The scene faded to black and shifted once more. Ein found himself in a familiar forest, lush with greenery. Isn’t this the road to Syth Mill? Ein wondered. When he glanced around, he noticed a vital difference—he was now able to walk around. His newfound joy soon turned to vigilance at the sound of crunching leaves and twigs behind him. He whirled around, ready to fight.
“I’m almost there,” Jayle said as he emerged a few paces behind Ein.
The first king was short of breath as he walked along, using his dignified blade as a walking stick for support. He walked by Ein without taking even a moment even to address his presence, but the prince quietly followed him. From behind the sun tree and its bushels of sparkling fruit, a squad of elven warriors emerged to fend off any intruders.
“Halt!” one of the warriors called out.
“We won’t allow a single person to enter our forest—” said another before they recognized the first king.
“I’m sorry for surprising you,” Jayle said. “Is the child here?”
The elves quickly changed their tune.
“Right this way!” one said. “Our chief is at the back of the village!”
Jayle borrowed one of the warrior’s shoulders and walked deeper inside. After a while, he reached the village and the elven homes. There weren’t as many homes as Ein had seen during his visit, and the architecture appeared to be much more rudimentary than what he was accustomed to. However, the chief’s large stump of a manor had remained unchanged. It was all so familiar to Ein as he entered the manor alongside Jayle.
“Your Majesty?!” the chief gasped as she looked up in astonishment. “Why are you here?”
The chief looked much younger—in her twenties at the oldest.
“I’m sorry for my sudden visit,” Jayle apologized. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here for about ten days.”
With the war over, the king was supposed to be in the royal capital. The chief was completely puzzled, but gazed at the ground when she noticed Jayle’s condition. Elves were astute when it came to picking up the subtle differences in humans, and the chief was especially so. A single glance was all she needed to notice Jayle’s state, and she trembled, just like Laviola had. The chief couldn’t possibly look up as she gestured for Jayle to come farther into the manor. The first king respectfully declined and pointed behind her abode.
“I’m not asking you to let me stay here,” he said. “I have something that I must do, so I’ll head over there.”
“I shall go with you,” the chief offered.
“I’ll be fine. I think I can make do by myself.”
“But I cannot possibly leave you alone in your current state!”
“I know my body best. Don’t worry. I can still go on for a bit longer.”
“Please don’t say that! There may still be a way to save you!”
Jayle flashed an awkward smile and fell silent. The elven chief made a series of desperate pleas, looking as if she’d burst into tears at any moment. But she stayed strong and turned her face to the ground. Jayle gently patted her head a few times before he turned around.
“I haven’t been exercising much lately, so this’ll be the perfect opportunity to get some,” he said.
“The war has ended,” the chief opined. “I believe that being just a little out of shape is just fine... And where exactly are your attendants, Your Majesty?”
“I came here in secret, so I left the royal capital by myself.”
“How could you do such a thing?!”
“My impending death must be kept a secret until the very last moment. Or else, our fragile nation will have gone from one uproar to another.”
The chief let out a pained gasp at the mention of death, leading Jayle to immediately regret his phrasing.
“I’ll be off,” he said apologetically. “I’ll be back when the sun sets.”
“Please take care of yourself,” the chief begged him.
“I will. Thank you.”
And so, Jayle set off alone, just as he’d arrived. He walked to the back of the manor. The path was relatively smooth when compared to the rest of the forest, and a faint smile stretched across his face. After a short while, he stood in front of the wall that divided the holy grounds from the rest of the world. He slowly stepped inside, through the invisible wall that denied those who had no right to enter. Jayle had made it himself, and Ein followed behind the king. As usual, the holy grounds were devoid of color.
After they trekked through the swirling mist that permeated their surroundings, the pair spotted the sacred jade stone—a massive boulder that had been split in two. At the top was a shrine. It looks so new, Ein thought. He’d heard from the chief that the shrine had been built before the Great War, when Syth Mill was under threat by hordes of prowling monsters. As many had been terrorized by these creatures, Jayle and the chief built a shrine to fend them off.
“Whew, this is tough,” Jayle said.
He fell to the ground, his limbs splayed out in all directions. But Jayle wasn’t lying in a random pile of dirt; he rested right in front of the bridge leading to the sacred jade stone. He closed his eyes to listen to the waterfall, hoping that the sounds would soothe his tired body from the long journey to the village. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t be able to rest.
“Hey! You’re sleeping here!”
“You weirdo!”
A surprised Ein turned towards the voices and noticed two orbs of light floating around Jayle.
“Long time no see,” Jayle said.
“Mhm!”
“Why are you here? Are you bored, just like my older sister?”
“I’ve got something to do,” Jayle answered.
“Huh. You’re busy, but you’re sleeping? What a weirdo!”
“But you look tired! Maybe we can give you a bit more energy!”
No doubt about it. Those are tree spirits. Ein had also met them before, and the spirits were playfully conversing with the first king. The spirits fluttered their wings, and a sparkling powder fell upon Jayle. This act seemed to gradually restore his lost stamina. W-Wait, they were friends?!
Ein was so dumbfounded by Jayle’s friendship with the tree spirits that he’d failed to fully comprehend the powder’s astonishing qualities. All the while, the trio continued to converse.
“Can you give me more of that powder?” Jayle asked.
“Nope!”
“That’s all we’ve got. We can give you more later!”
“Oh, that’ll be a big help,” Jayle replied. “All right then. Would you like to come with me?”
The tree spirit sisters nodded. The first king stood up and the spritely pair playfully flew around him as they crossed the bridge. A shocked Ein swiftly followed.
When the trio made it to the top of the jade stone and the shrine’s entrance, Jayle made no attempt to solve the riddle that Ein and Chris once had. The first king simply needed to stand before the door and it gave way. When he stepped inside, it was the very shrine that Ein had once entered.
“Heya!” a tree spirit said. “Why do you have all these pictures on the walls?”
“I thought it’d be sad to have nothing at all,” Jayle answered. “Since there are heroes slumbering beneath us, I thought it’d be nice to spruce up the place with some beautiful Ishtarican scenery.”
“I see... You’re so nice!”
After walking down the staircase and past many paintings, the trio made it to the shine’s bottom floor. This was precisely where Ein and Chris had struggled to unlock the next door, but it was nothing to Jayle. It was only natural, for he was the creator of the place.
In a flash, he walked through the door and into the heart of the shrines. With only one door remaining, Jayle and the tree spirits traversed the skies on their way to the mausoleum.