The Forest Is Opened From The Forest of High Elves by Ryo Mizuno (1992, Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko)

Chapter 1

There is an island called Lodoss. It is a border island situated to the south of the continent of Arraycrast. Among the inhabitants of the continent, there are those who call it 'The Accursed Island' owing to the impenetrable haunts of wickedness that exist throughout the land and the abominable, constant state of war that exists. War was stirring in the lands of Lodoss that had been in a condition of stalemate. The invasion of Kannon by the army of Marmo led by Emperor Beld some ten years ago, and their conquering of this peaceful country shook all of Lodoss in a great war. Emperor Beld has since passed away but the kingdom of Kannon is still under the control of the Marmo Empire. To the people of Kannon, the conquerors from Marmo are like the Forest of No Return on their northern border. Like those who enter the evil forest never to return, there seemed to be no way to escape the sorry oppression of the Empire. After more than ten years of such oppression, the peoples of Kannon had lost all hope. However, even in this condition, rumors of a group who still dreamed of tomorrow had passed for the past several years. Rumors of the return of king Leona and of the existence Free Army of Kannon. It was told that the captain of the knights of the Free Army was the hero called the Dragonslayer. The Dragonlayer's name was Parn. That day, the sky above Kannon was oddly clear. Not a single cloud hung in the sky. It seemed as though the sky he had come to know was covered with a vast blue cloth. It was an unsettling feeling. If it wasn't for the late autumn sun gently casting it's rays, he would have worried that he had been tossed into another world. No, that feeling was due to the fiendish Forest of No Return at his back. "Marl has returned..." came Deedlit's voice and Parn returned to himself. He turned his attention to her. She had probably been concerned for him. Her expression was clouded. Her skin, always the white, nearly transparent color of the elves seemed to him to have a bluish cast. At the same time, he noticed several clinging stares pouring in; stares from the knights of the Free Army that he led and from the people of the town of Karal. Parn smiled silently to Deedlit. Not just for her sake, he though that it would put everyone at ease... Then, a small figure came running up to Parn. It was the bard, Marl. A glance at his height and one might mistake him for a child but Marl was truly an adult. A sage could probably tell right away. Marl was a fairy of the plains called a Grassrunner. These fairies even as adults grew no taller than a human child and had no villages on Lodoss. Marl was a traveler from the continent. "How did it go?" Parn asked Marl. Marl shook his head sullenly, "It's no good. We're completely surrounded. Strong enough to even block the wind." Marl took care that his voice was too low for the villagers to overhear. Parn nodded in painful understanding. "As I thought, it was a trap..." That Prince Leona was not with them was at least some saving grace. As long as he remained safe, even if something happened to those here, the dream of restoring Kannon would not be snuffed out. It was already five years since Parn and his companions had come to the lands of Kannon. Ever since the War of Heroes, the kingdom of Kannon had been under the control of the Empire of Marmo and its people were being pitifully oppressed. In order to free Kannon from this crisis, Parn decided to stay in the area. Parn's decision was helped by his meeting Prince Leona, the rightful successor to the throne of Kannon. Leona had already informally taken up his crown and declared himself as the king of Kannon. At the same time, Leona knighted Parn and appointed him as captain of his knights. But with no place to live and no idea where one's next meal was coming from, it was a lifestyle more like bandits than that of a king and his top knights. The road to Kannon's freedom was a long and steep one that seemed like it would take an eternity to reach the end. But Leona possessed a great patience and continued to make an honest effort to save his people. They were forcing the citizens of Kannon to flee the country. This was how Leona had chosen to fight. He promised the refugees that they would be able to return once Marmo had been dealt with. For this purpose, a list of landowners was created. Most of the refugees from Kannon would go to Flaim where the large area formerly known as "The Dragon's Hunting Grounds" had been annexed and was short of people. The mercenary king Kashue would almost certainly accept them. For the people who lived off the land, to throw away that land and flee was a painful decision. But their fear of their oppressors moved most of the villagers to follow the plan. And Leona's majesty and station certainly did much to help put the villagers at ease. Just recognizing him as their king allowed them to make that hard decision. From Parn's viewpoint, the man was born with the qualifications of a king. It was because of this that Leona fled his country. He was the third son and at the time it was certain he would not become king. However, the nobles and knights valued him above the first prince. Some even called him king. For that reason he left the country, having no wish to start a blood feud... But fate is often ironic. Kannon was enslaved by the Marmo invasion and Leona was not there when all of the successors to the throne were killed. And so he came to stand as the rightful king of Kannon. Leona's plan to send the villagers out of the country was slow but it was beginning to show its effects. In the villages that had been left by the fleeing refugees there was nothing left to plunder. The fields were left untended, becoming a wilderness. The conquerors from Marmo must surely know that this was the reward for cruelly oppressing the people and usurping their lands. The citizens would not weakly submit; they were the true governors of their country. The actions of the Free Army of Kannon were, by now, known to both the people of Kannon and their conquerors. Most likely, as rumors flow on the wind, all of Lodoss was aware of this. This was in keeping with Leona's expectations. Hearing these rumors might bring forth some of the old knights of Kannon. They would also serve to aid Vallis and Flaim in their efforts to curb the actions of Marmo. At that time, a rumor was heard that in a village named Karal, an unbelievably villainous governor was leaving for a new post. The governor had treated everyone as slaves and had declared that the entirety of the years harvest would be taken in taxes. He had told the villagers that his new term of office would be a year and left them with the knowledge that even if they were all to die of starvation, he would neither know nor care. Parn decided they could not be ignored. At the same time a cautionary warning arose because the rumor of the village of Karal had been heard all over Kannon. Further, there wasn't much differentiation in its content. It was as though the rumor had been started in more than one place. He had a feeling that someone had spread this rumor intentionally. When Parn asked the opinion of the Grassrunner Marl, he agreed. Marl, who was also a thief, excelled at determining what information was true and what was false. That Marl had agreed made it certain that this was a trap laid to capture them. Even so, there was no way they could just leave the villagers of Karal to their fate. Since the rumors had gone this far, if they did not act, the rising fortune of the freedom effort would be overshadowed and it was inevitable that this would hinder future actions of the Free Army. Still, since it was likely to be a trap they weren't all going to just jump right in. With some hesitation, Leona had Parn silently approach the village of Karal taking with him only his close companions Deedlit, Marl, Hobb and a very small number of soldiers from the Free Army. When Parn and his group arrived at the village, they first attacked the residence of the governor. The governor and his subordinates, upon seeing the group fled without even offering any resistance. Amazingly, they ran away quite skillfully. Parn ordered some of his soldiers to pursue while he set about freeing the villagers. When the villagers learned that Parn was from the Free Army of Kannon, they tearfully pleaded for help. Not even a single person was against leaving their village. They must have been treated terribly. Most villages would only be abandoned after a lengthy debate. Parn's group quickly took charge of the villagers and they began walking northward. Karal is located in the northern part of Kannon so it is not even a day's journey away from the Forest of No Return. If they could reach the forest and then take a westerly rout paralleling the forest, they would be able to escape through the mountains to Flaim. Parn and his group had used this route many times before. It was a tough journey with hard climbs and descents but there was no choice except to give in to this small task in order to escape from fear. At any rate, pursuers from Marmo soon arrived. The Free Army soldiers who had pursued the fleeing governor came back in a flurry saying that close to a hundred Marmo soldiers were on the way. Parn was now confident that his misgivings were correct. If they tried to run as they were, they would surely be forced to surrender. He ordered everyone to halt and sent Marl out to investigate the movements of the Marmo soldiers. Now Marl had returned safely, his task completed.

