Chapter 68

Chapter 68
The divine garden had become our quiet refuge. Days after the curry dinner, I found myself setting up a small table under the blooming canopy where the divine tree statues watched over us. The air shimmered faintly with mana. The scent of fresh herbs and flowers wafted on the breeze. It was peaceful here—soothing in a way the rest of the world never was.
I adjusted the tea kettle over a gentle flame while Elsie sat beside the bonsai, her fingers delicately trimming a wayward branch. She had taken an interest in the small tree since the day I told her how my grandfather used to care for them. It was the only Earth memento I had left—yet seeing her tend to it made it feel more alive than ever.
“Dirk,” she said softly, “this tree… when I touch it, I feel as though I’ve seen something like it before. Not this exact shape, but… a small sacred grove, where trees whispered and danced like these leaves.”
My hand stilled on the kettle handle. “A sacred grove?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes. And… there was music. Bells, chimes… laughter. Children? I’m not sure. It’s like trying to remember a dream just after waking.”
“That’s something, Elsie.” I smiled, careful not to show too much excitement. “That means it’s working. Your memories aren’t lost—just buried.”
She smiled faintly. “And somehow, I think you’re the reason they’re coming back.”
I served her tea and sat beside her. The air was quiet for a moment, save for the soft wind rustling the divine leaves overhead.
“Elsie,” I said, resting my elbows on my knees, “you don’t have to force yourself. If your past hurts, you can stay here with us. With me.”
She looked at me then, and her fingers brushed mine as she reached for her teacup.
“I want to remember,” she whispered. “But only if you’ll be beside me when I do.”
My heart stuttered. I wasn’t sure if it was love yet—whatever it was, it was growing fast, rooted deep. Every smile of hers, every curious question, every moment of peace shared in this garden wove her into the rhythm of my life.
Then, of course, came the interruption.
“Awww,” came Elvie’s teasing voice from the other side of the garden, “look at our Lord being all romantic. Is this part of your new strategy to tame elves, or just one in particular?”
Ella appeared beside her, arms crossed, an amused smirk on her face. “You used to grill hotdogs for us, you know. Now it’s tea and sacred trees for the mysterious beauty.”
I sighed but smiled. “You're both impossible.”
Elsie blushed and gave a polite bow. “I… didn’t mean to cause offence.”
“Oh, no offence taken,” Elvie said quickly, coming closer. “Just surprised. Dirk’s never hovered around anyone like this before. Even when I got stabbed that one time, all he did was throw a health potion at me and told me to walk it off.”
“I was trying to teach you toughness,” I said, holding back a laugh.
“You were being a jerk,” she replied, but there was no heat in her voice.
Still, something lingered beneath their banter. I caught it in the way Ella glanced at Elsie when she touched my arm. On the way, Elvie’s smile faltered a little when she saw me brushing dust off Elsie’s sleeve.
They were used to being by my side—Elvie especially. They weren’t angry. Just… adjusting. I owed them more than I could say, and tomorrow, I promised myself, I’d take them both hunting, just the three of us. Let them know they hadn’t been replaced.
But for now, Elsie had my attention.
Later that evening, I walked her back to the small cottage beside the divine garden, where she now stayed. Before stepping inside, she turned to me.
“I remembered a name today,” she said quietly.
I froze. “Whose name?”
“I… don’t know if it’s mine. But the word came into my mind when I touched the tree again. It echoed.”
She placed her hand over her chest.
“‘Silvarya.’”
The name rippled through the air, like a distant bell tolling across a valley.
I felt the divine mana around us stir ever so slightly, as if the world itself responded.
“I’ll look into it,” I told her gently. “You’re not alone in this, Elsie.”
“I know,” she said, and for the first time since we found her, she smiled without sadness.
That night, as I returned to my manor, I found myself thinking of her name over and over. Silvarya. Silvarya. Whoever she was… whatever her past held… she was part of my future now.

It started with a whisper.
Not hers. Not mine. Not anyone’s. Just… a voice.
Like a memory not fully mine, echoing through the roots of the divine tree.
The day after Silvarya’s awakening, I found myself sitting at the base of that tree, running my hand over the old bark, thinking back to when I first found her—fragile, blind, and nameless in the mines. Back then, she was . The soft-spoken woman with a kind laugh and an innocent awe for every bite of food I made her. The same woman who blushed when townsfolk teased us, who learnt to smile because I stayed by her side.
