Near a single large window, a person was sitting. Ithiel’s teacher always looked as if he wasn’t quite alive anymore. It was hard to tell whether he was resting or dead - although he did not look old or wrinkled, there was something about him that made you think of a very old tree that might just be standing straight because that was simply its position.

Ithiel paused.

Only when his teacher opened the weathered eyes did he exhale.

He hurried over, falling to his knees before the sitting elf and placed his hands on the gnarly knees.

“Teacher”, he said again. “Teacher, I’m back to visit.”

“Well now, well now.” The old elf’s voice was slow but powerful. He rubbed Ithiel’s head and the younger one put it down on his lap. “Were you bullied? Why have you come running back, looking so troubled?”

“I wasn’t bullied”, Ithiel pouted childishly.

His teacher was his family. He was the reason why Ithiel could keep his innocence even to this day - someone who made sure to keep all bad things away from his protege.

“Then?”

“It’s just-” Ithiel inhaled, shakily, but forced himself to smile. “I was just thinking. It’s nothing.”

He could go ask the elves for info, because he was part of this globe.

A globe placed on top of a planet. Oh, how tiny he was, compared to those who came to visit.

There was no way for a human to truly come to befriend someone who was nothing but a toy in their eyes.

“It doesn’t matter. It’s all fine.” Ithiel shook his head, adding a couple more words to convince himself. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m here. Teacher, can you help me out?”

“What’s the matter?”

The hand rubbing Ithiel’s head did not stop its soothing stroking.

“Do you know anything about a Mermaid’s Tears? A necklace?”

Ithiel’s teacher looked at him silently for quite some time. Then he lowered his hand and flicked Ithiel’s forehead.

“Ow! What was that for?” Ithiel flinched back, looking up with watery eyes. He felt betrayed.

His teacher wryly shook his head and sighed. He was obviously used to what was happening, and it amused him as much as it made him feel resignation. “What’s on top of the library?”

“The stained glass?”

“And?” A raised eyebrow.

“Uh, the carvings?”

“Describe.”

Ithiel obediently sat up straight and rattled down the information. “The carvings and stained glass on the library walls are built in a way that they form different images on the floor outside during different times. The first one depicts the four species - humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen. The second-”

“Stick to the first one.”

“Alright? The image shows four figures, one belonging to each species, putting their hands together. Each of them is also holding an item in their free hand. The dwarf is holding the Dragon Spear, the human the Weathered Crown, the elf the Seed of Yggdrasil and the beastman the Mermaid’s Tears.”

The old elf waited for a couple of seconds but got no reaction from Ithiel except for the librarian waiting for praise. He rubbed his eyes and sighed.

“Well done. Can you tell me what’s special about the carving of those four items?”

“All of them hold a piece of the original item! They’re embedded into the carving!”

The old elf reached down, cupping Ithiel’s face with both hands for a moment. The squished cheeks puffed up.

“Ithiel?”

“Yes?”

“Repeat your original question to me.”

“Do you know anything about a Mer- ohhhhhh.”

Ithiel slapped his hand in front of his mouth.

“This is common knowledge for elves, Ithiel”, the old elf scolded. “You learn this in the first year of school. Any elf on this continent would have been able to answer this question, including yourself.”

Ithiel groaned and hid his face behind his hands. “Oh no… I knew it sounded familiar…”

“Too much knowledge in that little head of yours. It’s getting all messed up.”

There was no explaining the sheer amount of embarrassment the younger elf felt at the situation. That was surely why Kinsley had reacted so oddly to the question, after all, he had been there. He should have known. Ithiel peeked out behind his hands. “Teacher, considering it’s one of those items, would it be possible for us to borrow it for a while?”

“Us, huh…” The elf leaned back in his chair. He turned to face the window, weary eyes staring outside. “I am happy that you like that new group of yours so much, Ithiel, I truly am. But do you really think this is a question you should be asking me?”

Ithiel winced.

The reason why every elven child knew about the four items was because elves, when looking at all species, were something of the continent’s historians. They made sure to note down things and remind everyone of them.

No one remembered when the items had been created, but the elves had noted down the events depicted in the library’s image.

Four leaders had come together and broken four items into four pieces each. Every race only held one piece, in whatever way they deemed safe. That did not necessarily mean that the pieces would never return to being one item - just like many prophecies, this one too mentioned visitors who would reassemble them in times of need.

And yet, if asked, most elves would probably say that they preferred for it not to happen.

The Dragon Spear, which could kill a boar and which could split the continent into two.

The Weathered Crown, which could allow you feel things not alive anymore and which could allow you to command armies of ghosts.

The Seed of Yggdrasil, which could grow a herb and which could grow a fruit granting immortality.

The Mermaid’s Tears… which would let you command the Moray, or command the sea itself.

