The night did not leave Fior when he returned.

It followed him beneath the earth, clinging to his thoughts as stubbornly as the faint ache in his body. The tunnels stretched ahead in their familiar winding paths, lit by the dim glow of crystals and moss, yet something about them felt altered now—not in form, but in meaning. The same stone walls, the same air thick with damp earth and resin, the same quiet hum of dead mana flowing through the roots... and yet it no longer felt like refuge.

It felt like confinement.

Fior walked without direction at first, his steps carrying him deeper into the quieter sections of the colony where fewer eyes lingered. The voices of others faded behind him, replaced by the low, constant silence of the underground. It should have calmed him. It always had.

Tonight, it did not.

His fingers brushed absently against the bandage at his shoulder, pressing just enough to remind himself that the pain was real, that what had happened in that clearing had not been some illusion conjured by exhaustion or anger. The memory returned unbidden- the flash of steel, the suffocating clash of mana, the moment where death had been certain.

And then, the appearance of that man.

Fior’s steps slowed.

The image rose clearly in his mind, uninvited and unwelcome. The absence of presence. The way the air had remained unchanged even as he stood there. The calm certainty in his voice, as though the outcome of everything had already been decided.

And then the blood.

Fior’s jaw tightened.

Pitch black. It was neither a metaphor or an illusion but, black blood.

He had heard the stories growing up, whispered warnings passed down by elders who spoke of those who had abandoned their kind and taken something else into themselves. Beings who no longer belonged to the balance of Yggdrasil, who traded what they were for power that came at a cost no one fully understood.

Abominations, they had been called.

Fior exhaled sharply through his nose and stopped.

If that was true... if Zevran truly was one of them... then everything about that encounter should have repulsed him. It should have been enough to turn him away without a second thought.

And yet...

His thoughts drifted, unbidden, to the council.

To Xeveris.

To the weight of that presence pressing him down, forcing him into stillness like his resolve had meant nothing. To the calm dismissal of his words, the insistence on patience while the situation worsened with each passing day.

To the quiet acceptance of it all.

Fior’s hands curled into fists.

They had done everything right.

They had stayed beneath the roots, taken only what was theirs to take, lived within the balance they were told to preserve.

And still, they were hunted.

Still, they were the ones dying.

His breath grew heavier, the frustration rising again, but this time it was steadier, colder.

If even those who were cast out... those who were hunted... had found a way to fight back.

Then what excuse did they have?

Fior let out a slow breath, forcing his thoughts into order, but they no longer scattered the way they had before. The hesitation that had followed him from the clearing had begun to thin, worn down by something far more persistent.

Clarity.

Xeveris spoke of balance.

Of waiting.

Of understanding.

But none of that would matter if there was no one left to preserve it.

Fior lifted his gaze, staring into the dim stretch of tunnel ahead, the faint glow of crystals reflecting in his silver eyes.

If the path they were walking only led to extinction...

Then it was not a path worth following.

The thought settled in him, heavy and unshakable.

And once it did, the rest followed with unsettling ease.

He pushed himself away from the wall he hadn’t realized he had stopped beside and turned back toward the deeper tunnels, his steps no longer aimless.

By the time he reached the outer passages that led toward the hidden exits, there was no hesitation left in his stride.

Whatever lay ahead- whether it was a mistake, a trap, or something far worse.

It was still more than what waited here.

And this time, he would not return without an answer.

Fior made his way towards the meeting spot, his expression was firm and lips pressed in a thin line. He waited patiently this time, he knew Zevran would come. That man had trusted him enough to expose his race and had offered to be his comrade so, the least Fior could do was be patient.

Minutes passed by, then an hour pased by and another. The stars changed their positions and the winds flowed constantly through the leaves overhead making the sound the resembled to the soft breaths of the sleeping island.

Fior stood in his place waiting until he heard the sound up ahead in the darkness. The sound of the twigs crunching and the fabric rustling.

Within a few seconds, the figure had emerged from the darkness and now stood before Fior.

Zevran reached out and pushed his hood back, giving Fior a small smile.

"You came." Zevran spoke.

Fior nodded. "Yes."

Zevran didn’t say anything for a moment and just observed him and then glanced around as if he was hoping to be ambushed.

As if sensing the meaning of his movements Fior said. "I came alone."

Zevran looked at him and nodded, "I see... I assume then that you have made your decision."

Fior pursed his lips for a moment before he observed Zevran carefully, his eyes running up and down his frame and lingering on the wrist that had bled the other night.

