"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~Laaaaa…"
"!"
Instinctively, I drew my katana.
I lost my composure for a moment, I heard the same singing once in that vision—but this one was different.
It wasn't vivid and blurry like the one in my vision, instead, it was clear—way too clear.
"This sounds like a female vocal." Anna next to me said.
'Is this a vision too?' I wondered.
I scanned the city around me.
No… This didn't seem like a vision.
As I adjusted my eyes, I took in the vast underground city stretching before us. It wasn't particularly large.
Small houses built like treehouses, clung to the trees, wooden bridges and rope ladders connecting different levels of houses. Some homes were modest nested between thick roots of trees, while others rested high above the branch.
The streets were paved with smooth blocks of stones. Greenery thrived everywhere, vines wrapped around wooden beams, glowing white flowers lined the pathways, and patches of grass sprouted between the stones.
The air was thick with a faint scent of lavender and fresh leaves.
Everything about this place felt… magical.
"What is that?" Aria pointed above. "Look."
We followed her gaze.
Above us, a huge chunk of crystal glowing with an intense golden-orange light from what seemed like a ceiling. It wasn't the sun, yet it somehow mimicked the daylight, illuminating the whole city with its golden hue.
Despite the beauty, there remains an eerie stillness.
We gulped, mesmerized by the view.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~Laaaaa…"
"That song again," Anna muttered, gripping the hilt of her sword.
"It's coming from over there." Julius pointed towards the area shrouded in thick white mist.
I noticed it too— the area there's has a immense amount of Elemental concentrated in one point.
'A living being?'
Most likely, the song was coming from there.
'If you ask me, that song is a warning.'
It's a dangerous place.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~Laaaaa…"
"Lets leave this place—"
"A-Ah! Z-Zane… the entrance." Aria's voice cut me off, her fingers trembled with uneasiness.
We all turned around.
"!"
"!"
"!"
The entrance—the stairs—were gone.
Vanished.
As if they had never existed.
Despair.
"No…this can't be…" Julius's voice broke.
"…" Anna simply stared, unblinking.
"M-Mother… save me" Aria's voice wavered, her eyes brimming with tears.
As if losing all hopes, Anna, Aria and Julius thumped to the ground, their breathings heavy, almost reaching my ears.
'Fuck!! Not good!' I cursed inwardly.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~Laaaaa…"
The music intensified, continued coming from the front.
My thoughts raced.
I read everyone's expression.
Their face drained of all colors, eyes widen, and unblinking. Lips trembling, sweat clung to the skin mixing with their tears that streak down their cheeks.
They simply stood their, unlaced, staring at space where once was an entrance.
They were frozen in fear.
They had already given up.
Their reactions were reasonable.
We only had one option left—to move forward. But in a demon continent, in an unknown city… this was no different from walking to our deaths.
When you have to choose from the only option you have— you wouldn't call it a choice. Would you?
Sighhhhhh…. A long sigh escaped my mouth.
Their condition were worse.
'I have no choice left.'
Action speaks louder than words.
I released around ten percent of my Essence.
BOOOOMMMM!!!
"!"
All eyes snapped to me.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~LaaaLaa."
The song continued.
Flames erupted around me, turning from intense red to a deep, unnatural blue, radiating heat, this area being rich with Fire Essence, amplified my powers.
I activated Ice Essence in parallel, creating an ice platform below -300 degree Celsius beneath my boots. Slowly lifting myself high above the ground.
In theory, ice below absolute zero which is -273.15 degree Celsius wouldn't melt rapidly.
I precisely controlled the environment around me.
"Wha—!" Everyone's eyes widen, including Anna.
Looking down from above, smiling, I said with a cold deep voice.
"Don't lose hope. As long as I'm breathing, nothing will happen to you three."
My gaze now shifted to the mist zone from where the song was coming.
Taking advantage of the height, my perspective caught a blurry figure sat in the depth of the mist.
'Someone's definitely there.'
But, why didn't my [Elemental Sense] caught it?
And… What even is this place?
It's still a mystery to me.
"Guess, I have to ask that person directly." I muttered.
Gripping the hilt of my katana, I slightly bend my knees, adjusting the angle—I dashed into the mist, leaving the ice below my boots shattered into pieces.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~LaaaLaa!"
The vocals intensified, with each moment I grew closer and closer to the figure inside the mist.
BAAAM!
I landed in the mist, the solid stones beneath my feet shattered.
