Chapter 531: The Mark of the Void

Azrynn leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Proserpine.

"What happened afterward?"

The queen remained silent for several seconds, seemingly weighing how much she should reveal. Eventually, she let out a quiet sigh.

"After the Dark Elves were expelled from the World Tree, their connection with the spirits gradually weakened. At first, we assumed it was a natural consequence of their separation from the elves. After all, the contracts between our races had always relied on mutual trust and a certain degree of spiritual compatibility."

She paused, her golden eyes settling on Azrynn.

"But as time passed, something far stranger began to happen. The spirits who encountered the Dark Elves started experiencing unusual reactions. Some became frightened and fled without explanation. Others grew hostile, while a few seemed unable to sense their presence at all."

Azrynn’s expression stiffened.

"Unable to sense us? But you can see me perfectly fine."

"Indeed. That is why I find your existence so interesting."

Proserpine raised one hand, and a tiny butterfly-like spirit fluttered down onto her finger. Its translucent wings glowed with a soft green light.

"Little ones like this are naturally drawn to mana. They can usually sense the flow of energy within living creatures, even when those creatures attempt to conceal themselves. Yet when certain spirits encountered the Dark Elves, their perception became distorted. Some described it as a void, while others claimed they could feel something watching them from the other side of a deep abyss."

Adam narrowed his eyes slightly.

’A void that interferes with spiritual perception? That sounds rather familiar.’

He didn’t jump to any conclusions, but the description reminded him of several abilities associated with the depths of the Abyss. However, he had no reason to believe the phenomenon affecting the Dark Elves was related to his own powers.

Azrynn, meanwhile, appeared increasingly troubled.

"Did the elves know about this?"

"They did. Unfortunately, rather than investigating the phenomenon, many interpreted it as further evidence that the Dark Elves had become tainted. Rumors spread that their connection to the World Tree had been corrupted, and some began claiming that the attack by the Deathless King’s forces had awakened something dangerous within them."

Azrynn’s fingers curled into fists beneath the table.

"That’s ridiculous. How could they accuse an entire race of being corrupted without understanding what was happening?"

"Because fear makes people eager to find simple explanations for complicated problems," Adam answered before Proserpine could speak.

Azrynn glanced at him.

Adam let out a short sigh.

"Once people decide that someone is responsible for their suffering, anything that happens afterward can be used to justify their decision. If the Dark Elves had remained peaceful, they might have called them suspiciously quiet. If they had fought back, they would have called them dangerous. Either way, the conclusion would have been the same."

His tone was casual, but there was little humor in his words.

"Though I suppose that doesn’t explain why the spirits reacted that way in the first place."

"Precisely," Proserpine said. "Even now, I cannot provide a definitive answer."

Azrynn took a slow breath, attempting to steady herself.

"Then what happened to the Dark Elves who were expelled? Did they all leave the World Tree together?"

"Not all of them. According to the records that survived, the majority were forced to leave, but some disappeared before the expulsion was officially completed. Others refused to accept the accusations and attempted to investigate the incident themselves."

"Investigate it?"

"Yes. They believed that the Deathless King’s attack had been used as an excuse to settle old disputes. They wanted to discover what had truly happened to the World Tree and prove that their people had been wrongfully accused."

Azrynn’s eyes widened slightly.

"Did they succeed?"

"I don’t know."

The answer seemed to drain the hope from Azrynn’s expression.

Proserpine continued before she could speak.

"Their movements became increasingly difficult to trace. Some records suggested that they traveled toward the outer regions of the continent. Others claimed they had ventured into territories where even experienced adventurers rarely returned. Eventually, all reliable information about them disappeared."

She lowered her gaze to her teacup.

"Over the centuries, the surviving records became fragmented. The Dark Elves gradually passed from living history into legend. Many spirits eventually came to believe that your race had gone extinct."

Azrynn sat motionless.

For as long as she could remember, she had lived among her people in the Wasteland. She knew they were isolated, and she knew the outside world might not welcome them. However, she had never imagined that their isolation might have begun with an accusation that no one had ever managed to prove.

Her people had endured generations of hardship, yet the truth behind their exile remained buried beneath centuries of uncertainty.

"Then..." Her voice faltered briefly before she forced herself to continue. "Is there any chance that the Deathless King deliberately framed the Dark Elves?"

Proserpine’s expression changed.

It was only a subtle movement, but Adam noticed it immediately.

The queen placed her teacup on the table without drinking from it.

"That possibility cannot be dismissed."

Azrynn’s breathing grew quicker.

"Then he might have deliberately caused the conflict between the elves and the Dark Elves?"

"Perhaps. The Deathless King was known for pursuing power without regard for the consequences. If creating discord among those connected to the World Tree served his purposes, he would have had little reason to hesitate."

"But why target the Dark Elves specifically?"

"That is the question we never managed to answer."

Proserpine looked toward the enormous flowers surrounding the garden. Their petals shimmered gently as mana flowed through them, casting soft patterns of light across the ground.

"The World Tree was not merely a source of energy. It was an ancient foundation that connected countless living beings through the flow of mana. Weakening it could affect far more than the elves themselves. And if the Deathless King wanted to exploit that power, he might have needed to eliminate those who could interfere with his plans."

Adam tapped one claw lightly against the armrest of his chair.

"You’re suggesting the Dark Elves might have known something about the World Tree that the other elves didn’t."