After a long moment of silence, Fior asked, "How did you all manage to live without being in contact with Yggdrasil?"

Zevran tilted his head slightly, "Our predecessors had dug channels deeper into the earth where Yggdrasil’s roots don’t go."

Fior then asked, "How many of your group are there? You said you had an army."

Zevran was quiet for a minute before he asked, "How do I know that you won’t betray me after getting these answers?"

Fior was taken aback and he quickly said, "I-I won’t! You saved my life, I’ve been meeting you for the third time now, and we share the common goal why would I betray you?"

Zevran gave him a wistful smile.

"Our predecessors were the ones who were set to destroy this island." His voice was cold and eyes devoid of any emotions, "I think that is enough reason for believing that the ones who strive to keep this island intact would think of us as enemies."

Fior opened his mouth and then closed it back again. He was speechless.

Fior felt something tighten in his chest at those words. The stories he had grown up hearing were not exaggerations then. These were not simply outcasts... they were the remnants of something far worse. Even the place where they stood, the reason why Yggdrasil’s roots or branches didn’t reach there was because there was a massive Dalt spell attack that had killed a part of Yggdrasil from this portion, cutting off its connection with the other side of the Big Dip.

"You are one of the young generation so, you don’t know. But so am I... We have no intention of destroying this island or your Sacred Tree... All we want is liberation from this place." Zevran continued.

Fior listened quietly, trying to sense anything amiss from Zevran’s words. He had learned from his elders that the ones from the Dark side were crafty and deceiving, one should never believe the words that left their lying lips.

But, he couldn’t find any way of disbelieving this man. If he had to lie, he could have just lied that he was a Dark Elf or simply let the conditions between both the Elf races fester... The war was inevitable anyways. But he had stepped out, so, there must be a reason.

Liberation.

Zevran watched as Fior silently obsetved him and then answered, "I have enough people to shift the tide, if you know where to strike. Some of them are strong mages who are capable of casting the dark spells that negate the Pure Mana Elves."

Fior blinked, "You..."

Zevran shrugged, "I trust you enough, Fior. But I still can’t tell you everything because I can’t risk my people."

Fior’s eyebrows furrowed but then he nodded, "I have around 70 of my own allies who are willing to follow my lead."

Zevran sighed, "Not enough..."

"What? Why?"

Zevran’s head turned and looked at the side where the Big Dip was.

"The Dwarf king’s army is also sitting on the borders. So, it’s not that we only have to take care of the Pure Mana Elves but also of the Dwarf forces who will attack us. Once they know we," he pointed to himself, "are a part then they will attack us instantly."

Fior nodded, "I understand... I’ll get the others from the tribe to support me as well."

"But will they do it if, they know about my people?" Zevran asked.

Fior fell silent for a moment, he had given this aspect a thought. He would have to tell his people sooner or later about Zevran and his army but telling them before the war would be like sabotaging his own side. But he knew of one way.

"I have a plan for that." Fior said.

Zevran’s eyes narrowed a little, "And what might that be?"

"A way with which we can get the Dwarves to not interfere and also destroy the Pure Mana Elves." Fior said.

Zevran tilted his head, curious.

"But," Fior added, "We will have to plan carefully. Yggdrasil under any circumstances must not be harmed because of our fight."

Zevran smiled, "We have no reason to harm it... our fight is not with the tree."

Fior’s shoulders visibly relaxed as if he trusted Zevran’s words.

Zevran then glanced up at the sky before looking at Fior.

"I shall get my people to prepare," he said, "meanwhile, you must do your part as well. The war shall take place after three nights."

Fior frowned, "Why? And wait, that’s not enough time!"

Zevran rested his hand over the hilt of his sword, "We have waited long enough... In three nights, our leader will gain enough power to take down the King of Pure Mana Elves. So, the preparations must be done within three nights. Can you do it?"

Fior felt as though he stood at the edge of something hollow, like the absence of mana itself had opened beneath his feet. There was no ground to retreat to anymore, he had to jump but he also felt the unmistakable sense of tugging in the pit of his stomach. He surmised that it was fear of what would happen after he had gone ahead with this. It was the fear of leaving the delusioned safety of the colony and facing the world.

Fior shook his head, he couldn’t get cold feet now. He had wanted this and now the offer stood before him. All he had to do was say yes and it would change the fate of the Dark Elves and show Xeveris that his peace talks were worth nothing. Peace was never an option.

After contemplating for a long moment, Fior lifted his head and looked straight in Zevran’s hollow eyes before answering.

"I’ll do it."