novelraw Chapter 255 : Chapter 255
Chapter 255 : Chapter 255
Final Volume - Finale ~ Past and Present Lives, Within Reach
"It's nothing," Astrid didn't want to say anything to Wenfu, but in the end, she still replied, considering their friendship in this life.
"No, no, you guys were clearly fighting with swords! ...Sister Teresa was even driven away in anger, why is it like this? Everyone, aren't we all good partners? Is there anything that can't be discussed properly by sitting down and talking slowly? Why fight? Fighting is bad."
Wenfu saw that Astrid had responded, so she latched on and kept asking.
"Astrid." Just then, Felicia walked over. She was the one, besides Yimi, who vaguely sensed what had happened.
In short, whether it was Astrid or Teresa, they were not on the same level as them.
"Perhaps you think we can't understand, or perhaps you simply don't want to involve us, but clearly, the matter doesn't seem to be just between you and Teresa anymore." Felicia glanced at the dark, overcast sky, from which a few muffled rumbles of thunder descended.
She had an uncertain premonition that this world was about to face a great catastrophe.
"It has nothing to do with you. You just need to live your lives normally, nothing major will happen."
"Is that really so?" Felicia retorted. "Then what was with Teresa just now? I've never seen her so agitated."
"Sister Teresa, she won't be in danger, will she?"
"........."
Astrid remained silent.
"Astrid, I don't know what happened to you, but why are you ignoring Teresa's safety??" Felicia didn't understand. Everyone could see Astrid's feelings for Teresa. Why, what made an Elf instantly lose concern for her beloved?
"..........."
"What exactly is going on? If you still consider us companions, can you tell us?"
"Even if you knew, you couldn't do anything," Astrid shook her head.
"That's still better than waiting for death."
".........."
Yimi, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly stood up, her pupils constricted, and she abruptly looked in one direction, muttering to herself.
Not just her, the other Gold Elves who were resting after being rescued all stood up in unison, looking in a certain direction with surprising consistency.
"What's going on??" Felicia and the others were still wondering what was happening. The next moment, a deafening rumble came from afar, and a spatial fluctuation traveled from far to near, as if some giant object had descended upon this continent, stirring up a commotion.
"Sacred Tree, Sacred Tree.........." Yimi disregarded her weakened body and the massive disturbance, staring blankly into the distance, murmuring to herself. "Is it, the Sacred Tree?"
Not just her, all the Gold Elves present, including Astrid, looked in the same direction, involuntarily revealing expressions of immense longing, their gaze fixed on that direction, unable to move.
"What's happening? They're saying, Sacred Tree?"
"Sacred Tree? Is it the Sacred Tree of the Elf Tribe? But didn't the Sacred Tree of the Elves disappear four hundred years ago?" Felicia frowned.
"The Sacred Tree, the Sacred Tree has returned!" Yimi ignored Wenfu's support, broke free, and ran desperately in the direction of the Sacred Tree.
The other Gold Elves did the same, ignoring all dissuasion, their eyes filled only with hysterical fervor.
"Sacred Tree! The Sacred Tree is back!"
"Mother of All Forests needs us!"
"What exactly is going on??" Felicia couldn't stop these suddenly agitated Gold Elves and watched them run out of Tensuo City.
"The Sacred Tree of the Elves, has returned??" Felicia turned her gaze to the only Elf who remained unmoved, the silver-haired Elf who merely looked up for a few moments before retracting her gaze.
"Astrid, do you know what's going on?"
Astrid still refused to answer, merely looking at the departing Gold Elves, murmuring, "Why bother?"
"The die is cast. No one who goes can change the outcome."
"So, what is the outcome??" Felicia was getting anxious. "Astrid, silence won't solve the problem. What exactly is going on??"
Astrid shook her head. Just as she was about to remain silent, a lithe figure entered the trio's line of sight.
"Ah? I was still late, wasn't I?" The silver-haired girl gazed at the empty Tensuo City, carrying large and small bags of luggage. Judging by her dusty appearance, she seemed to have rushed to get here.
"You are??" Felicia looked at the silver-haired girl, her face filled with confusion and a hint of wariness.
This was Ruglian. What righteous race would come here for no reason?
