A fire was spreading through the bone-dry forest.

The flames grew as they climbed branches, almost as if they were clasping hands.

Emerald-green pine needles turned to blackened ash, scattering in the air. A choking layer of smoke settled over everything.

“Cough! Cough!”

I tucked my poncho into my scarf to cover my nose and ran, avoiding the fire.

Sparks flew everywhere, sometimes landing on my coat. I had to slap them away with my palm to keep them from catching.

The entire forest was ablaze.

Ironically, the view was clearer than ever.

Thanks to that, it didn’t take long to locate where the last remnants of the yetis were causing a commotion.

At the crossroads where the separate streams of fire converged.

An open space between slopes, near a pond steaming with heat.

It was the very spot where Semna  had been briefly laid to rest.

And now, a fierce battle was unfolding there.

“Rooooarrr!”

More than ten yetis, driven into a frenzy by the fire, were rampaging.

Ironically, it seemed they had been chased here by the flames they had started themselves.

“Get out! I said get out, you disgusting intruders!”

The elf, standing with their back to the pond, was shooting them down one by one with arrows.

As expected, not a single arrow missed its mark.

But once a few yetis fell, the rest charged recklessly, shielding their vital points.

The elf slung their bow over their shoulder and leaped onto a nearby tree with a bird-like grace. From there, they resumed firing.

The sound of arrows slicing through the air rang out. One arrow struck a yeti climbing the tree square in the eye.

“Graaaargh!”

The blinded yeti howled, swinging its fists wildly.

Chunks of bark exploded from the tree as its massive fists smashed into it.

“Viya !”

The elf cried out in anguish.

Taking advantage of the brief pause in the rain of arrows, the yetis began clawing their way up the tree.

They were massive creatures—whether they could climb the tree was uncertain, but they could definitely destroy it.

There was no time to ponder the situation further. I swung a rope, throwing a noose at one of the yetis gripping the base of the tree.

The loop caught around its neck with a satisfying snap.

“Grrrkk!”

Ignoring its strangled cry, I braced my weight and pulled with all my strength.

The yeti struggled but lost its balance and fell to the ground with a thunderous crash.

Two nearby yetis, caught off guard, tripped over its sprawling body and fell as well.

“Rooooar! Gyaaaah!”

More yetis noticed me and charged.

I abandoned the rope tied to the fallen yeti and quickly unraveled another coiled around my shoulder.

“Grrrk! Grrk!”

The yetis scattered, dodging the noose.

There was no time to feel frustrated. I swiftly retrieved the rope that had dropped to the ground.

Meanwhile, the yetis had closed in.

The fastest among them swung its fist at me.

It was fast.

But not as fast as their leader.

I dove behind a tree to dodge the punch, emerging on the other side to swing my rope.

The thick rope lashed across the yeti’s face, grazing its eyes. That must have hurt.

“Gyaaaaah!”

The yeti screamed, clutching its eyes.

It had to be blinded now. That meant I could keep attacking.

Pulling the rope taut, I swung it again and again.

I targeted every weak spot I could—eyes, nose, throat, groin—without mercy.

“Rooooar! Grrrk!”

The yeti’s agonized roars echoed through the burning forest.

The yeti collapsed to the ground with a shriek.

An arrow lodged itself in the back of its neck.

Above, high in the trees.

The elf stood poised on a branch, aiming their bow.

“Human? Why are you here?” the elf shouted.

“I told you, I’ll return the forest to you! But you can’t die before that happens!” I yelled back.

“Ridiculous…!”

The elf released the bowstring, and the tension in my shoulders made me flinch.

“Grrrk!”

A yeti creeping up behind me howled, clutching the arrow embedded in its eye.

I seized the chance to loop my noose around its neck, pulling it down and finishing it off.

But just as I dealt with it, yetis from both sides lunged at me, forcing me to dive forward.

Sharp pain shot through my knee as it struck a rock, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Ten yetis remained.

