I woke up with a gasp and a start. My body groaned from a thousand pains all battling inside me as the flower meadow I laid on exerted work to heal all of the damage that I’d done to myself

“What the fuck happened!? I didn’t know you were this injured–I certainly didn’t do it!” Elfrafim screamed, her voice remained ethereal. The memories of the past couple of minutes came back to me in a crashing wave and I realized what I’d done at the end.

“Mutual destruction, double suicide.”

The intent to harm myself to such an irreparable degree resonated so strongly with my menace magic, and the result was utterly absurd. Somehow, some part of me struggled against that instinct, which was why I was still here, alive and living. But even just the dregs that I allowed nearly ended it all, I could feel it. My organs were ripped apart, my bones utterly splintered. How strong would it be if I truly did sacrifice myself? Enough to defeat someone like her?

I shook my head. I did not intend to die today, nor tomorrow, nor the day after.

All of my potential, and I nearly ended it all, without even a proper opponent. I would someday be able to defeat opponents as strong as Elfrafim and more, so I must not be so desperate to be able to do it now.

I finally explained to her what had happened with rasping breaths.

“You fool!” Like the eruption of a volcano, it was the first time I’d heard this much anger in her voice. “It’s not just… You’ve done far too much damage to yourself! This isn’t something that can fully be healed!”

I gaped in horror, my mind struggled to process the implications of what she just said. I considered the consequences, of losing all my power and my dreams, and I cried . The dam just burst, and I could not hold it back. I must’ve still been shaken by the recent activation of my hyper demon gland.

“R-really? C-can nothing… be done? But… I… I was supposed to…” I wailed in utter sorrow. I could not let it end. Not here. I was going to fucking fight gods!!

Elfrafim chewed on her lip and faced me. Her resolve firmed and fortified.

The nature magic then stopped, and was replaced by something similar yet far deeper and profound. In her hands she held a wand far more ornate than anything else she’d ever made.

Instantly, the healing picked up, no longer just sustaining my life but bringing me back to my prime. “I… What’s happening?”

“Shh. I need to focus. It’s life magic and biomancy, and it is far from my forte.”

My eyes widened. “Biomancy? The rare and fabled magic said to be able to regrow limbs?”

“Yes,” she spoke sharply, way too focused to pay any attention to me.

“I… You don’t have to…” I hesitated. I knew the value of the mana within her wand, how difficult it must be to even obtain. But I did not want it to end. My dream was not yet over. It was just beginning. “Please. Please don’t let me lose it all. I’ll owe you. I’ll do anything.”

The elf didn’t even bother to acknowledge my plea. “Tell me of your body. I have no idea how a demon works, I’ve never seen one before you, and while something like this is still easier than fully regrowing something, I could still make a fatal mistake.”

I spilled it all. The details that I’d previously obfuscated, the names and their very descriptions, all of my impressions. I only told her a quick summary of everything before, but now I told her of all the names and descriptions of every Mutations, down to their exact current levels.

Elfrafim again ignored me in favor of just focusing on her work, and it continued for hours until Luine even checked up on us. I quickly reassured her and explained while Elfrafim stayed focused on her task.

Every bone and muscle and tissue popping back into place was a wave of relief. The worries disappeared with each Mutation fully fixed, until Elfrafim finally declared the operation complete, and I sprung back up to standing.

She tried to stop me, but when I asked her if it was actually dangerous, the tired and weary elven woman shook her head no. I swore once again that I would repay the favor she’d done for me today.

I stretched my body, I jumped in place. I ran around and did several cartwheels. I felt the beating of my hearts, I wielded my magic and found it to be as smooth as ever. The gratitude and the relief overwhelmed the negative thoughts for a while, but I did manage to get my menace magic to start back up to a reasonable level of power after a minute of trying. My eyes peered into birds and rabbits among the brush and trees, and they died. The demon eye too still properly worked. My sword encased with menace magic was still useful. Menace bullets and even my flames were no weaker, which meant my horns too were fine. I exerted myself even harder, just to confirm that my movements were fine and unhampered.

They were. I was back to normal.

“Aaaahhhhh…” I breathed out a long sigh that I knew I was holding in like a knot in my hearts. There was one other Mutation I hadn’t checked, the one that caused this whole mess to begin with, but I didn’t intend to fucking use it again until I was sure I had proper countermeasures for the shitshow of today. Hell if it were broken and unusable forever, then fuck, I guess I’d just have to live with that. I was fine with just fighting and winning with my own powers from hereon.

[Hyperdemon Gland has Reached Level 12!]

