“Hahaha! Look, mom, dad! I’m so high up!” [Meirith]

A young Meirith, who appeared no more than nine, was merrily laughing while waving her hand from a tree branch to her parents below her.

Her father appeared calm with a hint of worry in his eyes, but she could clearly feel that he was greatly anxious about her safety thanks to her Sense. Standing next to him was her mother. Her long hair was in a half up style. Her body was clad in the usual light green robe, but had no cape fashioned like dragonfly wings. In contrast to her father, her mother’s appearance perfectly matched her emotional state. She was clearly flustered and worryingly buzzing her hands around while raising her voice.

“Meirith! Get down from that tree! It’s dangerous!” [Mom]

“I’m fine! I can still climb higher!” [Meirith]

Sadly, her mischievous tomboy of a daughter did not heed her words and still tried to climb up the tree. Unfortunately, at that moment, Meirith’s empathic power suddenly went out of control. The young child could not perfectly restrain her Sense. The concern and fear of her parents flowed into her unrestrained and overwhelmed her. Their emotions flooded her mind like a tsunami and made her fall under the illusion that they came from her heart, not from theirs. The sensation took over her thoughts and made her feel disconnected from her body. As a result, just as Meirith reached for a branch, she lost her balance and fell.

“MEIRITH!!!” [Mother]

She heard her mother’s scream before everything around her went black.

“Are you sure?” [Meirith]

The next moment, she had reverted back to her original age and was standing alone in front of the huge tree with a conic, twisted shape.

“Is there really something important in the outside world that I must do?” [Meirith]

The girl asked out loud with her eyes closed, but no one was present. However, once several seconds of silence passed, she nodded as if someone had replied. A flash of determination lit up her uneasy expression and she stepped forward.

“Sorry dad, Rosaminta. I’ll be leaving Hossylei Nac for a bit.” [Meirith]

Meirith’s right hand touched the large tree that acted as the gateway to the outside world. From her palm emerged a green seed that pulsated. In reaction, the large twisted tree untangled itself into two, sprouted green leaves and formed an arch with a single red rose at the top. Staring at the portal, she took a deep breath to calm her anxiously beating heart.

“We follow the spirits’ guidance, and are forever grateful to the Tree of Life.” [Meirith]

After muttering those words, she stepped under the arch and her vision turned white.

“H-huh?” [Meirith]

Meirith looked around her, dumbfounded. Surrounding her were familiar crystal trees, the Trees of Beginnings. She was at the center of Hossylei Nac. Standing not far from her was Ryner, who was before a black crystal tree. Reflected in its dark trunk was an unknown human woman with long, chestnut brown hair. Even though she was pretty and smiling gently, it did not evoke any warm sentiments.

Trees of Beginnings showed a person’s memories and the emotions associated to them such as happy, loving, fun or bittersweet ones. However, at that moment, Meirith discovered that the black crystal tree, long thought to be dead, showed the opposite of what a Tree of Beginnings usually reflected. The memories it was projecting evoked tumultuous emotions that threatened to swallow her.

And it perfectly reflected what Ryner was feeling.

The human silently turned his back on her and ran. He ran away as if escaping from a haunting ghost. Meirith’s outstretched hand couldn’t reach him. She was rooted on the spot, overwhelmed once again as her powerful Sense picked up the choking smoke and shadows in Ryner’s heart. And once again, she began to cry.

His Pulse was too sad for her to bear.

“(Please…)” [Meirith]

Grief. Love. Hatred. Hope. Madness. Trust. Despair. Joy. Regret. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness. Sadness.

“(Everything, will be alright…)” [Meirith]

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain.

It hurts.

Pain Pain Begging

Pleading Pain

I’m sorry Sorry

Sorry

“(So please…)” [Meirith]

“Meirith.” [Mother]

Suddenly, Meirith saw her mother standing before her, smiling gently.

“M-mom…?” [Meirith]

Looking at her mother, Meirith remembered the times when she was still alive and how much fun she had when she was but a child. She remembered how her mother died and how sad it made her. She remembered how her father cried and how he became an obnoxious and loud parent.

“Did you see?” [Mother]

For a moment, the teary-eyed elf wanted to run to her mom and tightly hug her, but her parent’s question kept her still.

“You have a strong Sense that lets you do more than feel others’ Pulse. It’s a very precious gift from the spirits. I’m sure it was given for a reason.” [Mother]

Meirith attentively listened to her mother’s soothing voice.

“Meirith, what did you see in him?” [Mother]

“… A crying boy was on his knees. He was covered in dirt and wounds, injured all over. Alone, somewhere dark, and damp, with black fog everywhere.” [Meirith]

Meirith slowly recounted what she had seen passed Ryner’s Pulse with difficulty as tears rolled down her cheeks.

