Chapter 388: Christmas Special - Christmas Tree

The snow crunched pleasantly under their boots as the group made their way toward the Academy gate. The towering spires shimmered with frost, wreaths of winter vines wrapped around the railings, and tiny enchanted lanterns glowed like soft stars.

But what caught their attention immediately was the hustle and bustle—students carrying bags, hugging each other goodbye, teachers handing out scrolls, and excited chatter filling the air.

Thalanir blinked. "It’s like a migration."

Renkai raised an eyebrow. "A noisy one."

Serelyth, still brushing snow off her silver-scaled hair from their earlier snow fight, stood puzzled as she watched a group of students tying ribbons onto gift boxes.

"What... exactly are they doing?" she asked slowly. "Why is everyone acting like the world is ending? I was frozen in stone a long time, but I don’t remember winter causing this kind of chaos."

Lira smiled softly. "It’s Christmas time."

Serelyth frowned. "Christmas? What is that? A winter ritual? A summoning festival?"

Thalanir chuckled. "Not quite. It’s more like... people gathering with family, friends, exchanging gifts, celebrating warmth during the coldest part of the year."

Lira nodded. "It’s a time for sharing, giving, cooking together, lighting candles... creating a sense of comfort. People decorate their homes, spend days together, and rest from their work."

Serelyth tilted her head, intrigued. "That sounds... beautiful."

Before Lira could continue, Renkai muttered under his breath, "Or lonely."

The group paused.

Thalanir glanced at him with quiet sympathy. Serelyth looked confused but concerned. Lira gently touched Renkai’s arm.

He looked away, tail flicking with a tense swish. "It’s nothing. Just... not everyone has a place to go back to. Christmas is overrated anyway."

Lira squeezed his arm a little more firmly. "But you’re not alone now."

Renkai didn’t answer, but his ears lowered slightly—his version of softening.

Thalanir stepped up beside them, trying to lighten the air. "Well, at least the Academy cooks the best winter pastries this time of year. If nothing else, we can celebrate that."

Serelyth perked up. "Pastries?"

Thalanir grinned. "Sweet, warm, fluffy pastries."

Serelyth nearly clapped. "Then this Christmas thing is a wonderful tradition."

Renkai snorted, but there was the faintest hint of a smile. "Of course you’d decide that based on pastries."

Lira laughed. "Food is part of it, but Christmas is mostly about cherishing the people beside you... even if they’re not your blood family."

She looked at each of them—Serelyth glowing with curiosity, Thalanir soft-eyed and supportive, and Renkai pretending not to care while definitely caring.

"Maybe," she continued, "this year we can make our own new Christmas. One that fits us."

Renkai finally met her eyes, the tension in his shoulders easing. "...Yeah. Maybe we can."

Serelyth nodded firmly. "Then we must learn everything about it. Starting with pastries."

Thalanir laughed. "I’ll take you to the bakery. But be warned—they sell out fast."

When Lira spotted Maelin and Patricia in the busy Academy courtyard—arms full of gifts and smiling tiredly—it felt natural to pull them close, hug them, and say, "Come with us. Spend the winter days in the Grove."

Maelin lit up immediately. "Really?! We’d love to!"

Patricia grinned. "If Serelyth promises not to throw me in the air again."

Serelyth smirked. "No promises."

And so, together, they traveled back through the snowy forest, crossing the fog-veiled border into the Grove—where the air warmed slightly and the lights of magical creatures shimmered under the snow-touched branches.

Once they were inside the cozy clearing, Lira rubbed her cold hands together and turned to Thalanir and Renkai.

"I want to make a real Christmas celebration," she said. "But we need a Christmas tree. A pine. Something tall and fragrant."

Thalanir’s face brightened with immediate understanding. "Oh! I know exactly where to find one. There’s a cluster of frost-pines just north of the ridge."

Renkai stretched his shoulders and fluffed his fox tail, pretending to complain. "In this weather? Fine. But only because you asked."

Lira smiled at him, and he softened at once, ears lowering affectionately.

Thalanir clapped his hands together. "Come, Renkai! We’ll bring the biggest, prettiest pine in the whole forest!"

"Not the biggest," Lira called after them quickly. "Just... a nice one!"

They disappeared into the snowy woods—Thalanir humming happily, Renkai muttering darkly about cold feet but clearly excited.

Lira turned to Serelyth, Maelin, and Patricia.

"Do you want to help make decorations?"

Maelin clasped her hands. "Yes! Finally a project that isn’t homework."

Patricia nodded eagerly. "I’ve always wanted to decorate a tree with real forest magic."

Serelyth lifted her sleeves dramatically. "Then let us create beauty."

They set up a little crafting circle under the canopy, snowflakes drifting gently beyond the Grove’s warm boundary.

Lira sliced apples, oranges, berries, and even tiny glowing citrus from the Grove. With a wave of warm elemental energy from Serelyth, the fruit rings dried instantly—curling into fragrant, colorful shapes.

Maelin gasped. "That’s SO much easier than using an oven!I didn’t even think i can use my element like this!"

Serelyth smirked. "Dragons are very efficient."

