Final Chapter~ Past and Present, within Reach (8600 words)
“It’s nothing.” Aistride didn’t want to talk to Wenfu, but she finally replied anyway, figuring they were friends in this life at least.
“There’s no way! Clearly, you two were at each other’s throats! …… Sister Tillysha got so upset she stormed off! Why is it like this? Aren’t we all good companions? Can’t we sit down and calmly discuss our issues instead of resorting to fighting all the time? Fighting isn’t good!”
Wenfu, noticing Aistride finally responded, wouldn’t let go, bombarding her with endless questions.
“Aistride.” Princess Filisia approached then, one of the few besides Yimi who vaguely understood what had happened.
In short, whether it was Aistride or Tillysha, they weren’t on the same level as them.
“Maybe you think we wouldn’t understand, or perhaps you simply don’t want to involve us, but it seems this isn’t just an issue between you and Tillysha anymore.” Princess Filisia glanced at the sky darkened by ominous clouds, thunder rumbling faintly.
She had an uncertain premonition—a great calamity would soon befall this world.
“This doesn’t concern you. You just need to live your normal lives; nothing significant will happen.”
“Are you sure about that?” Princess Filisia countered. “So, what exactly happened to Tillysha just now? I’ve never seen her act so flustered before.”
“Will Sister Tillysha be in danger?”
“……” Aistride stayed silent.
“Aistride, I don’t know what’s going on with you, but why are you disregarding Tillysha’s well-being like this??” Princess Filisia couldn’t grasp it. Everyone could see how deeply Aistride cared for Tillysha, so what had caused this elf to suddenly lose interest in her loved one?
“……”
“Can you explain? If you still consider us as companions, could you tell us what’s happening?”
“Knowing won’t make any difference.” Aistride shook her head.
“At least it beats doing nothing.”
“……” Yimi, the one who’d been quietly meditating, suddenly stood, her pupils constricting sharply as she gazed sharply at a distant direction. She muttered something under her breath.
Not only her, the other Gold Elves who had been regrouping nearby and resting also stood simultaneously, their gazes uniformly fixed on a particular direction.
“What’s going on?” Princess Filisia and the others were still confused over the situation when, the next moment, a thunderous noise erupted far away. A ripple in space drew closer, akin to the arrival of some colossal entity, stirring quite the commotion across the continent.
“Sacred Tree, Sacred Tree….” Yimi, disregarding her weakened condition and the massive upheaval caused, stared far away with an enchanted look, murmuring to herself. “Could it be… the Sacred Tree?”
It wasn’t just her; all the Gold Elves present, including Aistride, stared in the same direction, involuntarily wearing expressions of yearning. They seemed transfixed by whatever lay in that direction, unable to turn away.
“What’s happening? They said… the Sacred Tree?”
“Sacred Tree? Is it the Sacred Tree of the Elf Clan? But didn’t the Sacred Tree of the Elves disappear 400 years ago?” Princess Filisia frowned.
“The Sacred Tree! The Sacred Tree has returned!” Yimi, ignoring Wenfu’s support, broke free and ran straight toward the direction of the Sacred Tree without hesitation.
Other Gold Elves acted the same way, refusing to be dissuaded, their eyes filled with a frenzied obsession.
“Sacred Tree! The Sacred Tree has returned!”
“The Mother of All Forests needs us!”
“What in the world is going on??” Princess Filisia couldn’t stop these suddenly agitated Gold Elves as they all rushed out of the Tiansuo City.
“The Sacred Tree of the Elves has returned??” Princess Filisia turned to the only elf who hadn’t budged, the silver-haired elf who had merely glanced briefly before turning away.
“Aistride, do you know what’s going on?”
Aistride still wouldn’t reply, merely watching the departing Gold Elves while muttering a soft and questioning “Is it really necessary?”
“The situation has been decided, and no one’s effort can alter the outcome.”
“So, what exactly is the outcome??” Princess Filisia pressed urgently. “Aistride, silence won’t resolve anything. What’s actually happening??”
Aistride just shook her head and was about to continue her quiet stance when a light figure suddenly appeared before the group.
“Ah? Have I missed it again?” The silver-haired girl, with her traveling bags draped across her body, looked exhausted after an obvious rushed trip to get here.