“He was crying while saying sorry over and over.” [Meirith]

“… Is that why you care about him so much?” [Mother]

Her mother asked gently, as if coaxing an answer from a child.

“I…” [Meirith]

“Meirith, why do you care so much about him?” [Mother]

“I, I can’t… Leave him alone… I just… Just want him to smile. I mean…” [Meirith]

The elven maiden stated with difficulty as she gripped her chest.

“It just hurts so much. Sensing his Pulse hurts, but I don’t want to leave him. It’ll be too sad. It… It…” [Meirith]

“… Then… You have to wake up, dear.” [Mother]

“… H-huh?” [Meirith]

When Meirith opened her eyes, she realized that she was lying on the ground. Her body was heavy and racked with pain, but it didn’t matter. Her condition and the dream she saw, everything was blown out of her mind. The girl barely stopped herself from crying and screaming once she noticed that Itoca was lying on top of her, as if protecting her. The elven woman was already dead. No light dwelled in her eyes and there was a deep, bloody cut on her back. She had left to join Ninith.

Meirith slowly raised her body while hugging Itoca. Although she did her best to keep calm, tears pooled in the corner of her eyes and her breathing was ragged. The ground around her was scorched and the sound of battle resounded in the air. Ninith died. Itoca died. She didn’t know who else fell in battle, but she took some solace at the fact that her father was still alive. It helped keep her heart from falling apart. The proof of his survival was the lightning crackling in the distance. It was the same lightning that had rushed in and blew Hames away as he attempted to cut her down.

“I’ll never beg to you elves, or anyone, EVER AGAIN!!!” [Hames]

The angry Hames screamed as he fearlessly charged at Itham despite being knocked back by streaks of lightning and gusts of wind, again. Fire balls and pellets of rock chased after his battered body, giving him no time to rest. Whenever he tried to shoot Itham with his Thunder Screamer, voltaic arcs would repel the bullets. Lightning strikes were hot on his heels like dogs biting at his ankles, and when he stopped moving for a moment, they slammed into his flank.

“… Die.” [Itham]

Itham muttered in a quiet and frightfully cold voice. His expressionless face was like a mask and his wide open eyes were like blazing flames. The elven father was already furious when Hames killed Ninith and Itoca. Yet, the human actually tried to cut down his daughter, the only gift that his wife left behind. Itham, teeming with bloodlust, was unleashing a rain of lightning on his absurdly sturdy enemy, but someone kept getting in his way.

“Back off, Hames! This one’s mine!” [Peter]

Peter yelled as he brandished a sword in each hand. Whenever Itham focused too much on Hames, Peter would use that opening to get in close. Once more, he zipped passed the elf’s elemental barrage and successfully landed a wound on his right arm.

“That makes it two!” [Peter]

“Tch.” [Itham]

The High Elder clicked his tongue in frustration, but the new wound helped calm him down. His body had been slashed twice. Blood stained his arm and back, but he ignored the pain and began chanting once more, which he had neglected when he lost his cool and started going after Hames.

Itham surrounded himself in lightning, using it for offense and defense, but it wasn’t foolproof since his opponent possessed a method to tear through it. Also, Peter was erratically moving everywhere, too fast for his eyes to follow. To cope up with him, Itham was indiscriminately shooting lightning in every direction. As a result, he was at the center of a chaotic, electrical storm.

Moreover, fire, earth and wind were also under his command, though in too weak forms to deal any significant damage. So, focusing his mind, he tried to conjure more powerful spells to aid him which, unfortunately, required more time.

“Trying to chant again?!” [Peter]

Peter’s assault intensified when he saw Itham diverting his attention to chanting. The swordsman used his superhuman speed to run circles around the elf. Then, finding an opportunity, he charged in. He dodged the fire balls, cut down the rock pellets and ignored the gust of winds. As a deadly streak of lightning pounced on his face, he raised the sword in his right hand and absorbed it. Grinning fiercely, Peter glanced at the sword. Filaments of lightning was running along the blade and just gripping the handle made him stronger.

“(This magic sword is great! It can stop lightning and enhance my power. I’m faster than ever!)” [Peter]

While basking in the euphoria of his power, Peter blocked another streak of lightning coming for his face using the Artifact, but more aimed for his torso. Sadly, though he reflexively blocked using his other sword, it didn’t do any good.

“Gah!” [Peter]

He got electrocuted and knocked away. Hurryingly rolling back on his feet, he jumped away from his spot and began running again, dodging the fierce elemental onslaught that came after him.

