PRISTINE.
That was the word that popped into my head as I gawked at the elven city. It
appeared we had directly teleported just beyond the gates. The buildings
before me seemed to be built out of jade, each one so flawless and smooth
that it seemed to be carved from a single, huge stone. Huge trees intertwined
with the buildings, their massive trunks even larger than the jade-like
buildings, filling the whole city with a distinctive and organic ambience.
Looking up, I saw entire homes built on the unnaturally thick branches of the
trees, smoke drifting out of their chimneys.
The ground was almost entirely covered by a lush field of soft moss, with
only the narrow sidewalks and the main road paved with smooth stone. The
dense array of branches fanning out from the trees covered most of the city in
a canopy of shade, but there was a warm, luminescent glow throughout the
city thanks to floating orbs of light situated on every corner and along every
street.
I stood slack-jawed, still processing the world around me, until a shadow
whizzed in front of me, jolting me awake.
Tess was still holding on to my hand when a group of what appeared to be
guards arrived out of nowhere. Dressed in coordinated black suits with green
trimmings and a golden shoulder guard on their left shoulder, these elven
warriors emanated dignity. All five guards carried a rapier strapped to their waist. I made a mental note: The guards radiated no detectable aura.
The bodies of both augmenters and conjurers emit a faint natural aura. The fact that I wasn't able to sense any mana leaking from the five people in front
of me meant one of two things: Their mana cores were at a high enough level
that I wasn't able to sense it, or they had enough control over their mana to
not let any leak out. Either way, it meant that these guys were as impressive
as their attire made them look.
The guards ignored my presence, but kneeled in unison in front of Tess. "We
welcome back the royal princess."
Stunned, my gaze flicked back and forth between the guards and Tess. I
remembered how I had jokingly called Tessia 'Your Highness' that morning.
Tessia was actually the princess of this kingdom?
When I tried to let go of Tessia's hand, she squeezed it tighter. In a voice so
cold and reserved that it sounded like someone else's, she said, "You may
rise."
They stood up, each with his right fist still crossing his chest, and the knight
in front spoke. "Princess, we came as soon as we saw that the royal
teleportation gate had been used. The king and queen are—"
Before he could finish speaking, I heard a cry. "My baby! Tessia, you're
okay! Oh, my baby!"
Running toward us were a middle-aged man and woman. From the crown on
the man's head and the tiara encircling the woman's forehead, I assumed that
they were the king and queen.
The king's tall, muscular body was clad in a loose, decorated robe. His
emerald eyes were slanted upward and his thin lips were tense. His
expression, along with his short, military-style hair, gave him a dignified but
somewhat reserved appearance.
The queen, however, was breathtaking. Although she was a bit past the
bloom of her youth, her age couldn't mask the beauty that she was. Her round
eyes shimmered a light blue hue, contrasting well with her lush pink lips. Her silver hair fell in curls down her back, streaming out behind her as she ran
toward us, and her well-proportioned figure was visible underneath her dress.
Her cheeks were lined with tears, and her husband's tense expression gave
the impression that he too was holding back tears.
I turned my gaze in time to see Tessia's face visibly soften as she started
tearing up as well. I let go of her hand and gently pushed her toward her
parents, feeling a little sentimental myself.
Tessia ran straight to her mother's arms. Both of her parents were sobbing at
this point, on their knees, each burying their face in their daughter's
shoulders.
The last to arrive was an old man, well past his prime. His facial features
were all sharp, and his gaze looked like it could kill someone on contact. His
hair was pure white and tied back from a cleanly-shaven face. He didn't say
anything, but his eyes did soften a bit when he saw Tessia.
It took several minutes for Tessia and her parents to calm down. In the
meantime, the guards were glaring at me with daggers in their eyes, and even
the elderly man was eyeing me curiously.
The king finally stood up, carrying himself with an air of dignity despite the
redness of his eyes. "As the King of Elenoir, I must apologize for my
unsightly appearance and behavior. But, more importantly, as Tessia's father,
I wish to thank you for escorting my daughter back home safely." His voice
sounded a bit hoarse. "Please accompany us to our home so you may rest
before you tell us what happened."
