Chapter 44: Vowing to get Revenge

The Sage gave the girl a complicated look before crouching down to pat her head.

"Don’t worry, little Aelia. Your parents are fine. They just had to leave on important business."

The little girl looked sad.

"Leave? When will they be back?" She asked with teary eyes.

"I don’t know, little Aelia. But they asked me to pass on a message. They want you to take care of your little brother while they’re gone."

The little girl nodded, trying to hold back her tears. A moment later, she failed to hold them in and began to cry.

...

Time passed, and the girl continued to grow up. She studied diligently, trained hard, and took care of her little brother. She always felt that she was to blame for her parents’ departure, so she decided to be a good girl and follow the rules.

As she grew older, she finally began to piece together the events of her past.

One night, she barged into the Sage’s house with tears in her eyes.

"Grandpa Sage, tell me the truth! What happened to my parents?"

The Sage put down the book he was reading and sighed. He looked at the girl for another moment before replying.

"I guess you’re old enough to know the truth. But I don’t think there’s any need for me to explain anymore, is there? You must already know in your heart what happened."

The girl’s expression fell even further. She already knew the truth deep down, but receiving confirmation was still different from simply suspecting it.

She fell to her knees, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes.

"Hick... It’s all my fault... It’s all my fault... Hick..."

The Sage approached her and patted her head with a complicated expression.

"Little Aelia, don’t think like that. It’s not your fault."

"HOW IS IT NOT MY FAULT? IF ONLY I’D LISTENED! IF ONLY I HADN’T LEFT THE TERRITORY... THEY WOULD STILL BE ALIVE!" she yelled, her eyes bloodshot.

The Sage sighed and shook his head.

"There are many things you don’t understand, child. Everything that happens is part of destiny. We can’t change our destiny, we can only grow along with it."

He turned around and returned to his seat before continuing.

"You were just a little child back then. What could you possibly have known at that age? You can’t blame yourself for something that was beyond your control."

"Who... who were those masked people?" The girl asked, her eyes still bloodshot.

"You’re not qualified to know that yet. But..." the Sage said with a sigh.

The girl simply looked at him without saying anything.

"We call them... the Fallen. They have been our enemies for centuries. I can tell you no more than that."

The girl repeated the name in her head over and over again as rage boiled inside her chest.

"Discard those foolish thoughts, child," the Sage said sternly. "You’re far too weak to even learn more about them, let alone seek revenge. If you try anything, you’ll only meet an early end."

The girl remained on the floor, crying for a few more minutes. Eventually, she wiped away her tears and stood up before leaving.

She returned home and, once inside, began punching the wall.

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

"IT’S ALL MY FAULT!"

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

"IF ONLY I HADN’T LEFT THAT DAY!"

*Bam! Bam! Bam!*

She didn’t stop until both her fists were covered in blood from repeatedly striking the wall. She paid no attention to the pain in her hands, as the pain in her heart was far greater.

"This weakness... disgusts me. Being weak is a sin!" A determined look appeared in her eyes. "Mom, dad... I will become strong, and one day, I will avenge you!"

...

From that day onward, the girl trained and hunted every single day. She was never interested in anything else, spending all her free time improving herself.

Through sheer determination, she became the strongest and most promising elven warrior of her generation. Everyone praised her and celebrated the birth of such a talented warrior in their tribe, but she paid no attention to any of it.

The only things on her mind were becoming stronger, faster, and smarter. She vowed to get her revenge one day.

Then, when she finally came of age, she discovered a secret dungeon that her tribe kept closely guarded. She immediately became interested and decided to enter it.

Despite everyone’s warnings against taking such a risk, she entered anyway. She had to become stronger as soon as possible.

After a few days, while everyone worried about her, she completed the trials within the ruins and emerged from the dungeon. Everyone praised and celebrated her achievement, but she simply turned around and entered the dungeon again.

Time passed, and the girl entered and exited the dungeon countless times, growing stronger with each return.

Until one day...

"Aelia, listen to me! That place is far too dangerous. It’s not worth risking your life over!" The Sage advised with a stern expression.

"Grandpa Sage, let’s not talk about this anymore. I’ve made my decision," Aelia replied with a determined expression.

The Sage sighed and shook his head. He knew there was no point in saying anything more. Once the girl made up her mind, she would never change it.

That night, she entered the dungeon once again, but this time, she never returned.

The entire elven tribe eagerly awaited her return, but she never emerged. Days passed, then months, and everyone grew increasingly worried about her. The only thing that consoled them was that her flower on the Sacred Tree was still there, meaning she was still alive.

...

Chris felt a sudden jolt in his mind as his consciousness returned to his body.

’What the fuck was that?!’

