A Test II

Faelan regarded Johan with an appraising look, then gave a slight smile. "I see… In that case, may I ask you one more question?" His tone shifted, carrying a touch more gravity.

"Go ahead…" Johan replied immediately, though a sense of caution crept into his mind.

Faelan looked deeper into Johan, as if attempting to pierce through every layer of his hidden soul behind that calm exterior. "Why do I sense Arda's presence within you… yet mingled with something dark?" he asked, his voice filled with both wonder and wariness.

At those words, Johan instantly tensed. His heart skipped a beat, realizing Faelan was talking about the fragment of Arda's World Tree within him—and, more importantly, the Nidhogg curse that also lay dormant in his body. Though he'd managed to control it for a long time, Faelan's words made him realize the curse might be more noticeable to those deeply attuned to nature, like druids.