Erza’s eyes lingered on the woman standing before her, and for the first time since arriving on Earth, genuine surprise appeared on her face.
The figure wasn’t human.
She possessed the powerful build of a warrior, but her body was covered in reddish-golden fur. A long tail swayed lazily behind her, and a pair of lion-like ears rested atop her head. Every feature resembled that of a lioness standing upright, blending beast and human into a single existence.
"A demi-human..."
The words escaped Erza’s lips almost unconsciously.
It wasn’t that she had never seen demi-humans before. Nova had countless races far stranger than this. What surprised her was something entirely different.
Earth... had demi-humans?
For a brief moment, her thoughts came to a halt.
Then, just as quickly, her expression returned to its usual calm. Every trace of surprise vanished from her face, leaving behind the cold dignity of the Dragon Queen.
Across from her, the towering woman watched every subtle change in Erza’s expression. Her sharp yellow eyes narrowed, missing nothing. The moment she saw the brief flicker of recognition disappear, a grin slowly spread across her face.
"You know something... don’t you?" she asked, her voice carrying both curiosity and excitement.
Erza met her gaze without the slightest hesitation.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about," she replied calmly. "I merely recognized your race."
Those simple words made the lioness freeze.
Her pupils contracted.
Then her grin widened until rows of razor-sharp teeth became visible.
"...My race?"
Her voice trembled.
"That reaction..."
Hope slowly appeared within her eyes.
"You really do know what I am."
For years she had searched for someone capable of answering that question, yet every person she met treated her like a monster or an experiment. None of them knew where she came from.
But this woman...
This mysterious intruder...
She recognized her immediately.
Meanwhile, Erza silently observed the lioness standing before her.
Only moments ago she had been irritated by the endless hiding and pointless delays. Yet all of that frustration quietly disappeared the moment she realized who stood before her.
A demi-human...
On Earth.
Someone completely ignorant of dragons, Nova, and the countless races beyond this world.
For the first time since entering the agency...
Erza genuinely wanted to fight.
She slowly raised her eyes until they met Elga’s.
Unlike before, she deliberately kept every trace of dragon aura sealed within her body. There was no overwhelming pressure. No divine authority. No invisible force crushing the room.
If this battle happened...
It would be decided by nothing but skill.
By nothing but strength.
Looking directly into Elga’s predatory eyes, Erza finally spoke.
"Yes."
"I know your kind."
Those four words struck Elga harder than any punch.
Old memories flashed through her mind. Years of searching. Endless questions. Countless disappointments.
Then excitement exploded inside her.
A low growl escaped her throat as the fur across her body stood on end. Her muscles tightened, and her posture instinctively lowered into that of a hunting lioness preparing to pounce. The playful grin vanished, replaced by the expression of a predator who had finally found worthy prey.
Erza watched the transformation without moving.
A faint smile slowly appeared on her lips.
"If you want answers..." she said quietly, "come and earn them."
The words were simple.
Yet the smile accompanying them was anything but.
It wasn’t warm.
It wasn’t mocking.
It was the smile of a predator inviting another predator into its territory.
For a brief instant, the atmosphere inside the training hall became unnaturally heavy.
Elga’s body instinctively tensed.
The moment she saw that smile, an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.
Erza hadn’t released a single trace of dragon aura, yet darkness itself seemed to gather around her.
Her beautiful violet eyes glowed faintly beneath the dim light, and the calm smile resting on her face somehow felt more terrifying than open hostility.
Every instinct inside Elga screamed at her.
Danger.
Not because the woman before her was stronger.
But because she looked... confident.
Completely.
Utterly.
As though victory had never once crossed her mind because defeat had never existed in her world.
Despite that warning, Elga didn’t retreat.
Instead...
Her grin slowly widened.
"So that’s the kind of monster you are..."
She lowered her center of gravity ever so slightly, her lion-like tail swaying behind her while every muscle in her body tightened in anticipation.
The excitement inside her continued to grow until even her hands began trembling.
Then another voice interrupted the silent confrontation.
"What a terrifying woman..."
Erika stepped into the training hall with her arms folded across her chest, her sharp eyes moving between the two women standing opposite each other.
Even from the entrance, she could feel the invisible tension filling the room.
Without looking away from Erza, Elga spoke.
"Don’t interfere."
Her voice remained calm.
"I want this fight."
"I’ll fight her alone, Erika."
Erika let out a helpless sigh.
"I know."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You’ve always been impossible whenever someone catches your interest."
She leaned casually against one of the stone pillars, deciding not to interfere.
However...
Something suddenly caught her attention.
Her eyes shifted toward Elga.
She froze.
Elga...
Was trembling.
Not slightly.
Her entire body shook with tiny, uncontrollable movements.
Erika frowned.
She had known Elga for years.
They had fought together countless times.
She had watched Elga charge headfirst into impossible battles without blinking.
But...
She had never seen her like this.
Was she afraid?
Or was she simply so excited that her body couldn’t contain it anymore?
Even Erika couldn’t tell.
Across the training hall, Erza continued smiling.
Elga smiled back.
Neither woman spoke another word.
They simply stared into each other’s eyes like two apex predators silently measuring the strength of the opponent standing before them. Neither wished to make the first careless move.
Both understood that the first strike could very well decide everything.
The battle had not yet begun.
But the hunt...
Already had.
__________
(Yuuta’s Unknown Past)
Yuuta slowly turned toward the voice behind him.
The moment it reached his ears, something inside his heart trembled. It sounded unbelievably familiar. It wasn’t merely a voice he recognized—it was one he had heard his entire life.
It was...
His own voice.
Confused, Yuuta turned completely toward the source.
The moment he saw it, he froze.
