Chapter 25: Echoes of the Past, Seeds of Deceit

The flickering candlelight cast long shadows across the room, illuminating the Keeper's face as she spoke, her voice a low, steady current in the silence. Antoinette listened intently, the weight of Shyla's words settling heavily upon her.

"Fifty years ago," Shyla began, "Aethelgard stood at a crossroads. Queen Anthea, your mother, sought to strengthen our ties with the neighboring kingdom of Plyon. They offered a grand gesture of goodwill – a gift of saplings, a new species of tree meant to beautify our lands. We welcomed them with open arms."

Shyla paused, her gaze distant, as if peering through the veil of time. "For ten years, the trees grew, seemingly harmless. But then... a slow decline began. Our people grew weaker, listless. Magic, once a vibrant part of our lives, dwindled. At first, we blamed illness, the natural ebb and flow of life. But the deaths... they increased. It wasn't until Queen Anthea delved deeper that the horrifying truth emerged."

Antoinette leaned forward, her curiosity and dread intertwined. "The trees?"

Shyla nodded grimly. "The Plyon trees. They didn't just beautify our lands; they consumed our mana. Not in a violent, immediate way, but subtly, relentlessly. They siphoned the life force from Aethelgard, leaving our people drained, our magic stunted. And as the mana dwindled, they began to feed on the very life force of the land itself."

"Gods," Antoinette breathed. "Those bastards..."

"Queen Anthea," Shyla continued, "fought desperately to contain the damage. But the trees spread quickly. Within forty years, they had taken root in 85% of Aethelgard. Our population, once thriving, dwindled. Life force was sucked dry, and the trees kept on growing."

Shyla's voice dropped to a whisper. "The Queen, even with her immense power, was not immune. The trees relentlessly drained her, accelerating her decline. It was the trees that truly killed her."

Antoinette's eyes widened in horror. "But... the magic seal? Everyone says it was to cancel magic."

Shyla shook her head. "A lie, perpetuated by the dark mage who orchestrated Plyon's treachery. He infiltrated our court, masked his intentions, and manipulated our memories. The King... Theodore, your father... he remembers nothing of the truth. His memories, like those of most of our people, were wiped away. The seal was Queen Anthea's last act, a desperate measure to protect what remained. It's a protective barrier, not a suppressor."

"A barrier against the trees?" Antoinette asked, piecing it together.

"Yes," Shyla confirmed. "A barrier to contain their growth, to prevent them from consuming everything. She couldn't control their spread, so she caged them. But the trees still drain the land, and the seal weakens with each passing year. Now, after fifty years, only 60% of our people remain."

Antoinette was reeling. The scope of the betrayal, the depth of the loss... it was staggering.

"Fifty years... that's two generations slowly being poisoned. And no one remembers the truth? Except Shyla?"

"How do you remember?" Antoinette asked, her voice hushed.

"My mind," Shyla said, a flicker of ancient power in her eyes, "is resistant to mind magic. I was spared the dark mage's manipulations. I carry the burden of this knowledge alone."

Antoinette frowned. "But... if the seal is still up, how can I use magic? How can you?"

Shyla gestured to the window, towards the churning sea. "Seabarrow is different. The seal is weakest here, its power diluted by the proximity to the ocean and the influence of Malyari. Magic can still be wielded, albeit with caution."

She then held out a worn leather-bound grimoire, its pages filled with faded script and intricate diagrams. "And there is this."

Antoinette recognized it instantly. "That's... that's the book from the hut in the forest."

Shyla nodded. "Indeed. It belonged to a powerful wizard, once the protector of Seabarrow. He believed the Bakunawa threatened our shores and attempted to summon Malyari to aid us, but he failed."

"He failed?" Antoinette echoed.

"Yes, and the grimoire retained a spark of his magic. A remnant of power that can bypass the seal's suppression. It is this combined with the weak seal that allowed Malyari to manifest."

Antoinette reached out, her fingers tracing the worn cover of the grimoire. So much was connected – the trees, the seal, the wizard, Malyari, and even her own strange fate. The weight of Aethelgard's past settled upon her, a heavy mantle she was now destined to bear.