#221. The Last Forest (3)
—
Ray realized that he had arrived in a space of pure white.
As he turned his head, he saw a child crouched down, back turned toward him.
More precisely, it was the silhouette of a child, wrapped in light.
He instinctively understood.
That it was the World Tree.
“Hello,” he greeted.
The child turned its head.
Since it only looked at him without speaking, Ray continued the conversation.
“I came seeking advice. I planted a new World Tree not far from here. I want to help it grow.”
— I know.
The entity’s will flooded into him.
Though Ray was slightly surprised, he calmly continued the conversation.
“You knew?”
— All World Trees are connected in consciousness. That World Tree is both me and not me. It is an individual and a collective.
“…An individual and a collective. I’m not sure I fully understand. Are you saying it’s part of a community?”
— Something like that. But you, your soul feels familiar. Have we met before?
“I once communed with the newly planted World Tree.”
— No, I mean with me—the one in the Last Forest. And that wasn’t communion, it was a threat. You said you’d burn me?
“It was communion.”
Could World Trees feel bewilderment too? The entity’s will paused for a moment before resuming.
— Well, maybe I’m mistaken about us meeting before. I’ve lived for an incredibly long time, and countless beings have come seeking me during that time.
“If you’ve lived so long, how long exactly?”
— I don’t know precisely. Over five thousand years, at least.
“……”
Unlike Ayla, this was not someone he could intimidate into submission with mere negotiation.
Ray decided it would be impossible to casually call the World Tree “hyung” and shifted the topic.
“I heard your life is nearing its end. The elves of the Last Forest are worried because of that.”
The entity’s will was suddenly cut off.
In the next moment, Ray became certain that the World Tree did indeed feel emotions.
Sadness, sorrow, anxiety…
Because this wasn’t the physical world, there was no visible vessel for the World Tree’s emotions, but instead, immense waves of emotion radiated out in all directions.
The space began to collapse.
Rumble, rumble, rumble──!
“Why are you reacting like this all of a sudden?”
There was no response.
Only a deep, heavy silence.
And at the same time—
Ray recalled Gwendel’s words.
*“Because for the past few months, the World Tree has been silent.”*
Just then, a small lump of light was hurled at him like a stone.
It didn’t seem to intend to hit him, so it was easy to dodge.
Still, the act felt like a child’s deliberate attempt to provoke dislike.
*
*
*
Ray regained consciousness and abruptly lifted his head the moment he opened his eyes.
Thunk!
“Ack!”
Veronica, who had been giving him a lap pillow while peering closely into his face, was struck on the forehead and tumbled across the grassy field, clutching her head.
“…?”
Ray looked at her in confusion before becoming aware of the burning sensation on his own forehead.
The girl who approached him gently touched his forehead.
Then, pulling Ray’s hand, she placed it against her own forehead and patted it lightly.
“I was worried. You suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed. But according to Gwendel, that’s normal when talking with the World Tree.”
“How much time has passed?”
“Not much. About five minutes?”
At that moment, Gwendel spoke up beside them.
“Well, seeing as you lost consciousness, it seems you succeeded in being invited into the World Tree’s room.
If you’re not invited, nothing happens at all.”
“It was a white space.”
“That’s right. That’s the World Tree’s room.”
“The World Tree appeared as a child.”
“A child…?”
Gwendel looked startled.
According to her, the World Tree’s form wasn’t fixed and would appear differently depending on the observer’s perspective.
“To be precise, that only happens from the second visit onward. During the first visit, everyone sees it as a giant tree. From the second visit, you see a projection shaped by your own thoughts.
But no one has ever seen the World Tree as a child before.”
“What do they usually see?”
“Most elves see a mature woman or a strong man.
Because the World Tree is like a mother or father supporting the forest.”
Gwendel seemed to want an explanation, but Ray was just as puzzled as she was.
“By the way, during those five minutes you were unconscious, did you have a conversation with the World Tree?”
“There wasn’t much said, but it seemed extremely sensitive about its remaining lifespan.”
