45. Persuasion

In a large hall, at the bottom of the stairs leading up to a throne, there stood a ghost, caressing a sleeping elf. It had been hours since the elf last moved, yet the ghost didn't stop, for at that moment that elf was everything to her.

She'd tried reaching out to him multiple times, but she couldn't find him no matter how much she'd search, for the elf had shut himself in a place that only the cursed hero could reach.

She didn't blame him. She had assumed the role of the villain to get to where they were now, and even if she was so close to completing her goal, the way she got there hurt the elf.

She felt anxious. After so many tries, starting again was the last thing she wanted. On top of that, bringing another elf into a world where their extinction had already been confirmed would make them an easy target.

"Please, Yumino..." she begged, aware that another failure was not an option.

That's when the body of the elf twitched. Then his arm moved, and suddenly, he opened his eyes and jumped on his feet with vigor.

"Yumino! Are you ok?" the witch asked, but it was a stupid question.

"Do I look like I'm ok?" the elf replied, pointing at the dark circles under his eyes.

"It's that damn Erolith you have to thank for this!" he continued.

"Erolith..." the witch repeated in a whispering voice. "I see... I never thought he would go out of his way..."

Yumino didn't prolong their reunion; instead, he headed straight for the upper floor.

"Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? I have to gather a party!"

"So I take it that you've come back to us? How did he get you so motivated, I wonder..."

"Motivation? I guess you can call it that..." Yumino said.

"But I always thought motivation stemmed from some wholesome goals... That's not the case now," he said, his face clouded by a fake smile he put on just to show off in front of Gauntmere.

The witch first let out a sigh for an answer, speaking her mind only after she grasped the meaning behind the elf's words.

"You're right, Yumino. Maybe this fight was never about being that righteous hero you dreamt of becoming."

"Don't ruin my dreams like that, witch," Yumino said, keeping his twisted grin. "I want to make a name for myself, but I never said it should be as a hero!"

*****

"When you're lost in darkness, whichever direction you walk towards, it seems futile, so it's only normal to let yourself sink. I don't blame him."

That was the voice of Gavin as he gave his reason for giving up on the elf, unaware that the one he was talking about was on the other side of his room's closed door.

"Besides, why should I put myself in danger's way for something that doesn't concern me? I'm already a hero. Weren't we supposed to live the easy life now? I thought you, of all people, would agree with me on this, unless there's something else on your mind?"

On the other side of the room, Velmira stood on the edge of a bed with her legs crossed, looking as if she was asking herself the same question Gavin did.

"Who knows... I think curiosity is to blame..." she said, her gaze wandering out the window and onto the trees that kept their purple leaves shining bright even on the coldest winter days.

"But I guess you're right," she continued. "There's no fun to be had when he's curled up on the ground like that. Especially if I have to go to war for no good reason."

"Haha! You've always hated wars, haven't you?"

"There's way too much blood, and I know no bigger headache than wars. Too many people for me to handle—who would find anything fun in that?"

On the other side of the door, Yumino stood with his ear peeled and listened, looking for a good moment to enter. What he heard was demoralizing, but the elf didn't seem to mind.

"It seems you were never that close with them to begin with..." Gauntmere pointed out, her observation earning a slight shiver from the elf.

"We've only known each other for half a year, after all. I've long figured they are way more human than heroes. It's already impressive they came all the way here."

"But you said you have a plan to convince them, right?"

"I do," Yumino answered with no hesitation.

Just then, a pale grayish miasma slipped from under the door—a sign he had been detected. With no chance to time his entry, the elf knocked politely.

"It's me, Yumino!"

As he spoke, the door flung open and flames came rushing out. Luckily, Yumino quickly hid himself behind the wall.

"All good. It really is him," the familiar voice of the sorceress spoke.

Following the attack, from the room came out two figures. Velmira and Gavin both stood in front of the elf, their demeanor unchanged since the day Yumino met them back in summer.

"Oh! That's a surprise... I thought for sure you weren't getting up from there!" said Gavin, his expression both friendly and surprised at the sight of the elf standing on his feet. Velmira adding an excited "Ah~" to praise Yumino.

"I think now is the right time for you to use your persuasion, avenger."

Yumino looked both of them in the eyes, his expression determined as if nothing in this world could sway his next words.

"Velmira... Gavin..."

The two heroes tilted their heads. Seeing the elf look at them like that confused the two. They followed him because of Velmira's curiosity, but one look at Yumino was enough to also get Gavin interested in what the elf was about to say.

The next moment, Yumino fell to his knees, the sound of his head banging on the floor echoing through the halls of the castle.

"Please! Please help me kill Lucien!"

"Huh?" the voices of the two heroes resounded at once.

"Huh?" said the witch in his head.