly. "But alright. I promise. I'll find another way."

…