Chapter 363: Where Will You Go?

Luna stared at the protective case in her hands, struggling to find an answer to Eden’s question.

The others were still preparing to leave the Everglades Secret Realm.

Mithra was checking her equipment, Sun was arguing with Kong over the remaining provisions, and Athena was making sure the researchers had secured every record they had collected.

Their voices carried across the clearing, filling the morning with the familiar noise of people preparing for another journey.

Luna wanted to join them. She wanted to smile, say that everything was fine, and pretend that she was simply tired after everything that had happened.

Instead, she lowered her eyes.

"I... I will probably go see if anyone in my village is still around."

Eden’s expression changed. "Your village?"

Luna nodded, forcing a small smile onto her face. "Yes. My grandfather’s records brought us here, but I haven’t been back since everything happened. I thought that after we finished investigating the Mirrors, I could return and see what remains."

She paused, her fingers tightening around the case.

"If anyone survived, perhaps I can find them. And if there is nothing left..." Her smile weakened. "At least I’ll know."

Eden didn’t immediately respond. She remembered Luna’s determination throughout their expedition, the way she had carefully studied her grandfather’s records even when the information was incomplete. Luna had always spoken about the past with the hope of uncovering something meaningful.

But she had rarely spoken about what that past had taken from her.

"Are you planning to go alone?" Eden finally asked.

Luna looked up. "I haven’t decided yet."

"That isn’t an answer."

A small, helpless laugh escaped Luna. "I suppose it isn’t."

Eden stepped closer. "Luna, you don’t have to pretend you’re fine with me. If you’re worried about what you’ll find, you can say so."

For several seconds, Luna remained silent. Then she looked toward the distant World Tree, its golden branches stretching above the forest.

"I’m afraid there won’t be anyone left," she admitted. "I’ve spent so much time trying to understand my grandfather’s research that I never really thought about what would happen after we found the truth. I kept telling myself that once we understood the Mirrors, everything would make sense."

Her voice grew quieter.

"But understanding the Mirrors doesn’t bring my home back. It doesn’t tell me whether the people I knew survived. And now that we’re leaving, I don’t even know where I belong."

Eden’s wings drooped slightly.

She had known Luna was troubled, but hearing her say it aloud made the weight of the situation clearer.

"You still have people who care about you," Eden said gently.

"I know." Luna gave her a grateful smile. "That’s why I don’t want to trouble everyone any further."

Eden blinked. "Trouble us?"

"Everyone has already risked so much. We came here to explore the Secret Realm, and instead, we ended up fighting to save the World Tree. Arthur, you, and the others could have been seriously hurt." Luna looked down at the case in her hands. "I can’t ask you to risk yourselves again just because I want to find out what happened to my village."

Eden opened her mouth to answer, but another voice interrupted them.

"Who said you had to ask?"

Mithra had approached without Luna noticing. She stood with her hands on her hips, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

"Luna, are you seriously planning to leave us out of this because you’re worried about being a burden?"

Luna flinched. "I didn’t mean it that way."

"Then how did you mean it?" Mithra demanded. "You helped us investigate the Mirrors, shared your grandfather’s records, and stayed with us when the situation became dangerous. You never complained about helping us, so why should we complain about helping you?"

"Because this is different," Luna replied. "The World Tree was in danger. The entire Secret Realm could have been destroyed. Your decision to help wasn’t something I could take lightly."

"And neither is ours now."

Mithra’s expression softened, but her voice remained firm.

"You don’t get to decide that helping you is an inconvenience. That’s our decision to make."

Luna stared at her, apparently unsure how to respond.

Vedas, who had been approaching with Arthur, nodded in agreement.

"Mithra is correct. You are treating our willingness to help as though it were a debt you must repay by refusing further assistance."

"I just don’t want anyone to feel obligated."

"Then stop assuming we do."

Vedas folded his arms, his gaze steady.

"Have we ever treated helping a friend as an inconvenience? We chose to stand together during the crisis because we believed it was the right thing to do. That hasn’t changed simply because the World Tree has been saved."

Arthur arrived beside them, Star bouncing excitedly on his head before settling into place.

"What’s going on?"

Mithra immediately pointed at Luna. "She’s planning to investigate her village alone because she thinks helping her would be too much trouble for us."

Arthur looked at Luna.

"Is that true?"

Luna winced. "When you say it like that, it sounds worse than it is."

"Then explain it another way."

She sighed. "I simply don’t want everyone to risk their lives again because of me."

Arthur considered her words before answering.

"Luna, I understand why you’re worried. We just finished an operation that nearly destroyed the Secret Realm, and nobody should pretend that another journey will be completely safe. But that doesn’t mean we should abandon something important simply because it might be difficult."

He glanced toward the World Tree.

"We didn’t save the Tree because it was convenient. We did it because it mattered. Your village matters to you, and that is enough reason for us to take your concerns seriously."

Luna’s eyes widened slightly.

"But what if we find nothing?"

"Then we’ll know what happened, or at least we’ll have a better idea than we do now."

