Chapter 207: Run And Chase

The rest of the day was absolute chaos.

Not just for Luca and Leona, who were darting through the forest like mischievous spirits, but for the entire village.

Word spread like wildfire through the trees.

A second tree had moved. Then a third. Then a fourth.

Before noon, every elf who could walk had joined the chase, their faces alight with wonder and excitement.

“There it is! Another tree!”

“How is it moving so fast?”

“The forest spirit must be incredibly strong!”

They ran through the underbrush, climbed trees for better vantage points, called out to each other across the canopy.

Children rode on their mother’s’ shoulders, pointing at the drifting trunks in the distance.

Elders who hadn’t moved this fast in decades found themselves sprinting alongside their grandchildren, laughter bubbling from their chests.

It was the most exciting thing to happen in the village since—well, since the Hero arrived.

This was of course because right now, they all thought it was the Spirit of the Forest who was doing something like this.

It made no other sense—no one else could accomplish such feats. Only she could do something like that.

So to them, this was an opportunity to actually see the Spirit of the Forest herself, to take a look at her and see how she appeared, and maybe even show their gratitude directly.

It was something they didn’t want to miss, so every villager joined in this hunt, chasing after them, wanting to unmask who the Spirit of the Forest truly was.

But unfortunately for them, Luca and Leona were uncatchable.

Luca was simply too fast—even with a tree over his shoulder, he was able to run away at an incredible pace.

Not to mention that at one point he’d be in one corner of the village, and then suddenly he’d appear at another.

The elves simply could not keep up at all.

Leona, meanwhile, was having the absolute time of her life.

Every leap Luca made sent them soaring from branch to branch.

Every time he lifted another colossal tree, she felt as if she herself were the one carrying it—like a superhero flying through the forest with impossible strength.

The adrenaline surged through her veins, making her giddy, breathless, and happier than she had been in years. She giggled and laughed nonstop, peppering his face, neck, and ears with kisses the entire way.

Eventually every dangerous, rotting tree had been safely relocated and toppled in harmless clearings.

But Leona didn’t want the magic to end.

“Luca.” She whispered against his ear, eyes sparkling with mischief. “There are still so many other things that need fixing. Let’s keep going!”

Luca knew exactly what she meant—she wanted the chase to last longer. He simply grinned and obliged.

They moved from one long-unfinished task to the next.

—

First they reached the old temple where Luca had first been summoned. The stone pillars had been toppled by weather and time, their massive forms scattered across the overgrown courtyard.

Leona had always hated seeing them like this—these proud monuments to her people’s history, reduced to rubble.

“The pillars.” Leona said, pointing. “They’ve been like this for years. No one can lift them…”

“…that is until today if you know what I mean.”

And he most definitely did as he walked to the largest fallen pillar, braced himself, and lifted.

The stone rose as if it weighed nothing. He carried it to its base, set it upright, and held it steady while Leona directed his positioning.

“A little to the left. No, my left. Your right. There. Perfect.”

One by one, the pillars returned to their places and the temple that had looked devastated for so long slowly regained its former glory.

When the last pillar was set, Leona gazed at the restored structure with tears in her eyes.

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered.

“Not as beautiful as—”

“Don’t.” She pinched his cheek. “Just take me to the next task.”

—

The outer boundary walls were next.

Massive wooden logs, each one taller than three elves stacked on top of each other, had once protected the village from outside threats.

But without wind magic to maintain them, sections had collapsed, leaving gaps that made Leona’s heart ache.

Luca didn’t even need tools. He walked to a nearby tree, grabbed the trunk, and pulled.

The tree came free from the earth with a sound like tearing fabric. He stripped the branches with his bare hands—snap, snap, snap—and carried the log to the broken section of wall.

“Where do you want it?”

Leona directed him like an architect overseeing a construction project. He set the logs in place, packed earth around their bases, and reinforced the weaker sections. The wall that had been crumbling for decades was whole again.

“The forest spirit has restored the boundaries!”

The cry came from somewhere behind them.

