The question lingered between us.
"...Will history repeat itself?"
A gentle breeze swept across the garden, carrying flower petals through the air. The peaceful scenery felt strangely distant now. Only moments ago, I had admired this place.
Now...
It felt like I was standing before a mountain far beyond my reach.
I lowered my eyes.
For the first time since hearing Shadow's history...
I truly understood the gap between us.
Twenty-three worlds.
The true Essence of Darkness in thirteen minutes.
An X-Level Threat.
Someone whom both the Fairy Realm and the Imagery World had prepared an army to face...
Yet...
They never even reached him.
How was I supposed to defeat someone like that?
Even if I trained for years...
Would it matter?
Would I ever reach him?
Zenithal quietly watched me struggle with those thoughts.
He didn't interrupt.
He simply waited.
Eventually...
He spoke.
"So."
"If one day..."
"...you stand before Shadow again."
"What will you do?"
His brown eyes calmly observed every change in my expression.
"Will you challenge him?"
"Will you try to erase your mistake?"
"You have now heard what he truly became."
He slowly took another step closer.
"So tell me..."
"...what is your answer?"
I remained silent.
Not because I lacked an answer.
But because...
I had too many.
My hands unconsciously tightened.
Blood slowly seeped from my palms where my nails dug into the skin.
"...I..."
The words refused to leave my mouth.
Finally...
I forced myself to look into Zenithal's eyes.
"I admit it."
A bitter smile appeared on my face.
"I can't defeat him."
"Not now."
"Maybe..."
"Not even years from now."
Saying those words hurt.
But...
They were true.
Zenithal remained expressionless.
"I've seen the peak of creators."
"The greatest users of every element."
"The strongest warriors this realm has ever produced."
His voice remained calm.
"The current Shadow..."
"...stands beyond them."
"The final stage of the Wind Element..."
"...would still fail to stop him."
Those words struck harder than any blade.
Master Ben...
Even he...
Wouldn't be enough alone.
For a moment...
I wanted to give up.
The thought quietly appeared inside my heart.
It's impossible.
You'll never reach him.
You'll never win.
Then...
Another memory surfaced.
Gray standing before Zenithal.
Arguing.
Getting angry.
Not because of himself.
Because of me.
Master Ben telling me to return safely.
Makima asking me to bring my students again.
My students waiting for me.
Lusy.
Captain Shin.
Bell.
Everyone...
They had never once asked me to fight alone.
A quiet laugh escaped my lips.
"...I was thinking about this the wrong way."
Zenithal slightly narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
I slowly raised my head.
"My mistake..."
"...was believing I had to erase Shadow by myself."
The wind gently moved through the branches above us.
I smiled.
Not confidently.
Not proudly.
Simply...
Honestly.
"He's my responsibility."
"I won't run from that."
"But..."
I shook my head.
"I'll never defeat him alone."
Silence.
Then...
I continued.
"My friends."
"My master."
"Captain Shin."
"Gray."
"Lusy."
"And everyone willing to stand beside me..."
"...we'll become stronger together."
I placed a hand against my chest.
"I don't rely on them because I'm weak."
"I fight beside them..."
"...because I trust them."
The words flowed naturally.
Without hesitation.
"I've already seen what happens when someone walks alone."
"Shadow."
"He walked his own path."
"He reached unimaginable heights."
"And in the end..."
"...he became someone standing completely alone."
I quietly looked toward the distant horizon.
"I don't want that future."
"I'd rather climb slowly..."
"...with people beside me..."
"...than reach the top alone."
The garden became silent once more.
Even the birds seemed to have stopped singing.
Zenithal simply stared at me.
Long enough that I began wondering whether I had said something foolish.
Then...
Something unexpected happened.
He laughed.
Not loudly.
Not mockingly.
A genuine laugh.
"...Interesting."
He turned away, looking toward the World Tree.
"So..."
"That is your answer."
I nodded.
"It is."
He folded his hands behind his back.
"When I first heard about you..."
"I expected another creator chasing power."
"When I read Shin's reports..."
"I expected someone haunted by guilt."
"When I saw you today..."
"I wondered whether fear would break your resolve."
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye.
"...Instead."
"You accepted your weakness."
"You chose companionship over pride."
A small smile appeared.