Several meters away stood a small child.
The child had messy black hair, crimson eyes, and facial features identical to his own. There was no mistaking it.
It was him.
Or rather...
It was himself as a child.
The little boy couldn’t have been older than six years old. Unlike the Yuuta standing there in silence, the child was overflowing with life. He bounced happily across the grass, waving both hands high into the air as though trying to catch someone’s attention.
"Elder! Elder!"
The little boy giggled as he continued waving.
"Come here!"
"Yuuta is here!"
"Yuuta is here!"
His cheerful laughter echoed across the endless branches of the World Tree.
Yuuta could only stare.
His lips slowly parted.
"...Me?"
He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Never...
Not once...
Had he ever remembered himself smiling like that.
Ever since waking up in the orphanage, every memory he possessed was filled with loneliness, quiet suffering, and empty nights. He couldn’t remember laughing until his stomach hurt. He couldn’t remember running around without fear. The innocent smile on the little boy’s face felt so foreign that it almost looked like someone else’s childhood.
A dull ache spread through Yuuta’s chest.
"...Was I really... that happy?"
His voice barely escaped his lips.
For the first time, he realized that before everything had been taken away...
He had once smiled exactly like Elena.
Bright.
Carefree.
Without carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
"Elder!"
Little Yuuta called once more, his small hand pointing excitedly toward the distance.
"Hurry!"
Instinctively, Yuuta followed the child’s gaze.
Far beyond the rolling fields, a towering figure slowly emerged from the drifting mist. At first, only a vague silhouette could be seen, but as the figure drew closer, Yuuta realized just how enormous the man truly was.
He stood well over six feet tall, his broad shoulders and muscular build making him look incredibly powerful. Yet despite his imposing physique, there wasn’t a trace of aggression in the way he walked. Every step was calm, graceful, and carried a quiet dignity that reminded Yuuta of an ancient king rather than a warrior.
The figure continued approaching.
Little Yuuta laughed happily and began running toward him without the slightest hesitation, his tiny feet racing across the glowing grass.
Yuuta remained where he was, unable to move.
He narrowed his eyes as the towering figure drew closer through the drifting mist. Just as he focused on the man whom little Yuuta had called "Elder," his expression suddenly froze.
The elder wasn’t walking alone.
Behind him marched hundreds of elves, their graceful figures moving in perfect harmony beneath the endless branches of the Great Tree.
Every one of them possessed an elegance that surpassed anything Yuuta had ever imagined.
Some carried bouquets of radiant flowers that shimmered with faint mana, while others held white lotus blossoms cradled carefully in both hands.
A few carried beautifully crafted ceremonial vessels and ancient ornaments unlike anything that existed on Earth.
None of them spoke.
They simply walked together in solemn silence, as though participating in a ceremony that had been prepared long before this day arrived.
Yuuta stood rooted to the spot.
His mind struggled to accept what he was witnessing.
Was this truly a memory?
Or was it merely another illusion created by the Gaint Tree?
Everything felt too vivid to be a dream.
He could hear the footsteps brushing against the grass, feel the gentle wind carrying the scent of flowers, and even sense the quiet emotions lingering within every elf present.
More than anything, his heart refused to believe this was false.
No...
This was real.
Far more real than any dream.
Soon, the procession reached the base of the Giant Tree.
Without acknowledging the transparent Yuuta silently observing them, the elves naturally spread throughout the enormous roots.
Some carefully placed flowers around the trunk while others arranged lotus blossoms into beautiful circles upon the ground.
Several elders scattered glowing seeds into the earth surrounding the roots before gently covering them with fresh soil.
Every movement carried deep reverence, transforming the area around the Giant Tree into a sacred sanctuary prepared for an ancient ritual.
Yuuta silently observed everything.
"...A ritual..."
he whispered to himself.
"But... for what?"
No answer came.
He was nothing more than a spectator trapped inside a forgotten memory.
He could see.
He could hear.
But he couldn’t ask.
Before the question could leave his thoughts, another voice spoke first.
"Elder?"
Little Yuuta tugged gently on the tall man’s sleeve, his crimson eyes overflowing with innocent curiosity.
"Why are we here?"
The child’s cheerful smile remained unchanged.
Current Yuuta instinctively turned toward the elder.
The towering man slowly lowered himself until he was kneeling before the little boy.
One large hand gently rested upon Yuuta’s shoulder while the other carefully brushed a few strands of black hair away from the child’s face.
Although the mist continued hiding his features, Yuuta could somehow sense the emotions flowing from him.
The elder...
Was trembling.
His shoulders shook almost imperceptibly.
It wasn’t fear.
It was sorrow.
A sorrow so profound that even the surrounding wind seemed to mourn alongside him.
When he finally spoke, his deep voice carried a faint tremble.
"...We came here today..."
He paused briefly, as though struggling to force the words from his throat.
"...to prepare for a farewell ritual."
Little Yuuta tilted his head.
"A farewell ritual?"
His innocent eyes blinked several times before another question naturally followed.
"But..."
"Who’s leaving?"
The elder fell silent.
His head slowly turned away.
He couldn’t answer.
Or perhaps...
He simply couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth to the smiling child standing before him.
Watching the scene unfold, the current Yuuta felt his heartbeat grow heavier.
"...Farewell..."
he whispered to himself.
The word echoed painfully inside his mind.
Countless questions immediately surfaced.
Who was leaving?
Why had an entire nation gathered beneath the Gaint Tree?
Why did every elf look so heartbroken?
And most importantly...
Who...
Was little Yuuta?
The forgotten world continued unfolding before his eyes, as though it had patiently waited all these years for the boy who had lived in darkness to finally return and witness the truth hidden within his own past.
To be continue...
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