《Myth and Legends》


 1: Im Not Your Friend!

    ¡°The OneWithoutWings,¡± inside an olden library, a figure wearing a black, tattered cloak muttered to himself whilst holding a crumbling book. ¡°Hm, quite the praise,¡± he scoffed.


    Clearing his throat, he quoted the book. ¡°He who conquered the seven ancients, he who was the most powerful and ruthless, he who is the master of onyx light¡­ tsk, you might as well say he¡¯s god¡­ wait, god?¡± he paused, closing the book silently and putting it back on the dust-caked bookshelves.


    ¡°God¡­ yes, that¡¯s right,¡± he whispered. ¡°That¡¯s the perfect bait for those lunatics! But, how do I summon¡­ the OneWithoutWings?¡±


    The candle light flickered, and the figure stood up, making the chair creak and dust dance. Casting a final look at the bookshelves, he grabbed the withering book and left.


    ¡°The Sacred Grave, perfect,¡± the cloaked figure rubbed his chin before taking off his hood. A smile stretching on his face, he took out a pouch from his inner robes and hiked down to the bottom of the ravine.


    ¡°I hope this is enough,¡± he hummed, taking out a round, fist-sized seed from the pouch. Holding it in front of his eyes, he squinted, he pitch-black pupils shining in the night.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ don¡¯t make me waste this Spirit Seed, OneWithoutWings,¡± he smiled, putting the spirit seed atop a boulder.


    Then, he took out a fountain pen, staring at the glass masterpiece while gently squeezing it. Sighing, he pocketed the pen, opening his mouth to chant.


    A few hours later, the ravine turned quiet, the cloaked figure nowhere to be found. Atop a boulder, only a rotting seed was left.


    <hr>


    Atop a boulder bigger than a man was a small plant. Its stem was a dark brown, nearly looking charred. Its three leaves waved gently in the air, each being different in color. One was charcoal-black, the other was milky-white, and the last was blood-red.


    Arloum sighed in his mind, his leaves drooping down as a result. ¡°Looking¡± around using his leaves, he searched for a familiar figure, only to twist his stem in disappointment. Without proper eyes, he could barely see a few steps away from him.


    ¡®Tch, Where¡¯s that brat?!¡¯ he grumbled, sitting boredly in his empty mindscape.


    ¡®Imprisonment is sweeter than this¡­ life,¡¯ he lamented.


    Arloum, once known for his tyranny and battle tower, found himself reborn as a strange plant.


    ¡®It¡¯s odd that I need neither sunlight or water. Though, my need for energy seemingly¡­ tripled?¡¯ he hummed, looking at his inner body.


    ¡®Tch, pathetic¡­ wait, this is my body! It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s majestsic¡­!¡¯ By the end of his sentence, he nearly wept.


    ¡®Focus, Arloum. The majesty once yours is within reach. Focus,¡¯ he inwardly manifested a body, pumping his fist in the air.


    ¡®I have¡­ ten points of energy, hn¡­ Compared to my millions back then¡­ hnnnnn!¡¯


    [Energy: 4/10]


    ¡®At this rate, I¡¯ll lose my sentience! Tsk, I once shunned meditation. Now it¡¯s my life potion,¡¯ without a choice, he cleared out his thoughts. Though, that alone took him nearly half an hour.


    As time passed, the sun slowly sunk and the sky turned dark, stars shining brilliantly above him. Of course, he saw none of it when his consciousness woke up.


    ¡®It¡¯s slightly cold¡­ is it night already? It¡¯s been seven days, tch.¡¯


    [Energy: 10/10]


    Feeling energized and reassured by the status mirror, he waved his leaves in thought.


    ¡®That should last me for two more days¡­ but the energy around me is thinning out.¡¯


    Feeling a bit urgent, he shifted his focus from his inner body to the outside world. This time, he ¡°looked¡± using his whole body, though it barely helped.


    ¡®How can a plant grow atop a boulder, me wonders,¡¯ he huffed.


    ¡®That brat, planting me under a rock, yet daring to shirk responsibility! Even my late parents weren''t this shameless!¡¯


    Arloum, whose parents in his previous life died to give him life, ground his teeth in frustration. Inwardly, that is.


    ¡®I¡¯ll need to find a way to leave!¡¯ he planned.


    Obviously, he was a plant, and he didn¡¯t need anyone¡¯s meddlement, but the problem was¡­


    ¡®I need to stockpile on energy, so I can take my roots out of this rock!¡¯ he nodded to himself. Without a surplus of energy, he¡¯d faint before escaping the boulder.


    ¡®But¡­ I need life energy from that brat!¡¯ he groaned.


    ¡®Escaping one prison and entering another. This time, I¡¯m at a mere brat¡¯s mercy, tch! Some life I have,¡¯ he sneered, flapping his leaves and fanning himself. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®Now, where¡¯s that brat? He¡­ couldn¡¯t have died, right?¡¯ he laughed slowly, imagining the dangerous outside world.


