Midnight fell. Ren roasted meat that he had taken from the fallen armed men. The flames crackled softly, sending warmth into the cold air.
Ren sat on a piece of wood in front of the fire. Beside him, Anna was sleeping peacefully. Ren gently brushed Anna's head.
From behind a thick tree trunk, not far from Ren's location, the elf sat quietly, listening to the crackling of the flames. Her body was tense, and her breathing was shallow, almost sleepy.
The forest remained quiet until an unmistakable growl escaped from her stomach. The elf's eyes widened, and she quickly held her stomach with both hands.
Ren heard the growl. His eyes slowly shifted toward the tree where the elf was hiding.
Then he looked back at the fire. He grabbed a piece of roasted meat, stabbed the stick into the ground, and placed it in the elf's direction.
"Come out," Ren said calmly without turning around. "I already know you're there."
Several seconds passed before the elf finally came out. Her movements were hesitant and awkward. Ren immediately noticed the scratches and bleeding on her feet, and that she did not have enough strength to stand properly.
"She really pushed herself just to follow us…" Ren said to himself.
She sat near the fire. In front of her was the roasted meat stabbed into the ground. Her hands trembled slightly as she avoided his gaze, clearly embarrassed and unsure of what to do next.
"What's your name?" Ren asked, still staring at the fire.
She did not respond with words. Instead, she started writing letters on the ground using her finger, even though her hands were trembling.
Lianna.
Ren noticed that instead of speaking, she was writing on the ground, even though her hands were trembling. Then he saw what she had written.
"Lianna…?" he said softly, watching her carefully.
She slowly shook her head, avoiding Ren's gaze.
"You can't speak?" he asked for sure.
Lianna slowly shook her head again, her head bent low.
Ren moved the roasted meat slightly and studied her for a moment before continuing. "So… Lianna, answer me. Why are you following us?" he said casually, but there was a sharp tone in his voice.
Lianna froze when she heard the sudden question. She hesitated for a moment, then slowly lifted her head and pointed at her own eyes.
Ren stared at her quietly, trying to understand what she meant.
"Your eyes?" he asked.
She shook her head and quickly wrote on the ground again.
I can see the future and fate.
Ren narrowed his eyes slightly, though his expression remained calm.
"Just like I thought…" he said to himself. "When I first saw her, her eyes had a mysterious power. Now it is proven. Her eyes are Divine... the Divine Eye of Sight."
"I think she saw something about me. That's why she is following me… I think its good to ask her," Ren thought.
"Hey, what did you see in me?" he asked, his tone low.
Lianna wrote once more, even though her hands were terribly trembling. She forced herself to keep writing. Ren did not care about her pain. He simply waited for the answer.
Lianna wrote Nothing.
"Nothing?" Ren repeated softly.
Ren noticed that she was not finished writing. She added another line beneath it.
No Fate.
Ren let out a slow breath. "Hmm… I see." He understood what she meant.
"You really can't see it, because there is no future for me. I am the one who creates my own future… and also I don't belong to this world," he said to himself.
But then he remembered something.
"How did you even notice me?"
Lianna looked at the ground for a moment after hearing his question. Her fingers moved slowly again, drawing letters in the dirt.
Ren watched quietly, the firelight reflecting in his eyes.
She wrote slowly. I saw a man walking freely.
"Hmm… I see, so he entered," Ren said to himself, staring at what she had written.
Then he looked at her quietly and asked, "And what if the man you saw wasn't me?"
Lianna looked at the words she had written. For a moment, she did not move. She just lowered her head, unable to answer. Her hands were trembling badly and covered with dirt.
After a brief silence, Ren watched her quietly. Then he sighed and gave a small nod.
"Alright. I won't press you anymore. No need to make things harder for yourself."
He adjusted the fire and gestured toward the roasted meat stabbed into the ground in front of Lianna.
"Go on, eat."
Lianna did not touch the roasted meat in front of her, nor did she try to take it. She just remained silent.
