DAISUKE HAS ALWAYS BEEN DIFFERENT.
Despite being an elf, his ears were way shorter. Instead of greenish irises, he had a pair of dark brown eyes. He also lacked the unique markings that all elves had—the swirly, almost root-like patterns that seemed to entangle their whole body that glowed bright green whenever they used their Karma.
Daisuke looked just like any other elf when he was an infant, but his uniqueness slowly appeared as he grew older and became more apparent when he turned eleven years old.
Thanks to his unique appearance, Daisuke had always been a victim of bullying and hearsay. It happened anywhere; near their home, in every corner of the Yora Village, and even inside the Yora Academy. And he would be called with different insults: short ears, dry leaves, withered, odd-eyes, bark-skin, and even human.
Daisuke excelled in studying, especially in the history of the world of Laniagaea. After reading many history books, he learned a lot of things about different civilizations and races, including those of humans. He knew that elves and humans had a long history—a bitter history that is.
The elves, being one of the oldest sapient beings that appeared in the world of Laniagaea, had witnessed the ever-evolving humanity. They have seen the humans grow and survived the harsh world by relying only on their instincts until they became intelligent, enough to become the dominant sapient race in the whole Laniagaea.
At one point, the human clans and the elven tribes, together with the dwarven folks and orcish nomads, became allies, dubbed the Four Greatest Civilizations, during the fabled Ishvaranomachy, the war against the beings known as Ishvaras.
Ultimately, the alliance of the mortals won the Ishvaranomachy but at a steep cost, and soon followed another war, known as the First God Orbs War, which was fought among themselves and other allied races, with humans and elves clashing with one another more often than the others.
As time passed by, the elves grew weaker due to an unforeseen event, losing their once-feared power over elements and immortality in the process. Any elves outside their domain were caught and enslaved. After all, such exotic creatures were a waste for human nobles to kill. And their sacred treasures, stolen by greedy human treasure hunters.
In truth, Daisuke's unique appearance was because he was never been born in the first place, at least not in a conventional way.
Actually, in a very unusual way.
His appearance was already strange enough for the elves. And for the Elven Council, explaining the occurrence of Daisuke on the island was debated.
* * * * *
It was a bright, sunny day eleven years before Daisuke's birth. Sequovas Frühling, one of the Elven Council of the Yoran elves, and his wife, Pinelia Greene, were simply enjoying the fresh breeze near the North River that was gliding on their skin and the warm sunlight that was making their skin pattern glistened when they saw a pinkish floating object on the river.
"Sequovas, is that...is that what I think it is?" Pinelia was holding on to her husband's arm, having an uneasy feeling about the thing she saw.
Sequovas gazed at the top of the Sacred Tree, a colossal tree at the center of Maria Island. He didn't see the lone, vibrant pink-colored fruit, which was radiating with unique mana that made it outstanding even from far away, which has been on the tree for almost fifty years. "We've got to take it quickly," he said as he looked back at the fruit floating on the river. "That is the Sacred Fruit."
The couple went closer to the river, they noticed the odd shape of the Sacred Fruit up close; it was round-shaped at one end becoming pointier at the other, almost looking like an amalgamation of a peach and an acorn.
"We should return to the village with the fruit. The Elven Council must learn about this," Sequovas decided.
Pinelia agreed with her husband. The uneasiness she felt passed and she went to pick up the fruit herself. Pinelia mistook the fruit to have an excessive weight; after all, the fruit looked bigger up close. It was about three feet long and had a diameter of around one foot and a half. To her surprise, the fruit, despite its size, wasn't that heavy.
However, the fruit never reached the village.
As soon as it was picked up and held by Pinelia in her arms, the fruit started to radiate brightly that it was blinding and a surge of powerful mana discharged from it that was felt all over the island. The couple shut their eyes close and Pinelia accidentally dropped the fruit back into the river.
A few moments later, they heard a bawl.
Sequovas and Pinelia slowly opened their eyes and what they saw was an absolute mystery to them. The fruit has now turned into an infant, wrapped in what was supposed to be the skin of the Sacred Fruit, floating on the river.
* * * * *
The Council House served as the head office of the Elven Council and the village's main building for the Seekers and Elven Corps, and it was just a few minutes away from the Sacred Tree, located south of it.
The Elven Council was a group of seven elven leaders of the Yoran elves. They were the ones that decide on the laws that will be implemented on Yora Village, and the entirety of Maria Island, and also leads the Seekers and Elven Corps.
