The Abyss of One’s Mind

“Oh and yes, you wouldn’t happen to know what the current year is?” Xivan asked with a slight smile as he looked at Jenny.

“…” She just stands there looking at him while thinking if she should tell him or not, but she answered: ”The year is 25,400, and it's the start of the harvest season.”

So they use the Elven years, he thought.

“Year 25,400…” Xivan said as it rolled off his newly versed tongue; he frowned, but after a couple of seconds he looks towards Azyna.

I’m truly sorry, but I can’t take care of someone like you again...it seems, Xivan thought with a hint of sadness.

He turned back to look at Jenny.

“I wish you luck,” Xivan said and began to walk towards the opened double doors.

When he got past the doors he noticed the guardians that he had set to guard his chamber.

They had crumbled to pieces. One lay inside a very small crater, the statue’s weapon and shield is the only thing that’s recognizable. The other one lay crumpled in a pile of its own mutilated body. Xivan knew how powerful one was, but two…

They know how to handle themselves at least, Xivan thought as he gave a slight chuckle.

But where are the others? He thought, someone must have removed them or...used them?

When he had finished looking around, he took his first step onto the white marbled stairs. He started to ascend into the faraway light.

As they saw Xivan slowly vanish up the dark corridor that's leading up to the white marbled stairs, Jenny and the others gave out a big sigh of relief.

“He...he left,” Diana said, she felt slightly less frightened. She sat down on the white floor, feeling exhausted, and tired for some reason, or was it just that all of this adventuring got her flustered?

Azyna lay there unconscious; Jenny looked at her, and then went to her backpack that she surprisingly had left alone. The backpack has a bundle of rope that’s tied to the side of it.

When she’s got the rope she walks towards Azyna, having her backpack on her back. She just looked at her with a sad expression.

Then said in an apologetic voice, “I’m sorry, but we can’t take any risks… I’m sorry.”

As she said it, she started to bind Azyna’s hands, and covered her mouth. She now lay there bound up; hands behind her back, and rope covering her mouth.

Everyone looked at Azyna, but Jack asked, “Well what now?”

“What now... Yes what now brother,” Jenny responded with an emotionless voice.

“This whole journey has been a disaster and Azyna...” Jenny said as she looked at Azyna that’s bound with the ropes, then looked at her brother and gave a sad look.

“You spent a lot of gold for this journey, but only for it to be wasted like this,” Jack said as he gave out a deep sigh while shaking his head.

When Jenny went on this journey, she had brought with her very valuable jewelry that she had gotten over the years, and some were even stolen from her mother before she had left the household.

And when she sold them she got quite a lot of gold from those jewelers, though it was quite hard to even find a buyer.

But she found one by the harbor. The buyer was very eager to buy the jewelry from her for a very hefty sum of gold, he didn’t even try to bargain to buy them for a cheaper price. The man was covered in black clothes from head to toe, not showing his face.

He was suspicious, but she just gladly took those gold coins from him.

Jack had just stood there right next to her with arms crossed, and shield n sword on his back, looming; watching the black-clad man, to see if he tried to trick her.

But no trickster was that black-clad man.

The expenses went towards getting a ship, two bodyguard, and hiring someone who knew about excavating.

She found the two dwarves, and they wanted a lot for their services, but she had the expenses to pay them, so they came along as one bodyguard and one digging guide.

And of course they needed an extra pair of hands too, they had searched many inns and taverns, but none was willing to join.

They then found Aynthia who was looking for voyage to the Elven continent.

They had scanned Aynthia with their eyes. She had those dual longswords on her back, and that black-leather armor with a dark-yellowed carapace shoulder-pad.

She had come up to them and asked if they were going to the Elven Continent, all nonchalantly. Because they had paid for a fast ship that would take them there.

Aynthia had gotten the information when she saw them trying to recruit people, but they were unsuccessful. She followed them for quite a while—in stealth. They were in a harbor city, not the largest in the Human Continent, but it was a good enough of a harbor to get a good, and fast ship to take them to the Elven Continent.

Aynthia saw the two blond Humans talking to the ship captain, and as they were just about to set out on the long weeks on the ocean, she went up to them.

She explained that she had heard them looking for someone who can help in carrying supplies, and equipment; they also had to be a skilled fighter. She told them that she’s a dualist, and that she has never lost a fight ever since she left her home.

Both Jack and Jenny got amused when she had said: “Never lost a fight.” Jack got a little excited so he wanted to test her in a duel, to make sure that she wasn’t just talking nonsense; she then got hired there on the spot.

Everyone got surprised by Jack’s sudden defeat. He too was surprised, fighting against her was the fastest defeat he had ever suffered...

She manage to do a quick spinning whirlwind that caught him off guard, her first longsword hit his shield—which was on his right arm. She hit it with such might that he lost balance and stumbled backwards; her other longsword came right after, and parried his desperately raised sword; he fell, and just as he landed on the ground he had two longswords at his throat—ready for head decapitation.

He had lost…

Jenny looked at the bound Azyna.

“We still don’t know what’ll happen to her, but we’ll see what happens after she wakes up. I hope what he said about the bounding spell isn’t true.” Jenny said with a worried look.

Jack did a facepalm: "We shouldn't have just let him go that easily. He’s the most knowledgeable about this bounding spell… But...let us hope that he was just talking air."

"...You're right..." Jenny said as she realized their mistake.

Why did she let him leave...he could have helped her save her dear friend. Maybe she could catch up to him if she ran fast enough, but no, she didn’t want his help, she didn’t like him at all.

She must find another way.

Jack lets out a sigh: “Well, if we keep her tied up she won't cause much trouble.”

“Yes…” Jenny replied weakly.

Jack just looked at his sister whose feeling very troubled, but he had to come out with this information that he has been saving up. So he said it:

“Little sister, the three of you ran away from home, and you ran away from an arranged marriage between the second strongest family in the Temrals’. It’s most likely that you have been branded as a traitor. People have been called a traitor for far less… And you know mother…”

He sighed, “So I’ll give you enough expenses to keep you on your feet for a couple of years. But for me… It’s far more complicated, and you know why dear sister.”

“Yes…” Jenny kept on replying.

The news of our disappearances must have reached every relative of ours now. They’ll probably make someone else marry that fat son of a pig of the second family. Jack thought.

“I’ll stick with you until Azyna is safe, maybe it’s better to take her to her father. But don’t worry when—*Cough* When the family has appointed a new successor, hopefully you’ll be able to return home...hopefully,” Jack said.

Brother...I’ll never return home, Jenny said in her thoughts, not having the courage to say it out loud.

"*Ehem* Well there, I’m sorry to burst your bro’ sis’ moment, but you’ll have to break the spell without our help. And you're talking about other things, that too doesn’t concern us,” Thren said as he held his left hand on Rulma's shoulder, “You just hired me and my stone maiden for this expedition, and as this has gotten way out of hand, me and my honey p—*Argh*. I, I mean my sweet Rulma and I, will take our leave soon and return home.”

“I see... Yes I couldn’t ask more from you, and as you said, you’re just a pair of hired hands,” Jenny said with a disappointed voice.

As Jenny said it, both of them got a sad expression.

“And what about you Diana?” Jenny asked her friend.

“I’ll help of course! I’ve known her for as long as you have, we grew up together, how could I not!” Diana shouted with a startled face, but then grew scared, “And...I don’t know what will happen to me if I were to return home.”

“I’m sorry… It was a stupid question, of course you would help.” Jenny said with a forced smile.

