Evan blinked twice, a confused expression on his face.
"World?" Evan pointed in the direction Zain had pointed earlier.
"How can a person be a world?"
"Because within a single person, there is a world. Their heart is the ground, their mind is the sky, their dreams are the stars, their soul is the sea, and their stories are their history. They form a small world called life."
"So that's what a world is?"
"Yes. If the world we live in is a giant library, then every human being is a book in it. And each book holds a different world."
Evan's eyes widened in surprise.
"I've been thinking about that for a long time, you have very poetic words."
"Thank you."
"So, if that's the case, then all living creatures on this earth are worlds? Then what about this earth? This planet? That's also called a world?" Evan asked, his voice rising and falling. He unconsciously scratched the back of his head.
Zain's jade-green eyes stared at Evan.
Those eyes, which always looked emotionlessly, remembered something.
Evan forty years ago.
Then there was Evan before him now.
Although the young man had changed a lot, and his face had aged, in Zain's eyes, he was still the same young man.
Zain chuckled.
"Yes, that's also a world. A very large and vast world called the universe. And the people within it are a collection of small worlds called life."
Evan's blue eyes widened slightly as if to say, 'Ah, that's it'.
Zain continued his explanation.
"This world, the universe, holds many other worlds called life. And life, a person's world, holds only one thing."
"About themselves."
After a moment of silence, Evan opened his lips.
"My world, about myself... your world, about yourself... and other people's worlds about themselves... is that so?"
Zain nodded in agreement with Evan's words.
Evan smiled faintly.
"I never knew there was a sentence that described the world like that."
"That's a beautiful sentence." Evan said.
"But it's also sad." Zain said.
"..."
Evan was a little surprised to hear that.
"Why?" Evan asked.
But Zain remained silent, not intending to answer Evan's question.
Seeing Zain, Evan didn't ask further.
"By the way, Zain, aren't there rules there? Those three rules?"
"Not everyone will obey the rules."
"Ah, yes, you're right. Even here."
"Zain, what is the World Tree? Is it really the embodiment of a god?"
"You could say that. It has godlike powers, but it's more miserable than any god."
"Miserable?"
"The tree's roots penetrate deep into the ground, and its trunk reaches high into the sky. It touches the hearts and minds of the world. The entire world."
"Imagine if you had the ability to feel someone's feelings, what would happen?"
"I would feel the same feelings as them. If they were sad, I would be sad too. If they were happy, I would be happy too."
"Then, what do you think if you could feel everything the world was feeling?"
Evan paused for a moment.
"That... would be torturous." Evan replied.
Zain nodded.
"The World Tree is directly connected to everything in this world. It feels life. It feels suffering. It feels happiness. It feels death. Forever."
"The World Tree will never die?"
"When the world ends, the World Tree will die too."
"The World Tree can only watch, can only feel. That's why I call it pitiful."
"But doesn't the World Tree grant the wishes of heroes? And isn't it the World Tree that chooses the kings and heroes of the elven race?"
"To grant the wishes of heroes to save the world, the souls of heroes are paid to act as bridges so that its power can interfere with reality without causing any damage."
"And the selection of kings and heroes could be said to be his obligation... or his duty..."
"Hmm, how should I put it..."
"Beings with mystical powers like gods have their own rules. They can't interfere with reality directly. But they also can't simply ignore the world. Therefore, from the very beginning, a rule or duty was established by them. Therefore, the World Tree can choose candidates for king and hero for the elven race. So, it's like, it was something he had to do."
"Ah, if we were to compare it to humans, wouldn't it be like humans being required to wear clothes? They naturally understand which parts of their bodies should be covered?" Evan said.
"You could say that." Zain replied.
"You know, hearing your story makes me a little grateful that even though this world is chaotic, at least it's not as complex and chaotic as that world." Evan chuckled.
"But, no matter what world it is, betrayal, lies, evil, injustice, and so on will always exist."
Zain nodded.
"But can't the World Tree predict the future? Why doesn't it tell the heroes about the destruction that could occur in the future?" Ask Evan.
"Will you always tell others everything you see? Will you also tell them how you eat?"
"No." Evan was a little surprised to answer.
"Then, what if you see something interesting or important?"
"If it's truly important, then I'll tell it to someone I think needs to know too."
"What if you eat something really delicious?"
"I might tell it as a recommendation." Evan replied.
"Well, that's more or less how the World Tree responds to its prophecy."
Evan paused for a moment and pondered what Zain had just said.
"So, the World Tree doesn't feel the need to tell the hero?"
"Yes."
"I see..." Evan had understood something.
"By the way, is the magic in that world the same as the one here? The power that people awaken?" Evan asked.
"Hmm... the concept is the same, but the method of obtaining it is different." Zain replied.
"How is that different?"
"Here, power seems to be granted through a wish, but there it's more like an innate talent. And in that world, the source of power is abundant and pervasive like the air. It's different from this world."
"Source?"
"They call it 'Mana'."
"Mana..." Evan muttered, seemingly thinking about something.
Evan looked at Zain, unsure whether to ask about what he was thinking.
After a moment, Evan decided not to ask.
"The fallen heroes seemed to transform into different beings from their former selves due to the influence of the Abyss energy. How did that energy reach them while they were still alive?"
"Doesn't the Abyss energy consume human souls until they disappear and contaminate dead bodies like the zombies?" Evan asked.
"Isn't that the same thing the zombies from the Black Gate did?" Zain replied.
"Yes... that's right..." Evan recalled how the zombies from the Black Gate bit people and turned them into zombies too.
"But those heroes didn't become zombies or undead?"
"Yes, that's how it should be. But aren't they heroes?"
"So because they're heroes, they're different beings?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because their souls are different."
"Souls..." Evan muttered.
"But they went berserk and went insane."
"That's because their souls were shaken."
"If their souls weren't shaken, wouldn't they go berserk?"
"Not really."
"..."
"But how could the Abyss' energy touch the heroes when there's no black gate like here?"
"Should I explain?"
"Yes. Please!" Evan confirmed his sentence.
"Hmm..." Zain seemed to ponder for a moment.
"Didn't I say back then that the Abyss exists even in this world?"
"Yes, you did, although it's not as wide open as a chasm."
"In that world, the Abyss seems more open than this one. It's like it's located right beneath the surface of the earth."
"And that world also has a different structure than this one. There's something called 'Mana,' the source of magic that even flows within the bodies of the people there. Think of mana as oxygen."
"Well, for example, you plant a tree there. Trees grow by absorbing water from the soil. But that soil contains not only water but also Abyss energy. The roots in the soil absorb this and penetrate every part of the tree. The tree grows into a normal tree and releases oxygen through its leaves."
"When you breathe clean air, how do you feel?"
"I feel fresh and healthy."
"But what if the air is dirty?"
"Of course, it's suffocating and makes you sick."
"Well, that's how it is."
"..."
"If that were the case, wouldn't everyone there be corrupted, not just the heroes?"
"It's not the air Evan, but the feelings."
"What do you mean?"
"The Abyss is darkness. A darkness that no one can ever understand. Anger, disappointment, sadness, is darkness within a person."
"You can't see the air, but you can feel it. But you can see darkness and feel it too."
"When you breathe clean air, you feel comfortable, but when you breathe dirty air, you feel suffocated. They're angry, they're suffocated, they're drowning."
"When they feel like that, plus the Abyss energy mixed with the Mana flowing through them, how does it feel?"
Evan paused in thought for a moment.
"It feels like they're going to explode."