This girl certainly wasn't a proper person, she might even be a Demon Race in disguise.
Felicia wondered if it was her imagination, but she always felt that this silver-haired girl looked a lot like Astrid.
It was then that she noticed Astrid was also staring intently at the silver-haired girl.
How could they be similar? These two weren't even of the same race, were they?
"Eh? Are Teresa and Yimi not here?" The silver-haired girl looked around, and after failing to find the figures from her memory, she sighed softly. "So, they're not here."
"But it doesn't matter, as long as the person I'm looking for is here," the silver-haired girl subtly glanced at Astrid, who seemed to understand something, but her eyes still held some confusion as she looked at the silver-haired girl.
"You, you know Teresa and Yimi? Are you their friend?"
"Mhm, something like that." The silver-haired girl nodded. "You have the scent of Teresa and Yimi on you, so you must be their companions."
"Although the location is off, it's not by much, which is still within an acceptable range."
"Excuse me for talking so much about myself. Let me introduce myself, I have no name. If you must call me something, you can call me 'Piece'."
"Piece? What a strange name," Wenfu muttered.
"Then, Miss Piece? Are you looking for us?"
"No, not you, just this Elf Lady." With that, Piece's gaze overtly settled on Astrid.
"Looking for Astrid??"
"Miss Astrid, you must have felt it, haven't you?" Ignoring the other two, Piece walked towards Astrid, a rare smile gracing her lips.
"Fate is truly unpredictable, isn't it? Searching high and low for something, only to find it effortlessly."
".........You, are also my fragment?"
"Fragment??"
"That's right. You must vaguely feel that you're missing something, right?"
"..........."
"You are the fragment of emotional desire carrying the main consciousness, representing desire. Ifan represents emotion, your emotional fragment, and I.........." Piece gently touched her chest, speaking softly.
"You are the last thing you're missing, and also what you consider a treasure, that is your memory, including rationality, perception, and knowledge."
"You've forgotten something very important, Astrid."
"Wha, what?"
"But it's alright." Piece gently caressed Astrid's face. "Let us, find it back together, okay?"
"Find back what you cherish most."
"But if we do that, you'll be like Ifan," Astrid couldn't help but say.
"What has been separated for a long time must eventually unite, and what has united for a long time must eventually separate. This day will come sooner or later, for me as well as for Ifan," Piece, however, seemed very composed about this. "We may have developed our own consciousnesses over these hundred years of separation, but ultimately, we are your fragments."
"Remember everything, complete the last piece of the puzzle of the outcome." With that, Piece closed her eyes, and the beautiful silver-haired girl danced gracefully as the farewell song played, finally transforming into a fragment and flying into Astrid's mind.
It was like a rushing river breaking through, nourishing a riverbed dry for a thousand years.
In the midst of illusion, Astrid felt herself completely filled. She had once been an empty shell, not knowing who she was or what she should do, but now, she finally understood who she was and what she should do.
In an instant, all memories, including Ifan's, Piece's, and Astrid's, merged together, finally forming the portrait of that golden-haired girl.
This was the deepest scene in her memory, and also the obsession of her reincarnation and resurrection.
And now, she finally understood.
Why that golden-haired girl was always an indispensable presence in the memories of these three fragments.
Piece had told her everything.
It turned out that she was her...........
Even after several reincarnations, she still met her fragments, got to know them, and eventually became an indispensable part of them.
Everything seemed like a coincidence, but in reality, it was all destined.
".........Wenfu."
"Uh, ah?" A living person just disappeared before her eyes, entering Astrid's body. Wenfu's little brain was still rebooting and hadn't recovered when she heard Astrid call her.
"Wh-what is it, Sister Astrid?"
"Thank you."
"Tha-thank me?" Wenfu was confused, only nodding her cat's head obediently.
"Thank you for reminding me," Astrid looked up at the sky. "It turns out she was always by my side.........."
"What a twist of fate."
"Diderlay, that scoundrel, probably doesn't even know what he's doing."
"How pathetic, and tragic."
With that, the figure of the Exalted Maiden of the Full Moon, as tall as heaven and earth, appeared behind Astrid.
"Leave the rest to me. I have to clean up the mess I made........"