“Don’t worry Diana, after we have taken care of Azyna I’ll put in a word that you got...forced to come along on this journey. That will sound believable enough, if it comes from me,” Jack said.

“Tha-Thank you,” Diana replied with a blushing smile, but then looked around, “Wait where’s Aynthia?”

As he’s standing there looking up towards the massive hole above the white marbled staircase, Xivan started to levitate. He slowly began to ascend upwards, and as he reached the hole he put in a little more effort into the levitation; he shot out of the hole, and now he’s there in the air above overlooking the wilderness of vast sun-blocking trees.

What he felt was life, Xivan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to smell the evening air, his face became…so relaxed.

But as he opened his eyes, he got a sad facial expression when he remembered.

“Around four thousand years,” Xivan said while he gave a frowning sigh. He looked around the vast forest and saw the ruins that’s covered by the nature’s ever growing hands.

"Galanimel," Xivan said in Elvish; the nostalgia and sadness of looking upon this ruined place hurt his awakened heart.

Everything gone, everyone he knew was gone. This once great Elven Capital now lay here in ruins; forgotten by time.

He then looked towards something that’s below.

He landed by the camp that was set up by the group, and started to look around to see if he could find anything useful. He happened to come upon a map that's lying there by a bedroll, he picked it up and looked over it, and he noticed that many things have changed.

Surprisingly enough, no cities were named from any Elven cities.

Xivan got mixed feelings, but as he saw one name that hasn’t changed; in the middle of the map is the name Galanimel. He felt a warm feeling inside him as he had just said the name himself.

A curve of a smile came forth, he started to inspect the map closer. He just stands there while holding onto the map.

“I should find out what happened to my brothers and sisters... But that can come later,” he sighed, “Around 4,000 years, a lot must have changed. It doesn’t seem that there are any cities that’s close by. Hmm... That one looks good enough; a harbor city, I can get information from there.”

He just talked to himself as if it’s normal for him. He would usually do that when nobody's around to watch him. To say his own monologues to keep himself from getting bored...

“East,” Xivan said with a clear voice.

As the Elven Capital was in the middle of the continent, he decided to move east; to a harbor city which is named: Wantur City. It’s stationed by a huge cove, the ideal place to have a harbor city.

The knowledge he got from the hybrid was...rather good, her vocabulary was immense.

“She was a viable source of information,” Xivan said with a slight chuckle, but then got a troubled face when he remembered what had happened to her.

She’ll never live a normal life; he left her there in that chamber, because he knew what’ll happen to her.

Once someone had awakened him by using the blood ritual without anyone’s permission.

He laid there in the sarcophagus; he had been sleeping for ten years, but then he got awakened by a beautiful Elven woman, but she didn’t know what the consequences held by opening it with her own blood. There were no warnings like those carved takes that’re on the sides of the sarcophagus now, but those warnings weren’t clear enough even now.

When he had awoken and seen the Elven woman there in front of him, she was happy, but he stared at her with a face of terror.

The sarcophagus only held for a hundred years, and then it would open automatically. The sarcophagus itself is made of the hardest, heaviest rock there’s, and it got magical runes that set certain conditions; such as the hundred year automatic opening for one.

As he got up from the sarcophagus, he willed himself to stand. Then he yelled at the Elven woman, telling her why she would do something so foolish. She just replied confused saying that she missed him, and didn’t want to wait another 90 years for him to awaken.

She had sneaked down to the Chamber of Whiteness, avoiding anyone who could stop her. She had never been down there before, and didn’t know what the secrets of the sarcophagus were.

She had opened the magical emerald door with ease, after pouring in some of her magic pool into it.

Twenty statues stood there beside the door, ten on both sides. They awoke, but they didn’t attack her, they just stood there doing nothing. They just looked at her with their forty glowing emerald eyes.

She knew that they wouldn’t attack her because she had the exact same statues at her home of whiteness.

She knew that the sarcophagus could be opened by blood, which would cancel the hundred year cycle of sleep. Though that was the only thing she knew about it.

She was doomed the moment she gave her blood, and so The Emerald High Priestess came into existence...

Why he went to sleep in the first place was because he had to gain control over his magical energy. His magic and energy can be very unstable; he had to keep it under constant control, and that took a lot from him.

There’s a draining method to drain the magical energy from him, and that’s the sarcophagus, it eats it up, like some kind of hungry monster that wants endless flesh to chew on.

It’s made for his use only when he can’t control his energy, his magic...

Magic…

Elves, Half-Elves, and certain creatures has a pool of magic that fills, and drains.

Over the eons of years, the Elves had mastered their way of using magic, but it needed training. Some Elves never even became powerful in their magical abilities, because they hadn’t the talent for it. But even though some weren’t talented, the Elves still reigned supreme.

Magical elements that you could control: Fire, water, ice, earth, air, lightning, darkness, light, and many others; if one would only just peek under a rock. In those elements there are many different combinations of spells one could combine. To find those elements one needed the knowledge to summon them to their will, which was hard, but at the same time not.

You could try for an eternity and still not gain that certain magic element.

All the magical pools got different sizes, you could easily bring forth fire if you had a huge magic pool, but if you have small pool you may never even get the chance to summon anything.

Magic is unfair, some couldn’t use it, some could use it; some were talented, some weren’t talented; some had huge magic pools, some didn’t.

When you can summon the element you wanted then it’s mostly about thinking, and visualizing the element you wanted. If you wanted fire you needed to think fire… If you wanted water you needed to think water. Concentration is a must, if you didn’t concentrate on the element you wanted to control, it could run amok, and damage the magic-user.

One could also use their pure magical energy that you could summon forth at will. It’s an energy that’s second nature to those who can use magic. Like breathing.

But it doesn’t do much for some.

The magical energy had the same function as the magic pool, some have large sized pools, and some don’t. The energy is the aura, the air, the ambience that escapes out from one's body, if one had a large enough energy pool it could be dangerous, as Xivan has.

The energy is a terrifying weapon if used correctly, one could make someone do something they wouldn’t normally do, and that’s something no one should possess; the ability to control a person, make them slaves to one’s energy.

Unfortunately Xivan is one of those persons who can use those abilities, but he desperately tries to contain it, so it doesn’t seep out of him and takes a hold of someone.

There are certain people who’re more immune to the magical energy’s influence, as the energy is mostly about controlling one’s psyche, one’s mind. Those who’re more immune to the energy would just feel weird, slight drowsiness, and frightened.

Incantations...

There’re certain incantations that could help one concentrate on bringing forth a certain magic element. If one wanted fire, then you needed to say an incantation about fire.

The Elves has their language, and the Elven incantations are the most powerful… It must be some kind of force that wills the elementals to those Elven words, those chants.

That’s why the Half-Elves use Elven incantations, and not some new weird incantation. The Elven incantations, invocations, and chants where the most powerful; because the elements knows those words as it has existed for many, many more millennials than the Half-Elves.

The known races hasn’t made any major advancements from their medieval state. Their brightest only studied magic, in turn that slowed down any progress that the races made over the countless years. They have only lived in their medieval world, but many have branched out seeking new means other than magic.

Runes…

Runes are texts that one uses to bring forth certain conditions; a means to control the very words, to bring forth damaging spells or bring forth helpful spells. Runes is the easiest way to control magic, one needed only to write a certain rune, and then empower it with one’s magical pool or energy pool.

There are different kinds of combinations like regular magic. And to write out runes you use your pools to write out the letters, one only needed to focus on one’s fingertip and write. It’s like a brush, but it leaves a trace of energy that stays there for eternity, never disappearing, never gets removed.