“Who are you?” Princess Filisia stared at this silver-haired girl, perplexed and slightly on guard.
This place was Ruglien. What kind of Light Race member would come here unnecessarily? This girl probably wasn’t legit, possibly a Demon Race in disguise.
If it was merely Princess Filisia’s paranoia, she couldn’t help but notice how much this silver-haired girl resembled Aistride.
And then she realized Aistride was also staring intently at the silver-haired girl.
How could they look so similar? These two aren’t even from the same race, are they?
“Eh? Tillysha and Yimi aren’t here?” The silver-haired girl looked around, sighing lightly when she didn’t find the familiar figures. “I see, they aren’t around.”
“But it doesn’t matter; the one I’m looking for is here, right?” The silver-haired girl glanced subtly at Aistride, who seemed to grasp something but was still baffled as she returned the gaze.
“You, do you know Tillysha and Yimi? Are you their friend?”
“Hmm, something like that.” The silver-haired girl nodded. “Your scents are marked by Tillysha and Yimi, so you must be their companions.”
“Although the place isn’t exactly right, it’s not too far off, and it’s acceptable.”
“My apologies for the monologue. Allow me to introduce myself—I don’t have a name, but if you must address me, you can call me ‘Piece.'”
“Piece? What a weird name,” Wenfu commented.
“Well, Miss Piece, do you have something to do with us?”
“No, not with you all. Just this particular Elf Miss.” Saying that, ‘Piece’ openly fixated her gaze on Aistride, with an uncharacteristic hint of a smile on her lips.
“Fate is truly unpredictable, isn’t it? After searching everywhere without any leads, it turns out everything was handed to me effortlessly, isn’t it?”
“…Could you also be… one of my fragments?”
“Fragments??”
“Exactly. Shouldn’t you have this vague feeling that something’s missing within you?”
“…”
“You’re the fragment bearing the main consciousness and representing desire. Yifen represents emotion and is the emotional fragment. And me…” Piece placed her hand on her chest, speaking softly.
“I am the last piece missing from you, something you treasure above all else—your memories, including reason, perception, and knowledge.”
“You’ve forgotten something very important, Aistride.”
“What?”
“But that’s fine.” Piece gently caressed Aistride’s cheek, her tone warm. “Let’s retrieve it together, shall we? Let’s bring back the most cherished aspect of yourself.”
“But doing so would make you like Yifen.” Aistride couldn’t help but comment.
“Unity after division and division after unity—this day was bound to come, as far as I or Yifen are concerned.” Piece was exceptionally calm. “Even though we might have developed our own consciousnesses over the past hundred years, we, ultimately, are your fragments.”
“Recall it. Remember everything, and let the final piece of the puzzle complete the outcome.” With that, Piece closed her eyes and commenced a graceful dance as the farewell song played. Finally, she dissolved into a fragment, flying into Aistride’s mind.
It was as though the unceasing river broke free to nourish a millennia-dry riverbed.
In the void, Aistride felt herself being entirely filled. Once just an empty shell unaware of who she was or what she should do, now she finally understood who she was and what she was supposed to do.
Instantly, all memories—those of Yifen, Piece, and Aistride herself—merged together and ultimately formed the image of the golden-haired girl.
This was the deepest memory in her mind and the driving force behind her reincarnation.
And now, she finally understood.
Why in the fragmented memories had the golden-haired girl always occupied an irreplaceable position.
Piece had told her everything.
She was she…
Even after several reincarnations, she still met her fragments, got to know them, and eventually made them an indispensable part of herself.
What seemed like mere coincidences were, in fact, destined.
“…Wenfu.”
“Uh, uh, what?” The girl who had just disappeared before Wenfu’s eyes and merged into Aistride hadn’t had time to process what had happened when she was called by Aistride.
“What’s wrong, Sister Aistride?”
“Thank you.”
“Thank me?” Wenfu was confused but complied with a small nod.
“Thank you for reminding me.” Aistride glanced up at the skies. “I see, she’s been by my side all along…”
“What a twist of fate.”
“Didelai, that moron, probably doesn’t even know what he’s doing.”
“So pitiful, and yet so tragic.”
