Chapter 25: Promise

We walked for several hours inside the forest. Even with Hiraliel guiding me, this forest just seemed endless. I finally understood why it was called ‘Great Forest’.

I was really foolish to go inside as I did.

At that time I didn’t have much choice either. I was alone in the middle of nowhere after killing the head of the Waldemar house. With the coachman as a witness, I couldn’t just stay on the same path we were taking.

I had no choice but to enter the forest to avoid any unfortunate future encounter. However, this forest was way bigger than what I initially thought.

Without someone to guide me, it would have been impossible to find the exit. I was sure of that.

We walked together in silence while I was careful not to fall on the uneven ground because of the thick vegetation. On the contrary, Hiraliel was walking gracefully among the roots, vines and trees as if she was a part of the forest itself. She barely let any footprint on the soil.

I tried to follow her example, but it was easier said than done. Even if I didn’t fall, I wasn’t able to avoid some vines scratching my new trousers. However, not a single trace of that was left on the clothes I wore. Just as Hirillë said, it was no ordinary clothes.

Even if it wasn’t like an armor, I was sure that this kind of protection would come in handy during my journey. The fact that I was able to get rid of my old, tattered, and smelly clothes just added to my pleasure.

While I was admiring my new set of clothes, Hiraliel’s voice echoed inside the forest.

“If you don’t want to lose yourself again then follow closer.”

Hearing her sarcastic sentence, I shrugged my shoulders. However, I clearly didn’t want to be left alone in this forest again so I quickly ran to catch up with her.

We continued to walk together. We didn’t talk much at first, mostly because I had to focus to follow her rhythm, but after a couple of hours, I started to get used to walking at this speed in the forest. It was a little tiring, but Hiraliel clearly wanted to come out of the forest before the sky turned dark.

As I was finally able to follow her without too much trouble, we began to talk to kill the boredom.

It was quite fun talking with her. She was proud but also strangely ignorant of the way the other races lived.

Apparently, she never left this forest since her birth.

“Aren’t you able to leave the forest?” I asked with a puzzled expression.

She shook her head strongly while explaining to me with a hint of pride in her voice.

“Why should I leave? The forest is immense with all my friends and family members living inside. I don’t particularly crave for the outside world. Maybe when I’m older, I will want to leave to encounter other races and experience new things in unknown places, but it’s far too soon for now.”

Her explanation already answered my question, but she continued to talk, apparently flared up by the topic.

“Even if I leave now, I will just be putting my life at risk without any clear goal. I’m still not strong enough. I know that much.”

She seemed a little depressed after her own words, so I quickly shifted the topic back to the many unknown things I saw inside the forest.

She answered me with a smile. It seemed like she noticed my intentions, but even if this wasn’t the case, it was alright.

We relaxed together while talking about many different things that we didn’t know. She talked to me about many different plants and animals living in the forest, while I explained to her the way humans live. I also described to her the town I came from, which was also the town where I desperately wanted to return to.

Across our talk, I learned that she was only seventeen years old. I was quite surprised because I pictured every single elf I encountered as having lived at least a hundred years.

However, according to her words, most of the elves I encountered were quite young. Even Hirillë was considered young from the standard of elves as she was less than a century old.

Apparently, the oldest elves lived deeper inside the forest, in somewhere that’s considered a sanctuary. It was a place with such strong defenses that it was basically impossible for any outsider to discover the place by accident.

We already talked for several hours straight. It was quite an interesting talk, as I learned many things I didn’t know about elves.

I especially learned why the elves didn’t rule the world.

Sure, they didn’t want to do something like that in the first place, but I always found it strange that Humans could have such large kingdoms whereas Elves were far superior to them in magic.

The reason for that was because they weren’t very fertile.

It was rare for an elf to have more than one or two children. It was a dangerous matter for the elven race, therefore, even the most extremist elves like the ‘Queen of the Great Forest of the North’, had to accept the reproduction with other races with better fertility.

It was a delicate matter because reproduction between an elf and someone from another race gave birth to an elf with a less pure blood. It was something really important, especially for the oldest elves. An elf with a pureblood had a very long lifespan, being able to easily exceed several hundred years.

