Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

Axis’s wings fluttered with happiness as she rolled through the air, circling the greenhouse in playful arcs. The sight of the thumb‑sized mana crystals forming along the pond’s edge filled her with joy.

”Awesome! Awesome! I can’t wait to tell this good news to Shane!”

The World Tree was still young, barely three meters tall, its aura was even confined to the shelter’s boundaries, but this was proof that it was alive, growing, and already producing miracles despite not being in the Fairy Realm.

She laughed softly while turning above the pond.

”You’re still small, little one, but look at you... already giving mana back to the world.”

The fairy darted between the World Tree leaves and brushed her fingers against them as if to encourage the tree.

She knew its territory was limited...

The greenhouse walls contained their influence, and its power could only reach the Eclipse Domain for now.

It was definitely not at the level of a true World Tree yet... It was only a Shelter Tree right now.

But Axis also knew that once the animals were introduced, the World Tree would be happy.

Life would surround it, and its aura would swell.

She imagined it vividly... The goats grazing near its roots, chickens scratching at the soil, rabbits hopping through the grass. And someday, perhaps, birds would nest in its branches, butterflies would dance in the air, and the greenhouse would feel like a living paradise.

Axis giggled at the thought, her wings even started scattering faint motes of light.

”Yes... once Katrina brings them, this place will be filled with life. And then, little tree, you’ll grow even stronger.”

With that hope warming her heart, she settled near the pond, waiting patiently for Katrina’s return.

***

Meanwhile, Katrina stood just beyond the walls of the Eclipse Domain, gazing at the forest that stretched outward.

She wanted to connect to the wild first, to bring back creatures that would resonate with the World Tree. Her summoning ability wasn’t as simple as spending Spirit Points after all. There was a lot more requirements.

Closing her eyes, she finally triggered her Survivor Skill!

”Come out...”

A faint glow surrounded her, and the surrounding air changed. There was even a gray fog appearing close to them.

Then, a cold breeze passed through her...

It didn’t take long before birds fluttered down from the branches, rabbits emerged cautiously from the underbrush, and squirrels scurried closer.

Squeak... Squeak...

Their eyes were filled with curiosity...

Katrina smiled as she realized that the Spirit Points she used weren’t as large as she had expected.

”Come with me,” she whispered. ”There’s a place that needs you.”

The animals gathered around her, drawn by her summoner’s aura.

With gentle steps, she led them back toward the shelter, through the greenhouse.

***

Axis’s eyes widened as Katrina entered, while animals were trailing behind her. The fairy clapped her hands, wings buzzing with excitement.

”You brought them!” she exclaimed while moving around the rabbits and squirrels. She also couldn’t contain her laugh as the birds perched on the branches of the World Tree.

The greenhouse seemed to brighten instantly. The animals’ presence filled the space with warmth and vitality. The World Tree’s leaves glowed more vividly, its aura pulsing in rhythm with the creatures’ movements.

Axis hovered near Katrina, her voice brimming with joy. ”Look! The tree is happy! Can you feel it? Its mana is flowing stronger already...”

Katrina nodded.

She couldn’t really sense the difference as she couldn’t detect mana, but she could at least sense that the refreshing aura wrapping around her was like a gentle embrace.

***

From that day onward, Axis’s routine changed. She was no longer just a solitary guardian of the World Tree. She became its caretaker, its companion, and the overseer of the life that now surrounded it.

Every morning, she would flutter through the greenhouse, checking the animals and the other plants surrounding the place...

These animals didn’t even need to eat food thanks to the presence of the mana around the World Tree.

At most, she would sprinkle mana dust over the rabbits, ensuring they remained healthy, and sang to the birds so they would keep nesting in the branches.

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

Her favorite task was tending the pond.

The mana crystals grew slowly, they were slowly getting brighter beneath the water’s surface.

Axis would hover above them, humming softly, encouraging their growth.

