Elf.

I had never seen one before, and yet that was precisely why I could be certain. That golden hair shining like sunlight even in the deep darkness was something only an elf could possess. Add to that an unbelievably beautiful voice and the faint fragrance of forget-me-nots. There was no room for doubt.

Yet my eyes kept tracing over Saya’s form. From head to toe, each time I looked at her, I found myself swallowing without realizing it. As my gaze lingered, Saya clasped her hands together anxiously and then spoke cautiously.

“Um…”

“Yeah?”

“You really don’t recognize me, do you? It’s been a while since we last met…”

Saya, who had been steadily nibbling at her lips, trailed off without confidence. The corners of her mouth, barely lifted, formed an awkward smile.

“I’m Saya. Do you remember? I sat behind you.”

“Ah… yeah.”

“I didn’t talk much and always kept to myself, so you might not remember… but you know how…”

“Uh…”

“The other kids used to call me Mute Bitch…”

“Ah… I know! I know, Saya. You don’t have to go that far. I remember.”

Only after her timid self-introduction had turned into self-deprecation did I hurriedly nod. At that, Saya let out a relieved breath.

“Really? Thank goodness. I thought you didn’t remember me.”

“Not at all. How could I forget? I was just surprised. I never thought we’d meet again like this.”

“I see… you didn’t expect it. I wasn’t being a nuisance, was I? Showing up so suddenly like this.”

“No! Not at all. I just…”

I waved my hands hastily. I had been searching for Saya off and on all this time, but now that we were face to face, I couldn’t figure out what to do. After a moment’s hesitation, I quietly opened the dormitory door.

“Want to come in and talk? It’s better than standing out there.”

“I’d appreciate that, but… are you sure? Weren’t you keeping watch in case someone else came in?”

“That’s true, but…”

This time it was my turn to trail off. Logically speaking, it would make sense to be on guard against Saya just as I had been with the other intruders.

But the very existence of an elf was already beyond common sense. Trying to apply logic any further would only give me a bigger headache.

“Just come in. It’s cold outside.”

“…”

“…”

Even after coming inside, I couldn’t find words for a long while. The concept of an elf was still too foreign for me to speak easily. Saya, too, kept her lips pressed tight and simply waited for my response. Between the hem of her skirt as she sat demurely, her pale skin kept catching my eye.

Perhaps because of that, I couldn’t help but keep looking, even though I knew it was rude. The sight of an elf, seen for the first time, was beautiful to a degree that felt jarring against the crumbling room. Seeing her like this, the claim that elves were a race superior to humans would be impossible to deny, no matter how hard one tried.

But why on earth was such an elf in my room right now? Even accounting for the extraordinary circumstances, there was much I couldn’t understand. I had more than a few questions to ask.

“Hey, Saya.”

“Yeah?”

“Are you really an elf?”

“Ah…”

I asked the question to turn my suspicion into certainty. Saya’s ears perked up in surprise before she gave a timid nod.

“Yeah. That’s right. Even though I’m only half… I’m still an elf, for now.”

“What does that mean? You’re not pure-blooded?”

“My father is an elf. My mother is human. So it’s hard to call myself a pure elf, but yes, I am one.”

“Is that why you’re in human lands? Instead of the Land of Elves?”

“That’s… still difficult for me to answer.”

Perhaps it had been an impolite question. Saya’s expression darkened slightly. But this was not something I could simply let pass.

“I’m sorry if that upset you. But I felt I had to ask. The elves fled to their own land to escape the dragons. Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I didn’t know. That the dragons were coming.”

“But the elves knew about it long before the humans did.”

“They didn’t tell me or my mother. My mother is human and I’m only a half-elf. Even if you have mixed blood, as long as you’re outside their land, you’re no different from an outsider to the elves.”

“Ah… I see.”

It was clearly something that could have left her feeling hurt, yet Saya’s attitude was nothing but composed. She spoke as though being treated that way was only natural.