"I dislike naïve people."
His next sentence caught me completely off guard.
"But..."
"I dislike lonely heroes even more."
For several seconds...
Neither of us spoke.
Finally...
Zenithal nodded.
"Very well."
"The Fairy Realm..."
"...recognizes Zaraf..."
"...as an official participant..."
"...of the Battle of the Exil Tree."
A long breath escaped my lungs.
I hadn't realized how tense I had been until that moment.
"...Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet."
His voice immediately became serious again.
"The tournament..."
"...is the easiest part."
"...What?"
He slowly began walking back toward the building.
"You came here..."
"...for Bell."
I stopped walking.
"...You know?"
"I do."
"The Log Department records every contract."
"Every broken contract."
"Every request."
"It would be stranger if I didn't know."
That...
Actually made sense.
I quietly followed behind him.
Zenithal continued.
"The royal family also knows."
"The Fairy King."
"...or Bell's grandfather."
Every step suddenly felt heavier.
"So..."
"They know why I came."
"They do."
"They know you wish to restore your contract."
My heartbeat quickened.
For some reason...
A bad feeling settled inside my chest.
Zenithal reached the doorway before stopping.
Without turning around...
He spoke one final time.
"You believe this journey is about proving yourself."
"It isn't."
He slowly looked back at me.
His calm eyes carried something I couldn't understand.
"Pride."
"Duty."
"Politics."
"The past."
"They're all connected."
"And once you step into the royal palace..."
"...you'll understand."
He rested one hand against the wooden door.
"Oh..."
"One last thing."
I looked toward him.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"You should prepare yourself."
"...For what?"
His answer came immediately.
"You're about to meet..."
"...the King of the Fairies."
"The ruler of this realm."
"...And..."
"...Bell's grandfather."
The world suddenly became quiet.
Bell's...
Grandfather?
Then...
Did that mean...
Everything I wanted to say to Bell...
Everything I had planned...
Would now happen under the gaze of the single most powerful fairy in existence?
Zenithal opened the door.
"Come."
"They're already waiting."
I silently followed him inside.
Without realizing it...
The true test of my journey...
Had only just begun.
The words refused to leave my mind.
The Fairy King... Bell's grandfather... already knew why I had come.
Every plan I had carefully built during the journey suddenly felt meaningless.
Would he even allow me to meet her?
Would Bell... even want to see me?
Questions continued piling one after another until hurried footsteps echoed behind us.
"Zaraf!"
I turned around.
Gray came rushing through the doorway, breathing heavily. His expression was filled with worry as his eyes quickly searched my body.
"You alright?"
I couldn't help smiling.
"I'm fine."
He let out a long sigh before crossing his arms.
"...Good."
"I thought that scary old man did something to you."
Zenithal calmly glanced toward Gray before looking away again, as though he hadn't heard the complaint.
"You may proceed to Lural."
I blinked.
"...Lural?"
"What is that?"
Zenithal continued walking without slowing his pace.
"The capital."
"...Everything else..."
"...you'll learn there."
His footsteps gradually disappeared among the flowers.
Then...
He suddenly stopped.
Without turning around, his eyes shifted toward the sword hanging at my waist.
"The sword."
His voice was quieter than before.
"It symbolizes the trust between Captain Shin and the Fairy Realm."
"We entrusted it to him."
"...Yet..."
"...he entrusted it to you."
For the first time...
Zenithal smiled faintly.
"That is reason enough..."
"...for me to place some trust in you as well."
With those final words...
He disappeared beyond the giant roots.
Silence followed.
Gray looked toward me before scratching his head.
"...Was that his way of saying goodbye?"
"I think..."
"...it was."
Before either of us could say anything else...
A calm female voice drifted down from above.
"So."
"You must be the creators from the Imagery World."
We instinctively looked upward.
Standing effortlessly upon one of the enormous roots was a tall fairy woman.
Her silver-green hair was neatly tied behind her back.
Sharp green eyes calmly observed us.
Unlike Tale...
She carried herself more like a knight than a fairy.
"My name is Elta."
"It is a pleasure meeting all of you."
Gray's face immediately brightened.
"Oh!"
"Elta!"
"It's been ages!"
She folded her arms.
"It certainly has."
I looked between them in confusion.
"...You know her?"
