As I walked toward Lural, I finally had enough time to look at myself properly.
My clothes were a disaster.
There were tears everywhere. My shirt was barely holding itself together, my cloak had seen better days, and the entire outfit made me look less like a Creator and more like someone who had just crawled out of a battlefield.
I pulled the hood over my head and sighed.
"This isn't going to work."
I needed new clothes.
Preferably before someone decided that the suspicious-looking human walking through their city was either a criminal, a lunatic, or both.
The farther I walked, the more familiar the surroundings became. Not because I had seen them before, but because there was something strangely familiar about the way people gathered and traded things. Eventually, I reached what looked like a marketplace.
Fairies were everywhere.
Some were selling food. Others were carrying strange objects. Some were arguing over prices while children ran between the stalls.
For a moment, I simply stood there and watched.
It was strangely normal.
After everything that had happened since I arrived in this realm, seeing ordinary people doing ordinary things almost felt unnatural.
Then I noticed something.
The currency.
Small stones.
They came in different colors and sizes, and many of them seemed to contain some kind of energy. Some glowed faintly while others looked completely ordinary. From what I could tell, they were probably connected to magic or mana.
I stared at them for a few seconds.
Then I checked my pockets.
Nothing.
I checked again.
Still nothing.
I sighed.
"Right. Of course."
I had absolutely no money.
I stood there for a while, staring at the marketplace while trying to think of a solution.
I couldn't exactly walk up to a fairy and say,
Hello, I'm a Creator from another realm who was attacked by an assassin, accidentally entered a forbidden dimension, nearly died, came back completely healed, and now needs some clothes.
That conversation would probably end badly.
So I walked away.
And that's when I saw it.
Clothes.
Someone had hung several pieces of clothing outside their house. They looked simple, but they were much better than what I was currently wearing.
I stopped.
I stared at them.
Then I stared at the house.
Then back at the clothes.
"This is stealing."
I knew that.
Probably.
I wasn't entirely sure what the laws of this realm were, but stealing probably wasn't suddenly legal just because I was desperate.
I slowly reached toward them.
My heartbeat became louder.
It was ridiculous.
I had fought monsters.
I had fought Creators.
I had survived being cut apart.
And somehow, standing in front of a piece of clothing felt more stressful.
Maybe because this was different.
Back in the human realm, I wasn't exactly an innocent child.
I'd stolen things before.
Candy from shops.
Fruit from someone's garden.
A few other things I would rather not remember.
But I had been a kid.
That was different.
Probably.
"I'm borrowing it."
I tried convincing myself.
"Not stealing."
My hand moved closer.
And then—
"Hmm?"
An elderly voice came from behind me.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
An old fairy stood there.
I immediately jumped backward.
My cloak slipped from my shoulders.
My hood fell.
And for one horrible second, my ears were completely visible.
The old fairy stared at me.
I stared at him.
Neither of us moved.
My mind went blank.
Run?
Explain?
Pretend I'm not human?
That last one probably wasn't going to work.
The old fairy looked at my torn clothes.
Then at my ears.
Then back at my face.
I prepared myself for shouting.
Instead, he sighed.
"Kids these days…"
He walked past me and picked up the clothes I had been trying to steal.
Then he held them toward me.
"They don't know how to ask for help anymore."
I blinked.
"Huh?"
He turned around and began walking toward his house.
"Do whatever you want with them."
He stopped at the door.
Then looked back at me.
"Or…"
His expression softened.
"You can come inside. Have a drink. And tell an old man what happened."
I didn't know what to say.
That was not what I expected.
Not even remotely.
I looked at the clothes.
Then at the old fairy.
There was still something inside me telling me not to trust him.
After everything that had happened today, that instinct wasn't exactly unreasonable.
An assassin.
A strange dungeon.
Death Givers.
A realm where I didn't know the rules.
And now a random elderly fairy was inviting me into his home.
It sounded like the beginning of another disaster.
But I also needed help.
More importantly, I needed to find Gray and Alysa.
So, after a moment of hesitation, I followed him.
His house was quiet.
Too quiet.
The old fairy placed a chair near a small table and gestured toward it.
I remained standing.
He didn't force me to sit.
Instead, he walked toward another part of the room and began preparing something.
I looked around.
The house was simple.
There wasn't much furniture.
There were no expensive decorations.
Nothing that screamed wealth.
But there was something that caught my attention.
A painting.
It wasn't a photograph. It was a hand-painted picture of a family.
The old fairy was there.
Beside him were several younger fairies.
Children.
And other family members.
But there was no woman standing beside him.
I looked at the painting for a little longer.
There was something about it.
The house felt like it had once been full of life.
Now it felt almost empty.
As if the people who once filled it had slowly disappeared.
The old fairy returned carrying two cups.
He placed one in front of me.
Then sat down.
"Are you planning to waste an old man's effort?"
I looked at the cup.
Then at him.
I hesitated before finally sitting down.
I lifted the drink and took a small sip.
My eyebrows rose.
It tasted…
Like grass.
But somehow refreshing.
I took another sip.
"What is this?"
"Luthic leaf drink."
