Meanwhile, the clearing by the great lake was quiet.

Too quiet.

Mist drifted lazily over the water's surface, disturbed only by the slow, rhythmic ripples caused by the massive serpent beneath—its long body coiled deep, only a portion of its scaled head occasionally breaking the surface as it watched over the gathered people with dull but alert eyes.

They were all there.

Evethra stood near the water's edge, posture straight, crimson eyes sharp despite the exhaustion she tried to hide.

Alenia sat on a flat stone with her notepad clutched to her chest, gaze constantly flicking between the surroundings and the unconscious Selena, who lay on a blanket nearby.

Lyra knelt beside Selena, gently wiping her forehead, whispering reassurances even though Selena couldn't hear them.

Druvarn rested nearby in his plush bear form, deceptively harmless—yet the weight in the air around him hinted at the monstrous strength beneath.

Vaelen stood a little apart, arms crossed, jaw tight, while Aldric lingered beside him, watchful and silent.

And Darian—

Darian stood at the very edge of the group, hands clasped together, eyes closed in fervent prayer.

They all, along with the more than two thousand demihumans in the surroundings, knew that they had to settle down here. They had to make houses and look for food.

However, they hadn't done it yet because they were all waiting for Kael to return.

It had been some time since the earth had stopped trembling.

The distant sounds they had been hearing and the ominous-looking cloud that kept spreading wider toward them were all gone.

But they still hadn't seen Kael.

They were all growing anxious.

That is when—

The air split above their heads.

Light peeled open the sky above the clearing, forming a circular tear wreathed in emerald and gold.

Leaves spiraled upward as if pulled by an unseen current, and the scent of fresh rain and ancient forests flooded the clearing.

From the portal stepped two figures.

A man and a woman.

They descended as if gravity itself bowed to them, feet touching the grass without sound.

At first glance, they looked… human.

But they were Tall. Graceful. Beautiful in a way that felt unreal.

This was the first time after seeing Kael that they could call someone beautiful.

Their features were too sharp, too symmetrical.

But what caught some of their eyes were their ears. Their ears—long and elegantly tapered—twitched in the light as the portal remained open behind them.

"Elves," someone whispered.

A ripple went through the gathered crowd—but not shock.

Curiosity.

Caution.

After all, they had already followed a dragon.

Myths like the ones about elves being all dead or in hiding had lost their power here.

The moment the elves arrived, the world reacted.

Grass bent toward them. Trees creaked softly, leaves rustling in greeting. The lake shimmered, mana settling into a calm, steady rhythm.

Even the air itself felt lighter, gentler.

People relaxed without realizing it.

All except the strong.

Evethra's fists clenched inadvertently as she started circulating her mana. Alenia's expression sharpened. Lyra slowly rose to her feet, placing herself protectively in front of Selena.

Druvarn's button-like eyes gleamed with awareness. Vaelen shifted his stance, and Aldric's gaze hardened.

The serpent in the lake lifted its head higher, eyes narrowing as it tasted the unfamiliar mana.

The female elf inclined her head slightly. "Please," she said, her voice smooth and resonant. "Do not be alarmed."

Silence answered her.

The male elf took a step forward. "We are envoys," he said calmly. "Sent by the World Tree."

Evethra's eyes narrowed. "That means nothing to us."

"I am sure it would mean something when you know that your lord is in our mother, the world tree's care," the female elf smiled.

Those words, however, caused everyone to tense.

"Where is Kael?" Lyra demanded, her voice steady but strained. "If you've harmed him—"

The male elf shook his head. "He lives. And he's healing."

No one moved.

No one believed him.

Alenia exhaled slowly. "Words are cheap," she said. "We are not people who easily believe anyone."

The male elf studied them for a moment—then sighed.

"If we wished you dead," he said, raising a hand, "this clearing would already be ash."

Mana stirred.

The ground hummed.

For a heartbeat, the world tilted—not violently, but undeniably. Pressure descended like an invisible ocean, vast and indifferent.

Druvarn's plush form tensed. The serpent hissed softly, instinct screaming danger.

Then—

The pressure vanished.

The clearing returned to normal.

The elf lowered his hand. "We are not here to threaten you. Only to help."

The effect was the opposite.

Every muscle tensed.

Because now they knew.

These beings could kill them all without effort.

They were no different from the humans who had come before—powerful enough to decide their fate on a whim.

However, what could they do?

They were powerless, just as they were when the humans attacked.

No matter what the elves wanted to do, they could do it since they were more than capable of doing it.

The elves, however, didn't want to use force.

Eiravel, their mother, had told them to be extra careful with these people, as they were very close to the great dragon.

Now, with no one having any idea of what to do, the standoff stretched—

Until Darian stepped forward.

Evethra turned sharply. "Darian—don't."

But he didn't stop.

He walked past everyone, stopping just short of the elves, eyes shining—not with fear, but conviction—as he stared at the portal behind the elves.