He had never expected to experience someone else’s life moments so vividly.

Looking at the young woman who was still asleep inside the golden bubble, Chris sighed. He wouldn’t normally care about someone else’s life, but this time, he felt strange emotions stirring inside his heart. After witnessing the girl’s life and all the painful moments she had endured, he felt as though the young woman had grown closer to him.

Perhaps it was because they both shared tragic pasts, or maybe it was because they were both obsessed with becoming stronger. Whatever the reason, he felt as though the young woman was his friend and companion.

What he didn’t know was that, at that very moment, while he was witnessing Aelia’s life, she was also seeing images of his.

...

Inside her dream, Aelia had relived her entire life. All the tragic events that had happened to her played out once again, and she slowly began to lose herself in the dream, believing it to be reality. She continued living her life as usual, training and growing stronger without ever realizing that she was still dreaming.

Suddenly, a strange symbol resembling the moon shone on her forehead, and she began seeing moments from a stranger’s life. She didn’t know why, but the more she watched, the more curious she became.

She watched as the man was praised before being disregarded by everyone. She watched as he ran for his life. She watched as his determination grew and his obsession with strength blossomed.

She watched as the man escaped one danger after another, eventually finding himself imprisoned within her own tribe. She witnessed everything that had happened, including how he had entered the dungeon to rescue her.

Unexpectedly, she even witnessed the moments he had relived in his own dream before finally waking up beside her in the dungeon. She had practically seen his entire life.

Just like Chris, she suddenly felt a jolt in her mind, and the images disappeared.

She sat down on the floor with an amused expression.

"So I’m still in that damned dream? To think I thought I could clear the challenge by myself..." Aelia shook her head and laughed mockingly at herself.

Suddenly, she saw something similar to what Chris had witnessed in his dream.

The image of the moon on her forehead shone, and a silhouette appeared in front of her. Its features were unrecognizable, but its figure had a feminine outline.

Aelia shook her head.

"I already know. I just need to open my eyes, right?"

The figure nodded.

"Yes."

Aelia smiled.

"Would you have appeared if that man had never come to rescue me?"

The figure remained silent for a moment before replying.

"No. But it’s more complicated than you think. This was all part of your destiny, and his. You were destined to come here, and so was he. This challenge requires both of you to complete it together, so you had to wait until he arrived."

Aelia was intrigued but didn’t ask any more questions. She knew she wouldn’t get any further answers.

...

Chris was still looking at the sleeping Aelia with a complicated expression when the glowing orb began descending toward the ground. Its light gradually dimmed before disappearing completely. The woman’s eyelashes fluttered, and a moment later, she slowly opened her eyes.

She looked around before locking eyes with Chris.

Slowly pushing herself off the ground, she stood up and gave him a slight bow.

"Thank you. Without you, I wouldn’t have been able to wake up."

Chris watched her for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh.

"No need to thank me. I did this for myself."

She nodded.

"I know, but I still owe you my thanks." She then extended her hand. "As you’ve probably guessed, I’m Aelia. Nice to meet you."

"I know." Chris reached out and shook her hand. "I’m Chris."

"I know." She replied with an amused look while continuing to shake his hand.

"How do you know?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let’s just say I had a weird dream, and now I know everything about you." She said with a mischievous smile.

"Huh?! You saw that too? I thought It was only me who saw your life!" Chris asked, baffled by the discovery.

"Huuuh?! You saw my life too?" Aelia was equally startled.

They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Hahahahaha..."

"Who would’ve guessed that all my privacy would be stripped away today?" Chris said, shaking his head.

"I know, right?" Aelia replied with amusement.

"So, are we done here? Should we leave?" Chris asked.

Aelia shook her head and looked toward the other side of the room, where another opening led to a staircase descending deeper into the ground.

"Unless you want to miss out on the rewards, we should go deeper and claim them."

Chris looked toward the staircase and nodded. He didn’t know how these challenges worked, but luckily, Aelia seemed to have a better understanding of the situation.

"Let’s check it out, then."

Together, they descended the stairs, heading deeper underground.

It didn’t take long for them to reach another room. A small altar stood in the center, surrounded by a translucent barrier.

They looked at each other, and Chris could tell that Aelia didn’t know what it was either.

Approaching the barrier, Chris took out his sword and poked it.

Contrary to his expectations, the barrier wasn’t solid. Its translucent surface bent inward as he pushed his sword against it, allowing the blade to sink even deeper.

The sword was buried halfway into the barrier before suddenly bouncing back.

Chris reached out and touched the barrier with his hand. The moment he felt its texture, a thought struck him. He would recognize that bouncy surface anywhere.

"Is this... a slime?!"