The room fell into an uneasy silence.
The Wind Elder stepped forward. His pale green robes fluttered, moved by a breeze that wasn't even there.
His expression was calm.
"It seems there is an anomaly affecting all of us," he said. "Our memories are no longer whole. What could have happened to us?"
He paused. His eyes narrowed.
"Perhaps, we were never meant to be separate."
The Shadow Elder nodded. Her twilight eyes glinted. "Perhaps it is connected to the wave of light from the castle. And to the awakening of the Elf King."
A ripple of shock passed through the room.
Before anyone could respond, a chuckle cut through the tension.
The Water Elder shifted. His icy gaze shimmered in the dim light.
"Then we may have misjudged Halodor," he mused. "His plans are unfolding better than we anticipated. Perhaps this light and confusion... are exactly what he needed to tip the balance."
The Earth Elder turned sharply. His deep voice boomed.
"It was not him."
The chamber froze. The Water Elder's smirk vanished.
"Not him?" he echoed. "If not Halodor, then who else?"
The Earth Elder remained silent. His massive frame radiated tension. He moved his gaze to the Shadow Elder.
She held his stare.
"It was the human."
The Water Elder's expression twisted into shock. "The human? You mean the one who attacked the forest before the Lumina clan's strike?"
The Shadow Elder nodded slowly.
"Leo."
She said the name with weight.
"He is the one who shattered the veil. And his presence is far more dangerous than any of us realized."
Silence descended.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
The Spirit Elder's breath hitched. His head lolled against the back of the chair. His eyes fluttered open, revealing a flicker of resolve amidst his frailty.
The runes on the jagged chair flared. Shifting shadows danced across the room. Outside, the forest trembled, mirroring the uncertainty in the Elders' hearts.
The Spirit Elder stirred. His chest rose and fell unevenly.
"We cannot allow this," he rasped. His eyes were half-lidded but glinted. "Elderglade's purity cannot be tainted. Not by a mere human. And certainly not by that cursed child."
The words hung in the air. The tension thickened further.
The Elders exchanged glances. Even the Fire Elder, usually defiant, wore a mask of subdued contemplation.
The Earth Elder leaned closer. His shadow fell over the Spirit Elder.
"And what would you propose, my friend?" he asked. His voice rumbled. "The Veil is broken. The Queen is rising. And now, this human is part of their scheme. What action will ensure Elderglade's sanctity?"
The Spirit Elder exhaled shallowly.
"It is time for the Elven God's return."
Unease rippled through the room.
The Fire Elder's aura flared. "The Elven God's return? Do we not need to wait another millennium? We don't even know if—"
"Silence!"
The Spirit Elder's voice snapped like a whip.
The effort left him trembling, but the fire in his gaze did not waver. Even the glowing moss dimmed, as if afraid of his tone.
"It was always foretold. The Queen and the King are but conduits for what must come next. If we fail to act... Elderglade will fall."
The declaration reverberated through the room. Even the runes seemed to deepen, their light flickering in uneasy acknowledgment. Long, twisting shadows snaked across the walls, converging in the farthest corner of the room.
Far from Elderglade.
The crackle of burning wood broke the heavy silence.
The scent of charred timber mixed with the heavy smell of roasted meat.
A lone figure sat hunched before a small fire. Its flickering light cast enormous shadows beside him.
A massive carcass lay just outside the firelight. A Dire Bear. It was easily the size of a small house. It lay slumped. Motionless.
Dead.
Beside the figure, a single monitor glowed. Its screen displayed a maze of unreadable code and strange symbols.
He exhaled slowly. A resigned sigh.
"I didn't anticipate this... not this kind of event," he muttered. The firelight glinted off his glasses. "Things are unraveling faster than I expected."
He reached for a massive skewer leaning near the fire. It was thick with meat he'd carved from the Dire Bear's flank.
He bit into it. He tore the cooked meat from the stick.
The meat was scalding. He winced, huffing cool air as he chewed awkwardly. Even through the burn, his eyes remained locked on the monitor.
Finally, he sighed again.
"Once he's awakened..." He shook his head. "There's nothing I can do anymore. It'll be out of my hands."
His eyes flicked to the scrolling data. "Maybe it's time to check the Archive. There might be another old system I can hack into. Something more useful."
He finished the last bite and stood abruptly. He stretched his arms. With a casual flick, he tossed the stick into the fire. It sputtered and caught flame.
"I'll have to report this to her," he muttered, scratching the back of his head. "She won't be happy. But it's better she knows."
He turned. His gaze drifted to the edge of the forest.
"At least I made some significant progress on the research."
He gestured to the screen.
"Hacking the Chimera System was fun. And that chair... it worked better than I imagined."
A sinister smile crept across his face.
He rubbed his chin. "Now we just need to replicate it on other systems. Then the whole thing will be perfect."
He yawned and began walking toward the forest. The fire crackled behind him. The light shrank as he disappeared into the shadows.
"Progress is progress," he said. "No matter how messy it gets."
He paused mid-step.
His head tilted. A glimmer of interest crossed his face. He resumed walking, his pace quickening.
"What was it again...?"
His fingers tapped against his side. A fragment of memory surfaced. Elusive. Baffling.
Then, it hit him.
"The VIP System."
The words were laced with amusement. A sly smile tugged at his mouth.
"Our leader is terrifying as always. She actually anticipated that Aya's system would become a strong candidate for the next World Event."
His skin crawled.
He chuckled. The sound light, yet tinged with unease.
"I guess it's true. She always sees five steps ahead."
The forest swallowed him whole.
Silence returned.
Then, a rustle in the underbrush.
Glowing eyes appeared in the dark. Dozens of them. Scavengers crept toward the dying fire, eager to feast on the giant carcass the human had left behind.