And so, we entered deeper into the forest.

-By the way, the method you used to feel me out…

-Wha…?

-Back at your office. The thing you said that drains you.

-Ah. What of it?

-What exactly can you sense with it?

He hesitated for a second.

-It’s old magic.

-Old? Like it’s from that book? Journal or whatever?

-No - he shook his head. - The ritual that Kon performed and this, it’s magic that is almost forgotten here. We only know it… I got taught.

-By who? Do I need to pull your tongue so hard? - I asked, seeing as he was still hesitant.

He did not reply for a good moment.

-Listen. There are things that you can’t believe could happen, even if you were the direct witness. That’s one of them.

-Okay…?

-A long time ago, after I got established on that island… I mean the place where the inn and all that is… someone else found it as well.

-Not that surprising. It’s not that far from the main continent…

-Right… Yeah. I also did not think much of it. Especially because it was not that long after I joined up with Vendi. I just thought that after one of our trips back we somehow just got tailed. Back then I had not been using portals yet, see…

-Yeah, sure. So what?

-When I realized that we got found out, I immediately made everyone hide inside the barrier. No questions asked, every kid and employee was inside.

-Wait, employee? You let them in? Gave them access?

-Yeah. Now I know it was a mistake, but back then I didn’t think much.

-And you blame me for… you know, nevermind, continue.

-For compromising the barrier? Yeah, that’s the thing. I did compromise the place, that is a fact.

-Why did you even do that? Wasn’t that just one guy? Didn’t you host, or have, some gatherings on this island? Who cares if one person appears, be it invited or not? After all, when I appeared you did not panic like that. Wasn’t that the exact same?

-Actually… It was pretty similar now when I think about it. Anyway, we hid. Yet the interloper found us instantly. Just like you, he quickly found the barrier and one of the stones.

-Oh?

-Yeah. He did not dispel it though, just sat down at the edge of it and waited. I had some scouts stationed nearby, observing. Even though they were good at what they did, they got found out instantly. But, he did not attack. Instead he announced that he was here to talk with me.

-You specifically?

-Yep.

-So you went to meet him?

-What else could I do? Besides the fact that I was somewhat curious about what he wants, I was sure that we could deal with him. I ordered for the kids to hide in the house…

-You mean mansion - I laughed.

-Nah, see back then it was really just a house. Barely even. That’s why I was not taking chances. Vendi stayed with them while I gathered everyone else with me and approached the guy. In the end it would be about eleven people versus one.

-Holy… you really were playing it safe.

-Yeah. We left the barrier and immediately surrounded the guy. The fact that he did not even flinch, after being surrounded, should’ve raised some red flags for me, in hindsight.

-Or he could just be a good actor - I pointed out.

-True… - he admitted. - It was probably both though.

He sighed.

-Even though I didn’t expect trouble dealing with him, I still was cautious. To this day I am not sure if that was the thing that saved me, or he just decided to spare me…

-...?

-The guy looked around once, locked my eyes with me and then used a spell. Not even a single person was able to react, and let me tell you, those were not just some random thugs that I hired. Every single one of them was a pretty decent mage. He wiped all of them with a single spell.

-Oh.

-Yeah. Oh.

-So wait, he missed you? You said you were cautious?

-Yeah. The spell he used was lightning based. Fate wanted that I was not even remotely close to him, while I ordered my men to surround him. Every single one of them got fried to the crisp. Sort of like when you… or rather that elf, decided to kill himself.

-Hm. Based on your description, he really was strong… The spell that elf used was crude but powerful… and if your interloper used it like it was nothing, he had to have a decent mana capacity… that is if he didn’t faint right after - I added jokingly.

-Hell no. He didn’t even flinch. But guess what? After murdering them, I thought that’s it, I am dead. I ran away instantly, but I didn’t need to. He just turned around and… walked away.

-What…?

-Yeah, I got confused too. At first I thought it was some kind of an ambush. I assumed that he, how powerful he was, still was not able to penetrate the barrier. I waited a good hour after that, but he did not return. I couldn’t spot him anywhere nearby, so I went back and explained what happened to Vendi. It seemed like the coast was clear, so we decided to clean up the mess, or at least move the bodies away from the barrier.

-But let me guess, he was not gone?

-Yep. He surprised us mid-ritual.

-Ritual? Ah, Life-from-death or whatever.

-Yeah. Funnily enough, we also had some problems then…

-What, you turned someone into a tree too?

-No! I mean… I am not sure…

-The fuck is that supposed to mean?!

-It’s just… the spell… It all was pretty similar to what happened with Kon. That is, the spell fizzled in the last part because we got startled by that guy, but… he somehow contained it.

-Contained it?

