As I write this the celebrations are underway outside. The reports of the victory in the north came in earlier today so now people are celebrating their first war victory. The pubs and taverns will be full of people until the late. Not sure if factories will be working tomorrow since there will be official events and no one wants to deal with the smog.
In any case, I was able to go home early today. Congratulated some people on the way home and… That's about it, really. I honestly don't care about this. I saw too many of these over the course of my previous life that I have grown indifferent to this. Besides I know what news are yet to come. The news about the casualties. Judging from the rumours there will be a lot. The loss of the artillery brigade during a naval engagement was clearly a major setback. Not to mention wasting the resources on destroying Frostling's allies instead of sending them up north.
We had a chance to study the last known city of mermaids and maybe even integrate them into the modern society. Instead the Prince ordered their full extermination under the pretence of avenging everyone who died in the past against. Anyone who would have protested against this massacre has been silenced by the overwhelming support from all nations. To be frank I too feel angry about this, but right now I am angrier they wasted the resources that could have been used on the siege.
It has been quiet at home recently. Merlin has been pretending to be my pet canary. No one protested. I'm guessing they think that I need some kind of distraction and that works. It's just a shame there is a clear lack of trust between us and I don't know how to bridge it. He isn't talking about his origins or his history while I am not sharing the same about me. I guess something will have to happen to change this. At least he is impressed with what I have shown to him.
Speaking of magic, there has been talk about creating a ministry for the occult. With all the recent immigration and the expansion of the colony I assume there are enough people to be recruited as army mages. So now there is a need for the list of people with the potential to use magic. While most people can use it, the combat use is too much for a majority without hard training and, with the weapon development in the recent times, usually only those with potential get adequate training these days.
Of course I am one of those people, with massive one at that, so my sister left the registration papers yesterday. I did take a peek at them and there was something that bothered me. According to the official information I am only a normal mage and a dark elf. I was confused. I still remember the day when I was tested for my magic potential.
It was several days before the Unicorn incident. All elven children get tested around their tenth birthday. I tried to hold back since I didn't want to draw attention to myself. That failed when I realized the faces of the elders were filled with amazement. I don't think they have seen or expected a dark elf to appear in Sur Carys. They called my parents to discuss about me behind the close doors. In the end they told me the truth that I was a dark elf, an extremely rare elf with a great potential for magic. Sadly they didn't have more information to go on. They asked me and my family to keep quiet about this.
I didn't expect they went as far as to change the results into me being only a regular mage though. Not sure how they have handled it, let alone how long it will be until the truth. I had to ask my sister to see what she knew about this. She told me that our parents were the ones who changed the result. They were worried something might have happened if this got out. But other than that, she knew nothing. So, great. This makes me a complete moron who did the opposite of their wishes when I pulled the Unicorn stunt.
In the end I went to the guild's library to see what they knew about the dark elves. I didn't think it was initially important so I ignored it until now. I am not sure if I should be happy or sad with everything I have found. The summary goes like this:
During the times of the old elven empire the title dark elves was given to criminals, rebels and any elf that left the empire for Locrum abandoning the light that the Sorcerer Kings shined unto the world and falling into the darkness. Irony considering that these „dark elves" ended up surviving the chaos following the Great Awakening. Since everyone on Locrum shared the same fate, they ignored this designation and this became a thing of the past. Or at least it should.
As centuries passed and the elven life-span declined, certain individuals have popped up with same life span and abilities as the elves of old. As a last remnant of the ancient glory, the title was twisted up so that now it meant something good. Apparently any known dark elf children born in the Emerald Council are worth their weight in gold. I think it's a rare genetic case and supposedly you can't count on your children inheriting it. So in exchange for your child that is a dark elf you can make your family set for life. A cruel practice for sure, and it gets worse.
Since they possess the same abilities like the ancient elves, that means they will age slower and live longer. So in my future I will be able to watch my siblings, my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren and several more generation after that die while I will live. What a horrifying thought.
At least back in the Commonwealth the life spans increased for everyone equally as science advanced. Here the only way to increase it is to turn yourself into a ghoul. It doesn't matter if I do go to the Emerald Council and accept my fate. In the end I will watch so many people I know die without me being able to help them. And I doubt I can help with the magical research as the books say I would end up doing. I don't want to be the one to tell this to my family. It's too horrible.
At least I have some time before this starts affecting my life. It is believed that the normal aging process stops at the age of 25 so I will have some time to figure something out. I just hope something good will come from this curse.