In contrast, I had only one rope left slung over my shoulder. A daunting situation.

“Raaaaargh!”

The yetis, furious now, charged from all directions.

I swung the rope, smacking two yetis across the face before retreating.

Dodging around trees gave me enough distance to stay ahead—those massive creatures weren’t agile enough to keep up.

I could keep dodging indefinitely, but time was running out.

Flames chased the yetis, throwing sparks everywhere as they closed in.

Even the tree where the elf stood began to catch fire from the base.

“Ah…! Viya ! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry…!”

The elf wailed in anguish as they hastily climbed down the tree.

The yetis, distracted by the arrows the elf kept firing, turned their attention from me to the base of the tree.

They gathered in a tight circle, careful to avoid the flames but still close enough to create a dense blockade.

If the elf climbed all the way down, they’d be caught and killed before they could even attempt to douse the fire.

I couldn’t just stand by and watch. I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Get back up! Climb back up the tree!”

“But Viya! Viya’s—”

“You mean this tree? Fine, I’ll put out the fire somehow! Just get back up there and cover me!”

Stripping off my poncho, I beat at the flames. The fire wavered but didn’t die out entirely.

Frustrated, I dumped snow and ice on the flames, clawed dirt from the ground, and hurled it onto the fire.

If the tree had been bone-dry, there’d be no hope.

But thankfully, it was still alive, holding out against the flames.

I gasped for breath, the cold air burning my throat, and slammed my poncho down again. The fire was nearly out now.

“Human! Behind you!”

The elf’s sharp cry rang out as they loosed another arrow.

Reflexively, I swung my rope.

A yeti’s anguished roar followed.

I glanced sideways to see one yeti clutching its eyes and falling, but four more were charging straight at me.

The last attack had depleted my ropes.

Reluctantly, I drew the unfamiliar blade—a jagged knife called a zaile.

If I’d known this would happen, I would have learned some swordsmanship. Regretting it now was useless. All I could do was fight.

I raised the blunt tip of the blade in front of me.

The four yetis barreled toward me, shoulder to shoulder.

Their sheer ferocity made me instinctively shrink back, but I forced myself to shout to keep my courage steady.

“Haaap!”

I swung the dull blade, slicing the lead yeti’s fist.

“Gyaaaah!”

The yeti recoiled, but the wound didn’t look deep.

The clumsy strike had been far from perfect, but it was enough to gain some distance.

I slashed left and right, keeping the others at bay.

The remaining yetis evaded the blade, lunging only when they spotted an opening.

Each time, I dodged and rolled away, barely escaping their attacks.

But my breath grew heavier, my legs weaker.

“Ugh!”

I stumbled, tripping over something behind me.

A quick glance revealed the stump of a tree the yetis had knocked over.

I lost my balance and staggered.

In that split second, my breath caught in my throat.

A sharp, electrifying pain surged through my body.

It wasn’t until my face hit the ground that I realized the yeti’s fist had slammed into my chest.

“Rooooar!”

The yeti pounded its chest triumphantly, roaring as if celebrating its victory.

I wanted to strike back, but my body refused to move.

My head spun, and my lungs burned.

After several desperate attempts, I finally sucked in a shaky breath, but pain ripped through my ribs.

“Get up!”

The elf shot an arrow at the chest-pounding yeti, toppling it.

But that was all. The remaining yetis, bloodstained fists raised, closed in.

“I said, get up! Get up!”

Nearby, the yetis’ fists blurred, too close to make out clearly.

But in the distance, the elf’s face, framed by the burning spruce tree, stood out in sharp, vivid contrast.

Ah… so you can make an expression like that.

My thoughts flickered and burst like fireworks.

I want to see more of your expressions—ones I’ve never seen before.

The last elf  standing alone in a sorrowful story.

Semna  grumbled that I’d fallen for the elf’s pretty face, but this probably wasn’t that kind of feeling.

I simply… wanted to know this elf better.

If possible, I wanted to become their friend.

