"What did the Elven Council replied?" Mark asked, his voice calm yet tinged with a seriousness that made everyone glance at Nichole, waiting for his answer.
To that, Nichole responded with a subtle frustration, "They said that the caretaker of the World Tree is too young and is not experienced enough to handle a case as complex as this one."
Hearing that, Alice leaned forward slightly, her brows furrowed with concern as she asked, "Did you not even ask them to try, just once? Was there no room for negotiation or trust in their ability?"
Before Nichole could say anything, Maelis — Irvin's father — let out a low, derisive chuckle, and with an expression that carried both sarcasm and superiority, he turned to Alice and said,
"Why are you suddenly acting like you care? Weren't you the one who thought this was all nonsense just few weeks ago, claiming it wasn't worth worrying about?"
Alice's eyes instantly narrowed, her calm expression became dark as she stared at him.
But before she could say anything, Nichole replied in a composed but firm voice, "Do you truly believe I should've taken that kind of risk? What if they had failed during the attempt? What if something had gone wrong and she had died because of it? Would you be willing to bear that outcome?"
And just like that, the room fell quiet, because as much as they all hated to admit it, his words made too much sense.
No one wanted to carry that weight on their conscience, especially not when the chances of failure were that high.
"Then who is going to tell Master about this decision, and how it turned out?" Lydia asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as she looked around and realized that no one seemed prepared for that particular responsibility.
There was a long pause, and no one answered, because each one of them knew that telling him would not only trigger his fury toward the Elves but possibly extend to them as well, for allowing things to reach this point without a better solution.
Breaking the silence, Lucan finally spoke, his tone more practical than emotional as he asked, "Did the Elves mention if anyone, specifically any human child has entered their territory recently?"
Nichole slowly shook his head as he answered, "No, they said no human child has stepped into their land so far. But they did promise that if someone matching that description does appear, they'll inform me right away."
"Though, they demanded to return what we owe them with interest, just in case if someone does appear."
"Tsk… I knew it," Lucan muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed, "Always about 'that' with those people, no matter the situation. Why can't they understand it was black market who stole 'that' not us."
Myra, who had been quiet till now, raised an eyebrow at him and smirked slightly before saying,
"Isn't that a little hypocritical coming from you? Aren't you known for being the same?"
Just as the tension between them began to rise and the atmosphere threatened to spiral into conflict,
Mark raised his hand and spoke again, his voice cutting through like a calm wind before a storm.
"Let it go. This isn't the time for arguing among ourselves. What's more important right now is Ash. Did any of you manage to find his whereabouts after he left the academy?"
They had all been assigned the same mission by Whisperer — to track Ash down and find any trace of his presence. But so far, their results had been far from promising.
Lucan was the first to reply, with a sigh he said, "After he left the academy, I managed to trace his path as far as Silver Wing Town, but after that… he just vanished. There were no further sightings."
"So, in simple terms, none of us has any idea where he is now, right?" Mark asked, directing his question toward the group, though he already seemed to know the answer.
Everyone could only nod in silence, frustration and worry evident on their faces.
"We haven't taken down the criminal posters of 'Unknown' just yet," Mark continued, rubbing his temple slowly as if weighed down by the decision.
"We hoped that if he used the identity of 'unknown' someone might recognize 'him' and report back with useful information… but so far, not a single useful lead has come our way."
He paused for a brief moment before speaking again, his voice lower but firmer than before, "Alright. From this point on, I want all information regarding Ash Burn to be treated as top secret. We cannot afford to let the wrong people know, especially not the demons — if they find out, everything we've worked for could fall apart."
"Don't use his posters. Instead, pass along his image only to your most trusted subordinates — the kind of people who won't question your orders or leak sensitive information."
"As for the rest of the search, keep your eyes open and be cautious. Look carefully at every child traveling alone, especially those who don't seem to fit in or are hiding their presence."
"Understood," a few replied immediately, while others gave firm nods, the weight of the mission settling once more on their shoulders.
***
Meanwhile, far away on the Dragon Continent, a moment of rare peace lingered in the air.
The wind moved gently across the highlands, brushing past the towering cliffs and verdant forests, carrying the tranquil scent of untouched wilderness.
Nature's rhythm flowed like a slow melody, and for a brief while, the world felt undisturbed.
However, that calm was destined to break, and the silence would not last much longer.
At the very center of the continent, deep within the sacred dragon lair, a group of lesser dragons stood near a colossal stone entrance, engaged in idle conversation.
