When he woke up on the grass the next morning, he found his body feeling incredibly refreshed. Every cell seemed to have drunk its fill of the purest morning dew, brimming with surging life and vitality.
All the physical and mental exhaustion from the past few days of fighting and casting spells had vanished.
It was as if his body had been cleansed by nature's energy, leaving him feeling light and refreshed.
Needless to say, it was because he had purified the Magic Tree and resolved the crisis in the forest. Nature had rewarded him, raising him four levels to level 33. On top of that, several of his skill proficiencies had increased considerably.
He thanked nature in his heart for its generosity, then got up and stretched his limbs, feeling the life force surging through him. He rode off on Big Black, who was yawning.
A few minutes later, he arrived at the somewhat empty Moonlight Plaza, where he met Arenia and the others.
They had once again donned their cold, imposing armor. With the curved swords and bows at their sides, they seemed unapproachable.
Kale greeted them and was about to ask what they were doing there when the faint sound of hooves came from nearby.
Priestess Laria came slowly from the direction of the temple, riding her majestic Frostsaber. Her face wore the same serene smile as always, one that seemed capable of seeing right through people.
Seeing the scene, Kale realized that it was time for them to part.
The villagers had clearly anticipated this, too. Old Village Chief Bebo leaned on his cane and came to the plaza accompanied by Jinli, Salomon, and Lilin, along with more than a dozen villagers.
They carried platters piled with roast meat and bread, as well as several jugs of Morning Dew Wine and Moonlight Wine, their sweet, fresh aromas wafting through the air. They invited Kale and the others to share in the food and drink.
Following the Night Elves' ancient customs, Kale and the others shared food and wine with the villagers. After exchanging many farewells, they left amid the villagers' reluctant gazes.
Before leaving, Kale had wanted to ask Jinli about the practice of Arcane magic, but he never found a chance to speak with her alone, so he had to put it off.
And so, the six of them left Bristlelimb Village and entered the forests of Ashenvale, beginning their journey back.
The forest was especially quiet at night. Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, illuminating the mist between the trees.
The six walked quietly through the forest for several hours and arrived safely at Maestra Town.
The little town, built on a high slope, was as peaceful and tranquil as ever, unchanged since they had left.
They followed the familiar roads through town and came to a stop outside the Sentinel Corps outpost.
Arenia stood at the entrance with Linda, Luna, and the other two Sentinels, then turned to look at Kale. He knew it was time to say goodbye again.
Luna stepped forward first and gave him a big hug. She whispered playfully in his ear, "Kale, come visit us at the Sentinel Outpost when you have time. We can take you to the tavern in town and have a good talk about 'life'."
Linda and the other two Sentinels followed suit, hugging him and whispering invitations to secret late-night rendezvous. Their words made Kale's cheeks burn, and all he could do was nod with an awkward smile.
By comparison, Arenia was much more reserved. She first praised Kale for how he had performed during the journey, then offered him a few words of farewell before leaving with Luna and the others.
After seeing the five off, Kale turned around and suddenly realized that Priestess Laria had disappeared.
A little surprised, he was wondering what had happened when Laria's gentle voice rang out in his mind without warning.
"Child of Moonlight, you have earned the goddess's favor. I find this most unusual. I have neither the intention nor the right to investigate the reason, and I will not interfere with any of your actions."
"I only wish to tell you that the goddess's will is my will. If you encounter difficulties carrying out her will in the future and need my help, you can come to me at any time."
"Lastly, may the goddess's light shine upon you forever, child."
Kale's heart stirred. He wondered whether he should invoke the goddess's name to discuss with Laria the Night Elves' future and the fate that awaited the Azeroth Continent.
He considered it for a while, then ultimately dismissed the idea.
First, although he was blessed by the goddess, several other Night Elves had received her blessing as well. He was merely a country youth from Moonshadow Village. In a society that valued tradition and seniority, he had neither a distinguished family background nor a high position. It was hard to say how much weight his words would carry.
Second, even if he told the Night Elves what might happen in the future in the goddess's name, he could only do so in the form of a prophecy. He could not explain things in too much detail.
As far as Kale knew, there was no shortage of people in the Azeroth Continent capable of prophecy. He had no idea whether his words would have any effect, and they might even alert his enemies.
Finally, although Laria had said she would follow the goddess's will, it was not necessarily up to Kale to decide what that will was.
Unless the goddess herself spoke, anyone could interpret the goddess's will in their own way. There was no telling whether their interpretation would match Kale's wishes.
More importantly, if the Night Elves believed him and prepared for the dangers that might arise, it would inevitably cause a butterfly effect.
That effect could easily lead to a future beyond Kale's understanding. It would be hard to predict where history might turn.
Kale was not afraid of changing history. What he feared was causing an even greater catastrophe by changing it.
So he decided that the best course was to follow the flow of history while he was still weak, and find a way to quickly strengthen himself and the Night Elves as a whole. Then, once he had the power to control history's course, he could make sweeping changes.
Having made up his mind, Kale stopped dwelling on it.
He rode Big Black away from the Sentinel Corps outpost and went to report on the mission to his teacher, Matt Hardwood.
But when he arrived at his lodgings, he found that his teacher was away again. Dinia Moonlight was still looking after the house.
The little girl was squatting boredly in the yard, holding a twig and scribbling on the ground. He had no idea what she was up to.
When she saw Kale, she hurriedly scuffed away the marks with her foot and stood up to greet him.
"Senior Brother Kale, you're finally back."
Kale pretended not to notice what she had done, patted her little shoulder, and gave a small nod. "Did the teacher go out again?"
"On the day after you left, the teacher went away," Dinia replied.
Kale frowned. "He left again? When will he be back?"
Dinia shook her little head. "I don't know. He didn't tell me. But before he left, he said you should write a proper report when you got back and hand it in as soon as possible."
"I see. Did he say anything else?"
Dinia's eyes flickered. She spread her hands. "No, that was all."
Seeing her guilty look, Kale couldn't help laughing. "You're lying again, aren't you, you little rascal? Didn't the teacher ask me to check your studies?"
Dinia hadn't expected her lie to be exposed so quickly, and could only plead with him in a sweet voice.
Kale lightly tapped her on the head. "All right, stop trying to make me feel sorry for you. Make sure you finish the work the teacher assigned you on time, or you'll regret it later."
Dinia didn't think much of it, but she reluctantly agreed to do as Kale asked.
In the days that followed, Kale stayed at Matt's house, busy writing a report on the Furbolg incident and helping Dinia with her training. Now and then, he also found time to tell her about what had happened during the incident.
Kale had originally wanted to use the dangerous experience to scare the little rascal into training properly instead of slacking off.
But Dinia wasn't frightened in the slightest. Instead, the more she heard, the more excited she became. She spent every day asking Kale to take her on an adventure, leaving him utterly exasperated.
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