Chapter 2

"The east, west and south are completely blocked. And to the north is the Forest of No Return. Hey Parn, what should we do?" Marl spoke as though it were someone else's problem. Most likely, he was confident that he would be able to escape on his own. Parn had seen his speed at running away many times before and was convinced that the confidence was justified. "We'll figure something out..." But just what it was they were going to do, Parn had no idea. "Tell the villagers that we'll rest here." Parn instructed, turning to Deedlit. "Understood, but we won't have all that much time you know." "During that time, I'll think of something." "Deedlit nodded and walked over to where the villagers were weakly sitting on the ground. Then, putting on her best smile, informed the villagers that they would rest for a while. The villagers appeared uneasy but they followed Deedlit's instructions obediently. They had come to rely on Deedlit and her companions. They probably didn't even think to doubt what was said. This was hard for them. Something must be done to insure their safety. Parn instructed the soldiers to guard the perimeter and called for the priest of the god of war, Hobb. He was presently instructing the villagers in the ways of the god of war in order to encourage them. After waiting for Hobb, He and Parn walked a short distance away from where the villagers were seated so that they wouldn't hear the discussion. Marl tagged along. If the villagers were to learn of the situation they were in, it would only bring about more fear. They could probably overcome it but until an action was decided upon, he didn't want to start a commotion. Parn asked Marl, "Do they look like they're going to attack?" Marl shook his head, "I didn't get that impression. It looked as though they have just surrounded us so we can't escape. "So they abused the villagers to lure us out? It seems our opponent doesn't play fairly." Parn nodded in assent, "Looks like Ashuram isn't leading them." "Of course. If it were lord Ashuram, he wouldn't have concocted this cheap trap." During the adventure to recover the Scepter of Domination, Hobb had been one of Ashuram's followers. Now he had pledged his loyalty to Parn but he had not discarded his regard for Ashuram. It is the teaching of the god of war that anyone with the qualifications of a hero should be regarded highly. Thinking of this, Parn smiled bitterly. "I have not forgotten that lord Ashuram is your enemy. If we chance to meet him, I will protect you with all my power." Hobb said, understanding the meaning of Parn's smile. "At some point there will be a settlement. But right now I don't want to fight Ashuram. As long as he's not around, there's a chance we can get out of this..." "But it's gonna be tough." At Marl's words, Parn's expression became dull. He glared at the grassrunner with hate-filled eyes but Marl showed no signs of reaction. "There are only ten of us. The enemy numbers more than a hundred. And they also seem to have magic-users. No matter how strong this group is, breaking out of this encirclement is a tough job. Of course, it would be a different story if we dropped the villagers." "There's no way we can do that!" Parn said in a loud voice, forgetting himself. He realized he was correct in moving away from the villagers. "I thought you'd say that. So are you going to take the villagers into battle against the Marmo soldiers?" "That would be..." Parn stopped short. Marl was only speaking the bitter truth. He tried to think with a cool head. If they took the villagers with them like this, even if they broke through the Marmo soldiers, there was no chance of success. His party was working as hard as they could to protect themselves. They wouldn't be able to see to the villagers as well. "I suppose we'll have to just tell the villagers to wait here. Even Marmo wouldn't just kill unresisting people." "I wonder if that is so." Hobb returned, "The might punish the villagers as a lesson. A lesson to show the weakness of the Free Army and what happens to those who cooperate with it." Marl watched Parn nod in response to Hobb's words and sighed, "There's no way out of this problem. Do you really want to go to your deaths along with the villagers? 'cause I don't." Marl said only this and then, as though it was already not his problem, he quickly left them. He was probably planning to flee back to the Free Army's hideout by himself. Parn watched Marl's disappearing form with folded arms. No matter how many times he thought about it, no new plans came to him. "Should we open a path of blood? Or else, attack them here..." There were only those two ways to strike. But in any case, the hope of succes was slight. As Marl had said, by themselves they could probably succeed in escaping. With the villagers in tow, they would not get past their pursuers. Even so, how could he send these villagers to their deaths who had relied on them to the point of abandoning their own village? "Looks like we'll have to take our chances." Parn said painfully, looking Hobb in the face. Hobb quietly echoed, "Staying here is like waiting for death. We can only look for the weakest place to cut through. There are sure to be casualties among the villagers but..." "There is another way." just then, a chilling voice suddenly resounded. It was Deedlit. Parn turned and waited as she slowly approached. Hobb took the opportunity to leave. "What's the condition of the villagers?" "They haven't walked very far yet but they are already very tired. They are resting quietly now." "So, what is this other way you spoke of?" Parn returned to the discussion at hand and urged Deedlit to speak. Deedlit nodded curtly. "There's no way we can lead these inexperienced villagers into battle. So there's nothing left but to run away." "Run away you say, but where? We are surrounded by Marmo soldiers and to the north is..." after getting that far, a thought came to him. "That's right, the Forest of No Return." During the War of Heroes, Parn had crossed this forest. Or rather, it should be said that he entered the fairy world from this forest and was transported to another location. "Would we enter the fairy world?" Parn questioned strongly. "That's useless. One can only enter the fairy world in specific points and I don't know if so many humans could enter the fairy world and return safely. If it was done carelessly, twenty years could pass in this world and the humans would probably attacked by the trees there. The trees dislike strong feelings..." "So what will we do?" "We'll lift the curse on the Forest of no Return..." "Lift the curse?" Parn spoke loudly in surprise. The Forest of No Return was spoken of throughout Lodoss as a forest of evil. No one who entered ever left again. The rumors said that it was due to a curse by the elves of old. And Deedlit was one of those elves, that is, a High Elf. The village of her birth was in the middle of the Forest of No Return. The rumor was nothing but the truth. The curse on the forest was set by none other than the elders of the High Elves. Parn had asked Deedlit about this. "Can the curse be lifted that easily?" At Parn's question, Deedlit's face lowered and she shook her head, "But I'll try to do something..." "You're hiding something aren't you?" Parn got an inauspicious feeling from Deedlit's expression. Deedlit's shoulders shook slightly and she looked at Parn with frightened eyes. "There's no way it would require the same trials as that time at the tower of the wind..." Deedlit's expression brought the occasion to mind. It was the time when they released Jinn, one of the two spirits that had conquered the Storm and Fire Desert. In order to break the pact that the ancient shamans had bound Jinn, Deedlit had to undergo a trial at the risk of her life. Parn did not see the actual place of the trial because it took place in the spirit world but when she returned, her appearance and condition gave the impression that she had been in great danger. "I won that time so this time will be okay too." Deedlit acknowledged Parn's question. Parn tore at his hair and shook his head violently, "No way! I can't make you do such a thing! If something should happen to you..." "I'm happy that you're concerned for me. But I don't think there's any other way. I just heard from Marl that the situation is hopeless. Rather than attacking while trying to protect the villagers, if I go to meet the spirit-lord of the forest and lift the curse, it will be much less dangerous." Deedlit gave a calm smile. It was an expression that showed only her strong will. Parn sat down on the ground, as though overpowered by this force of will. "My sword cannot reach the spirit world..." "You sword may not reach it but your thoughts of me will support me. Just as they did at the tower of the wind..." Parn's shoulder's dropped and he shook his head twice, "Is there no other way?" It was a groan. "No. If you want to save everyone..." Deedlit answered plainly. Parn lifted his head and, slowly rising to his feet, brought Deedlit close and strongly embraced her. Deedlit slowly exhaled in a sweet a sweet sigh. She looked at Parn in bewilderment. Then Parn's lips met hers. Their two shadows mingled, remained unmoving for a time. "...promise me." Parn said in a thin voice when he released her. "Promise what?" "That you'll come back safely..." "Of course" Deedlit said with strength. But Parn could see that that strength was proof of how great a task lay before her.

