Still on one knee, Icariel coughed violently, blood splattering onto the forest floor. "Oh shit… what did I just do?" he muttered weakly, the pain in his stomach overwhelming his senses.
The voice in his head—normally calm—sounded shaken, just like when the boy unleashed that white lightning spell. "Scream. Call the elf girl. Now."
Icariel tried. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out—no sound, no cry. "I... I can't," he whispered mentally.
Blood dripped steadily from his wound, warmth leaving his body with every drop. "I messed up…" he gasped. Panic rose in his chest, his vision flickering, blurring. He was breaking down.
The voice fell silent for a moment. Then—sharper, louder than before—"Icariel. Listen to me."
No response.
"LISTEN TO ME!"
That time, Icariel stirred, his trembling hand pressing harder against the wound, his breath ragged.
"You have to try now. Use the healing spell. This is it—NOW OR NEVER. If you don't—"
"YOU. WILL. DIE."
Even as his vision blurred, one word echoed louder than the rest.
Die.
Even with his senses fading, that word rang clear and sharp in his mind. "I'm… I'm going to die?" he thought, chest rising and falling erratically.
After that, black.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, the flames still crackled gently.
The elf girl opened her eyes with a yawn. "He still hasn't come back…?" she muttered, brushing her hair from her face. "I should go check—"
Before she could take another step, a hand clamped over her mouth from behind. "Shhhh," a deep voice whispered. "Don't make a sound."
"What? Who—!?" She struggled, panic flashing through her. Her enhanced eyes instantly recognized the mana in the hand holding her mouth.
The hand left her mouth. She spun around, her silver eyes wide.
Tears welled up instantly. "...Father?"
Before her stood a tall, graceful elf, his silver hair tied in a low ponytail, sharp green eyes glowing in the moonlight. His armor gleamed—pure silver with a symbol of a sword with no edge or handle, like the one in the elf girl's grey clothes.
Behind him stood two other elves, equally tall and well-armed. Both wore identical armor, their hair short and yellow, long spears strapped to their backs.
Her father opened his arms. "My daughter…" he whispered, embracing her tightly. "I missed you so much. I thought I'd lost you."
"Me to father I thought you died… fighting those monsters," she sobbed. "I was so scared…"
"Don't worry," he said, holding her tighter. "I'm here now."
She cried into his shoulder, her emotions flooding out—relief, joy, disbelief. She turned to greet the two elves beside him, offering them a grateful nod. The two elves gave back respectful nods as saw her wiping her face.
"We should head back soon," her father said gently. "Your mother's been so worried after we sent her back, promising her we'd find you. We've been gone for too long already."
The elf girl looked back toward the forest. "Fine, but Father… before that, can we wait just a bit longer?"
"Why?" her father asked, surprised.
"When we were separated during the monster attack… one of them chased me. I was badly injured—half-conscious, alone… But a boy saved me. A human boy. He took me to his cave and allowed me to stay there. He treated me as best as he could."
Her father's expression darkened slightly as he thought, "A human boy… living in the middle of the forest? Alone?"
The elf girl added, "I owe him my life. I just want to say goodbye. Who knows? We might never meet again."
He stood silent for a moment, clearly considering the situation.
Finally, he nodded. "Very well. Lead the way. Let us meet the one who saved my daughter."
As the three elves moved swiftly through the dense forest, weaving between trees under the pale moonlight, the father finally broke the silence.
"I'm sorry it took us so long to find you," he said, glancing toward his daughter. "After we defeated the monsters, tracing your mana wasn't easy."
"Don't worry about that, Father," the elf girl replied, a small smile on her face. "What matters is that we're finally back together now."
Her father smiled and nodded, then glanced ahead. "So... tell me about this boy. What's he doing out here in the middle of the night?"
"Training," she answered simply.
"Training?" He raised an eyebrow. "Now? He must have the soul of a relentless warrior, then."
The elf girl chuckled softly. "I doubt that… He's an odd one."
Her father gave her a sideways look. "Odd?"
Yes, she replied.
"My daughter is speaking like this… about a cave-dwelling human boy?" he thought. "Even after meeting nobles, warriors, and commanders… she's never said anything like this. Now even I'm curious about this boy."
"He must be quite unique for you to speak of him that way," he said aloud.
She shrugged. "He's just an odd one. That's all."
"Then I look forward to meeting him," her father replied, intrigued.
But before another word could be said—
A sudden explosion of light.
A green light so bright it pierced through the trees like a second sun. It burst upward and outward, lighting the entire forest canopy, and even from a distance, it blinded them.
"Tchh!" They all raised their hands to shield their eyes.
The light was massive. Intense. Even from far away, it was impossible not to see.
"What is that?" one of the blonde elves asked, eyes wide.
"That's… where he was training," the elf girl whispered, her heart suddenly heavy with worry.
Her father's eyes narrowed, his expression turning grave as he stared into the fading light.
"That light... it can't be..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
"Let's go!" the elf girl interrupted him, panic now laced in her voice. "I hope he's okay!"
Without another word, she took off running—her small frame cutting through the trees with urgency.
She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, her father and the two armored elves close behind. Branches whipped past, the wind howled around them—but all she could think about was the blinding green light and the boy in the middle of it.
When she reached the clearing, she froze.
Her breath caught in her throat.
There he was.
Icariel.
Standing tall in the center of the forest clearing.
Blood—so much blood—soaked the ground beneath his feet, a dark, glistening pool that painted the earth red.
Her hand flew to her mouth in horror as she staggered a step forward. "W-What..."
But Icariel didn't move. He just stood there—still, silent. His face was pale, his eyes hollow and emotionless. But more than anything else, there was something strange.
No wound.
Not even a scratch.
Her father stepped up behind her, his eyes narrowing, and the two elf warriors flanked him cautiously.
"Master..." one of them muttered, staring at the scene. "Did that human child—?"
"I don't know," her father cut him off, his voice unusually tense. "I need to check myself." His eyes widened slightly as he focused on the boy.
The elf girl shook her head, trying to make sense of it all. She stepped forward.
"Hey... what happened?" she asked, her voice shaky. "What is all this blood?"
Icariel slowly turned his head toward her.
His dark eyes met hers.
Cold. Empty. Yet... unbroken.
He lowered his head just slightly and spoke in a low, steady voice:
"What's all this rush? I'm okay."
She stared at him, stunned.
"Then... what happened here?"