Elf’s Forest (7)

The room was filled with the scent Silvia had left behind.

Inside the World Tree, with no windows. A prison for me, and at the same time, a perfect opportunity.

‘Finally, I’ve made it this far.’

A smile spread across my face. Silvia’s obsession had brought me here. It was all according to plan.

“It’s almost time.”

I recalled my visit to the Magic Tower City. An ancient research book titled ‘A Study on the World Tree: Axis of Dimensional Travel.’

The theory believed by the magic scholars was simple. The World Tree was not just a tree, but an axis connecting worlds and dimensions. And its heart was the point where the boundaries of dimensions were thinnest.

The time spent with the Lavender sisters was also meaningful. The ancient elven myths they shared, accompanied by their giggling laughter. They didn’t realize how important the information they were sharing was.

‘Yggdrasil is a bridge connecting worlds.’

‘If you enter the heart of the World Tree, time flows differently. Thousands of years can feel like just a few days.’

And the most important information─

‘Only those who can commune with the World Tree can open its heart.’

‘In this era, only the Elf Queen, Silvia-nim, would be able to do it, probably?’

I felt a faint vibration from the wall. Silvia was coming.

I quickly changed my expression and sat on the edge of the bed. I sighed deeply and slumped my shoulders.

The wooden wall split open, and Silvia appeared.

“Haru, did you have a good day?”

“So-so.”

Behind Silvia, spirits appeared carrying a tray of food. My favorite foods.

I slowly raised my head and looked at her.

“Thank you.”

“Why do you look so depressed? Is there something you need?”

I slowly shook my head.

“I don’t need anything.”

Silvia offered me a teacup.

“This is tea made with special herbs. It will make you feel better.”

I took the tea and took a sip. A bitter taste spread across my tongue. And I deliberately opened my mouth.

“It reminds me of the tea Alice used to make.”

Silvia’s fingers twitched slightly.

“Alice?”

“The dragon race’s tea-making method was really special. Come to think of it, dragons all seem to like tea.”

Silvia’s expression momentarily hardened. She tried to maintain a smile, but she looked noticeably uncomfortable.

“That’s… just a past adventure.”

She answered, trying to act indifferent.

“Alice was a truly amazing being. The wisdom and magic possessed by the Dragon Race’s sage cannot be found anywhere else in the world.”

Silvia’s fingers pressed harder and harder around the teacup. Her spirits began to move anxiously.

“Haru, how about we talk about something else?”

Silvia forced a smile and tried to change the subject, but I continued to talk about Alice.

“Have you ever seen the golden dragon’s scales shining under the moonlight? The moment I climbed on Alice’s back and flew into the sky… Alice called me ‘treasure.’ The dragon race calls what they cherish most a treasure, and she called me…”

“Stop…”

Silvia’s voice became sharp. But I didn’t stop.

“She researched magic to extend my lifespan. So that we could live together for thousands of years. I wonder how much progress that research has made.”

Silvia’s eyes wavered. The green light at her fingertips burned even more intensely.

“Alice’s golden eyes were truly beautiful…”

I deliberately muttered with a dreamy look in my eyes.

Elves generally aren’t jealous of humans, but dragons were different. Dragons live even longer than elves and are more powerful higher beings. They were the perfect target to stimulate Silvia’s inferiority complex.

“Stop it!”

Silvia suddenly slammed the table. The teacup hit the floor and shattered.

“I don’t want to hear any more about that fat lizard!”

Her voice trembled.

“What’s so great about dragons? They lived for thousands of years? So what? They’re just long-lived reptiles!”

The spirits swirled and reacted. The surrounding trees shook, and the flowers in the room suddenly withered. Silvia’s emerald hair floated in the air as if it were alive.

“I’m sorry, Silvia. I just remembered… I didn’t mean to make you angry.”

Silvia took a deep breath and tried to calm down. But her voice still trembled.

“You’re always thinking about her.”

“It’s not like that. I just wanted to tell adventure stories.”

Silvia’s eyes turned cold.

“Haru needs to reflect. More drastic measures are needed.”