Having said that, the figure of the Chosen of the Moon floated gracefully above Aistride.
“The next steps are up to me, I must tidy up this mess I’ve created….”
Princess Filisia, still unclear about the situation, could only sense that Aistride felt entirely different from before, giving off a reassuring aura.
After nodding at Princess Filisia, Aistride abruptly disappeared.
——
“Boom!!!” The sky opened up, drenching the land in a heavy rain. In this barren uninhabited land…
Ever since the sacred tree disappeared from here, the Elder Forest, deprived of its nourishment, gradually became impoverished, eventually turning into a barren wasteland even the Demon Race disdained.
Four hundred years had passed, and who would have guessed that this desolate place was once where the flourishing sacred tree of the elves was rooted.
The sacred tree was the ultimate existence in every elf’s heart. It bestowed them with the perpetual youth and long life, safeguarding the elvish race from external threats for generations.
Every elf revered it as a deity. But not all elves held such respect for it.
One elf hated it bitterly.
Because of it, the soul of the one he loved was imprisoned, destined for endless reincarnation.
He lamented the great sacrifice made by the one he cherished. Despair led him to distort the notion that if the elven race disappeared, she would live for him alone and would stop sacrificing herself for others.
“Long time no see, sacred tree.” On a stormy night, lightning caused the sky to flicker between light and shadow.
In this barren wasteland, faint outlines of leaves began to emerge. Amidst the storm, the sound of the wind and rain pummeling the leaves grew clearer.
The icy rain beat down on the figure under the tree’s shadow, while the flashes of lightning stretched his shadow long.
“Long time no see, Elder Princess, or rather, Your Excellency, the King of Elves.” A faint smirk played on Didelai’s lips, devoid of any joy.
“Long time no see. If I’m not mistaken, you’re Didelai, the elder of the Moon Elves.” Suddenly, the flickering lightning halted, the bright and soft light resembling a tranquil lake faintly illuminating the every branch of the sacred tree.
“This is a rare night to witness rain in Caleburn, something that hasn’t happened in four hundred years.” The golden-haired elf dressed in a regal robe slowly stepped out, walking graciously, as raindrops rested gently in her palm.
“Should I thank Elder Didelai for allowing me to experience the weather of Caleburn?”
“Save your thanks, Your Majesty. The biggest gratitude would be if you would cooperate with me.”
“You jest, Elder Didelai. With your vast abilities, you managed to bring the sacred tree hidden in a different space back to Caleburn. Why would I need to cooperate with you?” Bilodis leaned on her staff, her enchanting smile revealing her charm.
“But, forgive me for asking. Why do you use your vast powers solely on your own kind while opening the door to the demon race?”
“Your Majesty, the elves for too long have followed the sacred tree, depending on it excessively. Don’t you think that’s inappropriate? Born between heaven and earth, isn’t being overly dependent on an external thing somewhat improper?”
“What’s improper? All of us elves were born from the sacred tree’s roots and branches. All our blessings come from the sacred tree. Even humans know it’s a grave betrayal to k*ll the parents who gave them life. Yet you, you don’t understand this?”
“Enough chatting for tonight, Your Majesty.” Didelai returned to seriousness. “Please don’t try to stop me from what comes next.”
“Joking, isn’t it? You and your sister are both alike; stubborn to the core.” Bilodis shook her head, standing firm.
“Honestly, though I know it’s impossible, both of you are equally stubborn. Well, I have no choice then, but to offend you.”
“Blasphemy! How dare you disrespect the sacred tree and the King of Elves!” The silver-haired elf maiden’s expression hardened, stepping forward to block Didelai’s path.
“Though you’re powerful, you can’t escape the bonds of this world.”
“Observe carefully; the power that transcends these bonds will change everything according to my will, including your sacred tree.” Didelai raised his hand, slowly forming a circle with his palm.
“Crackle, crackle!” A nauseating and colossal sound erupted, as the towering sacred tree that once reached the clouds now twisted grotesquely under Didelai’s simple movement, its trunk deforming unnaturally.
“You treacherous filth!” The elf maid launched herself at Didelai with a flying kick, only to be repelled by an unseen force before she could make contact.
“Take a rest, Ancestor. Don’t waste your efforts.”
