>>Amber

My lips brushed against his. I was drawn in and I was going to kiss him.

But then, a sudden surge of reality hit me. What am I doing? This is not the time or place for this! I thought, pulling back slightly.

I averted my face. And that's when I noticed something. I noticed the dress Hael was holding onto, the rain wasn't drenching it

!?

He had a protection spell on it. It didn't allow the rain to soak it or the soil to dirty it.

I looked back at him and despite the turmoil inside me, I tightened my grip on his cheeks, trying to anchor us both in this moment. The rain continued to fall, but the intensity of it calmed down a little

I think deep down, Hael knew his mother did love him. That's why he's so shattered.

I knew my father and brother in this world didn't love me, infact, I'm well aware how hated I was. So even when they died I didn't feel anything for them. Maybe I would have craved their attention if it wasn't for my family in the real world.

I let his cheeks go and hugged him tighter, trying to ground myself. The rain continued to fall, but it couldn't wash away the turmoil inside me. We stayed like that, two souls clinging to each other.

As the rain began to slow down, Helena stepped beside me, "What just happened?" I asked her as I turned to look at her without breaking the hug.

Hael decided to stand up and I noticed that. So I let him go and stepped back, then both of us stood up.

"She wasn't mentally stable." Helena grabbed the dress in Hael's hands, "Do you want to keep this?"

Hael tightened the grip on the dress, "Yes," And with that answer Helena let the dress go and looked at the dust on the ground.

"Listen," She said and we both got confused.

"Listen to what?"

She pointed at the wet dust on the ground and we both looked at it.

After staring at it for about five seconds we noticed something

!!!

The ground under the grainy particles was vibrating. And not only that, the particles were getting absorbed into the ground.

"What is this?!" I looked at Helena, "No, wait, why did she even turn to dust, to begin with?!"

"All Forest elves turn to sand like dust after their death." She answered, "And from dust, they go into the ground."

My eyes went wide in shock, "They do?" I felt nervous, "All of them?" I nervously looked at Hael.

She noticed my concern, "Not all of them," She answered, "Those who choose to become one with the forest do." She glanced at Hael, "And you have to be in the forest for this to happen, If you're not, your body stays intact."

"Oh," I felt relieved for some reason.

"You both saw the mana core," Looking back at the ground where Hestia died, she let out a soft sigh, "Once an elf dies and turns into dust, the mana core absorbs them into itself." Weirdly enough, I felt goosebumps on my body, "That's how we remain as part of the forest, the part of the core and a part of everyone lives."

My God...

I had no idea there was such a thing.

"This is why elves have no graves." Callon said, "We become a part of the core that sustains us."

"I see..." I turned to glance at Hael. His eyes were on his mother, but much of her was gone now. I stepped closer to him and grabbed his free hand. On his other hand he had Hestia's blood stained dress tightly clenched.

Then all of us quietly watched as the Hestia's remains vanished from our view and returned to the core.

Then I looked at the King and the Queen, "We'll be taking our leave." The rain didn't stop, but at this point there was only a drizzle left.

They both nodded and turned to leave before we did. I looked at Hael, "Should we leave?"

He finally turned his face to look at me and nodded. But his expressions were still grim and seeing him like that brought constant pain to my heart.

***

Hael chose to drop me outside my cafe. It was almost evening when we reached back but unexpectedly someone was waiting for me outside the cafe.

A temple priest, wearing his white and green robes. The green color meant he was a low ranking member and most like a messenger.

As the air around Hael and I died down, he noticed us.

The magic faded away and he came running towards us.

"Saint Amber!!" He came running, "Oh! Thank God! You're here!" He came and stood in front of us, "The temple has requested your presence immediately."

"The temple?" I wasn't expecting that, "Why?" Honestly, I did not want useless stuff on my plate at the moment.

"Saint Illaris is having some sort of bad reaction!" He said, "The temple has no idea what to do. You are our last hope! Please," He was small in stature and when he looked at me with those big puppy eyes, I couldn't outright say no, "Please, just come and take a look at her."

"Do I have to?" I was hesitant. This was not good timing.

"Please," He begged

"I'll think about it." I said. I should be with Hael. I don't have the time to give to Illaris or the Temple.