But a rune without magical flow is just a normal text.

The Elven runes are also like the incantations; the elements just bounds themselves into the rune and creates the purpose of the designated rune.

High-grade runes are very hard to do, one needed time to write out a big number of lettered runes, favorably in a circle to connect them all. And on the circled rune, more runes are written upon it to expand the use of the conditions. But one needed an immense magical pool to power it; many people at the same time, or just one all-powerful being.

Magic…

Magic has limits of what it could do…as everything has. One couldn’t use magic to create something that the elements couldn’t create, but… If one had the right materials, the right components, the right ingredients, then one could make the elements create it with magic.

Everything that’s elemental can come from nowhere, but things that’re made from the bare hands; through constructions, through technology, can’t be conjured up from nowhere.

Limits there are.

Limits are there for a reason to stop the imbalanced force, to become balanced.

Xivan is from the imbalanced force, he can’t be balanced, though he has limits too. A weakness, but not a weakness one would think, he needs to release his energy, his endless pool of magical energy, but to do that...that would take a lot of destruction if he didn’t have his sarcophagus.

To achieve the things the sarcophagus gives him; he has to release everything at the same time.

Over the countless years, he has been able to control his energy even in his sleep, but… If that energy were to suddenly release.... A shock so terrifying would come forth, a force that would shoot out into the air and into the soil, destroying the very ground he walks upon.

Releasing...the darkness upon the world that eats...eats...and eats away at the elements, the magic…the energy of the world.

Control is necessary, control is everything. If he loses that control...again...

*Sigh*

He put down the map, and looks through the camp once more, and what he found is a black-hooded cloak that lay beside another bedroll, by a plate helmet.

“This can be useful I guess… I think I will just take it.” Xivan said as he became a thief. He picked it up and whooshed it on his shoulders. He tied the black strings in a neat way, and then started to move east.

Xivan is at the moment wearing no shoes; he have dark brown pants, and a tight black shirt that brought forth the splendid muscles from his upper and lower body. They’re rather plain clothes, but he didn’t mind it at all; at least he didn’t have to be buck naked.

The cloak fluttered gloriously in the forest breeze as he made his way eastward.

Xivan is currently levitating a couple of centimeters above the grassy ground. He didn’t move fast, he moved very slow… But you could see as he floated, that it made some kind of pressure on the ground, because as he moves the grass gets trampled, and as he moves away the grass returns to its normal shape.

If Xivan could enjoy something he would usually take time to enjoy it, as he has all the time in the world, now that everything is...gone. Would he get back his brothers and sisters if he went faster? No...he wouldn’t.

He took in his surroundings; he has missed the smell of the woods, the sound of birds that soared through the high trees, and the sound of faint footsteps coming from behind him.

He gave a slight frown as the footsteps interrupted his adornment of his long lost Forest of Galanimel.

As he kept on floating forward, he suddenly landed on the ground; feeling the grass under his bare feet.

He made a big sigh and said: “You sure are persistent.”

Just as he said it, the footsteps could be heard coming closer and closer, not even trying to hide its sneaky footsteps anymore.

”Any real reason you’re following me, feline?” Xivan said wonderingly.

Aynthia came and stood beside him, and then took a few more steps; she growled at him as she moved.

She now stood two meters in front of him, staring with her slit amber eyes. She held her two longswords in the open, not trying to hide them.

She’s having such a grim—terrifying—expression at this moment. Four fangs could be seen from her slightly opened growling mouth.

So she’s still angry about me using my powers to make her fly... Well I did use a little too much power. Xivan thought as he raised his shorter left eyebrow wonderingly.

They just stood there for a minute, making no sudden movements.

Aynthia gave out a ”Tch” as she turned to her right side as if she’s going to leave.

She breathed in deeply and made a quick whirlwind strike, which made her spin to the right side with both of her longswords; they came slashing from her left side with all her might and speed.

Xivan just got a surprised face and did a quick backward dodge, but he stumbled instead as he still haven’t adjusted to his newly awakened body.

He just let out a *Oh* as he stumbled. Aynthia took her opportunity to attack relentlessly as he stumbled, but before her swords reached him, he jumped backwards a whopping five meters.

“Stop this foolishness!” Xivan yelled out to the berserker girl as he landed on the grass, but she didn’t listen to one word. She just looked enraged, so enraged, and desperate.

She sprinted towards him with such speed that the ground itself shot up dirt as her clawed feet ripped it open.

He just lets out a sigh.

So you won’t stop, Xivan thought, then an upward curve displayed on his mouth, then lets see how good you are, feline.

Right when she came upon him she lets out a “Raaah!” as she puts all of her strength and speed into her incoming strikes.

Both her dual longswords slashed, strikes, and did whirlwind attacks; she did zigzag movements as she assaulted him with a barrage of attacks; left, right, jump, slide, flurry of double thrusts, but nothing reached him.

She did her flurries of strikes, but she began to do random desperate attacks as if she has forgotten all of her hard training.

She did kicking moves as if to reach him when the longswords didn’t get to their goals, to tear him with her claws.

Aynthia just kept on attacking desperately, while he just kept on dodging with ease.

He has adjusted to his awakened body, and now he’s dodging as if the air currents are helping him. He would tilt to one side, but then moved to another. That threw her into a disarray.

She finally yelled out furiously: “STAND STILL!!”

But as she heard herself she got even more pissed off now that she said the words out loud. She increased her prowess even further, her dual longswords and movements became faster.

Xivan just kept on dodging, but he raised his left eyebrow in surprise and thought:

So this is how the beast race is, very fascinating indeed.

They kept on dancing their tune with one another, she managed to cut emerald strings of hair, but Xivan just gave a slight chuckle.

Aynthia then came roaring with her fangs completely visible, but she gasped as she got surprised when Xivan came at her instead with such speed. He didn’t run like she did, he flew instead, and as he came flying, he has his emerald eyes fixated upon hers, she couldn’t do anything…

He came too...fast.

She couldn’t even react, it’s as if she’s moving in slow motion, and he’s moving in normal speed; her eyes became wide as he came upon her.

He quickly grabbed both of her wrists and twisted them, hard.

When he twisted them she tried to fight strength against strength, but her face grimaced as she couldn’t meet his strength. A cry of pain...his grip around her wrists tightened even harder, she started to lose her hold around the hilts of her longswords, as her hands began to give out.

*Thud* the longswords fell to the grassy ground.

She just stared into his emerald eyes…she felt fear for her own life; she fell to her knees as he held her wrists.

Xivan released his hands from her, but as he released his right hand went towards her throat.

Aynthia that's still in a scared daze from when he had let go of her wrists noticed a hand around her throat; her eyes became wide.

He lifted her up so her feet couldn't reach the ground. He squeezed, and she dangled with her legs.

“Sto—*Cough*—lease,” She pleaded.

He then threw her back five meters as if she didn’t weigh anything.

She landed on the ground neatly as she spun her body to balance herself. She quickly grabbed her throat as she gasped heavily; hands shakes from the gripping of her wrists.

“You’ve been beaten feline so you better stop with these attacks. Otherwise...you’ll leave me with no other choice,” Xivan said with a serious voice.

He then crouched down to pick up the longswords that had fallen upon the grassy ground.

“Hmm...fine pair of blades you have,” Xivan said as he inspected the swords with fascination.

He has always enjoyed to see people fight with weapons and martial arts, instead of using magic.

