In the chilling night, a figure walked a snowy path through the dark. The darkness was so dense you couldn't see your own hand. In the depths of the forest, a man wearing a black coat and a mask moved through the snowstorm as if it were nothing. The snow had piled 55 centimeters high, but the man walked effortlessly, leaving no footprints behind. He moved lightly and freely, a ghost in the dark.
Only his eyes were visible, shining with a violet light like those of a beast ruling the night. He came to a stop before two enormous trees, each towering over 30 feet tall. He observed them for a moment, then placed a hand on each trunk and closed his eyes. A surge of mana burst from his hands, illuminating the trees. The very laws of nature seemed to twist as the colossal trees began to warp and transform. They intertwined with each other, their bark and branches fusing until they had transformed into a massive, ornate gate.
A bright white and blue light erupted from the gate. The man entered, and the trees immediately returned to their normal state, sealing the entrance behind him.
Inside, a vast forest stretched out, but unlike the frigid one outside, it was warm and completely free of snow. Then, a host of elves appeared before the gate, their bows drawn, arrows aimed at the spot where the man had entered. The elves, focused and vigilant, stared at the gate. An elf man approached the gate, looking for any signs of an intruder. Both the man and the elf were looking at the same spot.
"Strange, there's no one here," the elf said, his voice a low murmur.
The man, stood right before the elf, having used his skills to hide his presence and make himself invisible. No one could see him.
"There's no one here. Search the entire forest and increase the security of the village. Don't let anyone suspicious get close. Block every entry and exit," the elf man commanded.
All the elves scattered to search the forest.
That man, still invisible, walked swiftly through the woods, heading for the village. He reached the village gates, which were guarded by two elves. He passed through them unnoticed, his presence completely unfelt.
The elf village was a sight straight out of a fairy tale. Houses were built on the trees, not the ground, with round roofs connecting to the branches. A moon above, shining like a jewel, added to the village's ethereal beauty.
The man walked deeper into the village. He reached a colossal, castle-like structure made of pristine white marble, its golden gates massive and grand.
Kayle placed his hand on the gate.
"Just as I thought, it's blessed with the power of the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. Only the Elf Queen can open it. However, so can I. The catch here is that divine power is not the same as mana. It's something more pure and refined. I can see it and feel it; its mechanism is different from mana, so I'd have to crack its entire divine power pattern, points, atomic structure, bonds, and energy flow. But why waste so much time when I can enter without breaking it?" he muttered to himself.
He turned around. "You can come out now. I know you're hiding behind the shadows," he said.
A figure emerged from the shadows: a woman with flowing white-gold hair and piercing green eyes, a presence that radiated nature itself. She was Faereluna, the Elf Queen, known as the Fair Moon Enchantress.
CLAP! CLAP!
Faereluna clapped softly, a look of quiet amusement on her face. "Impressive. I didn't expect you to feel my presence. I thought I hid it quite well," she said.
"Yeah, it's quite remarkable. If you were an ordinary person, or someone below the Seventh Circle or the level of a Swordmaster, they wouldn't be able to sense you. But it's your bad luck that I'm your opponent, isn't that right, Faereluna?" The man replied.
"You're right. Someone who isn't at the level of a Seventh Circle Mage or a Swordmaster can't feel my presence. It must mean you are at that level already. Is that right, sir?" Faereluna said with a smile.
"Well, you can say whatever you want," he answered.
"Oh my, hiding your powers? It doesn't matter to me," Faereluna said.
"Just like you're hiding yourself behind me, using your divine power. Am I right, Faereluna?" he said.
STAB!
Faereluna stabbed him from behind with a knife she had hidden in her sleeve.
"Well, well. It's quite unexpected that you found me, even though I hid myself and became one with nature. But it's regrettable that you couldn't move fast enough," Faereluna said with a triumphant smile.
But the body of the man dissolved into a black substance and vanished. Faereluna was shocked to see it melt into a black swamp.
Then, a knife appeared at her neck. She hadn't even noticed how or when he had appeared behind her. The man, took the knife from her hand. Faereluna felt an immense pressure and fear emanating from him.
"How did you find me? When did you get behind me? And what was that thing?" Faereluna asked, her voice tight with panic.
"You don't need to know, Faereluna. And please tell those High Elf Elders to come out from the tree branches. They can't ambush me. You know that you've already measured my powers," he said, his voice calm and cold.
Faereluna gestured, and some elves emerged from the shadows of the tree branches. All of them had a strange X mark on their pupils.
"You damn human! Leave our queen, or you won't leave this place alive!" Elred, the High Elf Elder, threatened.
The man smiled. "Don't make those third-rate villain threats. I'm tired of them already. And you're mistaken about something. You're not in a position to threaten me. With just a twist of my hand, I can slice off her neck like butter. Even if you have the blessing of the Tree of Life, it won't be able to reattach a severed neck, will it?" he said, his voice a chilling whisper.
