... Okay. But... I understand if you don't believe me.

( if he hates her for whatever it is she says. so before he can possibly reject her, nene leans against his shoulder. )

... Long ago, the three of us lived here in the Grove. Aldric invited her to be the initial expedition's doctor, and he was trying to help us get away from your, uhm. Not dad, because he's the worst. ... Anyway. We lived here and eventually more people came too. It used to be a really big town, actually.

But... then the fog came. And soon enough, it started its... playing. More and more people died as the months passed. I made my mistake and it corrupted me... and then it trapped everybody.

There was a ritual. To send everyone's souls from this world when they died, so the Forest couldn't trap them in an endless loop. ... They would be reborn in another life, with the ones they loved most... except, I was already corrupted, so I stayed out of it so it couldn't follow.

... But one of the ones still maintaining the ritual died, letting the Forest reach out and snatch some people, bring them back.


... We had a lot of flower beds, you know. You harassed my bullies. Elsword slept over lots, too. But that... was your old life.