The concept of time had completely dissolved.
I didn't know if hours had passed since the beginning of that deep meditation.
In that trance state, the flow of energy and the rhythm of my own breathing became indistinguishable.
I floated in a serene, dark, and infinite ocean inside my own mind.
"This place feels familiar," I said, opening my eyes.
Until the waters of this mental ocean stopped rippling.
The calm wasn't broken by a sound or an attack, but by a thick shadow that detached from the bottom of my subconscious and took shape right in front of me.
Skin as black as coal, cut by red stripes that blinked like magma veins. Absolutely empty eyes.
My dark side.
The incarnation of everything I feared becoming.
I instinctively braced for a confrontation, but he didn't raise his hands. Just like in our last conversation in the void of the arena, he didn't radiate a single drop of murderous intent.
He just stood there, a few steps away, watching me with a melancholic and disturbing quietness.
"Why are you here?" I asked, my voice echoing in the darkness of my mind, heavy with genuine confusion.
"I haven't done anything. I haven't lost control. I haven't let anger blind me since the tournament... I'm just trying to protect these people."
The dark figure tilted his head slowly. For the second time since I met him, I saw that faint crimson light of concern shine deeply in the back of his nonexistent pupils.
"You don't need to spill blood out of hatred to feed me, Suki," his voice sounded distorted, like overlapping echoes, but it carried a strange delicacy.
He took a slow step toward me.
"The extreme exhaustion... the weight of carrying the lives of an entire village on your shoulders... someone else's war that you just accepted to carry. All of this creates darkness. You are pulling the power of our blood to its absolute limit just by existing as a wall of intimidation."
His cold, black hand raised, pointing not at me, but at the vast void around us.
"Careful," he warned, his deep tone sounding almost like a lament.
"The abyss you try to light up to keep others safe... might end up swallowing you as well. A shield also breaks if the pressure never stops."
I remained silent, processing his words.
He wasn't there as a punisher or a reflection of evil.
He was there as a warning from my own body. I was stretching my soul to the point of spiritual rupture to keep the monsters away.
Suddenly, the dark figure lowered his hand.
His face turned sharply toward a blind spot in the void of my mind.
The darkness around us began to tremble.
"Something is coming," he whispered, his form beginning to dissolve into black smoke.
"Something that does not fear your shadow. I think it's time to wake up, Suki. Do not forget my words."
"Wake up."
And then, my eyes snapped open in the real world.
The peace of the trance evaporated in the same second. A hostile, physical presence had pierced the barrier of my perimeter.
It was powerful and ferocious.
My breathing remained calm, but my body was already moving purely on survival instinct.
*Something slipped through my perception...* I thought immediately, feeling the adrenaline shoot through my veins as I stood up.
*And it definitely wasn't small.*
My boots touched the colossal branches and the woven vine bridges without making a single sound.
I moved in a blur of speed, propelling my body from trunk to trunk, using the elasticity of that ancient wood as trampolines.
With every jump, the freezing wind of the Black Forest whipped my face, clearing the last remnants of the trance from my mind.
Mid-flight between two aerial roots, I tilted my body to the side and looked down, sweeping the heart of the refuge with my sharpened senses.
The small rustic houses woven into the wood passed like shadows beneath my feet. Everything seemed in order.
Wounded scouts were still sleeping deeply, healers rested exhausted next to their bowls, and no cabin had been breached. The monster hadn't entered through the center. It was skirting the periphery, sneaking around like a ghost hungry for blood.
I adjusted my trajectory in the air, landing on my knees on a walkway of living branches that marked the extreme limit of the camp.
The impact was absorbed by the flexibility of the wood, and I slid for a few meters until I stopped abruptly, hidden by the dense foliage.
I closed my eyes and completely suppressed my aura, hiding my signature.
Sillys's words about the Taranpus echoed in my head:
*Perfectly camouflaged beasts, predators born to kill.*
I stayed completely still, blending into the night.
My breathing slowed. My muscles relaxed on the outside, even though they felt like compressed springs ready to explode at any second.
I simply waited.