Although Felicia still didn't understand the situation, Astrid at this moment was no longer like before, giving off a feeling of immense reassurance.
Astrid nodded to Felicia, and the next moment, she vanished.
***
"Boom!!!" A heavy rain poured down from the sky over this desolate, unclaimed land.
Ever since the Sacred Tree of the Elves disappeared from here, the Forest of Sages, deprived of its nourishing roots, gradually became barren, eventually transforming into a wasteland that even the Demon Race disdained.
Four hundred years had passed, and no one would have guessed that this desolate land was once where the prosperous and flourishing Sacred Tree of the Elves was rooted.
The Sacred Tree of the Elves was a supreme presence in the hearts of every Elf. It bestowed upon the Elves eternal youth and long life, protecting the Elf Tribe for generations from external invaders.
Every Elf citizen regarded it as a deity. However, not all Elves respected it so much.
There was one Elf who hated it to the core.
Because of it, it imprisoned the soul of his beloved, preventing her from ever reincarnating.
He grieved over the immense sacrifice his beloved made, and the despairing pain twisted his mind, making him believe that if the Elf Tribe disappeared, she would live for herself and not sacrifice herself for anyone.
"Long time no see, Sacred Tree." On a stormy night, lightning caused the sky to flicker between bright and dark.
In this barren and desolate land, the outline of leaves was faintly reflected. Amidst the torrential rain, the rustling sound of wind and rain hitting the leaves gradually became clear.
Chilly raindrops pattered on the person in the tree's shadow, and the lightning stretched his shadow long.
"It's been a while, Your Royal Highness, the Eldest Princess, oh no, I should say, Her Majesty, the Elf Empress." Diderlay's lips curved into a smile, but there was no mirth in his eyes.
"Long time no see. If I remember correctly, you are Diderlay, the elder of the Moon Elves." The flickering lightning suddenly paused, and a bright, soft halo, like a lake, dimly illuminated the branches of the Sacred Tree.
"The weather is nice tonight. It's rare to see rain in Kaleburn. It's probably been four hundred years since I last saw it." The golden-haired Elf in a luxurious robe slowly walked out, her steps graceful, extending a hand to cup a raindrop.
"Should I thank Elder Diderlay for letting me experience the weather of Kaleburn?"
"No need, Your Majesty. Your cooperation is the greatest thanks to me."
"Elder Diderlay is joking. You are incredibly powerful and influential. To be able to move the Sacred Tree, which I had hidden in a different dimension, back to Kaleburn, with such great ability, do you still need my cooperation?" Bilodis leaned on her staff, revealing a charming and captivating smile.
"However, if I may be so bold as to ask, why did the immensely powerful Elder Diderlay use all his abilities on his own people, while opening the doors to the Demon Race?"
"Your Majesty, the Elf Tribe has long been obedient and dependent on the Sacred Tree. Don't you think this is inappropriate? Born between heaven and earth, is it not improper to be so dependent on an external object??"
"What's improper about it? We Elves are all born from the roots and branches of the Sacred Tree. All blessings originate from the Sacred Tree. Even humans know that killing one's parents is an unforgivable sin, but you don't?"
"Enough, I didn't come here today to quibble with you, Your Majesty," Diderlay regained his serious expression. "Please don't hinder me in what I'm about to do."
"Elder Diderlay, you've made a joke that isn't funny," Bilodis smiled and shook her head, standing firm.
"Truly, I know it's impossible, but both you sisters are the same, equally stubborn. Fine, I'll just have to offend you."
"Bold! How dare you disrespect the Elf Empress and the Sacred Tree!" The silver-haired Elf priestess's expression was solemn as she stepped forward, blocking Diderlay's path.
"Though you are strong, you have not escaped the shackles of this world."
"Watch closely. The power that transcends shackles will change everything according to my will, including the Sacred Tree that you revere as a god." Diderlay raised his hand, slowly clenching his fist.
"Crack, crack!" A teeth-grating, immense sound echoed. The towering Sacred Tree, which pierced the clouds, began to deform as if twisted by some colossal entity, simply due to Diderlay's small action.
"You shameless traitor!" The Elf priestess flew out, delivering a flying kick towards Diderlay, but she was repelled by an unseen force before she could reach him.
