Possessing a female body and proportions, she deliberately swayed her hips with an alluring gait as she walked. Unfortunately, her form was composed entirely of wood and twisting vines—more like a humanoid shape woven from creepers than a person.
"So, Count, what do you wish to learn from me?" the Wood Elf asked, looking at Sean.
Caitlyn.
That was the name she had given him, claiming it was the name of the person who had planted her back then.
"Is that your owner? Sorry, I mean caretaker." After all, she was a great tree—though a living one—but she must have started as a sapling, right? So it made sense that someone had planted her.
And Sean figured her current appearance was likely modeled after that woman named Caitlyn from long ago. Trees probably had no gender; she was just imitating someone familiar.
"Yes. Caitlyn brought me out from the north, my homeland, over eighty years ago and planted me in this forest," the Wood Elf said.
The north.
That was far.
Having lived in this world for so long, Sean had grown accustomed to such vague directional terms—south, north, and so on. The south could be the coastal kingdom of Mersin beyond the Basharan Empire, and the north could be another country entirely. So simply saying "north" or "south" might imply a vast distance.
"Does that mean there are many more Wood Elves like you in the north?"
"Not many. We Wood Elves are beings born from this land itself. Our history is far older and longer than that of humans," Caitlyn said.
Sean had no interest in the so-called history of the Wood Elves.
Many people liked to dwell on history, but Sean, with his awareness of two worlds, had always felt a weak sense of belonging. In his view, the present was what mattered most—surviving the here and now was hard enough. No matter how ancient the Wood Elves' history was, the present belonged to humanity.
The Wood Elf before him seemed to sense his disdain.
She raised a hand, connecting the branches coiled around her body to the great tree beside her.
As if injecting life into it, the branches that had been torn apart by tentacles moments ago began to visibly heal at an astonishing speed, sprouting new buds and extending fresh shoots.
"I know you have no interest in Wood Elf history. Honestly, I don't know why you came looking for me. If you don't care about Wood Elves, why venture into the forest to find me, even using that power to force me out?" the Wood Elf asked.
Indeed.
When she had trapped him in that dream, Sean had intended to use the Eye of Gehros to expose her and even suppress her.
As for why he had come—first, he found the strange phenomenon in Shanggu Town peculiar; second, he wondered if it might be connected to followers of the Old Gods, given his poor impression of the Tacoma region. But now it seemed unrelated. The Wood Elf belonged to a different branch—an ancient life form rarely encountered by humans.
"I thought you might be some other kind of being, but it turns out I was wrong. I misjudged," Sean admitted.
"Another kind of being?"
The Wood Elf turned back, her limbs of wood and vines shifting slightly.
"Count, no. Human, let me warn you: you've been dabbling in a power of terrifying magnitude, one whose history is even older than the Wood Elves'. This is not something humans should wield." She didn't say it outright, but she was clearly referring to the power of the Eye of Gehros!
"Power depends on the one who uses it."
"Many say that when they gain great strength, but few end up as well as they imagine." The Wood Elf's tone grew more serious.
"There are things you simply cannot comprehend. While you wander in your little world, believing it still belongs to you, certain abyssal darknesses slowly awaken."
She wasn't the first to warn him. When he first encountered the power of the Eye of Gehros, Freylia had said the same thing.
But...
Without this power's protection, many things might never have had a future.
"Thank you for the warning," Sean said.
Their rapport was merely neutral at best, so the conversation could only go so far. Unlike Freylia, who would pester him endlessly to give up using the Eye of Gehros.
"Still, I have one last question."
"Go ahead."
"Why spread your influence in this town? Is it because the townspeople raised you, and you want to repay her?" Sean asked finally.
Eighty years ago, a woman named Caitlyn had brought a Wood Elf seed from the north. That woman was likely dead by now, and the Wood Elf had clearly grown for some time before gaining the ability to induce hallucinations with her pollen.
"Because I want Caitlyn to continue her life in dreams," the Wood Elf said, turning to look at Sean.
Beneath that wood-carved face, an expression formed, and a state of nostalgia appeared above her head!
"I watched Caitlyn grow up, watched her age, from joy to sorrow. I wish the people I care about could be as simple and happy as we are. Unrequited love, the masses are full of it... but in dreams, they can have everything."
"She was like that, and so am I."
The Wood Elf didn't continue, but she didn't need to.
This made Sean reconsider this ancient natural life form!
After a moment, she spoke first.
"I've heard stories, and seen them in many people's dreams, about the so-called Count. They call you Count, but that's not your name, is it? Why are you interested in this? Shouldn't you be more concerned with other matters? I've heard from the southbound birds that the Borgs and the Kets have formed an alliance in the north. If nothing changes, it could threaten this country."
"It might not be a full-scale war, but it's enough to give this nation trouble. I've heard this country has grown quite wealthy over the years!"
What?!
Still deep in thought, he hadn't expected her to suddenly bring up the northern nations.
"When the time comes, isn't it you nobles who'll have to step up and handle it?" the Wood Elf said, looking at Sean, catching the surprise on his face.
The sun rose once more.
The night had passed.
Caitlyn, as usual, drew nourishment from the dreams of the town's residents each night, keeping her spirited and long-lived.
But no matter how many years passed, she still found herself wandering to that little cabin in the woods.
After speaking so much with that strange, powerful human yesterday, it had stirred up some memories.
She approached the cabin.
It was now overgrown with thorns and withered grass.
The last time she'd come was years ago. The wooden gate hadn't changed, just aged a bit. In the center of the overgrown yard was a small mound of earth, forever burying the girl she had loved most.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to Shanggu Town, Sean and his entire guard were ready to depart.