Tomorrow.
Tomorrow, I will leave the borders of this forest and step into the real world.
The thought kept me from falling asleep, so I sat up.
“Phew.”
To be honest, there were countless times I considered asking Elenia first.
I wanted to see the world of humans and wondered if she could at least show me the way.
I reasoned that while training to reach the pinnacle of nothingness was important, seeing how the world was changing with my own eyes might help me set clearer goals.
But Elenia was the one who made the suggestion first, asking if I would consider stepping beyond the boundary.
Internally, I wanted to scream, “Finally!”
But I barely suppressed it with superhuman patience.
I had worked so hard to present myself as a composed young elf;
It wouldn’t do to ruin that image with childish excitement.
“Of course, there are many things I’ll have to consider as well,” I reminded myself.
Perhaps Elenia had wanted to propose this long before.
However, the significant difference between lingering near the forest’s edge and venturing into the human world likely held her back.
Until now, my actions could have been dismissed as mere wandering.
But next?
How should I put it—
Betrayal?
Corruption?
It’s strange how words like these might be used to describe something as simple as stepping outside to see the world.
But that was the current mindset of our kind, the elves.
Elenia was cautious when asking for my opinion, perhaps because she feared she might be the one ending the life of this young elf—me.
“If my parents find out, they might faint and desperately try to stop me this time,” I thought.
Staring up at the starry night sky, my mind drifted to various thoughts.
My parents, the neighbors who lived nearby, and the other elves in the village—how would they look at me and what would they say when I returned from the outside world?
What if the journey I began to change the elves ended up becoming the reason they rejected me?
If nothing changes despite my efforts, what should I do then?
—Rustle.
Hearing the faint sound of grass rustling, I turned my head to see Elenia standing behind me.
When I moved to get up, she quickly approached and stopped me.
“Stay seated, Tyreal.”
Then, she sat beside me, gazing up at the night sky.
“….”
“….”
For a while, we silently took in the stars together.
“Are you worried?”
Elenia was the one to break the silence first.
Startled by the sudden question, I hesitated.
Worried?
Well, when you strip the context and just ask like that, it’s hard to answer.
As I struggled to reply, Elenia muttered to herself, “Right. That was a silly question. Of course, you must be.”
Did she think I was losing sleep over worries?
But honestly, I felt more excitement than anything else.
“Even though you’ve left the village, staying at the edge of the forest and fully leaving it to enter the human world and mingle with them are entirely different things.”
“That’s…”
“I was surprised you accepted my proposal without much hesitation. And I was worried too, wondering if you might not understand the gravity of it. But seeing you like this, it seems that’s not the case.”
Then again, at that fleeting moment chasing the moonlight.
“Do you have anyone weighing on your mind? Like your parents, or perhaps other kin?”
“Well… Let’s see. If I said no, that would be a lie.”
“I thought so…”
“But I know very well what I must do, Elenia. I’ve come this far for it, and no matter where I must go next, I will move forward.”
Of course.
If I were going to falter over something like this, I wouldn’t have made it this far in the first place.
It started as nothing more than a childish longing.
But the thought that it might change the future of me and my kin solidified my resolve not to take it lightly.
I will bring change.
I will make the elves great again.
“So, I’m fine.”
“..…”
“…..”
“Actually, I’m too excited to sleep right now. The world beyond the forest… Having never seen it, I can’t even begin to imagine how amazing it must be.”
“…Haha. Whatever you imagine, it will surpass it. There are many good things too. Ah, though not everything is perfect. There are some bad things as well, but that’s something I can help you with.”
Elenia stands up first.
Then she adds that I should get some sleep soon.
She understands the mix of tension and excitement but says it’s essential to rest.
I tell her I’ll sleep in a bit, and she tells me to do as I wish before stepping away.
As I listen to the sound of her footsteps gradually fading, I start to stand—
“…Ah.”
Come to think of it, other than my parents, there is one more person who comes to mind, someone who weighs heavily on me.
‘Seril.’
What if Seril had been by my side when I decided to leave the forest?
Would they have grabbed me by the collar, yelling if I’d gone mad?
Or would they have scolded me, calling me a fool?
No, they probably wouldn’t have worried.
Knowing their personality, that’s unlikely.
‘The necklace. I need to return it.’
The lucky charm necklace I received when I parted ways with Seril.
At first, I just left it lying on my desk.
While training under Elenia and during my practices, honestly, it got in the way a bit.
But one day, Seril appeared in my dream, yelling, “The necklace is meant to be worn around your neck, you idiot!”
Startled, I woke up in a panic.
Even now, I can’t believe it.
Of all things, why would I have a nightmare about them?
Even my parents never nagged me in my dreams, but I thought it was very much like Seril.
Since then, I always wore the necklace.
And as expected, I never had that kind of nightmare again.
Whether it was just my discomfort or Seril truly watching over me, who knows.
Anyway.
“….”
Carefully, I unfastened the necklace I’d been wearing around my neck.
