"Is that the fabled Realm Tree?" Asked Elif in awe as he gazed upon the massive tree that towered in the dimension, its presence visible from everywhere.
"Yes, that is the Realm Tree; its size is impressive, to say the least. Though just like the Royal Library, you'll get accustomed to it as such a sight will be an everyday occurrence." Replied Ancestor Zal as she started flying towards the realm tree, which, despite its' massive size, was very far away.
"I suppose." Muttered Elif as he quickly followed behind Zal while flying over the plains below and passing several hills, his eyes not once leaving the realm tree.
After some time, I eventually looked away from the realm tree, as I was curious about the rest of the realm, but other than the tranquility of nature and the occasional cottage, there wasn't anything that garnered my interest.
"Are those houses where the Ancestors live?" Asked Elif as he glanced at a cottage located at the peak of the hill, spotting two Royal Elves sitting on their front porch, calmly drinking tea.
"Yes, the house we had just passed belonged to my Grandparents." Replied Ancestor Zal calmly as she glanced at the house on the hill before glancing at Elif, who was busy observing the Ancestral land.
Nodding to Ancestor Zal, the two of us descended into silence while she calmly flew toward the Realm Tree as I continued appreciating the beauty of the Ancestral land; this was exactly how our time passed as we headed toward Progenitor Lourdes, who I assume resides close to the Realm Tree.
Despite our speed, which must've felt like a snail's pace for Ancestor Zal, it took us nearly an hour and a half of flying over massive mountains, flourishing forests, and even the occasional lake until we finally arrived near the base of the Realm Tree.
"I can't tell whether it looks smaller or larger up close." Commented Elif as he tilted his head and looked up, only to see the Realm Tree's canopy and nothing else; its thick and numerous leaves block any sunlight from entering.
"Hehe, well, we've arrived, Elif; it's been a rather enjoyable day for me; staying cooped up in the Ancestral land can get boring rather quickly." Said Ancestor Zal with a soft chuckle as she landed on the ground, Elif doing the same.
"I also greatly enjoyed myself, at least until you arrived; now I'm only enjoying myself." Said Elif lightly as he looked at Ancestor Zal, again causing her to chuckle.
"Though, weren't you supposed to take me Progenitor Lourdes? I don't see any nearby indication of her presence." Added Elif as he gave Ancestor Zal a confused look before observing his surroundings, only to come up empty-handed.
"Her house is right there, Elif. Now then, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you two to it, though I will warn you, you can't sense it, but every ancestor within the ancestral land is watching you. Try not to make a fool of yourself." Advised Ancestor Zal with a light smile as she pointed toward the cottage directly at the base of the Realm Tree before suddenly vanishing from Elif's eyes.
Seeing her vanish, I followed where her hand was previously pointing and noticed a small wooden cottage connected to the base of the Realm Tree.
'Tsk, that wasn't there before.' Mused Elif with furrowed brows as he opted to walk toward her rather than fly.
Despite being about to speak with the Progenitor of the Elven Empire and one of the oldest living beings alive, I didn't feel an ounce of nervousness, nor was I particularly excited; I was mainly curious about what my mysterious intent was since she must know what it was.
"Also, why did Ancestor Zal advise me not to make a fool of myself? Is someth-" Said Elif, though before he could finish speaking, a powerful intent surged out from the cottage he was approaching and enveloped him in it, forcing him to instantly come to a halt.
Feeling the intent surround me, I was astonished to realize that while it was slightly different, it was very similar to my own mysterious intent; it felt like comparing spear intent with sword intent. Both are fundamentally the same thing, but there are slight differences between the two. However, I wasn't given any time to observe the intent, as it coiled around me, attempting to force me to the ground, which angered me, so in response, I commanded the intent within myself to repel the intent surrounding me, causing it to rush out of my body like a broken dam. Yet, its mighty power was like a small sapling in the middle of a thunderstorm as it was thrown around effortlessly, putting up hardly any resistance against the overpowering intent.
