Siyana gaped as she peered through a hole in the blanket at Raon.
"What?"
She trembled, not even realizing what sound she was making out of shock.
'E-examine? What?'
Siyana nervously examined her limbs hidden under the blanket.
'Do I smell? Or is it because I'm too ugly to be around?'
Suddenly, when Raon said he would examine her, all sorts of thoughts ran through her mind.
Not knowing how to react, she just quivered when Raon continued speaking.
"I can't say for sure, but I might be able to improve your condition a bit, Lady Siyana."
"My, my condition…?"
"You said you can't achieve Resonance, right?"
"Yes. Still…"
Siyana glanced at Raon and nodded.
"I want to find out why that's happening."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Siyana.
'There's enough possibility.'
Siyana's mother had come here when she was pregnant, and Wrath had said that since Siyana was born, the pathway leading to her upper dantian had been blocked by something massive.
He thought it might be possible that the energy of the orb left by Zieghart's ancestor had permeated her.
'Since she's a High Elf.'
High Elves are as close to nature as the World Tree. If Siyana is special among them, it wouldn't be strange for the energy that nurtured the World Tree to be transferred to her.
"Th-then what should I do? Should I take off my clothes?"
"…No. Just give me your hand."
"Ah! Okay."
Siyana squirmed under the blanket for a while before extending her trembling hand.
He had seen many women's hands before, but it was his first time seeing an arm so white it seemed transparent, as if it had never seen the sun.
"Excuse me."
As he grabbed Siyana's hand and tried to operate the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, her arm trembled as if it were electrocuted even before he could inject any aura.
"Lady Siyana? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N-no!"
Siyana quickly shook her head.
'How can I say that I'm trembling!'
It was the first time in her life she had held someone's hand other than her family, and that someone was her idol, Raon. Her heart felt like it would leap out and dance.
Raon held her hand firmly to stop her from trembling and simultaneously injected the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier energy into her mana circuit.
When he treated Rimmer before, he had figured out the elf's mana circuit, so he could quickly find the path.
'It's clean.'
Siyana's dantian was as pure as a newborn's, with no impurities, and her mana circuit was as vast as mine, who had reached the level of Grandmaster.
To be born with such a body, it was no exaggeration to call it a blessing.
'It's strange that she can't use aura properly with a body like this.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly and examined Siyana's middle dantian.
The middle dantian was as clean as the lower dantian but was underdeveloped due to its low state.
Finally, as he moved the aura from the middle dantian toward the upper dantian, a part of the mana circuit appeared to be blocked by a huge rock.
'It's solidly hardened.'
Regardless of being human or elf, it was a crucial mana circuit that was blocked from birth and only opened upon reaching Grandmaster, so he didn't find it particularly strange.
Though it was a part others shouldn't touch, trusting Wrath's words, he pushed the energies of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier into it.
Woooong!
Only the owner of an enlightened body should be able to clear the pathway, but strangely, the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold of Glacier seeped into the tightly blocked gap.
'Was it really not natural?'
Thinking his hypothesis might be correct, as he tried to push in a denser energy, Rimmer's voice was heard.
"Raon! Siyana! Come over here. It's starting now."
"Hm…"
Raon furrowed his brows, withdrew his aura, and let go of Siyana's arm.
"H-how was it?"
"I'm not sure yet. Can I try again after the Purification Ceremony?"
"Ah, yes…"
Siyana nodded, her voice trembling, while still wrapped in the blanket.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed his head and headed to where Rimmer and Sterin were.
Siyana watched Raon's back as he walked ahead and rubbed the area above her solar plexus.
'It's warm….'
And it was also refreshing.
Wanting to hold onto the warm sensation she felt after a long time, she clasped her hands tightly and followed Raon.
* * *
As they moved to the center of the World Tree, the elves radiated a sharp aura as if preparing for war.
"Come over here."
Sterin gestured for them to come closer.
"Yes."
Raon approached Sterin with Siyana.
"Both of you, listen carefully."
Sterin pointed to his ear, indicating it was important. He seemed intent on treating them as benefactors of Sepia.
"Resonance is the merging of one's spirit with this world. However, if the spirit assimilates with the world…"
His voice lowered chillingly.
"Chances are, you will die."
"Die?"
"Yes. Compared to the vast world, my spirit is too small to become one with it. However, if the target of unification is reduced, it becomes possible."
"Reducing the target…"
"There's a level that swordsmen like you achieve."
"Are you talking about Sword and Body Unification?"
"That's right."
Sterin nodded calmly.
"High Elves like me are born with the ability to achieve Resonance with the World Tree from birth."
He shook his head, saying achieving Resonance with the World Tree wasn't through training but an innate ability from birth.
"But isn't it a waste to use Resonance only for the Purification Ceremony? That's why…"
"It's Harmony Bow."
"Now you understand."
A faint smile appeared on Sterin's lips.
"You may not become one with the World Tree, but it might be possible to learn the flow of Resonance."