    ¡®If he died¡­ then who will feed me? Will I die like this? Damned humanoids, you all are wicked!¡¯ muttering up a storm, he started cursing wildly.


    However, as he was thinking, he felt a gush of energy spreading to his location.


    ¡®The air was disturbed. Is someone here? Could it be¡­?¡¯ his heart racing and his soul jumping in place, he hurriedly opened his eyes.


    The fog swirled, and like a ghost manifesting out of thin air, a figure slowly emerged from the thick fog.


    ¡®The brat is finally here!¡¯


    Cackling in his mind, he watched as a youth with short brown hair and light blue eyes climbed the boulder. He was wearing a pair of dark green pants and a simple beige shirt, though it was terribly oversized on the youth¡¯s body. Seeing the youth¡¯s reddened eyes and tear-stained face, Arloum¡¯s leaves twisted.


    ¡®Is he¡­ crying? Hn, I think that¡¯s what you call it,¡¯ he nodded in his mind. Leaves twisting, he searched the youth¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the youth called out, his voice hoarse. Sitting beside Arloum, he placed a dead snake beside the latter¡¯s stem before falling silent.


    Hearing the hoarse voice, Arloum trembled. ¡®What a strange voice. Did he down acid and burn his throat?¡¯


    The youth, unaware of Arloum¡¯s thoughts, laughed hollowly. ¡°What¡¯s it like to be a plant?¡± He asked, his eyes glued to the sky¡­ though Arloum couldn¡¯t see the sky.


    ¡®Being a plant sucks. I want my majestic body back. I want my tower back. I don¡¯t want to be at your mercy¡­¡¯


    ¡°I bet you¡¯re happy, huh? Ugly plant,¡± the youth snickered, tears welling up at the corner of his eyes.


    ¡®Happy? You think suffering is fun?¡¯ Arloum scoffed. ¡®...wait a minute, did you call me ugly?! I¡¯ll have you know, I once had the most beautiful scales! Even dragons shot me envious looks! Those lizards. Tsk.¡¯


    Hearing none of his thoughts, the youth sobbed, gritting his teeth in a vain attempt to stop his cries.


    ¡°You get to eat a lot, and you don¡¯t have to do anything¡­ you don¡¯t have anyone to worry about,¡± the youth bit his lower lip, his eyes flooded by his tears.


    ¡°I bet you don¡¯t know,¡± he hiccuped, ¡°what it¡¯s like to cry!¡±


    ¡®Brat,¡¯ Arloum¡¯s soul burst into flames! But he swiftly calmed himself. ¡®Well, I don¡¯t know what crying feels like. But I bet you haven¡¯t been sealed before, eh?!¡¯


    Yelling inwardly, Arloum clapped his leaves before halting his thoughts. Looking at the youth trying, and failing, to stifle his cries, his rage gently flew away. ¡®...if someone hurts you, brat, just stab them! I tell you, it works all the time!¡¯


    Assured of his wisdom, he stretched his stem and leaves, trying to reach the youth¡¯s face. Yet, he fell short of a few inches.


    ¡°...mm?¡± feeling a tickle in his hair, the youth looked at Arloum, his face covered in fluids. Seeing Arloum¡¯s leaves reaching out for him, he silently shifted next to Arloum.


    ¡®Aha!¡¯ With his leaves finally touching the youth¡¯s face, he used his leaves to flick away the latter¡¯s tears. ¡®There, now you don¡¯t look ugly.¡¯


    ¡°Are you saying I shouldn¡¯t¡­ cry?¡± The youth asked, and Arloum slapped him with his leaves. Though, the youth didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡®What nonsense! I simply yearn for beauty and abhor filth,¡¯ he huffed, his leaves bobbing up and down. Seeing this, the youth¡¯s lips quivered, before slowly curling into a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± the youth nodded, sniffling while wiping the remnantsof his tears. ¡°My¡­ my brother wouldn¡¯t want me to be sad all the time. Thank you, little plant.¡±


    Giggling, the youth reached out for Arloum¡¯s leaves, rubbing them gently.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t see you for a week¡­¡± the youth looked down, his eyes growing wetter by the second. ¡°My¡­ my brother¡­¡±


    ¡®Tsk! It¡¯s just a brother! It¡¯s not like you died, stop crying!¡¯ Arloum, annoyed, smacked the youth¡¯s eyes a couple of times before stopping.


    In the end, the youth kept crying for a long time. Giving up on keeping the youth¡¯s face clean, Arloum wordlessly touched the snake¡¯s body with his leaves, absorbing its life energy.


    ¡®To think I¡¯d be forced to do this,¡¯ Arloum grumbled as his leaves hugged the dead snake. In an instant, his senses extended to the dead snake¡¯s inner-body.


    The snake¡¯s veins were flooded by two energies, one was warm, viscous, and milky, while the other was foul, and bitter, rampaging like a violent torrent of water. The former was life energy, while the latter was its decaying form.