“Damn that stung!” [Peter]

“Stop playing around, Peter! Kill him or get lost!” [Hames]

“You get lost! This elf is mine! You already killed two!” [Peter]

“There’s an entire city of them to kill!” [Hames]

“Not like this one! He can shoot lightning, get it? That means he’s the leader, the strongest! I was given this magic sword JUST to fight him! In short, I GET TO CUT UP THE KING OF THE ELVES!!!” [Peter]

Even as Peter argued with Hames, he didn’t stop moving, dodging the magical assault that relentlessly came at him. Although the latter couldn’t get close and kept getting zapped, the former was fully exploiting his speed to his advantage. Moreover, he would shrewdly use the angry young man as a distraction and struck when he saw an opening. With his magic sword, he would cut through the lightning protecting his target. When too many electrical bolts came his way, he would fall back and look for his next chance.

“Hahaha! Elves really don’t run out of magic!” [Peter]

“If you won’t kill him, then leave! I’ll handle him!” [Hames]

“You’ll just come crying to me for help!” [Peter]

“AS IF I’D EVER CRY FOR HELP!!” [Hames]

Weaving through the High Elder’s magic, the dual wielding swordsman continued his attempts to leave cuts on his body.

“There’s no magician that could maintain that lightning AND cast different spells for so long. And it’s not even your best! You could definitely blow away a town with ease!” [Peter]

Despite having the chance to end his life each time his hit-and-run tactics succeeded, he only left shallow wounds. However, each cut was a proof of Peter’s victory and both sides understood it, which was why the human was grinning contentedly while the elf had a bitter and bloodthirsty expression.

“But, just like with magicians, if you get in close and don’t give them time to chant, elves are nothing much!” [Peter]

Peter was having the time of his life fighting against an elf wrapped in lightning. His twisted smile was like that of an excited child and a bloodthirsty maniac. His desire to cut flesh was roaring loudly.

“GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” [Gary]

And he wasn’t the only one who thrived in battles and carnage.

“SEE THAT?! THAT’S THE POWER OF MY… MUSCLEEEEEEEEES!!!” [Gary]

From a distance away, Gary, who was laughing boisterously, shouted as he posed and flexed his biceps. At some point, he had tossed his gear away, exposing his torso. Furthermore, he blatantly showed his back to the group of amazons that he was fighting. So, one of the golden-eyed women took that chance to swing down her sword.

“Weak!!!” [Gary]

However, the big man full of bulging muscles grabbed her throat and shot her exposed legs with his Thunder Screamer before she could react.

“You’re about A rank! BUT!” [Gary]

He tossed the amazon aside and holstered his weapon.

“There’s a huge gap between S and A ranks! And I’m at the top of S ranks!” [Gary]

The bullets left some small bruises as they bounced off the woman’s brown skin, but it didn’t bother him. After all, he never was a fan of long-range weapons.

“These things aren’t bad, but too boring! BORING! Like I thought, MY FISTS ARE STILL BETTER!!” [Gary]

Gary said as he proudly brandished his fists that could break through the sound barrier. The rest of the amazons assaulted him, but only some managed to leave superficial wounds with their weapons.

“HAHAHA! Amazons really are in bed with elves! Damn, you’re all gorgeous as hell! Hey, instead of weaklings that just shoot magic, wanna be in bed with a real warrior like me?!!” [Gary]

He flippantly asked the women that were trying to kill him. To Gary, strong and beautiful amazons that were into strong men were exactly the kind of women that he loved. Moreover, the strongest of them was called the Matriarch and lead the group. He really wanted to make them his lovers, starting with the best, their leader.

Just as he fantasized about his future love life, a shadow closed in on him from above. Looking up with a fearless grin, he saw the woman he wanted most among the amazons, the Matriarch. Even covered in dirt, she was gorgeous, and she was swinging a tree down on him. In response, Gary swung his fist upward and blew off a part of it. The moment the light green-haired woman landed, she thrust the rest of the tree at him like a lance.

The man grabbed onto the improvised weapon and stood his ground. Both sides competed in strength like bulls with their horns locked. Eventually, the trunk was the one that gave in first and broke to pieces. The amazon and the human charged at each other and began trading blows, generating shockwaves as their fists collided. The rest of the amazons stood back and watched the two S ranks fight, waiting for a chance to help their leader.

“What took you so long?! I didn’t send you flying that far!” [Gary]

“Shut your mouth, insect!!” [Riteinia]

Riteinia kicked the side of his face as she shouted in irritation. Her opponent spun in the air from the force and landed on his feet. Despite his bruised cheek, he just laughed as if nothing happened.

“Gahaha! My kind of woman! Shame you lot can’t be enslaved! It would make it so much easier!” [Gary]

Gary was all smiles as two amazons jumped in and slashed his back, but he ignored them. The cuts were only superficial scratches. The one he had to worry about was the Matriarch who charged at him like a mad warrior.

“But, what if you, the boss of the amazons, could convince everyone to back down!” [Gary]

He said to the woman with cold, sharp eyes, exchanging deadly blows that could shatter steel all the while.