Each item was as simple and as terrible as its wielder would decide. A something that could shape this world on the whim of a single person.

Items that, as Ithiel realized now, were created purely for the fun and excitement of the visitors.

The feeling of being nothing but a plaything hadn’t ever hit Ithiel as hard as at that moment. Of course he had known it the moment Ice called himself a tourist, but it hadn’t sunken in.

All of a sudden, he didn’t want to continue this anymore.

Anyone could find out about the Mermaid’s Tears. Simply by describing it would they catch the interest of some random elf who would explain. Everyone would know that the piece was up in the tower. You didn’t even need to know the name of it, just having seen the necklace in one of Woodcutter’s videos was enough. They'd want it, not only for the quest, but because it was powerful, and these people loved gathering anything that gave them power. Anything that made them special.

How tight was security?

Obviously the elves would not let anyone randomly climb up their library, but their opponents were the Foreigners. Lots of them.

Ithiel had grown quiet. His teacher didn’t prod, merely stroking his hair again.

When the librarian left, he did so without even saying goodbye.

Right.

He was the librarian.

He lived inside the building - in fact, the carvings were reachable from the room above his personal one. So close.

He trudged to the inn where Ice had said they’d be.

Seeing him enter the inn, eyes red-rimmed, not even the innkeeper called him out on it.

Ithiel walked up the stairs. His legs felt heavy. Each step was so exhausting.

He stopped in front of the last door, the room that they had rented. Not that the Foreigners even needed a room. He knocked against it and waited.

Ice opened the door.

“There you are”, he said in his overly soothing voice. It was always so incredibly gentle and genuine.

Ithiel tilted his head up, meeting Ice’s eyes.

His lips trembled and he sniffled. Ithiel threw himself forward and buried his face in Ice’s chest. The door fell shut behind him as he started to bawl.

“Ice… Ice, can you please not take it? Can you please leave it here?”

You.

Not we.

Accompanied by desperate sobs, the world quivered for a moment.

【þ̴̨͍͔͂̈́̕ê̴̡͇̪̐̈̊r̸̦͖̫͗̅͘§̸͙̙̻͑̔̕ð̶̞̗͎͆̈͛ñ̴̡̞̉͛͜͝å̶̡̙̝̂͊͝ļ̵̩̯͑̔͌ quest - Heartfelt request

The librarian of the Lythian Forest worries about the effects of the Forbidden Item “Mermaid’s Tears” being put together again. According to his assumptions, the piece of the “Mermaid’s Tears” in the library tower will soon be stolen by those eyeing its power. There is no telling what might happen to Solstice if the item is assembled.

Ensure that the piece won’t fall into the hands of †̶̦͍͎͉̤͊̓̂̏̋h̸̢̪̼̺̪̀̀͋̇̒ð̴̲̥̣̩̳̈̇̌̑̌§̶̣̞̱͎̲͛͒͆͂̆ế̵̛̟͇̜̟̋̌̓͜ ̵̧̢̡̥͓͊̍͛͊̕ẘ̵̖͈̠̯̅̍̊͒͜ḣ̸̝̻̹̌̉̓͠ͅͅð̴̢͍̺̪̺̈̓̃͒͠ ̴̗̼̥̬̦͋̄̇̎͝Ð̵̯̺̖̟̪̊̿̎̔̈́ð̵̢̣̥̗̼̒̃̈̈́͝ñ̶̛͇̠͖͖̪͛͐̒̈́'̷̰̹̘̗̠̆̌̿̑̅†̵̙̥̻͉͕̀̃̒̉̎ ̵̳̘̘̘͖̌͋̐̓̂ß̴̼̬̠̥̮̀̄͊̾͊ȩ̸̱̫̹̠̂̈̏̅͆͒l̶̳̻̥̝̺͌͗̉̽̚ð̵̺͍͓͓̑́̑͗̕ͅñ̷̛̗̲̻̘̘̏͑̒͑ģ̴̭͈̖̟̏͆́͐͆ ̷̙̤̺͇̻̈́̋̉̈̀ḫ̷̗̙̙̝̄́̿͋͘ê̴̙̖̗͚̭̂͆̋̎͘r̷̫̬͈̱̗̋͗̉́́ę̵̯̯͙͔̂̈̈́͂̈́́, forever.

