Inside the Nature Dwelling.
Heidi, Anick, Ulyssan, and the others had all returned to the treehouse. Katrina, Sprint, and the other mages hurried back as well, gathering together so that Atlant could protect them and respond to developments as needed.
The fall and corruption of a Legendary-grade druid was the most serious incident the elves had faced in centuries — more alarming even than the partial contamination of the Elven Tree. They had to be extra vigilant and prepare on every front.
"Who would have thought that a Legendary Second Order druid like Lord Falagand could be afflicted by the Projection of a Demon of Hatred?" Heidi paced back and forth inside the treehouse, her voice a mixture of horror and excitement. "Didn't the teacher say that the strongest of the Seven Ancient Demons was only at the Legendary Peak?"
Anick offered a calm analysis. "The teacher was basing his judgment on records and the circumstances of demon projection events — he's never actually encountered the Seven Ancient Demons. Besides, whether the Ancient Demons truly exist at all is still an open question. Perhaps they're nothing more than manifestations of the negative emotions within each person's heart, different for everyone — abstract designations rather than concrete beings."
"Legendary druids are still sentient beings with their own joys, troubles, hatreds, and suffering. Being 'projected upon' by a Demon of Hatred is perfectly normal," said Sprint. "Besides, Falagand was the leader of the Nature Hatred faction. He'd been accumulating hatred for centuries — it's hardly surprising that something like this would occur." Having not witnessed the event firsthand, Sprint didn't see it as anything out of the ordinary.
Katrina and the other mages agreed, nodding their assent.
"The issue is that the investigation has gone suspiciously smoothly," said Heidi, clasping her hands behind her back with the air of a senior detective from the Holm Kingdom's police bureau. "The results came too easily. It really doesn't feel like the work of a Legendary powerhouse's machinations."
Averyce's gleaming gaze was fixed on the "sparkly stones" he had "borrowed" from Masha's treehouse. He remarked offhandedly, "Even if she was possessed by a Demon of Hatred, Masha's performance was hardly what I'd call convincing. If her low intelligence wasn't the problem, then she must have had some other objective."
He was the high-ranking mage within the Council who had dealt with the Ancient Demon incidents the earliest, and he had a profound understanding of demons' cunning, treachery, and unnerving resilience.
"Averyce, are you suggesting Masha deliberately framed Falagand? Then who is the real mastermind?" Anick's eyes lit up as he looked toward the little crystal.
Averyce idly counted the "sparkly stones" in his claws, one by one, and said with studied nonchalance, "Masha's already self-destructed and died. How am I supposed to know who the mastermind is? Falagand's public corruption was real. Once the contamination of the Elven Tree is purged and Lancier finishes him off, the matter will be resolved and our mission will be complete."
As for me, this trip has been incredibly profitable — a perfect ending!
As for the truth of the matter, let Lucian and the others worry about that!
Just then, Elesiting flew in through the entrance, her expression rather grim. Her voice was low as she spoke. "I thank all of you for identifying who was truly behind this. If the situation had continued to deteriorate, the entire elven race could have faced destruction. I've already reported the matter to my mother, and she asked me to convey her gratitude."
"Not at all, Your Highness. There's no need to worry," Heidi reassured Elesiting. "Falagand was gravely injured. There's no way he can escape from Lord Lancier. Once he falls, the contamination of the Elven Tree will certainly be purged along with it. Things will get better."
Before she had even finished speaking, a pale green luminescence suddenly suffused the wooden walls of the treehouse. Tiny points of light like fireflies drifted outward from the surfaces, adorning the entire treehouse so that it resembled the dreamscape of a fairy tale. An instinctive sense of calm and serenity settled over everyone within, as though all negative emotions were dissolving naturally of their own accord.
"What…"
"What's happening?"
Startled voices rose one after another. Heidi and Katrina looked out of the treehouse in astonishment and saw that the entire forest was suffused with the same pale green "ripples" of light. Points of luminance drifted through every corner, carrying with them a sense of peace and tranquility. They transformed the Nature Dwelling into something ethereal and dreamlike, mysterious and sacred.
At the same time, a distant, ethereal singing drifted from the leaves, trunks, roots, and shrubs — music that lifted the spirit and banished all worry.
In this dreamlike scene, Averyce flailed his claws about, attempting to capture and pocket the firefly-like pale green light points. Elesiting gazed at the pure green radiance rising gently from the center of the lake, and the worry drained from her face as she exclaimed joyfully, "The contamination of the Elven Tree has been purged!"
Inside the Nature Dwelling, one elf after another forgot their troubles, dancing amidst the accompaniment of light and green. Among them, the elves of the Nature Hatred faction showed slight traces of struggle on their faces. Wisps of black energy seemed to seep from their souls, dissolving into the void and converging toward some distant point.
Once that ethereal black energy was fully expelled, expressions of relief and contentment appeared on every face — as though a stone that had been weighing on their hearts for a long time had finally been lifted for good.
In the "Imprisonment," the elves who had been emitting savage, anguished howls gradually fell silent. Tendrils of black energy steamed upward from their bodies, scales dropped away, and the magical patterns etched upon their skin slowly contracted, no longer the hideous, eye-searing sight they had been.
They felt peace settle into their hearts. All of them leaned against the walls and wept silently, rejoicing at their rebirth.
The towering Elven Tree spread its branches and leaves, radiating brilliant light. Small black patches emerged from within the trunk, shriveled, peeled away, and vanished into some unknown place.
Atlant, seated inside the treehouse, suddenly opened his eyes and turned toward the Elven Tree. His pupils — which could shift like the workings of the human heart — were filled with shock.
…………
Inside a hidden cave.
Lancier was pinned firmly in place by the reversed Magic Circle, his expression one of dumbfounded shock as he stared at the other end of the circle's connection. That was supposed to lead to the "Blood Plains" — so how had it become the "Heart of Nature"?
Then, tendril after tendril of black energy emerged from the void and gathered within the Magic Circle, condensing into droplets of liquid.