The night was calm, with countless stars twinkling in the sky.
Autumn was nearing, and the evening breeze carried a faint chill. A small group sat around a campfire, the flames crackling under an empty iron pot suspended above.
Not far from the group, in the shadows beneath a tree where the firelight barely reached, a golden-haired girl sat quietly.
Her slender legs, clad in black stockings, were slightly bent as a book rested on her lap. The girl was writing something in the book, her pen gliding across the page. Occasionally, her brows furrowed in concentration.
"What's the matter, Aesc? Something on your mind?"
The gentle voice brought Aesc back to the present. She looked up and saw soft, water-blue hair framing a kind face.
"Himmel, huh? It's nothing serious," Aesc replied, her lips curving into a faint smile. "Calling it a worry would be an exaggeration. I'm just working on a story."
"A story?" Himmel tilted his head curiously.
"That's right," Aesc said, her tone light. "After all, we're adventuring as a hero's party. If I were to write down all of our experiences, wouldn't that make for a fantastic tale?"
"Is that so? That sounds like a wonderful idea," Himmel said softly, his voice as gentle as ever. "If you're the one writing it, I'm sure it'll be a story that lasts for a long time. Someday, when we're all gone, perhaps it might even help someone in a distant future."
"You're already thinking about the world after you're gone?" Aesc teased with a small laugh. "Don't you think that's a bit premature? You haven't even lived half of your life yet."
Himmel gave a faint, wry smile in response. "It doesn't hurt to think ahead, does it?"
"True enough," Aesc said, shrugging.
Himmel shifted slightly, allowing Aesc a better view of the others gathered around the fire.
"Why not join us? It's pretty dark here."
"There's no need to worry about me," Aesc replied. "My eyes are special. I see just as clearly at night as I do during the day."
"Is that so? How convenient. If only we'd had you with us when we explored that dark ruin. Eisen wouldn't have been nearly eaten by a monster because he couldn't see."
"That happened? Sounds like something worth adding to the story. How did you resolve it?"
"Well, Eisen's too tough. The monster couldn't chew through him, so it spat him out."
"…That's disgusting."
"Exactly! That's what Heiter said at the time, too."
Himmel chuckled, the memory bringing an easy laugh.
Not far away, Frieren and the others had already finished preparing their makeshift bedding for the night. The monk, Heiter, could be heard grumbling loudly.
"Ugh… I don't even know if I'll wake up tomorrow to find the two of you quietly in your beds."
"What can I do about it?" Eisen replied calmly, his bearded face betraying no emotion. "I can't control what happens when I'm asleep."
"That doesn't mean you should end up ten meters away in the middle of the night! I thought you'd been dragged off by a monster. I was already considering how I'd at least retrieve your body for a proper burial."
"Don't be so quick to decide on someone else's funeral."
At that moment, Himmel and Aesc joined the group. Seeing them approach, Eisen tilted his head and asked, "What were you two doing?"
Himmel glanced at Aesc, who nodded slightly. Turning back to the group, Himmel said with a smile, "Aesc plans to write down our adventures as a story so more people can read about them."
The others' reactions were… underwhelming.
"A story, huh…" Heiter rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"I don't mind." Eisen, hidden behind his helmet and beard, gave no hint of his expression.
"Do whatever you want," Frieren said flatly.
"Stories are a wonderful thing," Aesc said gently. "Nothing in this world is eternal. From the moment something is born, it's destined to one day perish—whether it's plants, humans, demons… even elves, with the longest lifespans, will eventually meet their end."
"But stories can continue to be told, passed down through time. Hundreds, thousands of years can pass, and even if the people who first created the story are long gone, and even if the story changes completely as it's retold, it will still exist. It will still have meaning, still change the lives of those who hear it."
"Even if the world itself were to end, the story would not. It would simply wait to be carried to the next world."
"Isn't that far more magical than any spell?"
The group fell into a thoughtful silence at Aesc's words. After a moment, Frieren spoke.
"I don't get it. If the world ends, wouldn't its stories vanish with it? What you're saying doesn't make sense."
"Who knows?" Aesc replied with an enigmatic smile. "Maybe, somewhere in another world, this world's stories—your stories—are already being told to others."
---
Frieren awoke from her sleep.
Beneath her was a soft bed; above her, an unfamiliar ceiling.
The curtains were drawn tightly shut, keeping the morning sunlight at bay.
Resting the back of her hand against her forehead, Frieren sat there for a long time, her eyes hazy as if veiled by mist.
"…It's rare for me to dream about the past," she murmured softly, her words almost a whisper.
"Lady Frieren, it's time to get up…"
When Fern opened the door, she was shocked to find Frieren already sitting up in bed.
For a full three seconds, Fern froze in place, her wide eyes betraying her disbelief. Then, she gasped dramatically.
"Lady Frieren got up on her own?!"
"Fern, stop joking. Frieren getting up on her own? That would only happen if the world were about to end…"
Aesc's voice chimed in from behind Fern, growing louder as she approached. Peeking into the room, she saw Frieren sitting up, glaring at them both with half-lidded eyes.
"Is the world really ending?!"
"It's not," Frieren muttered wearily. Still groggy from sleep, her tone was utterly devoid of energy.
Fern, as usual, handled Frieren's morning routine, brushing her hair and making her presentable.
"You know," Fern said as she carefully brushed Frieren's hair, "Lady Aesc is also an elf, but she's so much… how do I put this… more diligent than you?"
"She's just too young as an elf," Frieren replied, closing her eyes and basking in the pampering. "Give her another thousand years or so, and she'll probably end up just like me."
"That's an absurd amount of time…"
To elves like Frieren, five or ten years passed in the blink of an eye. Where others might oversleep for a few minutes, Frieren could easily extend her slumber by five or six hours.
Without someone to wake her, she'd sleep until noon.
"Aesc has so many fascinating books in her house… Maybe we should stay here for ten years before leaving."
"Please don't say such impractical things, Lady Frieren. At most, we're staying for a week," Fern scolded firmly.
Frieren pouted at the reprimand, her expression resembling the iconic sulking face of a certain television mascot.
---
T/N: instead of the action packed last arc, this most likely woudl be another sentimental arc! I love that!