The forest was breathtaking.
Emerald light filtered down through a sea of canopies, each leaf glistening as if polished by morning dew.
The trees themselves were enormous. Ancient, towering things with trunks so thick it would take ten men linking arms to encircle even one of them.
Vines hung lazily from their branches, swaying gently in the whispering breeze. Moss spread like velvet carpets across roots that rose and twisted from the soil, and the undergrowth was dense with ferns and shrubs that shimmered with life.
Every inch of the landscape was green—lush, rich, alive. It was the kind of place that felt untouched by time, where the air itself seemed to hum with quiet reverence.
And at the very heart of that endless green stood a temple.
It rose from the forest floor like an ancient monolith, its pale grey walls half-swallowed by climbing ivy. The steps were smooth and old, the carvings on its pillars faint but still regal.
Around it, the shadows of the colossal trees fell across the weathered stone, making it seem as though the forest itself bowed to protect it.
Yet despite its beauty, the place was utterly silent.
No birdsong, no rustling of small creatures—only a stillness so complete it felt sacred, as if the whole world was holding its breath.
Then, out of that silence, a faint hum broke through the air.
The air rippled before the entrance of the temple, and a brilliant blue light flared to life, spinning into a swirling circle that pulsed and shimmered with energy.
The calm forest filled with a soft, melodic hum as the portal expanded—then, with a faint step forward, a single shoe touched the stone floor.
Another followed. A leg, a body and then finally, a familiar face.
Luca stepped out of the portal with the biggest grin imaginable.
And the moment he did—
"Let's...go! Let's fucking go!"
Luca shouted the moment both his feet hit the ground, his voice echoing through the forest like a wild, joyous cry. He jumped in place, pumping his fists in the air like someone who had just won the lottery.
"I'm finally here! I'm finally here in the elf village!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement as he spun in a circle, taking in the towering trees and sunlit greenery around him.
"I've been looking forward to this for an entire week!" He said breathlessly. "An entire week! And I'm finally at the place I've been dying to see!"
His clothes were simpler now, still foreign in design, but belonging to this world rather than his old one. A large travel bag hung across his back, stuffed full, the same bag that the elders has given him
And the reason for his excitement was simple.
This was the place he was supposed to visit right after decimating the royal family. But his curiosity had gotten the better of him.
He'd spent the past week poking around the human continent, making a few 'adjustments' here and there. Things he felt the world could use a little tweak in.
And now, after all those diversions, he had finally arrived here.
The long-fabled home of the beautiful and proud elves.
And when he looked around, he couldn't help but let out a low whistle.
"Damn...it actually does look like a paradise." He said, his grin widening. "If I didn't know better, I'd think I just walked straight into a painting."
He stepped down the temple stairs and turned in a slow circle, admiring the endless sea of green surrounding him.
"Goddamn…" He began, speaking to no one in particular. "I was joking when I said I wanted to explore a place that wasn't part of Earth. I wasn't actually asking for anything like that."
"...But who would've thought my dumb little wish would actually come true?"
"The lake I jumped into back then...must've been special." He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Maybe it was like one of those old wishing wells. You throw a coin in and make a wish...except here, you have to jump in half-dead, completely burnt to a crisp, and boom! Wish granted."
He laughed at his own absurd thought, as he turned toward the temple again.
"Hmm...This really does look like the temple in the human continent." He said, stepping closer. "But this one's so much older...and yet, it's so clean. Even though there are cracks everywhere, you can tell it's been maintained, lovingly even."
He trailed his fingers along the weathered stone and glanced up at the carvings decorating the walls.
"Huh." He murmured. "Multiple statues of goddesses...Interesting. They really went all out here."
He tilted his head, studying one particular statue that bore a striking resemblance to the Goddess of Space.
"Well, look at that." He said. "You again, huh? Guess you're popular."
Then, looking at the others, he frowned curiously.
"But...these are different. I guess the elves don't pray to just one goddess, huh? Maybe this is a shared temple...a kind of divine clubhouse for the pantheon."
He was still pondering that idea when something colorful caught his eye.
Right at the base of the temple stairs, spread neatly over broad green leaves, was a pile of fruits—dozens of them, gleaming in the sunlight like jewels.
"Oh-ho!" Luca gasped, eyes widening. "What's this now?"
He rushed down the steps, crouching beside the fruits like a kid at a candy shop. They were arranged with care, each fruit polished and laid out in patterns.
Some were round and bright pink, others elongated and shimmering in shades of gold and blue. There were even a few that glowed faintly, as if lit from within.
"These have to be offerings." He said, looking around as if expecting someone to pop out and explain. "Wow, look at these! So many colors! So many shapes! Some of these look like they came out of a fantasy game inventory screen!"
He picked up a strange, spiky fruit that shimmered faintly under the sunlight.
"What the hell are you supposed to be? You look like a pineapple that got married to a hedgehog." He laughed, setting it down before picking up another.
The next one was oval and covered in translucent skin that rippled like jelly when he squeezed it.
"Okay, this one looks suspiciously like an alien egg. But hey, I'm feeling adventurous today."
He plucked another—this one tiny and cube-shaped, glowing a faint shade of green.
"This one's funny too! It's like someone tried to make a fruit using Lego pieces."
In seconds, he had an armful of them, clutching the colorful haul to his chest.
"This is exactly why this world's so exciting!" He said with a huge grin. "Back home, you just get apples and bananas. Here, it's like someone rolled dice in a rainbow dimension!"
