The girl kept watching him for a few moments, before he heard his own voice ask hesitantly:
"You said there are five earthly races… what does each one look like?"
She seemed to expect the question, yet showed no comfort in it.
Still, she answered, as if reciting lessons everyone was supposed to know—everyone except him.
"Humans… like you."
She lifted her shoulder slightly.
"The physically weakest race, but the most adaptable and capable of growth. They possess a strange will… one that can make the impossible happen."
Then she added:
"Elves… taller than humans, with slender, elegant bodies and long, sharp ears. They live for a very long time, and wisdom is rooted in their nature. Magic flows through their blood as naturally as air flows through the forest."
She glanced toward the window, as if recalling a distant memory.
"Dwarves… small in size, but don't be deceived. They are far stronger than they appear, and the finest craftsmen—especially with metals. Their cities are carved into mountains, gleaming like the hearts of meteors."
Her tone shifted slightly when she continued:
"Demons… they are not always evil, as people believe. But they are the closest to dark energy. They bear horns, small or large depending on their lineage, and their eyes glow when they use their power. They live in barren lands and value blunt honesty more than anything."
She waved her hand lightly, as if brushing something invisible aside.
When she reached the final earthly race, she spoke softly:
"As for demi-humans… they are hybrids between humans and the other races. They don't fully belong to either side remember. Some possess unique abilities, while others live as outcasts… depending on the nature of their blood."
She paused, as if weighing her words.
Before continuing, something slipped from her lips in a less guarded tone—a rare lapse:
"And… not all of them are bad. Some of them… can coexist with humans quite easily."
She raised her hand and unconsciously touched the long scar beside her eye.
"Even though their appearance sometimes betrays them…"
A brief silence hung in the air.
Aren, following every word, widened his eyes slightly and said innocently:
"Wait… you're talking as if you're one of—"
She cut him off sharply, her tone firm but not hostile:
"That's not important right now."
She turned her face away, as if regretting what she had said.
"Continue with your other questions. Don't dwell on that."
But Aren couldn't stop himself from thinking:
She… isn't fully human? Is that why she's alone… in a place like this?
He listened, captivated, as if a new world were opening before him.
Then he asked:
"And the races you said exist above the high heavens… what are they?"
Her body stiffened instantly.
As if a simple question had triggered an alarm.
"No."
She said it firmly.
"Now is not the time for you to know."
He took a step closer, surprised by the intensity of her refusal.
"Why?"
She looked at him for a long moment—there was faint fear in her eyes, or perhaps reverence… or pain.
"Because merely speaking of them could draw something toward you… something you cannot face right now."
She lowered her voice further.
"Stay away from that… as long as you're alive."
Silence followed.
Aren felt confused, but he didn't reply.
As she walked toward the table near the door, he asked quietly:
"Alright… but who are you? And why are you inside a forest no one lives in?"
She stopped.
Didn't turn around immediately.
Then finally… she looked back at him.
"My name is…"
She exhaled softly.
"Ray."
He raised his eyebrows, waiting for more, but she didn't continue easily.
She stepped closer, keeping a clear distance, and said:
"As for why I'm here… this isn't the time to talk about it."
She looked directly into his eyes, her tone leaving no room for argument.
"There are matters… bigger than you and me. And I fear you're already involved enough."
Then she added more gently:
"All you need to know right now… is that you're safe. The rest… will come in time."
Aren didn't answer immediately.
He was trying to absorb her words… and to grasp what she hadn't said more than what she had.
But curiosity overwhelmed him.
He looked at her again and asked softly:
"You said there are things bigger than us… is your presence here part of those things?"
She didn't move.
She stood like a silent statue, but her eyes glimmered for a moment before the light vanished.
"…Maybe."
She said it slowly, choosing her words with extreme care.
Aren took a small step closer, trying to understand without pressuring her:
"Are you… one of the human kinds?
I mean… when you described the races, you spoke as if you—"
This time she didn't evade.
She didn't scold him either.
But she didn't smile.
She raised her gaze and said firmly, as if closing a door that should never be opened:
"I am… yes, I belong to one of the human kinds."
Then she added quickly, before he could dig deeper:
"Don't make it more complicated than it is. Humans are not one single form… there are lineages, branches, and hybrids. And I… am simply one of those lineages."
As if she were telling the truth… but not all of it.
Aren frowned slightly, unable to suppress his question:
"But… why hide it as if it's a dangerous secret?
Nothing you said sounds… frightening."
She smiled—a very brief, unsettling smile.
"Ignorance… is sometimes safer than knowledge."
She raised her hand and unconsciously touched the scar beside her eye again.
"And here… knowledge can kill."
She fell silent for a few seconds, then added in a low voice:
"Even if I truly am one of the human kinds… that doesn't mean others will see me that way."
A chill ran down Aren's spine.
Yet still… he didn't look away.
"Ray… what exactly are you afraid of?"
This time, she didn't answer.
For the first time… she turned her face away completely, as if the answer itself could unleash something that must not be released.
After a heavy silence, she said:
"I won't allow an ordinary person like you to be dragged into this world. Not again."
Then she suddenly turned to him, her gaze sharp but sincere:
"Aren… whatever you hear, whatever you see… do not search for what lies above the heavens. And do not ask me about it again."
She looked as if she were about to say something more—something far more important.
But she closed her lips, as if the same force that compelled her to warn him… also forbade her from continuing.
In that moment, Aren felt something new.
It wasn't fear…
It was the sense that a far greater mystery stood before him than anything he had endured in his life.
And he couldn't help but ask, his voice softer:
"And… will the time come when you explain everything?"
Her gaze this time was different.
Calm… yet quietly sorrowful.
"If you stay alive… yes."