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A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
( Ecclesiastes 3 : 8 )
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"Haaa," Ze yawned as he lazily sat on the sofa. He was in the king's office; the office was extravagant. Its white marble walls were well decorated with paintings, and the roots and branches intertwined and acted as pillars. The sunlight flooded through the massive window, illuminating the space.
In the grandiose office of the elven king, who sat at his table made with artistic sense, Ze looked at him with a lack of seriousness in his eyes, munching on the sweets and tea provided by the servants.
"As I said, Callista fell into a coma 3 years ago," Ze spoke, wiping his mouth. The elven king, who was the most dignified of the Elven race, jerked at his voice.
"Don't get scared, I won't kill anyone as I am here in peace," Ze smiled like the fourteen-year-old that he is. The elven king, who noticed Ze's smile, loosened up. His tense atmosphere only changed a bit, and he remained cautious of Ze. Even though not many knew about Ze's identity, he was one of the few people who made a deal with him and knew of his actual identity.
"So, the body you are in is Callista's son's. Then di-," the elven king froze in his tracks. Cold sweat trickled down his back, and his body tensed up as he looked at Ze, who kept a finger on his lips, asking him not to go further. Though he had a smile, his eyes didn't.
"Yeah, that's right. I have a debt to pay, so I would like your help," Ze said, returning to his relaxed position.
"Okay, I will comply, but are you fine with just the Elixir?" the king asked, still tense.
Ze rambled through his memory, and his eyes widened as if he had caught something. He had found a better solution.
"Wait, instead of the elixir, I will bring Callista here. It will solve most of my problems, as it will be safe for her here," Ze suggested.
At Ze's suggestion, the king's face brightened a bit. "Ahem, I can do that. I will take good care of Callista," he replied with a cough.
Ze caught the change in the king's demeanor and smiled mischievously. "I heard elves were not interested in things such as love since they live long, but it seems I assumed wrong," Ze said as he looked into the king's golden eyes.
The king, whose thoughts were revealed, replied with a stoic face. "It's wrong information. Elves do love, but ours is just too long-term."
"I understand," Ze replied with a sad smile. He got up from his seat and stretched. It was time to leave.
"I will be going now. See you later," Ze exited the office without much thought, not hearing the king's reply. If it were someone else, they would have been punished.
*Clack* With a clack, the door closed behind him, and Ze was greeted by a long white corridor with no one in sight. Ze took long strides as he walked, feeling an urgency as he sensed the change inside him.
"We are going to bring Mom here," Zeru asked worriedly.
"The king also knows your mother, so he will take good care of her," Ze reassured.
"Well, how did you know the king?" Zeru inquired.
"I met him a long time ago, before you were born," Ze answered vaguely.
Ze reached the grand doors of the Elven castle, a solid structure intertwined with a massive tree that cast a shadow on the earth below. He turned to the shining guard.
"Where are the ones who came with me?" he asked, his voice firm.
"They are in the garden," the guard replied.
"Okay," Ze left the knight to his duty.
After searching for at least an hour, he reached the garden. He had become lost in the forest that the elves called home. He couldn't even see an insect in the path he had taken, even though many eyes watched him.
Ze finally arrived at the garden and looked for Nala and Ignit. They had not accompanied him to the king, so he left them to their devices. Ze scanned the surroundings, searching for a corner filled with elves. Most of them looked like human adults but clearly older, way older. Ze walked towards them to see what was happening.
"It's an elemental!"
"What type of monster?"
"It looks cute."
"Who brought an elemental?"
"It should have been His Majesty."
The elves talked among themselves as they looked at Nala and Ignit, who sat at her head. The elves seemed fascinated by Ignit and looked like they would kidnap and worship him. Thankfully, they didn't notice that Nala was a dragon; otherwise, they would have tried to kidnap both of them.
Ze pushed the excited elves aside and made his way to the middle of the crowd. It was then that he noticed the spirits floating nearby. They all had curious eyes as they looked at Ignit, who returned their curiosity.
"Ignit," Ze called.
His sudden voice turned all the heads present, and they finally noticed the human among them. Despite his dark skin and attire, which made him stand out, they were suspicious of him.
Ignoring the wary gazes directed at him, Ze moved toward Ignit and patted his flaming head. Then he turned toward the spirits and crouched down, getting closer to Ignit who was floating above Nala.
"Why don't you go play with them?" he pointed at the spirits.
Ignit looked back, not understanding.
"Go and become friends with them, and learn what you can do with your powers. They will teach you," Ze explained.