Elves with less pure blood lived shorter lives. It also seemed that the pureblooded elves had a really high capacity to feel and manipulate the mana, making them naturally powerful mages. In fact, the ruler of the elves were all from pureblood clans.

Hirillë was from one too. It seemed that her ears and her hair color were a mystery. More like a handicap in fact. It’s only because she was so talented in magic that she was able to become a Queen, despite the opposition from other high elves.

Well, according to Hiraliel, except for the three ruling clans of the elves, it seemed that the number of true pureblood elves was really few.

As a result, it wasn’t rare for elves who left their forest to marry someone from another race. It was rare for an elf to procreate with a dwarf as the two races didn’t seem to be really compatible. The marriage with a member of a beast tribe was more common but not as much as with humans. The high birthrate of the Human race was probably the reason for that, but it seemed that it had some restriction.

Only the reproduction of a female elf and a male human was allowed.

I was surprised because I never heard about something like that.

The child of a male elf and a female human wasn’t considered an elf, but a totally different race look down upon and discriminated. They weren’t able to manipulate the mana easily and, more importantly, couldn’t use nature magic. It was something the pureblood elves couldn’t accept.

The reason for that was because the woman elves hold the most powerful blood. The extreme majority of the elves using magic were female. Because of that, the leading figures of the race were all females. Mixing the weak blood of a male elf with a human woman without a high natural affinity with magic gave birth to children who weren't even considered elves.

The fact that those half-elves didn’t have the long vertical ears of the elves didn’t help them either.

I gasped after hearing this because the word ‘earless elf’ wasn’t new for me.

For a long time, I believed that I was one. After remembering the reaction from Aten following the explanation of my mother about her silver hair, I was sure he thought that my mother was a half-elf with a human mother and an elf father.

I would still believe it without what Hirillë told me.

She was sure that I didn’t have any elf blood in me. Even if my father was a human and my mother a half-elf, I should still have some elven blood in me.

The explanation just fit too well so, for an instant, I thought that she may have made a mistake. However, I quickly discarded those thoughts.

No matter how much I thought about it, the only one who knew if I had elf blood in me or not was my mother.

We continued to talk without slowing our pace and, after a few more questions, I also learned that to compensate for their lower reliability in the use of magic, the male elves relied on arrows.

“If I understood correctly, the male from the elf race relies on arrows to fight with some magic, but then, why are you also using a bow?”

My question didn’t seem to bother her.

She fondly caressed the old black bow which was resting on her right shoulder before answering.

“This bow is an heirloom. Something my Grandfather, who was a high elf, used during the Great War.”

“The Great War?” I ask while furrowing my brows.

I was sure that I heard this somewhere already but I couldn’t remember anything about that.

“It happened a long time ago. I don’t know many details except for the fact that it was the greatest war that our world has ever known. Before it, there was a constant struggle for power on both continents, but after this, the situation drastically changed. We called it the Great War because it swallowed every single race and determined the face of our current world. This is what my father told me when I asked him. Apparently, the elders of the clans held a meeting every decade to explain the events of this war to the younger generation but I haven’t participated yet so I just know what my father allowed me to know.”

After this long explanation about this mysterious war and, without waiting for me to comment on what she said, she just continued her explanation about her bow with a loving expression.

“After his death, my father inherited it and, five years ago, when he died, I inherited it as I don’t have any male siblings.”

I fell silent after hearing her circumstances. After a few seconds, I muttered a few words.

“Sorry for asking you that. It must be painful to remember your father.”

She shook her head. Her beautiful silver hair moved in rhythm with the rays of the sun illuminating them.

“Not really. I’m proud of my father who died during the last Wild Wave and proud to be able to wield his arc. This is why I fight with it and became a patroller inside the forest.”

I smiled wryly after her answer.

For me, remembering the dead and the people I lost was just a painful memory. Something that shackled me to my past. However, it was the opposite for her.

The person she lost strengthened her will.

After losing myself in my thought for a moment I focused again.