“Oh, fuck you !”

~~~

I sank into the gigantic bean bag in a very comfortable sprawl. This was just another thing Moonwash was inspired to make, and I was the one to pester her for more. Now she too, Elfrafim, and Baston were relaxing in their own bean bags. Astan preferred to be perched atop a wooden platform, and Luine was unfortunately absent because she used up all of her illusion mana in the fight with Elfrafim. To think that it could have all been avoided if we just extended an olive branch of trust sooner, but now my rouge friend was off to a different wonderzone to replenish her stock.

I would’ve volunteered to join, but I took this as a good opportunity for a bit of a vacation. The wonderzone in question was quite far, and in a contested area, but currently controlled by New Grandera. I did not wish to be caught up in that sort of mess just yet.

“What are the elves?” Moonwash asked bluntly. I listened to the conversations happening around me with half an ear.

“We are a species of people created by the Father Tree and the Nature Dragon.”

“Okay. What are the Father Tree and The Nature Dragon?”

“The Father Tree is the largest tree in the center of the Grandest Forest, like a pillar piercing through the sky itself. He created the forest with the help of the Nature Dragon, and all the trees are his children. He allows them to occasionally fall, as nature is wont to do, but chop off too much and his might will fall upon you.

“The Nature Dragon Gainess is the strongest existence within our forest, and perhaps the world. She created most of the races that inhabit the Grandest Forest, sapient or otherwise, from the elves, to the suprasoars, the mooseracts, and more. It is the nature of life to be in turmoil and strife, but go too far, kill too many of her children, and she will intervene.”

“I see. What is…”

Moonwash’s questions were neverending, and I also learned a lot of things. Apparently, the elves really were free-spirited. They just built their houses wherever they wished, using whatever materials they could obtain. They had no money, no currency of any sort. They sometimes traded, but often what was needed was freely given, for why ever would they not? When they are in turn in need, then the other elves would come to help. Nearly every individual was very self-sufficient to begin with, given their curious minds ripe for learning, incredible prowess with magic especially that of the nature and wind variety, and an incredibly dextrous body capable of precision in any craft they so chose. But perhaps the most important ingredient to their success were their Levels. Born at level 20, and naturally maturing towards Level 40, the elves were only an evolution away from immortality by default, and they had far more time to achieve it as their lifespans were several times more than that of a human of the same level.

It truly went to show how the world was fucking unfair. It did come with a fair less fertility, but goddammit that’s not necessarily a negative!

The conversation turned towards Astan, and Elfrafim revealed that he was a suprasoar. Another species created by their gods.

“They’re not our gods,” Elfrafim chuckled. “We respect them a lot… and I can see the similarities, because we do revere them, but how could we not, aware as we are of their power? However, it’s not like they have any rooted teachings we adhere to, no rituals that… well, we like to throw parties and festivals in their name? But I don’t think they particularly care if we do that or not… I think of them as either Elders or Guardians. Perhaps living myths or legends. But most accurate of all, in my opinion, are forces of nature. That’s what they are, and we respect them in the same way that we respect the very land we walk on, for it is in a way one and the same, at least in our homeland.

“I love them. They are beautiful in the same way a sunset is. They are vast like the oceans. Wonderous like the many stars in the sky.”

“Still sounds like gods to me,” I shrugged.

“They don’t tell us to restrict our people based on our species. And I would not listen if they did. We are free.”

That shut me up.

Elfrafim went on to explain the suprasoars. They were a species of people that were often a friend of the elves. They provided wind mana, but not in the same way fountans were steadily cornered into that one job. There was no traditional economic structure to begin with, and if a suprasoar required and desired the goods of the elves then there were a number of ways to get it. Chief of which was to just ask. So long as it’s reasonable and polite then the elves would likely just gift it. As for things that the suprasoars could trade, other than the mana they produced, they could hunt monsters by themselves, they could obtain materials, or even ferry messages with their flight and speed. They could serve as explorers, speak of their travels, and even engage in artistic dances. There were a number of possibilities, and not a single road was closed.

There was one peculiarity about them, however. They were not sapient. At least not as they were born. It was something they achieved through time and levels. And that Level was often believed to be the level of 40. It was heavily, heavily frowned upon to kill a suprasoar before then, for they knew not what they were doing. Everyone deserved a chance.

I shuddered, thinking about how I nearly killed Astan. Good thing Elfrafim intervened when she did, rather she could’ve prevented the fight from the start…

“Shit, why didn’t  you stop my fight with Astan? I didn’t know any of this shit before!”

“It seemed fun, a genuine battle, and Astan wanted it too. I would’ve never let anyone die anyway!”

“But what if someone did!”

“I can intervene and prevent a dozen of Astan’s equals from killing each other. And as absurd as you are, you’re about his equal at best. There was no risk of it. Whereas the chance for a genuine life and death battle was only one.”

I recalled what had happened with my menace magic days prior. The concept of sacrifice, and the absurd levels of power it gave.

“I think we’ve found out the hard way, that such certainty is misplaced.”

“...Shit.” Her face fell.

“Yeah.” I grimly nodded. “There are no absolutes. Never.”

“Yes.” She gulped. “Yes, you’re right, Haell. I fucked up.”

“Ah, stop!” I waved my hands at her, suddenly realizing what I was saying and to whom. “You just saved… my everything. Now you're making me feel bad.”

“Well, don’t feel bad! It was a gift freely given. And the life magic I used to heal you earlier has absolutely nothing to do with whether I fucked up or not.”

“...Okay. Yes. You still fucked up. But that’s fine. Everyone makes mistakes.”

She looked squarely at me. “Clearly.”

“Oi!” I laughed. “But seriously. I still owe you one. Maybe more. Just say anything, at anytime, and I’ll come running.”

Elfrafim straightened herself on her seat and scratched her head. “It really was a gift freely given though… Can I not give a dear friend a gift, Haell? Are you so against receiving help?”

I gulped. “N-no. I mean, I ask for help every time!” I really did. “It’s just… Life mana and biomancy are just so valuable, you know? Something that big will make me freak out…”

“Well then stop freaking out! I already said it’s fine. Please?” She looked into my demonic eyes with her own crystalline pair. “We’re friends, and friends just help each other sometimes. That’s all it has to be.”

I swallowed and nodded brusquely. “Fine. You’re right. If anything, I’m being even more selfish by asking you to do something else, when you clearly intended differently.”

“A little bit, yeah!”

I hung my head.

“But hey! It’s okay!” She grabbed hold of both my hands and squeezed. “I know that it’s gratitude that pushes you, and it makes me happy that my gift is appreciated. That alone is repayment enough.”

I squeezed her hands right back. “Yeah. You’re a… dear friend, Elfrafim. Therefore I’m going to help you lots and lots someday! Just because I want to, as a friend, and completely unrelated to whatever favors you may or may not have given me in the meantime!”

The elven woman chuckled. “Sure. I’m perfectly convinced.”