Chapter Text

A few months had passed since the end of the nogitsune incident. Things had been pretty calm in Beacon Hills lately. Peaceful and uneventful. The pack welcomed the break from the constant threat of the supernatural. That being said, Stiles had been having dreams again. They weren't nightmares, but they were vivid.

Stiles stood in a fog-filled forest. He spun around, confused. He had no idea where he was. He didn't recognize the trees, but he couldn't help but feel like they were familiar. That's when he heard the voice, a deep, ancient voice laced with power.

"Find me. Hurry. You must find me, Stiles," said the voice.

"Why? Why do I have to find you?" asked Stiles.

"You must hurry," the voice repeated. "They are coming. You must find me."

Stiles took off running through the forest. He didn't know where he was going and the further he went into the forest, the denser the fog became until he could no longer see the trees around him. It was a wall of white on each side of him and it felt suffocating. Stiles ran forward, finding it harder and harder to breathe in the dense fog. The voice intensified, repeating itself louder and louder in an endless loop.

"You must find me. You must hurry. They are coming."

The voice resounded around Stiles, becoming almost deafening. Stiles ran faster despite his lack of breath. His muscles shouted at him in pain telling him to stop, but he continued. He was running out of breath. Suddenly, he ran into a clearing. The fog was gone. Before him stood an all too familiar object. The nemeton.

"THEY ARE COMING. YOU MUST HURRY," the voice shouted louder than before.

It was the last thing Stiles heard before he blacked out.

Stiles sat straight up in bed, breathing heavily. He wasn't screaming or unable to differentiate between reality and his dream like in his previous nightmares, but he could feel his heart racing as if he had been running and his body felt oxygen deprived. He'd had the dreams about the fog-filled forest and the voice before, but he'd never managed to find the source of the voice. Until now.

Stiles shook his head, trying to clear it, and then placed his fingers to his forehead. The voice came from the nemeton. But why? He'd left that all behind when the nogitsune left him, right? What else could it possibly want? And why Stiles? Who was this they it was talking about? Stiles had so many questions. He decided that he'd talk to Scott about it tomorrow. For now, he rolled over and went back to sleep. This time it was a peaceful sleep.

Stiles met up with Scott the next day. Scott had a worried look on his face and Stiles knew why. The last time he had dreams like this it didn't end so well. He couldn't blame Scott for being worried about him. And even though he didn't want Scott to worry about him, he was glad Scott cared. Stiles wasted no time telling Scott about the dream he had last night in as much detail as he could.

"The nemeton?" asked Scott. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that was the nemeton. It's pretty distinct and has a habit of showing up in my dreams apparently," replied Stiles.

"But why? And what is it talking about when it says 'they're coming'?"

"I don't know. I wanted to talk to you about all this first though."

"Thanks," Scott said, his familiar smile creeping across his face, dispelling the look of concern. "But I think we should talk to Deaton. He probably knows something that can help us."

"Yeah you're probably right," said Stiles.

When they arrived at Deaton's clinic, they wasted no time in telling Deaton about the dream. Surprisingly, Deaton didn't seem at all surprised.

"You don't seem worried about this," said Stiles. "What do you know?"

"Well," said Deaton. "I had been expecting this for quite some time now."

"Expecting what?" asked Scott.

"Before I answer that, allow me to explain something. Scott, I've always helped you and your pack out when it was needed, but I was always rather uninvolved in the end, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. But what are you getting at?"

"Every pack needs an emissary, Scott. Just like it needs an alpha. But I could never be your emissary."

"Why not?"

"Simple. You're a true alpha. You're special, more powerful. But with greater power comes greater consequence and responsibility. A true alpha needs someone who can not only advise him and help him, like any emissary, but someone who can also balance him, compliment him, strengthen him, and pull him back if needed."

"That sounds like you're talking about Stiles."

"That's because I am. Much like a true alpha who only comes around every hundred years or so, a special kind of druid comes around every hundred years or so. He is born of a non-magical bloodline and will awaken when his alpha or circumstances finally demand him. He will be someone who has always been close to the true alpha; their fates having been intertwined long ago. This druid possesses exceptional power, ability, and potential. They can even harness the power of the world tree, the tree of life. Aptly, we call him a world druid."

"So you're saying that I'm actually some kind of special druid and I'm supposed to be Scott's emissary?" asked Stiles, looking a little overwhelmed.

"Basically, yes," replied Deaton.

"How am I supposed to do that? I don't know anything about being a druid or an emissary or any of that stuff. How am I supposed to help Scott like that?"

"But, Stiles, haven't you always been Scott's advisor? His confidant? And haven't you always given Scott good advice?"

Stiles looked over at Scott who was nodding as he said, "Yeah, he has."

Stiles actually looked a little surprised when he said, "You.. Think I give good advice?"

