The silence after the death of the Cervus Alpha lasted barely two heartbeats.
Then instinct took over.
Tchink—
Tchink—
Tchink—
Three dozen elven bows were drawn at the same time.
Dozens of mana arrows remained suspended in the air, aimed directly at Lusian's group.
Lusian was still kneeling, breathing heavily. The fight had pushed him to his limit, more than he wanted to admit.
Dayana hissed, showing her fangs.
Elizabeth raised her hands; the sky flickered, ready to unleash lightning.
Thunder slammed a hoof against the ground, electricity running through his body like a warning.
And Lusian…
…simply stared at those ungrateful fools.
Grisela stepped forward without lowering her bow.
—We won't give another warning —she said firmly, though exhaustion made her fingers tremble slightly—. Human… drop the sword.
Lusian raised an eyebrow.
—No.
Grisela pulled the string tighter.
—Drop. The. Sword.
The branches above them began to creak.
The forest reacted to the gathered mana as if it were about to explode together with them.
Elizabeth spoke in a low voice.
—Lusian… we're going to have to kill them.
Dayana let out a small laugh.
Lusian slowly stood up.
The tension rose instantly.
Emily looked from side to side, not knowing how to stop this.
Then one of the elves shouted:
—Humans brought demons into the forest!
Another raised his weapon.
—They're corrupted!
—They'll betray us just like in the War of Eternal Blood!
The arrows shifted direction.
Now they were aimed at Elizabeth.
She swallowed hard.
And for the first time in a long while… lowered her gaze slightly.
Not because she was afraid.
Because she knew perfectly well what would happen if she lost control.
If she released her magic in that state, the entire forest could disappear.
The air grew heavy.
No one moved.
One more step.
One more word.
And everything would end in a massacre.
Then Emily stepped forward.
She literally placed herself between the arrows and the group.
She opened both hands.
Light slowly flowed from her body, soft and warm, like a moon illuminating the darkness.
—LOWER YOUR WEAPONS!
Her voice echoed through the forest.
The elves hesitated.
Even the branches stopped moving for a moment.
Emily's light was not intimidating.
It did not crush anyone.
And that was precisely what made it unbearable.
Because it forced them to face their hatred.
To feel it.
To recognize it.
Emily hated this scene.
She hated the arrows pointed at people who had just saved lives.
She hated the fear in the elves' eyes.
She hated that Elizabeth had to lower her gaze just to avoid destroying them all.
And above all…
She hated that even after everything, they were still searching for someone to blame.
—We are not your enemies —she said, breathing hard, her heart pounding against her chest.
Lusian began walking toward the elves.
Each step brought him closer to them.
If the battle started, he would also be closer to his enemies.
—You were the ones who got in the way —he scoffed—.
I just didn't want to see her cry.
Emily immediately blushed.
The elves did not fully understand those words…
But they did understand something more important.
That man was not normal.
Then Lusian spoke again, with that calmness that felt more dangerous than any threat.
—Don't misunderstand.
His eyes slowly moved across the archers.
—If I had wanted to kill you… you would already be dead.
Several arrows lowered by a few centimeters.
Grisela clenched her teeth.
—And if we had wanted to kill you… —she replied without looking away—
...you would already be full of arrows.
Lusian smiled faintly.
A small smile.
Unsettling.
—Probably.
Pause.
—But you didn't shoot while that thing was crushing you.
The silence became uncomfortable.
—That means you can still think.
A murmur spread among the elves.
Contained pain.
Shattered pride.
Fear.
And even so…
respect as well.
Grisela lowered her bow slightly.
Just one finger.
Grisela kept her eyes fixed on Lusian.
The distrust was still there.
The distrust was still there.
It was strong.
It weighed over everyone like a silent threat.
—What are you doing here? —she finally asked.
—Taking a walk —Lusian replied without the slightest interest.
Several elves frowned.
No one believed him.
The tension did not disappear.
It only changed shape.
Lusian observed Grisela for a moment.
The Heroine of Nature.
In the game chat, players spent hours arguing that she was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Idiots.
They understood nothing about beauty.
Elizabeth was far better.
Much better.
And even so…
Lusian had to admit something.
Grisela was dangerous.
Not only because of her mana.
The way she looked at him gave the impression that, even exhausted, she could still put an arrow through his throat.
Emily still stood between both groups.
She was simply there, trying to stop everything from ending badly.
—We don't want to fight —she said quickly, as if she felt time itself was breaking apart—. But we can't leave either.
One elf spat on the ground.
—Lies! They all say that.
Grisela did not correct him.
But she did not lower her bow either.
Then Lusian spoke.
—The forest has been altered.
Silence fell instantly.
Even the elves stopped arguing.
One of them frowned.
—What does that mean?
Lusian did not answer immediately.
As if deciding how much he could reveal.
—Something is affecting the Mother Tree.
The arrows lowered slightly.
Grisela clenched her fist.
Her home was there.
On one of the enormous branches of the Mother Tree.
Her people had lived there for generations.
And now they were being driven out like animals.
—We already know that… —she finally said.
Her voice lost part of its hostility.
—But no one who entered the core ever returned.
Emily looked at Lusian in confusion.
She did not understand how he knew so much about the forest.
Lusian continued.
—We are heading there.
The elves immediately tightened their weapons again.
—If you also want to return to your home… then we can help each other.
Pause.
—Or at least avoid getting in each other's way.
The silence grew longer this time.
One elf spoke in a lower voice.
—Enter the Mother Tree…? —he looked at him as if he were insane—. Human… do you want to die?
Lusian did not even react.
—If the Mother Tree is acting like this, then the problem is inside. Not outside.
Grisela hesitated.
It was visible in her eyes.
She wanted to reclaim her home.
But she also knew they could not do it alone.
—If we let you enter… what will you do? —she finally asked.
Lusian gave a slight nod.
—We only want one fruit.
There was a brief pause.
—After that, we'll leave.
The elves exchanged glances.
Grisela spoke quietly with the other elves.
Their language sounded strange.
Sharp.
Fast.
From time to time they looked at Lusian.
Some with hatred.
Others with fear.
And a few… with something close to hope.
The discussion lasted several minutes.
Finally, Grisela looked back at Lusian.
She still distrusted him.
That had not changed.
But reality was worse than pride.
—Then… we'll go together.
Several elves tightened their jaws, clearly uncomfortable with the decision.
Grisela stepped forward and extended her hand.
It was not a friendly gesture.
It was a pact for survival.
—For the Mother Tree.
Lusian looked at her hand for a few seconds.
Then he shook it.
—As long as you don't get in the way again, there won't be any problems.
A couple of elves frowned.
Dayana let out a small laugh.
Emily finally released the breath she had been holding.
Elizabeth kept silently watching the elves.
Everyone knew they could not trust each other.