"…My Lord is there," Darian said quietly.

The elves blinked.

Darian pressed a hand to his chest. "I can feel him. Beyond the veil. Beyond this place."

Vaelen frowned. "Darian, you can't possibly—"

"I know I'm weak," Darian said, turning back to them. His voice shook—but he didn't falter. "I know I'm the weakest here, and there's no way you would think that I can sense something you people can't. But it is the truth."

He faced them fully.

"I know you won't believe me. But our lord believed in me. So even if you don't trust me," he said firmly, "trust him and listen to my words."

The others didn't know, but Darian, who had Kael as his god, could sense Kael's presence better than anyone else.

But the others didn't know that, so only silence remained after his words were heard.

"…We don't all go," Darian continued. "Just a few. If they're lying, the rest stay safe. If they're telling the truth, then everyone follows."

The group exchanged glances, and so did more than two thousand demihumans in the clearing.

Long seconds passed.

Finally, Lyra nodded once. "I think we can do that."

She said that, but she couldn't leave Selene here alone, so she didn't step forward for the position.

Evethra, however, did so immediately. "Then I'm going."

Druvarn let out a soft huff as if he were saying, 'I want to go, but I can't.'

After all, he was the guardian of the people. That was the role Kael had given him, so he had to stand by it.

Alenia, on the other hand, closed her notebook. "I wouldn't miss this."

And, of course, Darian, who was already standing at the forefront, was going.

The elves smiled faintly.

"That will suffice," the female elf said.

Then, she waved her hand, causing the trees to bend in a way that they turned into stairs for Evethra, Alenia, and Darian to go to the portal.

................

Meanwhile, at the center of the place where Kael had fought, the Owl Supreme had stepped through the portal without hesitation.

Vilonder hung in his grasp like a broken relic—half-conscious, arms severed at the shoulder, mana barely clinging to his body. Blood that should have flowed did not.

His eyes were hollow and unfocused, and his breath was shallow and uneven.

Crossing into Astraea—the heart of human power—should have been an act of war.

Yet the Owl Supreme came alone.

Feathers of twilight-gray shimmered as the portal sealed behind him, cutting off the ruined battlefield and leaving only polished marble, towering pillars, and the vast Teleportation Hall of Astraea.

Dozens of figures stood waiting.

S, SS, SSS, and even EX-ranked humans were there.

They had been expecting Vilonder to return victorious—or at least alive.

What they saw instead was a demihuman Supreme carrying their own like a corpse.

For half a second, the hall was frozen.

Then weapons flared. Mana surged. Killing intent flooded the space as humans moved as one, their instincts screaming, 'Enemy!'

But then—

An aura washed over them.

Heavy. Ancient. Absolute.

Like an endless night sky pressing down on mortal shoulders.

Every human froze mid-motion, knees threatening to buckle as the Owl Supreme's presence settled—not hostile, not aggressive, but impossibly vast.

"Stand down."

Along with the voice, seven figures appeared in flashes of distorted space.

The remaining Human Supremes.

They formed a loose arc before the Owl Supreme, their expressions grave.

At their center stood Caelum, silver-haired and sharp-eyed, the oldest among them.

He raised a hand, and the pressure lifted just enough for the others to breathe.

"Owl Supreme," Caelum said calmly. "State your intent."

The Owl Supreme stepped forward and gently set Vilonder down.

The humans supremes all turned toward the healers, who rushed forward the moment they were given the permission, their hands glowing, as they healed Vilonder—

—Only to freeze the next instant.

Mana rejected their healing.

Spells unraveled.

Divine light shattered like glass.

"He cannot be healed," one whispered in horror.

The supremes narrowed their eyes, and although one of them was a healer, they didn't move just yet.

Because there was another matter they needed to look into, and that was the Owl Supreme, who spoke at last. "I did not come to fight."

His golden eyes swept the hall. "If I had, I would not have come alone. Nor would I step into your stronghold."

Caelum exhaled slowly. "That much, I believe. You are not unwise… especially not you."

Then he glanced at Vilonder. "Then tell us why."

Silence stretched.

The Owl Supreme studied their faces for a long moment.

Then—

"Vilonder pushed a dragon too far," he said.

The words struck like thunder.

"He cornered it. Threatened what it cherished. The dragon broke itself to escape."

Shock rippled through the Supremes.

"And in the end," the Owl Supreme continued quietly, "This is what the dragon did to him."

Caelum's eyes widened. "What? The dragon wasn't supposed to be that—"

Before the oldest humans supreme could even complete his words, the Owl Supreme added, his voice heavy—

"The elves of the Mystic Domain also made an appearance."

Every breath in the hall was caught.

"The dragon," he finished, "is now in their care."

Silence fell—absolute and suffocating.

And for the first time in centuries—

The Human Supremes felt something dangerously close to fear.

Because now, they had a dragon as their enemy, and that dragon was in the care of beings whom they could never hope to defeat.

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