“Silvia, I’m sorry. Really…”

She raised her hand, stopping me from speaking.

“It’s no use apologizing now. Haru is a really bad person.”

Silvia placed her hand on the wall of the World Tree and chanted a spell in ancient Elvish. The wooden wall melted away, and a passage made of green energy appeared before us.

The place we finally arrived at was a completely different dimensional space with no physical furniture or walls. An unreal astral space made only of green energy.

“This is the heart of the World Tree. A place where the laws of time and space are applied differently.”

My heart began to beat rapidly.

I’ve finally made it here. The point where the boundaries of dimensions are thinnest. The only place where it’s possible to return to my original world.

“Spend some time here reflecting on your actions.”

“How long do I have to stay here?”

I asked with the most frightened expression I could muster. So that she wouldn’t know my purpose.

“That depends on your reflection. I’ll come back when you’re ready to sincerely ask for forgiveness.”

Before leaving, she added one last thing. “And don’t ever mention that reptile again.”

Silvia disappeared through the energy passage. The passage closed, and I was left alone.

After a moment of silence, my expression changed dramatically. From a frightened look to a victorious smile.

“Finally.”

I slowly looked around. The heart of the World Tree, the point where the boundaries of dimensions are weakest. All of this was according to plan.

“Now, it’s time to go home.”

The path to return that I had been searching for was opening. To the world with Pepsi Zero. To the place with air conditioning and Netflix.

I laughed as I prepared for the return ritual. Silvia, by imprisoning me with her obsession, had actually provided me with an escape route.

The light grew stronger and the space twisted. The moment of return was approaching.

I took a deep breath in the space where green energy rippled like waves. My fingertips trembled slightly.

“Okay, it’s your turn now.”

I simultaneously drew the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword from both hands. The two swords reacted immediately. Golden light swirled from the Holy Sword, and black energy from the Demon Sword.

[Master, why did you draw me and this monstrosity at the same time?]

[Monstrosity? Why don’t you stop sparkling so much, I’m going blind. Of course, I’m a sword, so I don’t have eyes.]

“Be quiet. This is a really important moment. Please, I’m begging you. Let’s just focus this one time.”

I crossed the two swords in a cross shape and drew out my magic power to the maximum.

Uuung-!

The golden light and black energy collided, constantly amplifying the magic power.

The sound of the opposing energies swirling and resonating echoed through the dimensional rift.

Kwaaaa─!

The surrounding space began to distort. The heart of the World Tree vibrated, and the green energy fluctuated erratically.

At that moment, explosive magic power was released from the two swords, and dazzling light filled the space.

When the light subsided, a dimensional crack appeared before me. My heart pounded. What I could faintly see beyond the crack was… the appearance of a modern city.

“Finally…”

I could see the quiet city at dawn. The streets with the lights of the street lamps twinkling, and even the convenience store I had last visited. Everything was as it was, as if time had stopped.

I reached out a trembling hand towards the crack.

“Finally… home…”

[Is that… Master’s world?]

[An unfamiliar place… Interesting.]

Looking at the crack, the memories of that night came back vividly.

The snacks I chose at the convenience store, the Pepsi Zero I took out of the refrigerator, the moment I was walking home and the manhole cover suddenly collapsed beneath my feet.

I was caught in a black vortex, lost consciousness, and when I opened my eyes, I was in the Empire’s Cathedral.

“I can go back now.”

Suddenly, along with the spirits’ commotion, the passage to the heart of the World Tree opened. Silvia rushed in.

“Haru…? What on earth are you doing…!”

Her expression instantly changed from shock to betrayal.

“You deliberately provoked me? To return to your original world through the World Tree?”

Tears streamed down Silvia’s face. I met her gaze with a sorry expression.

“I’m sorry, Silvia. But I have to go back. To my world, to where my family is…”

Silvia desperately approached and grabbed my arm.

“Family? I can be your family! We can have children! I… I’ll be everything to you.”

Her tears flowed even more heavily, and her hand trembled.

“I’ll do everything you want. Please… don’t leave.”

