Chapter 57: Aeloria's request
The lingering chill Seraphiel left in the room slowly faded as light conversation resumed. Aeloria, composed but clearly in better spirits, gestured to the table with a gentle wave.
"Please, take a seat," she said, addressing Elton, Ramiro, and Zoro.
The three moved without hesitation, taking their places. Zoro remained alert but silent, while Ramiro and Elton nodded respectfully. Aeloria then turned toward Joe-Pine and Shayleaf. The latter was smiling brightly as if she hadn't noticed the earlier tension at all. Aeloria exhaled softly and gave a rare, wry smile in return.
"Thank you again," Shayleaf said sweetly.
Aeloria chuckled faintly and nodded. "Sit down, both of you."
Shayleaf skipped over and plopped down in the seat right next to Elton, practically leaning on him. She looked from him to Zoro and Ramiro with a pleased expression. "See? I told you Aunt Aeloria wasn't a bad person!"
Everyone instinctively relaxed. The innocent way she said it disarmed the atmosphere completely. Even Seraphiel gave a subtle exhale through her nose with a silent sigh at the girl's carefree charm.
No one noticed the brief glance exchanged between Seraphiel and Aeloria. Their eyes flicked from Elton to Shayleaf, then back again. There was something that made them slightly raise their eye brows giving them a slight disbelief yet both silently acknowledged it for now.
Aeloria's mind briefly drifted to six days ago, during the meeting among the faction heads governing Whispering Haven city, her ability had flared unexpectedly. A glimpse of an unclear path with a certain possibility. It was faint and unclear, but it had centered on him. Now, watching Elton again, she felt the pull to wager something important on an unknown outcome.
The scent of food filled the air as platters were placed on the table. Seraphiel and Zoro, both naturally more reserved, ate in silence. But the others quickly fell into comfortable conversation. Aeloria began asking all sorts of questions about Brawlmanica, their customs, technology, power hierarchies. Ramiro and Elton answered with casual politeness. Joe-Pine and Shayleaf filled in the cultural blanks, having spent more time with the trio recently.
Talk of cities, martial schools, and cultivation styles flowed easily.
In turn, Elton and Ramiro asked questions about the Upper Lands, the social structure of the Fanged Elf Tribe, and the way of life there. Much of it was familiar from earlier interactions with the other Fanged Elves, but it was different hearing it directly from someone like Aeloria.
Then Shayleaf, eyes sparkling, suddenly grabbed Elton's arm and leaned close. "You all should come with us to Celebi Forest City! You have to see it. It's so different. I want to show you everything!"
The room paused for a moment.
Seraphiel's gaze snapped toward their linked arms. Her eyes twitched, ever so slightly, and her expression turned unreadable. She didn't say a word.
Aeloria, mid-sip, lowered her cup and looked at Elton and Shayleaf with an amused expression. "I suppose," she said with a slow, almost theatrical smile, "it's time we talk about what really matters."
Ramiro sat up straighter. Zoro's eyes flicked up. Elton's body language shifted slightly, but his face stayed calm.
Aeloria's tone softened, but her words held weight.
"We reached out to you," she began, "because you're... different. You are not like the people or the dregs born in either the upper lands or those born in this prison called the Whispering expanse."
She looked at each of them in turn. "Humans born without Shackles are already rare, But ones who wear clothing we've never seen before? Ones who carry a foreign scent in their aura? That's something else."
She clasped her hands in front of her.
"Most in the Whispering Expanse wouldn't notice. Even in a place filled with exiles, criminals, and beasts, very few people are sensitive to the details that really matter. But we are."
The trio exchanged glances. None of them seemed surprised.
"The Whispering Expanse is dangerous, yes," Aeloria went on. "But it's also a vital trading route between certain factions in the Upper Lands and select zones here. Despite the chaos, there's structure. Rules. History."
Then her voice grew a shade colder.
"But this world... isn't the real world."
Ramiro blinked. "What do you mean?"
Aeloria looked at him and answered plainly.
"This is a pocket world. The Upper Lands, the Expanse, all of it. A manufactured plane of existence, created long ago—probably by a being far beyond anything we've ever known. There are old records... writings from over a thousand years ago that describes this world's nearly severed ties to the Red Star continent and perhaps others."
Elton and Ramiro both leaned back slightly, startled.
"A manufactured world..." Ramiro whispered, more to himself.
"Correct," Aeloria said. "And over the years, people have forgotten. They build cities and raise flags like they own the place. But this place is flawed. Fragile. Distortions that swallow entire settlements, dimensional collapse, resource decay, plagues. The symptoms of a dying world.
"This place might look vast, but it's shrinking. It's a prison disguised as a sanctuary."
A beat passed. She turned her gaze directly to Elton.
"Our tribe, The Fanged Elves, has a goal. Not conquest. Not survival. Escape. We want to return to the true world. The real one. And you three... are the sign that it's possible."
Elton didn't speak immediately. Neither did Zoro or Ramiro.
The weight of her words hung in the air.
"You are the proof," she said finally. "The opportunity we've waited for.