Hael on the other hand didn't say anything. He simply turned around to leave, scaring me, "Hael!" I grabbed his shirt from the back immediately, "Are you alright?"

Why is he just leaving like that??

He paused, "..." Then he turned his face around to look at me, "I'll be fine. You can go with him." He placed his hand on mine and removed it from his shirt gently.

I felt bad when he told me to go, "I want to stay with you." I said, I wanted to stay with him. See if he was alright.

"I need some time to myself." He looked away, "Alone," And then a teleportation circle appeared under him, and then right the next second, he was gone.

I tried to reach out to him but he left so fast I couldn't even say anything...

"Saint Amber," The messenger with dark green hair, took out a scroll, "I'll teleport both of us there." He presented me with his other hand.

I looked back at the space where Hael had left, then looked down in dismay.

I don't want to leave him alone...

I looked at the other boy. But I don't think the temple is going to stop pestering me. I'll take care of Illaris fast and go to Hael.

I took his hand and he opened the scroll

***

The temple's grand facade bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. The soft glow of candlelight flickered in the alcoves, casting dancing shadows on the mosaic walls. The air was thick with the scent of incense, a heady mixture that seemed to wrap around me like a comforting embrace.

The main hall was empty, but we kept walking silently

Reaching the end of the aisle, I approached a set of ornately carved doors, each panel depicting scenes of saints performing miracles and acts of grace. These doors led to special chambers.

Lake, the messenger who brought me here approached a silver door to the far left, "She's in here," He looked at me and I nodded.

"Okay," I said, "Let's go in."

He nodded back and opened the door. Stepping into the dimly lit chamber beyond. The room was smaller, more intimate, yet no less grand in its design. The walls were lined with shelves holding ancient tomes and sacred relics,

At the center of the room, surrounded by a gentle glow, was the glass case containing saint. Illaris, her serene form bathed in the ethereal light that seemed to emanate from the very air around her. The glass case was intricately adorned with protective runes, their faint blue light pulsing softly in the dimness.

The Temple sure went above and beyond for her. Aren't these runes left behind by some previous Saint? It still holds power.

I kept walking towards her while Lake stopped at the door. I looked back at him with a questioned look but he just gestured to me to keep going.

I let out a sigh and looked ahead.

I don't want to waste any time so let's get this over with.

The soft glow of the runes reflected in the glass, casting a delicate pattern of light and shadow on Illaris' pained face. Her long, golden hair fanned out around her

She's sweating... She must be in a lot of pain. But why? The runes around her should have some sort of healing effect.

I wonder if it's got something to do with her powers. Could it have reacted because she's not actually a saint but was made into one?

I stood beside the glass case, my hands resting gently on its cool surface.

If that is the case, will something like this happen to me too?

I looked back at Lake, "Do you want me to try and heal her?" I asked

He nodded, "That's our only option left. We've tried everything else, but she didn't come back to us." He whispered, loud enough for me to hear.

I looked back at Illaris and let out a sigh.

"Heal," I whispered as I channeled my holy power into the glass case, willing it to reach Illaris and heal her. The air around us hummed with energy, the protective runes reacting to my power with a faint, shimmering light. I could feel the warmth spreading from my fingertips, seeping through the glass and enveloping Illaris in its embrace.

But then, something strange happened. Instead of the usual, gentle flow of energy, I felt a sudden surge, a reaction from within the case that I hadn't anticipated. The warmth intensified, growing hotter and more intense until it felt as if it were engulfing me completely. My eyes snapped open, but all I could see was white—an all-consuming, blinding whiteness that seemed to erase the room around me.

Panic surged through me as the warmth grew almost unbearable, pressing against my skin like a living thing. I tried to pull my hand away from the glass, but I couldn't move.

Then, with a sudden, sharp intensity, I felt a zap—an electric jolt that shot through my body, leaving a trail of searing pain in its wake. A strangled cry escaped my lips as the zap rendered me completely powerless, the energy sapping the strength from my limbs and making my vision swim.

The last thing I saw before darkness claimed me was the serene face of Illaris, bathed in the soft glow of the runes, her expression untouched by the chaos that swirled around us. And then, everything went black.