Chapter 86: Extinguished
“A mission… to protect the Bewildering Forest?” Eleanor’s gaze fell, her voice low. “Just like last time, she just dumped the title of High Priestess on me, and this time, she didn’t even ask my opinion, just handed me such an important matter…”
“Why does this keep happening…”
Bai didn’t answer her question, though she knew the reason.
She believed Eleanor already knew, deep down, but was subconsciously refusing to accept it.
Although Bai had always called her a fool, she was still the High Priestess, the last ember of the Fairy race.
But she had always relied on others, on Norma, on Nimora, on Bai…
And now, it was her turn to bear the burden, and she was lost, unable to even grieve for Nimora’s death.
Or rather, Nimora’s death didn’t feel real to her.
In fact, it probably didn’t feel real to any of the elves of the Bewildering Forest. Their first reaction to the news would have been, “Who’s spreading such ridiculous rumors?”
But unfortunately, Nimora was truly dead, completely, not even a lingering consciousness like “Ice” remained.
She had given all her soul power to Eleanor, her emotions and memories now a crystallized “key,” a gift to—or rather, a return to—Bai.
And her body, under the moonlight, had dissolved into a shower of light, returning to the embrace of the Bewildering Forest.
And her last, lingering consciousness, with a faint, ancient hum, had calmly walked towards its final end.
After a moment of sobbing, Eleanor wiped her tears and looked at Bai. “Aunt Nimora’s death… can’t be announced yet. The Bewildering Forest still needs a true High Priestess. And I’m not that, not yet.”
She still, subconsciously, sought Bai’s approval.
She was still dependent.
“That is a matter for your people. I will not interfere,” Bai said bluntly, her gaze fixed on Eleanor. “If you believe it is the right thing to do, then it is.”
“…I understand, Bai,” Eleanor said, looking away. “But thank you.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for. I can’t help you now. This is your path. You must walk it alone.”
She took out a handful of fragments. Eleanor recognized them as the “Oracle.”
Seeing the shattered artifact, Eleanor seemed to understand something, a new understanding of Nimora’s final choice.
Nimora had spent a hundred thousand years trying to escape her own predicament, her ability to see the future a curse that had bound her.
To break free, she had had to entrust it to another.
“I… am the one she chose. The High Priestess of the Bewildering Forest,” Eleanor murmured.
Bai placed the fragments on the table before her. “Perhaps this is the ‘Oracle’s’ true form—even a predetermined fate can be shattered.”
Eleanor stared at the fragments, lost in thought, a memory of a boring afternoon returning.
She had been trying to summon an elemental, and had instead summoned a silver-haired little girl… and in doing so, had changed the fate of the Bewildering Forest, of the elven race, of Nimora.
Eleanor was the only one who, under the sealing ritual, could still clearly remember Bai.
Because her soul had been tainted by destruction, and unlike Ice Lily, who had merged with destruction, Eleanor had been consumed by it.
The sealing ritual couldn’t affect her. With her tattered soul, she should have been dead already, her consciousness unable to sustain itself.
But Green Lolita and Nimora had, together, kept her alive.
But now… with Nimora’s immense soul power, the destructive power within her was being cleansed.
And her memories of Bai were fading. Looking at the silver-haired girl before her, she felt a strange sense of… unfamiliarity.
“Bai, I think I’m starting to forget you,” she said, her voice filled with a sad longing. She pressed a hand to her chest.
“I don’t know why, but it hurts here… is it because of Aunt Nimora’s sacrifice? Or because I’m losing you? Or both…”
“It’s a good thing. Forgetting me, I mean,” Bai said, a faint smile on her lips. Although she had been focused on finding a way to save Ara, her time with Eleanor had been… pleasant.
But that pleasant time was now over.
With her soul now restored, under the influence of the sealing ritual, she would soon forget her completely, would forget the Miss Bai with whom she had spent such a wonderful time.
And even if the sealing ritual couldn’t completely erase the memories, Bai would sever the thread herself.
Now, with all her connections severed, her attachment to this world was fading.
“It’s time to go, Eleanor,” she said softly, as if chanting a spell. “Go forward, carry the burden you must carry. Don’t look back. Let go of my hand. Walk forward…”
“Forward, always, forward…”
Her soft words, a gentle melody, pulled at Eleanor’s emotions, one by one.
“…I understand, Bai,” Eleanor smiled, her light green eyes narrowed into a crescent moon, her long, green hair flowing in the wind.
“You have your own things to do, don’t you?”
“I know. We all have things we have to do. I didn’t understand before, but now I do.”
“Aunt Nimora, Aunt Norma, Mother, and… Bai…”
“It’s my turn now, to do what I have to do, alone, not following in your footsteps…”
She reached out, as if to embrace Bai.
But in the end, she didn’t embrace her. Instead, a crystallized “key” appeared in her hands.
“Take it, Bai. I know you need it.”
And with the separation of the crystal, her memories of Bai began to fade.
The Bai of their first meeting, the Bai who read books, the Bai who studied magic circles, the Bai who wielded a sword, and… the Bai who walked resolutely towards her fate.
“This is… my love for you…”
Eleanor smiled, and as she smiled, tears streamed down her face.
“No matter what, I still love you.”
“Even if, now, I’ve forgotten everything about you…”
The brilliant crystal shone with a dazzling light, then, after a final, glorious flash, it was extinguished.