Leona looked back and saw a group of elves standing at the edge of the clearing, their mouths open, their eyes wide. They had arrived just in time to see the last log settle into place, but not soon enough to catch the mysterious guardian in action.

“The spirit is here! I know it! She must be watching us right now!”

Leona pressed herself against Luca’s back, hiding her face in his neck, Luca moved on to the next task—which was surprising even for him.

Apparently, there was some sort of monument that used to be displayed in one of the lakes nearby.

But somehow, that stone monument had actually fallen deep inside the lake, and they couldn’t find it.

It was a rather important monument of some kind—but even though the elves were rather good at climbing trees, they weren’t particularly good at swimming in deep water.

Not to mention that the monument required at least a couple of elves working together to carry it because of how heavy it was. So they’d had great difficulty fishing it out.

“You want me to go in with you on my back?” Luca asked.

“Yes!” Leona answered without any hesitation.

“You’ll get wet.”

But Leona urged him to do it anyway.

So they both went straight into the lake and started swimming around while Leona held her breath tightly. Soon, Luca found the monument and fished it out before placing it back where it belonged.

And Leona, who had held on through the entire underwater journey, was having the time of her life.

She was running through forests, climbing through trees, jumping from valley to valley, and even going through water. She was brimming with excitement!

And soon, one after another, they completed task after task.

They lifted an entire treehouse that had collapsed and fallen, placing it carefully back in its proper position.

They climbed to pick a rare fruit that grew at the top of a very tall tree—but since the entire tree was quite poisonous and covered in toxic leaves, none of the elves could get to it, even though the fruit itself was quite delicious.

Luckily, Luca handled it easily. He simply avoided all the poisonous leaves and jumped straight up to the top. Because of that, Leona got a nice basket of fruits that the villagers could enjoy.

Meanwhile, the elves chasing them did not stop.

They continued to chase them all the way, and every single time they thought they would finally catch them, Luca and Leona would escape.

Instead, the elves would be shocked as they discovered all the results of what Luca and Leona had accomplished—and they would be absolutely excited and amazed at the same time.

One after another, they’d go from place to place and see all the changes.

—

At the old temple, a group of elves arrived, panting from their chase.

“Did you see them? Where did they go?!” One elf gasped.

“I don’t know—they were just here a moment ago!” Another replied, looking around frantically.

But then an older elf stepped forward, her eyes widening as he looked at the temple.

“Wait…wait, look at this!”

The others turned.

“The pillars! The pillars are all standing again!” A young elf exclaimed in amazement.

“By the forest…how is this possible?” Another whispered. “These pillars have been toppled for over 6 years! We tried everything to lift them!”

“It must be the Spirit of the Forest!” The older elf declared, her voice filled with reverence. “She’s really here! She’s helping us!”

“We have to keep chasing! We have to thank her!” Another shouted, and they all took off running again.

—

At the outer boundary walls, another group of elves arrived, completely out of breath.

“Did anyone see where the Spirit went?!” A scout called out.

“No—she disappeared again!” Another groaned in frustration.

But then one of them froze, staring at the walls.

“Everyone…look at the walls.”

They all turned to see the massive wooden logs standing firm and repaired, gaps that had been broken for months now completely sealed.

“The boundary walls…they’re fixed.” One elf said in disbelief. “But…but how? We’ve been trying to repair these for half a year!”

“The Spirit of the Forest!” A younger elf exclaimed with tears in her eyes. “She really cares about us! She’s protecting the village!”

—

At the lake, yet another group of elves gathered, soaking wet from wading through the shallows trying to track the mysterious figure.

“I swear I saw something dive into the water!” One insisted.

“But how could the Spirit of the Forest go underwater?” Another asked, confused.

Then Selma who was there gasped, pointing at the shore.

“The Monument of the First Matriarch! It’s back!”

Everyone turned to see the ancient stone monument sitting perfectly upright on its pedestal by the lake—exactly where it had stood centuries ago before falling in.

