Chapter 38: Welcome to Ael’Zoria

Chris slowly opened his eyes, his head aching as he struggled to understand where he was. His vision was blurry, and the moment he opened his eyes, the bright light shining above him forced him to close them again.

"He’s waking up."

A voice came from nearby, prompting him to open his eyes once more. This time, he tried to adjust to the light, looking in the direction of the voice while waiting for his vision to stabilize.

It took a few seconds before he could see clearly, but when he did, his expression changed slightly.

There were wooden bars directly in front of him, with two men standing on the other side. After taking a quick look around, he immediately understood that he was imprisoned.

The entire room appeared to be made of wood, but it didn’t look like something built by human hands. Instead, the walls curved naturally around him, resembling the inside of a gigantic tree trunk. Several openings had been made in the trunk to serve as windows, allowing sunlight to pour into the room.

Chris slowly sat up, feeling a slight ache throughout his body. His memories were still somewhat unclear, but he forced himself to recall what had happened before he lost consciousness.

The last thing he remembered was escaping from the masked figure who had been pursuing him. After falling down with Azreon, he had suddenly been struck by an unexpected attack and fell unconcious.

His expression turned serious as he remembered Azreon.

"Where am I? What happened to my beast?"

One of the men standing outside the cage glanced at him before answering in a cold tone.

"It’s not your turn to ask questions, human. Wait patiently until the Sage arrives."

"The Sage?"

The man didn’t bother answering. Instead, he shook his head and looked at his companion.

"I’ll go and inform the elders."

The other guard nodded silently, and the man turned around and left the room.

Chris watched him go before looking at the remaining guard. Both men appeared to be human at first glance, but there were some noticeable differences. They were exceptionally good-looking, far beyond what was common among humans, and each had a pair of long, pointed ears.

They were also wearing green armor that resembled leaves, with the material fitting closely around their bodies as though it had grown naturally rather than been forged.

Chris frowned slightly before shifting his attention to the cage. The bars looked like ordinary wood, but he wasn’t foolish enough to assume they were easy to break. Still, he needed to find out whether he could escape if necessary.

Getting to his feet, he approached the bars and wrapped his fingers around one of them. He exerted some force, attempting to bend it, but the wooden bar didn’t move even slightly.

He increased his strength, yet the result remained the same.

"I would suggest you wait obediently and keep quiet," the guard said, watching him with an unreadable expression. "You’ll never be able to break those bars."

Chris released the bar and sighed before returning to his original position. There wasn’t much he could do for now, especially when he couldn’t even determine the strength of the people guarding him.

More importantly, he still had no idea what had happened to Azreon. Still, he had to remain patient until he understood the situation.

After several minutes, the sound of footsteps reached his ears. Chris raised his head and looked toward the entrance, where the guard who had left earlier was now returning with two other people.

One was an elderly man with white hair who walked with the support of a wooden staff. Despite his obvious old age, his appearance was remarkably youthful, and his face carried a calm expression with a slight smile.

The other was a young man who looked to be around Chris’s age. Like the guards, both newcomers had pointed ears and wore green clothing, although the old man’s outfit was considerably more elaborate and looked like an old mage.

Chris examined the three of them carefully. The returning guard still wore the same unreadable expression, while the old man seemed rather friendly.

The young man, on the other hand, was staring at Chris with undisguised hostility. It was clear that he didn’t like him one bit.

Chris tried scanning all three of them, but his system couldn’t provide any information, as though some kind of interference prevented him from examining the people around him.

Meanwhile, the elderly man approached the cage, the tip of his walking stick striking the wooden floor with each step.

"Hello, young man. I assume you have quite a few questions, but for now, you are our prisoner. I hope you’ll answer my questions truthfully."

Chris stared at him for a moment before shaking his head.

"If you want answers, first tell me what happened to my beast."

The old man chuckled softly, amused by his response.

"Hahaha, you certainly have a strong character. Very well, I don’t mind answering that question. Your beast is currently being held by our tribe in another location. However, I can assure you that no harm has been done to it."

Chris nodded slowly. He wasn’t sure whether he could believe the old man’s words, but there was little reason for the man to lie. Besides, Chris was currently at a disadvantage, and he knew better than to provoke people whose strength he couldn’t even measure.

"All right. Ask your questions, then."

"You’re a smart young man, aren’t you?" The old man smiled before continuing. "Then let me start with the first question. How did you find this place?"

Chris looked at him in confusion.

"Find what place? I was running for my life before I lost consciousness. I have no idea what you’re talking about."

The old man studied his expression for a few seconds before nodding.

"That is strange, but it seems you aren’t lying."

"Sage, why would you believe this human?" The young man standing behind him suddenly interjected. "We should just kill him and put an end to this problem!"

Chris glanced at him without changing his expression. From the way the young man spoke, it was clear that he was the emotional type who acted before thinking. There was little point in arguing with someone like that, especially when Chris had no idea what kind of authority he held.

Rather than waste his breath, he remained silent.

The old man, however, turned toward the young man with a disapproving look.

"Aelonen, you should learn something from this human boy. Look at how well he maintains his composure, even in a situation like this. You, on the other hand, are far too impulsive."

"But, Sage, that’s a human! We should never tru— AGH!"

The old man struck Aelonen on the head with his walking stick, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"An unstable mind leads to an unstable heart! What have I been teaching you all these years?"

Aelonen clutched his head, lowering it as his earlier hostility disappeared.

