In this faction mission, both opposing sides are elves, though they belong to different branches: the Forest Elves and the Dark Elves. This layer is the headquarters of the Forest Elves, while the Dark Elves' base is on the 9th floor.
Since picking up the mission on the 3rd floor, Lillian still hadn't fully understood the ultimate goal of either side. On the way, he tried asking Kizmel about it—and, to his surprise, she actually answered.
"Our branch of Dark Elves and the Forest Elves were once comrades who would entrust each other with our lives. Later, the land split, and the world we inhabit now rose into the sky, forming a floating city. What was lost wasn't just the land, but also the inheritance of magic."
"The disagreement lies in what we call the elves' 'Sanctuary.' The 'Sanctuary' isn't a fixed place—any location that holds a sacred relic can be called a 'Sanctuary.'"
"So the key is the sacred relic itself," Lillian asked. "What is it? No—what does it do?"
"It can release the magic of the land," Kizmel said. "It was crafted thousands of years ago by the elders of the elf race. It stores a massive amount of magical power and is inscribed with countless magical patterns. By activating it with elf incantations, one can release magic using the stored energy."
"What kind of magic?"
Lillian thought this was the most important question. Kizmel paused for a moment, then spoke in a few syllables he didn't understand. She then thoughtfully translated for him: "The prophecy of the sea serpents."
"Sea… serpent prophecy?"
Seeing Lillian's puzzled look, Kizmel continued: "In ancient times, there existed creatures called 'sea serpents.' They could accurately predict events a thousand years into the future, but each could only prophesy once in its lifetime. Long ago, the elves saved one sea serpent, and in gratitude, it separated a fragment of its soul containing a prophecy and gave it to the elves. This allowed the elves to perform one prophecy."
Lillian understood. "So that fragment of the soul was extracted and engraved as a magical pattern on the relic." He thought to himself that the worldbuilding of this SAO-like setting was really expansive—but it could just be background lore for an item; in reality, sea serpents were probably just legends, not actual beings in the game.
"Exactly." Kizmel nodded, then sighed deeply. "The disagreement between the Dark Elves and Forest Elves lies in the use of this prophecy. Since leaving the land, our Dark Elves have long wanted to know if we can ever return, so we wish to use the relic to make a prophecy. The Forest Elves, however, refuse to use it. They believe that once the relic is used, it loses its value; without the sustaining magic, it will turn to ashes. Over the years, too many sacred relics have been lost—this is the only one remaining. To them, it is a symbol of our race that must never be lost…"
"I see."
Lillian understood, though it was hard to grasp fully. Could a single disagreement over this really drive members of the same race to fight to the death? But then again, after so many years, disputes likely escalated from arguments to battles to outright division.
Kizmel looked at Lillian, her dark purple eyes questioning: "And you, as a human, which side do you think is right?"
"…"
Lillian thought: I've already chosen your faction; if I say the Forest Elves are right now, does that switch my allegiance…? Still, if he had to answer honestly:
"I think your approach is correct," he said. "No matter how grand this 'sacred relic' seems, it was created as a tool. Its destiny is to be used. I understand that many things carry symbolic meaning far beyond their actual value, but I still believe that things should return to their nature. The one who created it surely didn't intend for it to become a 'sacred relic' in the first place, right?"
Kizmel nodded at his words without judging whether he was right or wrong. Lillian genuinely believed this, siding more with the Dark Elves on this matter. Of course, narrative perspective may play a role—if he had initially sided with the Forest Elves, his thoughts might have been completely different. Kizmel might also be using subtle storytelling tactics.
True to his thought process, Lillian didn't overthink it. Since he had chosen a faction, he would carry out the mission. Especially since he realized that both the commanding officer and the patrolling Dark Elves had lost intelligence, reducing realism and immersion. Under these circumstances, he lost interest in deeply exploring the story.
By the time they spoke, they had reached the forest's center, and Kizmel became more cautious. She had Lillian follow her carefully, circling around obstacles. Only after following her did he realize that the ground was riddled with traps.
Without an NPC guide, players would have had a hard time here…
The two carefully navigated the traps and even hid in the grass to avoid patrolling Forest Elf guards. After a full hour, they finally reached the castle's exterior.
"How do we get in?" Lillian whispered from the grass, peeking at the over ten elves guarding the green doors. Beside him, Kizmel produced a small vial containing a vivid green liquid, resembling half a bottle of matcha coffee.
"Use this," Kizmel whispered, pulling two handkerchiefs from her chest armor and handing one to Lillian. "Cover your nose and mouth."
"…" Lillian hesitated but held it to his face. A fragrant scent immediately wafted toward him. He glanced at Kizmel, who calmly explained: "The handkerchief has been soaked in the juice of the leafless flower for three days and nights. It resists poison."
"Oh…" Lillian stifled any lingering thoughts and covered his nose and mouth. Kizmel did the same. She tilted the vial, letting the green liquid flow onto the ground.
Even with the handkerchief, Lillian could smell the liquid. Surprisingly, it wasn't harsh—it was fresh. Compared to the handkerchief, the green liquid smelled more like an antidote than poison. Observing the guards suddenly collapse, he realized the lesson of "good medicine tastes bitter."
"This poison was made by our alchemist using venom obtained from the Spider Queen," Kizmel said, grabbing Lillian's arm as they darted from the grass. "Let's go!"
"But is this safe?" Lillian asked while running. "Patrolling elves might arrive any moment, and what if someone comes out…"
"They won't be here for another twenty minutes. Few elves are inside, and their duty is to guard, not investigate… We don't have much time anyway."
At the gate, Kizmel pushed it open. Inside, Lillian saw a castle overgrown with trees and plants—it was more like a castle had grown on the vegetation.
"Forest Elves dislike plantless environments but admire human-style grand architecture. That's why they built homes like this," Kizmel explained, reading his thoughts.
"I see. But it's huge inside. How do we find the Sanctuary?"
"We'll rely on the thing we took from that Forest Elf knight when we first met," she said, producing a small cloth pouch. Inside was a red thread about a finger's length, seemingly ordinary, but the tip shimmered faintly.
"The faster it glows, the closer we are to the Sanctuary," Kizmel explained as she led the way. Lillian followed carefully. As she said, elves inside the castle were surprisingly few—most were likely on patrol or on other floors, such as the third, still searching for the Dark Elf camp. They probably wouldn't return until the mission was complete.
A few steps in, Lillian noticed his map flashing. Checking it, the exploration progress was only 1%.
"As expected."
He wasn't surprised—he had guessed the castle itself was the labyrinth for this layer. It seemed the task would require mapping the labyrinth to succeed.
Kizmel moved lightly, almost as if only Lillian could keep up—other players' agility levels might not suffice. They avoided occasional Forest Elves, using the Spider Queen's venom to incapacitate unavoidable ones. In under ten minutes, they reached a corner room on the second floor. The red thread's glow peaked.
"This is it," Kizmel said. Lillian eyed the plain stone door, puzzled. Surely a Sanctuary wouldn't have no guards? Perhaps they were inside. Regardless, a battle was inevitable—most game designs required a fight for such a mission.
While Lillian pondered this, Kizmel hurriedly pushed the door, as if the relic inside were immensely important. Lillian, sensing her urgency, pushed alongside her. The stone door creaked open.
Click… click… click…