He had watched the priests, and priestesses train in the arts of weaponry and martial arts many times, he enjoyed to see people rise to victory through hard work. He would even help some gain a rank or two if he saw someone talented, he did it just because...he simply could.

He knew most of the high priests and priestesses, but there were many who slipped from his mind, because there were a lot of high priests and priestesses that handles all of the different sanctuaries.

Some he hadn’t even met, being a high priest or priestess does have its merit, but there were those who rose up to the highest rank that didn’t even deserve to be in that position.

Power and influence… Was all it needed. Unfair were the trials to achieve greatness. But some people were lucky enough like Xinidra, who was able to rise without much problem.

The lower ranked battle-priests would practice outside on a vast training yard, hundreds at a time. He would usually be inside the Battle-Sanctuary and watch them from afar so no unnecessary attention would come upon him.

He would be guided by the high priests he knew so he could view the spectacle of battles, he was mostly guided by a black-clad armored Elven high priest. The black-clad man had large muscles that bulged out. Hair and eyes of the darkest black, and skin color of pale gray, like the mighty himself.

He looked terrifying, but Xivan had known him for the longest time, he was the leader of the High Battle-Sanctuary, the one who controls the strongest army of the Elven Continent.

The man had such proudness to him, he stood in a stance that pushed out his chest, holding his arms behind his back; legs a little spread out, and head held high.

He only reached to Xivan’s shoulders, but the man himself is considered very big. They would usually talk about interesting things that happened in the continent, and watch the priests’ battle against each other.

There was a balcony that one could look out of, and see the training yard. It was only forty meters away so they could see the hundreds of Elven priests’ battle to their fullest.

The lower ranked priestesses he too enjoyed to watch; they fought against each other using their own techniques to fight her opponent, the women fought with much more fierceness to them, he had seen.

He would be usually guided by the sapphire women as they kept the women’s Battle-Sanctuaries in top conditions, they too liked the weaponry and martial arts, instead of magic.

But that doesn’t mean that they’re bad at magic, they’re the high priestesses of the Whiteness-Sanctuary, and that means that they’re superb in their magical abilities, though some were weaker than others.

The two sapphire women had been in the Sanctuary of Whiteness for thousands of years.

They knew him the best, and would do everything he wants with such undying loyalty. They love him, and he loves them, but he kept himself in check of his desires, and so did they.

They have had their joyous time many times before.

One of them would be picked to be his concubine, but both of them gets to be in his bed as they’re twin sisters; he couldn’t deny them.

Jealousy of course sprouted forth from having two concubines in his bed. The other high ranked priestesses of the Whiteness-Sanctuary complained, but they kept their jealousy in check, because they had seen before how deadly the sapphire twins could be...if provoked.

They once killed a high-ranked priestess in the Mansion of Whiteness, right in front of the other priestesses to show who they’re dealing with. The one that died had insulted them, and they didn’t take kindly to insults; they ganged up on her and killed her in cold blood.

The other priestesses had just watched, and not daring to jump in to stop them...her friends just watched...and they let her die, not daring to get on the bad side of those two sapphire women.

When Xivan heard the news he got so furious, they killed someone he held dear. The one who died had spent two times as his concubine, and of course he would have feelings for someone who willingly offers herself to him.

The sapphire women tried their best to get him to forgive them, but he stayed like that for many years, they had felt his pain, his anger as it seeped out of him; that feeling of his immense energy wanting to grip ahold of their throats.

He never liked to lose those around him, but...he endured.

They killed her...but nothing happened to the sapphire women, because they were a powerful force on the Elven continent, their family had rose up to become a high esteemed military family at the top, so of course nothing could topple them down from their high chairs.

Only he could, but he didn’t.

The two sapphire women even turned on themselves when they blamed each other for getting the other one into this situation.

And then over the years one of them got chosen again to be his concubine, and the twins were still fighting and blaming each other, but now the other one gets him all to herself? The joy she felt when she got chosen…but he didn’t pay any major attention to her.

He would just look upon her with painful eyes, and that ate her up from the inside.

Her twin sister had come to her to beg for her forgiveness when she got tired of all this fighting, she too wanted his embrace.

As the concubines can’t leave the room of whiteness, she had just stayed there feeling sad on her own, but when the twin sister heard the grave news about how he acted, they joined together once more to bed for his forgiveness, they wanted him to return to normal.

He had rarely gone the bedroom of whiteness, because he didn’t feel like being with the chosen at all, but when he returned, they stood there in their sapphire hair, being naked from head to toe. They looked at him with prowling sapphire eyes, ready to dig in.

His body twitched, and the sapphire women came lunging at him with eyes of determination.

They gave him no quarter; even if he tried to deny them, they would just jump on him from two sides, and drag him to the bed with all their might. They were like two predators clawing on an animal wanting it to stop running so they could start to enjoy their meal.

...A lustful night ensued, giving him no respite; they just dug their teeth into the animal, and enjoyed...enjoyed...enjoyed the taste, and smell of the large animal that they had taken down on the bed.

He held Aynthia’s dual longswords in his hands and said: “They’re indeed well-made blades, no... Longswords are the correct term, yes?”

She just looked at him with wide eyes, wondering what he’ll do with them. Is he someone that talks to people before he kills them? She got an uneasy feeling.

He started to walk towards Aynthia, and she flinched back a little bit, but he just gave a slight chuckle when he saw her acting so afraid of him.

Maybe I did go too far with the throat grip? Xivan thought.

When he came two meters in front of her, he raised his arms above his head with longswords in hand, as if he’s going to strike her down and kill her. She closed her eyes to await her fate of this defeat she had gotten...her life is in his hands.

Instead of striking down the eye-closed girl, he threw the dual longswords so they hit the ground tip first, making them get stuck to the grass.

She peeked through her tightly closed eyes when she heard the *Thud* on the ground… She saw her dual longswords in front of her, then her eyes darted up towards Xivan in a surprised movement.

He then spoke in a calm voice: “It’s your choice to make; pick them up again and attack me, or sheath them into your back scabbards.”

She just stood there…being very confused about not dying, why didn’t he kill her...why? She had thought...she was ready, if she’s not going to die here then… She looked up towards Xivan, then to the stuck longswords on the grass.

She grabbed the hilts of the swords, and drew them out of the ground. She just looked at him while she has a very troubled face, but she sighed and sheathed her longswords into her crosslike scabbards.

“That’s that then, I bid you farewell,” Xivan said as he started to walk, then began to levitate slightly above the ground, moving in that slow soaring levitation.

She just watched him leave with her slit amber eyes, but then a sudden realization struck her. She gasped and said in a defeated voice: “I lost… I…I Lost to a male. My first defeat...”

In that gigantic forest, riddled with large roots sprouting from the large trees, the sun that’s blocked out by the vast tree crowns, and there sitting on the grass is Aynthia with a void expression.

It’s as if her whole world has been destroyed.

When Aynthia was little she got trained by her mother, who looked like the spitting image of herself but older.

Aynthia had trained, trained, trained and trained, until she became a deadly weapon, which no one could defeat.

Her mother helped her with the best of her abilities. She too used dual longswords, so she trained her daughter in the arts of dual-wield. Aynthia had once asked where her father was, but her mother just got a sad expression as if she knew something.

Aynthia had just let go of those thoughts, it would just hurt her mother more if she kept on asking.

Her mother was such a strong woman, once they got beset by a Beast pack that came from an unknown tribe, but her mother single handedly defended them with her deadly dual-wielding skills.

That pack got wiped out on that rainy day. Aynthia had only watched and inspected everything her mother did, in the shadows.