A flower, a stem, and a touch of magic woven into it.
There’s no way Seril made this herself.
That woman isn’t exactly skilled with her hands.
It’s clear someone gave it to her as a gift, but is it really okay to casually pass it on to someone else?
Imagine how hurt the original giver would feel if they found out.
I know I’d be upset too.
‘Should I leave it behind?’
For a moment, I considered it but quickly dismissed the thought. I had a feeling Seril would show up in my dreams again.
And honestly, wasn’t the whole point of giving me this charm for situations like this?
Later, I’ll tell her I returned safely, all thanks to this necklace.
That should ease her mood a little.
No matter how upset she got, a little praise always made her lose focus and grin foolishly.
“Alrighty.”
I glanced briefly at the black canvas scattered with specks of light.
I filled my eyes and mind with the forest’s sky, something I wouldn’t see for a while.
So that even if I fell into temptation or doubt, I’d remember this scene and find my way back.
*
“….”
Slowly, Elenia opened her eyes and quietly rose from her spot.
It was still early dawn.
The sun had yet to rise, and the world remained cloaked in darkness.
The departure from the forest’s edge wasn’t until morning.
There was no real reason to be up yet.
Especially for Elenia, who valued her sleep above all else.
Crunch-
Elenia’s footsteps carried her deeper into the forest, past its edge.
Eventually, she stopped, glancing around before speaking.
“Come out.”
There was no response, only the faint sound of the wind.
But Elenia waited, and soon enough, the sound of footsteps on grass was followed by someone timidly peeking out.
“…How did you know?”
“How could I not? You’ve been coming here every day to watch Tyreal.”
Kneeling gracefully on the grass, Elenia gently patted the spot beside her.
A gesture inviting them to sit. After a moment of hesitation, the elf slowly approached and sat down.
“I’m Elenia. What’s your name, young kin?”
“Seril.”
“Seril. It seems you’re a friend of Tyreal.”
Otherwise, there’s no way you’d have come to this spot almost every day for the past few years.
At first, she considered pretending to notice, but she didn’t.
The young kin named Seril was making such an effort to hide her presence.
“On the other hand, Tiriel was strangely insensitive to things like that.”
If even one of them had been either inexperienced or, conversely, too skilled, it would have been obvious.
Thinking it a curious twist of fate, Elenia glanced briefly at Seril, sitting beside her.
“Tyreal is leaving today.”
“…”
“She said she wants to see the real world.”
“…I see.”
Seril’s reaction was unusually quiet, as if she had expected it all along.
Seeing this, Elenia hesitated briefly before blurting out without realizing it,
“Don’t you want to meet Tyreal?”
At that, a faint, fleeting brightness crossed Seril’s face.
It was clear she wanted to, desperately so, if she could.
Yet, Seril shook her head, signaling no.
“Seril?”
It was a little hard to understand.
She had come almost every day for those few years.
Solely to see Tyreal.
And now the elf was leaving. Perhaps she would never return to this forest.
Even with this last chance to see her standing right in front of her, why wouldn’t she take it?
“She’s an idiot. If she finds out I’ve been here, that fool would dwell on it and agonize over it. She wants to cross the forest and go, she needs to go. But she’d hesitate out of guilt for me.”
“…”
“So, I won’t see her. I don’t want to leave even the slightest crack.”
A bright smile spread across her face, but there was no joy in it.
In that moment, Elenia couldn’t help but feel as though she had somehow become the villain.
“Elenia, right? You must’ve had a hard time teaching that fool, Tyreal. No matter how much she tried to erase her presence, she never even dreamed that I was here.”
“If you’d asked, I could’ve trained her more intensely.”
“Oh, no need. I actually like it better this way.”
Having said that, Seril rose from her seat. She wanted to stay longer but couldn’t.
If she stayed out too long, her mother would inevitably come looking for her.
“Seril.”
“Yes?”
“Will you come with us?”
She didn’t know why, but Elenia felt she had to say it.
So, she asked, and in doing so, she realized her intuition was correct.
Seril’s eyes wavered, showing clear signs of inner conflict.
It was intense, too
“…I don’t think I can.”
“Seril’s eyes don’t seem to agree with that.”
“Really? Even so, I can’t.”
“But I’m still uncertain. If, by any chance—truly, just by any chance—I end up resenting Tyreal, I think I’d come to hate myself.”
Later. I’ll think about it a little more.
Later.
Mumbling to herself, Seril turned away, careful not to let the other person sense her presence, even belatedly. Very carefully.
“…..”
I don’t get it.
It’s clear she wants to come along, but she doesn’t.
Even though she can’t be away for long, she always comes all the way here yet doesn’t meet the other person.
And even while calling herself foolish, she smiles every time she says it.”
Elenia muttered quietly as she gazed in the direction where Seril had disappeared.
“She’s not just a simple friend, is she?”
*
“She’s her first love.”
In a voice so small that no one could hear, Seril smiled brightly.