Chapter 3

The villagers held their breath as they stared at Parn. This was because Parn had informed them of their current situation. He told them everything. That they had fallen into a trap, that the Marmo soldiers had enclosed them in a wide circle and that if they stayed where they were, the soldiers would soon attack. The villagers didn't panic as much as he had expected. Perhaps they had already lost even the strength to do that. Parn turned to the villagers and said in a string voice, "There is only one way left open to us." If hope was lost, they would not be able to endure the coming hardships. "We will escape into the Forest of No Return. If we do that, the soldiers of Marmo will surely not pursue. We will be able to pas through the forest and safely reach Flaim." "You're crazy!" Someone cried. As though it were a signal, the villagers all began to speak at once. In the commotion, some of the villagers were screaming, others started to cry. "I'm not finished!" Parn yelled at the top of his lungs. But the villagers did not show any signs of calming down. Hobb had been standing behind Parn. When he saw this, he went among them and, using his clerical magic, calmed down those who were overcome by fear. "There is a curse on the Forest of No Return. It's a spell that makes those who enter lose their way so they cannot return and then using the spirit magic of an Ancient Tree, puts them into an eternal sleep. That is all. There are many rumors about the forest but you shouldn't believe them." An old man stood up and asked, "How do you know the secret of the Forest?" clearly this old man was the village chief of Karal. "The ones who put the curse on the Forest of No Return were the High Elves. They are friends of Deedlit here. You should all know the rumor that the curs was laid on the forest by the elves in ancient times." "I have certainly heard of it. So then, it was you who put the curse on the forest?" The old man asked, turning his wrinkled face towards Deedlit. "It wasn't I who put the curse on the forest. It was the elders of my village. Long ago, we were forced into fighting with humans. Elves hate fighting so they used magic to seal away the forest..." "Deedlit can undo this curse. If the curse is lifted, it will be just a normal forest and we will be able to pass through to Flaim without injury." At Parn's words, the villagers turned to look at each other and began a discussion. But their expressions were dark and when something could be heard of their talk, it was nothing but indecision. Parn tried as hard as he could to convince them, "If we stay here like this we will surely be killed. Why can't you understand that? You left your village because you wanted to bring about a peaceful life." But the villagers just cast their faces down and shook their heads. They did not seem to want to hear him. Hobb encouraged the villagers with the teachings of the god of war, that one must have courage and live, but the villagers were never followers of the god of war and Hobb's preaching had little effect. "I'm scared of the Forest of No Return," the village chief said, "Please understand that. I've been afraid of it since I was told about it as a child. If we even have to just enter the forest, it would be better to be killed by Marmo soldiers." Parn looked over the villagers with a sad feeling. The villagers, heads still hung, nodded at their chief's words as though they had already made the decision. If only Leona were here, it wouldn't be difficult to change the hearts of the villagers. Parn was embarrassed at his own lack of power. Then Parn noticed it. Among the villagers, a single person, head not bowed like the rest, sat staring straight back at Parn. He stared in surprise at this villager. It was a face still young that didn't say much about the gender but it seemed to be a young girl. The large pointed eyes gave this impression. Parn looked carefully inside the dark green hood. When their eyes met, the girl smiled slightly. It was a strange smile. There was a fondness about it, as though he'd seen it somewhere before long ago. He remembered the image. As if the girl's smile urged him on, Parn took from his belt a dagger and tossed it casually in the direction of the villagers. The dagger made a metallic sound as it bounced on the ground. The blade sparkled sharply in the sunlight. The villagers lifted their heads in surprise and looked back and forth between Parn and the dagger. "If you want to die easily, take that dagger and cut your throat. If you don't have the courage to do that, you can have me cut off your head with my sword. I assure you it will be much easier than death at the hands of Marmo soldiers." Parn then slowly draw his sword. The strong magic of the sword began to sparkle and the blade gave off a bluish-white light. "Are you serious?" someone cried in confusion. Parn took a step forward with his sword leveled. "Of course I'm serious. You wanted to die easily didn't you. So then, this is all I can do to help. You can hate me if you want. It is my responsibility for not being able to save you." "Those who die with courage are invited into the field of happiness. Otherwise, they fall down to hell into an eternity of regret and suffering." Hobb once again preached the teachings of the god of war. Silence spread. The villagers held their breath and regarded both the dagger and Parn who stood like a statue. Then there were some who stole glanced at the Forest of No Return behind them and some who looked far away to see if the Marmo soldiers might not be attacking. Parn said nothing. He just stood there, sword still drawn, and waited. For the villagers answer. The first one to break the silence was the young girl that had caught Parn's attention. "I don't want to die," the girl said clearly. Her voice was unexpectedly clear. "Then live with us. Go into the Forest with us." Parn said strongly. The girl smiled brightly and happily nodded. "What about the rest of you?" Parn said again in a loud voice. The villagers turned to each other once more. Their faces said they had given up. Then one or two stood up as if they had made their decision. One man said, "If we had stayed in the village, we'd have probably starved, so we'll do as you say." The man didn't sound optimistic but it touched Parn's heart. The rest of the villagers one by one nodded in assent. They had chosen uncertain danger over certain death. "Well then, we should leave soon. I don't think the Marmo soldiers are going to wait much longer." Parn glared at the Forest of No Return. Just then, a gust of wind came up and shook the trees of the forest. It was as if the forest was welcoming them inside, or else it was rejoicing that new victims had fallen into its trap.

