Chapter 340: Whispering Forest [End]

Soren learned a lot. In fact, he might have pieced the whole story together.

Actually, the forest was once a magical place, protected by a powerful fairy and watched over by spirits. It was a sanctuary where both humans and spirits could coexist in peace. The fairy was kind and gentle, beloved by all. She kept the balance, ensured the forest thrived, and welcomed travelers who sought refuge within its borders.

But then the humans grew greedy. They wanted more land and resources. They began cutting deeper into the forest, ignoring the spirits’ warnings. The spirits retaliated, and both sides lost lives in the process. Thus began the cycle of violence.

The fairy tried to stop it, but she was caught in the middle. To the humans, she was no different from a spirit, and therefore an enemy. To the spirits, she was too soft on the humans, and therefore a traitor.

Eventually, for reasons he hadn’t uncovered yet, she met her end.

However, her death shattered the balance. Her grief, her anger, her betrayal seeped into the forest’s magic, twisting it. The spirits who had once protected the forest and the humans who died in it became the black monsters, trapped in an endless cycle of pain.

The whispers were their voices, crying out for help, forgiveness, peace, freedom, revenge, and so on. It was them who guided Soren through the darkness. It was them who showed him the truth. They were the ones who had been waiting for someone to listen.

As for the fake fairy before him, she was a monster born from the fairy’s death, wearing her face, using her voice, but twisted by centuries of hatred and pain. She lured travelers into her web, fed on their suffering, and used their souls to grow stronger.

’...And to solve this problem... To put an end to this vicious cycle of suffering and hatred...’

Soren raised the dagger.

’I, the last remnant of her soul, have to die.’

With a smile at the fake fairy, Soren stabbed himself.

Everything went black in an instant; the whispers, the forest, the fairy’s scream, all swallowed by silence. Then, from somewhere far away, a gentle voice reached him.

’...Thank... you....’

───────

"..."

Soren opened his eyes and found himself back in the real world. He sat up slowly and let his senses adjust. Then, he got out of the capsule and looked at Ethea through the glass.

’...She looks like she’s having fun.’

Her lips were curled up, and her expression held a softness he rarely saw when she was awake. She must be really enjoying the story.

’I’m glad...’

His own lips curled up before he could stop them. He stood there for a moment, watching her, then turned and walked toward the sofa to wait for her to wake up.

’...I wonder if I guessed it correctly?’

Actually, he wasn’t 100% sure about his guesses, but knowing he had no other way of contributing, he just chose the option that seemed most logical. The story had given him fragments, and he had pieced them together as best as he could. Whether it was the right answer or not, only the ending would tell.

He sat down and waited.

Fifteen minutes passed.

"...Click."

Ethea’s capsule finally opened.

Soren hurriedly stood up and walked over.

"D-Dear?"

Ethea called out, adjusting back to reality.

"Welcome back," Soren said, smiling. "Did you have fun?"

"...Mmm." Ethea blinked. "I did. But... where did you disappear to?"

"Well, I..." He paused, then leaned down to pick her up. "Let’s talk about this on the way."

"Alright."

With that, they left their private room, and after thanking the staff for the experience and giving their feedback, they took their leave. Surprisingly, they were one of the five groups who managed to reach the hidden ending, so they received a reward from the theater. They decided to check the contents later and headed straight to their next destination.

"...So the villager that guided you was actually the last descendant of the humans who broke the pact?" Soren asked as Ethea explained to him her side of the story.

"Mm." Ethea nodded. "He wasn’t the villain I suspected him to be. He was just a cursed human who had to pay the price for his ancestors’ sins. He couldn’t enter the forest, but he couldn’t leave either. And later, he became the evil fairy’s puppet, forced to sacrifice children and people to keep the cycle going."

"Then, I guess it’s a good thing he got freed, huh."

"...Perhaps," Ethea replied. "But what I understood from this story is that no one is actually innocent. The humans, the spirits, and even the real fairy. The humans were obviously foolish and greedy, cutting deeper into the forest without thinking about the consequences. The spirits were no better. They retaliated with the same cruelty, killing indiscriminately instead of seeking a peaceful solution. And the fairy..." She paused. "She was incompetent... She tried to stop the conflict but couldn’t commit to either side or think of a solution. She tried to save everyone yet ended up saving no one."

"Haha," Soren chuckled. "I wonder how she would feel if she heard that."

"...I told her."

Soren blinked. "What?"

So he guessed wrong, then?

"That’s right." Ethea nodded, oblivious to his blunder. "There was still a part of her real self left inside the evil fairy. She appeared after we defeated her and thanked us for freeing all the trapped souls. That’s when I told her she was incompetent. I also told her she was stupid for having so much power but being unable to use it correctly. She could have just blocked humans from entering, set rules, or even sealed the whole forest. But no, she let everyone walk all over her and then acted surprised when everything fell apart."

Soren stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You really don’t hold back, do you?"

"She needed to hear it," Ethea said calmly. "And... she agreed with me."

"Haha." Soren wiped away a tear and added. "I wonder if the story writer would laugh or cry if they heard how you treated their tragic villain."

"The truth is the truth." Ethea shrugged. "In fact, they should practice a lot more before writing another story. The pacing was uneven in the middle, and some of the clues were too obvious."

"Fair enough." Soren shook his head, still smiling. "I’m just glad you enjoyed it."

"...I did." Ethea looked at him, her expression softening. "Thank you for planning this, dear."

"Mmm. By the way, what do you think about cruising?"

"Huh? Cruising?"

"That’s right," Soren smiled. "We are going to cruise on Starfall Lake."