“Hmm??” Seeing the sacred tree encapsulated by a warping constraint, Didelai mockingly looked at Bilodis who was leaning on her staff, clearly exhausted.
“Are you planning to hide the sacred tree again, Your Majesty? It’s futile; once you brought it back from the different plane, once is enough.”
“With your mastery over space, you may be strong, but you’re still bound to this earth.” Didelai delivered a slap in the void, and Bilodis was thrown to the ground by the distortive force. Her golden hair sprawled wildly, and her lips dripped with bl**d.
“Personally, I have no interest in your life, stay put and witness the miracle.”
After that, Didelai marched towards the sacred tree, and as he increased his actions, the tree’s body began to warp and transform.
The crackling sound was the tree’s lament.
“Crash!” Two space portals merged together, gripping Didelai from both sides.
He stepped back slightly.
“…Impressive space abilities.” Looking at Bilodis, who was now leaning on her staff and nearly at her limit, Didelai showed a slight surprise.
I had thought Tillysha was the limit of this world. But even after my ascension, there’s still someone capable of harming me.
Although this minor injury couldn’t stop him, it was already extraordinary.
Bilodis has even withstood one of his slaps, indeed a remarkable achievement.
But this is where it ends.
“Your Majesty, if you continue to interfere, I can’t guarantee your safety.”
“…Do you see any difference between us and you?” Bilodis stood up stubbornly. “I am the Elf King. Ever since I inherited the supreme power from my father, it’s my duty to do everything for the future of the elf clan, regardless of my personal will, including sacrificing my life.”
“Even my life.”
“Didelai, as long as I’m alive, you will not take a single step closer to the sacred tree.”
“That complicates things.” Didelai shook his head. “Both you and your sister are giving me quite the trouble. I didn’t wish for either of your deaths, but both of you are too obstinate.”
“Can’t help it. Even if I subjectively prefer not to, I still have to, disregarding my reluctance. After so many years, I’ve done such things countless times.”
Didelai carelessly raised his arm, and Bilodis clutched her throat. She was lifted into the air, her feet dangling helplessly.
“Ugh, ugh…” Bilodis’ breathing became increasingly weak; now, all it took was for Didelai to close his fingers slightly, and her fragile neck would snap.
“Why stand in my way?” Didelai shook his head as he tightened his grip.
“Stop!” At a critical moment, a voice tore through the sky.
“Oh, how troublesome.” Didelai had no choice but to release the unconscious Bilodis, casting a glance at the girl behind him with a mix of nostalgia and sigh.
“Aistride, it’s you.”
“Our relationship hasn’t been great, but since we are acquainted, I presumed you’d understand what I’m doing. Well? Are you going to stop me out of some noble cause? That’d be quite amusing.”
Aistride arrived, holding an unconscious elf maiden in her arms.
The elf maiden’s golden hair had entirely faded into gray, the little gold left was negligible.
Her life was on its last breath; the final moments were here.
“Didelai, help her!” There was a hint of urgency in Aistride’s voice.
“Ah! What is it now? Moved on to a new flame, did you, forgetting your old vows?” Didelai mocked. “Aistride, thinking about the vows you once made to her, I find it hilarious that after merely a few thousand years of reincarnation, your feelings have transformed so easily.”
“Thousands of years of affection supplanted by less than a year’s fleeting impulse? Trite and worthless.”
“Didelai, you’re nothing but an absolute b*stard.”
“Thanks for the compliment. About that, I know myself quite well.” Didelai smiled.
“Enough of your lofty words. I’ve things to attend to.”
“To accomplish the ridiculous goals you’re chasing, perhaps you should listen.” Aistride clutched Tillysha tightly, emphasizing each word.
“Didelai, listen. The person you’ve meticulously schemed for a thousand years… is right here!”
“…?” Didelai stopped in his tracks, hesitating for a moment before slowly turning to look at the silver-haired elf girl.
“….What do you mean?” Didelai knew exactly what Aistride implied.
But he refused to believe it; he couldn’t believe it.
“What do you mean? Isn’t it quite clear?” She held Tillysha, her meaning beyond words.
Indeed, when Aistride regained her self-awareness, she was missing the most critical pieces of her memory. Yet she had not forgotten her affections, whom she yearned for.
