Chapter 93: The Elven Kingdom
It was only after they had completely crossed the mountain that they saw it.
The Great Elven Forest was gone.
In its place was a deep, bottomless crater. Even the trees on the periphery were withered and twisted from the terrifying power of the blast, and the soil at the crater's edge had turned to sand, radiating an aura of death.
"So it's true," Olivia's voice trembled. "It was a demon's Divine Strike. Only a demon's strike can so completely drain the life from the land. Even after thousands of years, this place will still be barren." The Sky-Winged's Divine Strike was a combination of purification and destruction, not this... this terrifying magic that could even kill inanimate matter.
Serie's body swayed, her golden eyes fixed on the crater. That place had once been the most vibrant in the entire forest, and now there was nothing. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms. In that moment, her hatred for the demons reached its peak. One day, she vowed, I will kill every last one of them, until they are completely driven from this world.
"Who goes there!?"
A sharp voice suddenly came from a grove of dead trees to their side.
Several agile figures emerged, their elven longbows drawn, the cold tips of their arrows aimed straight at them. The leader, an elf with a bandage wrapped around his head, recognized Serie, and his eyes widened in surprise. He instinctively loosened his grip on his bow.
"S-Serie!? You've come back!?"
"Kaelan?"
She recognized him. He had been a scout in the Great Elven Forest, but had later gone to the Elven Kingdom. It had been over a hundred years since she had last seen him. She had never expected to see him again here.
"The Great Elven Forest..." she said, her voice a little unsteady, hoping for a definitive answer from him.
At her question, Kaelan's face fell. He lowered his bow, and his voice was low and heavy. "The Great Elven Forest... is gone. A short while ago, a group of demons disguised as the Sky-Winged approached our lines. Our sentries didn't notice anything was wrong at first. And then, they unleashed a Divine Strike right in front of us." He closed his eyes, as if he could still see the all-consuming white light. "The attack completely devoured the forest, leaving nothing but this crater you see before you."
"And the Council of Elders?" she asked urgently. There was a council in the forest, similar to the Sky-Winged's Council of Thirteen. Though they rarely gave orders, and the elves were not compelled to obey, they were, at least nominally, the heart of the Great Elven Forest.
"At the time of the attack, some of the council members were at the front lines. The others were in the forest, along with all the young elves..."
He didn't have to finish. She already knew.
The Great Elven Forest was the most important ancestral home of the elves. Aside from the small villages, most elves were born there. And now, it was gone. In the future, her race was doomed to decline.
Across from her, Kaelan forced down his own despair and looked at her with a resolute gaze. "The allied army has retreated to the Elven Kingdom. It is our last line of defense. Serie, we need you." She was a renowned genius mage. Though she was still young, she could already skillfully use the high-level elven spells. And in a war between races, a single mage's power could still make a difference. Every powerful mage they had gave them a better chance of victory, no matter how slim. He had to try.
"Take us to the Elven Kingdom," Rhodes said, stepping forward.
Kaelan looked at the strange human but didn't ask who he was. If he was standing beside Serie, he had to be her companion, which would explain her sudden departure from the forest years ago. He looked at the others... a dwarf? Two humans, and... a Sky-Winged? Seeing Olivia's iconic wings, Kaelan silently raised his bow. The demons had disguised themselves as the Sky-Winged once before. He couldn't be sure if this one was real, even if she was standing beside Serie.
"You're injured? Please don't resist."
To prove herself, Olivia simply cast a healing spell, and the wound on Kaelan's head was instantly healed. Feeling himself back to normal, Kaelan let out a sigh of relief. This one was real.
"Follow me," he said without any more hesitation, and led the way.
The Elven Kingdom was a massive, natural city, nestled within a ring of towering, ancient trees. It had once been a symbol of the elven race's prosperity, a city that could rival the Heavenly Kingdom of the Sky-Winged and the fallen kingdom of the dwarves.
But now, it was in a sorry state.
The white walls were covered in scorch marks and massive impact craters. At the foot of the walls were the countless corpses of magical beasts, their blood having soaked into the earth and turned it into a foul-smelling morass.
They walked past the numb faces of the elven and dwarven soldiers and into the royal court. The atmosphere here was even more somber. The current Elven King sat on his throne, his once elegant and wise face now gaunt and haggard. Across from him was the Dwarven King. But unlike the Elven King, who sat slumped in his chair, the Dwarven King was pacing back and forth like a caged beast. His long beard was tangled and unkempt, and his eyes were bloodshot. His axe, a weapon that was usually an extension of himself, leaned against a nearby wall, its blade still stained with dried blood.
"Those damn bird-brains!"
Dwalin stopped his pacing and spat on the floor, his voice filled with an unconcealed rage. "By the witness of the gods!? An ancient pact!? All of it is bullshit!"
Things were as bad as they could be, and the bird-brains still hadn't returned. And the demons had even used their form to trick them. Both kings wanted to know: where was the Sky-Winged army?
The elven and dwarven guards in the hall all stood in silence.
Just then, the heavy doors were slowly pushed open.
Kaelan entered, with Rhodes and his party in tow. All eyes immediately fell on them.
(End of chapter)
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