Ch.42

He began to take a step toward her, but the creature grabbed him by the arm, keeping him close to him. Although Evander wasn't sure how it felt, he knew for a fact that something strange was happening. His heart was beating fast, and he could smell the creature's blood‌—and something else. A faint odor. A sweet one.

He kept quiet, wondering if this was going to help or not. Perhaps a small part of him wanted to get rid of the creature and finally escape. But he needed to play along for now. When everything was said and done, they would talk about what happened next.

The half-elf continued to walk to the edge of the netherworld, breathing deeply as he tried to focus on the trees. As he stepped into the second layer of plants, the scene changed completely. This was different from the first layer. Much more frightening‌—even though he had already realized that Duer wasn't an orc or anything of the sort.

The half-elf saw a lake in the distance, surrounded by a bright blue sky. Far away, he could see mountains‌—mountains he had never seen before. The land appeared to be warm, a trait he was still trying to get used to. So he decided to move closer to Duer, doing his best not to notice how her eyes began to glow a pale blue when he did.

He continued walking through the landscape, feeling the pleasant heat on his skin. He also began to notice that there was a faint breeze blowing from the opposite side. Not as strong as the forest he had walked through so far, but definitely something different.

"Rozalia is truly terrible, isn't she?" asked Duer.

Evander quickly glanced at the woman. "What do you mean by that? I thought you just wanted me to trust you."

In response, the woman looked over at the lake. Then she pointed at Evander and spoke to the creature. "When we first met, I told you everything you needed to know about our plan. Now you have the chance to accept it or decline."

Evander turned around, staring right into the creature‌—wondering where all this was leading him. But he could only assume Duer was talking about the ritual. Since he had no choice in the matter, he decided to nod his head‌—moving as far away from the netherworld as possible.

This time, the half-elf moved forward with his eyes closed. Just like he had seen others do before. And while he heard voices around him, he kept moving until he made it to the edge of the lake. Although the breeze blew ever so slightly, he noticed it was still very much a hot day. It must have been late afternoon by now, he thought. Maybe even early evening.

And then he stopped. He found himself standing next to what appeared to be another beach. There was still a faint breeze that he could feel on his skin, but nothing else. So he turned back toward Duer, waiting for an answer.

But instead of saying anything, the woman began to move backward, vanishing into one of the nearby trees. Evander watched her go, wondering why the dark elf had done something like that. It was strange to say the least, especially since Evander didn't understand the meaning behind it.

Not long after, though, she stepped out onto the shoreline, staying in the same spot where he first saw her. Only now, she wasn't alone‌—and not because she had come across any more creatures.

Evander noticed all three elves standing nearby, their eyes glowing brightly as they continued to look at him. But although he couldn't hear anything at first, he slowly realized the trees were whispering to each other. At least that's what it seemed like, since their words were a bit too distant for him to hear.

Then he started to understand. He hadn't needed to figure this part out on his own. The creatures had known exactly what was going to happen, even if they hadn't said a single word to him.

"Tell us, what do you feel?" asked one of the elves.

Evander suddenly turned around, glancing up at the sky. It was far earlier than when he woke up that morning and more than enough time for the sun to be setting in the distance. His eyes looked over at the creatures, wondering how many more times they would ask for his input. He also thought about what Duer had done‌—and why he had done it.

The half-elf knew the answer to both questions. But he quickly realized the forest had already figured it out long ago.

After a few moments of silence, Evander finally began to speak. "I don't really know. I‌... I don't feel anything. At least not anymore. Not here."

He stepped forward again, continuing to move his gaze around in circles until he had found the elves. The strange thing was they didn't seem to be looking at him, but rather through him.

"There is much to gain, you see," said the one on the left, who appeared to be the oldest one of the three. "And much to lose as well. That's what we need from you. What you came here for. And you will give it to us if you want to get out of here alive."

Evander kept his mouth shut, wondering what the hell they wanted. After all, they could have killed him before he made it inside the forest. Although he wasn't entirely sure how, he still believed that to be true. So why didn't they? Was there some kind of reason to all of this? Something he did wrong?

That was when a single elf stepped up toward him. He had dark brown hair and wore greenish robes. In return, he extended his hand to the side, asking him to shake it. At first, Evander hesitated‌—but once the elf released him, he realized he had nothing else to do but accept the gesture.

"I'm sorry I haven't told you anything yet," said the half-elf, finally turning back toward Duer and her creature. "But we've barely seen each other for the entire journey. And if I hadn't gone and opened my big mouth, none of this would have happened."

Not wanting to draw any more attention toward him, the half-elf took a few steps toward the shoreline. Then he glanced over at Duer and the creature, remembering how the woman had grabbed him by the arm earlier. He felt a sharp pain shoot through his hand, knowing exactly why she had done it. And although he didn't want to admit it‌—even to himself‌—he knew everything would have ended differently if he had let go.

So instead, the half-elf kept moving. Maybe that was what they wanted him to do all along. But even though he didn't understand the ritual that was now taking place, Evander's gut instinct told him something big was about to happen.