At night in a Glinth village, Kenley and Eldred are getting ready to head to the moon lake. As Gaine's father had said earlier this afternoon, the man was willing to accompany them to the lake he was referring to.
From behind the thatched house they had lived in since this afternoon, Kenley stared at the scene in front of him. A wide expanse of corn gardens, but still visible fences at the end of the land. From that Kenley could guess that the corn field must belong to Gaine's father.
In his recent reverie, Eldred came over to Kenley and patted him on the shoulder. "Are you ready?" said Eldred who managed to break his friend's daydream. Kenley nodded.
"I'm sure the lake must have something to do with the Crystal Legend in this book" Eldred continued holding the book they brought from the library in Gracylia City yesterday. "Of course. The history of the Elfairites can't be doubted."
"Dad, where are you going?!" asked a man they seemed to have met this afternoon. Right, it's Vallker. Gaine's older brother. The voice came from inside Gaine's house. Kenley only heard the voice faintly, so he just ignored it. From the first time he saw the two of them, Eldred could already tell that the man didn't like their presence.
Even though he had an argument with his eldest son earlier, the man remained committed to the two of them. "If you're ready, we'd better hurry now," he said.
Kenley began setting up an oil lamp for their light. Because to help them see in the dark. Their journey to Moon Lake began.
In order not to be caught by the other Glinths, they walked across the cornfield.
When they actually walked inside, it felt as if a thousand corn fields were swallowing them up. Gaine's father walked ahead guiding the two of them. But unknowingly his daughter followed them behind. But Eldred realized it.
"Gaine?" said Eldred which made the two people look back. Gaine's father frowned then hurriedly walked over to his daughter who was grinning innocently.
"Stupid girl! Why are you following us?!" said the man. "Dad, I'm sorry, but I'm really just curious. Dad always forbade me not to go across the residential border. Just this once, I beg you," said the girl.
The man took a deep breath. "But you have to promise to keep this secret from everyone, especially our tribal elders" said his father. "Alright then." The bright face changed its gloomy expression just now.
"Oh yeah, uncle if we may know, what's your name? I forgot to ask that earlier" Kenley said asking something. "Forgive my impoliteness." The man said flatly.
"My name is Fronsh" he continued as he continued his way. The others followed behind.
Uncle Fronsh guided them through the cornfield, hoping not to damage anything they went through before finally reaching the outer border of the settlement. Because it will lead to traces and suspicion of others later.
On this journey, the darkness almost made it difficult for them to see around. Because only lit by the oil lamp that Kenley brought. But for Eldred, darkness wasn't a problem.
Every now and then Eldred looked up to see the state of the sky full of stars covered in thin gray clouds. It was a sight he wanted to see every night in Eisternd.
As the two of them expected, Gaine wasn't a spoiled girl who was afraid of the dark. Instead, he looked like normal. From that attitude, the two of them understood how they had met Gaine this afternoon and they could conclude. 'Gaine is a girl from the Glinth tribe. and he is different.'
After finally arriving at the end of the corn field, they arrived at a fence that was approximately one meter high. After that they walked through the path on the edge of the land towards the north.
While walking, Eldred opened the map in the book. He was a little confused. Then try to compare it with the map on the paper given by Lord Hardikha that has been marked.
Kenley, who saw Eldred earlier, became curious as he pointed an oil lamp at him so he could see clearly. "Is there something wrong?" Kenley asked. Eldred shook his head firmly.
"I'm just curious, why the Glinth settlement isn't listed anywhere on any map." whispered Eldred quietly. "We can find out about that next time, now what we have to focus on is finding the Crystal piece until we get it. If it's really here, good!" Kenley said. Eldred was silent. His mind was still odd. As far as he knows, the Elfair Nation has lived the longest on this continent. And he had never known of another tribe like the Glinths that looked like the Hamoursh. Or they may have been a group of immigrants from other parts of the Continent.