Reward: H̶̛̘͕̦̮̰͍͔͌̈́́̌͊̔ê̷̛̟̝̜̮̹̖̤̐̆̐̎͒̀ ̷̢̛̖̬̪̰͙̘̃̿͂́̕͝ï̸̘͇͕̯͖̦̐͐̎̇͋̉̿ͅ§̸̻͇̖̟̬͈̥̋́͒͂͌́͘ ̶̛̛̺͉̼͈̼̯͙͛̊́̅̀ḁ̵͇͙̳̤̼̘̊̃̍̓͆͊̋͝§̸̼̺̟̳̥̘̞́͆̽͒̎͐͊k̷̨̛̝̼̖͓̣̈́̎̇̿̇̾ͅï̷͈̭̪̜̮̪̠̍̑͗̀̂̔̾ņ̴̨̗̱̘̮̃͑̓̄̎͊̆̈́͜g̵̨̱̯͈̹͈͕̐̓̄͒̎̓̕ ̵̰̬̹̱͖̹̘̈́͛̓̓͌̍͝¥̶̭̟̖̞̥̥͉̄̈́̃́̿͠͝ð̴̰̹̦̖̩̞̇͐̂̚͝͝͝ͅµ̶̘͕̪̰͓͙̮͛̈́̾͆̈́͘͝ ̵̺̜̳͕̮͕̫̅͗̈̇̈́̑͠£̶̺̫̯̼̦̳̓̋́̍̒̆͜͝ð̶̯̙̺͍̘͈̪̏͋̀͌̓̚̕r̸̡̪͉͖͓͖̪̈̅̐́͘͠͝ ̴̧̺͈̲̻͓̥̈́́͒̽̾̆̚h̸̨͔̪̣̺͕̦̅̊̃̾̾̾͘ê̴̛̺̩̰̣̲̣̗̅͐̒̆̔̔ḽ̶͚̘̩͔̬͚͐̑̐͋̎̆̚þ̵̢̙̝̘̪͇͎̓̀̽̓͋̔͝

Failure: Ç̸̢̘̰͎̱͉̲͉̒̍̈́͂̀͑͌̏͜å̴̧̳̞͖͎͎̹̗̮͌̓̈́͒̉̊̽̄̕ņ̶̱̠͉̞̦͇̥̖̃̑̊̀̄͐͌̂́̽'̵̖̩̫̺͖̳̤̬͊̓̂̈̈́̈͌͠͠ͅ†̷͈̞͚̱͓̲̭̹̿̔͆̓̈͒͊̈̚ͅ ̶̼̝̠̱̩̤̪̤̾̌̏͊̃̕͘͜͠͝¥̸̢͎̼͉͈͈̘̗̥͑̿̋̆̓̓̕͘͠ð̶̦̞̗̦̯͕̯̻̘̊̉̈̈́̅͌̀͆̐µ̴̨̢̧͍̪͕̠̣͓̉͂͂͐̌͗̊̕͠ ̸̤͈̲̟̬͙̜̥͖͛̃̌͒̇̊̋̕̕†̸̨̰̮͚͉̹̙̰̫͑͛̌̃̍͆̓̎͠ê̸̟͓̣͔̱̼̳̖̮̂̌͑͆́̈́͊̈́̏l̴̢̗̞̞̜͙̲̥͉͋̈́͌̍́̐̈͘͠l̴̖̬̰̤̤͚͙̺͚͂̒̋͑̅̇͑̔̎ ̷̭͙̩̟̮̤̘͉̳̐͑͛͒̊͊̓͝͝h̵̛͔͈̰̬̖̣̟̬͍͂̆̾̊̃́̊̑ê̸̛̝̝̖̣̫̭̺̭̙͌́̆̃̀̃̌͝'̶̮̤̰͓̠̱͉̪́̄̉̊͗̒̔̓̔͜§̸̧̨̧͎̺̥͉̯̬̈͂̀͐̈́̏͆͘͝ ̷̛͙̣̹̼̖̖͇̟̙̒̍͋̂̓̊̍̈§̸̢̞͙̩̘͕̦̮̗̓̊͛͂̅̇̍̈́̂¢̷̡̡̻͔̠̰͍̤͈̽̊̈́̅̈́͗͑͒͌ą̵̠̗̘̻̞͎̣̦̊͐̀́͌̓̌̒͂͊ȓ̵̨̤̤̯̮̬͕̰͕̇̒͗̈́̏͛͒̕ḙ̵̻̻͙̱̤͈͍̝̂́̀̋̐͑̍̊͗͠Ð̶̧̰̭̻͉̭͎͍̀̈̋̔͗̀̂̏̆ͅ】

Huntsman and Dead Rabbit were completely silent, Huntsman’s eyes wide.

Bloody’s eyes were turned towards nothing, likely reading the quest that had popped up for all of them. Distorted and broken - it wasn’t a formal quest in any way and Bloody had a feeling it wouldn’t even appear in their questlog.

This was, bluntly put, Little Droplet doing Ithiel a favor by explaining just what was going on.

And maybe, Bloody thought, also trying to remind them that Ithiel was not part of their world. He was part of this one and whatever happened here would affect him forever.