When the couple from the North River finally reached the Council House, they saw a lot of people panicking. They were all clamoring about the surge of mana they have felt.
When the people saw the couple though, they all fell into complete silence.
Mahogry, one of the eldest in the Elven Council, waded the people as he met the couple. "Council, in my office. The rest of you, kindly resume your usual business," he addressed the people.
Mahogry nodded at the couple to walk with him to his office. However, the people clamored once again, demanding an explanation. Mahogry exerted a surge of mana himself that made the people tense. It was no scarier than the first one they felt but still threatening. Without saying another word, Mahogry continued to walk to his office followed by the couple.
Inside his office, Sequovas explained to the council what took place earlier. Pinelia showed them the infant and what remains of the Sacred Fruit.
True to the couple's words, the Sacred Fruit was gone from the Sacred Tree when the council went outside to Mahogry's office balcony and tried to look for the fruit.
The Sacred Fruit was the only pink-colored fruit, in fact, the only fruit, on the Sacred Tree and it grew right at the top of the tree. It was easy to spot from the Council House, and anywhere on the island, for that matter.
They could feel faint mystical energy from the remains of the fruit similar to that of the Sacred Tree. There were also no reports of any unusual activities near the tree, or anywhere on the island, which the Elven Council found peculiar considering it has only been a week since the last attempt of treasure hunters to enter the island.
"It is a miracle that the fruit and the baby survived the drop and managed to get washed away to the North River," said Mahogry, staring at the infant who was now sleeping peacefully in Pinelia's arms.
"W-We believe that it was still a fruit when it fell. But as soon as my wife picked it up, it glowed brightly and turned into this baby," Sequovas explained.
"What do we say to the people, Mahogry?" asked Volcadon, one of the strongest Seekers in the history of Yoran elves.
Mahogry, considered the oldest and wisest of the Yoran elves, was still staring at the infant. He lived for centuries, but this was the first time he encountered such a strange birth of an elf. The infant in their presence was not a normal one either. And everyone knew that as well.
"Do we have a choice? The whole island already felt that surge. We need to send that infant straight to Opelania as quickly and as painlessly as possible," suggested Durant, the youngest member of the Elven Council.
"ARE YOU MAD?!" Ananais, one of the senior members of the Elven Council, shouted furiously, her elven markings glowed brightly. "You would seriously kill an infant?! How dare you!"
"W-Well, not me. A-Anyone, but not me," Durant quickly stepped back.
"Idiot," Grumple commented and sighed, one of the other female council aside from Ananais. "Please, think before you speak, Durant."
Finally, Mahogry managed to say a word, "We come clean. Tell the people about the infant and…" he looked between the legs of the infant, "his identity."
"That infant poses a great threat to us, Mahogry," said Orchilles, the newest member of the council. "The people will not take this issue kindly. Everyone knew, from that surge of mana, what this child is."
"We have no other choice. Besides, the infant looks just like an elf," said Grumple.
"I'll handle the Elven Corps," Ananais offered. "I'll let them know what is going on."
Durant looked at everyone. "Woah, Woah, Woah. Guys, wait for a—"
Volcadon sighed. "Leave the Seekers to me,"
"Volcadon! Guys, come on! Just hear me out—"
"I guess I'll address the people then," interrupted Mahogry. "Oh, and, uh, congratulations, Sequovas and Pinelia. You are now the parents of Ariyani's avatar."
"Wait, seriously?! Guys...c'mon," the next thing Durant knew, everyone has already decided that the infant will stay on the island.
As for the couple, Sequovas and Pinelia did not protest and happily accepted the infant as their own.
With that, the meeting in Mahogry's office balcony was adjourned and the infant was taken by Sequovas and Pinelia back to their humble abode, and the Elven Council took care of addressing the public about the appearance of Ariyani's avatar on their island.
* * * * *
Pinelia was glad about the decision of the council.
It has been nearly twenty years since Sequovas and Pinelia were married and still could not have a child of their own. They have been trying, but they could just not conceive. And so they treated the boy as if it was their child.
"What are we going to name him?" asked Pinelia excitedly.
Sequovas remembered the days when he was talking with Maria Ashenwood, his mentor, about her trying to settle down, find a man and raise her own family.
Being one of the oldest elves, Maria Ashenwood never had both.
Maria focused on protecting her people, the ones she considers her family, from the threats outside of their island. However, Maria always had a name in mind if ever she had a kid.
If it turned out to be a girl, she would have named her Rosetta.
And if it turned out to be a boy, she would have named him...
"Daisuke. Welcome to the world, Daisuke."