Patricia collected vines and branches softened by the Grove’s magic. Together they wove:

strands of green leaves,

loops of tiny dried flowers,

garlands dotted with glowing seeds,

strings of dried fruit rings tied with natural twine.

Lira added little touches of enchantment—soft sparkles, gentle scents, and warm hues that made each decoration glow faintly like captured sunlight.

Maelin shaped small clay baubles from Grove soil, painting them using crushed berry pigments. Patricia braided twine and decorated it with beads made by Lira’s bees—tiny wax sculptures with sparkling pollen dust.

Fluffy contributed by rolling things around and occasionally sitting on the supplies, which everyone agreed was extremely helpful.

The snow outside fell quietly, blanketing the world. Inside the Grove, the workshop glowed with soft magic and laughter.

Serelyth hung a garland between two small trees. "This Christmas tradition... it’s full of warmth."

Lira smiled as she tied together two orange slices. "It’s about creating comfort together."

Maelin leaned in. "I’m glad we’re here with you."

Patricia nodded. "It feels almost like... a family."

Lira’s heart softened at the words. Family. Yes. That’s what this was becoming.

And somewhere in the forest, two dedicated guardians searched for the perfect pine—unaware of the warm surprise waiting for them upon their return.

North of the ridge, the forest grew quieter. Snow lay thick on the branches, muffling every step Renkai and Thalanir took. Frost glittered on the bark, and the air carried that sharp, clean scent that only deep winter had.

"There," Thalanir said softly, nodding toward a slope where a tall, perfectly shaped pine stood alone. Its needles shimmered faintly blue under the thin daylight. "A frost pine. Strong, long-lasting... it will be perfect."

Renkai huffed a small laugh. "Of course you know exactly where to find one."

Thalanir’s lips curved in amusement. "Someone must."

They approached the tree, its trunk thick and straight. Thalanir placed a hand on the bark, sensing the health of it, then stepped back.

"Cut it here," he instructed. "Clean, at the base."

Renkai flexed his clawed fingers and muttered, "My claws... once for battle, now for chopping wood. Wonderful."

Thalanir’s eyebrow lifted. "Would you prefer I do it?"

Renkai grinned. "No. I’ve got it."

He inhaled, grounding himself, then swung once—powerful, precise. The tree gave a soft groan and fell smoothly onto the snow, sending up a small cloud of frost.

Before the branches settled, Thalanir was already shifting. His form melted into shimmering light, bones reshaping until the tall, elegant stag stood where he had been. His antlers glowed a soft green, runes appearing along their curves like flowing vines.

He lowered his head, hooked the fallen pine gently with the sweep of his antlers, and the tree lifted as if weightless.

"Show-off," Renkai said, though he sounded more amused than annoyed.

Thalanir turned one glowing eye toward him. "Someone must," his voice echoed through their bond.

Together, they started back toward the grove—Renkai brushing snow off branches as they walked, Thalanir carrying the frost pine effortlessly, its needles sparkling like tiny stars.

By the time Renkai and Thalanir reached the grove, flakes of snow still clinging to the pine’s branches, excited voices were already rising from inside. Maelin and Patricia were stringing dried fruit garlands together, both half-covered in bits of ribbon and petals. Lira turned at the sound of the approaching footsteps, her eyes brightening instantly when she saw the frost pine.

"You found one!" she called, walking toward them with a smile that made both men straighten a little.

Thalanir lowered the tree carefully onto the ground and shifted back into his tall elven form, brushing snow from his hair. Renkai shook out his fox tail, grumbling softly at the cold.

The moment the pine touched the soil of the grove, all three girls gasped.

"It’s perfect!" Patricia said, hands clasped at her chest.

"It’s beautiful!" Maelin nearly squealed, bouncing in place. Her whole face lit up, and even her hair seemed to vibrate with her excitement.

Serelyth, however... just stared at the tree. Head tilted. Eyes narrowed. Wings slightly tucked.

"What now?" the ancient dragoness asked, clearly baffled. "You brought a... forest stump into our home."

Maelin spun toward her, energized beyond mortal limits. "We decorate it!" she exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing in all realms.

Serelyth blinked. "Decorate... the tree?"

"Yes!" Maelin continued, waving her hands. "And then we make gifts—little ones—for each other and hide them underneath."

Patricia nodded eagerly. "It’s a tradition of sharing kindness."

Lira added warmly, "It’s a holiday of warmth and gratitude. People do small things for each other. It’s... comforting."

Serelyth stared between the girls and the pine, still confused but willing. "You cut down a perfectly healthy tree... to hang fruit on it and place offerings below?"

Thalanir coughed lightly. "Essentially."

Serelyth sighed dramatically, rubbing her nose ridge with one claw. "Mortals are strange."

Renkai folded his arms, tail swaying. "You get used to it."

But even he couldn’t hide the small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as Maelin and Patricia began circling the pine, chattering about where to place garlands and how to craft star toppers from ice or crystal.

Lira laughed softly and stepped closer to Renkai, brushing snow from his sleeve. "Thank you. It really is perfect."

The grove filled with warmth, anticipation, and the sparkle of christmas.