Gwendel’s expression darkened as she thought deeply and spoke.
“I wonder… could it be that the World Tree fears death after all?
Considering it has lived for an unimaginably long time, it might be strongly attached to life.”
Apparently, the World Tree had begun to refuse all communication and exhibit strange behaviors a few months ago.
Thick branches and leaves—
Amplifying sunlight passing through them to burn animals and elves.
Or using vines to trip people.
“At first, we thought the World Tree was trying to destroy the forest.
But we quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
Despite its mischief, the World Tree has continued to faithfully shield us from the black rain.”
If the World Tree had truly intended to stop functioning, the Last Forest would have already been contaminated by the black rain.
Gwendel added—
She felt as if the World Tree was deliberately trying to make others hate it.
“So did you start to hate the World Tree because of that?”
To Ray’s question, Gwendel shook her head firmly.
“No. Of course not.
The World Tree has devoted itself to protecting all life in the forest.
How could you hate a parent? I’m only worried for it.”
The conversation came to a somber end.
Following Gwendel’s guidance, Ray and Veronica strolled through the village.
Veronica was particularly fascinated by the elves treating wounded animals and returning them to the forest.
“Hmmm, the elves really seem like forest caretakers, huh?”
“Fufu, in a way, yes.
Like eldest siblings taking care of their younger siblings.
All life in the forest are children of the World Tree—one big family.”
Listening, Ray tried to grasp the texture of the words “community” and “belonging.”
…He still couldn’t quite grasp it.
“Looks like Grine and Gant are still arguing inside.
Take your time looking around; I’ll go check on them.”
Gwendel disappeared into the distance.
Ray and Veronica continued wandering slowly.
Nearby, a group of children playing caught sight of them and fluttered over.
“Wow, you’re the best-looking elf I’ve ever seen!”
“He’s not an elf! His ears are weird!”
“Why is your sister’s ear round?”
“Oh no! Maybe a squirrel bit it off!”
Small children, about seven or eight years old, gathered and chattered brightly.
Since elves matured at the same rate as humans until about twenty years old, these children were exactly as young as they looked.
*What do I do…!*
Captivated by the children’s devastating cuteness, Veronica couldn’t contain her excitement.
“I’m human, that’s why my ears aren’t pointy.
But wait, is it only the brother here who’s handsome? Isn’t your sister pretty too?”
“You’re pretty, too, big sis!”
“You’re pretty too, noona!”
“But… what’s a human?”
“I heard about it!”
“What is it then?”
“I don’t know! I said I heard about it, not that I knew!”
Pulled along by the children, Ray and Veronica ended up playing a family game.
“So, the big sis can be the mom, and the big bro can be the dad?”
At Veronica’s suggestion, the children quickly shook their heads.
“No, you two are the youngest!”
“What are you doing, baby!
Your siblings are working hard, and you’re just standing there!”
Though it was a bit chaotic, it wasn’t difficult to join in.
Ray, too, recalled the younger siblings he had once played with under the bridge and naturally went along.
And during that time—
He learned something.
The children called every elf in the village “Mom” or “Dad.”
Ray spoke up with a flash of insight.
“I get it now.
It’s because elves casually commit adultery so no one knows whose child belongs to whom—”
“Haha, Ray! What are you saying!”
Veronica quickly twisted and shut Ray’s mouth.
Later, listening to the children, they found out it was more like a communal childcare custom among elves.
“Anyway, thank you!
The other adults don’t play with us much!”
“They’re always busy!”
“They’re always saying they have to take care of the forest!”
The conversation quickly turned into a grievance session against the adults.
Then, one child suddenly said,
“It would’ve been nice if Ann could have played too.”
The atmosphere turned quiet.
The other children spoke carefully.
“But Ann hasn’t come home yet.”
“I miss her. When will she come back?”
“Is Ann your friend?” Ray asked.
The children nodded.
“Yes. She disappeared a while ago and hasn’t come back.”
“Lafi and Helio disappeared too.”
“The adults said it’s probably because the World Tree is playing a prank.”