Could it be that such circumstances had shaped Saya’s timid personality? As someone who had been in a similar position, I felt a certain kinship with her.

“Then where have you been all this time? It doesn’t seem like you were hiding inside the Academy.”

“It didn’t seem safe there. Too many unpleasant smells, too. So I mostly stayed by the coast. No one ever came there.”

“You’ve been outside this whole time? Then what about food?”

“That was fine. I could just eat leaves.”

“Leaves?”

“Yeah. Even just one leaf a day is enough to sustain me.”

Was that really possible? My first instinct was doubt, but thinking back, I had never once seen Saya go to the dining hall. If she had, someone would have long since discovered what lay beneath her mask. Only now were the small mysteries beginning to resolve themselves one by one.

In other words, she had survived alone for two months eating nothing but leaves.

I turned that astonishing fact over in my mind and looked at Saya once more. True to her word, she didn’t seem to have grown thinner or more haggard compared to two months ago. If anything, she seemed healthier, having lived free from the interference of others.

Yet somehow, a clear hunger emanated from her behavior. Whether it was the fragrance of loneliness craving another’s presence, or genuine, pure hunger, I couldn’t tell.

Either way, I felt pity. It was an emotion I hadn’t experienced in the past two months.

“Are you really okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

Saya answered as she hugged her knees. The room must have been somewhat chilly with the heater off. Whether it was my imagination or not, I heard a kkeorureuk sound from within her huddled form.

At that moment, my hand was already reaching toward the food storage.

“Hey, Saya. You know…”

“Yeah?”

“Want to have some bread? I haven’t had dinner yet either.”

The bread I cautiously offered was neither warm nor cold. Its lingering warmth seemed to represent an awkward gesture of goodwill.

“You can eat this, right?”

“That’s fine. My mother bought me bread when I was little. It was so long ago that I don’t really remember, but…”

Saya hesitated slightly before accepting the piece of bread. Even though it clearly wasn’t hot, the way she flinched at the touch suggested that the warmth of another person, felt for the first time in so long, was unfamiliar to her.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

It was an expression of gratitude far too heavy for a mere stale piece of bread. Saya, bowing her head so politely, carefully bit into the bread with an ang.

And in the next moment, Saya’s time stopped.

It was not a metaphor—she looked as though time had literally stopped. Her lips. Her arms. Her shoulders. Everything froze at the exact moment she bit into the bread. The only thing that moved was one thing: her blue eyes, growing wider with each passing second.

Soon, a thread of clear saliva trickled jureureuk from the corner of Saya’s mouth. Only then did Saya pull her lips away and utter a single word.

“It’s salty…”

“Well, it’s not that salty…”

Still, it did contain salt, so it might taste saltier than leaves. While I fretted, Saya swallowed what was in her mouth and took another bite of the bread. But this time, the reaction wasn’t so positive.

“Uyuk…”

“Saya?”

“Uk…”

Saya, still holding the bread in her mouth, flinched as though in pain. Tears even began to leak from her eyes. Worried something was wrong, I asked urgently.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

“No, it’s just…”

“…”

“I’m too full…”

“Huh…?”

Saya finally opened her mouth and began to gag, retching with a keokkeok sound. At a sight so far removed from common sense, I could only stare at her blankly. Yet even in the midst of it all, Saya couldn’t bring herself to let go of the bread, her eyes shining.

“But it’s delicious. So salty and sweet.”

“It’s not that intense of a bread. But I’m glad you like it.”

“I want more but I’m too full. Can I keep the rest, though?”

“Don’t push yourself. You don’t want to get sick.”

“That’s why I’m just going to hold it in my mouth. This bread is really so delicious.”

Saya, with an excited expression, held the bread in her mouth once more. I don’t know what was so wonderful about it, but she smiled with her eyes and freely displayed her happiness. Even watching her, I couldn’t help but smile myself.

I leaned my back against the wall and waited until Saya finished the bread. Or should I say, until she finished sucking on it. Watching her, time seemed to pass quite pleasantly. It might have been my imagination, but I even felt a sense of peace.