He smiled faintly.
"I make it myself."
His eyes shifted toward the painting.
"Her idea."
I became quiet.
I understood immediately.
He was talking about someone who wasn't there anymore.
I looked at the painting again.
But before I could ask, he spoke.
"Don't misunderstand."
His voice had become softer.
"She isn't dead."
I looked at him.
"We simply never got the life we wanted."
That sentence stayed between us.
There was no dramatic expression.
No tears.
Just an old man sitting quietly with a memory that had apparently survived longer than the people around him.
After the war, he explained, he had taken in several orphaned children and raised them.
I listened.
I didn't know what to say.
Love.
Regret.
A life that didn't happen.
I understood the words.
But the feeling behind them was harder.
Maybe because there were pieces of my own memories that I couldn't fully reach anymore.
Maybe because Shadow had taken something with him when he separated from me.
Or maybe I had simply never experienced something like that.
I didn't know.
The old fairy took another sip.
"Enough about me."
His eyes settled on me.
"Why are you here?"
I became tense.
He continued.
"And why do you look like you've just survived a war?"
I almost laughed.
If only you knew.
I couldn't tell him the truth.
Not about the assassin.
Not about Death Givers.
Not about what happened inside that strange dimension.
And certainly not about what I had found there.
So I gave him a simpler story.
I was traveling toward Lural.
I had become separated from my companions.
I had fallen somewhere along the way.
My clothes had been damaged.
And I needed to find them.
It wasn't completely false.
Just missing several hundred extremely important details.
The old fairy listened without interrupting.
When I finished, he stared at me for several seconds.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
But instead of questioning me, he nodded.
"So you want to tell your companions that you're alive."
"Yes."
"And you don't know how to contact them."
"Yes."
"And because you don't have the local currency, you thought stealing clothes was your best option."
I lowered my head.
"…Yes."
There was silence.
Then he chuckled.
"Instead of thinking you're alone, you could have simply asked someone for help."
I looked down at my cup.
"I didn't want to reveal my identity."
My voice became quieter.
"And I don't know what kind of relationship exists between humans and fairies."
The old fairy became silent.
For a moment, his eyes seemed to look far beyond the walls of his house.
Into memories.
"There was a time," he finally said, "when I stood beside humans."
I looked up.
"They weren't Creators to us back then. They were simply… humans."
His voice carried something ancient.
"They had different cultures. Different ways of living. Different beliefs."
He smiled faintly.
"But they were still people."
He looked toward me.
"Just like us."
I remained silent.
"We fought together once."
His eyes became distant.
"Humans stood beside fairies. They protected this land as if it were their own."
He paused.
"Some of them died here."
My fingers tightened around the cup.
"Your people have blood in this land too."
I slowly looked at him.
"So don't walk around thinking you are trespassing."
His voice was gentle.
"This land doesn't belong only to fairies."
He smiled.
"You are part of it too."
Something inside my chest moved.
I couldn't explain it.
Until now, I had felt like an outsider.
A human walking through another race's territory.
Someone who had arrived without permission.
Someone who didn't belong.
But those words…
You are part of it too.
For some reason, they made me feel warm.
I smiled.
A genuine smile.
The old fairy smiled back.
For a brief moment, neither of us needed to say anything.
Then he stood.
"Come."
"Huh?"
"You need clothes."
He brought me one of his children's old outfits.
They no longer lived with him, but apparently they occasionally left spare clothes behind.
It fit well enough.
Much better than the torn remains of my previous outfit.
When I stepped outside again, I didn't bother hiding my face.
Immediately, fairies began looking at me.
Some stared.
Others whispered.
A few looked suspicious.
I expected it.
After all, I was still a human among fairies.
But something strange happened.
The longer we walked, the more fairies gathered behind us.
Young ones.
Old ones.
Children.
The children were the most fearless.
One approached and touched my arm.
Another poked my hand.
One even kicked my leg lightly before looking at me as if waiting to see whether I would explode.
I stared down at him.
He stared back.
I sighed.
"I'm not going to eat you."
The child blinked.
Then another child came closer.
I noticed one little fairy standing farther away from the others.
He wasn't approaching.
But he kept looking at me.
There was something in his expression.
Curiosity.
Maybe fear.
Maybe he simply wanted to talk.
I walked toward him.
He immediately became nervous.
I stopped a short distance away.
Then I extended my hand.
He stared at it.
He clearly didn't understand.
I smiled.
"A handshake."
He looked at the others.
Then back at me.
Slowly, he reached out.
His tiny hand touched mine.
And he smiled.
That was enough.
Suddenly several other children rushed toward me.
"Me too!"
"Shake my hand!"
"Me!"
I looked around at the chaos.
For the first time since arriving in the Fairy Realm…
I didn't feel like an outsider.
I felt strangely at home.
The old fairy watched from a short distance away.
He didn't say anything.
But there was a warm expression on his face.
Eventually, he took me somewhere else.
Apparently, he had connections.
We passed through several areas before arriving at what looked like a military base.
Fairies were moving everywhere.
Soldiers.
Workers.
Messengers.
Everyone seemed busy.