-Yeah, I don’t really know what he did. He only said he “finished for us”. So I assume nothing happened…

-Hm. Interesting person. And powerful.

-Yeah, we thought the same. And thought twice about attacking him. I mean, if he was capable of something like this without even speaking a word, we were clearly outclassed.

-Reasonable assumption.

-When I saw him I thought we were goners. But he just calmly stated that we are “not elves” and walked towards us like he was just about to meet some friends.

-Wait, wait, wait. Elves? You hired elves?

-I was surprised too. The bunch that was already turned into trees were apparently elves and I had no idea…

-How the hell do you miss that?! - I asked in disbelief. - Correct me if I am wrong, but their features are pretty distinct. Or you’re going to tell me that they could change their appearance like Kon?

-Yeah, they have pretty distinct appearance, but no, they did not have power like that. Something like that is pretty rare.

-I can imagine. So what, you just missed pointy ears?

-Oh, no. Their method was pretty basic. They just cut off tips of their ears and healed them with magic - he explained calmly.

-Excuse me, the fuck?!

-I mean, I did notice that some of them had strangely deformed ears, but I never thought much of it. Scars are common, especially among mercenaries and such. Never thought much about it, since they also had some deformations and blemishes on their faces.

-Let me guess, that was too a way to try and camouflage their origin?

-I don’t really know, but I am not saying that it was not possible.

-Okay… What’s with the guy then? Was he hunting elves? Did he at least explain something?

-As I mentioned, he approached us like we were his friends. You can imagine that was a bit off putting… especially after being witness to all that shit. He said his name was Ilon.

-That's a weird name…

-It is? - he asked, surprised. - Never thought much of it… Anyway, he invited us both for a chat. Not really sure what we should do, we followed, still not really convinced what he was going to do with us, but at least he was leading us away from the kids, so that worked in our favor. He guided us to where the old ruins were, I mean where my inn is now. You can imagine our reaction when we saw that the ruins were no longer ruins, instead it was a large, wooden building: the inn. He casually invited us in and asked for a chat.

-If I was not already sure, you convinced me now: that’s some unusual way of doing things.

-You don’t even know. It gets better. He then proceeded to explain how he followed Vendi from Kruro, curious about how he got himself fixed.

-Ah. So I was right about him.

-What?

-I heard a story about some guy that miraculously got healed at Kruro, Melle was apparently a witness to that. And about the disappearance of said person. I didn’t really put it together at first, but I suspected that you could’ve been involved, since your island is a perfect place for someone to disappear to, especially from that town.

-Haaa… you got me - he was clearly astounded that I heard that story. - Yeah, it was the two of us.

-That would’ve meant that you were the one who healed him…

He did not reply.

-So I am right.

-Yh. Yes you are - he finally gave up. - I guess I can’t hide anything from you… I swear you remind me of that guy…

-Before you ask, no that was not me. So, how did you do it? The healing? I thought you had only green magic?

-No. I… don’t really use green magic… I use life magic.

-OH. Amazing.

-No, before you start - he noticed that I was about to give him another dose of complaints. - I never had any problems with it. I never even knew that it was the way you explained to me… I always thought I was just able to commune with nature… And since we are basically more complicated plants if you think about it…

-I am not going to even start what's wrong with that, but whatever. So what, you were messing with people’s bodies?

-”Messing with bodies” - he was clearly disgusted. - I just healed people. Cleaned scars… that kind of thing.

-That’s why you got interested in Kon - I realized. - He had similar powers to you. But never mind that - I realized that I was getting off track. - What about Ilon?

-There is not much to it - he shrugged. - He just gave me a stern talking about hiring elves. He somehow knew that I, or rather we, were housing children, and offered to help. I was suspicious, so I started asking what he meant by that. He then waved his hand and, I shit you not, right in front of my eyes, built from the ground up half of the village.

-Built? You mean using green magic?

-I assume so. I mean, it was possible that he was also using life magic as I was, but I don’t know.

-Wait, so you control plants with life magic?

-Yeah. That’s how I usually used my magic, to keep a low profile. Green magic is popular here, so no one would ever suspect a thing.

-True… I am still surprised though…

-Anyway, at that point we were just sheer out of surprise and just were watching in amazement. He single-handedly, out of a couple of ruined bricks, made a full-ass village and told us to use it as a place to house the kids. He even offered to teach us how to do the same thing.

-And you accepted?

-Wouldn’t you?

-I definitely would be a lot more wary of a person like that. I mean, he just followed you, murdered most of your staff, and then what? You just pretended like nothing happened?

He was about to reply, but as he opened his mouth, he stopped himself.

-I don’t really know how you do your business here, but something like that just reeks of bullshit to me - I said, not even trying to be polite. - It’s either you are not telling me something, or you…

-I am not! It’s… just he felt… It felt like I could trust him.