"Y-Yes, Sage. I’m sorry."

The old man nodded in satisfaction before turning back toward Chris.

"Now, let me ask you something else. Why is a human boy like yourself wandering alone this deep in the Wilds?"

Chris met his gaze.

"That’s none of your concern."

"Indeed, but I need to understand your intentions. I hope you can understand that much."

Chris considered his words for a moment. The old man appeared reasonable enough, but that didn’t mean he could be trusted. Chris learned to never judge a book by its cover.

Still, the question itself wasn’t unreasonable. He also realized that his first response had been unnecessarily harsh. After spending so much time alone, he had grown accustomed to keeping everyone at a distance.

Although he had his reasons, that didn’t mean he needed to respond to every question with hostility. He had recognized this fault in himself.

"I’m alone with my beast. I’m a traveler, and I’m trying to get stronger."

The old man watched his eyes throughout the answer before giving a small nod.

"I see. Then, why do you have a demon mark on you? And why were you being pursued by the Fallen?"

Chris tilted his head slightly. The old man seemed to know something about the demons he had encountered inside the dungeon. Perhaps he could learn more about them here.

"I recently entered a dungeon portal and had to fight demons inside. I don’t know anything about this demon mark you’re talking about, though. As for the Fallen, I have no idea who they are. I assume you’re referring to the masked man who was chasing me?"

For the first time since arriving, the old man’s expression changed noticeably. His eyes widened slightly, and the smile on his face faded as he studied Chris more carefully.

After a moment, he nodded, although his tone had become considerably more serious.

"Continue."

"He appeared out of nowhere and started attacking me. He also mentioned something about a demon mark, and it seems he can track my general location somehow."

"I see. You don’t appear to be lying. The demons are moving faster than I expected."

He seemed to mutter the last sentence to himself, but Chris heard it clearly.

"What do you mean? Do you know something?"

The old man shook his head.

"It’s not the time for you to know."

Chris didn’t press the matter. He couldn’t force the man to explain something he clearly didn’t want to discuss, and trying to do so would only make their conversation more difficult.

The old man returned to his earlier, friendlier expression.

"That will be all for now. You’ll have to remain here until the council of elders decides what to do with you."

Chris frowned slightly before asking the question that mattered most to him.

"Can I see my beast?"

The old man looked at him with amusement.

"You really do care about your beast, don’t you? Well, I suppose that can be arranged."

He raised one hand, and the wooden bars in front of Chris immediately began to move. They bent and twisted with a series of creaking sounds, gradually forming a narrow passage large enough for him to walk through.

Chris watched the scene with surprise. The old man hadn’t even touched the bars, yet he had manipulated them as easily as if they were branches growing from his own body.

"Sage! This is unreasonable!" Aelonen exclaimed, his hostility returning. "Why would you let this human go free so easily? He could be dangerous!"

The old man turned his head toward him.

"Aelonen, are you trying to teach me what is reasonable now?"

"N-No, Sage. I would never do that. I’m sorry."

Aelonen immediately lowered his head, his confidence disappearing once again.

Chris stepped through the opening and left the cage. One of the guards approached him, carrying what appeared to be a pair of handcuffs made from intertwined tree vines.

Without hesitation, Chris raised his hands, prepared to let them restrain him if that was what they wanted. He wasn’t going to risk making the situation worse when his only concern was finding Azreon.

"That won’t be necessary," the old man said.

The guard immediately stopped and stepped back, lowering the restraints without asking any questions.

Chris glanced at the old man, wondering why he was treating him so casually despite having declared him a prisoner. Perhaps the old man was simply confident in his ability to restrain him again if necessary.

That seemed the most reasonable explanation. After all, Chris was probably very weak in their eyes.

The old man turned toward the exit and began walking.

"Follow me."

Chris followed without hesitation, keeping a careful eye on his surroundings as they left the room.

The moment he stepped outside, the sunlight struck his eyes so intensely that he had to raise one hand to shield them. After spending an unknown amount of time unconcious, his eyes needed a moment to adjust.

Once his vision cleared he stopped in his tracks. What lay before him was something he had never imagined seeing.

He was standing on a massive tree branch, so enormous that it resembled a wide wooden platform rather than part of a tree. The branch stretched far with a pathway running along its surface.

Looking down, Chris could barely make out the ground below. They were so high in the air that the normal trees beneath them appeared as small as dots.

Yet the tree he stood on was not the only one of its kind. All around him stood enormous trees that rose high above the forest, their thick trunks disappearing into the distance. Their branches extended outward and intertwined with those of neighboring trees, creating a vast network of natural pathways that connected the gigantic trees to one another.

Some branches were wide enough to accommodate several people walking side by side, while others extended into narrower paths that twisted around the trees and disappeared behind thick clusters of leaves.

Numerous doors had been built directly into the trunks, positioned near the points where the branches extended outward.

People moved along the pathways in every direction, passing through the doors or crossing the branches to reach other trees. They all shared the same pointed ears and remarkably beautiful appearances as the people Chris had encountered inside the room. Some wore green armor similar to that of the guards, while others dressed in simple robes or clothing made from natural materials.

Chris could only stare at the incredible sight before him as the place was breathtaking. It was unlike anything he had ever seen in the human world, and for a moment, he completely forgot about his circumstances.

"Just where in the world am I?" He muttered to himself.

The old man walking ahead of him glanced back with a faint smile.

"Welcome to Ael’Zoria, the home of the elven race."