And now?
She stood at the centre of my divine garden like a living beacon, and her name was Silvarya. The First Guardian of the Dragon God. Flamebearer. A figure that shouldn't have been possible in this age.
“Dirk?” her voice called from behind me.
I turned.
Elsie—Silvarya—stood there, her silver hair glowing faintly under the morning sun, a gentle warmth radiating from her even without any magic flaring. Her hands fidgeted with the edge of her sleeves, like the old Elsie would do when unsure.
“Do you… see me differently now?”
I exhaled, rising to meet her gaze. “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”
She looked down, ashamed.
“Back then,” I continued, “you didn’t remember your name. You didn’t know what a mamon was. You were afraid of the dark, even though you were blind. You laughed when I grilled hotdogs and held my hand when thunder scared you.”
I stepped closer.
“And now I find out that you’re not just someone important. You’re a legend. A myth. The First Guardian of Flare’s bloodline.”
She didn’t answer. Her lip trembled.
“I don’t know what part of you is real. I don’t know if you were ever just ‘Elsie’ or if you were always Silvarya pretending to be human.”
Her head snapped up, pain flashing in her golden eyes. “I wasn’t pretending! I didn’t know! Dirk—I didn’t know!”
I froze.
She reached out, her fingers brushing mine. “I was Elsie. That was me. I liked the food you made. I loved your town, your voice, your awful jokes, and your kindness. I loved how the people smiled when you passed by.”
A pause.
“I didn’t lie. I just… forgot.”
My heart thumped loud enough to drown out everything else. “What am I supposed to do with all this?” I muttered, not to her, but to myself. “You’re a divine being, Silvarya. You could level a kingdom with your breath. And yet… when you smile, it’s like watching the sunrise for the first time.”
“I don’t want to be just Silvarya anymore,” she whispered. “If you’ll let me, I want to be Elsie again. At least, with you.”
That broke something in me. I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her. “I liked Elsie,” I whispered into her hair. “But I think… I could fall in love with Silvarya too. As long as you're still you.”
She held onto me tighter. Behind us, the divine tree shimmered, its branches humming softly like a lullaby. A breeze passed through the garden, warm and full of forgotten memories, perhaps even blessings.
Somewhere nearby, Flare watched from a rooftop, tail flicking slowly—knowingly. And deep within me, the question still remained: If Elsie and Silvarya are one… then who sealed her? And why? But for now, I let it go. Because in my arms was the woman I had saved—and the woman who would, one day, save the world beside me.
Days flew by in a blink. It happened the day after our quiet moment in the divine garden when we had dark chocolate ice cream. I’d just finished giving orders for fortification upgrades around the northeast wall when Karl came rushing from the sentry post—out of breath and clutching a crumpled scroll.
“Urgent,” he said, thrusting it into my hand. “Intercepted from the demon frontier.”
The parchment was old, written in a language Kael would recognise. But one line had been hastily translated in the margins:
“The elf has awakened. She walks beside the baron. He must not be allowed to keep her.”
My blood ran cold.
Elsie—no, —had become a symbol. To me, she was warmth, recovery, something fragile and real. But to the enemy?
She was power.
She was a prophecy. And someone had seen us.
Later that night, inside the strategy room, Kael deciphered the entire message. I paced like a caged wolf as he read it aloud.
“Sent by an infiltrator stationed on the ridge south of the divine lake. They witnessed Silvarya with you, speaking to the tree, resonating with its magic. The message reached the Demon King within the day.”
“Elvie tightened her grip on her spear. “So we’ve been watched. And worse, they saw awaken.”
I turned toward the divine tree’s mural, lit by flickering lanterns. “What did the Demon King say in response?”
Kael hesitated. “He’s furious. They believe Silvarya’s awakening marks the return of the Dragon Gods… and the end of their dominion.”
“And his order?”
Kael’s expression darkened. “He’s dispatched the Duke of Vargan. His task: to seize Silvarya… before she fully remembers her past.”
A sick weight settled in my gut.
The next morning, Silvarya had gone to the lake.
She said she wanted to fish—something “simple,” something “peaceful.” Elvie had offered to go with her, but Silvarya declined with a soft smile.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s just a few minutes.”
I should have stopped her. I should have gone with her myself.
I was halfway to the market when I heard it—
The distant of trees breaking.
A scream.