Though maybe it didn’t matter much, humans were rather special as a race, in a way. To explain why, I’d have to go back to the time when the different races that populated this world were first created.
Most of them were created by the gods, though there were six exceptions: the spirits, the high elves, the giants living above the clouds, the phoenixes, the true dragons, and of course the gods themselves. These six races were born from the hands of the Creator himself.
When the gods first began creating races, they formed the elves based on the high elves. So while elves were the closest thing to high elves in the world, they were still quite far removed. Perhaps it isn’t the best metaphor, but if the high elves were dolls carved from wood, the elves were like fired pottery fashioned in the same image.
Next, the gods made the dwarves, a race entirely opposite the elves. Despite being so thoroughly opposed, using the same metaphor as before, they were still fashioned from the same pottery. Thus they were significantly closer to the elves than either were to the high elves.
Taking the experience they had gained from making the elves and the dwarves, the gods then fashioned humans. They had neither the sensitivity required to commune with the spirits nor the innate robustness and strength of the dwarves, and ended up with much shorter life spans. The gods had likely planned to create the races that would follow using humans as a template, so they seemed to focus on giving them the ability to be easily enhanced rather than any strong power of their own. At least, that was my conjecture.
Each of the gods would go on to create races of their own that were independent of the others, using humanity as a base to build upon. There were many who believed that the races which followed in creation were made from actual humans. A good example would be the beastfolk, who had animal traits added to them to compensate for their inherent weakness.
Of course, if you told the beastfolk that, they’d be furious. Actually, even the elves, dwarves, and humans would feel insulted by this story. But even so, it was the truth.
In short, the religion in the West that taught human supremacy wasn’t entirely baseless, though whether the adherents of that religion would appreciate the reason for that or not was a different story.
Again, humans were somewhat special as a race. That was probably related to why most half-breeds were some other race mixed with humans. Unfortunately, as a high elf, it was entirely meaningless to me.
However, this story of creation only accounts for the birth of the races we would call “people.” The creation of plants and animals is still shrouded in mystery. They most likely already existed from the beginning, or if the Creator made the world itself, he fashioned them as part of it.
After finishing their first round of negotiations with Zieden, the elven caravan headed west toward Ludoria. The talks had reached the conclusion that Zieden would not interfere with the elven forests in any way, and they also laid the groundwork for future negotiations to take place. In short, in exchange for removing the mountains that sealed Jingar’s gates, they had been forced to accept a number of demands from the elves.
Of course, they had also brought up their displeasure with the continent’s current political climate and the rise in monster populations within their kingdom, so the real negotiations would begin soon. But before that, it seemed Airena intended to visit with officials from Ludoria and Vilestorika.
To be quite honest, things were operating on such a large scale that I had difficulty keeping track of them. Well, I suppose my meeting with the mystics of the Ancient Gold Empire and the golden dragon were technically even larger in scale. That conversation had sent Airena reeling. However, political negotiations were so far removed from me, I couldn’t help but see them as large happenings.
I guess I was saying that it was best for us to stick to our own areas of expertise. Airena had probably been more bothered by the danger I had been in than by the scope of the story I’d told her.
As a former adventurer, she had a strong sense of curiosity. When I had told her that I had found a lead on reaching the giants, and so finding the white lake she was searching for, she had been incredibly happy.
“So it will mean meeting the giants? I suppose we will need a gift then, to avoid offending them. Though I cannot imagine any appropriate gift could be something we would be able to carry ourselves,” she had said with a laugh. The fact she held no inhibitions about meeting with these giants showed just how much of a strange elf she was.
Leaving Zieden behind, the caravan made its way into Ludoria’s eastern end. As expected, the border was crowded with a number of newly built fortresses. Though Ludoria maintained trade with Zieden after the latter had invaded Kirkoim, it was clear they were still on guard.
While being cautious, the nobles to the east were avoiding direct contact with Zieden. After all, if war broke out between Ludoria and Zieden, it would be those eastern lands that suffered first. While the majority of nobles in Ludoria were encouraging a passive, wait-and-see approach to the situation, there were some who were calling for a deeper alliance with Zieden and war with Vilestorika in the south.
