Despite the continuous usage of Phantasmal Flicker, the vines still slowly gained on Kieran. So, when Agatha stopped them, Kieran felt tremendous relief.
'Thank god for my increased internal strength, huh? I'm too young for a heart attack,' Kieran inwardly joked, only to pause and blink while staring into space soon after.
'Wait… when did I become so lighthearted?' Kieran muttered to himself, questioning these little jokes that he began to have with himself.
It happened outside of his notice at first, but this most recent mental blunder was too evident for him to overlook. As Kieran considered the reasons behind it, the first that came to mind was those around him.
With the way he was treated, especially by Scar, who had even jeopardized past relationships to ensure his safety, the vengeful ice that enveloped his heart began to thaw, allowing more emotions to seep through.
Though, Kieran could feel it.
At his core, nothing had changed. He was still as vengeful as ever.
The only difference he felt now was that there was no negative influence present to keep his other emotions from flourishing.
'Hekaina's seal on Argexes' Blood… was that all she was sealing?' Kieran wondered.
Though Kieran had told himself he would become more expressive with his teammates, he found himself rebounding at times. While he understood that there was no such thing as a straightforward journey, there were ups and downs, as well as setbacks.
But what Kieran experienced… he felt it could only be described as a full reset.
'If I'm driven solely by vengeance, what meaning would my life have after I obtain it? I can't be vengeful forever. Since that's the case… I must prepare for a journey to find myself—to find what I'm missing,' Kieran thought to himself, looking down at Mark of the Maddened on his palms.
"Ahem… something on your mind?" Agatha asked, noticing Kieran had grown unusually quiet and seemingly absentminded.
"Soul searching," Kieran responded, a faint smile gracing his face.
"Ah, yes. A battle to find one's self—a rite in life. Who doesn't go through life questioning their purpose at least once," Agatha replied.
Shortly after, she touched Kieran's face with an encouraging smile. "With time, you'll find your unique purpose."
'Don't you ruin the moment with your comments,' Kieran said to himself, staring at Agatha's smile.
In front of this stark contrast to Agatha's usual behavior, Kieran had to fight the urge not to infuriate her with his almost masterful ability to infuriate Agatha.
When she noticed Kieran's astonished look, Agatha squinted, soon deciding to change the topic. "Don't be enthralled by my beauty. You're far too young for my taste. Anywho, follow along. Into a place of pure, breathtaking bliss."
"Well… for all except humans and a few others," Agatha added, downright destroying the atmosphere of marvel she created.
Ignoring Agatha's image-shattering comment, Kieran continued to take in the marvelous scene around him.
Although they were still on Xenith, he felt as if he had stepped foot into a completely different world altogether, one where only boundless nature remained.
The lush environment inside this place eclipsed the Veiled Celestial Arboretum to the point it couldn't be compared. Upon looking up, Kieran reckoned the trees present reached a height of at least a hundred kilometers.
What's more, these trees formed an aisle that led deeper into the current setting.
〈System: You have entered the outer perimeter of the Elven Land: «Forest of Gardenia».〉
〈System: You have gained 300 World Fame.〉
Seconds after entering this place, however, Agatha stepped backward and raised her arm before Kieran. "Remain quiet if you don't want to start unforeseen issues."
"Oh? Is someone coming?"
Fwoosh!
Soon, a medley of earthy tones swept through the surroundings as a swirl of leaves rose to the sky, swiftly revealing an elf with pure black hair.
Since the Elven Land was a matriarchal society, placing a higher focus on women than it did on men, the one who appeared was naturally a female.
The newcomer wore a faint green dress nearing a shade of white, with leaves sewn into such a way that it created an eye-catching motif design.
Yet, despite the serene atmosphere this woman created, Agatha remained on guard.
"We welcome your presence, Mystic Heiress. However… why do I catch hints of a vile scent? Have you… brought a human into our land?"
As she spoke, this woman laid eyes upon Kieran and analyzed him closed with a hint of disgust present in her eyes. It was clear she reviled him, not for his personality, but simply because of the unique fluctuations she perceived.
Curious about this woman, Kieran employed his Eyes of Profound Discerning to uncover information about her.
「Lv.380 Vasati, Third Natural Treasure (Heroic NPC)
Class: Nature Duelist
Health: ??? (100%)
Affiliations: «Emplenan Few» «Royal Elven Knights» 」
'Huh? What type of title is that?' Kieran questioned, furrowing his brows.
