Thinking it was Loki, I cautiously left the tree. Serie noticed my nervousness and asked, "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, it's fine. I'm just trying to guess who came to see me."
"I bet you have no idea who it is."
"Hmm…"
I thought about guessing a few names, but there was no time. The person in question appeared, stepping out from behind a tree. For some reason, she had been standing in the middle of the forest. "..." I stopped and stared.
"..." She didn't say anything either and walked closer.
Serie looked between the two of us and said, "Aren't you going to say something?"
"Welcome back, Riveria." I gave her a smile, but Riveria didn't return it. She kept staring at me seriously, which made me a bit uncomfortable. She looks exactly the same, I thought.
Her long jade-green hair, even the clothes she wore—everything was just like before I fell into a deep sleep.
Riveria wasn't as close to me as Serie and some of the other elves, but she was still very important to me. She was considered one of the strongest elves of that era, alongside Kraft, Milliarde, Minus, and a few others.
"You've finally awakened," she said sharply.
I cleared my throat and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I came on Loki's orders. She wanted me to come see you."
"Loki? You're part of the Loki Familia?"
"Ryuu didn't tell you?"
"No, she didn't. How long has it been?"
"I'm not sure. It's been years."
"If I remember correctly, Riveria left the village during the third war between elves and humans. If I'm not mistaken, it was a large group of humans from Orario."
"I see."
"..." Riveria stepped a little closer and placed her hand on my head.
"What are you doing?"
"I just wanted to feel your hair. Can't I?"
Feel my hair? What a strange thing to say.
Still, I didn't pull her hand away.
Riveria stroked my hair for a few seconds and said, "I'm glad you've returned." She finally smiled at me. It was a truly genuine smile, and it warmed my heart.
"This time, I won't abandon you all again." I held her hand and gently removed it from my hair. "Now, let's get to the important part. What's Loki's message?"
"She found some leads about who might have done this to you."
My eyes widened when I heard that. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'll be honest. What Loki discovered isn't much. She just wanted me to come talk to you."
"Huh? Why?"
"She thinks I don't care enough about you. She spent days trying to convince me to come, but I kept telling her I didn't want to."
"But why? Do you hate your origins?"
"..." Riveria looked at me and said, "Of course not. I love the tree just like everyone else. I have a deep respect for you. Everything I know, I learned from you. I just… wasn't ready, that's all."
"Wasn't ready?"
"Yes. It had been so long since I'd last seen you, and I betrayed the elves by abandoning the village." Riveria lowered her head, avoiding my eyes. "I left Serie and Kraft behind to protect the tree. I lived in Orario for years, completely ignoring all of this."
"I told Serie this before. I don't hate the elves who left the village to survive. You all found protection by joining Familias, didn't you?"
"...."
"If that helped you survive, then I don't mind."
Riveria smiled and said, "You've always been like this. Someone with a very kind heart."
"You're mistaken, Riveria. I'm not a good person. Ever since I woke up, the only thing I've been thinking about is killing whoever caused all this. A good person doesn't think about murder all the time, right?" I let out a short laugh.
"That's not true. You're still the kind-hearted person I remember. You've killed many in the past, but it was always for a reason. Every person you killed had a justifiable cause. That doesn't make you a bad person."
Hearing those words made me think of the past.
All the wars I took part in.
All the people I killed.
"No, Riveria. Not all of them deserved to die."
Many of those people were forced to fight. If they didn't, they would have been killed.
I still remember seeing so many on the battlefield, begging for their lives. Very young humans.
And yet, I killed them anyway.
I can't possibly be considered a good person, can I?
####
I invited Riveria inside the tree so we could talk. Serie followed us. As soon as we entered, Riveria's eyes widened. Her gaze landed on the coffin at the bottom of the stairs.
"I remember the day you fell asleep," she said, with a bittersweet smile. "That day, I thought… the elven race was doomed. And in the end, I was right. The population declined, many died, and the tree began to die…"
"But now I'm here, and everything will recover."
"But it took too long, my queen," Riveria said, looking at me. "It's too late."
Too late…
"Don't say that, Riveria! It's not too late! The tree is recovering!" Serie shouted.
"The tree has partially recovered because of the queen's return, but in the end, it's far from what it once was. I don't think it can be restored…"
"It's alright, Riveria. Just tell me what Loki found out." I decided not to argue with her.
To her, the tree and the elven village are beyond saving.
"I'm glad you've returned, and maybe you truly can fix a lot of this, but…"
"It won't ever be like it used to be… It's ok to think that. I'll have a lot of work."
"You're stubborn."
"?"
"You should just live. You shouldn't try to put everything back in its place. You came back—just enjoy that. The elves are already scattered, living their long lives in peace."
"You're not the Riveria I once knew. You used to be understanding and incredibly determined. I expected your support."
"..."
"I don't know what happened to you, but please don't say those things anymore. I'm staying here, and I will bring the elves' glory back. I've already told Serie and Ryuu: I will rebuild this place. If you don't believe that's possible, I ask that at the very least, you don't come here just to say things that aren't helpful."
"Alright. I'm sorry. I just don't want you to be disappointed."
"Did you come here just to say that and try to take me with you? Was that Loki's request?"
"How did you come to that conclusion?"
"It just doesn't sound like you."
"This again…" Riveria sighed.
"Just tell me what Loki found."
Riveria looked at me and began to speak.
####
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Next Chapters: Chapter 26 - She doesn't look like the same Riveria. / Chapter 27 - Information about the culprit. / Chapter 28 - Happy to have prepared good food. / Chapter 29 - Heiter and Fern. / Chapter 30 - Nine More Elves. / Chapter 31 - Bloody Night.