Aristella didn't appear again after that night, causing Asmodeus to wonder what her words and appearance meant. The elves became more resistant and reluctant the closer the group came to the capital of the elves.
'The corruption is spreading...'
Asmodeus noticed that the weak, dying flowers and plans increased in number the closer they came to the capital and north of the continent. 'Aristella... How are you connected to this?' She didn't appear even when he called for her. He wondered if the fact she became reclusive caused the forest to lose her divine blessing, leading to the corruption.
[I haven't been able to contact her either. There is some kind of rift stopping me from meeting the other gods...]
'Why doesn't that feel good? Is Mephisto onto us?'
[No, this feels more like the punishment for what I did for you... The moment you ascend, the world will react in a way that I cannot even predict.]