Saya, too, kept stealing glances at me. Maybe elves also dislike being watched while they eat. Only after I turned my gaze away did Saya finally pull her lips from the bread.

“Lope.”

“Yeah?”

“You’re still so kind to me, even in a situation like this.”

In her gaze was a purity that even a ruined world had failed to taint—enough to feel burdensome for someone like me to receive.

“It’s just a piece of bread. It’s nothing.”

“But you were kind to me before, too. You saved me when I was being bullied. You didn’t ignore me like the others.”

“That was just something I had to do back then.”

“So you’re saying you did it simply because you’re a kind person?”

“That’s definitely not it.”

Who knew—perhaps if I lied with a straight face, my tongue might one day shrivel up for it. So I simply answered honestly.

“I just wanted to help you because it was you. Is that enough?”

“Is that the truth?”

“Yeah. I mean it.”

“I thought so.”

Saya nodded as though she had arrived at some deep understanding. And then, without warning, she took hold of my hand.

“…”

This was the first time I had held hands with a girl other than Lena. And perhaps because of that, it felt all the warmer, all the softer.

It might have been an exaggeration, but I fancied I could even understand the feelings of a wife who had lain with a man not her own. The fragrance of pure transgression was the overwhelming scent of forget-me-nots.

For some reason, it felt like a moment that called for a confession. Of course, what Saya said next was not a confession but words of gratitude.

“Thank you, Lope. For everything.”

“Ah… yeah. Sure.”

“It might not mean much to you, but to me, everything was special. When you helped me, I felt like I had a friend, even if only for a moment.”

“You don’t need to make it sound so grand. Being friends isn’t that big a deal…”

“But humans don’t much like gratitude that’s only in words. Isn’t that right?”

“Well…”

At that moment, the hand she held suddenly began to burn hot. At first I wondered if it was just embarrassment, but this was not a temperature that could be explained by that alone. I even felt a sensation as though my skin were burning, as if a heated pot had been placed on the back of my hand.

“Saya…?”

“I wasn’t just idling at the beach all this time without a plan. I was waiting there for my mother. Waiting for her to come take me.”

“You were waiting for your mother?”

“Yeah. But she never came. Instead, a Dusk Bird flew to me. To deliver this to me.”

“What do you—!”

The moment Saya finished speaking, a fierce burning pain struck the back of my hand. But before I could even scream, the pain subsided, and an astonishingly cool sensation spread across my entire hand. Only then did I twist my hand free.

And there, I discovered three Marks engraved on the back of my hand.

“These are…”

“The elves didn’t abandon the humans, Lope.”

Saya’s hand came to rest over the Marks, which were cooling as they emitted faint white smoke. On the back of her hand was engraved a single Mark, identical to mine.

“The elves wanted to protect the humans somehow. But evacuating all those lives to the Land of Elves was impossible. So they decided to save only a select few. Enough individuals to preserve the human race, that is.”

“Then these are?”

“Something like a passage permit, issued to that select few. With this, you can cross over to the Land of Elves. My father didn’t forget about my mother and me, who had gone to the human world, and sent these to us.”

Saya stroked the Marks on the back of my hand with a tender expression. There was an unresolved sadness in her touch.

“He sent exactly four. One for my mother. One for me. And ones for the precious friends I wanted to bring to the Land of Elves. Four in total. My mother was supposed to come and deliver them, but… she had been very ill for a long time. I suppose she couldn’t hold on.”

“Saya…”

“So I needed to choose three people to go with me to the Land of Elves, but unfortunately, I only have one friend. So I decided to give all of them to that friend. Because that friend probably has many precious people.”

“Saya. I…”

“So you get to choose. Lope.”

Saya carefully lifted my hand. The Marks on the back of it were still glowing blue. Over them, Saya’s beautiful voice settled softly.

“The people more precious to you than anyone else in the world, who will survive alongside you to the very end of the apocalypse.”