Ignit smiled in understanding and floated from Nala's head toward the spirits. They were eager as they watched Ignit fly toward them. In mid-flight, Ignit's body morphed; his ball of flames transformed into a more humanoid shape with a torso, hands, and legs. However, he still had a big flaming head, resembling a well-drawn chibi.
Ze was proud that Ignit could change his body structure. Ignit, now a chibi, approached a spirit near him and raised his hand, gesturing something that left the spirit confused. But everyone who saw him do it had one thought: "cute."
After finishing his gesture, Ignit rushed at the spirit. The confused spirit panicked and was caught off guard as Ignit clenched his flaming fist and punched it in the face. The poor spirit was sent flying backward.
Ignit turned back with a proud and happy expression on his face. The people who witnessed the scene couldn't comprehend it; their brains struggled to understand. The boy who asked an elemental to be friends with spirits, and the elemental that punched a spirit—it was the fact that he punched that perplexed them.
Elementals are known for their acute control over their element, commanding it at their will. They can become a walking destruction if angered. However, they neglected to notice Ze, who was facepalming.
{He is just like you} Nala sighed.
"I know," Ze replied gloomily.
{He misunderstood being friends; you were supposed to hit the other, just like how you do things} Nala commented.
"I know," Ze said again.
Ze felt pain as he looked at the smiling Ignit. He had led a pure child down the wrong path, as he always resorted to violence before talking.
Ze gestured for Ignit to come near. Ignit, who was happy to have followed Ze's instructions, floated to Ze.
Ze gently held Ignit's head and turned to face the beaten spirit, bowing with Ignit.
"I apologize for his behavior; it was my mistake. I haven't taught him properly," Ze announced.
The shocked crowd snapped back to reality at Ze's words. They didn't know what to feel or think. They couldn't understand what was going on.
Ze then turned to Ignit, he looked back at him.
"Don't hit them; go play with them. Okay? Do you understand?" Ze said slowly.
Ze then turned to Nala and motioned for her to say something.
"Do your job as an older sister."
Nala sighed, using her voice transmission with Ignit. The content of their conversation remained unknown to everyone except Ignit, who happily jumped and floated towards the beaten spirit, bowing before it.
Ignit's actions puzzled Ze, who couldn't understand what was said. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw his son's growth. If the elves knew his thoughts, they would be shocked by the fact that he called an elemental his son.
Ignit glanced back at Ze with concern, resembling a child about to attend school. Ze understood that the spirits had invited Ignit to join them.
"Go," Ze gestured, feeling like a doting parent sending his cherished child to school for the first time.
Nala, who had been observing the exchange, shook her head. As Ignit left with the spirits to play, the crowd slowly dispersed, no longer having a spectacle to watch. Only Nala and Ze remained alone in the garden.
Ze turned to Nala, his previous demeanor completely gone, replaced by a serious expression in his eyes.
"Nala, take care of Ignit. I will be away for a while," Ze said.
Understanding his gaze, Nala replied, using her mental communication, {I will}.
Ze turned to leave but paused before doing so.
"Ah, if anyone causes trouble, burn the whole place down," Ze said, his playful smile belying the seriousness of his words.
Nala understood that he was more serious than before. Their safety came before anything else, and if someone provoked them, they should be eliminated.
Nala then turned in the direction Ignit had gone and started moving.
Ze smiled as he watched Nala go. Although the elves were strong, if anyone dared to harm them, she should be able to escape and set the entire place ablaze.
"Well, then I'll leave you guys a gift," Ze tapped his foot.
The mana in the air trembled, and an overwhelming pressure descended upon the castle. The barrier that prevented teleportation near the castle crumbled under this immense pressure.
Within a second, a spell formed beneath Ze's feet, glowing with a white light as it greedily absorbed mana from its surroundings. The spell grew even brighter as it completed its preparation.
*Boom*
A pillar of light shot up into the sky.
***
Ze looked down from the sky, standing mid-air above the castle that was adorned with flowers.
'We're home,' Zeru remarked.
"Yep," Ze confirmed.
Indeed, they had returned to the empire. The Arcadia Forest was not under the empire's jurisdiction; it was a separate nation of elves. The border he had attacked was far, far away from the capital from which Ze had just teleported.
Ze gazed down at the humans below, appearing as tiny ants. He could easily crush them with his foot. However, he had a different purpose for being here.
Ze then vanished from his location and reappeared in a corridor. It was well-maintained with no trace of dust. Before him stood a door.
*Thump-thump*
Ze felt his heart beating faster. With a heavy heart, he opened the door.
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