At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 0.2 - Setting Notes 2

[Beasts]

Beasts are beings that survive in the phenomenon where dimensions collide, distinct from humans. When dimension travelers take on human forms (like Akarna), they can recognize other dimensional humans as kin and share their powers.

However, beasts consider all beings except those similar to themselves as enemies, making them dangerous. While humans have differentiated between Akarna and beasts for convenience, essentially, they are similar beings.

There are indeed Akarna who do not assist humans or are hostile towards them, and such Akarna are sometimes categorized as beasts or witches. Generally, beasts cause harm but share the fundamental nature of Akarna, and after a certain period, they learn how to return to their original world, which is fortunate for the inhabitants of this world.

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[El Ragneil]

El Ragneil is a continent approximately three times the size of Caranazion.

Compared to Caranazion, it has a higher ratio of mountainous and green areas, yet it appears white from a distance. This whiteness is due to the presence of a colossal white tree called ‘Ellandos.’

While Caranazion is a continent primarily inhabited by humans, El Ragneil is known as the continent of this white tree. Its entire ecosystem revolves around this tree.

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[Ellandos]

Ellandos is a sacred, pure white tree native to El Ragneil.

It is known for its ability to purify impurities. But in reality, it transforms the surrounding ecosystem to make it more habitable for itself.

The immense power of Ellandos has led to the extinction of all creatures that could not adapt to it. Since it excels at maintaining the ecosystem without destroying it, Ellandos’s dominance is equivalent to prosperity for the continent.

However, its abilities are similar in mechanism to those of Akarna and beasts from Caranazion, making them fundamentally opposed to one another. The reason that Akarna from other dimensions heads to Caranazion instead of El Ragneil is due to Ellandos’s rejection of opposing powers.

As the magic of Caranazion strengthens, Ellandos’s powers gradually weaken, causing the environment of El Ragneil, centered around Ellandos, to change over time. Those who see this as a significant problem sometimes journey across continents to find solutions in Caranazion.

Around the tree, strong energy orbs float in the air. The older the tree, the denser the energy concentration and the more orbs there are. Consuming this energy allows growing beings to accumulate strength and eventually become the children of Ellandos.

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[Children of Ellandos]

These are arrogant beings who claim to be the only race capable of communing with Ellandos.

The population of this race in El Ragneil is around 200 million. Assuming each group consists of thirty individuals, there are about 6.6 million groups within El Ragneil. However, groups that honor female forms number less than 5,000.

These beings cultivate themselves to attract the rare manifestations of Ellandos that appear occasionally. As a result, they adopt appearances favored by the manifestations, which only appear in female forms.

This preference varies depending on the regions where Ellandos has taken root. In mountainous areas, lighter hair colors and relatively slender physiques are preferred, while in tropical regions, darker features and more robust builds are favored, leading to noticeable differences in appearance across regions.

This preference for appearance based on Ellandos has a significant impact on their survival and prosperity. For them, these aesthetic preferences are crucial, and the likelihood of mutual disdain among children of Ellandos from different regions is high, resulting in limited mingling among groups.

These beings are characterized by their long, sensitive ears.

This physical trait has developed to help them quickly discern the intentions of Ellandos’s manifestations, which communicate through air vibrations rather than sound.

Because their ears are sensitive organs filled with nerves, touching them without permission is considered extremely rude. However, if a manifestation of Ellandos touches them, it signifies a willingness to communicate and an acceptance of their allure, making it an honor, albeit limited to the manifestations.

Initially, they exist in an energy form, absorbing the energy released by Ellandos.

Eventually, a desire for intelligence manifests, prompting them to take on physical forms. Although they wish to identify themselves as a tree race like Ellandos’s manifestations, they are fundamentally a different species that has grown by consuming the tree’s energy.

Therefore, they are incapable of physical reproduction with the manifestations. For them, s*xual contact is not for reproduction but merely to cater to the preferences of the female forms. Despite their efforts, the rarity of Ellandos’s manifestations means that most spend their lives in celibacy.

By nature, they are arrogant and fierce, often rejecting their own kind and refusing to accept other races. They harbor a particular hatred for humans, who have damaged the Sacred Places and thereby affected Ellandos.

Humans, in turn, refer to them derogatorily as ‘pointed ears’ and did not embrace those who were hostile from the beginning.

Worshiping Ellandos and female forms is tied to their instinct for survival and prosperity, meaning they do not respond with the same gentleness towards female forms of other races as they do to their own manifestations.

Despite being a more selfish race than they appear, their attitude can change just with the confirmation that the Akarna of Caranazion would take them in.

Before they are born, they grow by consuming light orbs generated around Ellandos, gradually taking on human forms. It takes a significant amount of time for them to awaken their sense of self, so even newborns possess the cognitive abilities of adults.

Typically, their names are given by older siblings who have consumed the same energy. The more energy they accumulate before birth, the more abilities they may inherit from Ellandos. Generally, the firstborn from a single Ellandos possesses such abilities and becomes the leader of subsequent siblings.