His tone was gentle, but it was clear that I didn't really have a choice, so I
simply nodded in consent. I was about to follow behind them, but Tessia
came over to me and grabbed my hand again. The people surrounding us
looked on with expressions of shock, and I chuckled uncomfortably as I
scratched the side of my head, unable to muster the appropriate words for the
situation.
After an incredibly awkward ride, which seemed to take a lot longer than it actually did, we arrived at the royal home. Rather than a castle, however, as I
had expected, it appeared to be an enormous tree. This tree, its trunk broad
enough that it would take at least a few hundred people to encircle it, had
apparently gone through a petrification process of some sort, and now looked
like white stone.
Stepping through the front doors of the tree, I was pleasantly surprised to see
that the interior of the castle matched the outside in impressiveness. Two
curved staircases formed a circle, with a gigantic chandelier floating in the
middle of it. This chandelier seemed to be made of the same material as the
orbs of light that were dotted around the city.
I had informed the king and queen that I didn't need to rest and would rather
tell them our story as soon as we arrived, so that's what we did.
Not even pausing to wash up, the welcoming crew led us to the rectangular
dining table downstairs. Tessia's father took a seat on the far end of the table
and instructed me to sit directly opposite of him. Tessia's mother sat on her
husband's left side, with Tessia seated right next to her. The old man—who
was, it turned out, Tessia's grandfather—sat on the king's right, across from
Tessia and her mother, leaving a pretty big distance between me and the royal
family. The five guards stood behind the king, slightly off to one side.
The king rested his elbows on the table, fingers intertwined, before speaking.
"Child. What did you say your name was?"
This discussion wasn't going to progress well if they were going to treat me
like a child. I stood up.
"Forgive me for the late introduction, Your Highness.
My name is Arthur
Leywin, and I come from a remote town in the kingdom of Sapin. A pleasure
to make your acquaintance, King, Queen, Elder, and gentlemen." I bowed
slightly to each of them in turn before sitting back down.
Both the king and queen, as well as the guards in the back, were visibly
surprised by my mature behavior, and even the grandpa had an amused smirk
on his face. Tessia gave me a shy smile.Regaining his composure, the king proceeded. "You seem much more mature
than your age would indicate. Forgive me for assuming. I am Alduin Eralith;
this is my wife, Merial Eralith, and my father, Virion Eralith. Now, please tell
us what happened. We would like to hear your side of this."
Waving off the apology, I began telling the story. I made sure to be very
vague as to how I had gotten into the Forest of Elshire in the first place; I
simply said I had been separated from my family after running into bandits,
only managing to survive by luck.
Inevitably, I had to tell them I was a mage. This was followed by another
round of disbelieving looks from everyone, including Tessia. We had not
faced any obstacles on our journey back, so I'd never really had the need to
use mana, and I hadn't bothered explaining.
"How dare you lie in the presence of elven royalty?" a lean guard hissed.
"Even as a child, you should know better!"
"Daun, that's enough," Tessia's father grunted.
The soldier persisted. "Your Majesty, I suggest we test the boy to see if he's
telling the—"
A firm thud resounded through the chamber, startling the soldier and causing
everyone to turn to Tessia's grandfather, who had his palm on the table. Elder
Virion didn't say a word, but the soldier stiffened and relented. Virion
signaled for me to continue with my story, gazing at me with a renewed, eerie
interest.
I quickly moved on, telling how I had spotted the men and observed them
carrying a tied-up child—Tessia—into the back of a carriage before taking
off.
At this, the king leapt to his feet and slammed both hands down on the table,
his eyes narrowing into a menacing glare.
"I should've known it was humans!"
I corrected his mildly racist comment, saying, "They were slave traders. They
and bandits alike prey not just on elves, but on humans as well. I speak as avictim myself."
The king clamped his mouth shut before sitting back down, letting out a soft
cough.
"I didn't ask Tess… ah… the princess this, but I am curious as to how slave
traders even got their hands on a princess of this kingdom," I said. I had
almost called Tessia by her nickname, but I didn't think something as
informal as 'Tess' would sit right with the people present.
At this, the king almost looked embarrassed. Finally he said, "My wife and I
had a bit of a disagreement with Tessia, and she decided to rebel by running
away. We had decided to let her cool off a bit before fetching her back—we
know where she usually stays when she pouts—but unfortunately, she ran
into these huma... slave traders first."