When they walked for quite a while, they finally arrived at the edge of a fairly dense forest because the distance of the big trees were so close together. After walking deep enough into the forest, "We're here," said Uncle Fronsh, stopping his steps. That lake, is the moon lake. Like what Gaine's father had told him this afternoon.
Sure enough. As the name suggests, the lake has very clear, soft blue water. Even so clear, the surface of the Moon Lake looks transparent to the bottom. Around the lake, there are shrubs and rocks. And the floating lotus flowers beautifully adorn the Moon Lake.
The water from the lake seemed to glow a soft blue color. Kenley and Eldred rolled their eyes perfectly. They were surprised and amazed to see it in person. Even Gaine himself couldn't believe that there was such a beautiful place near his settlement.
Kenley placed the oil lamp on the rock, then picked up a small rock and threw it into the lake. Instantly the light produced from the Moon Lake really looks natural. Is it because the moonlight is so bright right now? Or? Eldred really wanted to find out about it, but he was reminded of Kenley's words earlier.
"Okay, this is Moon Lake. This lake is only known by a few residents. Some residents really adore this lake" Uncle Fronsh said while sitting on the edge of the lake. "So what? Is the thing you're looking for in this lake?" he continued again stopping the amazement on their faces.
Eldred again took the book that was in his bag. He placed his bow on the rock, near the oil lamp. Then he took the oil lamp and placed it in front of the book, then opened it. Kenley and Gaine crouched down to approach Eldred.
"From this book, there is a place called Moon Lake, and the lake emits light like moonlight at night. And..." Eldred said reading the page he had marked.
"If any Elfair manages to open the Altar Gate in the Moon Lake, pieces of Crystal Crytilops will emerge from the bottom." he continued. He furrowed his brow.
"Wait! Altar Gate?" said Kenley confused. "Maybe there's that Altar Gate around here?" Gaine became curious too. "I've never even heard the elders of the Elfair nation talk about this myself, you know? I've always been an Elfair archer." said Eldred resignedly.
"There could be a way in this book to open the gates." Kenley checked page after page until he finally saw a picture exposed in the book.
Then then they became focused with an image that showed like a lake overflowing into the sky. The image was as if it was the Moon Lake in front of them.
"I think this is the clue! Let's see, is this Elfair?" Kenley pointed to writing that was very foreign to him. It seemed that Eldred understood. There are several inscriptions listed in the ancient Elfair's language.
"This is a spell to open the altar gate! He exclaimed with a big smile. "The Altar Gate will appear and can be opened once the Moon is right above the Lake, and the Star Cluster surrounds it.
"I think even though it has a different spell on each altar later, but opening it will still be related." Eldred explained. The others suddenly raised their heads to the sky.
"And I think this is a spell to open the Altar in the Moon Lake." He said again confidently, his index finger pointing at a spell scribbled in ancient Elfaire again.
They saw the blue moon shining brightly in the sky, but gray clouds blocked it. Eldred's eyes reflected the soft moonlight. "Usually the moon will be directly above at midnight" Uncle Fronsh snapped before finally leaning his back under the tree.
"I don't know anything about this, but it feels like my magic might work" Eldred said. "Magic? What is magic?" asked Gaine innocently. Even so, it seemed to make Kenley a little uncomfortable hearing this Glinth Tribe Girl's question.
Kenley was flabbergasted to hear that, he thought all this time his Elfair friend was only capable of possessing his abilities as an archer or Kluith. "You can master mage too?" He said he didn't think so. "Just a little bit, I happened to be studying magic at the place where I practiced archery. Obviously without losing the image. Then Elfair turned to Gaine.
"Magic is a special ability possessed by a Mage, and a Mage is someone who has magical talent." Said Eldred. Kenley then stood up and walked towards the shores of Moon Lake. He squatted again and then leaned his face above the surface of the water so that the reflection of his face was clearly reflected there.
Yes, you could say that. Usually the water in a lake or river at night, cannot reflect any shadow clearly at night. But Moon Lake was different. That was what made Kenley able to distinguish Moon Lake from any ordinary lake or river.
