Chapter 1107
"You... wish to make music?"
Siyana's expression was one of pure bewilderment.
"You... you want to perform a duet with me?"
She hunched her shoulders, her posture reverting to that of a reclusive shut-in.
"That Artifact is named the <Voice of the World Tree>."
Raon gestured towards the ocarina Siyana clutched.
"While it is a fine Artifact that boosts Spirit Energy through mere possession, its true potential is unlocked when it is played, summoning forth the World Tree's power."
He elaborated on the genuine capabilities inherent in the <Voice of the World Tree>.
"Such... such a thing exists?"
Sterin's eyes widened, as if this were entirely new information.
"To think its purpose extended beyond amplifying Spirit Energy... who could have possibly forged such an Artifact..."
His aged mouth hung open, unable to process this revelation.
"Based on the workmanship and the enchantments woven within, it appears to be a joint creation of elves, dwarves, and humans. A truly uncommon collaboration."
Raon shook his head, signifying that he, too, was unaware of its creators.
"You... mentioned that initially. That playing the ocarina would unleash the Artifact's real strength. But I have no skill whatsoever..."
Siyana's fingers trembled as she confessed her complete inexperience with the instrument.
"The ocarina is less challenging than many other instruments. You will pick it up swiftly. Moreover..."
Raon rested a hand on the Wooden Ring Sword while looking at the World Tree.
"Since the melody will harmonize with the World Tree's own breath, the music will feel natural to you, Lady Siyana."
He nodded, offering his assurance that she was undoubtedly capable.
"Couldn't... couldn't you perform it alone, Lord Raon? What if I cause an error..."
Siyana lifted her gaze to the crimson mist. Her concern was not for her own failure, but for the potential harm to Rimmer's soul.
"As I stated at the outset, we will do this in unison. I will be performing as well."
Raon gestured, indicating this was not a solo endeavor.
"To-together? What instrument will you be using?"
Siyana looked Raon over, searching for a musical tool.
"This will be my instrument."
Raon raised the Wooden Ring Sword skyward. Its leaf-shaped guard mirrored both the ocarina and the foliage of the World Tree.
"With... with a sword?"
"It seems you've forgotten. I have something of a name in this particular field."
-Isn't it more of a notorious reputation?
Wrath nodded in agreement.
-Everyone who heard that noise died vomiting blood!
He scrunched up his nose, alluding to the sword's terrifying song.
"Listen."
Raon enveloped the Wooden Ring Sword's blade with Garunua's wind. *Woong!* The pale green wind pressure caused the sword to vibrate, producing a profound resonance. The Sword Mantra, once reminiscent of a starved beast's roar, now shifted smoothly under Raon's control, generating refined rhythms akin to a piano and violin duet.
The sword song. The melody sung by the blade traveled along the sword's edge, permeating the entire Great Forest.
*Whaaaa!* The World Tree seemed to delight in Raon's performance, extending its branches further and releasing verdant mana.
"A sword song! You are singing with your sword!"
Siyana exclaimed in sudden understanding, her voice filled with awe.
"I never imagined a song from a sword could possess such beauty."
She clasped her hands together before Raon, deeply moved.
"I believed it was solely for slaying foes. To think it could create such music."
Sterin's eyes, too, widened in astonishment.
"It was a melody that stirred the soul."
He nodded, conveying his deep appreciation for the sword's song.
"Isn't that a technique you haven't used for some time?"
Martha frowned as she looked at Raon.
"Why is your skill with it completely undiminished!"
She released an exasperated breath, finding it incomprehensible.
"It has been a while since I've demonstrated it publicly, but..."
Raon waved his hand calmly.
"I have never ceased practicing it in private."
As he practiced every form from fundamental to advanced during his training, no technique ever grew rusty for him.
"Raon! You must perform for me as well!"
Evelyn held out her hands, requesting a personal concert.
"..."
Raon feigned deafness to Evelyn's request and returned his attention to the World Tree.
"If we play in harmony with the World Tree's breath, we can generate a purification force potent enough to dispel the mist and wind enveloping Sepia."
He turned his gaze to Siyana, explaining that their performance was essential to save both Rimmer and Sepia.
"Then... then will you be creating the composition, Lord Raon?"
Siyana swallowed dryly, as if this possibility had not even occurred to her.
"Correct."
Raon rubbed his chin serenely.
"You. You even know how to compose?"
Sterin's jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Composition is unnecessary. At this moment, within my sight..."
Raon observed the World Tree with eyes blazing azure.