Scott beamed at him and said, "Yeah. You always have. And there's no one I trust more than you."

“Well, even if I give you good advice, I don't know anything about druids or magic or any of that.”

“When you finally awaken,” said Deaton. “Much of the knowledge of druidic magic will flow into you. It'll come from the tree of life which you are connected to.”

“So how do I 'awaken'?” asked Stiles, a hint of sarcastic awe in his voice.

“That can happen in many different ways, but, given the nature of your dreams, I'd say it has to do with the nemeton. Which brings us to the real problem. Why is it not only calling you, but saying that someone is coming for it?”

“You said the nemeton is a great source of druid power. It's also where all the streams in Beacon Hills meet,” said Stiles.

“And we restored some of its power when we became sacrifices,” added Scott.

“Right, so what does that suggest?” asked Deaton.

“That someone's coming for the nemeton's power,” replied Scott.

Deaton nodded and said, “Yes, that is most likely.”

“What would happen if someone was able to use the nemeton's power?” asked Stiles.

“I'm not sure,” replied Deaton. “The nemeton has been inactive, nearly dead, for quite some time now. I imagine, in that state, it wouldn't be very useful. But if it were at its full power like it used to be, in the wrong hands, it could be disastrous.”

“Disastrous? Can you be more specific?”

“Well, it would depend on the power of the nemeton, the user, and their intentions. Assuming the nemeton is at full power, things could be apocalyptic almost. Basically, death and destruction if the user wants it.”

“The nemeton sounds like a terrible thing. Wouldn't it be better off destroyed?”

“The nemeton is ultimately a tool. It has immense potential, but, in the end, the power it holds can bring forth either salvation or destruction at the whim of the user.”

“Basically, the nemeton is neither good nor evil then,” said Scott.

“Right. And destroying it would undoubtedly have some negative effects on Beacon Hills,” said Deaton. “Remember, the town is linked to the nemeton and the streams.”

“I guess that means we're not destroying it,” said Stiles. “So, what do we do then?”

“We'll protect it,” answered Scott. “Just like we always have. It's a part of Beacon Hills after all.”

“Good. But for now,” said Deaton. “I think it would be a good idea to check on the nemeton. If it's calling to Stiles, it's for a reason.”

Scott and Stiles nodded in agreement before quickly departing for the nemeton. Scott sent a text to everyone to tell them to meet at the nemeton. He wasn't sure what they'd find when they got there, so he figured it would be better to be prepared. It didn't take them long to reach the nemeton. Stiles had no problem finding it. He felt drawn to it. The rest of the pack appeared shortly after they arrived, including Allison who had now fully recovered from the stab wound that she received during the fight with the oni. The group gathered on the outskirts of the nemeton's clearing and Scott explained what Deaton had told them.

“So Stiles is supposed to be our emissary?” asked Isaac, sounding a little skeptical.

“You know, Isaac, I've had just about-” Stiles started.

“That's enough, you two,” interrupted Scott. “Yes, Isaac. He's my emissary. Or he will be. He has to awaken first though.”

“So you're saying he has performance issues,” said Isaac.

Stiles took a step forward and was about to say something, but Scott grabbed Stiles' arm and shook his head, stopping Stiles.

“You two really need to start working together,” said Scott. “But that's not why we're here. We're here because we need to check on the nemeton.”

“And how are we supposed to do that?” asked Lydia.

“I'm not sure,” replied Scott. “Deaton just said to check on it. He wasn't very specific.”

“Typical,” said Lydia.

“Well, it looks pretty dead to me,” said Kira.

“I don't think Deaton would have sent us out here for nothing,” said Allison. “Maybe we should just look closer?”

“Yeah, you might be right,” said Stiles. “I'll check it out. After all, it was calling me.”

With a nod from Scott, Stiles approached the nemeton while the others remained at the outskirts of the clearing, carefully stepping around the broken and collapsed ground from when Jennifer had used its powers. As he got closer, Stiles felt a power emanating from the seemingly dead and decrepit stump. He felt drawn more and more to it. He finally reached the broken remains of the nemeton itself, standing almost on top of it. Before he knew what he was doing, Stiles pressed his right hand against the smooth surface of the ancient tree’s clean cut remnants.

The effect was immediate. Two vines sprang forth from the nemeton, wrapping around Stiles' hand and wrist. The spot where his hand touched the nemeton began to glow with a bright green light. The ground began to shake and Stiles heard Scott's voice shouting to him, but he couldn't make out what he was saying. Another voice filled Stiles' head. One that he had heard before in his dreams. The voice of the nemeton.

“You have found me. Contact has been made. The time has come for you to awaken and take your place alongside the true alpha. I will impart the wisdom of the world tree unto you.”

