Icariel turned to him, confused once again. The moonlight spilled over his face, casting long shadows across his tired features.
"Yes?" he asked quietly.
The elf girl's father stepped forward, his expression unreadable. "I have an offer for you," he said.
But Icariel wasn't in the mood. Not now.
"Please… can you wait?" he replied, exhaustion heavy in his voice. "Leave it for another time. I've been through a lot today. I'm really tired."
The two blond elves behind the elf girl's father exchanged a sharp glance. Their faces twisted with anger at Icariel's response. But their leader didn't react the same. He remained calm—stoic, even—and simply nodded.
"That sounds reasonable. I'll wait then," he said with a small smile. "Go rest. We'll speak tomorrow morning."
The elf girl blinked, clearly surprised by her father's sudden shift in tone. Even the two blond elves looked stunned by his response.
Icariel looked at him for a second, then gave a short nod. "Thank you," he said.
He turned to leave but paused after a few steps. "If you don't have a place to stay… the cave is big enough for all of you," he offered, his tone still faint but sincere.
The elf girl's father shook his head gently. "It's not a problem. We'll stay out here and catch up—my daughter and I have much to discuss. It's already past midnight. Go, rest. The morning will come soon enough."
Without another word, Icariel turned and began walking toward the cave, his steps quiet, fading into the forest's shadows.
The elf girl stared at his retreating figure, then turned toward her father. "But Father... didn't you say we needed to return home immediately? We've already been gone too long. Are we really going to wait until he wakes up?"
Her father's eyes remained on the trees where Icariel disappeared. A small, thoughtful smile tugged at his lips. "Indeed, I did say that," he admitted. "But he made me change my mind."
The elf girl looked puzzled.
"You were right, my dear. He's an odd one…" He let out a soft breath, amused. "And yes… he's worth delaying our return. Who knows what the future holds?"
"Father…?" she muttered softly.
But he changed the subject entirely, his smile widening as he reached into the side of his silver armor.
"Now then… did you miss our food?"
He pulled out a round, green ball, its surface lightly glowing.
"Jeprak?!" the elf girl gasped, her eyes lighting up as she jumped forward to grab it.
"Calm down, calm down!" he laughed. "We have the whole night to talk and eat."
He glanced around the forest clearing and added, "But first—we need to find a place to sit. I'd rather not disturb him by going into his cave."
They began moving through the trees to find a quiet place of their own, the night now filled with a rare warmth.
Meanwhile, Icariel reached the entrance. He slipped inside, the same small flame he'd lit before still flickering gently in the shadows.
He lay down on the cold, hard floor, letting his body sink into the silence. His hand rose slowly to cover his face.
And then—he trembled.
He clenched his teeth tightly, breathing unevenly.
"I almost died," he whispered. "I almost fucking died…"
His voice cracked, pain and frustration laced into every word.
"I was so close to it. Again. And not because of someone else… but because of me. Again…"
A silence settled inside his mind before the voice spoke gently. "I'm sorry."
"I shouldn't have suggested that…"
"No,"Icariel replied immediately. "It's not your fault. You didn't tell me to stab my stomach. I did it. I wanted to learn the healing spell after seeing her use it… I acted reckless, and I was tired… I messed up. Don't blame yourself."
The voice didn't speak for a moment. "…But you acquired it. You finally did it—the healing spell."
"Yeah," Icariel muttered. "I need to test it again tomorrow. I hope I can still use it…"
"Let's try tomorrow," the voice said. "For now, sleep. Your body needs rest."
"Yeah… I have to deal with those… a-annoying… elves…" His sentence trailed off as sleep claimed him mid-thought. His breathing slowed.
Then—silence.
Morning came. The forest shimmered with soft golden light filtering through the trees.
The elves approached the cave, their footsteps quiet but not silent enough to escape Icariel's enhanced awareness. He didn't wake because they called for him—he stirred the moment they entered his detection range.
His eyes blinked open, still heavy with sleep. "Ah... I needed that," he muttered, stretching. He felt better. Not fully rested, but far from yesterday's near-death exhaustion.
The flame he'd lit had long since faded. With a quick motion, he summoned a splash of water spell and washed his face. "Ah—now I'm good," he whispered, steeling himself. "Time to deal with them…"
He stepped out of the cave to find the elves already waiting.
"Were you waiting long?" Icariel asked, feigning innocence as if he hadn't noticed them the moment they arrived.
"Not at all," the elf girl's father replied with a calm smile. "We just got here. Time passed quickly chatting with my daughter. So don't mind it."
He stepped forward. "But we don't have much time. I have a question for you… No, an offer, to be exact."
Icariel raised a brow.
"Will you come to live with us?" the elf girl's father asked. "To our home. To our elven tribe."
