Chris opens his eyes, woke up in a strange cabin, and as Guilian breathes a sigh of relief, the first words Chris releases are to ask where his sword is. Guilian tells him that it is sheathed and at the village chief's house, Chris connects the dots, someone gave the final blow to the centipede, and they took him to a village within the forest.

 

A few people enter the room, the features are evident, long ears, pale skin, thin complexion, great height and long silky hair, bright eyes, they are in the Elf Village. They give him a very brief explanation, saved him from the poison of the fluids of the man-eating centipede with herbalism and brought him to the village, but confiscated his sword due to the nature of the intrusion.

 

It's been two days since that night, Chris gives them the same explanation as Guilian, they are just travelers who were curious about the legendary elf village and have no bad intentions. Once Chris can get up and walk around unaided, he strolls around the village to see what none of the human do.

 

Elves are very neat beings, impeccable manners, air of intellectual superiority, although that is only an opinion, but they have great signs of living from nature, nowhere do you see signs that they deal with meat, they are vegetarians. The route of the village of pleasant becomes monotonous, and Chris moves away to the ends, before entering the forest.

 

“How much more are you going to keep watching me?” Chris has been on alert for a while for a piercing gaze that has haunted him since he left the cabin.

“I'm surprised you perceived me.” says a voice is heard from various angles.

 

A girl with long, braided emerald-green hair appears from among the trees. Chris is now sure; she is the one who finished off the centipede. The girl asks what he is based on for such a claim and the answer is clear, Chris noticed that her hair is styled to not obstruct her archery, in addition to having clear habits of walking on the branches, literally, her outfit blends perfectly with the wooded environment, and if it were not obvious enough, she gives the same presence of elemental power of Air as on that night.

 

“What puzzled me the most is that you don't share a single elven trait, you look too human to be one of them. “Chris's words offend her without such an intention.

“Do you have a problem with it?” the archer asks with a lot of irritation in her expression, apparently Chris found a very sensitive complex.

“You see, we risked our lives to find the village of elves and the strangest thing is to find a human here, and more than that, an adept. What can I do but find it fascinating?”

“Well, excuse me, my name is Tsubaki and forgive me for not being an elf like the rest of the villagers.” rants the archer who at least maintains the manners to present herself first before doing anything else.

“My name is Chris, a simple traveler who almost died on his first day of traveling.” he presents himself with a bit of embarrassment and disappointment towards himself.

“Much pleasure, Chris. Also, elemental power? Adept? What are you talking about? Is it something from the outside world?” she asks with a face full of innocence and ignorance, eating a snack he took out of a pocket.

“Wait, where did you get that?” Chris asks, a little puzzled.

“Oh, I stole it from the provisions of the village, as I always must look for my food, I usually steal their food before they eat it.” Tsubaki replies while enjoying the food.

«Those were my provisions; now how do I explain her that she’s eating smoked beef leg? »

 

Picking up the thread of the conversation and to prevent Tsubaki from vomiting the food she just enjoyed, Chris explains to her with complete honesty as the two sit behind the cabin, she used elemental power to fight with her archery, an adept recognizes another if they witness their abilities in use. Although they are of different and even opposite elements, the elements react with each other.

 

“I detected your presence today just as you located us that night. It happened to me a lot with my friends in the temple where we grew up and trained.” mentions Chris to build trust with Tsubaki, although it really worked because of the expression she sees on his face, a lot of nostalgia.

«He tells me the truth, it's the same expression that villagers use when remembering their families when they were little children centuries ago», Tsubaki reflects for a few seconds to process the truth that Chris revealed to her, «Also, his scent is peculiar to me, he's not lying, of that I'm sure. »

 

Tsubaki apologizes to Chris, her temperament is very volatile because of the environment in which she grew up. There have been no children in the village for centuries, so she is literally the youngest villager and some even discriminate against her for being human. Being on guard all her life in a village from which she cannot leave and not having a family with which to shelter is very hard for anyone and Chris understands that.