"What about Clevan?" said Kenley, suddenly recalling the Elfair he hated. "He has taken away the sword given by Lord Hardikha, right?"
Eldred took a deep breath, he remembered how it happened when they were in Myrana. He chuckled softly, maybe the sword given by Lord Hardikha has something to do with the Altars he will meet like in this Moon Lake. But when it was understood again what was in the book, the sword was completely unrelated. He remembered something, Lord Hardikha gave him the sword because one day on his way he was faced with an urgent situation. The sword was a trust for him that he had to guard, but he lost it. No, rather let his countrymen steal the Sword that Lord Hardikha had sent. For the time being, he didn't want to think about anything other than being able to obtain the legendary item, Crystal Crytilops.
"And now that we don't know where he is, he could be-" Kenley's words were cut off, as soon as Eldred signaled by placing his index finger on his lips, everyone fell silent. "Someone's watching us!" He was looking intently at them.
They were all busy sweeping their sights around. They didn't see anything suspicious around them, for the whole forest was very dark apart from the only oil lamp Kenley had brought. They all put on standby, but no one felt strange except for Eldred.
"Not around us, but above us," he continued with a gripping tone. Eldred quickly grabbed the oil lamp and extinguished it. The forest was completely pitch black now. Only the moonlight illuminates it.
But still, the three of them couldn't see anything around them because they were limited by the vision that most humans have.
But not for Eldred, sometimes Kenley forgets the advantages that his friend has. Having senses that surpassed that of humans, anything for Eldred wasn't an obstacle.
He focused his keen hearing, and looked around the trees. The sound of flapping wings could be heard clearly in his ears. He kept trying to catch the object that is now disturbing his hearing. After it became clear, the Elfair was very surprised.
"That's Vhipotus!" he said very confidently. "Seriously!" Kenley panicked. Meanwhile Uncle Fronsh and Gaine were still confused. Eldred was very sure that because on the bird's left leg there was a white band, it meant that it was true, Vhipotus. Clevan's messenger companion bird. If the bird is around them, then Clevan's existence is also not far from the bird.
"We have to hide in the bush" Eldred ordered, and everyone complied. "Why do we have to hide? Isn't it just a bird" said Gaine quietly. "He's not just a bird," answered Eldred who was hiding not far from him.
"That's the reason why the bird is more annoying than other birds," said Kenley, having another explanation. "And the owner is far more annoying," he continued.
Eldred knew very well how Kenley hated Clevan, apparently he couldn't forget the treatment he received when they were at the Seiry River one week ago. "Should we fight him if there's a problem?" asked Gaine ready. Just as Eldred was about to answer him, Kenley grabbed. "Yes. We have to kill that Elfair!" He then came out of the bush to show himself by signaling the bullet he fired into the sky, indicating that he was here.
'Stupid Kenley!' Eldred couldn't stop cursing at the careless Hamoursh. Suddenly he tried to prevent Kenley's actions, but it was too late. The gunshots from Kenley's Slikers were ear-splitting.
The sound of the gunshot made a group of large bats fly irregularly in the sky because they felt threatened. One black bird was still flying in the sky, but as soon as the sound of Slikers was fired, it disappeared.
"Kenley! You just got into trouble, you idiot!" cursed Eldred. There was no guilt on the Hamoursh man's face at all. While putting in his Slikers, the Man frowned.
"Didn't you say it was Vhipotush?!" he said then. Eldred nodded. "Indeed," he said. "But we don't know the whereabouts of Clevan at all, he could be around us" he said again trying to give clues.
"That bird was probably looking for us, but you were the one who let Clevan know where we were. I'm sure we wouldn't have been caught if it weren't for your reckless actions." Eldred was getting annoyed.
Now they must prepare for the next danger. But unexpectedly. A sword made from behind that made the four of them bounce forward. "It turns out that you are here, Good!" said a person covered in the night mist who was standing under a tree. The three of them didn't know who it was, but Eldred stared intently at the figure like an eagle aiming for its prey.