Then, I realized that area of the forest was practically dead of life.
The distant croaking of swamp frogs, the chirping of insects hidden in the tree bark, and even the rustling of leaves in the wind disappeared.
The forest itself seemed to have held its breath.
A sickly, unnatural silence crashed down upon the camp.
The clearest danger sign in nature: the apex predator was only a few steps away.
The pressure in the air changed, becoming heavy and suffocating.
Every instinct in my body screamed.
The creeping mist around me began to stir, separating unnaturally. I didn't hear branches snapping or heavy footsteps, just the faint, macabre whisper of something colossal gliding over the moss with the smoothness of a ghost.
I opened my eyes and turned around, locking my stance.
The beast's camouflage was terrifying.
It didn't just blend into the mist; it *was* the mist.
A colossal mass of pale, twisted muscles suddenly condensed from the fog,
breaking its camouflage and launching itself from the darkness straight at me.
Its massive jaws were wide open, drooling thin acid and exposing rows of thick, curved, serrated teeth shaped like swords.
The creature hurled its own immense weight of tons in a perfect strike, aiming for my head.
I didn't step back.
I raised my bare hands and grabbed the upper and lower edges of the monster's jaws in midair.
The collision was brutal.
My feet violently sank into the dirt, carving two small craters in the ground, and the shockwave swept the mist around us in a perfect circle as I absorbed the impact.
The beast's crushing weight and momentum tried to run me over backwards...
but my arms didn't yield a single inch.
The monster widened its dark eyes, its teeth stopped inches from my face.
Growling through clenched teeth, I unleashed all the brute strength I had built up during this time.
Thick veins bulged across my neck.
The muscles in my shoulders, chest, and arms swelled and trembled violently, expanding under the absurd pressure until the seams of my new elven shirt popped.
Then—
*CRACK.*
The sound of the Taranpus's hyper-dense jawbone shattering echoed like a cannon shot in the silent forest.
I forced my arms in opposite directions with a guttural roar, my fingers sinking deep into the hard gums and flesh of the beast.
The beast let out a high-pitched, desperate screech, but the sound was quickly drowned out by the wet, sickening noise of biological tissue tearing.
The creature's lower jaw was ripped from its joints in an explosion of burst tendons and snapped ligaments.
Guided by pure adrenaline and strength, I dug my hands into the open gash of the beast's torn neck and pulled sideways with everything I had.
The sound of flesh being brutally ripped in half filled the night.
Thick muscles gave way.
Cartilage burst.
The Taranpus's own spine snapped under my brute strength as I split the monster's torso down to its chest, opening it like a piece of old canvas.
A storm of thick, boiling blood exploded into the air.
Purple, steaming viscera slipped and crashed to the ground, staining the untouched earth crimson as hot blood splattered all over my face, arms, and clothes.
The two torn, grotesque halves of the colossal beast collapsed heavily beside me.
Its paws still had one last, pathetic nervous spasm on the grass before death finally claimed the carcass.
The gutting silence returned to the forest.
Then a soft female voice echoed from above.
"Impressive."
I looked up.
Sillys was standing on a thick branch nearby.
She stared at the carcass split in half, visibly surprised by the carnage. She leaped gracefully from the tree and landed soundlessly beside me.
"Ripping off a Taranpus's jaw with brute strength... I thought human anatomy was more fragile," she commented, evaluating the boiling blood on the dirt.
"It was nothing special," I replied, wiping the blood from my cheek and forcing my breathing to return to normal.
I decided to keep my vigil and my trance a secret for now.
I looked at her more closely under the moonlight.
The difference was shocking.
The dark circles and sickly pallor that hollowed her face had almost completely disappeared.
The aura surrounding her no longer seemed on the verge of collapse; it was vibrant, lethal, and silent once again.
"You look much better," I commented.
A faint, relieved smile crossed her lips.
"I finally managed to get some real rest. The sound of you breaking bones over here woke me up a little while ago, but I think thirty-five straight hours of sleep was enough for my body."
My eyes widened.
"Hold on... you slept for thirty-five hours?!"