Chapter 4

Although it was just after midday, it was dark inside the Forest of No Return. The autumn sun filtered through the thickly growing leaves; only a small amount shone through. Of course there was no road. The hundred or so humans pressed forward weaving themselves among the trees. Parn walked beside Deedlit at the head of the group. He could easily see everyone's unease. They tried very hard not to touch the trees and occasionally looked up to see if there might not be some demon lurking in the branches above. After walking only a short distance they were already short of breath, their feet dragging. Parn, realizing that those following had become separated, had to wait several times while the rest caught up. Having already decided to face the curse, they surely wouldn't go astray. But being convinced by logic does not prevent emotions from doing as they please. It seemed to require coyrage just to take a single step forward. There was a suggestion that they just stop inside the forest boundary but it was decided that this would not deter the Marmo soldiers who would surely search the forest boundaries. Parn's unease was the same as the villagers. He noticed sweat building up on the palm of his hand that gripped his sword. "It's all right, there's no curse on this area." Deedlit whispered to Parn. "Where does the curse start?" "If we go just a bit further, it will take hold I think." "I see...then, Deedlit, please go on to the High Elf village. I will try as hard as I can, but I don't think I will be able to resist it." Deedlit was looking carefully at Parn. She appeared to be losing her resolve. "Stay with me just a bit further. At least until you fall under the curse..." "I wouldn't want you to witness that clumsy moment." Parn said with a smile but he planned on doing as she asked. Because if things went badly, he would never see her again. Parn knew that Deedlit was also uneasy. There was no grace in her walk. She was taking care with each rise and fall of her feet. If she was her usual self, she could bound lightly along a path such as this. Just then, a dizziness assaulted Parn. Startled, He concentrated his spirit. It was likely the onset of the curse. The curse was just another form of magic so if he tried to resist it like magic he might escape its grip. He didn't know long he could resist but he planned to stay beside Deedlit for as long as he could. With his spirit concentrated, Parn continued walking carefully. After one step, it seemed like there was someone whispering inside his head. Shaking his head, he made sure of his footing and continued to walk. Once again the dizziness came. This time it was fierce, his field of vision becoming dark for an instant. Parn staggered and fell to his knees. After catching his breath for a moment, he lifted his head. Deedlit was there before him gazing back at him. He stood up, using his sword as a crutch. "Deed..." Parn called her name hoping to put her at ease. There was no answer. When he looked again, he could see multiple images of her that didn't go away when he rubbed his eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something but he couldn't hear her voice. Parn was in complete silence, as though he had wandered into a world without noise. He tried to stretch out his hand but it wouldn't reach her. And then he could no longer tell the difference between Deedlit and the trees in the forest. In a flurry, Parn looked around him. The villagers were already nowhere to be seen. All he could see were the trees of the forest continuing forever. It was like he was looking into mirrors had been placed opposite each other. Parn started to walk in search of Deedlit. The trees stood neatly arranged like those lining a city street. The space between was like a small road that led straight forward. "So this is the curse of the Forest of No Return..." Parn said with a groan. He was driven by an impulse to run with all his might. But he thought that this was just a false emotion brought about by the curse so, taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down. Then, trying not to be unsettled by the scenery around him, he began walking, measuring the ground with each step. No matter how far he walked, the forest did not change. No matter which way he turned or how fast he went, it continued to present him with the same view. Parn got the weird impression that it wasn't he who was moving but perhaps instead, it was the trees that were all moving together. Perhaps he was walking around in circles in the same spot. To make some sort of a mark, Parn drew out his sword. If he cut down a branch or put a mark on a tree trunk, he would be able to determine what situation he was in. Holding his sword aloft, he tried to cut the lowest branch off of a tree. Or so he thought. The trees moved in great commotion. Though there was no wind, the branches fluttered and the trunks swayed. It looked as if they realized Parn's intention and were afraid. His sword still poised, Parn looked at the change in the trees with surprise. Then a branch from above came down like a wire and wrapped itself about his arm. He stiffened and shook it off. The next moment, it was no longer a single branch. From the trees all around, what seemed like an uncountable number of branches stretched out trying to grab him. Parn used all his strength and broke into a run in an attempt to escape. By this time the forest had shown its hostility as more and more branches extended to prevent him from escaping. Rather than use his sword, Parn used his hands to brush off the branches as he ran. It was like a bad dream. How long he ran was uncertain but suddenly a huge tree jumped into view in front of him. Its trunk was wider than five adults joining hands. At its base, many twisted roots showed themselves like writhing snakes. Parn stopped short and looked up at the huge tree. Surprisingly, the tree's leaves shone with a golden light. "A Golden tree!" Parn knew about these from Deedlit. At the beginning of the world a single tree was born along with the gods and other ancient races. The tree was called The World Tree. This great tree with golden leaves bore a fruit called The Fruit of Life. Legend says the gods used the fruit of the world tree to create the other living things. The World Tree withered when its fruit was taken so the gods took still-living branches from the tree and planted them in the ground thus bringing to life the ancient trees that are called the Golden Trees. The Golden Trees bore fruit and when these fell to the ground, new trees grew. In this way, the Golden Trees became the centers of great forests. Having finished their appointed tasks, most of the Golden Trees withered away but it looked as though there were still some left. It is said that a Golden Tree exists in the heart of each great forest. For example, it is known that a Golden Tree exists at the heart of the Glassy Woods to the north of Moss. Parn, his sword pointed at the tree, stood staring blankly at it. He was seized with a feeling of dread even if he tried to attack it, his body would not respond. It also seemed to him as though the great tree were making a plea. Listening to his heart, he found that the Golden Tree spoke the truth about the forest. "Accept..." The Golden Tree seemed to be saying. So when the Golden Tree stretched out its branches, caught and enfolded him, he made no resistance. Presently the tree shook slightly. A strage sound could be heard. It was a sound Parn remembered hearing. By the time he realized that it had the same ring as the spirit language Deedlit often used, the tree was once again conveying its will. "Sleep..." Parn accepted this. The will of the Golden Tree was like a lullaby, it slipped into his heart and he fell peacefully into sleep.

Chapter 5

Deedlit watched Parn move away with feelings of pity and sadness. He was caught up in the curse. His body became semi-transparent and even then he continued to look at her for a while. Soon that shape, as if erased, disappeared as well. Parn had fallen into another world created by the forest. Since her childhood, Deedlit had watched humans in this state. They would appear and disappear like illusions, showing up in various parts of the forest. They were the pitiful victims from ancient times who, entering the forest had been caught up in the curse. It was through watching these people that Deedlit gained an interest in humans causing her to leave her village to visit the human world. After that, in the city of Allan, she met Parn. Deedlit turned around and looked for the villagers and the Free Army soldiers. They must have all been taken by the curse for there was no sign of them. Clearly Parn, possessing such a strong spirit, was the last to succumb to the curse. Deedlit lifted her head, shaking off her sadness and started walking straight for the village of the high elves. She walked quickly and naturally. After a short time she would come to a place where two trees stood together. This was the "Gate" to the fairy world. There were several of these gates in the Forest of No Return and, of course, one in the high elves' village. Going through the Fairy World, the village would be only a short way off. It was at that point that Deedlit noticed footsteps that were not her own coming up from behind. Surprised, she whirled around to see a figure clad in dark green clothes. She remembered the outfit. It was a villager from Karal. Deedlit remembered because the villager's face had been covered by a thick hood, standing out among the villagers. "Someone managed to escape the forest's curse..." Deedlit said in surprise as she waited for this villager to approach. It looked like the villager was a young girl. As she approached she said, "Everyone's gone away..." "Don't worry, they have merely put under the spell of the forest. Everyone is still alive. When the curse is lifted, they will return safely. Setting that aside, why were you not affected by the curse?" Deedlit asked the girl. The girl gave a nod and, rather than answer, she took hold of her thick hood and silent removed it, letting it fall over her back to reveal short black hair along with long, thin, pointed ears. "You're a half elf!" Deedlit unthinkingly put her hand to her mouth. Blinking her eyes she observed the girl. "That's right, Ms. High Elf. I'm a half-elf. Maybe that's why the curse didn't work?" "An elvish curse will not work on elves. The elven blood in your veins protected you from it." Deedlit beckoned to the girl and the two began walking together. There was no way she could leave the girl alone in the middle of the forest. "My name is Deedlit. You are?" "Leaf" "That's a nice name...Your parents, which one was an elf?" "My father. He was a companion of my mother who was an adventurer. But the Dark Elves attacked our forest and my father was killed fighting them. My mother went out to take revenge so she sent me to the village of Karal with my aunt before she set out." Hearing this, Deedlit's face was clouded. "I see..." There were many forests in the lands of Kannon and many elven villages. But when Marmo invaded they were attacked by the hateful dark elves from the Forest of Darkness and most of them were killed. Leaf's father could be considered one of those victims. "Have courage. The domination of Marmo won't last too much longer." The young girl nodded. She was more upbeat than expected. Deedlit was relieved and the two of them began walking together again. Yet soon another worry entered Deedlit's head. "I wonder if it will be all right to take her to the village?" she asked herself. If by chance she were to bring a human, there would probably be no chance of a welcome from the village elder. But how would he see a half-elf? As she learned when she went out into the human world, a half-elf was shunned by both humans and elves. She could not understand why this happened; humans and elves did not hate each other but for some reason it seemed like they wanted to keep their distance. Thus a half elf with the blood of both races would likely be despised. This was not a subject of conversation at her village so she really had no idea how the elders would accept a half-elf. She could even envision Leaf being turned away at the gate. Just then the gate to the fairy world appeared in front of them. The two trees stood close together like twins. Between the two trunks was a small space that, if correctly passed through, one could enter the fairy world. "What's that?" Suddenly, Leaf shook Deedlit's shoulder slightly and clung to her. "It's really strange that the spirit-energy of the forest should be this strong." Deedlit was surprised, "Are you a shaman?" "I learned from my father. The spirits are my friends!" "Relax, that is the gate that leads to the fairy world. That is why it overflows with spirit-energy." "Are we going into the fairy world?" "Yes, we will pass into the fairy world and go to my village. In order to lift the curse on this forest." "Do you think they'll welcome me?" Leaf asked, her large eyes filled with doubt. From the doubt in her eyes it seemed as if she had read Deedlit's thoughts. Shamans often had very sharp perception. They were especially sensitive to changes in the feelings of those around them. "It's okay though. I've gotten used to being mistreated." Leaf said this without a change in her expression. It seemed she had indeed grown up being persecuted as Deedlit had surmised. "Do you want to wait here?" Deedlit asked gingerly. If she arrived without Leaf, there would be no problems. "If I'm in the way, I will." "In the way?!" Deedlit said in a flurry and grasped Leaf's hand. "Don't think that way. I'm your ally here. Because, just like your father, I'm in love with a human." "So, do you have any half-elf children?" Leaf asked earnestly. Deedlit went red out to the tips of her ears. "I have no children," she mumbled in a voice that almost vanished. An image of Parn jumped into her head and disappeared. "Okay Leaf, let's go to my village together. Something will probably be said of it but if that happens, I will be there to protect you." Leaf smiled and said yes. So Deedlit, holding Leaf's hand, spoke the elvish words of the spell that would open the door to the fairy world. When the spell was complete she and Leaf bounded through the space between the twin trees. The world changed in an instant and the two of them were standing in the 'Forest' fairy world that sparkled like gold. "Shall we go?" asked Deedlit. Still holding Leaf's hand, they started walking slowly.