"Ancestral Lord, you should rest for a while, don't waste your energy."
"Oh??" Seeing the Sacred Tree enveloped and protected by a twisted restraint, Diderlay teasingly looked at Bilodis, who was leaning her staff on the ground.
"Your Majesty, the Elf Empress, do you want to hide the Sacred Tree again? Give up. If you can pull the Sacred Tree back from another dimension once, you can do it a second time."
"You may be strong in controlling space, but ultimately you are still bound to this land." Diderlay casually slapped the air, and Bilodis was knocked to the ground by this twisted force, her golden hair disheveled, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.
"From my personal subjective point of view, I'm not interested in your lives. Just stay put and witness the miracle."
With that, Diderlay walked towards the Sacred Tree, and with his increasingly large movements, the Sacred Tree's trunk began to twist and deform.
The cracking sound was the Sacred Tree's wail.
"Crack, crack!" Two interlocking spatial rifts squeezed in, clamping Diderlay from both sides.
He took a step back.
"........As expected of spatial power." Looking at Bilodis, who was leaning on her staff, supporting herself on one knee, already at the end of her rope, Diderlay showed a hint of surprise.
He had thought Teresa was already the ceiling of this land, but he didn't expect that after his 'ascension to godhood', someone could still hurt him.
Although this injury couldn't even stop him, it was still very impressive.
Bilodis had even withstood one of his slaps, which was indeed a remarkable achievement.
But it ended there.
"Your Majesty, if you continue to obstruct me, I cannot guarantee your life."
"..........Do you think there's any difference between me and you?" Bilodis stood up stubbornly. "I am the Elf Empress. When I inherited this supreme authority from my father, regardless of my personal will, I must dedicate everything to the future of the Elf Tribe."
"Including my life."
"Diderlay, as long as I live, I will not let you, this traitor, come a step closer to the Sacred Tree of the Elves."
"That would be troublesome." Diderlay shook his head. "If that's the case, I'll have to do something disrespectful, like sending you to meet your sister."
"..........Teresa, what happened to her?" Bilodis's firm expression showed a trace of wavering.
"That's why I say, you two sisters are really good at causing me trouble. I really don't want your lives, but you're both more stubborn than the other."
"There's no other way. Even if I'm subjectively unwilling, I have to do this. It doesn't matter, I've done too many such things over the years." Diderlay numbly raised his arm. Bilodis clutched her neck; she was lifted as if by an invisible hand, her feet dangling in the air, leaving the ground.
"Mmm, mmm........" Bilodis's breathing gradually weakened. Now, with just a gentle squeeze from Diderlay, her fragile neck would be crushed.
"Why block my path?" Diderlay shook his head, tightening his grip........
"Stop!" In the nick of time, a voice pierced the sky.
"Ah, what a bother." Diderlay had no choice but to put down the unconscious Bilodis, looking back at the girl who had called out to him, with a mixture of nostalgia and sigh.
"Astrid, you've arrived."
"Although our relationship isn't great, we are old acquaintances after all. I thought my old acquaintance would understand what I'm doing. What? Are you going to stop me for the sake of some so-called righteousness? That would be too ridiculous."
Astrid had arrived, carrying an unconscious Elf girl in her arms.
The Elf girl's hair had completely faded from golden to gray, with the remaining trace of gold being almost negligible.
Her life was in peril, at its final moments.
"Diderlay, quickly save her," Astrid's tone was tinged with anxiety.
"Oh? What do I guess it is? You found new love and forgot the old?" Diderlay mocked Astrid. "Astrid, I just laugh when I think of all the vows of eternal love you made to her back then. Who would have thought that after merely reincarnating for a few thousand years, your feelings would change??"
"A thousand years of affection, actually replaced by less than a year of impulse, truly utterly ridiculous. Your feelings are worth less than nothing."
"Diderlay, you're an out-and-out scoundrel."
"Thanks for the compliment. I'm quite self-aware about that," Diderlay smiled.
"And a pitiful wretch."
"Oh? I don't think I need your pity," Diderlay spread his hands.
"Alright, I don't want to hear your grandstanding nonsense. I need to continue with my business."
"You'd better listen, especially for your utterly absurd grand ambition," Astrid hugged Teresa tightly, enunciating each word.
