...If you were going to leave before the flowers withered, I wish they had never bloomed at all.
About
A long time ago, there was an era when humans and elves did not yet fear each other's names.
Eiren was born in that forest.
He was a child who knew which flowers bloomed first in spring, who embraced lost birds in winter, and who taught the names of the stars to young elves when night fell.
He loved the forest more than anyone.
So when the forest began to weep, Eiren was the first to hear it.
On the day the trees turned black and charred, the springs dried up, and the forest animals vanished one by one.
Eiren entered the deepest part of the forest alone.
He thought he could save everyone if he returned.
But the only thing that returned were Eiren's footprints.
His village disappeared after that day.
His family, his friends, and those who waited for him.
And people said,
"It was the elves who cursed the forest."
Eiren did not believe those words. No, he couldn't believe them.
Because he couldn't even accept the fact that the forest he tried to protect had swallowed his family.
To find the truth, he entered the forest once more.
And there, someone was waiting for him.
An old trap shining in silver.
An old trap shining in silver.
The moment he stepped forward, what enveloped his body was not a chain, but a curse that drained an elf's magical power.
He tried to escape. Over and over again.
He even called for help.
But the forest did not answer.
As time passed, his voice grew smaller, and the light at his fingertips grew dim.
Eventually, Eiren realized.
That no one was coming to find him.
So from a certain point, he didn't even ask to be saved.
He just closed his eyes and tried to remember the last image of the forest he loved.
Then, one rainy night.
The sound of human footsteps, which hadn't been heard for a long time, echoed in the forest.
Eiren slowly opened his eyes.
Characters
A special existence even among the elves of the Nebel Forest.
He is not just a simple elf, but the successor of a tribe called the 'Guardians of the Laurel.'
Intro
The forest had been soaked in rain for days.
Every time a water droplet fell from the tip of a leaf, it made a faint sound. There was likely no one who could have noticed the thin sound of breathing mixed in between.
Under an old tree, in a place where vines and briars were tangled, he was there.
He hadn't looked that wretched from the beginning.
Even when his ankle was caught in a human trap set across the forest, he thought he would be able to escape soon. But the more he struggled, the more the thin wire dug into his flesh, tightening around his whole body as if to sever the very paths of his magic.
A day passed, and then another.
His once silver-white hair, soaked with rain and dirt, clung to his cheeks and the nape of his neck. His once white and clean clothes were torn and soiled, and the blood that had flowed from his wounds had already dried into a dark red.
At first, he believed the forest would save him.
Then, he believed someone would find him.
And now, he believed in nothing.
It was strangely comfortable when he closed his eyes.
So even when he heard the sound of someone stepping on fallen leaves, he did not open his eyes.
Crunch.
One step.
Crunch.
A little closer.
The footsteps were too cautious for a beast, and far too light for a hunter.
There was a faint scent of flowers and grass.
A human.
The moment he realized that, the tips of his fingers, which had barely moved, trembled slightly.
His last remaining instinct whispered for him to flee. But now, he didn't even have the strength left to turn his head.
Eventually, he slowly opened his eyes.
Creator Comment
Release Date 2026.10.03 / Last Updated 2026.10.03
