Cloud Tree Necklace
Serion Olia's eyes rippled with waves as she gazed at the Cloud Tree necklace.
"How is this possible?"
"A scavenger had it. It seems like something that leaked out from the White Bear Caravan."
"Cloud Trees grow only in the Foerlin Mountains even in Kurayan. The Foerlin elves use this necklace as a sacred relic."
Serion delved into memories from before she had crossed over to Earth.
For elves, a few hundred years wasn't such a long time, but her recollections had faded significantly after arriving on Earth and running nonstop without a moment's rest.
She had to make a great effort to revive those memories.
"When Foerlin elves exchange with elves from other regions, they gift them this necklace."
Serion removed the necklace hanging around her neck.
It was the exact same shape as the one Borlin had brought.
"Cloud Trees have long been used as a medium between elves and spirits. That's why elves who possess this necklace can easily form contracts with spirits. That's how I was able to contract with a spirit too..."
Her eyes grew distant.
Once, she too had contracted with a spirit.
She couldn't remember how overjoyed she had been at first.
That contract had completed her, filling her with immense satisfaction. But the small, cute spirit no longer existed by her side.
The connection with the spirit had been severed when she crossed from Kurayan to Earth.
Spirits were one of the constituent elements of that world.
Being part of Kurayan, they couldn't leave it. So it remained behind in Kurayan, unable to follow Serion to Earth.
The sense of loss and shock Serion felt from that forced severance was beyond words.
It took ten days and nights of groaning in agony before she could finally recover her mind and body and accept reality.
She wasn't the only one.
All the elves who had crossed from Kurayan to Earth had their spirit connections forcibly cut.
Though the link to spirits was broken, the Cloud Tree necklace remained a precious item to the elves.
It was a symbol of hope that they might one day reconnect with spirits.
"Elves cherish this necklace until death. When their lifespan ends and they return to nature, they pass it on to their descendants, carrying it through generations."
For elves born on Earth, Cloud Tree necklaces no longer existed. There were no more Cloud Trees to obtain, nor Foerlin elves to craft the necklaces.
"This must belong to some elf who came over from Kurayan. How the hell did humans get their hands on it?"
"We don't know that much."
"We need to find out. How they obtained it, and how many they have. If they do, we recover every last one."
"What if the humans refuse to hand them over?"
"We recover them anyway."
"Even by force?"
"I told you. The Cloud Tree necklace is the bridge between elves and spirits. If spirits are ever born on Earth someday, this necklace will play a major role then."
"Understood. I'll recover every single one."
Borlin replied with a hardened expression.
Serion, who had been watching her for a moment, pulled a single sheet of paper from her drawer.
"Conveniently, an invitation came from this White Bear Caravan. Show them this, and you should be able to get in easily."
It was then.
"Hold on!"
Someone flung open the door and strode into Serion's room.
Serion furrowed her brow at the rude intruder.
"I know the Blue Leaf Special Forces are impressive, but we can't entrust the fate of the elves to them."
The intruder who had barged into her residence spoke without hesitation.
If it had been anyone else, they would have been thrown out immediately or severely punished. But the visitor had every qualification to act this way.
Black hair cascading to her waist, black pupils. Even the skintight clothes she wore were pitch black.
The visitor's name was Ilai.
Serion's confidante and the second-in-command of the North District.
Her epithet was Spider Queen.
It had nothing to do with actual spiders, but her attire and aura evoked the image.
At Ilai's appearance, Borlin unconsciously furrowed her brow as well.
Ilai's decadent vibe and speech made it impossible to see her as the same kind of elf, stirring natural disgust.
Serion asked Ilai.
"What do you mean? Are you saying you can't trust the Blue Leaf Special Forces?"
"It's not that I can't trust them. It's just that we can't leave something this big solely to them."
"Then are you saying you'll step in yourself, Ilai?"
"No. But it would be better to attach some support to the Blue Leaf Special Forces."
"Is that so? Who do you think would be good?"
"In my opinion, attaching the Thorn Tree Assault team would be best."
"Aren't they too aggressive?"
Serion hesitated.
The Thorn Tree Assault team was one of the North District's elite units.
Composed of a hundred members, they were matchless elites who fought humans preying on elves, one against a hundred.
They were human hunters who pursued vengeance to the end whenever North District elves suffered harm at human hands. That was why Awakeners from other districts all shunned the Thorn Tree Assault team.
Ilai countered.
"That's exactly why we need them. Their aggression and combat prowess will deter human provocations instead."
"There's merit in that."
Serion nodded.
Borlin, meanwhile, kept her head bowed in silence.
She was biting her lip hard to suppress her anger.
Ilai's words were tantamount to saying she didn't trust the Blue Leaf Special Forces.
Ilai was always like this.
She checked Borlin and the Blue Leaf Special Forces in strangely excessive ways.
And very slyly, at that.
Unaware or perhaps knowing of her feelings, Serion neatly summarized.