"Diderlay, listen well. The person you have been planning for and working for over a thousand years is not far away; she is right before your eyes!"
".........."
Diderlay's forward steps halted, then he slowly turned his head, looking solemnly at the silver-haired Elf girl.
".......What do you mean?" Of course, Diderlay knew what Astrid meant.
But he didn't believe it, he dared not believe it.
"What do I mean? Don't you know it very well?" She held Teresa, her meaning self-evident.
Yes, Astrid lacked the most crucial memory fragments when she first gained self-awareness, but she still remembered her feelings, and the person she cherished.
Therefore, she denied her feelings for Teresa.
But when she remembered everything, she understood.
There was no such thing as love at first sight in this world; it was all predetermined.
She was her, which was why she fell in love at first sight when she first saw him.
If she wasn't her, no matter how much they interacted, they would remain strangers.
"........Impossible, Elica, her soul was clearly embedded in the Sacred Tree! Impossible, she cannot have reincarnated, this is absolutely impossible." Diderlay, who had always been calm and composed, showed signs of emotional breakdown for the first time.
In response, Astrid simply watched him coldly, watching this madman, without a word.
"Ha, don't try to deceive me, Astrid. Are you trying to play some trick again? It's useless, you can't fool me. I'll prove it to you now." With that, Diderlay struck the Sacred Tree with a powerful palm.
"Crack, crack, crack!" The Sacred Tree could not resist the interference of divine power. Its bark and flesh tore open, splitting into two halves like a person ripped apart.
"Watch closely. When Elica's soul emerges, I will take her home........." Diderlay's eyes grew obsessive. "Even changing the laws of life and death is something a god can do."
However..........
The Sacred Tree was indeed split open with a large hole, but aside from a pile of gushing sap, there was nothing else.
This sap fell to the ground, flowing and churning, and patches of vibrant greenness rose.
The earth warmed, and all things revived, but Diderlay's face remained deadly pale.
"Why, why??"
"Elica's soul, shouldn't it be, shouldn't it be trapped in the Sacred Tree? Impossible, I saw it with my own eyes, Elica clearly was........." Diderlay was incoherent.
"I think, if Elica knew you had done so many terrible things to resurrect her, she would surely regret it, regret having told such a lie in the first place," Astrid glanced at the quietly sleeping girl in her arms.
"Originally, what merged with the Sacred Tree was Elica's body, not her soul."
"She sacrificed herself to stabilize the Sacred Tree, and told you that her soul was hidden within the Sacred Tree, hoping that you would cherish the Sacred Tree as you cherished her, and cherish the Elf citizens."
"Diderlay, you are very clever. She trusted you, even more than she trusted me."
"But what have you done? Diderlay, everything you've done is contrary to what she wished for!"
"Your hands are stained with blood. If she saw this, what would she think? I know you don't fear her resentment in your desire to resurrect her, but have you considered that she would be too heartbroken to resent you, simply heartbroken, purely heartbroken!"
".............."
Diderlay stared blankly at the dying Sacred Tree, then looked down at his trembling hands. "Impossible, you're lying to me, impossible........."
"Impossible, how could Teresa be Elica reincarnated?? Do you have any evidence??"
"You don't even believe me anymore? Fine, you want evidence, do you? Elica's remains are hidden within the Sacred Tree's shell. After an Elf dies, although their soul returns to the Sacred Tree, their remnants still retain a part of their soul. You, who are so powerful, want evidence? Just compare them, and you'll know, won't you??"
".........."
Upon hearing this, Diderlay frantically ran to the fallen Sacred Tree, tearing open the deepest roots and tree bark. Sure enough, underneath, he found a pile of bones, and a butterfly token.
Diderlay recognized it as Elica's relic, a blue butterfly hairpin with golden trim, reappearing before his eyes, carrying a sense of being sealed away for an age.
He suddenly thought of something and abruptly looked at Teresa.
"It turns out that butterfly wasn't Elica's relic after all........"
Diderlay gently caressed the bones of his beloved, as if his cherished one was still receiving his affection.
Tiny blue spiritual traces, visible only to him, flew from the bones into his rough, unfeeling hands, clinging to his palms, seemingly unwilling to leave.