All the High Elf Elders knew he wasn't lying. He would seriously kill her.
"What do you want? Tell me," Faereluna said, her face composed despite the knife at her throat.
"Now we're talking. Open this vault right now," he commanded.
"What do you want from it?"Faereluna said.
"It's none of your business, just do as I say." The man said.
"It matters to me. Only I can retrieve any item from it. Without my permission, no one can enter or take a thing from inside," Faereluna said.
"The Tears of Life," he said, his voice quiet.
"Tears of Life? What is this thing?" Aelar, the Second Elder, asked.
"Have you heard anything about it?" Orion, the Fourth Elder, said, confused.
"No, never in my life," Silvanus, the Fifth Elder, said.
All of them were confused, their faces a mix of surprise and bewilderment.
"How do you know about it? Only the Elf King and Queen know about its existence. How can a mere human know?" Faereluna asked, truly surprised now.
"I also didn't know that its existence was real, but now you've confirmed it. Thanks, Faereluna," he said, a faint smirk in his voice.
"You human, you greedy bastards! You kidnap our children and always try to take over our land!" Thrandil, the First Elder, yelled, his voice shaking with rage.
"Yes, you monsters! Do you have any idea how many of our tribe's children you've kidnapped? And now you're even threatening us for something we don't have!" Lirael, the Sixth Elder, said.
"I don't care. I'm just here for that one thing. Give me that, or I'll kill you all and take it," the man said, his voice cold and menacing.
"Elders, it's time to unite and kill this human bastard! We can't afford to be intimidated by him any longer!" Thrandil shouted, and the other elders nodded in agreement.
"You're right, First Elder!" they all said, standing ready to fight.
"All of you, please stop!" Faereluna yelled, and everyone froze.
"Please stop. And you, please don't push them too far," Faereluna pleaded, her eyes on the man holding the knife.
"I'm not interested in fighting those elders either. Just give me the Tears of Life, and I'll leave this place at once," he said
.
"I don't have the Tears of Life," Faereluna whispered.
"Don't lie to me. You clearly said it exists!" he said, the knife pressing slightly harder against her neck.
"I'm telling the truth. Its existence doesn't mean I have it," Faereluna whispered, her voice strained.
"Then where is it, and how can I get it? Tell me!" he demanded.
"The Tears of Life isn't something you can get whenever you want. Even if you kill me, I can't give it to you. The Tears of Life can only be earned, not taken by force," Faereluna said, her eyes filled with determination.
He realized she wasn't lying.
"Could you please remove this knife? I promise no one will harm you," Faereluna said.
He pressed the knife at her. "You said it can only be earned. Tell me how, or I'll come back and take it," he said, still holding the knife.
"You'll have to prove yourself. Only if you're capable of completing my task can you earn the right to have it," Faereluna said.
He looked at her for a moment, then released her. "Now, can we talk?" she asked.
"Okay," he said.
Both of them left and went into Faereluna's palace. The elders, confused and defeated, stood guard at the gates.
Inside the palace, Faereluna and the man sat facing each other on sofas.
"Now, tell me how I can get the Tears of Life," he demanded.
"First, let me ask you: how do you know about the Tears of Life? It's not something a human like you should know. Even the High Elf Elders don't know about its existence; only the Elf King and Queen know. So tell me," Faereluna asked.
"Does it matter how I know? You just need to know that I'll destroy this entire palace and the forest if you don't give me that," he threatened.
"Yeah, I know you're powerful enough to see through my divine ability, but this is a matter concerning our tribe's secrets and treasures," Faereluna said.
He stared at Faereluna for a while, then began to speak. "Around two thousand years ago, there were no empires and no kingdoms. Only tribes like elves, barbarians, and dwarves, and human clans existed. That time was an era of mayhem, where only people with power had a say in anything. Their words were law. That's when 'Shakan,' the evil black dragon, appeared. It was the first time all the human clans, elves, barbarians, and dwarves united and fought against it. This is when the gods helped all the races of the world. The God of the Libra, 'Artimis,' the Tree of Life, 'Yggdrasil,' the God of Steel, 'Harmic,' and other gods helped them. They gave them blessings and chose their saints to fight. With the help of mythical artifacts, they sealed the dragon."
"Wow, you know about ancient history, but everyone knows about that," Faereluna said. "It was a major incident. But it still doesn't answer my question."
"During that time, many clans were wiped out completely, but they left behind their legacies. I found one of them: a book from a long-lost clan. This is where it was mentioned that the Elf King of that time used something called the Tears of Life to save someone. Although it wasn't confirmed, I don't think anyone would mention something like that if it weren't true. So I came here to check, and you confirmed it," he said.
Faereluna stared at the man, astonished to hear that a legacy from a lost clan contained her tribe's deepest secret. "I can't believe it. Our ancestors tried to hide everything about it," she said.
