The Tree of Life flickered her wrist lightly. The tender green branch lifted Kang Ian, slowly carrying him forward until he came to a stop right before Kei.
The man still kept his eyes tightly shut, his complexion ashen, his respiration so feeble it was nearly imperceptible. The leaves coiling around his body shivered slightly, infusing a tiny trickle of natural energy into his physical form.
Kei hurried forward to catch Ian.
"Careful," the Tree of Life cautioned. "He hasn’t woken up yet."
Kei leaned downward, sliding one arm beneath Ian’s knees while supporting his back with the other. Despite his best efforts to be gentle, the dead weight of an adult caused Kei to wobble slightly. Gritting his teeth, he adjusted his posture and hoisted Ian onto his back.
Ian’s raven-locked hair draped across Kei’s shoulder. His fragile breathing brushed against Kei’s neck, ice-cold and faint.
A sensation both intimately familiar and deeply alien welled up simultaneously within Kei’s chest.
The man he was carrying on his back was Kang Ian, the SS-rank hunter he had crossed paths with in this world. Yet he could equally be Ian, the young Elf who had once departed the Elven Forest bearing the promise to grow strong enough to protect him.
Kei had no idea what he should call him.
Nor did he know what sort of gaze Ian would fix upon him once he finally opened his eyes.
The Tree of Life drifted right before them, pointing a finger toward a narrow trail winding between the parched tree trunks.
"Follow this path, and you will exit the perimeter of my protection."
Kei tracked the direction of her finger. The narrow trail, blanketed in decaying leaves, stretched deep into the barren woods. At the very far end of the path, a faint luminescence filtered through the stripped, skeletal canopies, as though simply continuing forward would ferry them right back to the Dungeon where Kei and Kang Ian had vanished.
"In the future, if you wish to return and visit me, simply trace any narrow trail you spot within the Dungeon. It will lead you straight here."
The Tree of Life smiled. That smile was soft, yet failed to conceal the bone-weary exhaustion lingering deep within her emerald eyes.
"Be sure to return and visit often. I do not have much time left... and I wish to gaze upon you just a little bit longer."
Kei tightened his grip around Ian.
His eye rims stung fiercely. Pressing his lips into a thin line, he fought desperately to keep his voice from shaking.
"Yes..."
The Tree of Life had previously mentioned she could hold on for a few more months. At the time, Kei had clung to those words like an absolute guarantee. Yet only now did he fully grasp what she truly meant: she wanted to see him a few more times, because she wasn’t certain how much longer she could remain here.
Kei refused to let that happen.
He would figure out a way to save Julius. He would likewise figure out a way to save the Tree of Life. Even if it meant tearing apart every Dungeon, even if it meant hunting down every last fragment of elemental magic across this world, he would never allow her to wither away inside a desolate, abandoned forest.
"My father..." Kei asked softly. "Will I ever be able to meet him one last time?"
The smile upon the Tree of Life’s lips faded slightly.
"Julius’s physical form rests right at the core of my true body, where the purest concentration of natural energy resides." She looked at him, her tone gentle yet resolute. "Only right there can I protect him. Right now, I have no way of bringing you to meet him."
Kei lowered his head.
He understood that heartbroken as he might be, he couldn’t demand the Tree of Life squander her final reserves of strength simply so he could catch one more glimpse of Julius.
Within his memories, his father had held him close and pressed a kiss upon his hair. Kei still vivid remembered that comforting warmth. Yet that was merely an image preserved from the past. Julius was right here inside this forest, so agonizingly close that merely knowing he existed was enough to render the longing unbearable.
He longed to tell his father that he knew everything now, to confess that he no longer blamed him for sealing away his memories, to call him ’Father’ while he could actually hear it.
And yet, right now, Kei could only turn his back and walk away.
"Kei."
The Tree of Life called out to him. She drifted closer, pressing her tiny hand against his cheek. Her cool fingertips gently wiped away the stray tear clinging to his skin.
"Do not think that I am giving up," she murmured. "I am merely reminding you to return before it is too late. I believe you will figure out a way to save both me and Julius."
Even secluded within the distant Elven Forest, the Tree of Life had occasionally managed to catch wind of Kei’s growth, of how Kei had thrived within the Magic Tower to ultimately rise as a Legendary Mage.
If Kei failed to conjure a solution, the Tree of Life would simply accept her fated demise.
She had lived long enough; her sole remaining regrets were none other than the father and son, Julius and Kei.
Kei stared deep into her emerald eyes.
"I will come back."
"So I will wait."
Drawing in a deep, shuddering breath, Kei forced himself to memorize her features, the desolate woods, and the feeble radiance flickering around the colossal tree trunk. Then, spinning on his heel, Kei began marching toward the narrow trail.
Every single step caused Ian upon his back to jolt slightly. Kei kept a cautious grip on him, not daring to quicken his pace.
Before the forest faded entirely from his line of sight, Kei halted.
He whipped his head back to gaze at the Tree of Life.
"Please wait for me!" His voice echoed across the silent woods. "I will definitely return to save you!"
The Tree of Life stared at him for a long, quiet beat.
Then, she offered a soft, gentle smile.
"Mhm. I will wait."
Kei turned away, pressing onward along the trail. His silhouette alongside Ian grew progressively smaller amidst the barren tree trunks, until the rolling emerald light swallowed them entirely.
The Tree of Life still hovered mid-air, gazing down the path Kei had just departed. A moment later, she slowly turned her head toward the colossal tree.
The trunk stood still and silent. The withered branches drooped heavily, their fissured bark utterly devoid of any lingering vitality. Yet deep within, nestled within the thickest embrace of the roots, Julius slumbered on.
The Tree of Life leaned back against a massive branch.
"Did you hear that, Julius?" she murmured softly. "I got to see Kei one last time."
There was no response.
She didn’t wait for an answer. She simply settled gently onto the bough, swinging her legs mid-air before raising her voice in song.
It was the lullaby of the Elven race.
In days gone by, older Elves would sing this exact tune to soothe the little ones. Whenever a child wept, someone would pull them into their embrace, humming that familiar melody in a low drone until the sobs melted away into slumber.
The Tree of Life had once adored listening to that song.
She had listened to countless melodies spanning hundreds of thousands of years, yet not a single voice had ever granted her a peace comparable to the singing of Elves gathered beneath the canopy. Some sang beautifully, some pitched off-key, while little ones who hadn’t even memorized the lyrics rushed to hum along. Every single one of them had imbued the forest with vibrant life.
Then the Elven Forest had been destroyed, and the very last Elf had fallen.
From that day onward, no one remained to sing for the Tree of Life.
Only she was left, standing amidst the parched woods, singing that lullaby to herself.
The fragile melody drifted past the withered branches, floating toward the core of the massive trunk. A pale green leaf shivered faintly before detaching itself to flutter down beside her.
The Tree of Life lowered her gaze to the leaf.
She continued singing, refusing to let her voice falter.
"Sleep now, Julius..."
Her singing grew softer and softer amidst the silent forest.
"Kei will return very soon, and then we will be able to sing happily together once more."