Sillys looked at me with a slightly confused expression, as if I had been startled by the most mundane thing in the world.
"Yes. A complete day cycle in this world is one hundred hours. Didn't you know?"
I slowly shook my head, completely stunned.
"Power distorts the world," she explained calmly, pacing around the dead monster with her hands clasped behind her back.
"The sheer number of pure gods inhabiting the capital of Lavinsk and the colossal beasts with massive auras living in these forests and other races besides Elves create a crushing weight on nature itself. Our auras distort the gravity and the very temporal flow of the planet. The world literally has to spin much slower to endure our existence."
The realization hit me like a steel anvil.
*So that's why the days since I arrived seemed endless...* I thought, amazed and at the same time frightened by the insane physics of that universe. That also meant I was frozen in that meditative trance for more than a day and a half of human time without even noticing.
I gave a smirk, feeling the irony of the situation.
"In my world, we only have twelve hours of day and twelve of night," I said, crossing my bloody arms and letting out a weak laugh. "So, by my standards, that makes you a huge sleepyhead, princess."
Sillys blinked, clearly taken aback by the audacity of the comment and the term "sleepyhead." She tried to maintain her rigid commander posture, but ended up letting out a nasal sigh, looking away to hide a genuine smirk.
When we returned to the center of the village together, the rebel refuge was already overflowing with activity.
It was still night, but the deep darkness of the forest had been pushed back by dozens of newly lit fires and the renewed glow of the enchanted vines and fungi.
The energy in the place was electric, as if the middle of the night had been transformed into a radiant dawn. All that atmosphere of mourning and abandonment was being violently erased.
An entire rebuilding and cleaning platoon moved through the walkways, working with frantic disposition. Elves scraped away the thick layers of mud from the wooden pathways with makeshift tools, revealing the clear, polished texture of the ancient trunks.
Others patched up the woven bridges, replaced worn ropes with new ties, and washed the stairways with clean water brought from the bioluminescent pond.
The smell of decay and dried blood finally gave way to the fresh scent of new sap and cut wood.
Nearby, Laura and Arthur commanded the rest of the rested elven scouts.
Laura gestured over a piece of tree bark, pointing out escape routes, while Arthur just crossed his arms, evaluating with his cold precision the blind spots of the outer barricade.
We were about to approach the makeshift council when quick footsteps echoed in our direction.
It was the young sentry from the night before, he was no longer wearing his dirty bandages, and his patched armor looked hastily cleaned.
"Suki!" he called, stopping abruptly in front of me.
The elf bowed so deeply his body almost touched his knees.
"I... I had to find you. I have no words to thank you for what you did for us."
Sillys, who was walking beside me, stopped and furrowed her icy brows, alternating her gaze between the soldier and me.
"Thank you for what, scout?" she asked, her voice taking on an authoritative general tone. "What happened at the perimeter?"
The boy straightened up, his pale face flushing visibly with embarrassment.
He scratched the back of his neck, looking away from Sillys for a second before looking at me with almost desperate gratitude.
"My lady, we hadn't had a night of real rest in months. Thanks to Suki, all the men were able to go home. I slept so much my body feels brand new..." he began, enthusiastically, but then lowered his voice and gave an awkward smile.
"And, well... since things were so calm and safe outside, I even got to... you know, enjoy some real time with my wife. It had been so long since we could even..."
The silence that crashed down between the three of us was instantaneous and deadly.
I froze in place, feeling the blood rush straight to my face. My cheeks burned in a way not even the boiling bath steam had managed to do.
Beside me, Sillys's flawless, majestic posture locked up completely. Her blue eyes widened a fraction of a millimeter and a violent, purplish blush crept up the princess's pointed ears, contrasting sharply with her white hair.
The young soldier looked at me, then at his general's stone-faced embarrassment, and the realization finally hit him. The elf gulped, turning paler than a Taranpus.
"I... I'm going back to the cleaning platoon! The east walkways need water! Excuse me!" he stuttered, clicking his heels and bolting toward the elves scrubbing mud, almost tripping over his own feet from nervousness.