“If you give up and become mine! WILLINGLY! NO MAGIC SHACKLES NEEDED! I’ll get them to spare you!” [Gary]

He wanted the Matriarch to yield since he knew that, unless the amazons willingly submitted, there was no way he could have them. The organization he worked for wouldn’t permit it. Keeping amazons as slaves was suicidal, so his orders were to kill them all. That was why, he betted on the small chance that they would surrender to him, and that his leaders would turn a blind eye to his actions if he succeeded. Besides, they would definitely love the idea of having amazon warriors under their command.

“Come on! It’s a waste for such beauties to die!” [Gary]

“I said, shut your mouth, or I’ll shut it with your guts!” [Riteinia]

The confident and arrogant man’s offer wasn’t something any amazon would accept. Still, his strength was real. Despite his irritating words, Riteinia acknowledged that he was the kind of man that she had been searching for. After all, for an amazon, all that mattered was power.

“(He’s strong. Strong enough to toy with my warriors and fight on par with me.)” [Riteinia]

Whether the male possessed a horrible appearance or bad personality, so long as he was powerful, her tribe would accept him to produce the next generation.

“(He might be stronger than me. Yet, I do not want our tribe to get his blood. I… Do not want his blood.)” [Riteinia]

In the past, Riteinia would have agreed to have the child of someone on his level. Now, the idea was strangely unappealing, which she didn’t understand why.

“Become my woman! You’ll get to sleep with the strongest man!!” [Gary]

“… You? Strongest man?” [Riteinia]

The Matriarch’s furious expression froze for a second. Upon hearing his bold claim, Ryner’s annoying face popped into her mind. She remembered the time she wasted attempting to seduce him by the Predecessor’s suggestion instead of subduing him. Somehow, she had ended up speaking with him, eating in his company and learning from him a few, rather intriguing moves.

But most importantly, she remembered that Ryner had passed the Blood Trial.

“(Ah, so that’s why. It’s the first time I’ve actually met worthy men. So of course this is new to me.)” [Riteinia]

And she remembered how he had easily beaten her down.

“(Why should I settle for second best when I’ve already found the best prey?)” [Riteinia]

“… Know your place.” [Riteinia]

The Matriarch smirked derisively as she understood why her foe’s might didn’t set her amazonian instincts aflame.

“You might be rare. But, I’ve met a better man.” [Riteinia]

After seeing Ryner in action, there was no way her current opponent’s display of strength would satisfy her.

“Compared to him, you’re just another insect.” [Riteinia]

“… Whoever he is, BRING HIM HERE! I’LL CRUSH HIM BEFORE YOU ALL!!!” [Gary]

Gary’s complacent grin vanished as he angrily bellowed. Being judged to be weaker than some guy he never met infuriated him. Moreover, the amazons surrounding him, who looked like they were being pressured by his strength a second ago, regained their composure. In fact, it felt like some of them snickered as they compared him to the unknown man that their leader mentioned, which made his blood boil.

As Gary furiously lashed out, Riteinia ducked under his feral right hook and, seeing an opening, smiled coldly with a glint in her eyes. She recalled what she had learned from Ryner and what he had told her.

“Hmm? Fine, I’ll show you real quick. Didn’t think you amazons would be so into wrestling.” [Ryner]

Replaying his little demonstration in her head, she slipped behind her enemy, bent her knees and wrapped her arms around his waist.

“This one’s a pretty famous and fun move to pull on someone. Careful though, since you might accidentally kill them.” [Ryner]

“DIIIEE!!!” [Riteinia]

The Matriarch lifted Gary up and viciously slammed him into the ground head first by bending her back like a bridge. Despite using the wrestling move Ryner showed her for the first time in battle, Riteinia perfectly pulled it off and wonderfully smashed her opponent downward with enough force to form a crater.

Mi was scared.

The earth was rumbling, people were screaming and dangerous things were flying everywhere. Furthermore, a giant red man and a giant green plant were fighting. She didn’t know what they were or where they came from, but they were scary. Still, the young pup continued to move while doing her best to stay away from anything and anyone. She had to go back to the human that looked like the wolf from before. However, she ended up heading straight to where her instincts were telling her not to go.

That was because those same instincts were screaming that the two women who annoyingly stuck to her were in trouble. Before Mi knew it, she came looking for them. Sadly, despite following their smell, she hadn’t found them yet. Moreover, she was starting to be too scared to move. The scent of blood floated around her. She should leave and search for the man with different eye colors. If she was not around to watch over him, he might be too scared to do anything. Like that time with the wolf, who cried like a puppy.

Just as Mi decided so, a large, flaming projectile crashed close to her, sending dirt and her small body into the air.