She was only eight years of age at that time.

She had been trained since birth, to be like her mother.

Usually Beasts let one of the parents take care of the gender that is the same as them. That's what her mother did, so Aynthia has never known her father. Since birth they have traveled and traveled around. They lived and traveled on the Beast continent, where power, and tradition was all which mattered.

A thousand years ago to date, the Beast race had gotten tired of their peaceful nature, so they struck out and started wars between the Humans. It was a foolish war, many men, women and children died as they kept on fighting one another.

The Beast race is stronger in strength and speed, but they couldn’t avoid the sheer number of Humans and Half-Elves that came swarming at them. Even though they were stronger they got beaten back, but the war didn’t end, it kept on going for over sixty years.

The Humans and Half-Elves pushed, and the Beasts pushed. Most battles were between the two continents borders, as they lie right next to each other.

But as new men and women came over the years of war, so did the new ways of thinking.

It happened in both of the races, the new young people thought about what they were fighting for, and what the purpose of these wars was.

The history in the Human continent said that it's the Beasts fault for all this war, and that's slightly true, but the Humans could have stopped that war long ago, but they declined the Beast’s peace offerings, so the war never stopped.

The history in the Beast continent said that it was the Humans fault, and it kept on going like that, both of the races only caring that they're in the right.

After ten more years of war, both of the race's young men and women got tired of the death and destruction that their peers had caused. That led to a rebellion on both of the sides, kings and queens were killed, tribe chieftains’ were killed, all kinds of leaders were toppled down from their high seats of power.

It took only three years for the rebellion to work in both continents.

Then a new Human and Beast continent were born from the ashes of those foolish people that wanted war and more war.

In the year of 24,473, peace began to spread throughout the continents. It was a joyous occasion, but sadness and hate still ran through the races.

Under the time of war the Dwarves and the Halflings just stood at the sides and brought in benefits as they sold weapons and armor to both of the races, fueling the war on. They were displeased when the war ended, but they just kept holding their neutral standing.

No one yelled out their thoughts of hatred and sadness, so it slowly, but steadily began to mend. Both of the races are now to this day peaceful against each other, living in harmony with all the known races.

The Beast race has their traditions and Humans has theirs, so they didn’t meddle in one another’s business.

The Beast race who followed many particular traditions; one of those many traditions Aynthia had been taught by her mother to follow to her death. And that tradition is: The Dual of Submission.

The majority in the Beast race followed this tradition to their core.

But that only counted if one has a set of conditions that binds them to that tradition, which Aynthia has.

She’s got two burn scars that looked like fanged claws on both of her palms.

No one could see them as she has her hands covered, but those scars shows that she’s true to that tradition. Most of the people don't know of this tradition, so when one asks for a duel against someone like Aynthia, she has to fight with all her strength, if she would have lost her life would have be settled there and then.

The person who won over the one that lost in the duel, that person gets to decide what happens to the one that lost. If the person who won the duel didn’t want anything to do with the one that lost, then the one that lost would take one’s own life as punishment for being rejected.

That's the cruel choice of the tradition of The Dual of Submission.

The traditions are held as a religious belief for the Beast race, if one would forsake them then they would be hunted down and killed. The Beasts are dead set to keep every tradition on the right path. There are different tribes that hunt down the heathens who betray their traditions.

Assassins, executioners... They are the Wrath of the Beasts.

But it gets complicated when it’s not two from the same race. Aynthia’s mother had told her if she ever lost a battle between herself and a male or female, that is when her life ends and her new life begins.

Aynthia's mentality is dead set upon those rules, it’s branded into her very soul and heart. If she were to lose, her new life would begin.

And she has just lost to an Elven man. To someone so much powerful than her, she had tried her best to win over him, but she was powerless, she couldn’t even hurt him, only those single strands of emerald hair was she able to hurt…

She just sat there on the grass thinking of what she’s going to do…her clawed fingers dug in the ground furiously, not wanting to stop digging her own grave, but she stopped.

Aynthia said to herself in a hesitating voice: “M–Mother...my new life...begins.”

She then stood up and began to walk, then she started run.

Xivan just floated there above the ground and as he kept on going towards east, he noticed that someone is up ahead sitting on dead big branch that’s laid out nicely.

He just gave a slight frown as he raised his left eyebrow, and as he came upon that someone, he asked while frowning: “Changed your mind about attacking me?”

She just looked at him, not saying a word…

He too just looked at her curiously, wondering what she wants. He then floated past her and started to move eastward yet again.

When she saw him leave, she just followed him while being a few meters away. He suddenly turned around and asked:

”Are you going to keep following me?”

”Yes,” Aynthia replied bluntly.

As she said it Xivan lowered his left eyebrow and just shrugged his shoulders.

He then strode forward yet again while levitating, and she just gave him a calm look. After a while as he got a few meters away, she began to follow again.

Xivan that's levitating heard her still following him, he gave a sigh; he looked behind him and saw Aynthia strutting there while looking around the forest, always on alert. When she saw him looking at her, she tilted her head wondering what he wanted, but he said nothing.

As they made their way towards the outskirts of the Forest of Galanimel, the sun slowly went down in the unseen horizon, and night began to set inside the forest.

Xivan didn’t even stop going forward even though it's night, Aynthia just followed closely behind him. He's kind of impressed with her persistence.

He thought about going faster, but he wanted to enjoy the time he has, he would only go fast if it’s absolutely necessary.

The Forest of Galanimel is huge they are still far away from the nearest village, town or city.

As the night went on he could hear Aynthia’s steps became a lot noisier, Xivan turned around while floating backwards and asked, “Tired?”

“I...am fine,” Aynthia spoke with a hesitant voice.

She then added with a smile while slightly showing her fangs: "I don’t move stealthily anymore.”

“Hmm, that explains it,” Xivan said as they went onwards.

They encountered neither animals nor monsters, it surprised Aynthia as she had been eager to see some action between him and a hungry monster. She just sighed when no monster came like the one the group had seen on the way to the Ruins of Galanimel.

As she looked at him, he's just floating a few centimeters above the ground as he strode onwards.

“How do you do that?” Aynthia asked curiously.

“Hmm, do what?” Xivan said with a half-present voice while floating forward.

“That air thing,” she said.

“Oh you mean levitation? Well...” he paused and just gave a half honest answer: “It’s gravity and a little bit of wind to keep me going forward...but there are different kinds of levitations, this is just one.”

Xivan suddenly stopped floating forward and asked: “Are you interested in magic?”

“Not really,” Aynthia replied bluntly.

Xivan just gave his slight chuckle, and began to float onwards, continuing towards east in this supreme forest of darkness.

His mind drifted into memories...

In a vast bedroom of whiteness stands two Elves: Xivan and Xinidra.

They are embraced with each other, he held her so she could reach him.

Her arms are around his neck, and her feet are dangling in the air; they enjoyed the lips of the other person that they’re kissing. He spinned around with her in his arms, and she giggled while she still kissed him as they spinned.

She broke off the kiss, and looked at him with an amused expression.

She hugged him tightly, and her head went to his shoulder to rest on it. They’re enjoying each other’s warmth; her legs went around him, and her head removed itself from his shoulder to stare straight into his emerald eyes, and he too stared at her amethyst eyes.

She looked at him with seducing eyes. Her nose started to nudge at his nose playfully, and she pfft a giggle again, and he too gave off a slight chuckle as he saw her acting so spoiled.

She started to peck him with kisses all over his face...slow pecking kisses.

She hang onto him, and began again with the deep long kisses.