He nodded, looking at them, hoping they would learn at least one thing from him.
"Then, let's begin."
Sterin closed his eyes and leaned against the World Tree. His steady breathing slowly calmed, and his presence flared up like a fire spreading through the forest.
As his realm, shedding the limits of his physical body, soared endlessly and covered the World Tree, his breathing abruptly stopped.
'He died… No.'
Just as Raon thought Sterin had died, the World Tree, wrapped in a soft blue light, began to emit a brilliant green light.
Sterin's dignified yet gentle soul's realm surged at the center of the World Tree.
Raon lowered his gaze and looked at Sterin leaning against the World Tree.
His body was still there, but the presence of the soul that should be filling it was not felt.
"The Purification Ceremony has begun! Everyone, be on guard!"
As the Chief Elder, having slightly regained his complexion, gestured, the elves raised a chilling aura and surrounded the World Tree.
The Chief Elder was a stubborn old-fashioned person, but he genuinely valued the world of the elves.
Raon operated the Ring of Fire and looked up at the World Tree again.
'Is this Resonance?'
Just as a swordsman and sword become one, Sterin had left his body and become one with the World Tree.
'Sword and Body Unification. Becoming one with the sword…'
Thinking of the Unity of Heart and Sword reminded him of the sparring with Sterin two days ago.
At that time, when he thought he didn't want to end the sparring like that while launching the Requiem Sword, the sword followed his command to go down, holding his willpower.
'Now I understand.'
Because my will not to lose and the Requiem Sword's will not to lose united, I could taste the Sword Flight even if just slightly.
Raon's drowsy gaze quietly followed the traces left by Sterin's soul.
"Ra, Raon… ah?"
Siyana tried to speak to Raon but was stopped by Rimmer.
"Brother?"
"You mustn't touch him now."
Rimmer pointed to Raon's eyes, which had turned hazy as in a dream, and put a finger to his lips.
"He's in a state of enlightenment."
"A state of enlightenment?"
"Yes. This damn guy enters a serendipitous encounter that others might not experience once in their lifetime as easily as taking a dump."
He led Siyana aside, telling her not to touch Raon.
Whoooosh!
The World Tree also seemed to protect Raon, spreading its branches to block the sunlight pouring from the sky.
"..."
The Chief Elder and the other elders, knowing Raon was in a state of enlightenment, did not touch him and watched with furrowed brows.
Rimmer chuckled as he watched the Chief Elder and the other elders.
'They're not entirely rotten.'
He had planned to give them a hard time if they tried to disturb Raon, but fortunately, they didn't seem to intend to move.
As Rimmer looked at Raon again with a calm smile, there was a cotton candy that cried alone unnoticed.
-Damn it!
Wrath screamed at the sky.
-Why is this guy loved everywhere he goes? I suffer and lose my abilities everywhere I go, so why is he so happy!
The world was so unfair that Wrath waved his hands wildly.
-I want to be happy too! And...
He shouted the most important thing.
-This guy left without eating again!
* * *
Siyana bit her lip as she watched Raon in his state of enlightenment.
'Raon is really amazing.'
To gain enlightenment and enter a state of enlightenment just by seeing Resonance for the first time was unimaginable for someone like her without talent.
'The content of the book actually diminished his abilities.'
Reading the Biography of Raon Zieghart, she thought it was slightly exaggerated, but the real Raon was beyond that.
Being greeted by the World Tree and making the Chief Elder kneel were enough to show he was a monster far beyond human.
'I have to protect him.'
As she watched Raon from a distance to keep him safe, the voices of other elves were heard.
"That human gains enlightenment as soon as he sees the ceremony, so why is Lady Siyana still the same?"
"Yeah. She participates in the Purification Ceremony every time, yet still can't achieve Resonance…"
"At this rate, if Lord Sterin passes away, wouldn't the World Tree be in danger too?"
"Why did such a High Elf come out…"
The elders and elves unleashed blind criticism towards Siyana as if it didn't matter if she heard them or not.
"The future of the World Tree looks bleak. It might be better to ask that human…"
"Why don't you shut your mouth?"
Rimmer glared at the elves, furrowing his brows.
"The ceremony isn't even fully underway yet, so why are you running your mouths? Shut up and stand guard properly."
"Hmm…"
"Hmm…"
The elves glanced at Rimmer and averted their gazes. They still muttered that they weren't wrong even in this situation.
"Those bastards."
As Rimmer spat and tried to approach the elves, Siyana grabbed his sleeve.
"Brother. I'm okay."
"But…"
"Really."
Siyana shook her head, telling him not to.
"I'm used to it. And they're not wrong."
Rough as it was, their words weren't wrong. If Sterin left, there would be no elf to perform the Purification Ceremony.
'I'm really not helpful.'
As the elves said, Raon gained enlightenment after seeing it once, but despite constantly participating in the Purification Ceremony, I didn't gain anything. It was clear I was born with nothing, devoid of talent.