“We’ve been trying to retrieve that for two years!” Alia cried out. “We even sent our best swimmers down, but they couldn’t lift it!”

“This is incredible!” Another said, tears streaming down her face. “The Spirit of the Forest is granting all our wishes! All the things we couldn’t accomplish—she’s doing them all in a single day!”

“We have to catch up to her! We have to see her face!” Lulu shouted with determination, and they all ran off once more.

—

Near the tall poisonous tree, more elves gathered, staring up in wonder.

“Look! The Silverbloom fruits! Someone picked them!” An elf exclaimed, pointing at a basket sitting at the base of the tree.

“But that’s impossible!” Another protested. “The entire tree is covered in poison! Even touching the bark causes terrible rashes!”

“Not for the Spirit of the Forest.” An older woman said with a knowing smile. “She moves through nature itself. Of course poison wouldn’t affect her.”

A young child picked up one of the fruits, eyes wide with wonder.

“Does this mean we can really eat these? Grandmother always said they were the most delicious fruits in the whole forest!”

“Yes, child.” The elder said warmly. “This is a gift from the Spirit. We must cherish it.”

“I want to thank her!” The child said earnestly. “I want to see her and tell her thank you!”

“Then let’s keep searching!” Someone called out, and they all dispersed again, energized by gratitude.

—

Just like that, the day flew by in a blur of movement, laughter, and miracles. Luca and Leona completed one deed after another.

They fixed a stone, lifting it back onto its supports.

They cleared a blocked stream that had been flooding a field.

They repaired a look-out tower that had been rotting for years.

Meanwhile, the elves chasing after them found wonder after wonder, celebrating each one with wide-eyed amazement and endless thanks to the unseen spirit who had answered their prayers.

This went on until finally the sun began to set, painting the sky in soft oranges and pinks.

Luca and Leona lay on the grass behind a thick cluster of bushes, completely exhausted but utterly content.

Luca looked relaxed, a satisfied smile on his face like he had just enjoyed the best workout of his life.

Leona, however, was drenched in sweat—hair sticking to her forehead, clothes damp—but her eyes were brighter and more alive than they had been in years.

She was still buzzing with leftover energy, cheeks flushed, a huge smile refusing to leave her lips.

But just as they were catching their breath after the long day of chasing—they heard the voices of villagers nearby.

“I can’t believe we chased her all day and still couldn’t catch even a glimpse!” One voice groaned.

“My legs are killing me.” Another complained. “I haven’t run that much since I was a child!”

“But it was worth it, wasn’t it?” A third voice said warmly. “Look at everything the Spirit of the Forest did for us today! The temple, the walls, the gardens, the trees—everything we couldn’t do for years, she accomplished in a single day!”

“And those Silverbloom fruits!” Someone else added excitedly. “I haven’t tasted those in decades! What a gift!”

“I wonder why the Spirit of the Forest went all out today.” A younger voice mused thoughtfully. “Why did she decide to grant so many of our wishes all at once?”

There was a pause, and then an older, wiser voice responded.

“I don’t know, child. But I’m just grateful that she did. Perhaps she saw how hard we’ve been struggling and wanted to lift our spirits.”

“Do you think she’ll come back?” The younger voice asked hopefully.

“The Spirit of the Forest is always with us.” The elder replied gently. “Even when we can’t see her, she watches over this village. That’s what I choose to believe.”

“We should prepare an offering at the temple tomorrow.” Another suggested. “To show our gratitude.”

“Yes, that’s a wonderful idea.” Several voices agreed.

“Come on, let’s head back. We’re all exhausted, and there’s much to celebrate tonight!”

The voices gradually faded as the group walked away, leaving the forest quiet once more.

Leona listened to every word, and the most beautiful, radiant smile bloomed across her face.

She turned her head toward Luca, eyes shining with quiet joy and without a word she reached out and gently took his hand, threading her fingers through his.

Luca glanced over in surprise, but he didn’t pull away.

He simply squeezed her hand back, sharing the quiet, warm moment with her as the voices of the grateful village drifted through the evening air around them.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep