Elves are not a panacea; they have no way to free a soul from its suffering.
However, they indeed did point the way for Muelsyse.
During the years she spent traveling back and forth between the megastructure and the abode of the Elves, they not only taught her the historical knowledge she needed, but more importantly, showed her both the lives and the responsibilities of the Elves.
Their affinity as nature's messengers...
Their resolution as descendants of a Feranmut...
And their duty, as survivors of that disaster, to safeguard the inheritance of ancient history.
At the same time, they also continued to emphasize to her that these things only pertained to the Sami Elves.
She had left the clan, and struck out on her own.
However, that is also precisely why she is free to choose her own path.
Whether she continues to search for her own bloodline, or decides to leave her mark on Columbia...
That is her choice to make.
Loneliness is suffering, yet it is also strength.
They sincerely hope that she is able to find her own path.
......
The appearance of her kin was like a dream. They appeared ephemerally at the outer fringes of her life, and in the blink of an eye, left without saying goodbye—
During a visit like any other, the Great Tree of the Elves followed the amber into a hole in the ground, returning to Sami's embrace. When Muelsyse returned once again, there was nothing left except a hollow filled with plants.
She was alone once more...
But is she truly alone?
Muelsyse stands inside the base, looking at the giant ring-shaped structure still undergoing repairs in the distance.
People come and go, greeting her cordially, and she responds likewise.
Fate may have taken many things from her, but fortunately, those positions were not left vacant.
They were filled with friendship, trust, and a purpose. It is more than loneliness that has driven her to where she is now.
She smiles, and walks over to her lab inside the base. There's still a long way to go until the megastructure can be activated, and she has to invoke nature to protect the people here from collapsals and environmental threats.
But after the megastructure is launched and the experiment is successful, maybe she'll quietly say goodbye to the people close to her, and once again embark on a journey to find the Feranmut from which she originated.
She felt the need to tie a pretty bow around her past.
And that distant object may well be the start of her new future.
......
Muelsyse slowly wakes up in bed, feeling as if she'd slept for a long, long time.
The dream had been too real, so real that it left her somewhat confused.
She glances over at the calendar and sees that today is the day for all Rhine Lab personnel participating in the Black Hole Protocol to get their physical examinations.
Her journey has not yet begun, yet its ending is already appearing in her dreams?
This is enough to make her sit up in bed and freeze for a good long while, until the second alarm goes off.
The lingering haze of the dream slowly wears off, and she pushes the unnecessary thoughts away for the time being. Hurry and wash up, get the physical examination done, then get packed.
Sami awaits her arrival.