"Or possessed an ability that made them inconvenient to his plans," Proserpine replied. "I cannot say for certain. These are possibilities, not established facts."

Azrynn lowered her head, deep in thought.

If that was true, then her ancestors might not have been expelled simply because of prejudice or an unfortunate misunderstanding. There could have been something more deliberate behind their downfall.

Something someone had wanted to keep hidden.

She looked up again, her eyes filled with determination.

"Queen Proserpine, is there any way for me to investigate this? Any surviving records, ancient ruins, or people who might know more about what happened?"

The queen studied her for a moment.

"There may be a place where you can find some answers."

Azrynn immediately straightened.

"Where?"

"The archives beneath the World Tree. Some of the oldest records were preserved there, including accounts of the attack by the Deathless King’s forces. However, I cannot guarantee that the information you seek still exists. Much of the archive was sealed after the incident, and access to it has been restricted for a very long time."

"Can you take me there?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot simply bring an outsider to the World Tree without consequences. The elves who guard it would undoubtedly question your presence, and given the history between your races, your arrival could provoke another conflict."

Azrynn’s shoulders sank slightly.

Adam, however, seemed less concerned.

"Then we find another way. If the records still exist, we just need to figure out how to reach them without starting a war."

Proserpine gave him an amused look.

"You make it sound remarkably simple."

"It usually isn’t. I just prefer dealing with problems after I understand what they actually are."

"And if understanding the problem requires confronting the elves?"

"Then we’ll deal with that when it happens."

Azrynn turned toward him.

"Adam, I don’t want you to get dragged into another dangerous situation because of me."

He glanced at her.

"Azrynn, you chased a spirit through an unknown gate into another realm because she insulted your race. You dragged me in after you, and now we’re discussing the possibility of investigating an ancient conflict involving the Deathless King."

He stopped for a moment looking at Azrynn’s gloomy face.

"Do you honestly think we’re still in a position to pretend this isn’t our problem?"

Azrynn opened her mouth, then closed it again.

"...When you put it that way, it sounds like I caused quite a lot of trouble."

"You did." he said with a playful smirk.

Proserpine covered her mouth with one hand, concealing a small smile.

For a brief moment, the tension in the garden eased.

Then the queen’s expression became serious once more.

"Before either of you decides to investigate the World Tree, there is something else I should tell you."

Adam turned his attention back to her.

"Another unpleasant revelation?"

"I am afraid so."

Proserpine raised her hand, and the little butterfly spirit that had been resting on her finger suddenly flew away. Its wings flickered erratically before it disappeared among the flowers.

"Earlier, I said that some spirits could no longer properly perceive the Dark Elves. That was not the only unusual phenomenon."

Her golden eyes settled on Azrynn.

"There were also reports of spirits becoming violently agitated whenever certain Dark Elves approached places where the World Tree’s mana was particularly concentrated. In some cases, the spirits even attacked them without provocation."

Azrynn’s face paled slightly.

"Why?"

"We never discovered the cause. However, the incidents became more frequent in the years following the attack. Eventually, the spirits who lived near the World Tree were instructed to avoid the Dark Elves altogether."

Adam’s expression grew more thoughtful.

He remembered the way Sylphy had reacted upon seeing Azrynn. Her surprise had been genuine, and her immediate hostility had seemed less like ordinary prejudice and more like an instinctive reaction.

There was a connection here, but its nature remained unclear.

"Proserpine," he asked, "when Sylphy saw Azrynn, she called the Dark Elves cursed. Was that something she learned from the elves, or is it a term the spirits themselves have used for a long time?"

Proserpine’s eyes narrowed slightly as she considered the question.

"Among the younger spirits, it is mostly something they have heard from their elders. But among the oldest spirits..." She paused. "The word carries a different meaning."

"And what does it mean to them?"

For the first time, the queen seemed reluctant to answer.

"It refers to something that should not exist."

Azrynn was shocked when she heard those words.

Adam’s gaze sharpened.

Before either of them could ask another question, a familiar, high-pitched voice interrupted from behind the queen.

"Sephy! You weren’t supposed to tell them that!"

Sylphy flew into the garden, her tiny face flushed with indignation. She stopped beside Proserpine’s shoulder and glared at Adam before turning toward Azrynn.

"And you! Why do you keep asking about things you don’t understand?"

Azrynn rose halfway from her chair.

"Because they concern my people!"

Sylphy flinched at the sudden intensity in her voice, but quickly puffed out her cheeks.

"That doesn’t mean you should go digging into everything!"

"Then tell me what you know!"

"I won’t!"

"Why not?"

"Because I don’t want to!"

Adam stared at the little spirit.

*What a remarkably convincing argument.*

He leaned back in his chair, casually resting his hand on his chin, and took a bite of his biscuit.

"Well, this is going nowhere. Why don’t we start with something simple? Sylphy, do you actually know what happened to the Dark Elves, or are you just repeating things you heard from someone else?"

Sylphy’s wings stopped fluttering for an instant.

It was a small reaction, but it was enough.

Proserpine noticed it too.

"Sylphy," the queen said gently. "What do you know?"

The little spirit looked between them, her earlier confidence beginning to falter.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Then she bit her lower lip and muttered, almost too quietly to hear.

"I don’t know what happened to them..."

Her eyes shifted toward Azrynn.

"But I know why the old spirits are afraid of them."

Adam slowly let his hand fall from his chin.

"Then I suppose," he said, his voice losing its playful edge, "we should start there."