A Natural Treasure?
What exactly did such a title entail? If Kieran were more familiar with the heritage of the Elven Race, he would have known that, at all times, each of the Emplenans kept up to ten pupils.
These pupils were referred to as Natural Treasures amongst the Elven community.
The mention of "Third" indicated that Vasati was a pupil of the third-ranking Emplenan.
"Your assumptions are partly correct and incorrect. His situation is similar to mine," Agatha revealed, keeping a friendly attitude.
It was neither obsequious nor supercilious, but it delivered the respect that Vasati should be given.
Though Vasati couldn't compare to Agatha according to their individual powers, her master was an Emplenan, which Agatha had no desire of offending.
Fortunately, though Vasati revealed disgust, she didn't reveal any intent to make matters difficult for Agatha.
Nevertheless, Vasati didn't miss the opportunity to voice her opinion. "It would seem the esteemed Enchantress continues to hold a soft spot for humans after the atrocities they've committed against our two races."
Subconsciously, Kieran arched his brow while listening to Vasati talk. 'It's vague, but it's there nonetheless—the confidence that is felt when one possesses the home advantage.'
Kieran was fairly certain that if Vasati were in another setting, she wouldn't be so loose-lipped with her words.
This was evident by how she spoke about the Enchantress, an existence that not even her master could match.
Though, as this was not his matter to butt into, Kieran remained quiet, watching to see how Agatha would handle the slight overstep.
As one would expect, the way Agatha looked at Vasati changed, exuding a tinge of pressure. "Please be mindful of the relationship between the Wykin and Elves when you speak. You wouldn't want to suffer another calamity by losing this relationship, would you?"
Baffled by Agatha's returning comment, Vasati could only look at her wordlessly.
Just as speaking upon the Enchantress' name was blasphemy to the Wykin's heritage, speaking of the calamitous massacre was an overstep of near equal proportions.
In other words, one could say Agatha responded in kind.
Normally, Agatha wouldn't be so harsh with her words, considering that Vasati was a part of the younger generation, who tended to speak belligerently.
However, as the next in line for the Enchantress position and as one of those humans Hekaina favored, Agatha felt targeted.
Being targeted justified her response, especially when Hekaina gave Agatha the ability to act and speak in her stead while in the presence of the Elves.
"Ah… if I have stepped upon a sore spot, my apologies. But you can see how disrespectful commenting on the Enchantress' behavior is, yes?" Agatha replied.
Though she voiced her apologies, there wasn't a hint of warmth in her voice. In fact, her tone made Vasati shudder and contemplate her words.
Brought up under the guidance of the Emplenan Few, Vasati adopted their way of speaking. Thus, even after contemplating how her words could be disrespectful, she failed to see the error of her ways.
In Vasati's eyes, her inevitable status would warrant her being on the same pedestal as the greatest powers.
Kieran could see the lack of awareness in Vasati's eyes and shook his head with a deep sigh. "Your words are being wasted. At the very most, I think we should complete our task in coming here then leave."
"Quiet," Agatha spoke, immediately silencing Kieran.
Though their statuses were somewhat equal thanks to his identity as the Mystic Light, it was only equal while within the Wykin territories.
Here, Kieran's identity could be considered ignored.
"Oh? This human even has the gall to interject during your conversation? In that case, what's to say he won't step over you in the future and become your undoing? If you want my advice… get rid of him," Vasati said before turning her back to proceed down the long aisle.
Once she turned, Agatha's expression darkened further as she looked at Kieran. "Don't you know how to listen? I told you to remain silent! The attitude of the Emplenan Few puts that young girl to shame. On top of that, they're more likely to listen to her words over mine."
"Oh." Kieran gasped with a blank expression, nodding subtly.
But soon after, his expression soon became lackadaisical, shrugging indifferently. "Sadly, I don't care. If they don't have the capacity to understand and consider before acting, the outcome is on their shoulders. I need not make any threat nor be scared of talking… because I know my value."
"Haah…" Agatha hid her face, sighing endlessly. "You're just like Scar—so much like him that it's ridiculous."
Kieran felt compelled to laugh but decided against it considering their location.
Humans were already abhorred in this land.
An obnoxious entry would only further deteriorate their image of him.
Eventually, the two cut their conversation short because although Vasati was given the role of their guide, she continued to grow further away, traversing the aisle without looking back.
