The divine tree once again pierced through the deep, dark clouds.
Its branches went wild, extending and growing above the clouds. Tender green shoots poked their heads out one after another, blooming with bright green leaf cores.
A massive, thick trunk the color of aged bronze was covered in dense, chaotic, and rigid branches.
Bathed in golden light, it shimmered with a brilliance as radiant as hope itself.
The elves froze in place.
Shock and astonishment spread through the entire crowd like a plague.
Their eyes were wide open, their lips parted in disbelief.
For a moment, faced with the return of the divine tree, they did not know whether they should feel relieved, or kneel down and worship.
In their eyes, the newly reborn divine tree no longer carried that deeply familiar, gentle warmth of a mother.
Clearly, the divine tree had revived, yet the elves felt as though it had not truly come back to life, completely devoid of vitality.
Even the surface greenery and bronze hue looked like something fabricated.
At that moment, a stream of molten lava seemed to melt space itself, revealing an enormous red tunnel.
Terrifying heat instantly swept across the entire forest.
Countless elves turned their gazes toward it.
They saw the man in a trench coat walking out from within that scorching tunnel.
Cocotte followed behind Viktor, seated on a cloud that slowly drifted over.
Vinia came behind the two of them, her eyes darting around, biting her lip, the muscles on her face twitching slightly.
What she had just passed through, could that really be called a teleportation gate?
Clearly, she hadn't felt even the slightest bit of heat inside it, yet she was still shaken.
Vinia turned back and looked at the tunnel flowing with magma.
The lava dripped slowly onto the ground, colliding with the dewdrops on the grass.
A small burst of white mist immediately rose up. The lava solidified, forming black stones exposed across the grass, stretching all the way toward the base of the divine tree.
The elves stared at the pitch-black gravel path, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Afraid that one of the chunks of lava might suddenly crack apart.
Viktor looked at Vinia and said calmly, "Now, just like you did before."
"Offer the divine tree your natural energy."
Hearing Viktor's command, Vinia straightened her expression and pressed one hand tightly against her chest.
Carefully, she walked across the black gravel path and stood before the divine tree.
She slowly placed her hand on the tree. The bronze-colored trunk began to twist and writhe.
Glowing green natural energy overflowed from her palm, flowing along the patterns of the giant tree.
That streak of green quickly passed through the entire bronze trunk and began spreading across the whole divine tree.
The illuminated patterns gradually moved toward the crown, piercing through the clouds and rapidly gathering at the center of the highest branches.
With the blessing of natural energy, the tender green shoots grew rapidly.
At the very top of the crown, a transparent, crystal-clear fruit appeared, as if being held up by invisible hands, slowly absorbing green energy at the peak of the trunk.
The divine tree began to shake violently. A powerful light burst forth in an instant, illuminating the entire lush forest.
The elves covered their eyes, peering through the gaps between their fingers as they saw powerful waves of energy ripple outward. The newly grown branches around them grew once more.
This was an energy surge filled with vitality, a light that was also like hope itself.
No one knew how many years it had been.
Ever since Cocotte left, they had never again seen the divine tree release such dazzling light.
At last, the green fruit at the top gathered enough energy and slowly cracked open.
Intense light spots fell from the sky like a clear spring, and a familiar presence instantly spread throughout the entire elven race.
Vinia's face was filled with shock, but it quickly turned into astonishment.
Under the gaze of all the elves, the first elf was born.
The branches at the top of the divine tree opened and closed, and an elf emerged from the dense crown.
Her entire body was covered by emerald-green leaves, revealing large patches of skin as white as lotus root.
Her pink, cherry-like lips opened and closed gently, her breathing steady and even.
And those signature long, pointed ears…
For the elves, an event like a divine miracle had occurred.
The elves were utterly stunned. Countless curious yet cautious gazes moved up and down the newborn elf, filled entirely with closeness and affection.
Even Vinia couldn't control her expression, her mouth hanging open.
Because this elf, strictly speaking… Was born by her?
'Oh no, did I become a queen???'
Seeing the scene before him, Cocotte was extremely satisfied, nodding vigorously at the side.
This way, she wouldn't have to keep being the elven queen anymore, right?
Vinia cautiously stepped forward and tentatively stood in front of the newborn elf.
She could feel that the natural energy within this elf came from the same source as her own.
Because the elf before her had been born from the natural energy she herself had offered.
Vinia's body trembled slightly as she shakily extended her hand.
"Child, you… what is your surname?"
