Forces on horseback began closing in from every direction toward Ichigo and Astella.
Astella managed to grab hold of Ichigo's body.
She pressed the sharp edge of a dagger against Ichigo's throat.
"I heard just now that your teleportation only has a 50/50 chance."
Ichigo looked at the dagger with a flat expression.
"Yes... you're right."
Astella felt a strange sensation every time Ichigo responded.
Her smile began to shift into something slightly odd, appearing uncertain, irritated, and even unsettled.
She let out a sigh.
"So this is what it feels like to talk to someone without a heart."
Astella then drove the dagger into Ichigo's shoulder.
Blood began to flow slowly.
With a dagger laced with poison, he should at least have shown some kind of reaction!
Astella looked at Ichigo. She was genuinely stunned.
How could she not be? Ichigo did not even flinch after being stabbed in the shoulder with a poisoned dagger.
"Good grief..."
The sound of hoofbeats grew closer.
Ichigo freed himself using the techniques learned from Basoa. He was able to lock Astella's neck in return and throw her to the ground.
As Astella tried to get back up, Ichigo stepped back slowly.
He fixed a sharp gaze on Astella, then activated his inherited ability.
"NO! DON'T! YOU WRETCH!!!!" Astella screamed, reaching out desperately toward Ichigo.
Light began to radiate from Ichigo, starting at his palms and spreading across his entire body.
He said something as a farewell to Astella.
"Bye bye." And at once Ichigo vanished from Astella's sight.
Astella struck the ground while biting her lower lip until it bled.
"DAMN IT!!!"
A large black horse then arrived.
Astella shut her eyes, startled and still shaken from the trauma of the spirit horse's kick earlier.
She opened her eyes.
"Get up, Astella." Said a young adult male voice in front of her.
The man riding the horse dismounted.
He was the Gun Fairy who had been with Astella for a long time.
His body and face resembled that of a high school student. Heterochromatic eyes, with the right one green and the left one a bright blue. He wore a uniform of black and brown, with a green cloth as a cloak. He had no wings like other fairies and instead looked entirely like an ordinary human. He also wore an emblem depicting a tree with golden floral ornaments on his chest, which was the symbol of the Life Council, along with a large emblem on his arm showing a crossed sword and pistol, which was the symbol of the Warfare Council.
"Sir... if only you had come sooner..." Astella's tears began to flow again.
The Gun Fairy embraced Astella.
"It's alright, child. You worked very hard."
Within that embrace, the Gun Fairy opened his eyes and fixed a sharp gaze outward.
I had a feeling this would not be easy.
He said within his mind.
After lifting Astella up onto the horse's back:
"On the contrary, Astella, I have a new mission for you from the Universal Council."
Astella turned to look, wiping her tears.
"Mm... what is it."
"Yes, it's..." The Gun Fairy smiled.
A bright blue sky.
Clouds drifting slowly.
Birds flying through the sky.
A cool breeze.
Stella opened her eyes within Ayu's embrace, on a meadow together with the other elves.
Stella began to touch the swaying grass beside her.
Then she let go of Ayu's embrace and shook her teacher's body.
"Teacher! Teacher!"
Ayu woke up.
"Ah?! WHAT?!" Ayu was startled, and immediately looked around.
Many elves were waking up at the same time.
"What happened? Where are we?" That was the question filling everyone's minds now.
Meanwhile, Ayu smiled with relief.
"So the teleportation worked after all. Thank goodness."
Just as she began to relax her body, Ayu spotted Seren running toward them from the distance, shouting in a panic.
Stella also tried to see what Ayu was looking at, squinting her eyes and holding up her fingers shaped like a telescope.
Stella saw Seren as well. She smiled happily, jumped up, and waved her hand.
Stella shouted. "SEREN! OVER HERE!! OVER HERE!!"
Seren gradually drew closer.
He reached Ayu and Stella, completely out of breath.
Seren collapsed into Ayu's lap.
"Good grief, this child."
With a water spirit drawing near to Ayu from the meadow's dew, she provided Seren with an extraordinarily refreshing drink.
The water was even capable of restoring stamina.
"Will Seren wake up soon, Teacher?" Stella asked while pinching Seren's cheek.
Ayu answered: "Yes, in a few more minutes. This must have been incredibly hard on him. He ran back and forth on these small legs of his. Because the number of medical staff was so few, he had to work even harder, and was nearly swallowed by a monster."
Stella was startled after hearing what Ayu said. "SEREN, WHAT HAPPENED?!"
Ayu stroked Seren's head. "You can hear it directly from him, or from Sophie and Wanda."
Stella looked around once more.
A place with fewer trees than the forest they had lived in before, yet with fertile soil full of earth and water spirits, perfectly suited for the farming their ancestors had once practiced. Even many large, well-nourished animals roamed nearby.
"Even the wind here is just right." Said Stella.
"Mm..."
Stella heard Seren murmuring as he was about to wake.
Seren opened his eyes, then immediately jumped up in embarrassment when Ayu smiled at him.
"Forgive me, Madam!" Seren's cheeks flushed red.
Ayu gave a small laugh. "Ah, that's truly not a problem at all."
Seren then remembered what he needed to do and shook his head.
"NO, THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!"
Stella approached Seren. "What's wrong?" She asked with a worried expression.
Seren took a deep breath.
"I've been identifying the other elves as I was running just now, but no matter how many times I look, I still cannot see Madam Basoa!"
Ayu and Stella were both deeply shocked by that.
"DON'T TELL ME THEY WEREN'T TELEPORTED?!" Seren turned to Stella.
"AND STELLA... YOUR FATHER... I DON'T SEE HIM EITHER!"
Sweat began to pour from Seren.
Stella took Seren's hand with a sorrowful gaze to calm him.
And Ayu placed her hand on Seren's shoulder, then said: "Child... let go of thoughts of them. They are gone."
The light in Seren's eyes faded, and he even stumbled from Ayu's words.
From behind, Stella gripped the fabric of Ayu's clothing with a sorrowful gaze, her pupils trembling.
"Teacher..."
Ayu looked down toward Stella.
"What is it, dear?" She stroked Stella's hair.
"So does that mean Father also..." Stella's voice trembled.
Ayu nodded while embracing Stella.
"Yes... the village chief did not make it back with us." Ayu held Stella's shoulders.
"So, dear, be strong and become a better village chief than he was." Tears fell from both of them at nearly the same moment.
Sunlight broke through the forest, its trees nearly rotted from the monster attacks.
The carcasses of wild animals and elves were visible throughout almost the entire forest.
That same sunlight even fell upon the face of Basoa's body, leaning against one of the large tree trunks.
Fresh blood continued to flow from her abdomen.
Flies began to gather around the lifeless body.
On another side, specifically within a vast expanse of snowy desert:
Ichigo successfully teleported to a distant location, one he barely recognized.
Ichigo's vision began to blur, his breathing ragged and heavy.
Until at last he collapsed, the wound on his shoulder still open.
At that moment, several small figures watched from behind snow-covered pine trees.
To Be Continued