I stared at the fleeing scout's back, clearing my throat loudly to try and dispel the absurdly uncomfortable mood.
"Some elves have very strange minds," Sillys muttered with crossed arms, clearing her throat and trying to regain her composure,
even though the tips of her ears were still red.
She turned to me, narrowing her pale eyes with renewed seriousness. "Now, explain yourself. What did that scout mean by 'thanks to Suki'?"
I took a deep breath, scratching the back of my neck uncomfortably while watching the village's movement.
"The night we arrived... I saw the state of your men. They could barely hold their spears they were so exhausted," I began, keeping my voice low.
"So, I went to the main watch platform and ordered the sentry to recall all the perimeter scouts. I sent everyone home to sleep."
Sillys took half a step forward, her expression fluctuating between absolute shock and indignation.
"You deactivated my entire line of defense?! Are you insane?" she hissed.
"If a herd of Taranpus had attacked..."
"They didn't attack," I interrupted calmly, meeting her icy glare.
"I took the perimeter alone. I sat on the platform, closed my eyes, and entered a deep meditation trance to expand my aura across the entire forest border. Every creature that tried to approach felt the weight of my power and retreated into the darkness, I kept the refuge safe."
She took a step back, her mouth slightly open. The elf finally connected the dots in her mind: the disappearance of the monsters, the fact she was able to sleep thirty-five straight hours without a single invasion alarm, and my presence in the forest slicing that beast in half when the trance finally ended.
"You... held the forest alone this entire time?" she whispered, her voice dropping to a tone of pure disbelief.
"I didn't know the cycle here was a hundred hours, to me it was just one long night," I gave a smirk, wiping the rest of the dried blood from my new tunic.
"But it worked. Your army got the thirty-five hours of peace it needed to rebuild itself. Look around you."
Sillys averted her eyes from me and observed the central square lit by the fires.
The elves were working and laughing, the scouts handled their weapons firmly, and the children no longer had the same hopeless look as before.
The entire refuge had been resurrected.
The exiled general let out a heavy breath, her shoulders truly relaxing for the first time.
She looked back at me, and the relentless suspicion she always carried in her eyes gave way to a deep, silent respect.
"I think... I owe you more than a thank you, Suki," she admitted quietly.
"But the captains are waiting for us. Let's assemble the attack plan."
I frowned, blinking a few times, completely lost.
"Wait... attack?" I asked, confusion stamped on my face. "What do you mean attack? Attack where?"
I had just spent a day and a half in a trance just to keep the beasts away from the camp, and now they wanted to go straight into an attack?
Sillys didn't explain.
She just gave a slight smirk, her pale eyes shining with a lethal determination I hadn't seen in her yet.
"Come and see."
She turned her back and brought two fingers to her lips, letting out a loud, sharp whistle that cut through the noise of the tools and campfires.
A few meters away, Laura and Arthur stopped reviewing the barricade and looked our way.
Sillys gave a quick nod, calling them to follow us.
Laura organized patrol and cleaning routes while Arthur reviewed blind spots and long-range watch positions with his usual cold precision.
Together, they had put together a functional military command structure in just a few hours.
"What exactly did I miss?" I asked as I approached the group.
Sillys crossed her arms and gave a tired half-smile as she watched her soldiers obey my companions' orders.
"You only missed a comfortable bed and a full night's sleep. Now come."
"...Right," I muttered.
We entered Sillys's main residence, which now openly functioned as the rebel army's operations headquarters.
The chamber was spacious, illuminated by blue fire torches that cast heavy shadows against the living wood walls.
Before any plan was dictated, Sillys stopped in the center of the room and gestured to the three elves already waiting for us.
Her last high-ranking officers.
"These are the captains who have kept our army and our people alive until now," Sillys introduced them, her voice heavy with solemn respect.
The first to step forward was *Bigster Odássio*. An elderly elf, but whose straight posture rivaled a statue's. He wore heavy armor with a gleaming silver crest embedded in the chest, noticeably different equipment, more noble and ancient than the others.