"And if the corruption is still there?"

"Then we’ll examine the situation before deciding what to do."

Arthur smiled faintly. "We aren’t promising to charge blindly into danger. We’re promising that you won’t have to face this uncertainty alone."

That answer left Luna struggling to find a response.

Sun, who had apparently been listening from several steps away, suddenly raised his staff.

"Then the matter is settled! If there is a village to find, there may be people who need rescuing. Therefore, our expedition is not finished!"

Mithra turned toward him. "You make it sound as though you’ve been waiting for an excuse to continue traveling."

"Of course not. I am simply responding to the needs of the situation with admirable decisiveness."

Kong walked over while carrying his food container.

"Does this village have somewhere to eat?"

Everyone looked at him.

Kong shrugged. "What? If we’re going somewhere new, we should know what to expect. We need to make sure we have enough provisions."

Melo followed him, her five tails swaying as she smiled at Luna.

"Don’t mind him. Kong would probably ask about food even if we were marching into the middle of a battlefield."

"I would ask before entering the battlefield," Kong corrected. "It’s important to plan ahead."

"Naturally. And if we find survivors, you’ll ask whether they’ve prepared lunch."

"Only after confirming they’re safe."

Melo laughed. "How considerate of you."

Kong gave her a suspicious look. "Are you making fun of me again?"

"Would I ever?"

"Yes."

"Then I’m glad we’re beginning to understand each other."

Even Luna couldn’t help smiling at their exchange. The tension in her shoulders eased a little, although the sadness in her eyes remained.

Athy approached with a book tucked beneath her arm. She had finished packing the records she intended to bring and had apparently caught the end of the conversation.

"I think there’s another reason we should help," she said.

Luna turned toward her. "What is it?"

"Your grandfather spent years researching the Mirrors, but his records were incomplete. We now understand much more about the network and the World Tree, yet we still don’t know exactly how the corruption affected the surrounding region." Athy held up her book. "Your village might contain information that could help us understand what happened before we arrived."

"That’s true," Luna admitted. "Some of the records mentioned unusual changes in the forest before the village was destroyed. I never found out how far the corruption spread."

"Then investigating the village would serve more than one purpose," Athy continued. "We could search for survivors while documenting whatever remains. If we find evidence that helps explain the corruption, that knowledge might prevent something similar from happening again."

Athena, who had joined them after securing her research materials, nodded thoughtfully.

"Provided the site is safe enough to examine. We shouldn’t assume the corruption has completely disappeared from every affected area simply because the Mirror network has been restored."

"Agreed," Arthur said. "We’ll assess the situation before proceeding."

Vedas glanced at Sun. "And we’ll do so without announcing that we’re charging into danger before we even know what awaits us."

Sun lowered his staff. "I was expressing enthusiasm."

"You were declaring a new expedition."

"An enthusiastic declaration."

"That distinction does not help."

Mithra laughed, while Melo covered her mouth to hide another smile. Kong merely checked the straps on his provisions, apparently satisfied that the group had reached a sensible decision.

Luna looked around at them, her expression growing increasingly uncertain.

"You really mean it?" she asked. "All of you are willing to come with me?"

Mithra gave her an incredulous look. "How many times do we have to say it?"

"I just..."

Luna stopped, blinking rapidly as she tried to hold back the tears gathering in her eyes.

For so long, she had treated her search as a responsibility she needed to shoulder alone. Her grandfather’s research had become her purpose, and she had believed that finding the truth was something she owed him.

Even after joining Arthur’s group, she had struggled to separate her personal worries from the dangers everyone faced together.

She hadn’t realized how much she needed someone to tell her that she didn’t have to carry everything herself.

Arthur stepped forward and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We’ll help you find out what happened to your people," he said. "That’s settled."

Luna lowered her head, allowing herself a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I don’t know what we’ll find, but... thank you."

"You can thank us after we get there," Kong said. "Preferably somewhere with a proper meal."

Melo shook her head. "You really can’t help yourself, can you?"

"Not when we’re discussing a journey."

This time, Luna laughed properly. It wasn’t loud, and it didn’t erase her sadness, but it was enough to make Eden smile.

Yet Eden’s expression soon shifted.

She looked beyond the group, toward the enormous World Tree. Golden light continued flowing through its branches, passing into the five restored streams that connected the ancient Mirrors. The network had returned to its original function, and the Tree was slowly recovering from the damage inflicted upon it.

A thought began forming in her mind.

During the battle, she had used Future Manifestation to help the others navigate the possible outcomes of their actions.

The experience had exhausted her, but it had also forced her to pay closer attention to how the World Tree and its surrounding network interacted.

If the Tree had once maintained the balance of the Secret Realm, perhaps its connection to the restored Mirrors could reveal something about the land beyond them.

She couldn’t be certain.

They would need to understand the mechanism first, and she didn’t want to promise Luna something the Tree might not be capable of providing.

But there was a possibility worth investigating.

Eden slowly turned toward Luna, her eyes brightening with sudden hope.

"Wait. I think we can use the World Tree to help."