The four of them were now walking toward the center of the tree. Led by a little girl Enrico already knew who she was, but the others had doubts before following her, so a simple explanation from Elaris was enough for them to understand. Entering the center of that gigantic tree, they began climbing an extremely long staircase. Valença's urge to summon Incandis to fly was strong.
"I know you're tired, but if you want the blessing, you'll have to follow me all the way to the top."
"What exactly will I have to do, Lady Skadi?"
"It won't be just you. All four who won will have to go through this."
Surprised, she turned her head toward her three companions. Her father had not told her this. Then again, it made sense if she thought about it—he hadn't participated in this part, since it was Skadi herself who told him about this place. That also meant she had hidden the last part from her father.
"Why the surprise? He may have helped us defend the blessing, but that doesn't mean I have to tell him everything."
It made sense that such a powerful being would do everything for the blessing. At the very least, she should guard important information for the future. Especially if he told someone else, just as he had told his daughters.
"I understand you, but you still haven't told me what we have to do to obtain the blessing."
This blessing was something only an elf could have; therefore, others participating beyond the fight was surprising. Even so, that didn't mean they could use it. What was probably happening was that, since they were her followers—and she was an elf—they had to participate so that she could pass this final trial. Perhaps it referred to every decision she made when choosing each of them.
"In this trial, each of you will have to face your greatest dream about the past."
This trial would transfer them into a past within their minds. There, they could change anything from the past, and if they wished, they could live there forever. Now, what was the problem, if it was very possible that each of the four would see that past as merely an illusion?
"Your feelings regarding the past will be amplified, and the more you let them grow, the more memories of the real world you will lose."
"That is… dangerous."
"Of course it is. If you truly want this blessing, Princess, then all four of you will have to pass this trial. The three were chosen by you."
Skadi smiled when she saw the three ahead grow tense, but something left her slightly disoriented. The reaction of the golden-haired boy was simply absolute calm. That calm seemed to transfer to the others when they saw his composure. Valença and Kai recovered faster, full of confidence, while Elaris herself remembered a specific memory of her father.
"Don't be trapped by the past."
'Sorry, Father. There is only one thing that keeps me tied to the past, and honestly, fixing it is not what I want.'
After all, the dead should remain dead so they can rest in peace, and she wanted her parents to be resting well. With confident eyes, she walked forward without making the same expression as the other two. All three had already left their pasts behind in their own ways.
Meanwhile, Enrico appeared calm but was thinking intensely. Not because of the past—he had already gone through that once. It wouldn't work on his memories the way it had before.
'I already knew this, but that doesn't change that it's bad. If I return to this body's past, I might become him for an instant… if that happens, losing my memory could be a disaster.'
Of course, he would only lose his memory inside the dream, but there could be side effects like what happened to Valença in the original story. He wasn't worried about Valença now, because the one in front of him had a much stronger mind than the one in the story.
[I really don't believe she had side effects just because in the dream Kai proposed to her and they lived together. I like this one much more—the one who isn't crazy and clingy.]
'I agree with you.'
[That's right, we agree. Death to the original Valença.]
'Wait, that's too much.'
Valença sneezed in the distance, thinking someone was talking about her, and she hoped it was Enrico. Both the system and Enrico might prefer this Valença, but they had forgotten that the one in this world was also obsessed with someone. She simply now had a more restrained, calm, and strong personality.
When they reached the top, they saw four houses. It seemed they would have to enter one each to begin the trial. Skadi stepped forward and pointed at them.
"It will be inside these. Each of you choose one. Depending on which you choose, you will visit your past, present, or a dream of your future. The last one will be like entering a completely different dimension."
Before they could choose, Enrico was already at the last house on the right. He hadn't even analyzed it. Kai and Valença also didn't hesitate; soon they began competing for the one next to it. Since one used light magic to arrive first, the other was left with the second house on the left.
'Looks like I'm left with the last one.'
Elaris had a tense smile because she also wanted the house next to him but had been too slow. It was all her speed's fault—she would train it later. Before entering, she received a message through the magic stone. Enrico was looking carefully at the house. He hoped everything worked according to his choice, because depending on it, he might visit the past or a dream future of the original Enrico.
'I hope this is the present house. It will give me the least trouble among the four. Please don't let them have changed places.'
"What happened, Princess?"
Behind him, Skadi approached the still Elaris. The princess looked calm, so it couldn't be something too important, yet Skadi was still curious. Coming closer, she saw a thoughtful expression.
"What kind of message did you receive, Princess?"
"Well… our base is being attacked."
"You're not worried?"
A bit surprised, she looked toward the others, since Elaris didn't seem concerned at all. Honestly, that made her question the princess's character, but even the boy with the pure soul called Kai didn't seem worried either.
"Aren't you?"
Enrico raised an eyebrow but remembered that Skadi had awakened only recently, so she probably hadn't seen much of what had been happening. The last time she woke was to watch over the new elf queen, Elithia.
"Why would we be worried if there are two aberrations guarding our base? If you want to have fun watching real monsters fight, you should watch."
"You speak as if you're not a monster along with her."
Elaris's comment made Skadi's curiosity grow about who those two were. After a brief conversation, each of the four entered their respective houses. She closed her eyes and returned her awareness to the memory of the place before the invasion began.
"Two aberrations… I think I understand."