"I can perceive every one of the World Tree's breaths."
Through the Ring of Fire and the Azure Clear Eye, he could see the World Tree's breath and mana flow. By teaching the mana breathing method that synchronized with that flow, the music would compose itself.
"How long will it take to create the song?"
Siyana nodded, stating she would practice the ocarina fundamentals in the meantime.
"It is already finished."
Raon nodded, confirming he had already finalized the mana breathing method to follow the World Tree's breath.
"Ah..."
Siyana froze, clearly not anticipating such immediate completion.
"Insane..."
Sterin, too, stood with his mouth agape, seemingly stunned.
-To think High Elves would be left in awe by another's talent...
Wrath twisted his lips in incredulity.
-This accursed system has spawned a monster!
He gritted his teeth, swearing to reclaim everything later.
'Do as you wish.'
Raon pushed Wrath aside and approached Siyana.
"Let us do this together. To fulfill a foolish elf's desire."
***
"Hueeee..."
Siyana collapsed to the ground, the ocarina still gripped in her hands.
"I apologize. I am not performing well."
She hung her head, explaining that her first attempt with the ocarina was proving difficult.
"It's fine."
Raon lowered his Wooden Ring Sword and shook his head calmly.
"We have ample time."
He offered a slight smile, noting that it was Rimmer, not them, who was currently grappling with the malice.
"When you say things like that, it only makes me more nervous!"
Siyana shook her head vigorously, pleading for him to stop.
"I'm jesting. Only jesting."
Raon gently waved his hand.
"As I explained from the beginning, perfection is not required. We need only to follow the World Tree's breath."
He smiled, telling her to consider it as simple as taking a meal.
"That may be possible for you, Lord Raon. For me, it is hard."
Siyana bit her lip as she wiped perspiration from her brow.
'It isn't easy.'
The ocarina was a more demanding instrument than she had anticipated. It wasn't merely about playing notes—she had to manage her mana, regulate her breathing, and coordinate her finger movements, forcing her mind and hands to operate independently.
'It's also humiliating because Lord Raon is so proficient.'
Raon's sword song flowed with such a beautiful melody that it was a complete performance on its own. She couldn't help but feel daunted, as her own awkward, repetitive breaths were utterly incomparable.
'And then...'
Siyana swallowed dryly and peeked behind her. *Swoosh!* Evelyn was observing her and Raon from behind a tree, her gaze icy. Her long purple hair streamed in the wind, giving her a ghostly, unsettling appearance.
'W-why does she seem so frightening!'
She had long since abandoned her fan-like admiration for Raon and was merely practicing music, yet that woman hadn't eaten or slept, simply maintaining her vigil. It was terrifying enough to make Siyana want to burrow under a blanket.
"D-don't pay her any mind."
Raon shook his head, apparently sensing Evelyn's presence through Siyana's glance.
"Sh-she is always that way."
Though he himself stammered for the first time, seemingly also unnerved by Evelyn.
"Shall we try once more?"
Raon raised his sword first.
"...Yes."
Siyana nodded and brought the ocarina to her lips. *Woong!* The Wooden Ring Sword hummed softly, emitting a subtle resonance, while the ocarina produced a muted yet sincere melody. *Zing!* The sword and ocarina vibrated in concert, creating a harmony that aligned perfectly with the World Tree's breath.
A clear green light emerged around the World Tree as the mana of nature swelled dramatically.
*Tak!* Just as the immense mana was poised to ascend skyward with purifying energy, the ocarina's note strayed off-key. *Chiik!* In that instant, the luminous energy emanating from the World Tree diminished, and the exquisite rhythm that had sounded like celestial music faded away.
"I-I apologize."
Siyana lowered the ocarina and bowed her head to Raon.
"I was focusing, but I made an error..."
"Let us conclude for today. Your breathing is becoming unsteady; I believe you require rest."
Raon sheathed his Wooden Ring Sword as he spoke.
"Haa, very well."
Siyana nodded and sighed. Her face grew as shadowed as Sepia's sky.
"I... I will take a short break."
Siyana bowed her head first and retreated into her house.
-Aren't you concerned? At this rate, success seems unlikely.
Wrath frowned, stating her practice and skill were both severely deficient.
'I do not believe so.'
Raon smiled faintly and concealed himself behind Siyana's house.
Approximately ten minutes passed. Siyana, now in more comfortable attire, returned to the forest.
"Not enough."
Siyana went back to their practice spot, placed the ocarina to her lips, and began to play. Her eyes held more determination than ever, and her slender fingers moved with the utmost care, as if treading on a fragile surface.