"Then it's settled: the Blue Leaf Special Forces lead, with the Thorn Tree Assault team in support."
"A wise choice."
"I shall obey your command."
Ilai and Borlin answered simultaneously.
＊＊＊
Shwaaa!
Zeon showered, letting the hot stream of water pound his entire body.
It was an era of water scarcity.
Out in the desert, even drinking water was hard to come by, let alone showers.
Being able to shower like this was only possible thanks to Neo Seoul.
Neo Seoul had resource recovery facilities underground.
Water and sewage used in Neo Seoul gathered there, got purified, and supplied to the slums.
Thanks to that, even the slums had ample water.
This too was a benefit of civilization.
After finishing his shower, Zeon wrapped a towel around his waist and stepped out.
"Hyung?"
"Those wounds..."
Levin and Briel in the living room gasped at the sight of him.
They had seen the countless scars etched across Zeon's body.
His exposed upper and lower body above the towel was densely marked with scars like branding irons, too many to count.
The most striking was the massive gash connecting his chest and abdomen. A wound like that should have shattered his ribs, spilled his guts, and killed him outright.
No potion, no matter how effective, could heal something like that.
At least not by their common knowledge.
Yet Zeon had survived such a grievous injury.
There were plenty of other eye-catching scars too.
It was unbelievable that one person's body could bear so many scars.
"Hyung, those scars on your body..."
"It's nothing."
Zeon finally noticed them staring and gave an awkward smile.
Briel, meanwhile, couldn't close her gaping mouth.
How the hell did he survive?
She had never seen such scars on any elf or human.
Even the faintest ones would have been fatal to an ordinary person. Zeon had dozens—no, far more—such wounds.
So many that barely any bare skin showed through.
Through those scars, Briel caught a glimpse of Zeon's life.
He fought endlessly just to get here.
Now she understood why Zeon lived so lethargically.
He holed up at home unless absolutely necessary, hardly moving. It even seemed boring.
But seeing his scars made his behavior click.
After fighting until his body was like that, he must have been exhausted.
Returning to his hometown Neo Seoul in that state, rest must have been desperate.
To reignite a man scorched by everything, he needed time to recharge—and this was that time for Zeon.
Unlike the heavy air, Zeon smiled lightly.
"It's nothing. Everyone carries scars like these, right?"
"Who gave you wounds like..."
"A normal person would die from just one of those."
"I've been toughened up rough by some old man since I was a kid, so my body's pretty sturdy."
Zeon dressed.
As he layered on clothes one by one, the scars vanished from view.
Once fully dressed, not a single scar could be seen on him.
He looked pristine, like someone who had lived a smooth life without hardship.
Briel and Levin wouldn't have imagined the multitude of scars beneath his clothes if they hadn't seen them themselves.
Seeing Zeon pick up the invitation on the table, Briel spoke.
"You heading out now?"
"Auction starts soon."
"I'll come too."
"Me too, hyung!"
Briel and Levin said they wanted to tag along.
Zeon nodded.
"Yeah! Let's go together."
They were the type to follow even if told not to.
Better to bring them from the start for peace of mind.
"Woocha!"
"Yesss!"
The two followed Zeon like they'd been waiting.
It was when they left the slums and entered the desert.
"Zeon, look over there."
Briel suddenly pointed to the opposite side.
Countless people were moving toward the White Bear Caravan where her finger indicated.
Levin said.
"West District, East District—huh? That's South District Awakeners. And over there, elves, North District Awakeners too. What the? Awakeners from every district in Neo Seoul showed up. Everyone except City Hall? Insane!"
He shook his head.
He had lived his whole life in Neo Seoul but had never seen so many Awakeners gathered.
Levin felt his whole body shrink involuntarily.
Though he had awakened a rare ability, he was still just a young boy.
Faced with such a massive sight, he couldn't help being overwhelmed.
Briel stared blankly at the North District Awakeners.
The North District was entirely elves.
Even as a High Elf, it was her first time seeing so many elves.
Her gaze on them was complex and subtle.
Elves who remained in the human world, assimilated with humans.
Their aura felt more human than elven.
Before living in Neo Seoul, she would have scorned elves assimilated into the human world.
Accusing them of losing their elven identity.
Who's scorning who? I'm no different from them.
If anything, she was more depraved.
No matter the human threats, she had even made drugs.
Countless humans had died miserably, soaked in the drugs she created.
That original sin would never fade.
Even if freed from the soul oath, she could never return to a High Elf village.
She was fated to spend her life here.
And in time, she too would become like them.
Probably looks the same to others already...
Levin spoke to her as she stared vacantly at the elves.
"What're you thinking so hard about?"
"Ah, nothing. Let's hurry."
Briel shook her head and quickened her pace.
Levin watched her back for a moment before following.
Zeon moved after them, thinking.
Gathering all these people in one place must be your idea too.
As if answering his question, Demian appeared high up on the fortress walls.