Elise leaned against a pine tree, gazing at the view of the mountains while stroking Mona, who was sleeping on herp. The female warrior kept getting updates from her master about what was happening near theke.


    There was a fight between Henrik and Marko, apparently.


    Meanwhile, Kaine stared at the trail leading to theke. The corners of the dog’s eyes dropped, and he sat up, howling. It was a strange gesture for a pet dog like Kaine. And now it’s not even night yet.


    Mona awoke to the howling. Elise got up and came to Kaine. After the dog fell silent, the female warrior rubbed its back.


    “You are worried about your friends, Kaine? I’m sure they wille back for sure.”


    The dog lowered its head to the ground, making a groan-like sound.


    ***_.


    Suddenly Marko lowered his body and kicked Henrik’s leg, forcing his friend to fall. “Haha, this is what happens when you daydream!”


    The red-haired warrior jumped up and ran towards theke. However, Henrik quickly reached into his waist bag, pulled a rope tied to a stone, twirled it, then threw it. The rope entangled Marko’s legs, making him fall too.


    “It’s not that easy, Marko.” Henrik got up and ran past his friend.


    This time Marko used the power of his hands to jump, a feat that should have been impossible. He didn’t catch Henrik but bit his friend’s leg. The blonde archer screamed in pain and fell a second time.


    “Are you insane!?” Henrik cursed, and Marko sat on his stomach.


    “Stay here, spoiled rich brat!” The red-haired elf punched Henrik in the face. However, the archer tugged at his friend’s cor. Their heads collided hard and instantly gushed out blood.


    “You are the crazy one!” Marko held his forehead, but Henrik was unfazed.


    The archer shuffled backward, kicking Marko to the ground. Then, he took out two arrows from his quiver and stabbed them into the warrior’s palm until they pierced the ground.


    “What the fuck!!!” Marko cursed, unable to free himself from the two arrows.


    “Sorry, this proves that I am a better fighter.” Henrik threw away his quiver, looking at Marko with a satisfied smile.


    The red-haired warrior shook his head. “Don’t…”


    Henrik turned his gaze to the figure in theke, who had his arms outstretched, looking ready to embrace whoever came. “Well, who wouldn’t want to be with such a lovely woman?”


    His tworades called out to him, trying to get him to stop, but Henrik still ran into theke, though he was limping from Marko’s bite. The archer sshed at theke’s edge, then slowed his pace. He stopped before the figure and wore a broad smile as if all his burdens had disappeared.


    “Henriiiikkkk!!!” Marko was still trying to free himself, but it was no use. “Don’t you dare!!!”


    Vilja also wanted to call her friend again, but she chose to keep her mouth shut and burst into tears. She might lose Henrik, but this mission would be sessful in the end.


    The figure in theke hugged the archer’s body, and Henrik hugged her back while shedding tears. Then, the figure lifted a part of her hair, which cut off on its own. The white strands floated in slow motion until they fell to the ground.


    “Are you ready?” The figure whispered into the archer’s ear.


    Henrik nodded, still showing no sign of fear. “I’m ready…. Goodbye, all.”


    The figure tumbled backward, sending Henrik plunging into the water. The ripples therested only a few seconds before calming down again, showing no sign of the woman or Henrik’s presence anymore.


    Vilja and Marko are now crying in silence. Even Yua also shed tears. She had not known Henrik long, but she could feel the strong bonds between those three elves. The sense of loss from Marko and Vilja seemed to rub off on her.


    Slowly, Vilja and Yua managed to get up from the ground. They released the two arrows from Marko’s hands, then Vilja took strands of hair from that figure.


    “Sometimes, I wonder,” Vilja spoke in a low, hoarse voice. “Is all this worth it? We’ve lost a lot of friends to get to this point.”


    Marko, staring at the wound on his hand that was being bandaged by Yua, didn’t answer and just closed his eyes.


    Meanwhile, Yua was waiting for her master’s orders with a racing heart. She was ready to attack Vilja, who was holding all the items needed for the ritual. The elves wanted to destroy humanity. A major war was inevitable, and the kunoichi assumed that Raymund didn’t want that to happen.


    “We’ll be leaving soon, after all your wounds are bandaged, Marko.” Vilja looked at the calm surface of theke. “I hate this ce.”


    “They already know that you are my servant, Yua.” Raymund spoke to the kunoichi. “Looks like they won’t be suspicious if you ask this question. Their answer will determine whether you will attack them or not. Ask them, since when were the elves banished to thatnd.”


    “As you know. I’m not from thisnd, so I don’t know much about the history of the elves.” Yua made the final bandage on Marko’s head. “I have a few questions, but this time I will only address one.


    “What is it?”


    “Since when do elves live in thisnd?”


    Marko rose from the ground and sighed. “About a hundred years ago. After the great war, the remaining elves were left to this ce.”


    “Ah, as I thought,” Raymund responded. “You don’t have to attack, Yua. I can’t exin everything right now, or things will get messed up. Just as Kimi told us.”


    It made Yua’s feelings mixed. On the one hand, she was relieved but also worried about what happened after the ritual.


    “Let’s go.” Vilja passed the tworades with her head lowered. “There’s nothing we can do here anymore.”


    Yua and Marko exchanged nces for a moment. The red-haired warrior then looked at theke, sped his hands together, and lowered his head. After that, he and the kunoichi followed the wizard.