“Even if you use a bow, you can use magic I suppose.”

“Yes, I can.”

She smiled mischievously knowing why I asked her that.

I made a complicated face hearing her answer.

“Then, you weren’t serious during our fight…”

“You’re wrong, I was serious but I underestimated you. I never thought a child could fight like that. Where did you learn such skills by the way?”

I thought for a bit about her question not knowing how to answer.

“I had an old master who taught me how to survive.”

“It’s incredible that someone could teach such skills to a young child. I would be glad to meet him.”

“It’s impossible. He is not in this world anymore.”

“Oh…”

Hiraliel fell silent after my sentence. I knew she thought the master I talked about was dead. I didn’t correct her thoughts.

It was probably the case anyway.

Even if he wasn’t dead yet, this was irrelevant as we were in different worlds now.

“Do you miss him?”

I was taken aback by her question.

Did I miss the old hyena? Impossible…

I remembered the harsh training, the beating, the constant teasing and his final betrayal.

I could only feel hate for him.

This is what I thought.

However, even for a twisted reason, this man was probably as close as a father to me.

He destroyed the path I wanted to take in my old world, but I won another in this one. I couldn’t forgive what he did to me, but there was no meaning in holding grudges beyond death.

“A little.”

The only things I had left of him were memories and his teachings, which saved me more times than I could remember. Those skills would probably become my lifeline in my future journey. I was sure of that.

As if to change the subject, Hiraliel quickly added.

“It’s also incredible to be able to use so much magic while being so young.”

I smiled wryly before answering.

“It’s because I have a huge mana pool apparently.”

“I see. With your physical training from your master, it explains your abilities to use magic.”

I tilted my head to the side because I didn’t see the connection between the two.

“What do you mean by that?”

She looked at me with a surprised look on her face.

“I thought everybody knew that because I’m sure the Human schools teach it.”

I stiffened a little after her answer. I went to school but because I was kidnaped I didn’t finish my curriculum.

I thought it wasn’t really troublesome because I only missed the second part of the Primary school which was more about magic and history. I was sure that I didn’t miss anything as Amanda was teaching the magic part to me, but it seemed that she forgot to teach me a couple of things after all.

It wasn't really surprising as she wasn’t a teacher in the first place.

Fortunately, I still attended the first part of the Primary school about the kingdoms, the races and the animals living on the continent. It gave me enough common sense with the books I read in my house.

“So, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, how should I say it… You know that your capacity to use mana is related to your soul and body right?”

“Of course I do”

“Well, in fact, it’s the truth that our soul creates a fixed amount of mana different for each individual and is influenced by the race and ancestors of the person. This is the so call mana pool. The body also produces some mana, but the quantity is a lot less. In contrast, the mana created by the body can be influenced by our action which is not the case for the mana coming from our soul. That’s why the beginning of the training for every human mage is to exhaust their mana so that their body could create more mana later.”

I nodded after her explanation. It was just like Hirillë told me and exactly what I did by shooting a target until exhaustion.

She continued her explanation after seeing that I understood.

“However, there is more to this. A part of the training for a mage is about strengthening their physical abilities because the mana always proceeds by the body. The soul creates the mana used by the body, so even with a high affinity, if the body isn’t strong enough, then the mage wouldn’t be able to use as much magic no matter the depth of its mana pool. By training the body, the amount of mana produced will slightly rise, but our capacity to handle the mana will skyrocket.”

I nodded after her explanation.

She explained the same thing as Hirillë. I needed to exhaust my mana to attune my body and raise my capacity to handle this mana. She also added that I needed to have a strong body to support this mana, something which Hirillë didn't really mention.

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Maybe she thought it was evident or that it was not necessary. 

Before, the explanations of Hirillë and Hiraliel, this question has always bothered me.

I was supposed to have a great reserve of mana, but I already experienced multiple times the lack of it. I blamed my lack of control and my waste of mana for this, but this wasn’t all there was to it apparently.

If the body played this role then it made sense that the weak body of a child wouldn’t be able to support as much magic as an adult even if his mana pool was higher. It wasn’t that I exhaust the mana coming from my soul but because my body wasn’t strong enough to support the toll of my magic. The disparity between my abnormal soul and my weak body was the cause of this.