"Now you believe me. Tell me everything about the Tears of Life," he demanded.
Faereluna stood from the sofa and walked to the window. "The Tears of Life is a divine healing potion blessed by the Tree of Life, Yggdrasil. With this potion, even the dead can be brought back to life. It can restore a shattered body, no matter how grave the injury. That's what the Tears of Life is. Two thousand years ago, the king prayed to the Tree of Life to save his wife. His tears fell to the ground, his immense love for his wife making him ready to sacrifice his own life to save her. This is when Yggdrasil blessed his tears. He collected them and gave them to his wife. She, who had lost her limbs and was on the verge of death, was completely healed and woke up."
"That's why I said it can't be taken forcefully, but you'll have to earn it. Only the Elf King and Queen's tears can be used to make it. If someone forces me to cry and takes my tears, it will act as a curse, not a blessing. And if you truly deserve it, you'll have to prove it. The path can be very dangerous, and you could lose your life. That's why this method has only been passed down to the queen and king and isn't known to anyone," Faereluna said.
"Tell me what I have to do to get the potion," he said.
"Simple. Just complete my task, and you'll get what you want," Faereluna said.
"How can completing your task make me eligible?" he asked.
"You came to the Elf Forest despite the chilling weather outside, which means you're desperate to save someone. Only those who want to save their loved ones can get the Tears of Life, just like the king two thousand years ago. So, are you ready?" Faereluna said.
"Tell me what I have to do," he said.
"Before that, promise me two things. First, you'll have to tell the elders outside that the Tears of Life doesn't exist and that you want something else. This secret can't be leaked to anyone. Second, you have to destroy that book," she said.
"Okay," the man replied.
"Now, tell me what's your task," he said.
" yes. So, mister, bring back every single elf who was kidnapped in the past years," she said, her voice filled with a desperate hope.
"That's easy," he said.
"Before the new year. It's December 13th right now. You have 18 days to bring back every one of them, we don't know their locations. You'll have to search the whole Empire and kingdoms" Faereluna said.
The man sighed, a subtle sound of frustration. "Okay. Give me the names of the missing elves, and let me make a teleportation array at the entrance of the Elf Forest so that I can send them here directly."
"Granted. Now go, mister," she said.
The man stood and started to leave.
"Before you leave, tell me your name, mister," Faereluna said.
He turned. "Why ask?" he said.
"Isn't it right for me to know your name when you know everything about my tribe, including our secrets?" Faereluna replied.
He turned back fully and said, "Aeon. My name is Aeon."
The man was Aeon, who had been disguised all along. He had changed his silver hair to black and his gemstone eyes to a dark violet. It was the first time he had revealed his true name to anyone in this world.
Aeon and Faereluna emerged from the palace, walking side-by-side. The High Elf Elders, their faces etched with concern, immediately surrounded their queen.
"Queen, are you alright? Did this human do something to you?" Aelar asked, his voice sharp with suspicion.
"Are you alright? What does that human want?" Silvanus added, mirroring his concern.
Faereluna smiled faintly, gesturing to calm them. "Don't worry, Elders, that human came here in search of something. I have already talked to him, so you don't need to be concerned."
"What does he want, Queen?" Thrandil pressed, his gaze fixed on Aeon.
"I'll tell you later, once I have completed your task," Aeon interjected, his voice firm.
"What task, Queen?" Orion questioned, confused.
"He wants something, so he has to give us something in return," Faereluna explained, looking from the elders to Aeon. "That's why I've asked him to bring back every missing elf."
A collective gasp swept through the elders. "Is that true, Queen? He would seriously bring back everyone?" Orion asked, his voice filled with disbelief and a fragile hope.
"Yes, he agreed to it," Faereluna confirmed. "If he completes my task, I'll give him what he wants."
"If he really brings back everyone, then I have no reason to refuse," Thrandil said, his initial hostility softening.
"Now, Elders, help him set up a teleportation array at the forest gate," Faereluna instructed.
"So, Mister Aeon, until we meet again." She gave him a slight nod.
Aeon nodded in return. The elders and Aeon left the palace, and after setting up the intricate teleportation array, he left the forest behind.
Back on the snowy path, a chilling wind biting at his skin, Aeon walked quietly, lost in his thoughts. "This is challenging. There are around a hundred elves I have to find in 18 days. I don't have much time. I need to start with the Eastern Territory, and then move on to the Ovoris Kingdom."
He continued his internal monologue, the plan forming in his mind. "They were all kidnapped in the past five years, so finding their exact locations will be difficult. And I don't even know if they're still alive. If I want to find them, I'll have to catch the biggest human trafficking group. And there's only one in the two Empires and six Kingdoms: the Spero Merchant Group."
"It's getting bigger and bigger but for Silvia I'm ready to do anything. Silvia just wait for me." Aeon Said.