Thus, she had denied her feelings towards Tillysha.
However, when she pieced everything together, she realized something else.
Nothing in this world happens at first sight. Everything is destined.
She is she, which is why she fell in love at first sight.
And if she wasn’t her, they would have crossed paths countless times and still remained unfamiliar.
“……Impossible, Erica’s soul is clearly embedded in the sacred tree! It’s impossible! She cannot have reincarnated; that’s absolutely impossible.” Didelai, who had been calm all along, now exhibited signs of losing control.
Faced with this, Aistride merely gazed at him coldly, watching this crazed man, maintaining her silence.
“Ha, you’re trying to deceive me! Aren’t you just pulling another trick, Aistride? It won’t work! You can’t fool me!” With that, Didelai split the sacred tree apart with a single hand.
“Crack, crack, crack!” The sacred tree couldn’t withstand divine power’s interference, its bark splitting and bleeding as the massive tree shattered into two halves.
“Watch carefully. Once Erica’s soul emerges, I’ll welcome her home…” Didelai’s eyes grew manic. “Even defying the laws of life and d*ath is something a god can accomplish.”
However…
Once the sacred tree was split open, aside from a splatter of sap bursting forth, there was nothing.
The sap fell on the ground, flowed, surged, and green life bloomed everywhere.
The earth revived, all things were rejuvenated, except for Didelai’s pale face, which was growing whiter with each moment.
“Why, why??”
“Erica’s soul should be, should be trapped in the sacred tree! This is impossible, I saw it with my own eyes! Erica clearly…” Didelai’s speech became incoherent.
“I believe if Erica knew you’ve done so much to resurrect her, causing such chaos, she’d regret planting the original lie.” Aistride glanced at the girl peacefully asleep in her arms.
“Back then, what merged with the sacred tree was Erica’s body, not her soul.”
“She sacrificed herself to stabilize the tree. Telling you that the sacred tree held her soul was to ensure you’d care for it as you cared for her, safeguarding the people of the elves.”
“Didelai, you’re clever. She trusted you, more so than she trusted me.”
“But what have you done? Everything you’ve done has gone against her wishes!”
“Your hands are covered in bl**d. If she saw this scene now, what would she think? I know you brought her back to life without fearing her hatred, but did you ever think she would have no room for hatred? Only sadness, pure sorrow!”
“……” Didelai gazed vacantly at the dying sacred tree, looking down at his trembling hands. “Impossible, you’re deceiving me, it’s impossible….”
“Impossible, could Tillysha be Erica reincarnate?? What proof do you have??”
“You don’t even trust me anymore? Fine. You want proof, right? Erica’s remains are hidden within the sacred tree’s shell. After an elf’s d*ath, while the soul returns to the sacred tree, traces remain on the relics. Compare them. Won’t that clear it?”
“……” hearing this, Didelai rushed frantically to the fallen sacred tree, breaking apart the innermost roots and bark. As expected, beneath it, he found a pile of bones and a butterfly-shaped keepsake.
Didelai identified it immediately. It was Erica’s keepsake, a blue butterfly earring with a golden frame, its reappearance filled with the weight of bygone memories.
He realized something then, gazing at Tillysha.
“Ah, so the butterfly wasn’t one of Erica’s last belongings…”
Didelai gently caressed the remains of his beloved, as though his beloved still accepted his caresses.
Tiny, ethereal blue trails visible only to him lifted from the bones onto his coarse and foreign hands, sticking to his palm, refusing to leave.
He hesitated, swallowing hard for a moment, stepping painstakingly toward the sleeping Tillysha.
Glancing at Aistride’s emotionless face and then at Tillysha in her arms, he desperately hoped she wasn’t, and yet, hoped she was…
Finally, he extended a hand to send the ethereal trails toward Tillysha.
However, before he could act, these tiny lights gathered on his palm flew instantly into the forehead of the girl, vanishing into her.
“….” With that, Didelai fell heavily to the ground.
It was over. Everything was over.
“Ha, hahaha…!” He laughed uncontrollably, and yet, no one knew why. “Why?! Why??”
His voice tore through the storm, crying with anguish, “Why?!?”