-Look, I am not a fan of elves either, but it doesn't matter who, murdering is not a way to get on my good side…

It was clear that my words were getting to him, but that did not mean that he was going to tell me more.

-Okay, okay. Whatever your reasons are, doesn’t matter right now - I said, deciding to stop pestering him. - You decided to agree to his help. Did he want anything in exchange? Or is that something you don’t want to, or rather can’t tell me as well?

-It’s not like that! - he immediately protested, but gave up halfway through the sentence. - But yea, he did want one thing. Or two, if you want to be precise.

-And that was…?

-In exchange for him teaching us, he first demanded that I would not just give up on those orphans. I never intended to, so I didn’t even consider it as a fair exchange, instead asking him what he really wanted, really. He at first refused anything, but after a while he changed his mind. It only happened after he taught me how to sense mana.

-So he taught only you? What about Vendi?

-Not much - he shrugged. - Ilon said that Vendi was just not compatible with that spell. “His talents were elsewhere”, if you want me to be precise. On the other hand, he told me that I had some talent for it, but even after I learned how to do it, I never was as good as him, as you well know. I have to spend massive amounts of mana just to sense something right in front of me… - he sighed. - He did mention that I was able to sense more than him though, albeit just in close vicinity…

-Interesting… We can check that later…. Anyway, what was the other thing he wanted?

-Ah right. See, after I pestered him enough he finally gave in, although the other request was not that different from the first one. He wanted me to keep an eye out for a kid named Ilma. I asked him why he was so focused on orphans, but never got a clear answer…

That was the last name I expected to hear.

And not only me. Besides the fact that the name instantly brought me back to the MIRE, it also did that LITERALLY. As in I just had another flashback, a very familiar one, the destruction of the Origin Crystal in the MIRE.

To add to the confusion, I also, for the first time in a long while, got a feeling that did not belong to me.

The other presence, the one that combined with me, was stirring.

Funnily enough, even though it was clear that the new emotions did not belong to me, they were basically copying mine. Surprise, confusion and a hint of excitement. Strange.

-Ilma. Are you sure?

-Yeah - he replied, a bit perplexed by my sudden interest. - It was hard to forget, since it was similar to the name he gave me…

-And did he say what he wanted about that kid?

-Just for me to take care of her if I ever manage to find her… Why? Why are you suddenly so interested in a random kid?

-Well, first off, I am interested in that mentor of yours, so it’s a no-brainer to ask about that… - I stated plainly.

-But that’s not all of course? I can see that on your face?

-Shit, even with a stone face you can tell?

-I mean… your eyes are sort of a dead giveaway… I have never seen them so bright…

Curious… I never expected for that to be a factor…

-Well, you are absolutely right. See, it’s not the first time I’ve heard that name… or maybe I should say I’ve heard that name too many times before…

-Too many? What do you mean?

-Ilma is the name of a daughter of my friend.

-You what? - he stopped mid step and turned back to me. - You know where she is? She’s not an orphan then?!

-Now, that is the problem… I absolutely have no idea. And about being an orphan… hell, that’s also up to debate.

-Okay, explain. What the hell?

-There is not much to explain. I am not one looking for her, I’d be more interested in her parents.

-But where was the last time you saw her? How long ago? With who? - he bombarded me with questions.

-Calm down - I took a step back, because he was about to grab me, impatient. - It was before I arrived at this place, or country. However you want to call it.

-Wait, so they are also not from here? Where are you even from?

-From a land, far, far away from here - I said half in jest, half truthfully. - Doesn’t matter. The only important thing is that if it’s really the same girl that I am thinking of, that guy had to have some kind of connection to the people I knew. Do you have any idea how to reach him? Did he leave you any info, so, let’s say after you found the kid, you’d be able to contact him?

-Sadly, no - he shook his head. - And even if he did, I don’t think it would’ve helped us…

-Why…?

-See, the three of us spent about a month together on the island. He helped us with kids, overseen the building of the building that now functions as a house for all the kids. He even gave me the idea about the bunker. Even the tunnels below the inn were his work.

-Ah, so he was also proficient in that…

-Oh, he was proficient in everything - he stated. - Whatever element you wanted, he was on top of it. He taught every single kid that I had back then the basics of magic. Sort of like Kon was doing later, although comparing them both is…

He did not finish, realizing that Kon might be listening in.

-Yeah, yeah, he was amazing. So what, he left?

-Yes. A month later he announced that he has to go back to the mainland, to catch up with his own family. Told us that he will someday come back to check on me and the progress we made. Maybe help finding “Il”. But that was the last we saw or heard from him.

-Hm.

Intriguing.