His white hair was tied firmly back, and his eyes carried the cold wisdom of someone who had already buried generations of soldiers, and compared to the others he was much larger and slightly heavier.
Beside him was *Kanzo*. The archetype of the veteran survivor. His dark hair was messy, falling over one eye, while the other was sharp as an arrowhead.
His leather armor was shredded by claw marks, and he had a relaxed but dangerous stance, casually resting his hand on the hilt of a curved blade at his waist.
And finally, *Vandashi*. Despite clearly being the youngest of the three, the war in the forest had already stolen any trace of youth from his expression. His tense jaw was covered in sparse, unkempt stubble from uninterrupted days in the woods, and a thick, pale scar tore down the side of his face, a physical and brutal reminder that his young age hadn't spared him from the horrors of the front lines.
The three evaluated us in silence.
A demigod, a girl with red eyes, and a granite giant.
Sillys walked to the center of the room and sighed, dropping the mask of the unbreakable commander for a second.
"I didn't call you here just to show our despair," Sillys began, looking directly at me. "My goal is to organize a definitive attack against the Taranpus. Cut the evil at its root and end this carnage once and for all, before starvation wipes out who's left."
She paused.
Her pale eyes shone with a mix of wounded pride and genuine need.
"I know you are envoys from Lavinsk. I know your original mission likely has absolutely nothing to do with our war for survival," she admitted, her voice dropping a tone.
"But... what you did last night gave us hope. If you are willing to help us in this offensive incursion, the Black Forest will be eternally grateful to you."
It was a desperate plea for help, only disguised as a tactical invitation.
I remained silent.
My mind screamed that our only goal was to deliver the Elven Queen's damn letter from Lavinsk.
Actively engaging in an attack on monster dens meant completely going off script and risking our lives for a conflict that wasn't ours.
But, remembering the starving children, the young soldier who was finally able to sleep in relief, and the split body of the Taranpus I had killed on the border just a few hours ago... it was impossible.
It was simply impossible to turn my back and let Sillys and her people deal with extermination alone.
I looked over my shoulder.
Laura stared back at me. Her red, predatory eyes shone in the gloom. She gave a sharp smirk and nodded, already craving the adrenaline of the hunt.
I turned to Arthur.
The stone giant didn't change his usual cold expression, but gave a slight, firm nod in approval.
We were in this together.
The rules of the original mission didn't matter.
Arthur took a step forward, his thick voice scraping like stones and breaking the heavy silence of the room.
"Do you have a map of the area?"
Sillys flashed a lethal smile, relief and determination exploding across her face.
She walked to the center of the chamber and pulled off a heavy dark tarp covering an enormous table.
Resting upon it was a beautifully sculpted three-dimensional map made of living tree bark,
detailing the hidden village and the vast surrounding regions of the Black Forest.
The three elven captains approached and surrounded the table beside us.
"Now that all commanders are aware and present... let's begin," Sillys declared, assuming the relentless posture of a true general.
"We have confirmed the existence of six Taranpus dens near the village perimeter. However, based on the herd's movement and patrol trails from recent weeks, I strongly believe there are at least three more dens hidden in the deeper shadows."
She moved small wooden markers across the map.
"The biggest problem is simple... we have absolutely no idea how many Taranpus inhabit each cave."
Kanzo, the veteran with the messy hair, pointed to the southeastern quadrant of the bark map.
"During our last reconnaissance patrol there, we saw so many sleeping beasts it looked like an entire army in hibernation."
Vandashi, the youngest, gulped and added nervously:
"I was there. We barely made it out alive. If there really was a king or queen controlling these monsters... I'd bet my soul it's hiding in the southeast."
I remained silent as I observed the war council.
Every voice around that table carried years of fear and exhaustion bordering on madness.
These people had been stuck on the defensive for far too long.
Arthur, who had remained silent in the corner like a shadow since asking for the map, finally stepped forward.
He extended his thick granite finger and pointed decidedly to the easternmost region of the map, completely on the opposite end from the southeast.
