CHAPTER 158: DIVINE BEING?

His gaze flickered toward her meaningfully. "You carry that dragon’s curse, don’t you?"

Ling Yu’s eyes narrowed. "You can feel it?"

"How could I not?" The elder’s voice was gentle, but his words were grave. "Its residue clings to your very essence. But do not mistake my words for condemnation. If anything... your burden is what might save us."

He looked down at his hands, as if remembering something long buried. "When a dragon dies, the balance of nature trembles. The elves have prayed since that day to keep the spirit of corruption from taking root in our forest. But lately, the prayers are faltering. The tree’s light is dimming. Something, or someone, is drawing its life away."

Ling Yu’s expression turned sharp. "Then the dungeon’s core..."

"Most likely lies near the Tree of Oath," he confirmed.

It made sense now. Every dungeon had a heart, and that heart often took the form of something sacred or powerful that had been corrupted. If the World Tree truly anchored this forest’s existence, then whatever was feeding on it had to be the source of this dungeon’s chaos.

Ling Yu stood abruptly, her silver hair swaying behind her. "Then I’ll go at dawn."

The elder raised a hand to stop her. "No. Not tonight. The forest’s paths twist after sundown. Even I cannot guide you safely then. Rest, Lady Ling Yu. You’ll need your strength for what comes."

His tone carried enough authority that Ling Yu relented, though reluctantly. She nodded. "Very well. At first light, then."

He inclined his head, the faintest smile playing on his lips. "The World Tree will sense your approach. Be ready for what it shows you."

After their talk, Ling Yu returned to her group. The fair was beginning to calm down, the songs now slow and melodic, an almost lullaby-like rhythm that made the fireflies dance along the breeze. Nie Ziyu was humming softly, half-drowsy from the fruit wine, while Ye Qingxue leaned back against a mossy trunk, eyes half-lidded.

"You done talking with the pretty elf grandpa?" Nie Ziyu teased with an obvious smirk on his face, his voice light.

Ling Yu gave him a flat look. "He’s over a thousand years old."

"Exactly my point," Ziyu giggled, "even old men here are unfairly good-looking. Imagine what the elf women look like."

Ye Qingxue smirked faintly. "You’ll have plenty of time to admire them tomorrow, Ziyu. For now, let’s sleep before Ling Yu makes us run laps around the forest again."

Ling Yu ignored their playful banter and sat near the campfire the elves had provided for them. Her gaze turned skyward. Between the thick canopy, the stars shimmered faintly like shards of broken glass scattered across the velvet sky. For a moment, she almost felt small, insignificant, in the face of such ageless beauty.

Then she felt it.

There was a faint vibration from her storage bag.

Ling Yu frowned slightly and turned. The bag pulsed again, this time accompanied by a muffled sound, a soft coo, like a tiny creature whining.

"...Ah," she muttered under her breath, rubbing her forehead. She had completely forgotten she’d sealed Fluffy inside earlier to avoid startling the elves.

She unfastened the clasp, and immediately, a tiny white blur shot out like a comet, landing on her shoulder with a soft thump. The little creature puffed up its fur and let out an indignant squeak, pawing at her hair as if scolding her for the confinement.

Nie Ziyu, half-asleep, blinked. "Oh... Fluffy’s mad at you again."

"I noticed," Ling Yu said dryly. She reached up to pat its round head. "You were safer in there."

Fluffy didn’t seem convinced. It let out another trill, its golden eyes narrowing as it puffed its cheeks, a gesture so comically human that even Ye Qingxue couldn’t help but smile faintly.

However, the moment the Elf Elder approached their resting area again, everything changed.

The elder froze mid-step, his pupils dilating slightly as his eyes fell upon Fluffy. The calm warmth on his face vanished, replaced by an expression of pure astonishment.

"Th-that creature..." he whispered, voice trembling.

Ling Yu blinked, caught off guard by his reaction. "Fluffy?"

The elder took a hesitant step forward, then knelt, his long robe pooling around him as he placed a hand over his chest in reverence. "No... not Fluffy. That is... a divine being!"