If this was true then when I grow up, I would be able to use more of my mana.

The new information of Hiraliel also meant that I had to train physically from now on. It was something I didn’t want to do when I was living with my family because I didn’t have any goal anymore. Without someone to beat, I didn’t see the point to train as I was already able to defend myself well enough. I didn’t want to appear weirder than I already was by training alone either.

What kind of child would suddenly decide on his own to train if no one encouraged him to do it?

After this explanation, we continued to walk while chatting.

I talked about my hometown, my parents and my sisters.

She was astonished when she heard the reason I had for crossing the wilderness on my own.

“You’re rushing alone for your sisters' sake?”

“Well, I’m too far to do anything except sending a letter to warn my parents about the threat.”

“You’re unexpectedly soft.”

She put her slim hand in front of her mouth and asked me in a mocking tone.

“Are you perhaps one of those boys who can't say no to their sister?”

I reddened a little hearing her teasing words.

“Wha… What are you saying !?! I never even met them, how is that possible?”

She laughed hearing my panicked answer. Her laughter wasn’t as pure as Hirillë’s, but it still gave her a very feminine aura.

We could talk just fine together. It was hard to believe that we fought each other just a few days ago.

It became even more obvious that elves were not as resentful as humans. It was another reason to like this race. The more I thought about it, the more I realized it would not have bothered me if I had been reincarnated as an elf.

I was already lucky to reincarnate in a loving family even with the existence of my Grandfather.

A slave, a persecuted member of a beast tribe or a human from the Kingdoms of Ledrack or Vifalm that were constantly at war on the Western Continent. It could have been so much worse. Living in a mountain as a Dwarf or in the sea as a member of the ‘Shinawa’ people wasn’t appealing either.

All I had to do was come back home safely and my peaceful life would be nearly assured.

This thought filled me with joy and anticipation.

Especially since after my abduction, I gave up all hope that this would happen.

Sure, at first, I had wild thoughts about killing my grandfather along with Amanda before escaping. However, no matter how I planned it, this was just impossible. Even if I put the fact that Amanda was stronger than me aside, I didn't know where I was being held captive.

I lived in a lone house in the middle of nowhere without any means of transportation. Escaping on my own on foot without knowing where to go was just suicide if I was outside of the Human kingdom. This world and the creatures living inside weren’t as nice as to let a child go where he wanted unharmed.

We finally approached the exit of the forest.

The foliage became less dense as the sun bathed the entry as if to welcome us into this other world.

We stepped together in this bath of light.

I would never forget the sight I had that day, not until my last breath.

Endless.

This was the word that came to my mind as soon as I looked at the wilderness before my eyes.

The end of the forest was on a hill giving us a high stand view. Because of that, we were able to look at the entire wilderness at the same time.

There were plains, hills, small forests, impressive holes and rocky valleys as far as my eyes could see. I could also see a large river far away. I was in awe in front of this majestic view, but I also became anxious. I finally understood why Hirillë and the other elves said it wasn’t a place for small kids. In fact, the more I look at it the more I understood that it wasn’t a place meant to be dominated by Humans or any other race. The weather wasn’t rough, nor there was any major obstacle like an endless abyss, but there were just too many different kinds of ground making any kind of large settlement impossible.

The closest grassy plain was full of giant pitch-black holes certainly made by some creature. The large lake on the left side of my view was surrounded by a profound valley from one side and a small mountain in the other.

The numerous small forests scattered in front of my eyes surely sheltered many animals and vicious deviants. I could also see some giant trees standing above other trees inside those forests. Probably some kind of lesser ‘Millennium Ancestor’.

To my left, I could see a vast plain with few obstacles allowing me to look at the sea far away.

I couldn't help but wonder when was the last time I saw the sea.

I spent a few seconds immersing myself in the dazzling blue light released by the sea far away due to the rays of light striking its surface.

I finally turned my head to my right.

