It's a serene forest away from civilization, untouched by the ravages of war. The place looked beautiful with evergreen forest, stretches of flowers and cute little animals.
But it's all a farce.
This forest was known to the three empires as the ghostwoods. Even rank 9s who stepped into this place never returned.
The most knowledgable historians claim this place to be the home of an ancient powerhouse from Varian's era.
The powerhouse was hypothesized to have reached an unimaginable strength, possibly surpassing even the strongest beings alive today. This was a talk behind closed doors, for if leaked, it might challenge the authority of the rulers and result in a few headless bodies.
"The rabbits are cute." Primula's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together.
"They're also tasty." Varian nodded.
"Eww! Brother, you're so cruel!" She wrinkled her nose and snorted.
"I'm just honest." Varian said but he had a teasing smile on his face.
"…a bite."
"Huh?"
"If you're going to eat anyway, I'll have a bite so you won't feel lonely eating by yourself!" Primula said with a flushed face.
"Oh my! Look at this, Primula is so grown up she even thinks about her brother." Varian jumped off the vehicle and walked into the forest without any caution.
Primula bit her lip as she watched his back.
He's been smiling, chatting and behaving normally since that time. He seemed alright. He seemed normal.
'But I don't know…'
Primula spent a lot of time with him in her dreams. So, even if she didn't notice it consciously, she could intuitively sense his mental state.
Looking at his figure quickly diminishing in her vision, she realized why he's walking so fast.
'Brother is crying.'
By the time he reached the pink lake at the center of the forest, Varian rubbed his eyes and erased all traces with the power of slivers.
There was a small hut floating in the center of the lake.
A woman was seated in the hut, dipping her feet in the water and sewing a painting.
It was the picture of Hortus, long before humans set foot into it and transformed it forever.
The world was a lot smaller back then and a lot more weaker.
Only Hortians lived here.
They had to face the invasion of the outsiders who slaughtered the natives for fun and tried to conquer the world for themselves.
It was a difficult place to survive, warring against the monters in the wilderness and the aliens that kept coming.
So, Hortians banded together, worked as a group. It was difficult but it was also normal. Perhaps that's why, Hortians were synonymous for their unity.
But that was a thing of the distant past.
They were now scattered amongst the three empires, each supporting their own faction, fighting for resources and power like everyone else.
Hortians had several leaders appointed by Varian. A few thousand years after his disappearance, the leadership positions were gradually captured by less ideal people.
Still, Hortians did not rebel at the first coup. But by the second time, they were taking the lead.
It had been so long that not a single leader of that time survived and if they rarely did, they accidentally died.
In the end, Hortians, like all other races, willingly turned against the empire or were slowly manipulated by the 12 rebels and got persuaded.
Now, even Hortians had forgotten that this was once their motherland.
Helena did not resent her race. She was merely disappointed.
When Varian disappeared and it became clear that he wasn't coming back anytime soon, she requested for a place to live in.
This forest was the place where Hortians were said to have originated from.
As the story goes, this lake was the place where Primordial God of Life & Death decided to create the guardians of Hortus.
So, he plucked a drop of water, a stalk of grass and a grain of sand.
From the mix came the first Hortians. And the first Hortians sang a song waiting for the god who vanished.
"We search for you at the first ray of dawn,
Even in our reflections of the lake,
And listen to the whispers of the night,
All for your trace, My Lord, All for your trace."
Helena's gentle voice rang across the lake and she kicked the water to make splashing noises that brilliantly acted as music to the vocals.
When the song ended and the ripples settled down, another reflection appeared on the lake surface beside her.
Helena froze for a moment but she didn't even turn her head to the side and kept staring at the reflection in the lake. "…I-Is it really you, Lord?"
"Hm." Varian nodded softly and pointed to the cloth painting she was sewing. "It's my coronation?"
"Ah-Ah! Yes!" Helena nodded, her voice trembling. She looked at his reflection in the lake intently but she still didn't dare turn her head.
"Why don't you look at me?" Varian spoke softly.
His tone with Matriarch had always been a bit quirky, this was the most gentle he had ever been with her.
"I knew it. He'd never speak like that." Matriarch shook her head and raised her head to glare at him.
"You damn imposter, I'm going to pe…"
"Yes?" Varian smiled.
"Are you really…no…he's not like this…even though it's been a thousand years, I remember…who are you?"
"Miss Maid," Varian's voice suddenly turned authoritative and he narrowed his eyes at her.
Helena's back straightened involuntarily and she instinctively held her breath.
"Looks like your workload has to be increased." Varian said with a smirk.
"It's really you!" Helena nearly jumped at him but immediately regretted what she had done.
'Oh no!'
But instead of rejection, she was met with a warm, appreciative hug. And she felt him pat her gently on her back.
In the most earnest voice she ever heard from him, she heard him say.
"Thank you."
"W-Why?" Helena didn't understand.
"For living." Varian's soft sigh rang in the lake. "Thank you very much for living."