“Why wouldn’t anyone enlighten me sooner…” Didelai’s voice trembled with every word. He, who had always been a master planner and cool-headed, had never felt such despair as today.
“You, get up!” Aistride delivered a swift kick to Didelai’s body. “Stop crying! Your weeping won’t help Erica now!”
“…”
“Look at what you’ve done!!! You’ve destroyed the sacred tree that sustained the elves’ reincarnation. Tillysha’s on her final breaths; if she dies now, there will be no coming back!” Aistride shouted furiously.
“Shouting now, what good does it do? Aren’t you a god? Think of ways, you d*mn fool!”
“…Ways, ways, yes, of course! I am a god!” Didelai staggered up from the ground, his teeth gritted and his gaze directed at the shattered sacred tree.
“It must be restored! It has to. It can’t d*e! If it dies, then Erica will…”
“It cannot happen! It absolutely cannot!!”
“Arrrr!” Didelai began tearing himself apart. Disassembling himself, tearing his flesh and bones to pieces.
“What are you doing?! What the hell are you doing?!” Aistride, cradling the dying Tillysha, moved away hastily.
“In this world, only I can k*ll myself.”
“Now, possessing the power to bring absolute destruction, I intend to reverse it fully into pure restoration…”
“Wouldn’t it mean taking my unbearable pain and splitting it into two, using that to trigger a reverse in my divine power??” Aistride asked, astonished.
“There’s no other way.” Didelai’s bl**d-soaked smile was grim. “Take care of her for me.”
“Even if in my name I were to apologize, she will never forgive me. That’s fine. As long as she’s alive, whether or not she forgives me doesn’t truly matter.”
“Didelai, you’re nothing more than a foolish imbecile.” Aistride watched Didelai disassemble his own body, her expression complex.
He crushed his legs, tore his innards out, snapped his fingers one by one…
Agonizing but filled with unwavering determination, it was his lifelong wish, both in his reincarnation and his persistence to live.
Aistride looked into the arms carrying Tillysha. Was she any different?
For her, her wish burned so strongly that she reincarnated—tearing herself into three parts.
Her method, less extreme but fundamentally the same as Didelai’s.
Absolute life force was channeled into both the sacred tree and Tillysha’s body.
Tillysha’s ashen hair began to regain vitality, once again filled with golden brilliance, her pallid complexion returning to rosy health.
The fractured sacred tree healed, its twisted trunk rapidly recovering. The earlier overflow from the tree rejuvenated the land, and a second spring arrived.
Amid lush green and vibrant energy, Tillysha felt like she had slept for an eternity. In her dream, she traveled through time, returning to an era she didn’t previously know. In her young days, with the acquaintance of Dylin and a companion named Aistride, they shared an epic friendship.
Sacrificing herself for the sacred tree, she reincarnated as an elf warrior deity, twice defending her race against foreign invaders and eventually succumbing to her tragic end.
But in the end, everything was alright.
When she awoke, she found herself in a lush sea of flowers. At the edge of the flower field was an elfin girl wearing a straw hat with a rose tucked behind her ear, waiting for her.
Seeing the scenery, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia.
The elfin girl recollected memories of the past, a sentiment of undying affection that transcended time.
It was mutual.
Fragmented memories woven together, shaping their lives.
Awakening again, at the moment of meeting, she, who had once been Erica, Dylin, and is now Tillysha, greeted the silver-haired girl.
“Hey, Aistride, it’s been such a long time~”
Amid the fluttering red petals of the flower field, the two young girls embraced.
(The main narrative has finally come to an end.)
(The story is far from my ideal, yet when I reached the conclusion following my original outline, I couldn’t help but feel a certain depth of emotion.)
(To the readers who’ve accompanied me throughout this journey, thank you very much; thank you all greatly who’ve supported me through thick and thin and remained steadfast through the low points.)
(Due to declining conditions and an absence of inspiration for this book, I intend to take a well-deserved rest after its conclusion as per my prior announcement.)
(To go out and search, to find the original spark and the initial passion I had in writing books—so here, I thank everyone for finishing this final chapter, accompanying Tillysha through her last journey.)
(On a side note, the protagonist of my next book will likely belong to a well-known family you all might be familiar with.)
(Well, I must say, knights are just my favorite after all.)