I could see afar a large mountain that wasn’t like any I had seen in my previous life. The reason for that was the red color of the stone giving the impression that a wall of fire was standing there.

By coming closer to this Red mountain, it was clear that the vegetation was less dense and the ground rougher. It gave a strange feeling attracting me mysteriously toward it.

I chased that thought out of my mind because I knew what was awaiting anyone coming close to this mountain.

Death.

Firstly, it wasn’t rare for Deviants from the Desert in the South or ‘Narior Desert’ to come in this area. However, this wasn’t the main threat. It seemed that strong creatures were mysteriously drawn toward this strange mountain. Animals and deviants alike seemed to be attracted by something inside the mountain. The dwarf clans wouldn’t be able to live here no matter how strong they were if not for the protection of one of the six mythical beasts: the ‘Kollath’.

“You can still change your mind you know.”

Hiraliel’s soft voice brought me back to reality.

Realizing that looking at this view any longer would make me look afraid, I turned my head toward her. We were still bathed in the rays of the sun. I was dazzled for a few seconds by the beauty of her figure and her shining silver hair.

“No, I will go. I just hope that I will be fast enough. Hirillë wasn’t sure about the exact location of the Human settlement or about the time it will take to go there. According to her, there are numerous small towns and garrisons in this area but their exact location isn’t publicly known.”

Hiraliel tilted her head a few seconds before answering.

“Are you not going to join the ‘Blueway’ to enter the King’s Valley? It’s the safest way to cross the wilderness you know.”

The sudden question of Hiraliel made me raise an eyebrow.

She was right. The safest and fastest route should be to follow the ‘Blueway’ until I found some Human camp.

This path built at the cost of an enormous amount of men, money and time with the conjoined effort of Humans and Elves crossed the wilderness and connected the Dorell kingdom with the Great forest of the West.

The special magical blue stone forming this 'Blueway' kept most animals away and was the only way for messengers and merchants’ carriages to cross the wilderness in safety. With a fast Vrapy carriage, it was possible to cross the wilderness quite quickly if you were lucky enough not to attract the attention of any strong deviant.

This road was the cornerstone of the relationship between those two races. Even if the contacts between the two races weren’t numerous, this road still allowed some friendly and commercial relation which was impossible to do with the other Great forest located in the North of the continent outside of the Wilderness.

If I followed this 'Blueway', I would be able to go straight to one of the two entrances to the Dorell Kingdom from the Wilderness, the King’s Valley.

However, this wasn’t possible.

“I’m well aware of that, I spent quite some time talking about this matter with Hirillë. It would probably be possible if I wasn’t wanted.”

“Wanted?” Hiraliel asked carefully.

I nodded slowly.

“People are looking for me. I’m sure of that. If they find me then I won’t be able to see my family again. Therefore, I have to avoid the ‘Blueway’ because it’s clearly the place where they will look for me. Even if they don’t, they probably posted men in the checkpoint of the King’s Valley.”

“Then where are you going?”

“I’m going to cross the wilderness to enter the Dorell Kingdom by the Southern part near the guarding fortresses. It will be difficult, but according to Hirillë, I will have a greater chance to enter undetected.”

I spent some time speaking with Hirillë about my options and the best route I should take. After four years, I wanted to see my family more than anything, but I knew it wouldn’t be easy to join them.

The reason was simple.

I didn’t have any money.

In this world, there wasn’t any authority to take care of lost children. This world wasn’t nice enough.

Arthur Waldemar came with an expensive Vrapy carriage while using the Blueway, something that I couldn’t afford.

I could only rely on myself to return home.

I wanted to join them fast, but I had to be careful. I couldn’t take this road or go to any well-known settlement.

After all, it wouldn’t be a joke if I was arrested the moment I found a settlement or if I brought my chaser with me in our house. The fact that I killed Arthur Waldemar had to stay secret, or else I would lose any chance to have the life I wanted.

“Well, if the Queen said it, then it’s the best solution. Besides, the ‘Blueway’ isn’t totally safe either. Some may say it’s even more dangerous without a Vrapy using its natural ability to keep weak deviants away. If you walk there by yourself, you would become an easy target for both deviants and humans alike.”

