Nothing but pure destruction. There were houses, but they were destroyed and abandoned. So much time had passed since everything was destroyed that the houses had been consumed by nature.
The forest had swallowed them all.
I stood frozen, my heart pounding.
That overwhelming feeling of sadness grew stronger. It felt as if a part of me had been ripped away. No… it felt like most of me was gone. Like my entire family had died.
"No… All these elves were my family."
Memories of the city's growth, the birth of the elves, and the bonds I had built with everyone flooded my mind. They were joyful memories, but at the same time, deeply painful. Memories from centuries ago.
I felt like I was going to die.
I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face as I stared at all the destruction. There was no sign of life—only the trees remained.
I pressed my forehead against the ground, and a pool of tears began to form.
My heart is shattered… But why?
"My name is Isaac… My name is Isaac… My name is Isaac…" I began to repeat those words over and over, trying to stop the tears. But the flood of memories consumed my entire former self.
The memories of my wife and children were buried beneath the weight of the countless memories this body had lived through.
"I don't want this… I don't want to live in this world. Please, take me out of here!" I screamed at whoever had brought me to this place. Probably a god playing some cruel trick on me.
This has to be a mistake.
I'm not the right person for this role.
"I don't have confidence in myself. I can't bear all this pain. Make it stop!" I screamed.
But the tears wouldn't stop.
The silence around me was terrifying.
Not even the leaves made a sound. The wind, once strong, had gone still.
I lifted my head and looked forward.
And when I did, I saw someone.
"Serie…"
"..."
Serie stood there, tears running down her face, staring at my probably devastated expression. She was frozen.
She wasn't like this.
Serie never cried—this had to be a mistake.
"My Queen…" she said, her voice trembling.
Tears still in my eyes, I stood up.
Slowly, I walked toward her.
Standing face-to-face, it felt like I was seeing a close friend again after thousands of years. Without thinking, I embraced her. And as I did, I began to cry again.
I was never like this—but I didn't care.
I cried together with Serie for a long time.
When my tears finally stopped, Serie looked into my eyes and said,
"Welcome back. I always knew you would wake up."
"I'm back, Serie." I smiled brightly.
Suddenly, I became someone entirely different. A person with a single mission.
To save the elves from complete extinction.
####
When the emotional reunion finally ended and I managed to calm down, I sat beside Serie in front of the door carved into the tree's trunk. We sat together, staring out at the forest and the devastation.
"What happened while I was asleep?" I asked. It was something I didn't know—I had no memories of it.
But Serie, who had lived through it all, surely did.
"It's hard to remember everything… it's been so long." Serie looked up at the blue sky and let out a long sigh. "Not long after you fell into your deep slumber, the problems began. First, the loss of mana."
"Loss of mana?"
"That's right. The World Tree began to lose its power, and the elves started to weaken. You are the foundation of the World Tree, my Queen."
"…"
Yes, I was the first to be born. I am the queen of the elves. But I didn't know I was the foundation of the World Tree.
"The strength of the elves started to fade, little by little. After that, many elves died inside the dungeon or in political conflicts."
"Political conflicts?"
"Yes. The empire and other nations attacked the forest multiple times over the span of three hundred years. The number of elves dropped drastically. Elves stopped being born. As you know, we can't reproduce—we are born from the tree. And that… stopped happening."
Yes, that's true. Elves are pure beings. Some elves do it for pleasure, but they were always the minority. Most didn't care for such things.
"For many years after you fell asleep, elves continued to be born. But eventually, it stopped. Our strength began to fade away."
"And the humans took advantage of that to destroy us?"
From what I remembered, there had been many conflicts with humans, so it didn't surprise me.
"Yes. The weaker elves died in the dungeon, trying to grow stronger through the so-called 'Falna' given by the gods—or they died in war. The stronger elves… they held on longer, but…"
"In the end, only you remained."
"No, not at all. There are still some elves scattered around the world, like Ryuu."
Ryuu… I remembered that name. But her story wasn't supposed to be like this. Everything had changed.
"She's living in Orario?"
"That's right. She lost more than half her strength but regained it after joining a Familia."
"Ryuu joined a Familia?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes, she did. But I haven't spoken to her in a long time. I'd rather live here, in this place, than get involved in all that chaos."
"You're right. We shouldn't trust them. The humans…"
"And the gods," Serie finished for me. "Do you have any idea who caused all of this?"
"No, I don't. I don't remember eating anything strange before falling ill. I didn't do anything unusual. The memories are still fresh—I remember everything."
"Then maybe a curse?"
"But a curse powerful enough to affect me like this? Me—the so-called foundation of the World Tree?!"
"…"
"It's okay, Serie. Everything is okay now." I smiled.
"Are you really okay? You don't look it."
"No. I'm not okay at all. How could I be calm in a situation like this? Look around."
"…"
"I want revenge, Serie. I want to rebuild this place."
"Queen, please…"
"I'm serious, Serie. I will recover everything—all that we lost while I was asleep inside that wooden coffin. I will restore the glory of the elves."
"Will you trust me?" I asked her.
Serie, surprised, said, "You've changed, my Queen. Yes, I trust you. I will always be by your side. Even if I have to give my life for you—I will."
"Don't say that, even as a joke, Serie. No other elf will die while I'm still alive."
"…"
####
Read more chapters on my patr eon: patr eon.com/parodygirl
Next chapters: Chapter 4 - Primordial element. / Chapter 5 - I have to keep training.