They danced around the bedroom as he held her, and she clinged to him as he danced. He wore white silken pants, and a silvery robe that has an opened up vertical middle part that showed his emerald shirt.

The robe’s sleeves are tight around his arms, and he’s got white shoes; he felt the hard marbled floor as he danced with the extra weight, but it didn’t get him flustered one bit.

Xinidra leaned backwards and held her arms in the air as he gave yet another spin. Making her long amethyst hair soar wildly around as he whirled a whirlwind, while he danced to his own tune.

They kept on doing that as they enjoyed the playful time together.

They kissed each other once again to enjoy the lips of the person that they’re kissing.

A baby’s cry echoed throughout the bedroom of whiteness.

Xivan and Xinidra released themselves from each other’s lips. They looked towards a baby's crib...the sad cries called out to them. He set Xinidra down as they went and stood beside the crib overlooking at what’s making such saddening sounds.

Lying there in the crib, a beautiful Elven baby girl, with slight amethyst hair that showed from the Elven baby’s newborn head; her emerald eyes, and that pale gray skin her father has. When the baby girl noticed what’s above her, she stopped crying, and blessed the people above with an emotion of accomplishment.

The man and the woman stood there looking down at their beautiful daughter with blissed faces.

They once again embraced each other, but they just held one another close while looking down at their Elven baby girl. Xivan looked overjoyed by his daughter that he has there in front of him. And Xinidra is just enjoying her time with Xivan as much as she can.

The Elven baby girl signaled with her flapping arms and legs, wanting to be carried.

Sitting there on the balcony overlooking the horizon that glowed with its prime golden light; Xinidra holds her baby while leaning towards Xivan, her baby sucked milk from her lactsitating breast, and Xivan cuddled her as she leant at him with an arm around her.

On the balcony there are thin white pillars that held up the edges of the balcony; so you could rest ones arms if you wanted to stand.

They just sat there while treasuring the moment of time they have with each other and their baby girl.

Down below, on a circled courtyard with white pillars making a big round circle around it, is a straight passage of marbled tiles leading towards a vast gate. From that gate came an Elven high priestess with an escort of ten lower ranked priestesses that’s covered with white clothes from head to toe, not allowing any skin to be shown.

They followed closely behind the woman, not daring to lag behind.

Xinidra noticed those eleven women through the small pillars of the balcony, moving towards their direction as it led into the Mansion of Whiteness.

When they vanished under the balcony her face made such a disheartened expression, she knows that leading high priestess.

She looked towards her side to see Xivan with his eyes closed, enjoying the moment of happiness, not noticing the women.

The Mansion of Whiteness had been cleared out of all of the priestesses, to keep only those who Xivan trusted the most to be close by. Many said that’s not possible, but for now, he needed it to be like that, until they have finished the other Mansion of Whiteness; that his daughter will live in, and be protected in.

A knock is heard from the distant double doors, both of them stood up; Xinidra fixed her dress, so she doesn’t show her breasts. She walked beside her Emerald Jewel, but she stopped while she held her baby not wanting to move closer to the double doors.

Xivan hadn’t noticed the priestesses while they were sitting on the balcony, but now he understood as he looks upon his hesitating lover, that held his daughter.

He went and opened the door by himself, and there stood the leading priestess, while the ten covered women stood further away down the corridor. The Elven man asked what business she has here at this moment, because he wasn’t supposed to be interrupted until tomorrow.

But the woman spoke in a low hesitant voice, choosing every work carefully, as if she has memorized them perfectly.

As she spoke he understood the dire need of this visit.

He looked behind him, and saw the empty shell of a woman holding a baby girl. His face became so discouraged. He looked back at the woman and gave her a deadly glare, and she flinched back, feeling saddened that she has to anger him.

He went to his lovely ladies’, and told Xinidra that he got to go, because she couldn’t hear the high priestess speak; she had spoken in that low hesitant voice.

She’s just looking at him with a sad face; he kissed her, and then kissed his daughter’s head, then he left through the double doors, and not through the balcony. He left his lover and daughter behind.

As she saw her Emerald Jewel disappear, she wanted to run after him while she held her baby. But she got stopped by a wide taunting grin of success, which came from an angry looking priestess that stood by the double doors, it’s her… That woman she had beaten up, and given a bloodied face.

That woman knows how she felt all too well. She had ruined a moment of joy from her, and that’s why she looks at Xinidra with such a pleased expression. She had ruined her time with him, she wanted her to cry, she wanted her to feel pain, she wanted her to… Die.

She grinned at Xinidra who held the baby, then she looked at the baby with a hint of malice, she felt disgusted by the creature she held. Why didn’t she get pregnant with his child...why!

Xivan has already left, and is heading towards west.

She has planned this...this plan that she has made up with her family...will begin tonight... It’s a risky plan, she doesn’t know if it’ll even work or not...but she has come too far for this plan to be abandoned.

Those two are a threat to the great Mansion of Whiteness, to the great Elven Continent! She couldn’t let a single woman reign over him, she just couldn’t. Even if she must become the enemy of her loved one, she has to remove that parasite of a woman.

And that...creature she's holding.

They just stood there looking at each other, glaring with angry looks. They didn’t say anything, just stared. The angry priestess then closed the double doors; leaving the woman with her baby standing there in that vast bedroom of whiteness.

Xivan is flying there up in the sky watching the distant ground that’s riddled with tree crowns...so much green. Some trees are bigger than others. If he looked behind him he would see tall gigantic trees that reached half the way up to the clouds.

Those trees were magic induced that the Elves had grown.

Before he left the Mansion of Whiteness, he had to lock away his damaged, emotionless Emerald High Priestess.

He had guided her away from her regular room, and gone to a chamber, that has big metal double doors. It's a damaged chamber, claw marks; big claw marks riddled everywhere inside the chamber and on the inside of the metal double doors.

But the doors stood strong and sturdy.

He left her there inside that destroyed clawed room, on a comfortable sofa that had been switched out to look brand new. He had put powerful runes to strengthen the metal double doors in a very quick fashion as he has done so many times before.

“Hopefully I don’t need to use too much power to close this rune,” He said as he flew there in the sky.

He’s flying west towards the biggest harbor the Elves has, but he wasn’t going to the harbor.

The woman that came bearing news had said that a high-grade rune has shown up out of nowhere, around fifty kilometers away from the harbor, and is spewing out dangerous rampant magic. So he’s at the moment flying there towards it, to destroy it.

Because she said that the other high ranking priests, priestesses, and other powerful Elves couldn’t close it.

If they had gotten close to the high-grade rune their magical pools would drain so fast; the rune sucked in both of the pools in terrifying speed. They had tried to destroy it with destruction magic, to try to damage the runes writings, but any magic spell they cast would get sucked in by the immense power of the high-grade rune’s formation.

Even physical spells were useless.

Xivan wasn’t supposed to be interrupted until tomorrow morning. Tomorrow he’s supposed to go and watch over the ones who constructs his daughter's house, and even help build it. He wanted it to be perfect, even more than the Mansion of Whiteness.

He can’t have her in the Mansion of Whiteness, things needed to return to normal.

Many of the high priestesses had complained: Are they not going to get to be his concubines again? Not feel his addictive energy? That addictiveness that would send them to the sky soaring in bliss?

Anger arose from those complaints, even the sapphire women had joined in on the Team of Displease.

So…he gets no say in this..?

He then had said that he needed time, he just needed time, until the next choosing.

They then calmed down when he had said it; that the choosing won't be denied to the high priestesses of the Mansion of Whiteness.