Chapter 6

They walked in the fairy world for only a very short time. But time passes differently in the fairy world than it does in the physical world. In any case, Deedlit was quite familiar with the rules of the fairy world so she was able to return to the physical world without wasting any time. The sun was setting and it was getting dark inside the forest but it was still the same day. Exiting the gate, before her was the village of the high elves that she had not seen for so long. The village had not changed one bit since she had started her journey. In fact, it hadn't changed a bit since she was born. For a visible change to take place in the village would probably require hundreds of years. Trees that easily passed a thousand years of age lined the area. Small log houses sat along the larger branches of the trees. Between them ran simple bridges of woven ivy allowing easy access. The figures of one or two elves could be seen walking up in the trees. Overcome with nostalgia, Deedlit forgot everything for a moment. "Deed, Deedlit is it you?" A remembered voice cried out. Deedlit turned in the direction of the voice. "Estas!" she burst out. Estas of all the villagers was the closest in age with Deedlit. He had been her closest friend. Six years ago, Estas had come to the human world to bring Deedlit back to the village. She was still living in Zaxxon at the time. He had told her then that he loved her and that he would wait as long as it took. Estas jumped lightly from the trees, landed skillfully on the ground and headed straight for Deedlit. It was about this time that he noticed Leaf. His expression hardened and his walk became cautious. When Estas came up, Deedlit slowly hugged him, glad of the reunion. "Welcome home. Er, who is that?" "She is Leaf," Deedlit answered with a stiff voice. She wa> Transfer interrupted! half elf. Leaf smiled sweetly and greeted Estas. She then unabashedly lowered her hood from her head. "A half elf!" "Just to make things clear, she is not my child." "I figured that. But that being the case, why did you bring a half elf here?" "Would you stop insulting her!" Deedlit said in a flurry, "I'll explain the situation later. In any case, I want to see the elder. I came back to ask him a favor." "Situation? Then I take it that you didn't come back because you've become tired of the human world." "No, sorry." "Hmm, oh well. I'll go inform the elder. Until then, you cannot take this girl into the village. I swear, you are always surprising me!" Estas, his voice cold as he spoke, turned his back on Deedlit. Deedlit got the miserable feeling that she had been abandoned. Leaf took hold of her arm and when their faces met, Leaf was smiling forlornly. "As I thought, they didn't welcome you. I'm sorry." "There's no need for you to apologize." Deedlit was surprised and gazed at the girl's face. Perhaps she was completely used to being tormented. She looked more composed than expected and that was even more painful. Deedlit felt suffocated. Deedlit waited for quite some time. Already the sun had set and the forest was encased in darkness. With a spirit of light, Wil-o-Wisp to guide him, Estas finally returned. There were several elves with him. Of course every one of them were faces she knew. They were happy to see her again but they all wore stern expressions and this forced them to swallow any pleasantries. "The elder is waiting." Estas said in a commanding tone. Deedlit signaled to Leaf and began walking with the group. She felt like she had been caught committing a crime. It looked as though Estas was heading for the Golden Tree. This ancient tree with its golden leaves grew at the center of the village and was the place of choice for the elves to gather together. The pale light of the Wil-o-Wisp that floated above her head cast light on the forms of Estas and company who walked silently in front. What should have been fondly remembered scenery felt to Deedlit like a foreign country. Soon the shape of a great tree came into view. It was the Golden Tree that had set its roots in the earth so many thousands of years ago. It appeared that the entire village was already assembled around the Golden Tree. Deedlit's parents were probably there as well. The familial bonds are not as strong with elves as they are with humans but that is not to say that an elf wouldn't be happy to see her parents. "Welcome home Deedlit." Rumaas, the elder, called in a peaceful voice. Elder Rumaas was the oldest elf living in the village. He was a pure High Elf that was summoned from the fairy world during the war of the gods. Different from the elves born in the human world, one could soon see that his entire body was softly surrounded by a golden light. The characteristics of the fairies remained strongly with him. "Thank you elder, I have returned." Deedlit, tense, returned the greeting. "I have heard from Estas. You have come back with a half elf." After affirming this, Deedlit began to explain why she had returned to her homeland. She explained that her companions had rescued the villagers at Karal and entered the Forest of No Return, that Leaf had been among the villagers and that, in order to save the villagers and her friends, she wanted to lift the curse on the forest and... "Are you serious Deedlit?" Rumaas looked intently at Deedlit. His voice and figure were young; a human would not be able to imagine that this elf had lived for thousands of years. Elves do not age like humans, they retain their youth for eternity. "Of course I'm serious." Deedlit said plainly. The bustling voices of the assembled elves could be heard. She told herself to take no notice. "We don't care what the humans try to do in their own world. But this forest is not the human world. It is the world where we, the High Elves live. Why must we release the forest for the sake of humans?" "That is..." Deedlit was at a loss for words. The words of the elder were correct. This forest was the elves' holy land. It was the curse that the elder had put on the forest since the time of ancient kingdom that was responsible for protecting it. If there were no curse, the humans would enter the forest and would likely threaten the existence of the High Elves. "We cannot lift the curse for your private reasons. That is a human way of thinking." "Human way of thinking..." Deedlit was shocked by the elder's words. Humans think of nothing but themselves. That was what the elves thought. They were fairies of the forest. Trees gathered together become a forest but a single tree cannot make a forest. So the elves naturally think of everyone as a whole. This can be thought of as a racial characteristic of elves. "You've gone to the human world and been poisoned by human thoughts Deedlit." The words of the elder pierced her chest one by one. Deedlit shut her eyes and tried to endure the pain. Estas stood up, turned to the elder and explained, "Deedlit is still young. She touched the atmosphere of the human world and is only a bit confused. If she stayed here in the forest, she would realize her mistake and come into the correct way of thinking." "Of course Estas. Deedlit is still a young girl. It is a time for the trunk to grow, extend branches and sprout new leaves. By that thought she turned towards the outside and absorbed its dirty water, air and light. That is all. In any event, Deedlit has returned to us and this has eased many pains for our clan." The elder said this and slowly rose to his feet. "And about the half elf?" Estas asked the elder. "She will be permitted to remain for the evening. Tomorrow, she should leave the forest." At these words, all of the elves nodded and one by one rose to their feet. "To spread leaves when there is no light is a waste of air and water. The meeting is ended for tonight." The elder spoke, dismissing the assembly. Biting her lips, Deedlit continued to stand where she was. Her right hand clasped the hand of Leaf who stood next to her; her left hand was clenched in a fist. "Welcome home Deedlit." came a fondly remembered voice. Stiffening, she turned in the direction of the voice and this time the same words came back from a different voice. Her mother and father were standing there. "Father, mother..." Her parents slowly extended their hands. Deedlit fairly flew into their arms. Embraced sweetly by her mother, Deedlit thought she had returned to a time before she had left. The events of the last ten years were all a dream and if she stayed and rested the night she felt she would forget everything. "We have asked the elder and received permission to take in the half elf. Rest easily tonight and tomorrow we will see her off. There is no need to bring change to this village." After her father said this, he hugged her. It was a gentle embrace. "I've come home..." Deedlit thought deeply. Just then, an out of the ordinary voice cried out behind her. "A human! At the Golden Tree!" "A human?" Deedlit turned around surprised, and headed toward the Golden Tree. In fact, there was a human male standing in front of the tree. But he was semi-transparent so she realized it was an illusion of a man caught in the curse. He turned to the Golden Tree and pointed his sword at it. It was like he was trying to fight the tree. "He mustn't! If the Golden Tree is cut down, the spell on the forest will be destroyed..." Deedlit's father cried out in a flurry as he rushed towards the Golden Tree. Deedlit followed. She recognized the illusionary man. There was no way she could forget. Out of breath, Deedlit came up to the image of the human. Then she turned to him and at the top of her lungs cried out, "Parn!" tears flowed unnoticed. Several elves turned to the illusion of Parn and began to chant shamanic spells. But such spells cast in this world could not reach Parn who had been taken into the world of the curse. The Golden Tree began to shake. The Golden Tree was the center of the forest and the source of the curse. The magic of the Forest King passed through this ancient tree and shut off the forest. Naturally, the tree exists at the same time in both this world and the world that was constructed by the curse. "No Parn! You must not hurt that tree!" Deedlit called to him in a grief-stricken voice. There was no way her voice would reach him. Even so, Deedlit continued to call until she lost her voice. She wanted them accept the lifting of the curse, but she felt that it would not be right for the curse to be broken by a human's sword. In front of her eyes as Parn faced down the Golden Tree, she could only think of it as a symbol of the antagonism between elves and humans. Right now, it looked as though the rest of the High Elves thought the same thing. But--- Parn did not swing his sword. He did not try to resist as the Golden Tree extended branches to enfold him, letting them do as they would. Deedlit surprised, put her hand to her chest in relief. The Golden Tree had already returned to normal as though nothing had happened. The illusion of Parn had also disappeared leaving Deedlit with the feeling that she had dreamt the whole thing. "No, it was no dream." Deedlit told herself firmly. Deedlit was ashamed of herself. In her happiness at returning home, she had completely forgotten about whet she had to do. In her fear of the elder, she had believed every word he had said. But not all humans thought only of themselves. Hadn't Parn demonstrated this body and soul? Deedlit turned to the Golden Tree and moved slowly forward. She was going to enter the spirit world. To do this, only the Golden Tree could be used as a gate. "Deedlit, what are you going to do?" Her mother called for her to stop but the voice did not feel real. It sounded like it came from another world. She did not answer her mother. She was no longer a little girl who knew nothing. She had seen the human world and saw its many truths. It was not just the humans who were mistaken. The High Elves had made mistakes of their own. Deedlit concentrated her will and spoke the spell that would open the gate to the spirit world. Previously in the Storm and Fire desert, she had visited the spirit world of wind and met the Wind Lord. This time she would go to the spirit world of the forest and meet with the high spirit of the forest, Ent. The trunk of the huge Golden Tree loomed before her eyes. Deedlit quietly extended her arms. Her fingertips touched the tree's trunk. Without any resistance, they sank in. The gate to the spirit world was open. Deedlit was still chanting in the language of the spirits as she sprang inside the Golden Tree.