I continued to give it my all as I stopped my mysterious intent from trying to fight against the other intent, to instead simply protect me, which proved to be the right decision, doing a much better job, yet that didn't last for long as I felt the pressure intensify; crushing my newly healed body, while blood started leaking from my orifices. Though, even so, I didn't allow the intent to force me to the ground; I wouldn't permit such an act; in fact, to display my unwillingness, I took a step forward despite the injuries I was quickly accumulating from the powerful pressure.
Gazing toward the house in the distance where the powerful intent surged from, I pridefully stood tall amidst the intent and slowly approached it, looking as if the pressure on my body was negligible. While I hadn't seen the one response for this intent, I knew who it was; after all, its presence was one I'd sensed twice before.
"Progenitor Lourdes, this is a waste of our time; unless you intend to kill me, I won't be forced to the ground." Remarked Elif lightly with an incredibly prideful expression as he summoned his quạt tay from his dimension ring to fan himself, looking as carefree as possible while he was on the verge of collapsing.
I continued walking despite there being no response to my words, but It didn't bother me; after all, it didn't matter who it was; I wasn't going to kneel. With each step, the pressure increased to the point where some of my weaker bones started to break under the intent, my mysterious intent having reached its limit, but that didn't stop since, at this point, stopping would be the same as kneeling in my opinion, and that wasn't something feasible.
Even though I had only been walking for a few minutes, it felt like it'd been hours, if not days, each second that passed while under the intense pressure increasing in difficulty, yet it only spurred my resolve to continue walking.
Taking another step forward, I felt my leg snap as my bones broke and my muscles tore, finally giving way from the powerful intent, yet I hardly felt anything, and after taking a second to collect myself, I once again took a step forward.
'This is nothing compared to the pain I felt losing Elaine.' Muttered Elif with a hardened gaze as he neared the cottage, which was only a few steps away, though they were the hardest steps yet.
Seeing those three steps, I internally chuckled, finding it almost amusing that those three little steps were going to prevent me from reaching that door, not a chance after coming this far. Taking a deep breath, I took the first step; the instant I did so, my other leg broke, though I ignored it and took the second step, causing my internal organs to be ripped to shreds, nearly forcing me to cough out blood.
'You're not leaving my body!' Thought Elif as he closed his mouth shut with his hand, refusing to show signs of weakness.
Swallowing the blood, I took the third and final step, causing my very soul to shudder in pain as it cracked like glass; just the lightest of touches, and it would shatter. Yet, suddenly, the intense pressure vanished, causing me to sigh internally in relief as if I had stayed under it for any longer; I was worried my soul was about to shatter.
"I take it back; it seems my words weren't wasted on you, Elif." Declared a beautiful, majestic voice from behind the door Elif had been standing before.
Hearing that familiar voice, along with a potent Qi entering my body, filling me with a pleasant sensation as it healed every single injury I had sustained, including fixing my soul.
'Ahh, that feels wonderful. It even healed my wounds that had yet to heal.' Mused Elif with a slight small as he inspected his body with divine sense before knocking on the door, only for it to open shortly after.
Entering inside, I closed the door behind me, and the first thing I spotted beside the table in the middle of the room was a dark-skinned Royal Elf of such beauty that it took me a few seconds to regain my bearings.
'Mother is beautiful, but even she can't compete with her, my goodness; I hate to admit it, but I don't even think Elaine will be that gorgeous.' Mused Elif as he eyed the Royal Elf, who was doing the same while graciously sipping on tea.
"So, my descendant, how does it feel to finally meet this beautiful idiotic bitch?" Asked the woman with an amused smile as she gazed upon Elif's awkward expression.
'Heh, I did call her those, didn't I?' Thought Elif with a wry smile as he slowly approached the woman, not even phased that she read his thoughts.
"Well, it's mainly filled with annoyance, if I'm being honest, Progenitor Lourdes; making me believe my sister had died won't exactly put you in my good books." Replied Elif as he performed a slight bow of respect, not of submission, a difference Progenitor Lourdes was able to see clearly.