The moment the red-haired girl opened her eyes without warning, everyone unconsciously held their breath. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 ｉｎｆｏ

The only sound in the room was the thunder and rain coming from the window, Tess's amber eyes were motionless, and Mooch, who was lying on her head, was also petrified. Time seemed to stand still, until Naria finally couldn't help but call softly:

“...... Tess?"

Tess's eyes flickered, still sluggish as if she wasn't really awake, and Ed almost tried to reach out to see if she was still breathing—she looked like an undead.

Another thunderclap almost exploded in their ears, and the whole house trembled with a loud sound. Tess sat up straight and frightened, blinking her eyes slowly, finally looking like a living person.

“...... Where are you?"

A dry sound came from her throat, which she hadn't used for a long time, and her eyes full of doubt and horror swept over every familiar face she knew, frantically searching.

"Where is he?" she asked.

Everyone knows what she's asking...... But no one could answer.

Then Tess's gaze froze on Fenway's face.

Before everyone could react, the girl jumped up silently, easily snatched the knife from Naria's hand, and swooped down on the elf like lightning.

Fenway was a long way from her. With his agility, it wasn't hard to block or dodge the blow. But he just hurriedly retreated all the way to the window, and Tess's knife followed him like a shadow, with fierce killing intent, straight to his throat.

The first to react was Xiao Mo. The little animal, which at first seemed to be completely stunned by the sudden awakening of its master, jumped on Tess's arm, and its small body drew a gray shadow in the air. It hugged Tess tightly by the wrist and chirped anxiously. The girl's figure froze slightly, and Nalya rushed over and hugged her, trying to snatch the knife from her hand, but Ed stopped in front of Finway, waving his arms to explain, but couldn't figure out where to start.

Ise quickly unloaded the knife that was still swinging at Tess, and frowned slightly at the elf standing by the window.

"You'd better get out first. He said, still in a less polite tone.

Ed nodded helplessly at Finway.

"I'm sorry. He whispered.

The elf's expression was more like a sigh of relief from this. As he left, he glanced at the dusty little creature - it was a little strange that it hadn't given its owner a vicious bite down his throat.

However, Mo had already scurried back to Tess's shoulder, rubbing her cheek, soothing the girl who had not stopped struggling with its shrill voice and Naria's gentle whisper, and could not explain to him its unexpected actions.

The elf felt that he was overthinking it—it was probably just too eager to get the caresses of its master.

As the rain faded away, Tess finally quieted down. She curled up in Naria's arms, curled herself into a tiny ball, and sobbed.

"Liar!"

She repeated again and again, angry and desperate, "Liar! he said I could see him when I opened my eyes!"

Naria hugged her tightly, comforting and inquiring carefully, finally piecing together her long, chaotic dreams from the girl's staccato and topsy-turvy narrative.

It sounded as if she was trapped in some kind of illusion with Norvi, and the North had once again shown them the way, as Nalya had hoped. Now, now that she's awake...... Novi should have apparently come to his senses somewhere, too.

"I swear, the first thing he did when he woke up was to come to you. Naria rubbed Tess's unkempt red hair, "You know, he will." ”

However, Tess wiped her tears listlessly on her shoulder, not as proudly as she had ever been at such times.

She seemed so tired that she didn't even have the strength to cry...... But there was a deep, intense fear in her eyes that she refused to admit even if she was delirious.

She must remember something, but she would rather forget.

Naria looked at Ed, as if seeking his support. Ed licked his lips nervously, lest the sound of his heavy, pounding heartbeat reach Tess's ears.

If Novi wakes up...... He wanted to believe that the elves had a tenacious consciousness and were able to banish Ancrane from his body, but he couldn't forget Ancrane's inexplicable words-

"Your friend, he never really existed. ”

That's probably a lie...... That is undoubtedly deceptive.

Ed tried to convince himself. But in any case, Ankeland is not an easy enemy to deal with...... He'd have to find him as soon as possible.

While he hid his worries, nodded vigorously to Tess, and pulled out a big smile, Iss looked at the fat mongoose nestled in the girl's lap in confusion.

The little creature sat there in a strange position he had never seen before, his paws clasped squarely on his chest, his thin beard shaking, looking serious and distressed.

Sensing his gaze, the little one even looked back at him quietly with its round eyes, and there was not a trace of instinctive fear in it that it could never overcome.

Iss turned his head, thinking that he had better go to sleep—he must have been so distracted by the chain of bad things that he was blinded...... How can a small animal with no intelligence at all be "serious and distressed"?

In fact, the Norvi Sunwalkers felt much more than just distress.

He was in a state of shock and panic like never before—no elf had just broken free of some illusion and found himself stuffed into the body of a fluffy and chubby little mongoose, not much bigger than a squirrel, no better than him...... Not to mention, the mongoose had been raised by him from the wasteland, and his red-haired little Tess was on top of him, grieving his dishonesty.

Everything in front of me is so absurd...... Even more absurd than the human stories that Tate had read to her when he was a child. For a long time he was thinking very seriously about whether he hadn't woken up at all.

It's just another dream...... It's still a nightmare.

But he saw too many familiar faces. Even if it seemed unreal because of its lack of color, even if the young shadow dancer was strangely with his friends, their reactions were more logical than anything in a dream, and their subtle and complex expressions could not be invented by any force—they were real.

So, it's true.

The "Last Sunstrider" sat upright on the lap of the girl he had once picked up with one hand, listening to her low sobs, in a trance still in disbelief, trying to calm himself down and face the biggest crisis of his life.

. (To be continued.) )