Chapter 7

The place overflowed with light. It was a world of shining gold. In the center of this brilliance floated a single giant tree. Swallowed by the light, nothing else could be seen. The great tree was itself the world. "The World Tree..." Deedlit mumbled. The World Tree, like the gods and dragons was one of the original ancient races born from the remains of the Giant of the Beginning. The various other races of living things were created from the fruit of this tree. From its young branches, planted in the ground, the Golden Trees grew and soon formed the ancient forests. The World Tree's own power weakened from its use as the catalyst of creation and it might have withered and died. Because of this, the gods sent this original tree to the spirit world and consecrated it so that it would become the source of power for trees and plants. That very World Tree was right in front of Deedlit. As though being sucked in, she dropped down to stand on a branch. Close by, several Dryads and Sprites were playing. Actually, the fearful Sprites, when they saw Deedlit, fluttered and in a commotion disappeared into the shadows of the leaves. At some point it happened that Deedlit was completely naked. All physical things were negated in the spirit world. Rather than fairy, Deedlit's existence became closer to that of a spirit. "But I cannot forget who I am," she said softly. If she were to forget that she was a fairy, she would be swallowed by the spirit world and become a low-class spirit with no will of her own. "It is rare to see an elf here. This is the spirit world you know. It is not the world you live in." A Dryad called out to her. "I know that. But I believe this isn't the first time. Very long ago, one of my kin must have come here. Must have made a pact. A pact that closed off a forest." "I don't know such things. I do not have the power to do that." "Where is the king of the forest?" "You don't know how the spirit world works. Of course the king is here. He is even close by." So saying, the Dryad vanished behind the tree trunk like leaping water. Deedlit waited patiently. She felt a strong force approaching. Soon something like a young tree sprouting appeared from the place where the Dryad had vanished. At first it looked like a small branch but it grew very quickly to the size of a giant sheltering tree that grew out of the World Tree. It was the high spirit of the forest, Ent. Deedlit felt an overpowering fear as she looked straight at the form of Ent. "What business...O forest girl...this is no place for you." Slowly a presence called out directly to Deedlit's mind. "I have come to release the contract that was made in ancient times." "Release...the contract..." As soon as that intention was relayed, Ent slowly began to shake; the shining golden leaves started to hum. "You have...no qualifications..." Ent conveyed this slowly, but with great force to Deedlit. "Test my qualifications. I will be able to make a contract with you." "You have...no qualifications..." Ent repeated without a pause. It then smoothly extended a small branch to Deedlit. Deedlit was not going to turn down the invitation. Accept and adjust. That was what she had learned when she made the contract with the Wind Lord. However--- Ent entwined her body with an overwhelming force and Deedlit let out a cry of pain. It seemed her body would be ripped apart. Ent was going to continue to strengthen the bonds until Deedlit's very existence was erased. Deedlit desperately tried to resist it. But Ent's power was immense and Deedlit was forced to realize that there was no way she could win. "Parn...I'm sorry..." Deedlit's heart was writhing in pain. Parn's smiling face jumped into her head but gradually became further and further away. Deedlit became aware that her own body had started to shake. Soon her body would be completely destroyed. "I'm done for..." From nowhere in particular, the echo of a strongly pitched voice called out, "Deedlit!" Who's voice was it, she lazily wondered in her failing consciousness. But before she discovered the answer, her mind fell into blackness. When she regained consciousness, Estas was before her. His hair was in disarray and his shoulders heaved as he breathed. Behind him was the darkness that enfolded the Forest of No Return. "I was...how, did you...?" Deedlit was still under the impression that she had been destroyed in the spirit world. She had not counted on ever regaining her senses. "It was the elder who made the pact with the Forest King. You have certainly become stronger but I think there is no way you could overcome the elder." "You called me back..." Deedlit asked. "It's a good thing I knew your name. Actually, I thought I was too late. When I started the summons, there was already but a little of your consciousness remaining." "...Thank you Estas" "Why Deedlit? Why must you risk your life for humans? Does that warrior gladly push you into such dangers?" Estas was referring to Parn. "Not a chance..." Deedlit recalled Parn's face when she told him she was going to go lift the curse on the Forest of No Return. Parn would have found some sort of reason to stop her. But he did not stop her because he had to think of his companions and the villagers. "It was my own idea. But as you say, I was a fool. I thought it would be the same as with the Wind Lord. The bonds on this forest are with the elder. The elder is still alive so there is no chance the contract can be broken..." "That is so. Only the elder can release the contract." Deedlit expended some energy to move her arms and legs, verifying that she was still in one piece. She was completely exhausted but somehow her body moved for her. "So I've got to plead with the elder. Closing off the forest with a curse was a mistake." "You haven't opened your eyes yet have you?" Estas' voice was filled with sadness, "Have you been so poisoned by humans? Just how can the humans..." "Estas...You, especially you should know this." About six years earlier, Estas came to the village of Zaxxon to take Deedlit back to the forest. That time he must have developed some small understanding of the goodness of humans. Otherwise, he would have brought her back with him even if it required the use of magic. "I don't know everything nor did I recognize anything." Estas said, disgusted. "So Estas, why don't you try to know everything. Without knowing everything about humans, it is unfair to judge them. I suppose the magic users of the ancient kingdom were our enemies. But humans change. It's a small advantage of theirs." "That I learned the time before." Estas smiled slightly. "I can somewhat comprehend your feelings. But you put the elder in a very bad mood. I think it will be hard to convince him." "I will try. Because it is not I who am mistaken, it is he." "He will be here shortly. I sent a runner to inform him that you had leaped into the spirit world." Hearing that, Deedlit resolved to stay and wait for the elder. "What of Leaf?" "She was to be taken to your house..." Deedlit nodded. Since no one had summoned a spirit of light, the area was pitch black. Actually, to the eyes of shamans like Deedlit, light shone that normal humans could not see. So they were not especially worried about the darkness. After waiting for a time, the elder appeared. Though there were other High Elves with him, this time not everyone was present. "Deedlit" Rumaas slowly started to speak, "It is not forbidden to enter the spirit world. However, you have erred by entering the spirit world without the consent of your people and trying to break the contract with the king of the forest." "I realize this." Deedlit hung her head low. "From the start I needed to gain everyone's