(Part 1) Reincarnated as an Elf Mage’s Cell

“Please…please let me heal you!”

A heartfelt plea comes out of the mouth of an elf who kneels down next to the bed of an elderly man, who stares blankly at the ceiling decor above him.

The elf’s long blond hair, untied, drapes over her face like curtains. Unable to control her tears, they drip from her cheeks to the man’s wrinkled hand. The man weakly, but firmly raises that hand towards the elf and shakes his head.

“...don’t.”

That one simple word was enough to break the leaking dam that was holding the elf’s tears.

“But Kaden, you are the last member of our party left–our dear leader. If you die, then there will be no one left but…but…me. Life has already been rough without the twins, so if you go too, I don’t know how much longer I could live on!”

“...”

The elf buries her face into Kaden’s chest, sobbing uncontrollably. After a few minutes, her sobbing becomes weaker. At that moment, the man softly slides his left hand down her moist cheeks to her chin, then slowly lifts her face to make her black eyes meet his blue eyes.

To support Kaden’s slightly shaky hand, the elf overlaps her hand with his.

“My time is up; I was blessed to live over ninety years. I’ve reached the end of my life, but you are at just the beginning of yours. Funny how that works despite us being born the same year, isn’t it? Elves’ bodies are amazing…makes me a little jealous, haha.”

“Kaden…please…”

“Promise me two things–I can’t go on peacefully unless you do. The second one is more important than the first.”

“My, even now, you are a little greedy. You never changed as drastically as your physical body.”

“Guilty as charged. But you all still loved me anyway.”

The two share a laugh.

“I…I promise. Please tell me; I’ll do anything.”

“For the first request, please watch over my descendants–all of our descendants. Especially the ones in their youth. I’m sure a few of them would appreciate your guidance and expertise when it comes to magic.”

“I would be more than happy to do such a thing even if you never requested it. As for the second request?”

“Live with your head up–you still have many centuries of life ahead of you. I’m grateful that I got to meet you during childhood, how rare is that for a human? Carry on strongly not just for our sake, but for yours. Can you promise me that, Lyrielle?”

More tears swell up in Lyrielle’s eyes, though she wipes them away before they could properly form. Despite her feelings, she forces herself to smile. A wide, bright smile.

“I promise. I promise not only that, but I will never forget you three no matter how many centuries pass. You all will forever be part of me!”

The two dearest friends share one more smile and embrace.