The old fairy looked around.
"I was like them once."
He smiled.
Then his expression became proud.
"My son is part of the elite squads now."
He looked toward me.
"If you meet him…"
He paused.
"Tell him his father wants to see him."
I nodded.
"I will."
Before I could ask his name, I heard something.
A voice.
A familiar voice.
"Zaraf!"
I froze.
Gray.
His voice was coming from somewhere nearby.
He sounded worried.
Very worried.
The noise around us grew louder.
Fairies were talking.
Some were pointing.
Gray was apparently searching for me.
I turned toward the old fairy.
"Thank you."
I genuinely meant it.
But when I looked back—
He was gone.
I froze.
"What?"
I looked around.
Nothing.
No old fairy.
No sign of him.
The fairy who had guided me there noticed my confusion.
"Sir already left."
I stared at the empty space.
I didn't even know his name.
I couldn't properly thank him.
But somehow…
I knew this wasn't the last time we'd meet.
I looked toward the direction of Gray's voice.
Then smiled faintly.
"Until next time, old man."
And I walked toward my friends.
Unaware that the simple conversation I had just shared with an ordinary old fairy would become one of the memories I would remember long after this journey was over.
walked toward them.
Alysa was sitting on the ground, her expression filled with worry, while Gray was standing in front of the gathered fairies, questioning them one after another.
His voice was getting louder.
More impatient.
Almost angry.
Then I raised my voice.
"Your lost friend is here!"
Gray froze.
His head snapped toward me.
For a second, he simply stared.
Then he ran.
He didn't say anything.
He reached me and immediately began checking my body, looking at my arms, my face, my clothes—making sure everything was still attached.
Alysa came running after him.
"Zaraf! You weren't kidnapped?! I thought they—"
"What were you two even so worried about?" I asked.
Gray looked at me sharply.
"What happened? Where were you?"
"Calm down. I'm fine."
I gave them the story I had prepared.
The wind leaf had lost control.
I had fallen behind.
I couldn't reach them.
Then I wandered around until I found my way back.
Simple.
Convincing.
And, most importantly, it contained absolutely nothing about the dungeon.
Nothing about the Death Givers.
Nothing about what I had seen.
Nothing about the world without color.
They listened.
And somehow...
They believed me.
Or perhaps they simply trusted me enough not to question it.
Gray remained silent for a while.
Then he asked quietly,
"Why didn't you shout for help?"
I stared at him.
"You guys left me behind."
Gray's expression froze.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then he lowered his head.
"...It was my mistake."
I blinked.
He looked back at me.
"From now on, I'm never leaving you alone again."
"...Huh?"
Before I could ask what exactly he meant by that, he turned around.
"If you're really okay, let's go. We need to tell Elta you're alive."
Alive?
I almost laughed.
After what had happened inside that place...
That word felt strangely appropriate.
We found Elta soon afterward.
She listened to my explanation without interrupting.
Her cold eyes remained on me the entire time.
She didn't look convinced.
Not even slightly.
But she didn't accuse me either.
And somehow, that bothered me more.
Does she know?
Did she realize I was attacked?
Or is she one of them?
I didn't know.
And right now, I didn't have enough information to find out.
So I decided to leave the question alone.
For now.
We were heading toward the palace.
As we entered the more populated part of Lural, something strange happened.
People started gathering.
Fairies stood along the roots and bridges, watching us.
Some whispered.
Some pointed.
Others simply stared.
Gray looked around and grinned.
"It feels like we're celebrities."
Alysa immediately shook her head.
"They're looking at us like we're aliens."
I didn't bother joining their conversation.
Because Elta answered for them.
"They're curious."
"Curious?"
"The civilians here rarely see Creators."
She glanced toward the crowd.
"The fairies living in Watlokh have heard about Creators for generations. They work alongside them, so seeing one isn't particularly unusual."
Her eyes moved across the civilians surrounding us.
"But the people here mostly know Creators through rumors, legends, and stories."
I looked at the crowd again.
"So they're here just to see us?"
"Partly."
Elta's expression remained calm.
"There are also those who came because they want to see the people they'll be competing against."
"Meaning... rivals?"
She nodded.
"Exactly."
I looked around again.
Among all those unfamiliar faces...
I suddenly saw someone familiar.
My eyes narrowed.
A figure wearing a long cloak was moving through the crowd.
The face was mostly hidden.
But I knew those eyes.
I stepped away from the others.
Then I followed.
She crossed a small wooden bridge formed from the roots of the giant trees.
I landed silently behind her.
She didn't notice me.
Or perhaps...
She did.
I stopped a few steps behind her.
For a moment, I simply looked at her back.
After everything that had happened...
After the dungeon.
After the Death Givers.
After believing I might never see my friends again...
I finally found the one person I had been searching for.
A small smile appeared on my face.
"Not going to say hi?"
The cloaked figure stopped.
Silence.
Then, slowly...
She turned around.
Those familiar eyes met mine.
Her expression changed.
Shock.
Disbelief.
And something else I couldn't quite understand.
Her lips parted.
"...Zaraf?
And now i didn't know what to say.