“But I heard some adults say the World Tree would never pull such a cruel prank.”
“I guess the adults have different opinions.”
Ray and Veronica turned their heads toward the World Tree.
The great tree stood silently, as if it knew nothing.
*
“I’m sorry. It’s taking longer than expected to convince the village leaders, including my father.”
Ray didn’t mind Grine’s apology.
He had already anticipated a long stay.
A matter concerning the fate of an entire race wouldn’t be decided easily.
In fact, Ray had planned to stay several more days to observe the elves’ sense of belonging.
One day, two days, three days passed.
While staying in the forest, Veronica helped care for the animals.
Some were injured; others had lost their parents and needed care.
“That’s quite amazing.
Black-tailed foxes are extremely wary, and even we needed years to gain their trust.”
“R-Really?”
Regardless of species, the animals adored Veronica.
Their blind affection and devotion bordered on madness.
Before long, Veronica could be seen anywhere, floundering under a mob of animals.
“Ray! Help me! Kyaa!”
“You look like you’re having fun.”
Meanwhile, Ray wandered the forest, sketching.
One of his main goals in visiting the Last Forest had been to access the archive where records of the old era were kept.
However, that was currently impossible.
The archive was located underground, beneath the roots of the World Tree.
But a few months ago, the World Tree had sealed off the entrance with thick vines, making it inaccessible.
*…Grine said there were records in ancient script down there.*
Those records might contain crucial information.
Because of that, every day, Ray would place his palm against the massive trunk, but he was never able to enter the World Tree’s chamber again.
Scratch— Scratch—
Ray captured everything he saw in the forest onto his canvas.
Animals, plants, sunlight, the lush green scenery.
He firmly constructed images in his mind, steadily enriching the foundational material that would serve as the source for his imagination.
At the same time, he rapidly searched the forest for the missing children.
Because the atmosphere was rich with high-quality mana, he could maintain reinforcement magic at all times.
Thanks to that, no matter how much he ran, he never grew tired.
‘It doesn’t seem likely that the missing children came all the way out here.’
The disappearances had continued even up until last evening.
Although the elves, recognizing the gravity of the situation, had stationed numerous sentinels to keep watch over the children, it had been to no avail.
“We truly did not take our eyes off the children even for a moment.”
“It’s true. But when we came to our senses, one of them had vanished.”
All the testimonies were consistent.
As if the entire group of sentinels had been bewitched by something.
Public opinion increasingly leaned toward blaming the World Tree.
Every elf, born with a high affinity for mana, possessed a “circle.”
If something could evade the eyes of hundreds of mages and pull off such acts, it could only be the World Tree, they reasoned.
Especially if it could hide the children while eluding even the wide-ranging search efforts aided by the animals.
And yet.
Even under such suspicious gazes, the World Tree remained silent.
Tap.
Ray’s rapidly moving boots came to a sudden halt.
A shard of mana, which had been attached to a missing child, was fluttering in midair.
Due to the high density of mana in the atmosphere, it seemed to have been dislodged by collisions between elements during movement.
‘Where did they go after this?’
As he scanned the surroundings, Ray caught a faint presence.
After casting an invisibility spell and slipping between the trees, a brilliant flower field appeared before him.
Standing there was an elf with brown hair — a sight he had never seen in the village.
Above her pointed ears, a faint layer of pale green mana shimmered.
The elements of camouflage and distortion.
‘She’s not an elf. She’s a human.’
No matter how elaborately crafted the magic was, it couldn’t deceive the boy who saw mana as colors.
‘Four circles.’
Ray instantly realized that she was the one who had left traces of intrusion on the distortion field.
Just as he began to cautiously approach, gathering mana within himself—
“…….”
“…….”
The woman lifted her head.
And looked directly at him.
Then—
“Oh my, hello,” she said with a bright smile.
Ray didn’t respond. Instead, he stared into the vessel of her being.
What he saw swirling there—
An abnormally swollen,
deep flesh-colored emotion.
It was obsession.
—
