Chapter 16 - Another World (6)
It felt a bit contrived that we couldn't read each other's writing, yet here we were, understanding each other perfectly face-to-face. But then again, the whole situation was just as implausible and forced. In fact, it was still hard to believe even now. The idea that I was sitting across from a being called an elf—a different race—from this tiny flowerpot world, actually having a conversation.
Thinking back, it was sheer luck that she'd trusted me so readily.
"You stumbled upon this place by chance, you say. Same for me. I once thought this was nothing but abandoned wasteland myself."
She nodded after hearing how I'd come here, saying it was the same for her.
"In truth, it was empty land, without a doubt. You might not know this, but beyond that rift lies new territory. The place where I've now taken root."
"So things are different now?"
"Exactly. In this exile ground we ignored and shunned, our very origins were growing."
Serenian mentioned the World Tree with a faint smile.
She explained that the World Tree was the root of the fairies, the origin of the elves. The twelve fairies born from the primordial World Tree had split into various branches, becoming the ancestors of the elf clans. It was their myth and history.
"May I ask what you mean by 'exile ground'?"
Finally, I could voice the question that had been nagging at me from the start. Why was she exiled here alone? What were those scars covering her back? Why had she returned from her homeland with only two young elves when seeking aid?
This was my chance to unravel it all.
"Simple. I was banished from my clan, and this was merely the dumping ground for exiles."
She said it matter-of-factly, as if it were no big deal. Her eyes seemed distant, lost in thought, but it didn't feel like she was forcing indifference.
"Asking why you were banished would be rude, right?"
"You're human, aren't you? No harm in telling you, then. It's our clan's affair, after all."
I'd asked cautiously, half-expecting her to brush it off, but surprisingly, she answered. As Serenian said, being a complete outsider who barely knew what an elf even was might have made the confession possible.
"It was just conflict. As the chieftain's daughter and the chosen successor High Elf, I decided to serve the World Tree. I simply believed we had to uphold our traditions and customs. But others didn't see it that way."
Dark words I hadn't anticipated slipped from her lips as she stared blankly at the ground.
Serenian had been a princess of a clan among the most staunch of the Great Forest Elves, the most rigid of elfkind. She was already a recognized warrior and priestess, talented and capable. When one of the previous High Elves reached the end of her lifespan and stepped down, Serenian had inherited the position, having already taken in the World Tree's essence. The marking on her back was proof of that.
"It was around the time I completed the ritual that the Demon King and his army, whom we'd fought for ages, finally fell. I was young and didn't grasp it fully, but a hero party had battled for over ten years and defeated the Demon King at last. The hero returned to his distant homeland afterward, but those who fought alongside him became legendary heroes, wielding immense influence over the world. And among those heroes were some of our elves."
"Were they the ones who brought the change?"
"Yes. I can say with certainty: an elf who likes humans is an oddity. But after risking their lives together as comrades for nearly a decade, their hearts must have shifted."
Those hero elves advocated strongly for交流 with other races, including humans. Some even formed marital bonds with human heroes. Given their towering status after vanquishing the Demon King, it was no wonder elven society, once so insular, began to waver.
"I opposed it to the end. Even if it meant being cast out from my position and my clan."
"D-did you hate humans that much?"
"No. It was because I saw the greed and corruption they harbored."
Serenian lifted her head, her green eyes flashing, as she fiddled with her fingers and stared at the ground. She accused the reformist elves of losing their purity and falling into depravity under human instigation.
"I didn't think change was evil. If the environment shifts, adapting makes sense. But I was convinced it had to be for the prosperity of us all—not driven by the greed of a select few."
The reformists crushed opposition and dissent with force, imposing their will on the clan. Threats and violence weren't uncommon in the process. To Serenian, though, the changes and exchanges they'd forced weren't for all elfkind but coercive domination and exploitation for a privileged group.
"A minor skirmish—too small to call a civil war—broke out in the heartlands where the World Tree resided. I was still inexperienced and couldn't defeat battle-hardened heroes, so I lost. They offered me positions of power, but I refused them all. As a High Elf candidate, my punishment ended with banishment. I don't know what became of the others who fought beside me."
"...Sorry. I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories."
I averted my eyes awkwardly. Whipped, cast out, harboring hatred for them and guilt for those she couldn't protect or had left behind—she'd been thrown into this barren land. The emotions she carried felt too vast for me to comprehend.
"It's fine now. What I must protect is here... and I'm not alone anymore."
Yet she seemed more at peace than I did. I gave a wry smile, realizing whose face that faint, scoffing grin was for. My decisions and actions had truly made a meaningful difference.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to go there? To where the World Tree is?"
"We're neighbors anyway. Avoiding each other would be harder. This is better. Besides, a priestess of the divine spirit is trustworthy."
After learning more about each other, Serenian invited me to her home. She chuckled at the drone in my hand. As expected, the biggest reason for her trust seemed to be my role as the one she firmly believed was this world's divine spirit.
Unauthorized access to core area for foreign organisms
World Tree level growth required
"Oh no."
But unlike her, who crossed freely, I couldn't pass through the rift. For some reason, the power governing this flowerpot world treated me—who had entered via the herb pot instead of the bonsai—as an outsider.
"You can't cross?"
"Seems like it. Probably needs some time."
She widened her eyes in surprise at my words. Disappointing, but unavoidable. For now, I decided to be content with forging a connection and building a decent relationship.
Direct meetings might end here, but I could still watch over her anytime.
"Guess there's no helping it. I'll head back, then."
"B-before you go, could you grant me one small request?"
I grabbed her as she turned to leave alone. I'd mulled it over in my head so long that the words tumbled out. No taking them back now—I steeled myself.
"Just stand there like this? W-why are our faces there? Is that a mirror?!"
"Think of it as a mirror, yeah."
I pulled out my phone, switched to camera mode, and her startled face appeared alongside mine, barely suppressing a laugh.
"N-now I'm really going."
After snapping one photo and watching her leave, I exited the flowerpot world without hesitation. Back to normal size in the living room, phone in hand. Inside it, without a doubt, was a picture of me with the beautiful elf.
This photo was proof. Proof that I'd taken a step forward.
"---? --..."
Heading to the bonsai pot, I saw her emerging from the rift, trudging toward her house. Maneuvering the drone, she glanced at it and muttered something. Glancing back as she spoke—surely talking about me? If communication worked, I could give her a walkie-talkie later. Then we could talk even from outside.
The underground world stirs again
"...Whew."
And this might not even be a choice, but a necessity. Just as she reached home, as if no rest or stability were allowed, new text appeared.
Serenian, sensing something, looked up at the World Tree with a startled expression.
The ant den dungeon we'd thought cleared away. That infuriating, creepy thing was resurfacing in the flowerpot world.
The inevitable cycle.
Both she and I hardened our faces but didn't rage or complain. She'd said as much herself: pioneering this barren land meant fights were unavoidable. Besides, she and the World Tree grew stronger by slaying mana beasts and absorbing their power. As she put it, this battle was a competition for habitat and food. Fall behind or flee, and you'd be culled.
Ways to help?
Instead of fretting and stamping my feet, it was wiser to think harder and find solutions. While Serenian called the young elves to discuss it, I stepped out onto the veranda.