Of course, the nobles living in the south were doing the exact opposite, calling for war with Zieden and an alliance with Vilestorika. Though they were clearly operating based on the interests of themselves and their land rather than the good of the kingdom as a whole, they weren’t necessarily in the wrong for doing so. Even if the kingdom as a whole profited greatly, if it cost them the lives of their people and turned their territory into a wasteland, victory wouldn’t mean all that much.
The royalty was also biding its time, but they seemed to favor the views of the eastern nobles. Given what I had heard from Airena, the royal family held a great deal of land in the east thanks to the previous incident there. This chunk of land had become a critical piece of support for them. If that region were to be embroiled in war, the royal family would lose a great deal of power.
Beyond that, the eastern region of Ludoria produced much of the kingdom’s food. Setting fire to that land would threaten the kingdom with widespread famine. Any decision that could threaten the eastern region of the kingdom was one the royalty would have difficulty making. Just as the nobles prioritized their own land above the good of the kingdom, the royalty prioritized the stability of the kingdom over the safety of those around them.
Even if it meant war and famine for other nations, the role of politicians was to ensure that burden never fell on their own people. Perhaps that was all obvious, but even so, acting in pursuit of that goal didn’t always lead to making the best choice. There was no guarantee that the fire in your neighbor’s house wouldn’t spread to yours.
Passing through farmlands in the east, we headed deeper into the kingdom, gradually approaching a very familiar city: Wolfir, the capital of Ludoria. It was a large, old, and prosperous city.
This was where I would part ways with the caravan. Of course, we wouldn’t be apart forever. If they ever needed my help, I’d come running back, though it was quite likely I’d be returning to ask for their help.
I still remembered my way around the streets of Wolfir, so I followed them directly to my destination. Climbing the stairs and passing through the front gate, I found a crowd of unfamiliar faces practicing a very familiar form of swordsmanship.
But I didn’t stop there. As I headed deeper in, some of the newer students moved to stop me, but they were held back by the older ones.
I recognized those faces, though they were quite a bit older than when I had last seen them. I could celebrate our reunion later, though. As I passed through the dojo, none of my old acquaintances held me up. They all knew exactly where I’d be heading first.
She hadn’t been laid to rest in the city graveyard but in a family grave built right here in the dojo. Standing in front of her, I put down my bags and stretched. I was finally here.
I had come such a long way, and had probably taken a few too many detours, but they had all been valuable. At last, facing her headstone, I began to talk.
“Hi. I finally made it back.”
Her grave had been kept perfectly clean. It looked as if not even a single day had passed since I last saw it. Just like always, Kaeha was here waiting for me.
What had changed, though, was my own heart. On that day, when I had sat here unable to bring myself to move, it was her letter that had pushed me forward. So I forced myself to set a goal, to travel eastward.
I had seen all sorts of things and met all sorts of people. I felt the difference in the wind from riding on a horse’s back and riding on a sailing ship, and I climbed a tree so high I could look down on the world from above the clouds. I had seen the vivid green of the grasslands, a land covered in black ash, and the glittering golden scales of a dragon. I had witnessed the pride of the grassland nomads, the grandeur of the perspective of the immortal mystics, and the strength of the people of Fusou. I had taught swordsmanship to a group of children, clashed weapons with a good friend, and walked alongside a couple separated by vastly different worlds and life spans.
My journey hadn’t made me forget my sorrows. Rather, it had finally taught me to face them head-on. It had been such a great journey.
On my return, witnessing what had changed and what had remained the same also taught me how much I had grown. As if to confirm all these things for myself, I retold my story in front of Kaeha’s grave. I talked about how much I had changed, to she who would never change again.
And I would once again move forward. After telling the important stories I had learned to the people in the dojo, and after a little bit of a rest...I would be heading for the Forest Depths.
I would once again be visiting my homeland in the depths of the Great Pulha Woodlands.