"..."
Raon gently wove nature's mana to complement her playing, supporting Siyana as she practiced alone without respite.
'What do you think?'
He shrugged towards Wrath, whose eyes had widened.
'Does this still appear insufficient?'
-No, it isn't bad at all.
***
A week had passed. Crimson mist and wind churned above the World Tree, which spread its greenery across the land. During the week Raon and Siyana had spent practicing, the malice Rimmer had carried had grown even larger, feeding on the negative energies drawn to the World Tree.
Now the mist and wind began their descent from the sky to Sepia's earth, as if Rimmer's soul could no longer restrain them.
"Ughh..."
Dorian bit his lip as he stared at the red sky that now loomed directly overhead.
"Th-the sky looks ready to fall! Can't we just retreat to another place?"
He grabbed Raon's sleeve, proposing they should evacuate.
"Cease your pessimism!"
Martha struck the back of Dorian's head with her palm.
"It definitely will not collapse. Remain where you are!"
She gripped Dorian's neck, ordering him to stay put.
"It won't collapse, but even if it does, I will protect Raon."
Evelyn shook her head, telling them not to be concerned.
"...What about me, not only Lord Raon?"
Dorian blinked, questioning why only Raon's name was spoken. Unsurprisingly, Evelyn offered no reply.
"It has undoubtedly grown more violent."
Raon curled his lips as he observed the malice, now a scarlet storm consuming Sepia.
"If we do not succeed today, all will be lost, correct?"
He shrugged playfully at Siyana, who stood to his right.
"Siyana. Are you truly capable of this?"
Sterin, whose wrinkles had deepened over the week, raised a hand in concern.
"If it is too arduous, perhaps entrusting it solely to Raon might..."
"It is fine."
Siyana cast off the blanket that had been covering her face and body.
"I can do it."
She nodded with confidence, raising fingers now calloused and cut from the ocarina's sharp holes.
"I will save my older brother!"
Siyana stared at the red mist and wind with tranquil eyes, as if she had conquered both fear and shame.
"Please begin."
She nodded, making her request to Raon standing beside her.
"Very well."
Raon drew his Wooden Ring Sword with a subtle smile. *Ching!* Garunua's pale green wind ascended the silver blade, warping the air. Raon Zieghart Style Ocean Sword Style.
Fourth Form: Azure Rain.
His unique swordsmanship, originally designed to slay foes by scraping the scabbard, became in this moment the world's most beautiful instrument, spreading pristine melodies throughout the Great Forest.
"Haa."
Siyana took a deep breath and placed the ocarina to her lips. She covered each tiny hole with her bandaged fingers. *Paaaaah.*
A magnificent resonance erupted from the leaf-shaped ocarina, powerful enough to make the forest tremble. It was an elegant and lovely sound that cast new light upon the darkness-shrouded Sepia.
*Woong!* The distinct timbres of the sword song and the ocarina longed for one another like parted lovers, following the World Tree's breath to merge into a single path. The sound, which should have been invisible, was now tinged with pure green light, rising into the emptiness like a profound wave.
The World Tree's breath was the breath of nature. The green radiance that purified all malice in the world seized the dark red, burning mist and wind.
The mist and wind, which even Highest-grade Spirits and Grandmasters could not pierce, solidified like plaster and dissolved into particles of brilliant light. The purification of malice. The World Tree's energy, which erased all and created anew, was manifesting divine power through the song of Raon and Siyana.
"Ah, the mist is vanishing!"
"To think this was achievable through music, what an unbearably gifted individual!"
"I told you. It would not collapse."
Dorian, Martha, and Evelyn each nodded, displaying their amazement and trust.
"Siyana..."
Sterin pressed his lips together firmly as he watched his granddaughter, who seemed to be ascending to a new plane. *Woong!* Raon and Siyana, completely absorbed in their performance and gazing into each other's eyes, remained unaware that the malice Rimmer had borne was being purified.
As their performance reached its climax, the World Tree's intensified breath finally eradicated all the malice that had covered the Great Forest, establishing a current of pure mana.
"Well done! Now it is..."
Just as Raon was lowering his Wooden Ring Sword while praising Siyana... Within the red mana and wind now transformed into nature's mana, Rimmer's smiling face seemed to materialize.
"Master?"
The moment Raon called out to Rimmer with widened eyes, the masses of mana filling the sky descended like a meteor shower, enveloping Raon, Siyana, and Sterin.
-
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