 

For as long as he could remember, Chris was homeless, watching people come and go while sitting and very still. He always came to wonder where they were going, how they had fared in their day, how the food they carry tastes, why children laugh when they are carried by the hand or carried in the arms by adults. The only time he wasn't alone was when two boys older than him would pick him up and give him food, sleep, and travel together.

 

To him, they were his world, a very small one, but it was all he had and nothing else mattered. Some memories he had from that time were very vague, inside boxes, hidden in the merchandise of carriages and boats. The most vivid memory in his mind is his arrival at the temple.

 

One day he was very sick, his head was spinning, and the two boys were desperate to take him to a place. Since he had a very high fever, Chris couldn't walk, so the two children took turns carrying him. Right in the middle of the forest the two children left him lying by the road in the middle of the lush forest.

 

The two boys gasped with tiredness and asked him what he wanted to eat, for it was his special day, the fourth time it was celebrated. Chris only asked for one thing, delicious food, no matter what, just to have the three of them eat it together. The two boys went out in search of food and Chris fell asleep, and by the time he woke up he was already in the temple.

 

Chris asked the whereabouts of the two boys, but the monks who attended him stated that there was no one in the vicinity. Out of concern, Chris asked them to search more, they would eventually show up because they still have to eat together, and the monks agreed to search and be on alert in case they find any clues to their whereabouts.

 

He was waiting at the door of the temple for days, watching the monks come and go in search of the two children whose existence consists only of Chris's words. The days turned weeks and the weeks into months, under the sunlight, in the pouring rain, Chris was waiting to eat together, but they never showed up. That was his fourth birthday.

 

The monks told him all the time that there was no sign of those two boys, and on each occasion, he refused to leave the site. But with the passage of time his heart was weakening, every day his flame was extinguished until eventually... stopped waiting.

 

Chris didn't get up from the door, he didn't wait anymore, but he stopped living, when the monks inspected him they noticed his empty look. The only thing alive was his small childish body, the monks did not dare to touch him, they did not know what to do about it, they had all entered the path to enlightenment, so they did not know how to deal with a child who was left completely alone.

 

When one of the monks tried to talk to him, he received no response, he tried to encourage him by telling him some philosophical reflections, but he received no reaction. It was then that Yamamoto, the great priest of the temple, did not say a single word, he just sat next to him, to pass the time he was meditating. So much time passed that the little animals in the forest were on top of the old man, but Chris still did not respond, until he received a little touch.

 

A small bird was prostrate on the back of his hand, it was that small external interaction that made him respond at last. Yamamoto couldn't comfort him because of his own philosophy of detachment from the mortal world, like his students, so he warned Chris that going so long without eating or drinking would lead to an inevitable death.

 

When Chris turned his gaze directly into Yamamoto's eyes, the old man could notice something in the little guy, the Path of Mu, because in the time that the child was completely motionless, he was suffering hell in his mind. He was thinking why the two boys haven't appeared, why they left him alone, if he did anything wrong so that they have abandoned him. He himself was digging his own grave inside his mind to drown in his own thoughts. Eventually something broke within him and disconnected from that part of his mind, becoming completely empty, without any thought, having reached the world of Mu.

 

For the next 3 years, Chris was serving in the temple, not as a disciple, but as a simple servant in order to deserve some food and lodging. Like any temple, they received orphans to raise them and possibly train them, all of them were abandoned children, refugees, but none could break Chris's barrier. Together, they came to despise him as "weird", only confirming to Chris the nature of humans.

 

Over the course of time, he ended up learning herbalism, cooking, and some meditation tips by listening to the teachings received by the students receiving the rigorous trainings. The routine was methodical, getting up at dawn, preparing breakfast, watering the plants and orchards, cleaning the numerous halls, rooms, and gadgets. More than the quiet lifestyle of the monks, Chris's life was tasteless, colorless, he just stayed alive, with no attachment to anything or anyone, even Yamamoto's teachings were nothing more than knowledge of no use to him. He himself knew how he lived, but there was nothing to do about it.