Ren noticed her behavior. He was confused about why she would not touch the food.
"Why? You don't want it?"
Then Ren blinked as a realization dawned on him. "Is she a cultural elf?" he said to himself.
Ren reached into his pouch and pulled out a piece of bread. He handed it to her. "Here. That's all I have that isn't meat." With his other hand, he pulled out another piece of bread.
Lianna stared at him for a moment with hesitation. Then she carefully reached out, clearly hungry. But when her fingers brushed against Ren's hand, she froze in place, and her face turned red.
"Huh? Are you taking it or not? My arm is getting tired," Ren said.
Startled, Lianna quickly grabbed the bread. Her cheeks flushed faintly as she turned away.
Ren handed her another piece of bread, and Lianna carefully took it.
Ren slowly brushed Anna's head as she slept beside him. Then he looked up at the dark sky, where countless stars were shining.
"This world hides more secrets than I expected… interesting."
As Lianna quietly ate the bread, Ren shifted his gaze toward her and asked, "Hey, do you have anywhere to go?"
Lianna stopped eating. She lowered her head and slowly shook it. The firelight reflected in her eyes.
"Family? Another elf tribe?" Ren asked.
Lianna only shook her head again. It seemed she truly had nowhere to go.
He quietly stared at her. She looked pitiful. Her feet were bleeding, and her shirt was full of dirt.
"If I leave her, she will be captured again. If I take care of her…" he said to himself.
He let out a sigh.
"What's wrong with me lately? Why do I keep picking up responsibilities...? I feel like I'm adopting stray again." He muttered, lowering his head.
After a moment, he spoke. "Fine. You can come with us, but I have a condition."
Lianna immediately lifted her head, surprise in her eyes.
"First, don't interfere with what I do. Second, follow everything I say. Understood?"
She smiled faintly and nodded. Tears appeared in her eyes as she held the bread.
He pulled out a thick, large shirt and handed it to her. "Here. You can't keep walking around dressed like that."
Ren was someone who never missed a chance to take anything useful. Whether it was a benefit for him or not, he would still collect it. Even food was something he would never leave behind. With his storage, he could keep many things and take whatever he needed whenever he wanted.
Lianna slowly took the shirt. Then she turned away and changed her clothes, clearly embarrassed and shy.
"I think tomorrow we will reach the next town. There, we'll get proper clothes for you," Ren said while staring at the fire, gently brushing Anna's hamea
Lianna turned back toward the fire. The large shirt covered her body down to her thighs. Ren showed no reaction. He looked completely unbothered and did not seem to care.
Lianna gently tugged on Ren's sleeve. Ren noticed her.
"Hm… why?"
Lianna shyly pointed at her long ears, as if she was trying to tell him something.
"…" Ren only looked at her, not understanding what she meant.
Lianna wrote on the ground again so Ren could understand what she meant.
Humans and elves don't get along.
Ren stared at her quietly, thinking about her words.
"I see…" Ren replied calmly. "Leave it to me."
Ren began pulling different things out of the magic pouch. First, he pulled out a knight's helmet. He looked at Lianna, wondering if it would fit, but her ears were too long, so he put it back into the magic pouch.
He pulled out another item. This time it was a bowl. Ren stared at the bowl for a moment, then shook his head and put it back.
Finally, he pulled out a cloak.
He handed it to Lianna. "Here, that's better."
Then he looked around and saw Silya at the foot of Anna. He carefully moved Silya to Lianna's injured foot, allowing Silya's healing ability to begin.
Lianna's foot slowly began to glow as the wounds healed. Lianna bowed slightly in gratitude. She looked amazed, and small tears appeared in her eyes.
"And your eyes," Ren added seriously. "If you show your ability, greedy people will hunt you or even try to kill you. That's why you must not say anyone your powers… Wait, you're mute, so just don't expose them. Understand?"
Lianna nodded, a small, grateful smile appearing on her face.