They were not the towering winged beasts from legends, but rather humanoid dragons, tall and muscular, with thick scales lining their bodies.
Their limbs were strong, and their posture upright, with horns arcing back from their foreheads and lizard-like tails swaying behind them as they stood guard.
"I'm honestly getting tired of guarding this place every single day," one of them muttered with a weary sigh, his arms crossed while he leaned beside the entrance, his eyes half-lidded with boredom.
The cave before them was sealed shut, its surface covered in strange and ancient carvings. The markings depicted dragons in flight, mythical creatures locked in combat, and spiraling patterns that shimmered faintly as if breathing with old magic.
"Try not to complain too loudly. We are guarding the tombs of our ancestors, after all," the second dragon replied, his tone calm and filled with a sense of quiet respect as he glanced toward the carvings on the gate.
The first dragon scoffed and glanced at the distant mountains beyond the lair, clearly unconvinced.
"Still, who would be reckless enough to sneak in here and try to steal something? No one would dare come this deep into the dragon lands, and even if someone came we have an Elder Dragon posted inside. I don't even get why the elder needs to guard this place personally. It feels unnecessary."
"You're not wrong," the second one admitted after a short pause. "But if the elder believes it's necessary, then there must be a reason."
While the two continued their idle talk, they remained blissfully unaware that from a distant cliffside, someone had been observing them silently for some time.
A figure stood hidden among the rocks, watching without moving a muscle. His eyes locked onto the guards with an intensity that did not belong to any ordinary person.
Those eyes were pale sky blue, but their light was gone. There was no spark of emotion, no flicker of curiosity or warmth.
They held the kind of silence that did not belong to someone living, but to someone who had already accepted something far beyond what the world could understand.
It was like staring into a void that did not blink or respond.
Those haunting eyes belonged to none other than Ash Burn.
It had been three weeks since everything changed.
Ash had been unconscious all this time, completely unmoving. But inside his mind, a storm had been raging.
He had no choice but to live through each moment, feeling every emotion, reliving six hundred years of isolation, regret, and grief. Those memories weren't fake. They were his now. They were real.
Each moment came back to him with full clarity, as experiences that carved themselves into his soul.
There was another change as well.
At the same time, the Rune of Stability, which had always silently blocked his emotions, no longer did so.
It was as if the seal had been tied to Dark Ash himself, and once he disappeared, the rune had no more reason to suppress his emotions.
But now, what's the use of emotions returning?
Ash had changed a lot during those silent centuries.
He no longer felt like the same person who had once transmigrated into a magical world with excitement in his heart, but had now become someone shaped by the weight of loneliness that had followed him for what felt like a very long time.
Of course, after being unconscious for an entire month, it was only natural to expect that his body would be weak, exhausted, maybe even close to shutting down completely.
That was what anyone would assume. But when Ash finally opened his eyes after all that time, none of it came.
His body felt strangely fine.
He wasn't hungry. He wasn't thirsty. There was no soreness in his muscles or dryness in his throat. It was unnatural. Too unnatural.
Driven by a mix of curiosity and unease, he turned his awareness inward, trying to understand if something had changed while he was unconscious.
And that was when he found them—two symbols that had never been there before.
One was located on his forehead, shaped almost like a third eye. It had a strange pattern that resembled a pair of curved brackets, like parentheses, and between them were two triangles—one upright and the other reversed—forming a shape that looked like a star
The second symbol was marked on his heart. It was a runic symbol deeply connected to his very life force. He could feel its presence like a heartbeat, slow and constant.
He recognized it was the Rune of Life, and he also knew that he had only formed the connection with one Rune, not two.
In his memories, during the time he was unconscious, there had been a strange red light in his soul space.
He did not know what the red light was or who left it behind, although he had his suspicions regarding the mysterious man, he was not sure.
He also knew that if the red light hadn't acted when it did, his soul might have taken even longer to heal. Considering the damage it had suffered, there was a real possibility that he might not have recovered at all.
Whatever that light was, it had saved him and that was something he couldn't ignore no matter how many questions it left behind.
As for how he knew about something when he was unconscious, the answer was strangely simple.
Rune of Knowledge.
After forming a connection with it, its power had integrated with Ash, allowing Ash to know everything that was happening inside his body even when he was not seeing. Although, he still haven't unlocked the full power of the Runes.
While looking at the two lesser dragons bickering, with a quiet breath Ash thought,
Status
**