The Mists of Tirna Scithe

Vel'th's soul was unconscious and likely would not awaken before arriving in Oribos.

Devos had deliberately cast a minor spell on him. It was not a necessary step; she simply did not want to hear that disgusting man speak.

She had no need to console him. There was a good chance he would be sentenced to Revendreth, where merciless harvesters would make him repent for his crimes. They would be more than happy to hear him cry and beg for mercy.

In some ways, the Paragon of Loyalty was quite willful herself.

"Lady Moonberry, my mission ends here. Though I do not know what happened beyond that scarlet barrier, I imagine you still have things to do, don't you?"

The Paragon of Loyalty sighed. Behind her lay a heap of souls burdened with monstrous sins, without a single noble soul among them.

Aside from those the Soaring Veil Dusk had taken away earlier, more than half the souls had answered another call and left her side.

This was not unusual. When a soul was bound through the existence of the Wild Gods or the world's own connections, the Kyrian doctrine would not interfere excessively.

Yet the situation before her seemed somewhat different.

Compared to the special favor granted through a back door by the world's will, what was happening before Devos was more like an unreasonable robbery. It was outright dereliction of duty, and the poor little moth was still staring at her anxiously, clearly begging her to leave quickly.

"I will leave..."

Devos said helplessly, "I also trust your judgment, my lady. If necessary, I will even help you conceal it."

Lady Moonberry let out a breath of relief, but as the Paragon continued, the heart she had just settled rose again.

"Even if you stubbornly wish to change the fates of those helpless souls and take my work from me, it is not as though I cannot understand."

Devos paused, then said solemnly, "But I have responsibilities of my own as well. At the very least, I must witness the end of their journey."

Lowering her head, Moonberry quietly asked, "Even if it goes against the 'destiny' we follow?"

Devos hesitated. She suddenly recalled a passage from that investigation report, recalled the research and conjectures concerning the Arbiter's origins. She froze for a moment, then nodded lightly.

"I will always follow the Kyrian precepts..."

Devos said firmly. Moonberry's expression dimmed slightly.

"But now, I place greater faith in the nobility of those souls themselves. So I am willing to try believing in you as well."

Moonberry lifted her head in surprise. A strange hint of a smile bloomed across Devos's rigid face.

"You... could it be?"

Moonberry raised her little head to gaze at the Paragon, who was much taller than her, her eyes flickering.

Devos sighed and shook her head. "No. I simply... have so many, many questions, and I have yet to find the answers..."

Moonberry fell silent for a while, seeming to ponder something. The Paragon did not disturb her; she understood how similar their circumstances were.

Yet the faerie soon raised her head. She took out a seed glimmering with blue light and carefully placed it before the Paragon.

"What is this?" Devos asked doubtfully.

"This is a seed from the Grove of Awakening. I received it from the Queen's garden."

"What does it do?"

"It can... awaken a dream."

"?"

Devos looked puzzled. She could not understand the description, so Moonberry explained—the acorn was not a cradle for spirit seeds. It could not return souls to the embrace of the wilds, yet it was even more precious than a spirit seed.

But Moonberry did not tell the Paragon that she had taken the seed without the Winter Queen's permission, nor that it had not come from an ordinary oak tree.

When the First Ones visited,

the noble Queen had planted its mother with her own hands. It had been Ardenweald's first tree, the rebirth tree Arkadia, and was now the Heart of the Forest.

Now, that former seed had grown into a towering tree, becoming the dwelling place of all souls in Ardenweald.

And in the distant future, this seed would grow into another equally majestic giant tree. That tree would be unable to nurture life, but it could become a home for souls.

"I have never heard of such a miraculous seed. It must be very precious, right?"

Devos asked with some concern.

"It is all right. This is merely... a tiny, insignificant compensation..."

Moonberry suddenly gave a mischievous smile. Her tiny palm flipped sharply, and before Devos's stunned eyes, the precious seed drifted away on the wind as though it had been casually discarded.

Devos hurriedly reached out to catch it, but the seed playfully slipped through the gaps between her fingers and flew away in an instant.

"Hahahaha... what a splendid prank!"

Lady Moonberry clutched her stomach and laughed. The little faerie fluttered around the Paragon, flying up and down as she mischievously circled her.

"Relax, relax! A Paragon who cannot take a joke, all gloomy and lifeless—that is not a faerie's style!"

"Heavens!!! Do you know what you just threw away?!!!" Devos cried out.

"Hehe, you do not understand us, do you? Faeries are masters of mischief. The wind is our friend; it will not let anyone lose their way halfway through!"

"And the wind will surely guide it to the right person, I believe! It will guide our path!"

Miss Moonberry adorably clenched her tiny fists and declared with complete confidence.

With Moonberry's assurance, Devos coughed awkwardly twice.

The lively little faerie had made her laugh as well. Smiling, she asked Moonberry, "Ever since earlier, you have kept saying 'that child' and 'we,' yet I still do not know whom you are talking about."

Moonberry blinked mischievously and asked with a grin, "Want to know?"

"Yes!" Devos nodded.

"Want to hear my story? Then come visit the grove, my friend! I will entertain you with the finest prank... no, the finest stage! We can perform that legendary tale together! The tale of the hero who saved Ardenweald and saved the Shadowlands!"

Devos nodded. The Star Lake Amphitheater was famous even in Bastion, and being fortunate enough to watch such an epic performance seemed quite nice. So she agreed.

However, she did not see Lady Moonberry's sly smile. The Paragon's expectations might have been a little blindly optimistic.

"But is it really all right to leave just like this?"

"This is enough already. If we drag things out any longer, it will cause trouble for both the Queen and that child."

Moonberry shook her head. "It is not time yet... The mists shrouding Tirna Scithe have only dispersed a little. The day when the clouds part and the sun shines through is still far away..."

The speaker had not meant anything by it, but the listener took it to heart. Devos suddenly fell silent.

The conversation seemed to grow somewhat awkward. Moonberry scratched her head in distress and carefully apologized.

"Sorry, I seem to have said something strange. Please do not take it to heart."

To her surprise, Devos seemed to have fallen into thought.

The Paragon of Loyalty sighed, her expression complicated, as though she were about to make an important decision. Her brows remained tightly furrowed for quite some time before finally relaxing.

"On the contrary, perhaps... we are facing the same predicament."

Devos gave a bitter smile and rubbed her forehead. "I have some stories to share as well. Perhaps we can have a proper talk on the journey back."

Moonberry stared at her in astonishment for a long while, then suddenly smiled.

"Yay, yay! Miss Moonberry's afternoon tea will finally have another new friend! Wow, and a distinguished Kyrian Paragon!"

"This time, I will definitely come up with lots and lots of new pranks! I wonder whether I can make that stone-headed bat general laugh? Hehe, I can hardly wait!"