consent. That is how we decide things." Deedlit lifted her head and looked around at each one of the elves assembled there. "But my error was only in how I did this. I think my actions were proper. This forest must be released from these ancient bonds." "We cannot do that Deedlit. You don't understand. In the past, humans tried to dominate us with magic. We had no other choice but to resist by sealing off our forest with the curse." "That was several hundred years ago was it not?" Deedlit walked slowly over to the elder. "The magic users of the ancient kingdom were destroyed. From that time forth humans have changed greatly. Of course from the eyes of the elder, humans will still seem foolish, but is it our place to criticize them when we have no contact with them?" "We have received information from Estas. Even now the human world is embroiled in war. Is that not so?" "Yes, it is." Thinking of the great war that seemed to have no end, Deedlit's heart was heavy, "But the war will end at some point. It will start again I think. But if humans try to change, if they continue to try to find a better self, they should be able to create a world where there will never be any fighting." "Well then, why don't we just wait until that happens?" The words of Rumaas were straightforward as usual. Deedlit felt her head becoming hot. "We wait because we have infinite time! Humans do not have this time. We have absolutely no right to steal time from humans by trapping them in this curse and forcing them to wander about the forest! If we hate humans as much as that, why don't we just go back to the fairy world? If you want to live in the world of humans, you need to make contact with them. All the other elves of Lodoss do this!" "So you're saying the other elves are living peacefully?" "Certainly there are elves who are caught up in battle and die. But as far as I know, they are not opposed to living with humans. Otherwise, how could someone like Leaf come about?" "How about from an elf raped by a human? I have heard many stories like that." "Why don't you ask her yourself?" Deedlit felt a partial hopelessness from the words of the elder. The elder did not wish for any sort of change. This was because he still held on to the memory of their fight with the humans of old. "Please bring the half elf," the elder said to Deedlit's father. Her father nodded and left in the direction of his house. Watching him go, Deedlit was struck by a worry. She recalled that a half elf would not be happy. If they heard that the half elf had been mistreated by both races, what would the elder think? Wouldn't he think of her as a symbol of the difficulty in contact between elves and humans? But it was too late to regret. Soon the half elf girl arrived holding hands with Deedlit's parents. She was not wearing her hood. She had the characteristics of the elves but her form was, no matter how one said it, close to human. "In her case, her father was an elf," Deedlit added. "Is that true?" The elder seemed surprised. "It's true," Leaf answered in a peaceful tone. Leaf did not seem to be afraid to take the stares of all those assembled. Rather, she seemed to be pleased of so much attention. She then summarized how her parents met each other. The fact that Leaf's parents had married of their own choice and gave birth to her sent a stir through the High Elves. Leaf then began to tell, with many pauses, the story of her own childhood. She told them how she was born in an elven village and lived with them. That she learned to speak the language of elves and how to communicate with spirits from her father and learned from her mother how to handle weapons to protect herself. She even spoke plainly about her abuses. "Why did you say those things..." Deedlit mumbled, her thoughts far away. Needless to say, a feeling of vindication came over the elves present. Perhaps Leaf cursed her own birth. "Because you had human blood in your veins, you were despised by the elves and because you had elven blood in your veins, you were despised by the humans. Is that so?" Leaf nodded meekly. "There is your answer Deedlit." Leaf, seeming to remember something, added one more thing to her story... "But I was happy." she mumbled with a smile as though that point were obvious. It took a moment for Deedlit to realize what had been said. This was the same for the other elves in attendance; it took rather a while for the words to make their impact. A trembling expression appeared on the face of the elder. "You were abused! How could you be happy?" The words of the elder were sharp as pine needles but Leaf took them with a soft smile. "But it's because my father and mother loved me. I can also use spirits and wield weapons. I wasn't always the one abused. The one who got hurt in the end was usually the one trying to abuse me." She said mischievously. She then looked in puzzlement at the quiet that had befallen the people. She did not realize the impact her words had made. Deedlit, her left hand at her chest, walked slowly over to Leaf and with an effort, embraced the little girl. After a time of silence the elder mumbled, "We are High Elves. We are different from them..." "Elder!" Deedlit whirled around and turned eyes like flame at the elder who even now could not change his mind. She half wished he would be consumed in flames. "Elder..." called another voice. With a quick glance around, Estas came slowly up to the elder. "I realized this when I went to the human world. Perhaps we who wish for no change in our existence are closing off our own future. I have heard that the elves who live in the human world have a predetermined lifespan. It is far longer than that of the humans but still, it must be compensation: in their villages, I hear that many children are born." Saying only this, Estas turned towards Deedlit. "Deedlit, shouldn't you also be frank with us. If you truly wish to convince others, you need to make clear your most important reason. Was the reason you wanted the curse on the forest to be lifted because you believed us to be mistaken?" "It is as you say." Deedlit was so grateful to Estas that she felt like flying. He brought to her mind this most important reason. "There is someone whom I love. He is a human warrior who is trying as hard as he can to end this war and bring true peace to Lodoss. But, through no other choice, he is now caught up in this forest's curse. No matter what compensation I must make, I wish to save him. Even if it means my own life..." "Truly, Deedlit was about to end her life." Estas added. "We heard that news earlier..." the elder mumbled and let out a deep sigh. He seemed to be breathing out hundreds of years worth of air. "I wish to ask one thing of you Deedlit." "What is that?" "For instance, even if you knew unhappiness would result, do you wish to have this warrior's child?" "Of course. That is, if it is granted to me...." Deedlit answered and just after, her face became red in bashfulness. If it had been a time before she met Leaf, before hearing the girl's story, she would have wavered in her answer because there was some obstacle in the fact that she was an elf and Parn was a human. The elder looked at all assembled and then, after a pause, opened his mouth. "Very well. I will visit the spirit world and meet with the forest king. First to release the curse and then to think about what we must do from now on..." "Elder...thank you very much." Her vision blurred and Deedlit became aware of something warm running down her cheeks. "In planning to cast a curse on the humans, it seems it was we ourselves who were truly caught in it." So saying, the elder walked slowly up to the Golden Tree and disappeared into its trunk.