'But this time, I won't give up.'
Thanks to Raon, who told me I stood here because I didn't give up on myself, I didn't want to sit down like this today.
Siyana went to the base of the World Tree where she had felt the wind with her mother and leaned against it.
Closing her eyes, she exhaled the Resonance breathing her grandfather had taught her.
'Hmm? Something feels a bit different.'
Strangely, she felt lighter in body and mind than usual.
'I hope it's not just my imagination.'
Siyana smiled faintly as she closed her eyes. As she slowly inhaled and exhaled, red and blue mirages danced above her solar plexus.
* * *
Raon lifted his eyelids and drew a faint smile.
'I understand a little now.'
Thanks to seeing Sterin's Resonance firsthand, he had a sense of what it meant to become one with the sword.
He hadn't achieved Sword and Body Unification yet, but he felt like he had laid a small stepping stone on the path.
As he lifted his gaze, the World Tree stood there, shaking its branches as before he entered the state of enlightenment, and Sterin sat there in his original position.
'It wasn't as long as I thought.'
-Not long?
As he found it curious and tilted his head, Wrath shoved his drooping face in.
-You were zoned out for a whole day and you think it wasn't long? Are you crazy!
Wrath grabbed him by the collar and shook him, telling him to get a grip.
-I'm starving to death!
'A day?'
Listening to him, it seemed that 24 hours had passed, yet it felt like almost no time had passed.
'Then it was longer than I thought.'
As Raon chuckled, Rimmer approached, waving his hand.
"You really have no sense of timing."
He sighed, but a smile was drawn on his lips.
"How do you enter a state of enlightenment as easily as eating?"
"I was lucky."
"When will I ever have that kind of luck?"
Rimmer muttered in frustration, waving his hand.
"So, did you gain anything?"
"I got a rough idea of what unification is."
"That's enough."
He nodded, saying it was an excellent achievement.
"Then let's go out."
"Go out?"
"A day has passed, so the old man has fully entered the Purification Ceremony now. He'll be like that for two weeks, so there's no need to wait."
Rimmer gestured for them to leave, saying the elders and other elves would guard it.
"But…"
"You're a guest and a benefactor. There's no need for you to stand guard."
He grabbed his shoulder and pulled him, saying not to worry. Siyana, who was beside him, also squirmed and got up.
"Lady Siyana, are you okay?"
"Ah, yes."
Siyana nodded slowly, her voice sounding somewhat drained.
Rimmer looked at Siyana for a moment, then placed his hand in the air as Sterin had when he opened the space.
Woooong!
A green light split the space, revealing Sterin's wooden house they had passed on the way in.
"I-I'll go ahead…"
As soon as Siyana left the space where the World Tree extended, she bowed her head and ran to her house.
He constantly noticed how well she moved while wrapped in a blanket.
"Why is she like that?"
"Something happened."
Rimmer sighed briefly.
"I'll take her home. You go back to the quarters. Let's eat in a bit."
He made a gesture of holding a fork and then followed Siyana.
'What happened?'
-While you were in a state of enlightenment, those pointy-eared bastards gave that elf girl a hard time.
Wrath nodded, furrowing his brows.
'Gave her a hard time?'
-They were babbling about how you entered a state of enlightenment at once, but she couldn't achieve Resonance despite witnessing the Purification Ceremony countless times.
He twisted his lips, saying he couldn't like the pointy ears.
'I see…'
Raon clicked his tongue as he watched Siyana's back.
'I wanted to check properly.'
He wanted to verify whether the wall blocking Siyana's upper dantian was the level wall everyone had or the energy from the World Tree, but it seemed he had to postpone it.
-Enough already, hurry up and go eat! Haven't you starved all day!
'Since we've starved all day, how about Nadine bread?'
-A-are you really trying to kill me! If I eat that now, my intestines will twist!
Wrath shook his head, telling him to get a grip.
'Got it. Got it.'
Raon chuckled and nodded.
'This time, I'll eat the elf food you want.'
-Oh? What's gotten into you!
'It's time.'
Wrath despised Siyana for making Nadine bread, but upon learning she was bullied by the elves for lacking talent, he ended up supporting her. Seeing such a human side made Raon want to take care of him a bit.
Talking with Wrath as he walked, he soon arrived in front of the quarters.
Yua and Dorian were nowhere to be sensed, probably still learning music.
As he grabbed the doorknob to go in first, the bushes on the right shook, and a small baby fox jumped out.
"A fox?"
Could a fox be here?
Rimmer had said only creatures invited by the elves could enter here. That meant this fox couldn't be a wild animal.
'No way…'
-Heeeeek!
Wrath, who had been beaming at the thought of soon eating elf food, recoiled in shock.
-It's her! It must be the crazy girl!
As Raon thought the same and swallowed dryly, the fox's mouth spoke human words.
"Raon!"
As expected, the baby fox was Merlin, but her voice was unusually urgent.
"Get out of here right now!"