Ah… a runaway princess. I sneaked Tess a small grin. She responded by
sticking out her tongue, face flushed.
I glossed over the details of my fight with the slave traders, saying only,
"Luckily, I caught the slave traders by surprise. I managed to dispose of
them, then untied the princess and escorted her here."
The king's father, seated across from Tessia, leaned
back in his chair so only
two of the legs were touching the ground before chiming in. "So… you, a
four-year-old, managed to 'luckily' kill off four adults—including an
augmenter, at that—and now you simply wave it off like it's no big deal."
"Yes. Two of them were asleep and the other two were simply not very alert,
so disposing of them was not too challenging," I shot back.
The elder gave no response other than a lazy shrug of his shoulder.
After recounting the events, I cleared my throat before making the request I
had come here for. "As I have mentioned, it has been almost four months
since I have seen my parents. I do not plan to intrude on your hospitality for
long, as I wish to rejoin them quickly. I was wondering if you might have a
teleportation gate that could take me to the city of Xyrus, or anywhere in
Sapin.""You're going to leave already, Art?" Tessia shot up from her seat, face
stricken with panic.
Her mother and father exchanged baffled glances, each mouthing 'Art?'
The elder just gave a smug grin and chuckled, rocking on his chair.
"I don't think it would be appropriate for a human such as myself to stay in
your kingdom for too long, Princess," I answered. "Besides, I wish to be sure
that my family is safe, and to tell them I'm okay as well." I gave her a
sheepish smile.
The king responded before Tessia could speak. "It has been almost a hundred
years since the last human set foot into the kingdom of Elenoir—and you,
Arthur, are the first human to ever visit our capital, the city of Zestier.
However, your actions in saving our daughter and taking the trouble to
accompany her all the way back to us do entitle you to a proper reward."
I took a quick peek at Tessia. Her head was down, her gunmetal grey hair
covering her face.
"Unfortunately," the king continued, "the teleportation gate linked with the
kingdom of Sapin opens only once every seven years, for the Summit
Conference between the three races. The last Summit was two years ago. It
will be five more years until the gate opens again."
I couldn't hold back my deep sigh of disappointment.
"However, we will be quite pleased to send a group of guards to escort you
back home. You are correct that it may not be wise for you to stay in our
kingdom for long. While some are tolerant, many hold animosity toward
humans because of the atrocities committed by members of your race during
the war long ago." His jaw tightened as he spoke.
I nodded in agreement. At least I'd be able to safely go back home.
"For now, please make yourself at home here. We will have your escort
prepared by tomorrow morning. I do advise you not to wander around outside
in the city, however, for the reasons mentioned earlier."
The king snapped his fingers, and an elderly elf woman in a tan maid's uniform rushed over to lead me to my room.
The room I was led to was large, but furnished with elegant simplicity. The
only furniture was a couch, tea table, bed, and dresser, but each piece was
solid wood, and appeared to have been handmade by seasoned craftsmen. As
soon as the maid left, I closed the door behind me, stripped, and went straight
for the bathroom. The shower was a pleasant surprise—a simple waterfall
that seemed to flow naturally from the ceiling and drain back out through the
floor. The constant flow of water, which didn't seem to ever turn off, was a
surprisingly pleasant temperature, just warm enough to relax my muscles.
After bathing, I changed into shorts and a silky robe that came down to my
waist. I put the stone Sylvia had left me into the chest pocket of my robe and,
once again, tried to study my mana core.
After thirty minutes of making only minimal progress, I heard a knock on my
door.
"Coming!"
Opening the door, I was greeted by a pouting Tessia, who threw a light punch
at my chest.
"You dummy! Why did you act so unfriendly with my family back there?"
she harrumphed, slipping past me to sit on my bed.
"Well, first of all, you didn't mention that you happened to be the princess of
this entire kingdom!" Shaking my head, I gripped Tessia's hand and pulled
her out of my room. Kids or not, I didn't think her parents were going to like
her being alone with a boy in his room.
"Come on, show me around the castle! I won't get the chance to visit this
place again." I regretted the words as soon as I said them.