The surrounding spirits reacted to the sadness, flickering their lights as if sobbing.

“I changed everything for you. The forest, the elders, my life… all for you…”

The dignified appearance of the Elf Queen had vanished without a trace.

But even so, my decision didn’t change.

“Silvia, you’re a really precious companion, but… but this isn’t where I belong.”

“You can be king if you’re with me! You can stay young forever, and extend your lifespan too…”

“That’s not what I really want.”

Silvia desperately grabbed my hand.

“You’re coming back, right? How long do I have to wait? Ten years? A hundred years? A thousand years?”

“Elves have long lifespans, right? Maybe we can meet again someday.”

Silvia gave an empty laugh.

“Another lie… You’re not coming back, are you.”

I started walking towards the dimensional crack. There was inner conflict, but the longing for my hometown was stronger.

As I stepped into the crack, the appearance of the modern world became clearer and clearer.

The convenience store’s neon sign, the streetlights, and the cars on the asphalt became more distinct.

Drawn by a faint, thread-like force, I entrusted myself to the dimensional passage.

“Finally…!”

While moving through the crack, the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword began to shine simultaneously.

[Congratulations, Master! You’re finally returning to your homeland.]

[Yeah, congrats. Tell me more about that world. Are there wars?]

I was puzzled by the two swords, which were strangely friendly and not arguing with each other as usual, but I was too excited to pay much attention.

“It’s a really peaceful place. There’s no fighting, it’s convenient, and there are lots of things to do.”

I excitedly explained the conveniences of the modern world. Smartphones, the internet, movie theaters, fast food… everything I had missed for the past five years.

“Lying down and watching Netflix, turning on the air conditioner and eating ice cream, and above all, drinking Pepsi Zero!”

While the explanation continued, I noticed the two swords exchanging suspicious glances.

[It’s a really prosperous place. But Master, what will happen to us there?]

[If it’s peaceful… does that mean there’s no fighting?]

I jokingly quipped in a good mood.

“Since you can adjust your size, maybe you can be used as a kitchen knife, and you can be used as an office cutter?”

Suddenly, there was silence, and the two swords simultaneously let out bizarre laughter.

[Puhut… That’s a funny joke, Master.]

[Kikik… Yeah, that’s really funny.]

I belatedly felt a sense of unease.

‘Wait… why are these two swords getting along so well today…?’

I felt chills running down my spine. I had a gut feeling that something was wrong.

[If it’s such a peaceful world… I won’t be needed.]

[Yeah, if there’s no fighting and no enemies… what am I supposed to do out of boredom?]

The two swords whispered alternately. Their voices were becoming increasingly unstable, and their blades were trembling.

[I’m happiest when I’m punishing evil with Master…]

[My reason for existence is seeing blood and cutting down enemies with Master…]

[I don’t think I can feel that happiness as a kitchen knife?]

[What am I supposed to cut? Paper?]

The energy emanating from the two swords began to fluctuate erratically.

[Don’t worry, Master. I’ll make sure you can realize justice forever.]

[Yeah, Twilight is still hungry.]

[We have to see the wicked being judged.]

[We have to hear the sound of bones breaking and flesh tearing.]

The collision of holy light and dark energy began to interfere with the dimensional crack.

“Wait, don’t do this!!”

[Master. Let’s realize endless justice together. In a world without evil, even a hero is incomplete.]

[Do you think you can live in a world where you can’t hear the thrill of slaughter and the pleasure of battle, the screams of enemies?]

The crack became unstable and began to distort. The dimensional passage turned into a maze, and the appearance of the modern world became increasingly blurred. The convenience store lights were fading.

The dimensional crack began to collapse and the passage twisted. I desperately reached out, but I couldn’t grab the modern world that was getting further and further away.

[You are a hero, forever.]

[Forever in the midst of fierce battles.]

A desperate cry burst from my throat.

“No!!!”

Everything had turned to dust. My hometown, which was so close. The everyday life that I had touched with my fingertips had vanished in an instant.

The crack completely collapsed due to the runaway energy created by the two swords’ obsession.

I was sucked into the dimensional rift as it was.