The Author's Viewpoint-Chapter 102 - Dormant Echo

Tave opened his eyes slowly, the weight of sleep still clinging to his limbs. It was midnight, he could tell from the pale moon, just slightly shifted from its peak in the sky.

But... What is that sound?

A soft hum, gentle as the wind. No, not quite a hum. More like a lullaby carried by moonlight. Not a song in any traditional sense, but a flowing cadence of tones that soothed without needing melody.

Fully awake now, Tave pushed himself upright and turned toward the source.

There, Panpan.

She stood with both arms raised, bathed in moonlight that streamed through a break in the canopy. The silvery glow caught in the waves of her blonde hair, making it shimmer as it moved gently in the breeze. Around her, soft green elemental particles danced, glowing faintly, visible even to the naked eye.

The sound he’d heard wasn’t from her lips exactly. It was deeper, older. Like the forest itself was breathing with her, singing through her. A serene chant, almost sacred in its stillness.

Tave leaned back, watching in awe. She wasn’t just standing there. She was communing. With the elemental particles. With the Rift itself. And, faintly, with the presence of the World Tree that somehow still touched even this dimension. The connection wasn’t strong, but it was there.

Only the forest elves could do this. Of all elvenkind, they alone held the deepest bond with the World Tree, far more so than their kin, the High Elves or Dark Elves.

Tave felt the urge to capture this moment, this delicate, wordless beauty. A part of him wished he could bottle the sensation and keep it, replay it whenever the world grew too heavy.

And then she turned.

Panpan looked his way, catching his gaze with that usual quiet warmth. She raised her hand and waved with a soft smile. One of those smiles that always seemed to reach right through him. It was the kind of smile that filled him with strength, that made exhaustion melt away.

Such beauty...

Was there even a word more fitting than beauty to describe what he saw now? He murmured something to himself, too quietly to catch.

Panpan walked over slowly, settling down in front of him, her attention fixed on him with that same calm presence.

"I woke you because it’s been four hours since you fell asleep," she said softly, her voice smooth and calming. "I’m sorry... Do you still need more rest?"

Tave, lost in the moment, forgot to answer. He simply stared, still caught in the glow of what he’d witnessed.

"Tave?" she called again gently.

He blinked and smiled, a quiet chuckle slipping from his lips. "Forgive me, Pan. I was... entranced by the beauty you just shared."

"Beauty? Are you saying... that was me?"

"You too... what made it perfect."

Panpan paused for a moment, then laughed softly. "Thanks, that’s so sweet, Tave."

"Would Lady Elincia rage at me," he said with a crooked grin, "if she found out I was flirting with her prized disciple?"

Panpan laughed again, light and effortless. "I don’t know. Maybe next time you should try doing that right in front of Lady Elincia and see how she reacts."

"Bad idea. Abort mission," he said immediately.

They laughed together, softly, in the middle of the night, beneath a sky woven with stars and stories.

They sat facing one another, the quiet settling gently between them like a blanket. There was no need to speak, not immediately. The stillness was rich, peaceful, wrapped in the hush of the wild and the shimmer of elemental particles that hadn’t yet fully faded.

"This is a kind of ceremony," Panpan said softly at last, her voice blending with the calm of the night. "A prayer, for us forest elves... for the Great World Tree."

Tave smiled and nodded slowly. He knew this. Knew more about it than she could imagine. But even so, he chose to remain silent, choosing to listen, as someone who simply wanted to hear her voice.

"The World Tree always watches over us, the forest elves... no matter where we are. It gives us life, power... breath," she continued gently.

"Some of us... awaken with an Echo," she added.

The most powerful Echo ever granted to a forest elf belonged to their ruler, the King. But that wasn’t the only blessing bestowed upon the forest elves. It was given to others as well.

Think of it as a divine signature, passed down in varying strengths.

If the King bore an Echo at the highest level, let’s say a strength of ten. Then others among the forest elves might carry lesser reflections of that same power. Scores ranging from one to seven, perhaps. The closer one’s fate aligned with the King, the higher the resonance.

The heir, the princess, for instance. She carries an Echo with a power of eight.

"It’s called a Dormant Echo," Panpan explained.

"A Dormant Echo is like a promise... a mark," she continued. "A sign that the Echo is near. But not yet yours. Those who bear it are undergoing a test. And if they pass... the Echo awakens."

Tave watched her carefully, then asked, voice low and thoughtful, "Do you bear such a Dormant Echo, Pan?"

Tave himself had never written down a detailed list of those within the Vensalor Kingdom who possessed an Echo. The truth was, the number wasn’t small, and even if he had the resources, keeping track of them all would’ve been an impossible task. But he understood who the prominent bearers were, the ones with the highest-ranking Echoes. The King. The Princess. The Imperial Knights.

And yet, there was one striking exception.

Even now, Elincia had yet to awaken her Dormant Echo. She remained the only Imperial Knight in all of Vensalor without an active Echo. A distinction that weighed heavily, even if she never said it aloud.

Panpan nodded gently. "Yes, Tave. And this expedition... it’s my path to complete the trial."

Tave felt something warm stir in his chest. Pride, quiet and genuine. He smiled at the girl sitting before him, this light-footed hunter who carried far more than she ever showed on her surface.

"Then," he said softly, "we need to complete this rift. So you can awaken your Echo."

Panpan didn’t reply right away. She simply smiled, calm and serene, as if his words had wrapped around her like warmth rather than pressure.

Surely, you haven’t lost hope in finishing this rift... right, Pan?

That was the thought that lingered in Tave’s mind.

Even Tave wasn’t entirely sure if completing this rift was truly possible. He could only do his best. Force his mind to sharpen, to dig deeper. Strategy. Analysis. Every ounce of intellect he had, pushed to its limit.

He drew in a slow breath, steadying himself, then spoke quietly, "I’ll send Fang out to gather more information. The night is our strength."

"I’ll watch over you while you guide him," Panpan replied.

Tave nodded, then began tidying up his sleeping bag and moved to a more stable spot nearby, somewhere better suited for concentration. He crossed his legs, settled his posture, and let his breathing slow.

He needed more information. Anything that could give them a better edge.

"Fang... prioritize your safety, okay?" he whispered under his breath.

And then the shadows shifted.

Like liquid, they moved, stretched, and in an instant, vanished. Fang had leapt into the darkness, his form swallowed by the night beneath the canopy of ancient, whispering trees.