Chapter 8 "So it was harder on you than I thought it might be." Parn's expression was pained as Deedlit told him everything that had happened since he was caught in the curse. Everyone was free of the curse. The free army soldiers, the people of the village of Karal and even those men and women who had disappeared into the forest since the its sealing. Among them were those who were born several hundred years ago. Just after being caught up in the curse, the villagers, for the most part, stayed right where they were so when the curse was lifted, they were soon reunited. Parn, who had resisted the longest, had also wandered the farthest. When the curse lifted, he appeared right in front of the Golden Tree. Because of this, Parn was lectured by Estas and the elders of the village and, as a representative of the humans, ended up apologizing on their behalf. "In the end, I was no help at all. Later I should say a special thank you to Leaf." "I was no better. The elders were only convinced because of Leaf and Estas and besides, it was the elder who actually released the curse." "That's not true Deed. If you weren't there, none of this would have started. I'm very grateful." Deedlit felt a sob welling up in her breast. Lowering her eyes she drew close to Parn and buried her face in his chest. His plate armor was cold on her cheeks but she resolved to wait until she could feel Parn's warmth beneath. Parn gently wrapped his arms around her. "But it seems the High Elf elder still doesn't fully approve of humans. At some point this amiability towards humans will end and the forest will be sealed once more..." Parn mumbled. "That's true." Deedlit opened her eyes and lifted her head. She gazed over his shoulder at the trees of the Forest of No Return, "There may never be a time when humans and elves live freely together..." Her own words felt terribly lonely. Certainly the curse had been lifted and the Forest of No Return was open. But humans were not likely to enter even so. They would continue to fear it as an evil forest. Neither were the elves likely to leave their forest. The curse was gone but nothing had changed. "Humans and elves together eh? It would certainly be difficult..." Parn mumbled looking far away. After a moment's pause he gazed at Deedlit's face. "But Deed. We're here aren't we? So someday..." "Yes. Yes you're right Parn." Deedlit gained courage from Parns words. At least the two of them were able to understand each other, to love each other. At least that much was certain. And Leaf's parents must have also felt the same way. Otherwise, how could the word happiness come from her mouth? "Let's do our best Parn. Perhaps our happiness will be of great importance to both our races." "It could be." Parn once again appeared to look far away. It seemed there was much going on in his mind. In order to bring about what Deedlit wanted, he tried to call to mind all the dangers that would stand in their way. Any one of them would be too much for a single human to take on. But Parn did not think of them as a burden. No matter what the difficulty, he would face each one with sword in hand. The image of Parn standing still, his sword outstretched, came again to Deedlit's mind and from it she recalled something: the image of Parn in her village. "Say Parn, can you answer something for me?" "What?" "When you were caught in the curse, you ended up in front of the Golden Tree right?" "Yeah, at some point." "When that happened, you looked like you were about to cut it down. But instead you stopped. Why?" Parn looked troubled and folded his arms. "It seemed like it would be a bad idea to hurt that tree. Even though I had a feeling it would break the curse." Deedlit's eyes widened in surprise. "That's what would have happened! Parn, if you had cut down that tree the curse would surely have broken..." "Hmm, so that was it..." Parn seemed surprised but showed no signs of regret. "Well perhaps it's for the best. Because of that experience, I think I understand how the forest and its spirits feel." "How the forest and its spirits feel?" Deedlit said with interest, she motioned for Parn to explain. "For example, the things that the forest governs. Like comfort, life, and even losing one's way. There is no substitute for the forest. If the forests were to disappear from the world, even humans would not be able to survive. Just like if the powers of the spirits of earth, water, fire, and air were to disappear." "That is because all life was born from the world tree." Deedlit was a bit disappointed. To her, Parn's discovery was obvious. "There was one more thing." Parn said with an innocent smile. Deedlit smiled in return and waited for Parn to continue. "While I was sleeping under the curse, the Dryads came into my dreams. They strongly advised me to stay and live in the forest with them." "I'm disgusted!...Here I was risking my life fighting with the king of the forest and you say you were being passionately embraced by those Dryads?" Deedlit turned away, sulking. "Yes in fact. But I respectfully declined the invitation." "You let a great thing go there. Dryads govern the power of attraction. Being embraced by one of them, you could have attained supreme bliss." "I suppose so. But I have already been charmed not by a spirit of the forest but by a fairy of the forest." After saying this Parn turned away, seemingly embarrassed by his own words. "Stop it, you're embarrassing yourself." She said this allowed but softly engraved Parn's clumsy words into her heart. "Well, let's be off. This forest is wide enough to make one tired of it before reaching the other side." Parn was clearly covering up. He got up in a hurry and extended his hand to Deedlit. She nodded happily and firmly gripped his hand. She stood alongside Parn and they began walking, stepping cautiously over the ground of the Forest of No Return.

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