Egret: The Great Sage

Chapter 1

Prologue

The man was ninety-two years old. He had lived a mortal’s life to its fullest lifespan. He was an elementalist.

Egret, the great sage, was known to have ruled all four elements of nature. Nobody knew where he was from or where he lived. He had been as free as the wind his entire life. Even till his last days, Egret was still a vagabond. The unusual powers he possessed granted him freedom, but they did not fulfill his basic human needs. He had been alone since birth—he was an orphan and had never gotten married.

All his life, the spirits of nature were his only friends and family. He had no regrets about being alone because it was the only life he’d ever known. The nature spirits were pure and kind beings, and communicating with them had been enough to soothe his loneliness. Everything was comfortable, and he was proficient in all things.

He had surrendered himself to the flow of time and lived his life in peace. But when his last moments approached him, a question crossed his mind.

What have I been living for?

The spirits had sensed Egret’s end approaching and stayed close by to keep him company. One of the things they often did was surround him and give words of consolation and farewells in a language different from that of humans.

“It’s okay, Egret.”

“You were the purest human alive. The best that we have ever seen!”

“It’s impossible to maintain a pure and kind soul after living nearly a hundred years.”

Egret was unlike any other human.

A small smile appeared across his wrinkly face. He chuckled and said, “Little ones. I will soon close my eyes.”

Egret called the small-figured spirits “little ones.” The spirits had existed for years longer than a human lifespan, but Egret found them adorable and was affectionate toward them. They did look like children and were about the size of a human thumb, but it was their thought processes and manner of speech that made them seem more childlike. And it was Egret’s way of showing his affection to those who had been with him in solidarity all his life.

“Egret, are you sad?”

“Are you crying, Egret?”

There were no tears. But the spirits had keenly noticed his emotions and were worried.

Egret lifted his heavy fingers to touch the spirit that was flying in a frenzy in front of him. His hand was shaking, but his fingers successfully and slowly caressed the spirit’s head.

“I don’t know... haha.”

He couldn’t hide his cough.

Different emotions flooded his heart, making it difficult for him to be at ease. He felt as though something was unfulfilled, some kind of regret.

Egret had lived life as the great sage and would go down in history. He had accomplished so many achievements appropriate to his title, and he had accumulated wealth and fame others could not fathom. If he lacked in anything, it was the fundamentals.

Family, friends.

In a way, he was a lone wolf, unable to get along with his own kind. He was born with great power but had been abandoned by his parents. There were many people who’d wanted to befriend him, but it was never without ulterior motives. Even when he had met someone who had wanted genuine friendship, they eventually tried to take advantage of him. The humans Egret had met were all like that. His exceptional gifts were a shackle that prevented him from cultivating relationships.

It hadn’t deterred Egret from wishing to form bonds with other humans. But after countless betrayals, when his wounds were deep and his tears stained his face, he’d come to the realization that he had wished for something that he could not have.

It had dawned on him that he could not have it all. After having been constantly betrayed for more than half of his life, he finally distanced himself from others, blaming his own fate. But as his final moment approached, his perspective changed.

“I was... foolish.”

“What are you talking about, Egret.”

“There is no human as wise as you.”

“Wise Egret. Lovely Egret.”

The spirits of the elements did not usually follow humans, so it was very rare to see mages make contracts with the nature spirits and learn the art of elementalism. Even among those, there was only one elementalist who had ever been loved by the spirits.

The Great Sage Egret was the only one who was loved by spirits of all four elements. He’d lived by only his first name, as a commoner without a family or a surname, but he was more powerful and noble than anyone.

The spirits truly adored and treasured him. Feeling the sincerity in their hearts, Egret felt a surge of gratitude. He suppressed his tears and instead showed them a smile.

“Perhaps I should not have given up.”

“Give up what?”

A cough shook his frail body. The elementalist could feel his whole body growing stiff like a log. He closed his eyes, abandoning the will to clear his blurring sight. His breath came out in a thin stream.

Living with people.

His ears rang like he was submerged underwater. But he could still hear what the spirits were saying through the connection in their minds.

“Egret!”

“Don’t forget us, Egret.”

“Rest in peace.”

“And when you wake up...”

And trusting humans.

Why did regrets always come too late? Why did it take the very end of his life for his useless courage to be revealed?

Egret shuddered at how trapped he felt. His body had aged and was dying, but he felt that the ambition and enthusiasm of his youth was still burning brightly in his heart. Should he live once more, he would never again run away like a coward. As his consciousness faded away, he heard the whispers of his dear spirits echo one last time.

“We will always be by your side.”