An Extra's POV

Chapter 654 Layered Thoughts

"We'll be leaving now. However, I'll be in touch with you all as soon as I conclude my other business."

Rey and Esme stood before the entire Elven Camp, and while they all had mixed variants of the same emotion, they all made sure to display the purest form of gratitude towards the two of them for their contributions.

Not just for the Elementals, but also the Weapons that Rey provided for the Elves. There was also the important service of healing all of those with Miasma Poisoning and erecting a much more powerful barrier than anything they could have possibly done on their own.

What words could they possibly render to their savior that would sufficiently express just how thankful they felt towards him?

It was impossible for the Elves.

"We will expect your return, Rey. I… will expect it." Feralia bowed her head as she smiled at Rey with those strange eyes that he found a bit awkward.

"Yeah. Sure…" He responded, albeit a bit sheepishly.

He was glad that Feralia didn't actively make any move on him. That would have made things more problematic for him.

'Seems she recognizes her place. Thats's good… whew!'

"You don't have to die for your cause. If the enemy seems too much for you to handle, there's no shame in retreating and fighting another day—for the sake of the Youngs."

All of the Elves nodded in allegiance to Rey and his words, and never before had he felt prouder of the Race. They actually listened to common sense for once.

"Welp… bye."

Drawing Esme close to himself, Rey prepared to teleport. As he did so, however, he caught a glimpse of all the Elves bowing their heads and thanking him with all their might.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, LORD REY!"

The feeling he got at that point caused him to smile a little.

'Not bad… not bad at all.' His thoughts trailed as his Spatial Magic finally kicked in and he vanished completely from their sight.

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'I understand it all, Rey…'

As Feralia gazed longingly into the sky, a brilliant smile formed on her face as tears streamed down her eyes.

'I am not the one you desire. And though my heart shall forever long for you, I will never find solace in the warmth of your gaze.'

Was this her punishment for leading so many of her sisters to their death? Was this retribution from Nature for secretly aiding Aurora in breaking the rules?

She had no idea.

'I never thought love could feel this good… yet so sorrowful.' Feralia smiled, closing her eyes as she pictured Rey.

'Still, I will accept my fate. If this is my crucible, I will gladly endure it.'

As the image of Rey grew vivid in her mind, however, the girl beside him also slowly entered her mind.

'That lady… she seemed so familiar.' Feralia could only see a portion of her face due to the hood she wore, but after having many opportunities and angles to gain a somewhat holistic picture of her face, she thought only one thing.

'Why does she resemble Ciela so much?'

Feralia didn't want to think too deeply about it, but the thought constantly echoed in her mind.

'If that's the case, could it be…? No, no way…' She finally decided to shrug off her thoughts and return to the inner recesses of her tent within the Camp.

'There's no way a Half Elf would accompany a herald of The Oracle.'

****************

Rey and Esme floated silently in the late afternoon sky.

Their eyes constantly shifted from the dimming orange glow of the sun to the landscape below them, and finally to each other.

After moments of silence, Esme finally broke it with a question she had been meaning to ask.

"What's on your mind, Rey?"

"A lot of things. You're going to have to be specific." He replied with a slightly casual tone.

It was clear that he constantly thought about a lot of things, though only facets ended up being brought to the surface. For example, throughout his stay with the Elves, he was communicating with Emil.

Yet, it never really showed in his demeanor.

Ever since he attained an elevated state, Rey found it easier to fragment his thoughts into layers, so only a fraction of it rose to the surface.

"I'm talking about the situation with the Elves… and the Miasma… all of that."

"...."

For a moment, Rey refrained from speaking. He just floated with Esme for a few seconds, almost as if deciding to share his thoughts with her or not.

He eventually opened the lips, evidently opting for the former.

"This whole thing reeks of Adrien." He began, a slight frown forming on his face. "I don't want to make any assumptions this time, so i'll have to confirm things first. But…"

"But what?"

"Nothing. Perhaps it's just my intuition or something."

"...." This time it was Esme's turn to be silent.

Rey sighed a little as he continued. "I considered leaving Emil in their Camp, but the possibility of Adrien being involved makes me not want to take that risk."

He planned to simply wait things out and observe through his Summoned Elementals.

"I already cast Observation and Recording Magic around the area, so I can get footage of the situation whenever I desire."

Rey already knew he had to have a fundamental idea of what he was dealing with before taking any direct steps forward.

"If Adrien is really involved, this whole thing just got a lot complicated."

As always, he had no idea what his motives could be, but Rey didn't want to get caught up in anything.

'Since the Elves have pretty much become my assets at this point, it's unavoidable that I'm involved. All of this is only secondary, though…'

For now, Rey only had one real goal.

'I have to bring Esme to The Oracle.

"That's actually a smart move, Rey. I… actually wanted to stay back, to help them more and all…" She finally confessed, surprising Rey, considering the kind of thoughts he was just having before she spoke up.

'I didn't expect her to be so upfront about her feelings so quickly.'

"Even though they're racist towards me, and treat me horribly, I still want to help them no matter what. It's crazy, right?"

"No, it's not." Rey shook his head. "You're just a good person, Esme."

A good person who desired some form of validation from her own people.

'As much as I understand that, however…' Rey slowly began to prepare his heart as he took in a deep breath.

"We need to focus on the mission for now."

As soon as Esme heard this, she nodded and quickly shook off whatever emotion that was slowly rising within her.

"Yeah, you're right!" She spoke up with determination. "So tell me… how did your meeting with The Oracle go? Something tells me it didn't go so well."

Rey sighed, causing Esme to get even more curious.

"What? She didn't even speak to you at all?"

"No, she did, but…" Rey thought really hard about how to word what happened to Esme, and even considered whether or not to share his own worries about it to her.

However, after deliberate considerations, he simply chose to be honest with her.

"... The Oracle wants to see you."

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[A/N]

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