"If there's a queen coordinating the attacks," he said coldly, "she's here."
Kanzo frowned immediately, crossing his arms.
"That's impossible, boy. That's the least active region in the entire forest. We almost never find tracks there."
"And that," Laura interrupted sharply, "is exactly why she's hiding there."
She leaned over the table, her tactical instincts radiating absolute confidence.
"If this creature is smart enough to command the others, then she'll hide in the one place with the least conflict. Protected by the strongest sentinels while the smaller dens hunt and deliver food to her in the safety of the east."
Laura turned to evaluate Vandashi from top to bottom. The young captain remained stiff under the girl's red, predatory gaze.
"Tell me something, Vandashi," she demanded, resting both hands on the edge of the table.
"Which region contains the strongest Taranpus your patrols have ever encountered?"
The captain with the scarred face froze.
Then realization slowly spread across his face.
"The eastern Taranpus..." he muttered hesitantly, his voice failing for a second. "They are larger. Stronger. More aggressive. They fight in coordinated formations. We
assumed it was simply a natural variation within the species..."
Vandashi's eyes widened in horror.
"But maybe... they really are the queen's royal guard."
"Then we just found the location of the main nest," I concluded calmly.
"Maybe," Sillys murmured while thoughtfully biting her lower lip.
"But we can't dismiss the possibility that it's a trap. The queen might want us to divide our already limited forces."
At that moment, Bigster Odássio stepped in, his heavy armor creaking slightly.
"My lady... forgive my words, but our troops are shattered. They cannot attack those dens alone. The physical disadvantage is overwhelming. It would be a slaughter."
"Then your soldiers won't go alone," Laura declared firmly, slamming her palm onto the living wood table.
"Each of us will lead an assault division."
I saw Laura taking full leadership of the offensive in that moment. I wasn't going to argue with her hunting instincts.
"Even with generals as powerful as you taking the vanguard," Vandashi warned, tactical despair returning to his face, "we still don't have enough warriors for all the simultaneous attack routes. With the number of wounded we have left in the medical tents, we can only form four viable strike groups at most."
I leaned over the table, analyzing the 3D terrain on the map.
"One of those divisions will need to act as a spearhead straight against the main nest in the east," I explained. "It must be made up entirely of your strongest elite fighters to break through the royal guard."
I looked around at the exhausted faces surrounding the table.
"It's going to be ugly. There will be casualties. But it's the only way to cut off the queen's head and finally create peace for your people."
"There will be losses," Sillys declared, striking the wooden table with unwavering determination, her blue eyes shining.
"But I will not allow meaningless deaths caused by cowardly or poor planning. We will discuss the teams later."
Her voice silenced the entire room. The exiled general had made her final decision.
"We will begin the full incursion next week. Dismissed."
Without another word, the exiled general turned her back and left the chamber. The heavy wooden door slammed shut behind her.
An oppressive silence crashed down upon the war room.
The three elven officers exchanged tense, exhausted, and uncertain glances.
They didn't doubt the need to wipe out the monsters.
The problem was something else.
They doubted whether there was still enough strength to do so. The blind faith that made them follow the princess into exile in the Black Forest was, finally, beginning to fragment under the weight of so many months of slaughter.
Bigster Odássio let out a heavy sigh, his metal armor creaking.
He looked at the three-dimensional map with a defeated gaze.
"Attacking the main nest..." the old elf muttered bitterly. "It's an act of desperation. She is leading us into a mass grave."
"It's not desperation."
My voice cut through the cold air of the chamber, low but unwavering.
The three captains turned to me. I took a step forward, stepping away from the table and standing face to face with them.
I left no room for doubt to continue rotting in those minds.
"It's the only chance you have," I said, holding the hard gaze of each one of them. "I spent the last thirty-five hours holding the border your general protected alone for nine months. I tore apart the colossal beast that tried to cross your perimeter tonight with my bare hands. And I can guarantee all of you: if her leadership were weak, none of you would be breathing right now to doubt her orders."
Shock hit Vandashi's face. Kanzo tensed his jaw, paying absolute attention.