 

Back in the present, after remembering the past, Chris can only sympathize with the girl next to him:

“Don't worry, we all have sorrows and the heavier they are, the stronger a person can become.” Chris's words are wise, but he doesn't deserve any credit, «I hope your words help her as much as me, Master. »

 

Tsubaki breathes a sigh of relief, as if she has freed herself from a great burden, and a cool and pleasant breeze runs through the village. After seeing that reaction in the environment, Chris proposes to teach her about elemental power as a thank you for helping them with the centipede.

 

“One of my friends explained to me that the Air element is manifested by the freedom of a person. This very pleasant wind, is this how you feel now?” Chris asks as he closes his eyes and enjoys the wind like he hasn't done for years.

“I'm not sure what you mean, I've always had good smell and hearing. I can listen to the villagers talk about me, so I prefer to be alone, even if I spend all day alone.” Tsubaki explains as she begins to hug her knees.

«She is not yet aware of it, her elemental power has taken root in her senses, her potential is dangerous if she does not master it soon. » Chris deduces as the conversation follows a casual course.

“You know, that is why I was that night in the forest, when I feel calmer it is far from the village, among the trees. Its aroma and the tranquility of the distance give me peace of mind.”, Tsubaki is filled with longing as she expresses her lonely feelings, “Of course, that was until you arrived, heh, heh.”

“Well, excuse me, I just wanted to find a certain elf who saved the life of a human decades ago.” Chris spits out his purpose by letting his guard down for the pleasant talk.

“You don't have to apologize, you're the first humans I've ever met, so I feel better than ever. I can't feel alone now anymore.”, Tsubaki's smile leaves Chris somewhat uncomfortable.

«Don't put on that smile, I don't want the same thing to be repeated as it was four years ago. », Chris's expression leaves Tsubaki somewhat confused and worried.

“An elf who saved the life of a human decades ago, won't he refer to...?”, Tsubaki tries to connect the dots, but the sunset light interrupts them.

 

The talk was longer than they anticipated, but Tsubaki is sure she can talk again another day. Before returning to her duties as a night hunter, she thanks Chris for the talk, but she must first get information from the village chief about her elemental power while she has time. The chief oversaw raising her, because he has a certain attachment to humans unlike the rest of the elves, she has great respect for him since he taught her to be a hunter.

 

They both enter the chief’s house, Tsubaki is nervous about talking about something so delicate, but Chris stands behind her to provide her with moral support and support her if the situation gets out of control. But the chief immediately points them out and explains that the village is in grave danger because of the two of them.

 

They defeated the alpha predator of the forest and, although it is cause for celebration, the most serious consequence is the change of the ecosystem. Without the presence of the man-eating centipede the food chain has lost its balance, the frenzy could not only destroy the elf village, but expand to the surrounding villages.

 

“How come you can live in a monster-infested forest without being devoured? “Chris asks, trying to understand the situation on a larger scale.

“The trees that surround the village are special because they scare away monsters with their scent, but with so much chaos some of them will find a way to cross the barrier that protects us. Those who fly will surely arrive first.” explains the Chief of the Elves, “Tsubaki, first you harass the herd of werebears just to prove your worth and now you end up killing the great predator of the area. Fix it at once.” the words of the chief of the elves are stern, but fair.

 

The rest of the elves vent their anger on Tsubaki, which leaves her tense by the blunder. She continues to receive the hatred of the villagers and the boss does nothing about it, but she just stays still, silent and with her gaze down, Chris immediately knows that she is used to such a conduct.

 

Chris notices that it is too much antipathy towards a simple young hunter, the village chief feels a very stinging presence, to the point of putting his whole being on high alert. Chris retrieves his sword and before he can wield it Tsubaki stops him. He can't understand why she doesn't answer them but decides to go with the flow.

 

Understanding the situation they have caused, Chris and Tsubaki decide to shoulder the responsibility for their actions. Guilian enters asking what the ruckus that is heard from outside is about.

 

“Thank you for volunteering, firebrand.” Tsubaki says, a little irritated by the guilt the three of them share.

 

Now the trio of adepts will have to work very hard for the good of many without anyone knowing what happened.