His words carried such weight that the few nearby elves who overheard turned sharply, their eyes wide. Murmurs rippled through the crowd like a gust of wind.

Nie Ziyu sat up instantly. "Wait, what?"

Even Ye Qingxue’s calm expression faltered. "You mean this little furball?"

But the elder wasn’t joking. His gaze was unwavering, his voice filled with something close to awe. "I can sense the remnants of the Primordial Spirit within it, the aura of the Starbound Guardian. Such beings vanished from all realms long before even my ancestors walked this world."

Fluffy tilted its head at him, as if confused by the attention, then yawned softly and curled up on Ling Yu’s lap, falling asleep within seconds.

Ling Yu blinked at the sleeping creature. "Divine being or not," she muttered under her breath, "it’s still lazy."

But the elder didn’t smile. His expression was serious, almost reverent. "Lady Ling, you may not understand the significance of this. If this creature truly carries the divine essence of the Starbound Guardian, then your coming here was not a coincidence. It is fate. The Guardian once served as the protector of the World Tree itself. Perhaps it has returned... through you."

A cold chill rippled down Ling Yu’s spine as she looked down at the sleeping ball of fur. She’d found Fluffy injured near the first dungeon gate weeks ago, never imagining it might be anything more than a strange beast.

Now, though... things began to make sense.

Why Fluffy had an innate connection with spiritual energy. She seemed to have a brief idea of why her own power stabilized when it was near, and why the monsters she encountered reacted violently to its presence.

She looked up at the elder, who bowed his head deeply.

"Lady Ling," he said gravely, "if you and your companion truly bear the Guardian’s essence, then perhaps the World Tree will answer your call. It may be the key to purging the corruption once and for all."

Ling Yu’s eyes flickered with a rare glimmer of emotion. "Then tomorrow," she said quietly, "we go to the Tree of Oath."

The elder inclined his head. "And may the forest watch over you."

As he left, the murmurs of the elves followed him like ripples in a pond. Some looked at Ling Yu with renewed awe, others with fear. She felt their gazes but didn’t react. Instead, she gently stroked Fluffy’s fur, the little creature’s steady breathing soothing her thoughts.

The night deepened, the festival songs fading into soft hums carried by the wind. The moonlight shimmered across Ling Yu’s silver hair, the golden sigil on her hand pulsing faintly in rhythm with Fluffy’s heartbeat.

Somewhere far beyond the canopy, the faint glow of the World Tree flickered, like a heartbeat echoing in the dark.

*

*

*

The camp had grown quite long ago, though not entirely silent. A faint chorus of chirping insects and the rustle of leaves swayed in harmony with the distant lullaby of the elves’ nighttime prayers. The moon hung high and full, its pale light filtering through the canopy, washing the forest in silver.

Inside the tent, the air was warm, perfumed faintly by the herbs the elves had provided for rest. But for Ling Yu, sleep refused to come.

She lay on her side, eyes half-open, watching the flickering shadow of the campfire dance across the canvas of the tent. Nie Ziyu was sprawled beside her, snoring softly with one leg kicked out of her blanket. On the other side, Ye Qingxue lay curled up like a cat, breathing evenly. Even Xian Yu, who was usually the most vigilant among them, had long since succumbed to exhaustion, his snores coming in low, rhythmic waves that reminded her of distant thunder.

Ling Yu stared at them for a long moment, a mix of exasperation and amusement tugging faintly at her lips.

"Honestly..." she whispered to herself. "They could sleep through an earthquake."

No matter how hard she tried, her mind refused to settle. It wasn’t that she wasn’t tired, because her body ached and she was mentally exhausted from the day’s battles and negotiations, but her thoughts simply wouldn’t still. Every time she closed her eyes, fragments of the elder’s words came back to her:

’The World Tree trembles... the corruption spreads... You carry the dragon’s curse...’

Each phrase echoed like a whisper in her skull. She sighed and sat up, running a hand through her hair. Her silver locks gleamed faintly under the moonlight that slipped through a gap in the tent.

Fine.

If sleep wouldn’t come, then let’s see... she’d rather walk.