Stiles' eyes began to glow with the same bright green light that surrounded his hand on the nemeton's trunk. Vast amounts of knowledge, history, and facts streamed into his head, flying around in his mind. Stiles could see things, spells, events, people, and so much more in his mind. There was so much, but he was able to keep up and digest it even if it was a bit overwhelming. While this was happening, the stump of the nemeton began to grow upwards at an astonishing rate, branching outward as it went. The vines and Stiles' hand moved so that they were now touching the outer bark of the nemeton as it continued to grow. Stiles felt the rough bark running under his hand during this time. He could feel the energy flowing through the nemeton, through himself. He was in sync with the nemeton. After a few minutes, the nemeton stopped growing and the vines released Stiles' hand, receding back into the nemeton. The light faded from Stiles' eyes, returning them to their normal brown color, as he collapsed to his knees.

Scott was standing next to Stiles at the base of the nemeton a moment later. He reached out and gripped Stiles' right shoulder. When he did, there was a spark of green energy and a voice echoed in both of their heads.

“You are connected. World druid and true alpha. This symbol will show your bond and your bond with me.”

The spark traveled down Stiles' upper arm a bit before it began to encircle it, forming two lines. Stiles felt a burning sensation and cried out. He and Scott looked at his arm in time to see two black lines form on Stiles' right arm where the energy had just been. A series of runes flashed inside the lines before vanishing. When it had finished, it looked exactly like Scott's tattoo, except it was on Stiles' right arm instead of his left arm, a mirror image.

“What the hell?” exclaimed Stiles when he saw the tattoo.

“It looks exactly like mine,” said Scott.

“Yeah, I know, dude, but why is it there? How did it get there?”

“I don't know. There was a spark and then a voice and then that tattoo appeared.”

“There were some runes in it, but they vanished. They represent the world tree, the world druid, the true alpha, and a bond.”

“How do you know that?”

“When I touched the nemeton, all this knowledge sort of just flowed into me. I don't know how, but I know a lot of things now.”

“Just like Deaton said.”

“Yeah. I guess this was my awakening then.”

“Indeed it was,” said a deep, runic voice.

Scott and Stiles both jumped at the sound of the voice. Neither of them saw a source of the voice. Finally, they realized that it was inside their heads.

“I have awakened the power that lay dormant inside you,” continued the voice. “You as well as others have restored power to me over time; however, it was not until I was able to link with you, the world druid, that I was able to fully recover. Through you and your link to the world tree, I was able to gather enough power to restore myself to my former glory. For that, I thank you. My power is yours to command. And to protect.”

“Protect? Protect from what?” asked Stiles.

“I told you. They are coming. Anytime something of great power exists, other will seek to take it. They will come for me and if they succeed, Beacon Hills will fall.”

An image filled Stiles' and Scott's heads. Beacon Hills was on fire. The entire town was burning. Buildings lay in ruins and tattered, torn, and dismembered bodies littered the broken streets. Beacon Hills wouldn't just fall. It would be annihilated. A moment later, the image vanished from their minds.

“That... Can't be what happens,” Scott stammered.

“No, it isn't,” answered the voice. “It is only one of several possible outcomes. You and your pack will determine which path unfolds and not only the fate of Beacon Hills, but that of the world.”

“The world?” asked Stiles. “How would we change the fate of the whole world?”

“If my power falls into the wrong hands, or the right hands, depending on how you look at it, it is possible that it will bring about not only the destruction of Beacon Hills, but that of the world as well. Alternatively, my power could be used to seize power and control over the world's populations. Any number of things could happen really. Most terrible.”

“Then why don't you just not help them?” asked Scott.

“Ah, but I am a neutral party,” replied the voice. “In the end, I don't particularly care which way the time line unfolds. But I will lend my knowledge and power to the world druid. He is, after all, connected to the very thing that I represent.”

“The world tree?” asked Stiles.

“Yes. The origin and source of all druidic magic and life energy. You saw what Jennifer could do with just a fraction of my power. Now imagine what someone could do if they were to unleash my power at its maximum potential.”

Scott and Stiles looked at each other and shared a brief horrified expression. Jennifer had wreaked havoc and killed many people with just that small bit of power. If someone like her ever used the full power of the nemeton, it would definitely end like the nemeton had said.

“I see you've begun to fathom the calamity that would befall this world if that were to happen,” said the voice. “As I said before, they are coming. It won't be much longer. Return to your pack now and explain the situation to them. You will need to prepare. War is coming. It is inevitable. I wish you good luck.”

With that, the voice fell silent. Stiles could still feel the nemeton, but it was more like he was aware of it. Stiles also felt the energy coursing through the air, racing along the streams. He'd never noticed it before, but now he was aware of it. All because of his new found druid powers. Stiles closed his eyes and breathed deeply for a moment, taking in everything around him, before nodding at Scott. The two of them rejoined the rest of the pack where they began to explain what happened and what the nemeton had revealed to them.