"I confess to assisting Aurora to depart for the Western Continent in order to obtain tools that would aid us in the war..."

Feralia Kai Sereth's tone was low as she spoke, staring at the group that gathered before her.

The other Elven Leaders, most of them who were also recently healed by Rey, were present. Tatiana, who also held an executive position in the Camp also had her seat. Finally, Rey and Esme were present as well.

They were all seated in the meeting hall within Feralia's massive tent, with a table right in front of all their chairs.

Rey was especially interested in the rundown of the situation with the Dragons, so he had her take it from the top. So far, he had learned quite a lot.

'She's stopped looking at me in that weird way now, so I guess asking her about the whole thing was a good idea.' He smiled to himself as he listened to more of her narration.

Apparently, the war was becoming too arduous for the Elves to handle, and Feralia couldn't bear to watch her sisters continue dying at the hands of the Dragons--or suffering any kind of casualty.

She had to succumb to Aurora's convincing words.

"Once we obtained those tools, our natural abilities were amplified to a large extent, and we were able to take them by surprise with our newfound power and versatility." The way Feralia talked about the event, like it was some spectacular period, made the other Elves nod and nearly burst into tears.

It seemed they all remembered their moments of victory; the calm before the storm.

"But, right when the tides were shifting, and we were so close to winning the war... those horrifying things began to manifest."

Rey already knew what Feralia meant by her words. He had suspected it for a while, especially after observing all of the symptoms thus far, but he allowed her to continue.

"The undying Dragons... they changed the battle completely."

Feralia went on to describe how the Dragons wreaked havoc on the battlefield after that. They never tired, and they never bled.

They just kept on fighting and fighting.

For Elves, who were living beings and were also not built for combat, the strain of fighting a battle against Undead was overwhelming.

"Their power was great. Their tenacity was unmatched. And... their ruthlessness was..." Feralia nearly choked on her words as she remembered her time in the battlefield.

"Even those who escaped were afflicted by their corrupt energy. There was no escape. There... is no escape."

The forlorn expressions of the Elves added weight to all that Feralia said.

"We've been holding the fort for so long, but there's no telling how much longer we will last." She muttered, staring at Rey with sheer concern.

"There are too many disadvantages..."

After about a full minute of silence, with only sighs here and there, Rey finally spoke up.

"This is all a very sharp turn from what I experienced in the Elven Community. The contrast is a little jarring."

The lush greeneries and electrifying atmosphere could not be compared to this bleak landscape. It almost felt like Rey just visited two different worlds.

"All the Elves in the Community look so cheerful and carefree, yet the situation has reached such a terrifying level... I find that odd."

Perhaps it was their religious views--the strong belief they had in The Oracle--that let them have such childlike faith that everything would be fine.

It was dangerous to think that way; at least that was what Rey thought.

"We can't afford to let anxiety seep into the Community." One of the Elven Leaders responded to Rey's observation.

"Hmm?"

"Anxiety creates fear, which causes doubt. We cannot afford the Youngs to be poisoned by such doubtnot when their faith in The Oracle and Nature's teachings are yet to be fully developed." Another Elder also spoke up.

More expressed their concerns, allowing Rey to understand their rationale.

'Seems like most of the people left in the Community are Youngs. They don't want them exposed to the hardships of battle or responsibilities. That seems noble, but also very naive.' Rey sighed to himself.

Still, he couldn't fault their logic.

'Despite being very old, the Young Ones are taught and trained to be dependent on the Elders. Their child-like nature will make them poor combatants. In a way, they could turn into liabilities if they're brought into the battlefield.'

It was no wonder why the people of the Camp were hesitant to ask for backup despite desperately needing the help. Not only did they have no way to deal with the Miasma, which more numbers would do nothing to solve, but most of the viable candidates for battle were Youngs.

When Rey looked at things from an objective standpoint, he could only think of one thing.

'These people are doomed. If I didn't come here, they would all be wiped out.'

It wasn't like Rey felt some kind of kinship for the Elves. After all, they were all sorts of things, and a bunch of them even hurt Esme. But

'They aren't bad people. When they're not being racist, they're just overly kind and naive.''

They certainly didn't deserve Genocide.

'Of course, they're not entirely innocent either. Their views on Half Elves are especially too extreme. I'm sure if I didn't have the ability to control the Elves, I would have a completely negative experience here.'

But that was only partly their fault.

'The true architect of all this is The Oracle. I'm certain the current disposition of the Elves was given by that person. If they wanted, they could command the Elves to stop but they don't do that.'

Rey couldn't say anything about that, though.

Not only were the Elves completely loyal to this deity of theirs, but he also needed their assistance. He couldn't do anything to reduce his chances of saving Alicia.

'The most I can do now is to help these people and then be on my way.' Turning to look at Esme, who turned to look at him too, Rey nodded at her.

She smiled and nodded back in agreement.

'Why don't we make an army of our own? Should be fun'

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Thanks for reading!

I know some await the moment Rey meets The Oracle. Don't worry very soon