According to tradition, a newborn elf would be granted a surname by the divine tree.
After learning the surname, the high priest would give her a given name and assign her a role corresponding to that surname.
Although Vinia hadn't done this in a very long time, ever since Cocotte left.
In the decades after Cocotte's departure, not a single newborn elf had appeared.
And she was the very first brand-new elf born in those decades.
The newborn elf looked utterly clueless, her eyes turning toward Vinia.
Seeing Vinia extend her hand, she naturally grabbed Vinia's arm and pressed herself against her body.
A look of deep comfort and security appeared on her face.
Vinia's heart skipped a beat, her entire body freezing in place, unable to move.
Yet the elf continued to rub herself tightly against Vinia's arm, the warm touch reaching straight into her heart.
Since Vinia's own birth, she had been responsible for delivering other newborn elves.
She had never seen an elf this attached to her before.
Elves did indeed share the same origin and were naturally very close to one another.
But she had never seen closeness to this extent, completely pressed up against her body.
"Obviously, you've never understood the concept of family."
At some point, Viktor had quietly walked up behind Vinia.
His hands were in his pockets, his tone calm.
Vinia suddenly turned around.
"Eh? Fa… family?"
Yes, elves did not understand what family was.
In elven society, all elves were born through the queen's energy.
Elven society was more like a simple collective.
Every elf carried the "bloodline" of the elven queen, and every one of them could be called family.
Strictly speaking, because the elven queen always had to remain quietly within the divine tree, the elves never saw what their "mother" looked like from the moment they were born.
So they mistakenly regarded the divine tree as the "mother" that gave birth to them.
They piled that sense of closeness onto the Yard Divine Tree.
They would begin, like other elves, to bow and worship the divine tree, constantly praying to the elven queen, hoping to create more elves.
Without the concept of a mother, elves naturally did not call each other family.
Because they had only one shared mother, the divine tree.
And now, with the appearance of this newborn elf, everything would change.
Every elf's birth would be personally delivered by the one who produced them, and identical natural energy would become a "bloodline thicker than water" to elves.
Thus, newborn elves would feel absolute closeness toward their producer.
"Congratulations. Now, you are her mother."
As Viktor's words fell, Vinia froze in place, turning back in a daze to look at the newborn elf clinging tightly to her arm, completely unwilling to part from her.
"Eh, ah, ah!?"
Vinia's mind went completely blank, her eyes turning utterly vacant.
Her mouth hung open as she let out an uncontrollable cry of shock.
But Viktor didn't care about her reaction and continued speaking, "And you still need to give her a name."
Vinia stood there dumbfounded.
"But she doesn't have a surname yet…"
"What her surname is depends on what your surname is."
Hearing this, Vinia became even more stunned. Her pupils slowly dilated, her expression turning somewhat unacceptable.
Because her surname was unique…
'Wait a second?'
It was as if something suddenly clicked for her, and she continued listening to Viktor.
"I've said it before, don't use your old common sense to view your new world. The Yard Divine Tree is already dead."
"You, and the other elves."
"Your surnames no longer carry any restrictions. They will simply become your titles, and the meaning that gives family its existence."
"That's all."
Vinia stood there, stunned. After listening to Viktor's explanation, she slowly turned her head back, blankly saying, "So, you and I are the same."
"We both have the surname… Jekedela…"
She looked at the adorable elf in front of her, whose eyes were full of herself and full of expectation. A powerful, inexplicable impulse surged within her heart.
The moment she realized this child shared her surname, Vinia suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to protect her.
She subconsciously reached out and gently stroked the elf's head. The newborn elf clearly enjoyed it, rubbing herself against Vinia's palm.
"From now on, your name will be…"
"Malenia. That's it."
For the first time, Vinia felt a different emotion when giving someone a name.
No longer treating it as "work," but genuinely wanting to give an elf a true name, a name filled with soul and love.
At this moment, Vinia was filled with joy.
The other elves remained silent as well, saying nothing, as if silently celebrating the arrival of this newborn elf.
Letting this elven forest, silent for so long, become full of life once more.
Leon also raised her head, looking at this extremely happy scene before her. A hint of envy appeared in her eyes.
If, when she herself had been born, it had been like this, would her own experiences have turned out differently?
"…"
'What am I thinking.'
Back then, Viktor hadn't even been born yet.
She quietly lowered her head, not wanting the elves to see her expression.
And then, a sharp voice sounded by her ear once again.
"What, jealous?"
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