Of course, she knew that wouldn’t accelerate their growth, but she just liked doing it...

Sometimes she plucked one out, holding it up to the light, marveling at its purity before returning it carefully to the water.

”They’re getting pretty...”

She also spoke to the World Tree daily.

”You’re still small, but you’re strong. With these lively animals, you’ll not get bored and grow faster. Someday, your roots will spread beyond this shelter, and your mana will touch the world outside.”

At night, when the greenhouse was quiet, Axis perched on a branch and watched the stars through the glass ceiling.

She knew well about the dangers beyond the shelter walls. The Zombie Apocalypse still raged outside, and she couldn’t simply leave this place without Shane’s protection or the guidance of the Elves.

Without the presence of mana, without the World Tree’s aura surrounding her, she doubted she would last more than an hour. Even carrying mana crystals would only delay the inevitable... survival out there would be nearly impossible.

So she dreamed instead. She imagined a distant future where mana spread across the land, where the virus weakened and faded into nothingness.

She pictured survivors walking freely under the open sky, no longer haunted by fear, guided by the light of the World Tree.

A smile touched her lips as she whispered, ”I’m sure this is the Fairy Queen’s plan all along.”

Axis hovered above the pond. She couldn’t help but consider what she had to do in the future...

She was actually feeling worried... The mana crystals that would supposedly lift her mood didn’t help. Instead of calming her, they stirred unease.

’The Fairy Queen... she must be behind this. I wonder what’s going on in her mind...’

Axis clenched her fists.

She knew that the Queen, who supposedly hates humans to their bones, had blessed Shane with the Elf Recruitment Stones, and even granted him the pocket dimension that contained a fragment of the Fairy Realm for a reason...

It was too convenient, too deliberate.

’It’s all to rebuild what was broken... the shattered Fairy Realm.’

Her eyes narrowed as she turned toward the World Tree. She already had a guess in her heart about what was about to happen.

’This human world... it will become the Fairy World soon. That’s the plan, right?’

She thought of the other World Trees Shane had already nurtured, one here in the Eclipse Domain, another in the Floating Fortress. The realization made her wings twitch nervously.

’Two World Trees already... and this one is growing faster than expected. The Queen must know. She must be watching. Perhaps even the World Tree itself knows the plan.’

Axis’s breath quickened.

’Soon, this world will belong to us...’

But then came the darker thought. What of the humans?

She hovered lower, clutching her head.

’Will they be removed? Will they be erased once the Fairy Realm fully integrates with this world?’

Her memory stirred... the Fairy Queen’s hatred of humans, her vow to annihilate them all.

Axis shivered.

”Urgh... What are you really thinking, my Queen?!” she cried aloud, her voice echoing faintly in the greenhouse.

Her loyalty to Shane was real. He had given her purpose, a place to belong, and she was faithfully his right now.

But she was still a fairy, bound by her nature, and the Queen’s will weighed heavily on her heart.

’If the Queen is only using Shane... if all of this is just a scheme to rebuild the Fairy Realm... then what happens when the time comes?’

Axis’s wings drooped.

’Will I have to fight him? My master? Will I have to turn against the humans he protects, the shelters he built, the survivors who trust him?’

The thought was unbearable, yet it lingered.

’Perhaps... perhaps that will only happen once this human realm has fully merged with the Fairy Realm. When the World Trees have spread their roots across the land, when mana covers everything... then the Queen will decide.’

Axis pressed her palms against her temples, whispering to herself.

”I don’t know if I can do it... I don’t know if I can betray him.”

The World Tree’s leaves rustled faintly, as if in response.

Axis looked up, her eyes wide, searching for meaning in the sound.

Was it comforting her? Warning her? Or simply reminding her that its growth was inevitable?

She hovered there, torn between two loyalties... to Shane, the human master who had given her hope, and to the Fairy Queen, whose plan might demand the destruction of everything Shane had built.