NOVEL NEXT #11
#11
The young elves who received revelations returned to the Fiokhim Mountains, which had an unusually subdued atmosphere. Normally, there would have been a small party to warmly welcome the elves who received their fated partners from the Galia Tree and to bless their bright futures. But this time was different. It was all because of the name that Kain Starchis had received.
“……”
Kain sat in front of the elder with an uncomfortable expression. The elder, Trocen, an elf with a long white beard, remained silent for a long time. Kain, unable to imagine how long he would have to sit there, glanced at his father, who had taken a serious expression beside the elder. However, his father seemed lost in thought as well and did not notice Kain’s signal. The faces of the elders gathered there, including Kain’s father, were stiff as if they had heard news of the collapse of the Fiokhim Mountains.
Unable to bear the heavy silence any longer, Kain broke it by speaking up.
“……Can you explain what the problem is with my mark?”
Immediately, the elder Trocen’s pale gaze turned to Kain.
“There is no problem, Kain.”
“……Then why……”
Kain’s brow furrowed as he could not immediately understand the elder’s words. The elder slowly continued.
“However, your mark will soon become a problem.”
“……”
One of Kain’s eyebrows shot up. So, it was indeed true that the mark itself was a problem. The elder’s low voice continued.
“First of all, the name of your mark is not of an elf.”
Kain Starchis had felt this when he first looked at the name inscribed. The format and feeling of the name were completely different from those of the elves.
“Yet it is neither a dwarf’s nor a fairy’s name, nor that of any other being. Their names are much more complex and difficult to pronounce.”
Then……. Kain could easily deduce the last remaining possibility.
“That is a human name.”
“Indeed.”
Ah, Kain Starchis nodded slightly up and down. However, he still could not understand why that was a problem. Of course, it was strange. The World Tree revealed the fated partners of the elves, and all those marks should have been elf names.
“How fascinating.”
The elder asked Kain, who showed little reaction to the fact that it was a human name.
“Fascinating? This is not something to be taken lightly. As the elder of Fiokhim, I cannot allow you to have a human partner.”
“……”
What does that mean? One of Kain’s eyebrows shot up.
“……Why do I need the elder’s permission for my fated partner?”
The elder, enraged by the audacity of the young elf who had just received a revelation, shouted.
“Kain Starchis! Have you already forgotten the lesson that Nereides taught us?”
“……”
Kain tilted his head, furrowing his brow. ‘Elf Nereides’ was the name of an ancient elf who had descended from their ancestors. She was the first and last elf to bond with a human as a fated partner. The human who was her partner, Kaien Edin, was a person who only sought to gain his own interests and honor by exploiting the purity and truthfulness of the elf Nereides.
In the end, the legend tells that Nereides, who gave selflessly like a tree, ended up turning into a statue after only standing and weeping. The statue from that story still stands at the entrance of some elf village.
Since then, whenever the World Tree revealed fated partners, humans were no longer paired with elves, and recalling that fairy tale, Kain said,
“What is the lesson she gave us? That all humans are evil? But I don’t think so. That’s just a story about one human named Kaien Edin.”
As Kain honestly expressed his thoughts, the faces of the older elves gathered in the elder’s room turned pale.
“Oh my!”
“They say young elves do not know the fear of humans!”
Kain turned his head to confirm the reactions around him. He also checked his father’s face, who was shaking his head with his eyes downcast. The elder slammed his staff on the ground and said,
“Kain Starchis, you do not know how evil humans can be! We could only find peace after settling in the Fiokhim Mountains. That peace!”
After catching his breath, filled with anger, the elder continued.
“Are you saying you will shake the peace we have barely regained?”
“……”
Kain bit his lip and frowned. He could not understand why he was being questioned about something the World Tree had determined regarding his fated partner.
“It has already been thousands of years since we severed ties with humans. They must have become even more wicked and cunning in that time. It’s obvious you will end up like Nereides!”