"She didn't sleep. She didn't eat right. Her body is covered in bandages and open scars because she was spending her own energy so that your wives and children could sleep," I continued, raising my voice just enough for the truth to crush their hesitation.
"And today, she swallowed her own royal pride and agreed to hand over the vanguard of her army to three outsiders, just to ensure that her soldiers' blood isn't spilled in vain."
I pointed my finger to the eastern region of the bark map.
"A cowardly leader would sacrifice their own troops to save their own skin," I declared, and a tiny spark of my black aura danced in the air around me, weighing down the gravity in the room.
"Sillys is tearing herself apart to save you. The three of us are going to destroy the main nest and clear the way. But we will need real captains, leading the flanks and covering our rear."
I paused, letting the silence swallow my words before dealing the final blow.
"The question here isn't whether she still has the strength to lead, the question is whether you still have the honor and courage to follow her."
The effect was immediate and lethal.
The exhaustion in Kanzo's eyes evaporated, replaced by a savage glint. The veteran gripped the hilt of his curved blade and cracked a fierce smile, a true predator remembering how to hunt.
Young Vandashi raised his chin, the scar on his face pulling tight as the shame of having doubted his princess turned into a burning, focused anger.
Bigster Odássio was the last to react.
The old commander closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them, the defeated posture was gone.
He violently slammed his armored fist against his chest, onto the silver crest, in a flawless military salute full of fire.
The three captains turned their backs to the table and marched out of the headquarters with heavy, decisive steps.
Faith was no longer fragmented. The flame had become an inferno.
The room was left empty, with only me, Laura, and Arthur remaining.
"You have quite the knack for suicidal speeches," Laura commented from across the table, with a sharp, approving smirk.
Before I could reply, the heavy wooden doors swung open once more.
Sillys stood in the doorway.
Her face showed no signs of having heard what I said, her expression remaining unreadable and cold.
"Suki. Come with me."
Confused by the sudden tone, I left Laura and Arthur in the room and followed her through the dark corridors until we reached a room of pure weaponry.
It was her arsenal.
Elven weapons of all shapes and rarities rested upon noble displays:
Thin swords made of a black, polished metal.
Thick, heavy curved blades.
Spears covered in runes.
Twin scythes of brutal appearance.
Under the crystal light, each weapon looked as though it had been forged not with fire,
but with solidified light and crystallized wind.
Sillys walked majestically toward the center of the chamber.
From the main display, she removed an incredibly long spear.
Its shaft was made of living black wood, while its perfectly symmetrical blade glowed with a dangerous emerald-green hue.
"I want to ask you something very clearly, Suki," she said without turning around, staring at the polished reflection on the weapon.
Then she slowly turned to me.
A low snap echoed.
The blue crystals embedded in the walls flickered erratically and, in a single heartbeat, went out completely.
The arsenal plunged into a thick, absolute darkness.
The temperature in the room plummeted unnaturally. A freezing, biting wind swept through the enclosed space with nowhere to enter from, making the dozens of blades around us hum in a macabre and threatening harmony.
In the absence of light, Sillys's silhouette dissolved into the gloom, transforming her into a lethal ghost.
Her face was completely swallowed by the shadows. Only two things could still be seen in that darkness.
The faint emerald reflection of the spear's blade...
...And her eyes.
They glowed in the dark.
Pale, icy, and overflowing with a murderous intent so dense the air felt thick, making it hard to breathe.
"What exactly..." her voice whispered from the dark, sounding from all sides of the room at once, "did you three *really* come here to do?"
The silence between us became unbearably heavy.
This wasn't the question of a curious host, it was an interrogation held on the edge of an abyss.
I took a slow, deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm while activating my instincts in the dark.
But those glowing, hostile eyes in the shadow didn't waver for a single second.
That was when I truly understood who was standing before me.
She wasn't just the exhausted leader of a group of survivors.
She was the deadly daughter of the all-powerful Elven Queen.
And, cornered in the absolute darkness of that arsenal, the suspicion burning in her floating eyes was sharper than all the weapons in the room combined.