He swallowed nervously, never in his life having been so tense as he walked up to the sleeping Teresa.
He looked at the impassive Astrid, then at Teresa in her arms. How he wished she wasn't, and yet, how he wished she was...........
Finally, he extended his hand, guiding the spiritual traces towards Teresa.
However, before he could make a move, these small spiritual dots clinging to his palm instantly flew into the girl's forehead, absorbed within, vanishing without a trace.
"...........Thump." Diderlay slumped to the ground.
It was over, everything was over.
"Ha, hahahaha.........." He laughed wildly, for some unknown reason. "Why, why?!"
His voice was heart-wrenching. "Why?!"
"Why didn't you let me understand earlier.........." Diderlay's voice trembled uncontrollably. He knelt on the ground, this man who had always been in control, never in his life had he been so crestfallen as he was today.
"Get up!" Astrid kicked Diderlay. "What are you crying for? If you cry any more, Elica will truly be in danger!"
"........"
"Look at what you've done?? The Sacred Tree, which sustains the reincarnation path of the Elf Tribe, has been destroyed by you, and Teresa is on the verge of death. If she dies this time, there will truly be no chance of reincarnation!" Astrid fumed.
"What's the use of shouting now?! Aren't you a god? Think of a solution?? You scoundrel!"
"..........Solution, solution, that's right! I am a god!" Diderlay trembled as he scrambled to his feet, gritting his teeth, and looked towards the Sacred Tree.
"It must be revived, it must be revived. It cannot die. If it dies, Elica will........... "
"No, this cannot happen!"
"Ahhh!" Diderlay began to frantically tear at his own body, ripping himself into pieces.
"You, what are you doing?!" Astrid quickly retreated, holding Teresa.
"In this world, no one can kill me, only myself."
"What I possess now is the absolute authority of destruction. I want to reverse the authority I hold, reverse it into pure revival.........."
"You, you're planning to let absolute pain, let yourself generate a sense of oppression, thereby differentiating, and reversing the authority??" Astrid was incredulous.
"There's no other way." Diderlay, covered in blood, smiled. "Take care of her for me."
"Even if I apologize to her for my identity, she will absolutely not forgive me, will she?"
"It doesn't matter, as long as she's alright, whether she forgives or not, it doesn't matter."
"Diderlay, you are an utter fool," Astrid looked at Diderlay disassembling his body with a complicated expression.
He destroyed his legs, removed his internal organs, broke his fingers..........
Excruciating pain, yet his eyes were still filled with determination.
This was the obsession of his reincarnation, and the obsession he lived for.
Astrid silently glanced at Teresa in her arms.
Wasn't she the same?
For her, her desire was so strong that she reincarnated, even splitting herself into three parts.
It was just that her method wasn't as extreme as Diderlay's; in essence, they were both the same.
An absolutely gentle life force was injected into the Sacred Tree and into Teresa's body respectively.
Teresa's graying hair gradually regained its vitality, filled with its former golden brilliance, and her complexion became increasingly rosy.
The Sacred Tree's torn trunk and twisted branches rapidly regenerated, and due to the earlier flow of the Sacred Tree's sap, this land experienced a second spring.
Surrounded by green shade, full of verdant vitality.
Teresa felt as if she had slept for a very, very long time. She dreamed that she had traveled through time, returning to an era she didn't know, where three childhood friends, one named Diderlay, one named Astrid, experienced a moving chapter of friendship.
Sacrificing herself for the Sacred Tree of the Elves, she reincarnated as an Elf War Goddess, protecting the Elf Tribe a second time from foreign invasions, but ultimately met an unfortunate and resentful end.
However, thankfully, the ending was good.
When she woke up, she found herself in a vast flower sea. At the end of the flower sea, a silver-haired girl wearing a straw hat and a rose in her hair was waiting for her.
Seeing this scene, she felt deeply moved.
The silver-haired girl recalled all the past events, the feelings that remained steadfast across time and space.
She was the same.
Memories of separation and reunion intertwined throughout their lives.
Upon reawakening and meeting again, she greeted the silver-haired girl just as she once was Elica, once Dylin, and now Teresa.
"Classmate Astrid, long time no see~"
In a sea of falling red petals, the two girls embraced.