There was no surprise on the faces of the elf girl or the two blond elves. They'd clearly known this was coming.
But Icariel?
He was completely stunned.
"What?" he muttered. "Why?"
The elf girl's father smiled, his tone gentle. "First, to give you a fitting reward for saving my daughter's life. Second, because I want to teach you myself. You have talent. You proved it last night."
Icariel stood there, too surprised to respond. But then—the voice spoke inside his mind.
"This isn't a bad opportunity. He seems like a high-ranking elf. The way he talks, the way they treat him—it's clear. If he wants to teach you, that means you've caught his curiosity. Elves are deeply curious creatures… but not cruel. You don't need to be afraid."
Icariel's thoughts raced. "I can understand if he wants to reward me for giving his daughter a hand to heal. But to train me? To teach me something? I already have you. Why would I need him?"
A short pause, then the voice answered.
"True. You have me. But you can't stay hidden in the forest forever. I suggest you go—see a new culture, experience a new world. Aren't you curious? You can learn from them without risking anything."
Icariel's expression shifted. "That's true. I am curious to know more about the world… And I guess learning more about healing magic wouldn't hurt either. But what about the Superhuman Path and Swordmaster Path? Now I've learned the best I could of the mage part."
"Don't worry about that," the voice added. "Even while you're there, I can still train you in the Superhuman Path and Swordmaster Path. Now that your body has adapted to the mana transformation, we can begin that soon."
Icariel smiled slightly. "Sounds great. I'll give it a try," he said inside his thoughts. "But there is one little problem…"
Out loud, the elf girl's father repeated, "So… what do you say? Will you come with us?"
Icariel looked at them, then nodded. "Yeah, I can. But…"
They waited.
"There's a small problem."
The elf girl's father's brow raised. "And what kind of little problem is that?"
"There's no meat."
A long pause.
Silence.
The two blond elves looked like they'd just been slapped with a branch.
The elf girl sighed under her breath. "Idiot."
Her father stood still, looking like he'd been stunned into silence. And then… he smiled. A slow, amused smile of disbelief and amusement.
"Meat?" her father asked, raising a brow.
"Yes. Meat," Icariel replied without hesitation.
The elf girl's father raised an eyebrow. "Hmm... You already know we elves are against eating it, right?"
"Exactly. That's why I said it's a problem."
Her father stared at him for a moment, thoughtful. "He's testing me," he realized. "Clever boy."
"Fine," he said at last. "You won't be living with us forever anyway. So if you ever want to eat meat—or want it with every meal—you can leave our territory, hunt it, eat it, and then come back. How does that sound?"
Icariel widened his eyes, genuinely surprised. "I wasn't expecting that response... He really does want me to go with him. Meat isn't even the issue—I love it, sure, it gives me strength. But this was a test. I wanted to see how far he'd go, to see what kind of man he truly is. I could eat dirt if it meant surviving another day."
"So, you've decided then?" the voice asked in his head.
"Yeah," Icariel replied.
Then the voice added, "Good. Like I said... elves have a good relationship with humans. They can't ban all of them from eating meat, so they simply keep it out of their sacred places. Even that time you ate a rabbit near the elf girl—she didn't stop you. She just didn't want to see it."
Icariel gave a small smile, then looked at the elf girl's father and nodded. "I'll come with you."
He paused. "And sorry for acting like that. Sometimes… you have to push a little. Test how people react. It's the hard way to see someone's true intentions."
The elf girl's father chuckled. "Then I guess we're tied now."
Icariel smirked. "Guess we are."
"Well then," the elf said. "Pack your things and clothes. We'll head out right away."
"What things and clothes?" Icariel raised an eyebrow. "What exactly do you expect me to have? I live in a cave."
A deep laugh burst from the elf girl's father. "Hahaha! Apologies—that was careless of me."
"I'm starting to doubt if you're really the one who can teach me now," Icariel teased, grinning.
They both laughed, the moment lightening the air.
The elf girl watched Icariel with soft eyes, her gaze lingering on his face—then suddenly she turned a little pink.
"Let's go, then," the elf girl's father said. "If you don't have anything to gather—"
"I've got just one thing," Icariel interrupted. "My axe."
"Then grab it. We've been out here far too long."
Icariel ducked into the cave. When he returned, he was still shirtless, barefoot, only his black pants left covering him. The axe rested on his shoulder like an old friend.
"You ready?" the elf asked.
"Yeah. Let's go."
But just as they turned to leave, the elf girl stepped forward, her cheeks a light shade of red.
"Hey… you," she said, her voice soft. "What's your name?"
Her father's eyes widened slightly, and the two blond elves behind him froze.
In Icariel's head, the voice spoke again.
"After surviving death so many times… it seems luck is finally falling in your favor."