Gray stared at me as though I had asked the world's dumbest question.
"Seriously?"
"You don't know?"
I slowly shook my head.
He sighed dramatically.
"She's Captain Shin's contractor."
"...Wait."
"What?"
I looked back toward Elta.
"If you're Captain Shin's contractor..."
"...why are you here?"
Shouldn't she be with him?
Elta simply smiled.
"A contractor isn't chained to their creator forever."
"We have duties in our own realm as well."
"Today..."
"My duty..."
"...is guiding you."
She stepped down from the root with effortless grace.
"Besides."
She rolled her eyes.
"Someone needed to clean up after that idiot Shin."
Gray burst into laughter.
I smiled awkwardly.
"...He wasn't that bad."
Elta looked at me for several long seconds before letting out a quiet sigh.
"So."
"You're one of the patient ones."
"Good."
"I suppose Shin didn't cause too much trouble."
I scratched my cheek.
"...Not really."
She nodded once.
"Enough introductions."
"You'll meet the Fairy King soon."
"And..."
"...Bell."
The moment Bell's name left her lips...
My heartbeat unconsciously quickened.
Before I could ask anything...
A loud rustling echoed overhead.
Large shadows slowly descended through the branches.
At first...
I thought enormous birds were flying toward us.
Instead...
They were leaves.
Gigantic emerald leaves.
Each one was easily large enough for several people to stand upon.
They gently floated before us.
One fairy wearing traveler robes landed beside the nearest leaf before placing both hands forward.
Soft streams of wind gathered beneath it.
The leaf rose into the air.
"...Amazing."
I couldn't hide my surprise.
The control required for something like this...
Was incredible.
The movement felt unbelievably smooth.
Not even the slightest vibration reached my feet.
We slowly rose above the ground.
Higher.
Higher.
Until the forest floor became almost invisible beneath endless layers of branches.
I frowned.
"...Why are we flying upward?"
Elta noticed my expression.
"We don't live on the ground."
"The lower forest belongs to monsters."
"Travelers."
"And warriors."
"The cities..."
"...exist above."
As she finished speaking...
The enormous canopy finally opened.
I instinctively stopped breathing.
Villages...
Cities...
Bridges...
Everything had been built upon the gigantic branches of the World Trees.
Massive roots connected one tree to another, forming natural roads stretching farther than I could see.
Fairies calmly walked across them.
Children chased one another while laughing.
Merchants opened colorful stalls.
Windmills slowly turned high above the branches.
Birds with shimmering blue feathers circled overhead.
The breeze carried the scent of flowers unlike anything I had ever smelled.
Peaceful.
Beautiful.
Alive.
Beside me...
Gray had fallen completely silent.
Even Alysa's mouth hung open in amazement.
"...So..."
I whispered almost unconsciously.
"This..."
"...is the Fairy Realm."
Tale laughed.
"So you think this is impressive?"
Elta smiled as well.
"This..."
"...is only a tiny corner."
"The Fairy Realm is far larger than anything you've imagined."
I slowly looked toward the endless horizon.
For the first time...
I truly understood.
This wasn't another creator's world.
This...
Was an entire civilization.
An entire history.
A realm that had existed long before I was born.
And I had only just stepped inside.
The leaf drifted silently through the endless sea of branches.
The wind brushing against my face was cool, carrying the fragrance of flowers I had never smelled before. Looking down, I watched countless fairies moving along the gigantic roots that connected one tree to another. Some carried baskets filled with fruit while others hurried across the bridges wearing armor.
Children laughed as they chased one another across wide branches.
Further away...
Several young fairies sparred with wooden swords under the watch of an elderly instructor.
Everything felt...
Peaceful.
Almost too peaceful.
Gray and Alysa had already flown far ahead after teasing the fairy guiding their leaf into racing faster. Their laughte echoed through the forest before disappearing into the distance.
"...Do they always leave me behind?"
I muttered to myself with a helpless smile.
The fairy controlling my leaf chuckled.
"They're excited."
"It isn't every day creators visit our homeland."
I nodded before looking toward the horizon once more.
"So..."
"The Battle of the Exil Tree."
"Is it really that important?"
The fairy smiled proudly.
"It is the greatest celebration of our people."
His eyes reflected genuine admiration.