"Clever!" Eldred's voice made the person who had just startled them laugh. With a large sword, perched on his shoulder, Elfair he smiled wryly at Eldred. Vhipotus perched on his shoulder again.
"I knew you would come to this place, and . . . Look at the two Glinth tribesmen with you." That face really made Kenley want to throw up.
"Clevan, return the sword that Lord Hardikha gave me for this important mission." said Eldred. "If you understand, we can work together for our own nation right? You're older than me after all." he continued trying to negotiate.
But the look on Elfair's face, who was quite far away from her, didn't change at all. They saw the sword in Clevan's hand emitting a green glow. What is wrong? Had Eldred forgotten something about the sword Lord Hardikha had entrusted to him?
But the fact was that the sword would indeed emit a green glow, when its wielder was in the planning of battle. The sword will only glow if the owner uses it.
He felt that the sword had been in Clevan's hands for quite a while since they had been in Myrana. Now that Eldred understood, what he should have done was find Clevan and snatch the sword from him since it was actually declared theft.
"You are just an ordinary Elfair archer. You are not from the Elfair kingdom. You are not worthy to hold it even to touch this sword. I should be the one who got a task like this, not you! I know what you mean by this, you are acting in front of Lord Hardikha just to get the coronation as a royal knight right?! Don't dream, Eldred Carlton" he said then.
Hearing Clevan's words repeatedly, made his chest feel hot. He clenched his jaw tightly. His emotions were overflowing, and his eyes were red from holding back annoyance. He clenched his fists tightly, wishing he could pounce on her right now. But he tried not to hear it all for fear of losing his mind and breaking the rules of the Elfair nation.
Kenley was just ready to launch his attack, but his action was prevented by Eldred. "There are so many Elfairs there, but I didn't expect there to be a loser Elfair from the kingdom, who only cares about his own desires, rather than the glory of his nation. One more thing, you're just a royal advisor right? Not a knight like Lord Hardikha, Lord Zyan, Lord Wide or Loust Illyana who is the only female knight of the Elfair Nation, right?" Eldred is so feeling angry.
Clevan walked over. "I will kill you right now!" Clevan moved quickly towards them. They were lucky to still have time to dodge before the sword nearly slashed their bodies.
"Let me show you that I deserve this sword, rather than a trash Elfair like you!" Clevan continued to move nimbly swinging the greatsword at Eldred.
That Elfair had to desperately dodge the attacks thrown at her. In the darkness in the forest like this, it was very difficult for the three of them. Especially to recognize Eldred between the two Elfairs who were fighting each other. Because their hair is both shoulder length.
Gaine quickly lit the oil lamp even though it failed many times. Until finally they have sufficient lighting. They saw Eldred being cornered several times by Clevan. But Kenley wouldn't let that happen.
Kenley took out his two Slikers which he used to keep on his hips every day with special straps and holsters. He pointed his hands at Clevan then managed to hit his waist. Because one bullet succeeded in hurting Elfair, and made Clevan aware while striking back at Kenley. The Hamoursh-blooded man looked agile as soon as Clevan's Sword was swung through the air. Perhaps this was the first time Eldred had actually seen someone like Kenley fight right before his eyes.
Unfortunately he can't see it every day. He took his bow to launch towards Clevan. Eldred purposely slipped his bow so as not to hit Clevan. He knows the risks of killing his fellow countrymen. But this situation is completely different. Clevan managed to dodge Eldred's attack. The arrow sank deep into the trunk of a tree not far behind Kenley.
Even the arrow flew inches away from the Hamoursh Man's face. "Dad,I should to help them!" Gaine said handing the oil lamp to her father. The girl quickly took out her dagger from her hip to petrify Kenley.
But every time there was an attack aimed at Clevan, the black-haired Elfair had already noticed. So it's hard for them to hit it. Maybe if Eldred fought Clevan, it would look a draw.
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