What kind of face would you make when you smile?

When you sing? When you get angry? What face would you show then… and then…?

My chest, battered and bruised, pounded painfully hard.

The elf’s distorted expression seared itself deep into my eyes, and if I have any life left to live, I know I’ll never forget this moment.

The world truly is filled with strange and wonderful things.

It’s a shame I won’t get to see more of it… a shame… such a shame… so very much a shame!

Ending a journey that has just begun like this—it’s too much of a shame.

I haven’t even collected a single shard of the sun, haven’t met the frost dragon, haven’t returned the forest to the elf, or created a warm world.

So I can’t just lie down here.

I clenched my teeth hard enough to make my jaw ache.

I tried to lift myself, but my abdomen refused to support me.

Still, that’s fine—I can roll if nothing else.

I flipped myself over and rolled across the frozen ground.

The yeti’s swinging fist barely missed me, slamming into the earth.

But I didn’t think I’d be able to dodge another strike.

Even gritting my teeth couldn’t make my body respond.

With all my strength, I propped myself up with my sword and stood, trembling.

At that moment, the elf leapt down from the tree like a falling leaf, striking a yeti advancing toward me with the shaft of her bow.

“Human! Can you stand?” she demanded.

“Cough… huff… I’m not ‘human.’ I told you before—it’s Solaire, remember?”

“If you have the strength to say nonsense, then get up…”

The elf moved to support me, but her eyes widened in shock.

From her sleeve, the fire squirrel darted out, racing toward the spruce tree.

“Viya …? Why…?”

The embers clinging to the base of the spruce tree suddenly surged toward the fire squirrel, as if drawn to it.

The fire squirrel swallowed the embers, its body swelling before it scampered up the trunk of the tree.

Flames flickered and grew with each of its steps, engulfing the entire tree in an instant.

“Gyaaaaah!”

The yetis recoiled, frightened that sparks might catch their fur.

This bought us some time to retreat, but the elf stood frozen, staring blankly at the burning tree.

“Viya… why… why would you…?”

As if to answer her question, the wind rose.

A wind thick with heat.

Branches across the forest bent toward us, sending gusts in our direction.

The wind swept up embers, ash, and smoldering pine needles, forming a swirling vortex that struck the yetis.

The creatures howled in confusion, unsure of what to do.

There was nowhere to escape—the fire closing in from behind and the vortex ahead encircled them completely.

Amid the chaos, I caught a glimpse of the elf’s silken hair swaying in the wind.

The scene was terrifying, yet also breathtakingly beautiful and mysterious.

The wind of the forest caressed her.

The currents created by the burning trees seemed almost gentle as they stroked her, then turned to me.

I instinctively raised an arm to meet the wind.

Even though my grip on the sword was weak, the breeze steadied my posture.

Heat surged across my back before the wind pushed me forward.

Some of the yetis, ablaze, charged at us with desperate ferocity.

I swung my sword, letting the wind guide me.

The blade moved as though it was part of my arm, cutting clean paths.

The dull edge pierced the yetis’ fur and struck their vital points.

The wind showed me where to strike and where to step.

I followed its guidance, slashing again and again. Dots connected into lines, and lines into sweeping arcs.

When I snapped out of my trance, all the charging yetis had fallen.

My dull blade bore not a single stain of blood.

“Hah… hah…”

I struggled to catch my breath, the oppressive heat making it hard to hold on.

I tossed aside my hat, scarf, gloves, and poncho, tilting my head back—

Plop.

Plop, plop.

Cold water droplets splattered onto my face.

Before it fully soaked me, a torrential rain poured down with a loud roar.

Perhaps the storm clouds had melted because of the wildfire.

I’d never seen rain this heavy in my life.

Cool drops drenched me completely.

I closed my eyes, basking in the rain, but turned at the sound of a sob.

The elf was crying, tears streaming down her face even as the rain fell heavily around her.

I didn’t know why she was crying or how to comfort her.