The impact created a force that washed away almost all the mist surrounding that figure.
Holding the katana tightly, I squinted my eyes.
The outline of the figure became clear.
Bathed in the soft yellow glow of the light, she lays in a sidewise position, a vision of haunting beauty. Her skin was white, smooth, and untouched, as if kissed by the moon itself. The silken strands of her white hair cascaded around her framing her delicate face.
Pointed ears peaked through her hair. Her long slender fingers gracefully rested on the exposed curves of her waist.
And her lips— glossy and pink, like a newly bloomed rose petals, moving with a swift motion as she sung the melody.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laaaa… ~LaaaLaa!"
I was awestruck.
"…"
Blankly staring at her, I concluded one thing— She wasn't a human.
Pointy ears.
All the monsters and demons I read about, doesn't have this feature.
I never heard or read about this species.
"~Laaaaa… Laaaa ~Laa—"
She stopped singing, her eyes slowly opened, a pair of emerald pupils landed onto me. A sweet smile surfaced her face.
Her voice, sweet and seducing entered my ears. "Hello there."
"…"
I went silent.
Blinking her eyes she said again, "Hmm? Hello there, Human."
"…Who are you?" I questioned.
"Is this how you humans greet others?" Her voice carried a melody with each sentence she spoke.
"…Did you trap us?" I asked, my voice serious.
"Oh my, such a rude human." She smiled. "And no, we didn't trap you."
She continued.
"We are trapped our selves. How could we possibly trap you?"
'What is she saying?'
Trapped?
And who are 'We'?
"Hehehe," placing her fingers on her lips, she giggled. "You seemed confused. Alright I will answer your questions."
All my senses are on high alert, from one glance I understood, the person laying before me—
'She is powerful.'
I wouldn't be surprised, if she would turn out to be more powerful than me.
She said with a sweet tone.
"We are trapped here by a demon…"
'A demon?'
"We don't know how to escape this place…"
She continued.
"We were living here for over two thousands years…"
'…what is she saying?'
I didn't make any sense.
"We met you people her today, it was our first time meeting a human, we were happy to see you."
'Who the hell is 'We'?'
Without holding my self I asked. "Who are 'We'? Are there more of you?"
She tilted her head, as if saying 'What is this puny little human spouting?'
She pointed her finger to her face and said, "We are we."
'Is she high!?'
What is she smokin—
"We are elves."
"Elves?" I asked, tilting my head.
Elves.
What are those?
"Hehehe…" She giggled again. "Don't worry, you humans are new. We're simply a species known as 'Elves,' and I am Seraphine Ellion, the Queen of the Elves"
"Queen?"
The more she speaks, the more confused I got.
I have read more than hundreds of books, and none of them carried a species name called 'Elf'.
Is this a new species?
Then, I remembered something.
Looking at her, I asked, "What is that song you were singing?"
"Hmm? Have to heard that song before?" She asked, squinting her eyes.
'Maybe, she knows something about it—that song, that vision, my skills." I thought.
Without hiding anything, I answered, "Yeah, in one of my dreams."
The moment I said those words, I noticed her expression changed for a bit, her usual smile faded for a split second before she corrected it.
"What dream?" Still smiling she asked, but from her tone alone I concluded, she seemed serious.
"Well… not a dream, it was actually a vision," carefully I placed my words.
Suddenly, the air around me turned cold.
Ice formed beneath my boots, locking me in place.
It was her Essence.
Resonating through the surrounding air, she activated her Ice Essence, creating a solid block of ice under my feet.
'So she has Ice Elemental…!'
If I use Fire Essence, I can defeat her.
Whoooosh!
I activated my Fire Essence. A large tornado of blue flames loomed around her.
'Just a bit more—'
Splash! Whoooosh!
"What!? How—" I exclaimed.
But before I could do anything, a large blob of water dropped onto the tornado.
It took a second to process what had just happened…
"What?" The Elf Queen asked. "Did you really assume I could use only one element?"
"Impossible! You—how can you use—"
The Elf cut me off.
"Use what? Multi-Elemental? Isn't that… basic?"
Is she serious?
In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of me, just a nose's distance away. Her lavender scent reached my nose.
Then she asked,
"Did you hear any kind of voice in your head?"
"…"
She continued.
"Were you granted any Authority?"
End of Chapter.
[A/N]: Give PS or GT. (I'm shameless!)