“……”
Kain silently listened to the elder and the other older elves around him, saying nothing. A name that covered the empty heart he had felt until now. He felt as if he had already given his whole heart to the owner of that name, whom he had never even met.
Then the elder, feeling frustrated, spoke up.
“Kain Starchis! Do you understand what we are saying?”
“……”
Kain chewed his lip once and then raised his eyes straight. His usually gentle green eyes were filled with resolute will. Kain opened his mouth while looking at the elder.
“She is my fated partner.”
“What?” The elder shouted, leaning on the table. His eyes, filled with anger, were visible between his bushy beard and eyebrows. But Kain did not back down even in front of him.
“I will see for myself whether my partner is evil or not.”
Kain said with a determined expression.
“Thank you for your concern.”
Then he stood up and strode past the table where the elders were gathered.
“Wait, wait!” The elder shouted, holding his head, but Kain ignored him and pushed aside the tent flap to go outside. Determination was evident on his face.
As soon as he stepped out of the building where the elders were gathered, someone called his name.
“Kain!”
It was Lucian.
“Kain, is it true that your mark is a human name?” He quickly ran over, grabbing Kain’s arm as if he were afraid Kain would leave him behind.
“……”
Kain was extremely tired after being tormented by the elder and the older elves, but considering Lucian’s usual behavior, he did not think he had any bad intentions. Kain replied briefly with a calm face.
“……It’s true.”
“Unbelievable.”
It’s true. Instead of answering, Kain let out a sigh. If Lucian was just asking out of curiosity, he wanted to end this conversation quickly. After just having a heated argument, he had no time or energy to entertain Lucian’s curiosity.
“Really……” Lucian muttered, realizing it from Kain’s expression. But then he spoke as if he had made a resolution.
“You’re going to go down to the human realm, right?”
“What?”
“To find your fated partner. You’re going to go down to look for her, right?”
“……”
Well, no answer came immediately, especially when everyone was trying to dissuade him. It seemed that the rebellious spirit had played a significant role in his earlier decision to leave.
“You have to find her!” Lucian, interpreting Kain’s silence differently, shook his arm vigorously. Lucian, whom Kain always thought of as smaller and weaker, felt much stronger than Kain at that moment.
“Your partner will be waiting for you, Kain.”
“……Is that so? If so, that would be fortunate, but…… probably not.”
The other party was a human. They knew nothing about elf culture, and it was questionable whether they could spend a lifetime together, as they were a capricious existence. Finding her was one problem, but the aftermath would be equally challenging. Kain had just felt that wall while talking with the elders.
“I’ve always thought you were amazing, Kain. You never seemed to enjoy waiting for or imagining your fated partner, and you appeared indifferent to that. But even you will change when you meet your true fated partner.”
That was suddenly a strange story. Huh? Kain tilted his head, filled with questions.
“What do you mean by that?”
“It’s about how much the existence of a fated partner can change your life.”
Lucian said in a calm voice. He took a step forward and stared intently at Kain Starchis. With his palm covering his heart, Lucian continued.
“The moment I realized that Dilaila was my fated partner, everything looked different. I had already known her for decades.”
Lucian’s face seemed to overflow with happiness. The anxious and worried look he had before going to receive the revelation was nowhere to be found.
“Kain, anyway, you will know when you meet your fated partner. You will understand what I felt. You will be surprised at how happy it is to know that your fated partner is alive in this world.”
“……”
After hearing Lucian’s words, Kain momentarily kept his mouth shut. The only elf who had supported him since he received his mark was Lucian, just one person. Kain nodded once and then opened his mouth.
“I understand, Lucian.”
Only then could he solidify his resolve. Kain Starchis was still curious about why the World Tree determined fated partners. And whether this empty part in the middle of his chest could be filled by that partner.
To find that answer, he had to meet his fated partner, no matter what anyone said to dissuade him.
“Of course, I was going to do that. I should at least see the face of my fated partner.”
At Kain’s words, Lucian smiled as if relieved.