But I wanted to know.

I always wanted to know—perhaps I was just that kind of person.

I reached out without thinking, and the wind that had guided me dropped one last gift into my hand.

Thud.

In my palm lay a single pinecone.

It had fallen from the blackened, charcoal-like remains of the spruce tree to which the elf had clung so dearly.

I didn’t know exactly what it meant, but I was certain it held value to the elf. Maybe it could stop her tears.

I gripped the pinecone and approached her, holding it out.

The elf, who had been crying endlessly, grabbed my hand as soon as she saw it.

“Viya ... Viya, are you there? Are you still inside? Please, please answer me.”

She whispered these words repeatedly, clutching my hand tightly before collapsing in despair.

The pinecone didn’t stop her tears. If anything, it seemed to make her cry even harder.

But surely, Viya wouldn’t want her to keep crying like this.

Viya had summoned the flames and sacrificed herself to drive out the yetis. She must have wanted the elf to live, to laugh, and to find joy.

Frustrated at the elf for not seeing that, I asked bluntly:

“Are you just going to keep crying?”

“You don’t understand anything, human,” she shot back.

“It’s Solaire, not ‘human.’”

The elf didn’t respond further, simply clinging to the pinecone and my hand.

The rain began to ease.

The fire had long since been extinguished, and the cold crept back in.

We couldn’t stay like this much longer.

It was time to move on, but I couldn’t leave her here, in the burned forest, all alone.

I pulled my hand back, still holding the pinecone, and offered her my other hand.

The elf looked up at me with vacant eyes.

I shook the hand I was offering.

“What are you doing? Take it. Let’s get up. We have to go find it.”

“Find what?”

“Viya. A place to plant your friend. No, wait… a world where your friend can grow again.”

It was a promise I had made on a whim, on the day the fireworks exploded.

“I told you—I’ll raise the sun and return the forest to you.”

“That’s…”

“If you just sit here crying, nothing will change. This pinecone will remain just a pinecone, and the forest will stay burned and frozen.”

The elf glared at me fiercely.

It was intimidating, sure, but not as scary as Semna  when I forgot to give her a birthday gift.

“I want to find the sun. A warm and bright world. If we can reclaim such a world, we can plant Viya again. I’ll help you. So you help me. Let’s promise this time—not just a promise I make alone, but one we make together.”

“…Viya…”

Her lips barely moved as she murmured the name.

Was she remembering her friend?

That was enough for me.

I clenched my teeth, waiting for her, even as chills ran through my body.

Thankfully, she moved before I froze solid.

The elf wiped her tears with her sleeve, stood, and took the pinecone from my hand.

Then, turning away sharply, she said:

“I will never forgive a human who deceives me. If you’re lying, I will never forgive you.”

“I’m not human—I’m Solaire. And I have no intention of lying to you.”

She turned back slowly, her gaze piercing as she looked at me, then reached out to take my hand.

“Fine. Solaire… Lin.”

“Lin?”

“You asked for my name, didn’t you? It’s Lin.”

Lin.

I repeated it softly. Lin. Lin. So that’s your name. Lin.

It’s a beautiful name.

“Nice to meet you, Lin.”

She hesitated for a moment before mumbling quietly:

“I don’t know if I can trust you… but if you’re someone who speaks like Viya, then… just once.

Just this once, I’ll trust you.”

Lin stepped closer—so close that her eyes seemed to fill entirely with the reflection of my face.

“Nice to meet you, Solaire.”

She said this with a faint smile.

Ah. Ahhh. Ah?

My lips twitched involuntarily. My chest fluttered, a warm, ticklish feeling spreading through me.

Ah, so this is how you smile.

I felt a quiet joy at discovering yet another side of her.

“But,” she added, her smile still radiant, as she leaned in close to whisper, “if you ever deceive or betray me, I’ll never forgive you. Ever. We promised.”

Ah. Hmm. That was another side of her I discovered—one that was just a little scary.