I heard a slight sniffle, then Tessia broke down in tears, trying to talk though
her sobs. "Art! I don't want you to leave." It was hard to make out her words
through the crying. "You're the first person I've ever gotten close to…"
She clutched at my arm; I gently patted her head while she rubbed her eyes
with her free hand.We continued walking in silence, except for Tess's soft sniffles, until we
made it outside to the courtyard at the back of the castle. The floating orbs
gave off a dim, luminescent glow, giving the well-kept garden a gentle
atmosphere.
I couldn't help but imagine how differently this scene might have played out
if we had been ten years older.
Before I even had the chance to finish my thought, a blatantly clear killing
intent bombarded my senses. In almost the same instant, a faint glimmer
revealed the position of a projectile aimed at Tessia. I pushed the still-crying
princess out of the way and prepared to parry the projectile with a mana-
infused hand.
A figure in black was behind me, his right arm in attack
stance. Grabbing the
projectile, I immediately spun to block the assassin with whatever had been
thrown at me. To my surprise, I was face to face with Tessia's grandfather.
I jumped back out of range, then shouted angrily, "What the hell! Why are
you trying to kill us?"
"Child," he chuckled, "it might hurt a little, but I doubt that toy you're
holding could kill anyone."
I looked down at my hand to see a pencil-sized projectile, both ends blunted
and coated in a layer of something similar to rubber.
I'd been tricked!
"Nice reaction, nice reaction! I didn't think you'd catch my little present and
use it to block my next attack—truly marvelous. However, your usage of
mana was mediocre at best."
He proceeded to throw me a wooden sword fit for my size, and took out a
wooden sword of his own, just a bit bigger.
"Here I come!" Without giving me time to assume a defensive stance or even
the option to accept his impromptu training, he dashed toward me.
This crazy old bat!
I lowered my stance and, instead of being defensive, I launched myself at himas well, accelerating to throw off the timing of his swing. Aiming for his
fingers where they gripped the sword, I swung upward, reinforcing my entire
body.
My sword should have made contact with his hand, but I was met with only
air as he disappeared from my sight.
Whipping my head back, I spotted him a few yards away.
"You're a scary little boy, aren't you? Looks like I'll have to be a bit more
serious," the old man said with a smirk.
He was even faster this time. Though my previous life had been one of only
training and battles, I was barely able to keep him in my sight—and even so,
being able to see him and being able to respond to his attacks were two
different things.
I felt like a sandbag, and I could only curse at my own body. I was able to
block one of his moves for every three blows he landed.
Technique be damned, this old man was dominating me through sheer speed.
I was able to somewhat keep up only by using sword techniques and
footwork to minimize my movement—and because of the fact that I was such
a small target.
After a few minutes of being treated like a wooden training post, I began
noticing patterns in Virion's attacks.
When he flashed behind me, preparing to do a horizontal sweep of my legs, I
put all my strength into my legs and leaped backward, my sword tucked into
my armpit and pointing at his head.
My blow landed with a solid thud, and the old elf stumbled a little before
regaining his balance.
"I guess I deserved that one!" he laughed, rubbing his forehead.
Tessia had been watching throughout all this—she'd been surprised at first,
but after realizing it was just a spar, she relaxed. Now she took the
opportunity to jump up and stomp toward the elder.
"Grandpa! You hurt Art too much. You should've gone easier on him," she scolded, pinching the elder's side.
"Ah! That hurts, little one," he said, but he was laughing as he lifted his
granddaughter into his arms. "I'm afraid if I went easier on Arthur, the little
brat would be the one bullying me," he told her gently.
Then he flashed in front of me and placed his right palm against my sternum.
"Just as I thought," he said. "Your body is in a dangerous state."
I stared blankly at him. With my constant use of mana rotation and
meditation, my body should have been much healthier than even the most
robust four-year-old's.
Noticing my doubtful gaze, Virion pressed his palm on my sternum at a
certain angle, triggering a familiar searing pain.
"Your mana manipulation is good for a beginner, especially considering your
age, and your sword techniques and fighting experience are frightening
enough to make me wonder what sort of life you must have led to have
learned all this." His eyes narrowed. "But you failed to mention one critical
thing in your story earlier."
I could feel my heartbeat beginning to accelerate. Could he have found out
about Sylvia?
"I've decided. Arthur, become my disciple!" He nodded decisively, throwing
me entirely off guard.