"But…" He paused, peering suspiciously at the pile. "Do they just look good, or do they actually taste good?"
"Maybe they're those types that trick you with appearances and taste like soap or rotten tomatoes…"
He picked up a cluster of what looked like grapes—only these were golden, each one glowing faintly like tiny suns.
"Alright." He said, popping one into his mouth. "Moment of truth."
The second he bit down, his entire face lit up.
"Oh, that's good! That's really good!" He said, chewing with delight. "It's sour, but it's so good! It's like—like lemonade and honey had a baby!"
He threw a handful of them into his mouth at once, nearly choking himself in excitement.
"Why is it so addictive?!" He mumbled, still chewing as he grabbed the next fruit—a flower-shaped one with soft petals curling around a purple center.
"Ooh, pretty." He said, tearing it open carefully.
Inside was a fleshy, violet pulp that glistened in the light. Without hesitation, he scooped it out with his fingers and popped it into his mouth.
"Holy shit!" He gasped, slapping the ground with his palm. "This one—this one's even better! It's got that tartness, like strawberries, but way sweeter!"
And just like that, Luca began devouring fruit after fruit, laughing between bites, making noises of approval, groaning at how good each one was, and muttering little praises like.
"Oh, this tastes like a orange."
"This one's a winner too."
Before long, he was surrounded by fruit peels and leaves, sitting cross-legged in the middle of the temple stairs, both hands full, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk.
He laughed out loud, voice echoing through the silent forest.
"Man, I could live here forever!" He said between bites. "If this is what elf villages have for breakfast, I'm never leaving!"
But just as Luca was having the feast of his life—mouth full, cheeks puffed, fingers sticky with fruit juice—a sudden voice came from behind him, slashing through the quiet forest like a whip.
"You—! Stop right there! Stop whatever you are doing right now!"
The tone wasn't harsh—in fact, it sounded gentle, even graceful. But it carried the kind of authority that tried really, really hard to sound strict.
"You are currently blasphemizing the sacred rules of the temple! And just because we still allow you within the village, even after...everything that has happened, doesn't mean you can simply go about breaking rules like this!"
"Especially rules regarding the Goddess herself!"
Her words came out hurried, like someone reciting a line they had practiced in front of a mirror.
"This is utterly blasphemous—utterly! You could be punished for this!"
Hearing this beautiful but awkward voice, like someone trying very hard to sound mature Luca froze mid-bite.
He was about to slowly turn—only for another voice, loud, giddy, and completely opposite in tone, to suddenly explode behind the first one.
"That's right, you bastard! You heard her!"
This second voice was brash, full of unfiltered energy, and clearly had no idea what the word 'restraint' meant.
"You better get away from the temple right now before I beat you up!" She shouted before going on to say. "And it's exactly like Luna said—what you're doing is completely against the rules!"
"If you break them, you'll get struck by lightning from the heavens, and if you don't, then I will personally shoot a bunch of arrows straight into your butt, you got that?!"
Luca jerked, still crouched among the pile of fruits, blinking in utter disbelief. "…I'm sorry, what?"
But the second voice wasn't done.
"And you really better not mess with me! I've trained under my mother! I'm really dangerous with a bow and arrow, you know? I could pierce a leaf from two hundred meters away!"
She said, puffing up her chest proudly.
"So you better stop right there before I turn your rear end into a pincushion!"
Her tone was fierce, but her voice—high, bright, and almost childlike made the whole threat sound more like a tantrum than a warning.
Luca couldn't help it. He snorted.
And before he could respond, the first girl called—Luna—immediately followed up with a weary sigh, her tone patient but clearly exasperated.
"Lulu! What in the world are you saying?!"
"What?!" Lulu shot back defensively. "I'm just warning him! He needs to know what's coming if he doesn't stop!"
"No, you don't warn people like that! We're supposed to talk to him, not threaten him!"
Luna said sharply, clearly trying to maintain some sort of diplomacy.
"We just have to tell him he's breaking the rules, and he'll go away peacefully! There's no need to shoot arrows into anyone's...rear end!"
"Well, excuse me for trying to be efficient!" Lulu huffed, stomping her foot audibly. "He's doing something even a baby knows not to do! So, why should we forgive him? Honestly, we should just shoot him now and get it over with!"
"Lulu!"
"I'm serious, Luna! Just one arrow—right in the head! Crack it open like he cracked open all those fruits the villagers left!"
"Lulu, no! You can't just—" Luna sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of her nose. Her voice softened into reason as she said, "If something like that happens, a war could break out between us and them. And we cannot afford that right now, especially with the humans pressing closer to our borders."
"Ughhh, you always say that. Humans this, humans that!" Lulu groaned audibly. "Can't we, for once, just punish someone without making a big deal with it?"
"Absolutely not." Luna said, firm but patient. "Now, please calm down."
"But—"
"Lulu."
"...Fine."
Meanwhile, Luca, still facing away from them, had gone completely still—except for the small, growing grin on his face.
At first, he had assumed the temple was guarded by some terrifying holy knight or divine sentinel sent to punish intruders.
But after listening to them for a few seconds, that image completely shattered.
These weren't temple guardians. They sounded more like...two sisters arguing about chores.
He covered his mouth to stifle a laugh as he listened.
"Oh, this is gold." He murmured softly to himself. "I was expecting some eldera, not two angry siblings fighting over temple etiquette."
Finally, he decided he'd heard enough. He got to his feet, brushing fruit juice off his dress, and turned around slowly, ready to meet his self-proclaimed accusers.
And the moment he did—his breath caught for a second.