"It commemorates the ancient victory when the races of the world challenged the Exil Tree..."
"...and failed."
"Our ancestors defended it."
"Since then..."
"Every few decades..."
"We hold this tournament to honor that history."
I quietly listened.
"So the tournament isn't just a competition..."
"It's a celebration."
"Exactly."
He looked ahead as the leaf gently rode another current of wind.
"For us..."
"The Exil Tree is more than a tree."
"It is hope."
"It is history."
"It is our kingdom's heart."
His expression suddenly became strangely complicated.
"...It's unfortunate."
I blinked.
"...What is?"
His smile slowly disappeared.
"...That you won't be participating."
For a second...
I frowned.
"What do you mea—"
The air changed.
Every instinct inside my body screamed.
Without warning—
A silver knife flashed toward my throat.
CLANG!
Wind exploded between us as I instinctively raised a barrier.
The blade struck the swirling current only centimeters from my neck.
"...!!"
Before I could even react...
The fairy's expression had completely changed.
Gone was the friendly guide.
His eyes were cold.
Emotionless.
Filled only with killing intent.
"So..."
He whispered.
"You really can react."
His wind suddenly invaded mine.
The barrier surrounding me violently twisted before shattering apart.
My eyes widened.
"...He took control?"
Because his mastery over wind...
Far surpassed my own.
The leaf tilted violently.
I immediately jumped backward.
At the exact same moment—
Another knife shot toward me.
It sliced across my left hand.
Warm blood scattered through the air.
"Tch!"
Pain shot through my fingers.
Before I even landed—
The assassin vanished.
A violent gust erupted behind me.
He appeared above.
Sword already descending.
"So fast!"
There wasn't enough time to block.
Instead—
I threw myself off the leaf.
The world flipped upside down.
Branches rushed past as gravity dragged me toward the forest below.
The assassin simply smiled.
Then...
He jumped after me.
Wind spiraled around his feet.
Unlike my clumsy control...
His movements looked effortless.
Elegant.
Like the sky itself belonged to him.
"Damn..."
"So this is how they welcome guests?"
I gritted my teeth before drawing my sword.
The fall continued.
Air screamed around my ears.
Above me—
The assassin closed the distance.
His blade flashed.
I immediately gathered every bit of wind I could control.
The Fairy Realm's mana answered far more easily than before.
The current surrounding me became denser.
Sharper.
For the first time...
My wind felt alive.
"...Wind's Way!"
A crescent of compressed wind burst forward.
The assassin's confident smile disappeared.
"...!"
Unable to fully defend himself while falling...
His balance broke.
The attack sent him spinning through the air.
His sword barely missed my shoulder.
"...Got you."
I immediately redirected the wind beneath my feet.
The current slowed my descent just enough.
Moments later—
I landed heavily upon one of the enormous tree roots stretching between the ancient branches.
"...Huff..."
"...What..."
"...just happened?"
I looked upward.
The flying leaf had already disappeared beyond the canopy.
Gray...
Alysa...
Elta...
None of them had noticed.
The forest suddenly felt eerily silent.
Only my breathing remained.
Then...
A warm drop rolled down my injured hand.
Blood.
It slowly dripped onto the ancient root beneath my feet.
The instant it touched the bark...
The root glowed.
"...What?"
Ancient symbols illuminated beneath my boots.
Golden lines spread across the wood like veins awakening after thousands of years.
The ground trembled.
"...No..."
Before I could move—
The root split apart beneath me.
A massive hollow opened without warning.
"...!"
Vines erupted from every direction.
They wrapped around my body before I could even raise my sword.
"What is this?!"
I slashed wildly.
Too late.
The vines pulled.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
For only a brief instant...
I caught one final glimpse of the Fairy Realm's bright sky.
Then...
Everything vanished.
...
...
Silence.
A cold liquid touched my fingertips.
The smell reached me first.
Not flowers.
Not fresh air.
Iron.
Blood.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction.
The ground beneath my feet wasn't soil.
It was stained crimson.
Ancient weapons lay half-buried among shattered armor.
Broken bones rested against cracked stone pillars.
Far away...
Something moved.
A faint metallic sound echoed through the darkness.
Clang...
Clang...
Clang...
As though...
Someone wearing heavy armor...
Was slowly walking toward me.