“That’s how it is.” I muttered.

I made a small pause before resuming my speech.

“I will march along the Red Mountain until I arrive near the fortresses designating the entry of the Human Kingdom, but it will take me a long time if I’m on foot. I need to send my letter as soon as possible. Hirillë said that there is a human settlement that was recently built in this direction.”

Hiraliel nodded after my words.

“Well, it’s difficult to say how long it will take you but if you’re fast enough, you might be able to reach it in less than two weeks… probably.”

I smiled a little hearing her answer.

There was still some hope left to arrive in time.

Sending a letter with a fast ‘Meriadoc’ would take a week at most. In fact, I wasn’t sure how fast the ‘Meriadoc’ were. They were the fastest method to send a letter which was accessible to the commoners. It was much cheaper than a Vrapy carriage, but even if they had the aerial advantage, their stamina wasn’t endless, unlike the powerful and nearly tireless Vrapy.

So if it takes a week for the letter to arrive with a Meriadoc, because I spent a little more than a week inside the forest, then I have to find a town and send the letter in around four weeks at the latest. 

This was the time limit.

I was a little anxious knowing that using a ‘Meriadoc’ to send a letter was expensive. Not nearly as expensive as a carriage, but expensive for me nonetheless. I didn’t have any money so I had to find a way to earn money quickly.

Thinking about that now was just a needless worry.

I had to find a Human settlement first.

I sighed a little thinking that everything would be much simpler if the elves had ways to communicate with Human towns but they didn’t train birds to carry messages in the first place. Considering their attachment to nature and the animals it was quite understandable.

In fact, it was because of this choice that the ‘Blueway’ between the Human kingdom and their forest was so important.

“Time for goodbye I suppose.”

Hiraliel nodded lightly after my sentence.

I guessed she wasn’t the hugger type like Hirillë so I extended my hand for a handshake, something humans commonly do in this world too.

Her soft hand slowly reached mine before finally grabbing it.

Her grip was firm and strong, no doubt molded by years of bow practice. Yet, I didn’t feel any roughness on her incredibly soft hand.

She smiled a little before stroking my hair with her other hand.

“Take care, kid. I hope you will be alright and that we will be able to see each other when you’re taller.”

I felt my cheeks burn a little after hearing her seductive voice.

“Don’t forget, if you find it impossible for you don’t be stubborn and just come back here. There is no shame in retreating sometimes.”

“I know, thank you for your concern.”

If I was truly unable to cross the wilderness on my own, my only option would be to give up going home alone and wait for the Wild Wave to end so that elves could accompany me in my journey.

Even if I said to her that I would come back if something went wrong, I knew in my heart that it wasn't an option.

If something happened to my family because I gave up, I would never be able to forgive myself.

If I was responsible for my family break down a second time then there would be truly no salvation for me.

I fought in my previous life because I wanted to escape from my sins and my guilt. I gave everything I had in my training and in the matches.

I didn’t lose a single time.

However, in the end, I wasn’t able to accomplish anything.

I couldn’t return to my country, to my mother.

I couldn’t apologize.

I realized in this life that all those fights didn’t bring me anything except for pain, fear and despair.

That’s why I didn’t want to fight anymore in this life.

This was my true wish.

Maybe this was why I accepted for so long to be a prisoner. I was running away from reality. I didn’t want to fight anymore, so I told myself that as long as my family was safe, then I wouldn’t complain even if I became a political tool.

However, I was wrong.

If I didn’t fight, then I would just become a spectator of my own life like I was for the last four years.

I turned to face the endless Wilderness in front of my eyes.

For the first time in a long time, I had a determined glint in them. In front of this unknown land, I wouldn’t give up no matter the cost.

I stepped forward to get away from Hiraliel toward the edge of the hill.

I was going to cross this savage land on my own.

This was my duty and my test.

This time nothing would stop me from coming home.

More than a wish or a desperate hope, it was a promise. A promise that I will have to fulfill no matter what awaits me.

However, even with my firm resolve, I still knew that death doesn’t care about promises.