It has only gone twelve months since the last choosing, but they certainly became feisty when something stood in their way.

But now this news of this sudden high-grade rune couldn’t be overlooked lightly. He didn’t know who did it...was it the non-believers...or someone else...he did not know.

He hadn’t even read someone’s mind for a long time. Last time he did it, he read the bewildered Xinidra, the first time he met her…

He’s beginning to lose his touch…starting to get weak-minded, and not alert as he once were.

But he trusted the woman that had come bearing news to him, her name is Xicara. Many Elven names starts with an X, to show their loyalty towards their religion. Xivan himself thought that was ridiculous, but he couldn’t stop people from doing what they believed in.

Xicara comes from one of the largest esteemed families, one of the founder families of the Elven religion. She has lived for thousands of years, and been a concubine many times, she has lived her life in bliss.

She does everything for him, even those things he wouldn’t do, but those things she kept an absolute secret, not wanting to anger her loved one.

He knows her temper, as he had been told many times by different priestesses, but he has never seen that temper for himself. You wouldn’t believe that she could be such a cruel woman if you saw her standing in front of him, her Emerald God.

Her family supported their religion to their fullest; she has siblings, relatives that joined the different sanctuaries to show their faith, and some didn’t.

All of her family members that joined the different sanctuaries rose up very fast to be high ranking priests and priestesses, because they can do that, they have immense power in the Elven continent, and they use it to their ends even if it’s unjust…

But in the Mansion of Whiteness, he reads the minds of those who gets to be a high-ranked priestess.

No wealth...connections...power could change his mind if he didn’t want one there, he has denied some in the past, but he has become more open to different women he would usually stay away from… Such as Xicara, but he hasn’t read her mind in a very long time.

Xicara’s family wanted to keep the religion intact, and they did so by horrible means; they have killed non-believers just because they’re a hindrance to their faith. They have removed Elven people from their high seats by the means of assassinations.

They handled the “Assassin’s Sanctuary”, one of the great networks that worked for the glory of the Elven continent, to remove those who would seek it harm.

They’re the bane of the Elven religion, the shadow, the darkness that creeped under the Elven children’s beds.

Their crimson assassination armor are known all across the Elven continent.

Their blood red hair, their blood red eyes; that skin of white. They’re the Elves that runs in the night, that very darkness is their friend, their solitude.

Xicara’s family couldn’t act out of order though, because if they did act out of order, the other high esteemed families would take matters into their own hands and remove them. They are powerful, but power only reached so far, they are looked down upon for their cruelty, their killings, their work, their Way of the Assassins.

He soars in the sky, flying with great speed while having a magical barrier in front of him, so the air pressure didn’t hit his face. He held one hand forward as he kept the barrier, and the other by his waist. The sounds of the air slid off the barrier as he flew, it gave a screeching sound as the high density of endless air just kept on coming.

He stopped...

A maw of violent magic could be seen in the forest, it sucked in trees, rocks, unfortunate animals, and monsters that dissolved into nothingness...into magical elements that fueled the high-grade rune. It stood there strong with its high-grade rune formation on the ground.

There are violent tornadoes that shot out in different directions, earthquakes that could be seen as the ground shook. It’s a complete vortex of natural disasters.

He has to stop it before the rune spreads even further.

He could see that the rune was moving outwards...slowly, because if one were to put enough magic into a rune, and set a certain condition to it, the rune itself comes to life; to spread its utter destruction if no one stopped the magical flow.

He just looked at the ever growing rune formation that glowed in a yellow-lettered illumination.

He said to himself as he floated there in the air: “Where does this kind of magical power come from… This…feels unnatural. If this is a person's doing,” his expression grew cold, “No… People are responsible for this... Why would someone do this kind of thing; it’s madness!”

He has to stop it before it reached The Great Elven Harbor.

The rune circle has spread for one kilometer in every direction, but it’s destroying everything in its way.

The flaming magical power fluttered violently as it slowly moved outwards. The sky too felt the power of the high-grade rune. Clouds began to form above him. Droplets of rain started to fall down from the covers of clouds. It just kept on becoming heavier and heavier rain.

Thunder! Lightning! They came in quick intervals. The rain fed the vortex of destruction; taking in every elemental energy there is.

He began to descend towards the maw of magic...slowly.

He floated there twenty meters in the air being so close to the rune, he felt his boundless pool of magic stir… His energy seeping out of him.

His left eyebrow raised itself wonderingly as he started to get drained of his pools. He has to break the circled connection of the rune formation… He could see the yellow-lettered runes; they are pulsing like one’s heartbeat…

They’re thick letters, thick enough to hold, to grab.

Left eyebrow lowered itself.

He flew down and landed on the shaking ground, winds howled by him as he stood there, rain making him soaked to the bone. His emerald hair, and clothes fluttered furiously, but he just stood there letting the rune feel his power, his boundless power.

He’s only ten meters away from the flaming rune circle.

His eyes began to glow in a royal emerald color. He raised his arms slowly, as if time has made him go in slow motion, but as he raised his arms, his hands, his fingers spread and gripped onto something, looking like as if his squeezing a heart to sunder…he squeezed tightly with all his might.

He stood there arms forward; hands squeezing the invisible heart; left leg forward, and his right leg bracing himself for the incoming magical storm.

The rune came closer...and closer… He closed his eyes awaiting the magical flames to touch his opened-heart-gripping hands.

He… Let… Go…of that control that he desperately tries to keep from flowing out of him…

He gritted his teeth as if he tried to hold back a painful scream, but he couldn’t control himself.

He roared with all his might and power while showing his white teeth, but newly born emerald fangs sprouted forth from his mouth, his eyes lighting up even more brightly.

Something grew out of him, out of his knees, elbows, cheekbones, heels, fingers, toes, and shoulders. Bones of emerald has sprouted out of him; sharp, long bones making him look like a monster, his emerald eyes, his emerald hair, he’s an emerald creature.

The Green Terror.

Pressure, power, energy flowed out from him like a raging river…

A low echoing shuddering dark laugh ran throughout the forest… He stood there with his hands inside the flaming rune magic… The ground shook even more violently… But the ground suddenly got pulverized into nothing, as if the ground under his feet got pushed into the ground by the gravity itself.

He floated there as an emerald beam descended into the ground, and ascended into the sky, such a brightness of emerald, such a blinding sight.

The beam was so strong that it even pierced the cover of clouds, making a big hole as the pressure pushed away the rain clouds.

His opened-heart-gripping hands closed themselves in a quick fashion, and as he closed them, a pressure of magical energy blasted out into every direction. The high-grade rune in front of him shrieked in fear... Its rune formation started to give away...the pulsing yellow-lettered runes pulsed even faster and faster as if it’s starting to build up into something.

He drained, drained, and drained the rune… He lost himself, the darkness then took ahold of him.

He laughed as he felt his power, he laughed as he drained it of its addictive elements. He laughed while showing his now emerald fanged mouth. He laughed so uncontrollably damaging as if it wasn’t even himself anymore.

A laughing emerald horror… A loss of his self-control…

His doom awaiting him again…

Control…

Control…

CONTROL YOURSELF!!!

He howled with such might that it made a screeching blast in the process, it gave off such a blast that it damaged the yellow-lettered runes. He desperately tries to gain command of his emotions...his boundless magical powers, his energy.

The yellow-lettered runes exploded as they couldn’t hold themselves together, an explosion so powerful, so vast. So much destruction shot out into all directions as the rune’s magical power released itself off its horrendous gathered magic of elements.