The room sat in silence for a moment until Aeloria's voice gently carried forward once more.
"It's not just about you boys," she said, her gaze calm but sharp. "It's also your backing. If my judgment is right, you belong to a 2-Star Sect."
Her words cut the silence like a blade through morning fog.
Elton nodded slowly, her reasoning making too much sense. He'd been wondering why someone like Aeloria had given them the time of day to begin with. Still, her assumption felt like a misunderstanding. He was only a disciple of the Bright Blade Sect, not even a direct member of the core Bright Brilliant Blade Sect. Hardly someone worth betting on.
Beside him, Ramiro furrowed his brow, saying nothing. Zoro leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, expression unreadable but behind his usual stoic demeanor, even he was clearly mulling things over.
Aeloria caught the shift in their expressions. She mistook it as doubt in her or perhaps in themselves. She didn't bring it up. Instead, she offered them something unexpected.
"I'll take you all to Celebi Forest City," she said plainly. "You'll be allowed to rest, train, and use the resources available. Settle if you wish."
The trio lifted their eyes in near unison. Surprise flickered into something like hope then hardened into determination. The offer carried weight.
Joe-Pine grinned at their reactions. "Heh, looks like that hit the right nerve."
Shayleaf beamed and latched onto Elton's arm again, practically bouncing. "This is awesome! You're going, right? Right?!"
Elton blinked at her, unsure whether to smile or sigh. She had no concept of personal space, but somehow, that made her presence feel all the more lively and familiar.
Seraphiel flinched, her golden eyes narrowing with irritation as her vaguely irritated voice errupts. "Shayleaf! Enough of this. Stop–"
"Seraphiel."
Before Seraphiel could say another word, Aeloria's voice rang out with quiet command.
Just saying her name calmly with a firm tone was enough.
Shayleaf turned, confusion on her face. "Seraphiel? What is it?"
Seraphiel looked at Elton, then at Shayleaf. Her gaze wavered. "…It's nothing."
She turned away, her expression unreadable.
Ramiro let out a boisterous laugh. "Honestly, going to Celebi sounds a hell of a lot better than sticking around this cursed dump!"
Joe-Pine chuckled in agreement. "It's a fine city. Best for elves, but wonderful for anyone respectful of the land."
Elton nodded. "I think it's the best path forward. And Lady Aeloria… if the opportunity ever presents itself, I'll do my best to get in contact with the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect on your behalf."
Aeloria smiled with gratitude, then paused. Her smile faded slightly, and a flicker of hesitation passed across her face.
Elton caught it instantly.
"Is something else on your mind?" he asked softly. "Please, speak freely."
Joe-Pine raised a brow. Shayleaf tilted her head. Seraphiel's brows pinched in confusion.
Only Zoro remained unmoved, his eyes half-lidded and uninterested.
Aeloria stayed quiet for a long moment, then looked directly at Elton. Her voice dropped.
"I'll take the gamble," she whispered to herself—but loud enough for all to hear.
Then she stood straighter and addressed Elton directly.
"I have a greater request. A harder one."
Elton's heart thumped. Ramiro and Zoro instantly straightened, alert again.
She continued, "In the future… I don't want the Fanged Elf Tribe to fall under some foreign sect's rule. We've already suffered that once."
Her voice darkened with a heavy echo of pain. "A thousand years ago, we were driven into the Pocket World because of sect wars. We weren't even part of the conflict, but entanglements and obligations dragged us in. Two other Elven tribes were nearly destroyed. We were lucky to survive. I… I want our future to be different."
She fixed her gaze on Elton.
"If you ever establish your own force… I want the Fanged Elf Tribe to be under your covering."
Silence. Then—
Zoro shot to his feet. "What?!"
Seraphiel shrieked. "Madam Aeloria?! What's the meaning of this?!"
Joe-Pine trembled in shock. "This… this is unheard of…"
Shayleaf clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "So Brother Elton's going to be our guardian?! That's so cool!!"
Elton sat frozen. His mind spiraled. A sect of his own? That half-formed dream… The thought had been building slowly. But for someone like Aeloria to ask this of him?
His inner voice scoffed loudly in his head.
"Fate again. She's playing her hand. You'd better pay attention, boy."
Elton blinked. His thoughts cleared.
He looked Aeloria in the eye. "Why are you asking this now?"
She held his gaze. "Because… I have a rare ability. A form of precognitive foresight. I can't explain it now, and it doesn't always work with a clear direction, But…"
Elton gritted his teeth as his inner voice chimed in again.
"Agree, But make favorable terms. Don't let sentiment cloud the future."
"Fine," Elton said aloud. "I'll consider it. But we'll need to talk terms when the time comes."
Aeloria bowed her head. "That's all I ask."
The tension broke. Slowly, laughter returned to the hall. The feast resumed.
Aeloria watched Shayleaf practically draped over Elton, eyes shining with happiness. Her thoughts drifted.
Bringing Shayleaf to the Whispering Expanse… that had also been the result of her foresight.
She hadn't expected this future but maybe, just maybe… it was the right one.