That powerful magical powered blast sent Xivan shooting away with terrifying speed, he soared above the ground flying in damaging speed, trees shattered as he hit them, bones of emerald flying in different directions.

He hit the ground, but he rolled with such speed that nothing could stop him from doing those kinds of damaging spins, tumbles and rolls…

The beam of emerald had been interrupted by the sudden blast of magical power… When he got shot away, the beam pierced the sky in big line, and the ground too as he flew, but it disappeared suddenly.

He tumbled, rolled, and as he spun, cracks could be heard from his body, as it started to get mutilated… Blood spewed out in every direction as he spun those deathly spins… His newly emerald bones has been broken off by the harmful speed of the hitting trees, and tumbles.

He now lay there unmoving beside a crushed rock, he has traveled two kilometer.

That blast gave him such a pushed pressure that he didn’t even stop when he hit the trees, he just kept on going. He couldn’t have done anything… He had lost himself into his darkness, his weakness.

Blood…mixed with emerald bone shards.

So much blood ran down his damaged body. His clothes has been torn up, only his pants remained slightly intact, his robe destroyed, shirt ripped to pieces, his shoes had flown off. His broken arms, his broken legs, his teared up, pierced body.

Silence...

The rune ceased its damaging natural disasters. The magical blast had shot into every direction, only a huge crater remained.

Everything was calm, the cloudy sky began to move in its calm moving speed, the rain had ceased. Nothing but a soundless wind, no sound at all from the Elven man, no breath, no movement…

He just laid there…

In the Abyss of the deepest parts of his mind and soul, stirred something… Something moved… The blackness moved with thousands of small movements. The darkness is the blackest of colors, only the slight movements could be seen from the black shadows.

The blackness tries to escape, it whirls in a tornado in the darkest of colors, you couldn’t see what made those movements, but there are thousands upon thousands trying to escape, trying to come out from their prison of blackness… Then…behind those thousands of black moving shadows came.

The Dark Terror, the largest black creature of the void, the oblivion, the nether, the darkness.

The thousands of small shadows swirled around the gigantic black shadow, as if they’re trying to say something to it…

But they suddenly ceased to move, not moving at all, the blackness became calm as the cloudless sky.

*Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack* *Crack*

The lifeless body convulsed…and clenched from the crackling sounds.

He has no life in his eyes, just the moving lifeless body. It kept cracking the bones, his blood flowed out from his wounded body.… Blood never ceasing to run, a pool then formed under his unmoving; moving body.

A flow of something seeped inside him...his energy...his power...himself.

The broken off emerald roots starting to move back into his body, settling itself to rest inside of him.

His emerald eyes showed a slight glow… It became brighter and brighter. It glowed with its glorious emerald royal color. He gasped a deathly gasp, he gasped desperately for air. He coughed up blood…and more blood.

He shakes with a horrifying pain, he cried out his sufferings… So much pain… He breathed shakenly. His eyes then stopped glowing, and he fell into the endless sleep…

He laid there by the crushed rock, he has fainted from the pain… His chest breathed and breathed, up and down…

He live…

Stomping, stomping hooves on the ground could be heard… It came closer and closer. The sound of hooves came from the direction of the vanished rune formation’s crater.

“THERE!” A black-armored man yelled.

All of the Elven people that came jumped down from their creatures that they’re riding on, and ran to Xivan.

“Heal him, quickly!” The black-armored man shouted.

The Elven men started to heal him, but they quickly stopped as they felt something extremely dangerous, something pulling them in.

“How dare you stop! Continue!” The black-armoured man ordered.

“B-but we’ll di—*slash*” Elven head rolled...

“I said continue…”

The Elves just looked at him with loss of emotions...then they started to heal the Elven man’s body; feeling their life seep into nothingness…

Night set itself on the Elven continent… And a risky plan that may or may not work...was set in motion.

For the sake of The Elven God.

The sun started to raise in the unseen horizon. The light began to shine in through the cracks of the forest crowns, Xivan and Aynthia didn’t stop for rest one bit.

As they went on they started to see the forest’s end.

When they got out of the forest, they stood on an edge of a precipice, a cliff of forty meters down. They stand there overlooking the scenery that's in front of them, it's a sight to behold.

In the north is snow covered mountains, reaching the clouds and spread towards east and west, seeming endless.

To the South is acres upon acres of grassland beaming with wildlife, all kinds of animals, and monsters ran through those grasslands; hunting...being hunted...eating in peace, fighting to be the supreme animal or monster of the land.

A huge castle could be seen in the south, so far way. He fixed his eyes upon it, his eyes glowed slightly. It has flags that fluttered in the wind with its blue... and slight yellow color?

“Hmm…” He hmmed.

“Hmm…” She hmmed.

He looked to his right side seeing Aynthia staring at him, in a grin, she had copied his hmm in a teasing way.

Left eyebrow raised, “What is it?”

“Nothing, it’s just how can we...” She bent her body forward overlooking the steep cliff, “How can we get down?”

He just shrugged his shoulders as he lowered his left eyebrow, not replying.

To the east are smaller trees than there are in the Forest of Galanimel, but yet endless in number. In a clearing in the east a small village lies, as he looked towards the village Xivan started to levitate down the forty meter high cliff.

Aynthia just looked at him floating out and then began to go down the steep cliff that's in front of her. She glared at Xivan, and jumped out towards him with arms ready to grab.

Floating there in the air… Aynthia is clinging on for her dear life, her arms and legs held tightly onto him. He just sighed as he looked unamused when a sudden extra weight hanged on his back. But yet it felt slightly familiar.

“It’s too deep of a cliff,” Aynthia said in defense.

He sighed in defeat, “You could’ve just asked.”

“You said nothing, you just started to go down,” She responded.

“Hmm, good point,” he said as they floated downwards.

When they landed by the foot of the cliff Aynthia let go and landed on the ground, she just looked at him as if nothing ever happened.

Left eyebrow raised: “Would you mind telling me next time you do something unexpected?”

“Perhaps...” She said.

They kept on walking, the trees are a lot smaller down here, they looked like regular normal trees, but with a hint of different colored leaves?

Leaves fell as they continued onwards to east. They got to a small clearing, a road going east, north and south.

Before he went onto the road, he pulled his hood over his head, then they went eastward following the road.

Aynthia noticed that he isn’t levitating anymore.

“Tired?” Aynthia asked with a grin.

“Hmm? No, it’s just if someone were to see me levitating, it… Well, I don’t want unnecessary attention,” Xivan said as he walked there bare, feeling the ground beneath his pale gray feet.

“Why not?” she asked curiously.

“It would be most unwise... As you asked before most people haven’t even seen someone use levitation; I would guess. If someone were to suddenly see me coming down the road floating above the ground, they would certainly be surprised, and ask how I do it… Like you did." Xivan explained.

“Or is levitation a widely known talent nowadays?” he said humorously, and she replied bluntly: “I don’t know.”

“Well that settles it then,” Xivan said, but he then added: “You sure are asking a lot of questions feline.”

“You’re the one that answers them,” Aynthia said with a small grin.

He just gave a slight chuckle as he noticed that he was the one that talked the most.

As they continued along the road they came upon a long sturdy bridge that went over a big river, and on the other side of the bridge, Xivan saw men walking around an encampment with armor and weapons.

This can’t be good... Xivan thought.

As he stepped off of the bridge, and got closer to the camp one of the men yelled as they saw Xivan: “You halt!”

Definitely not good, he thought.

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