    ¡®Disgusting,¡¯ he clicked his tongue, focusing on his inner-body and controlling his energy. Unlike life energy, his energy was like a pile of iron dust. It was dark and heavy, though not quite pitch-black nor immovable.


    ¡®It looks like charcoal,¡¯ he hummed in thought, controlling his energy to enter the snake¡¯s body.


    ¡®Can all plants do this? To think necromancers train for decades just to see a corpse¡¯s inner-body, tch.¡¯


    [T1: Absorption (38%)]


    As his energy, dark energy as he dubbed it, entered the snake, both forms of its life energy churned, before gushing toward his dark energy. Then, without a moment to react, both energies assaulted his senses.


    ¡®Ugh¡ª!¡¯ He tightened his grip on the snake¡¯s body with his leaves. Inwardly, though, he felt like he was fed both maggot-filled milk and rotten eggs. The maggots tried to burrow into his mouth, while the rotten eggs stuck to his teeth, tongue, and throat.


    ¡®Whoever said life energy is pleasant?!¡¯


    [T1: Absorption (41%)]


    At the same time, the fog turned thicker and thicker. When Arloum finished absorbing the snake¡¯s life energy, both he and the youth could barely see each other.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the youth called out, startling Arloum who was about to doze off. ¡°Are you a spirit plant?¡±


    Arloum scoffed. ¡®I¡¯m not that lowly,¡¯ he tilted his stem, trying to get as far as he could from the youth. The latter giggled, watching him with a smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be shy, I read it from books. Some plants can absorb magic in the air and turn into spirit plants. And, I¡¯ve seen some druids passing by when I was younger,¡± he said, staring blankly at Arloum while reminiscing.


    ¡®You saw some druids?¡¯ Arloum stared back at the youth, squinting his eyes.


    ¡®Brown hair and round ears. You don¡¯t look like an elf, so how did you see a druid?¡¯


    In his knowledge, druids only show themselves in elven forest, or during war.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t know the humanoids send their tender bones to war these days. Times have changed, tsk.¡¯


    Seeing Arloum unresponsive, the youth shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re a spirit plant,¡± he let out a sigh. ¡°But I don''t know. I want to be  druid too, but¡­ well, even if I don¡¯t become a druid, you¡¯re my friend, right? Little plant?¡±


    The youth grinned, feeding Arloum¡¯s amusement.


    ¡®Tsk, think what you want. I¡¯m no spirit plant,¡¯ he sneered. ¡®I am Arcoloum Onyx, the BlackScaledTyrant, KillerOfCelestia!¡¯


    He grinned, inwardly patting his chest. ¡®Of course, a new life comes with a new name. Just call me Arloum, hn!¡¯


    Then, as the youth left, he closed his eyes, focusing on his inner-body, and then to his innate skills.


    ¡®And I¡¯m no dumb, spirit plant. I am a TreeOfDarkness!¡¯


    [TreeOfDarkness T1]


    ¡®And I¡¯m not your friend!¡¯


    <hr>


    ¡°Your highness, the prince,¡± a cold, deep voice called out, his words echoing in the silent halls of the grand palace.


    Startled, the prince turned around, only to have his mouth covered by a hand. Then, he felt a searing pain on his throat, and his voice was lost. Knees folding, the prince fell to the ground, his collar stained in red and his blood oozing on the floor.


    ¡°Have a good night¡¯s rest,¡± a cloaked figure said, standing before the fallen prince. Kneeling down, the cloaked figure carried the prince over his shoulder, before chanting a spell.


    Moments later, flames erupted in the middle of the hall, burning the blood on the ground as both the figure and the prince vanished

 2: Adopted Elf... Angel?!

    ¡®It¡¯s warm,¡¯ Arloum thought. ¡®Is it morning already? ''T should be near noon.¡¯


    Thinking so, he focused on his inner-body, drawing in the sunlight¡¯s energy.


    ¡®Though not as good as with life energy, the scraps from sunlight are ¡®nough for daily needs.¡¯


    He clicked his tongue, and as the warmth grew colder, he realized that yet another day was about to pass.


    ¡®It¡¯s already been a month,¡¯ he stretched his branches, when he felt droplets of water wetting his leaves.


    He shivered. ¡®Is it raining?¡¯


    Swaying his leaves for a while, he brushed it aside. Just like before, the youth visited daily, providing him corpses¡ªthen came a rainy day and he disappeared for a week.


    ¡®Don¡¯t tell me¡­ the brat¡¯s gone and vanished again?!¡¯ he howled, twirling his stem in ways more than one, but his limited vision gave him no


    [Absorption T1 (85%)]


    ¡®One month is not enough. My roots are still stuck underground!¡¯


    Thankfully, his worries were in vain. When he was drenched in rainwater, a nimble figure landed on the boulder and sat next to him, opening a wooden umbrella to shield them both.


    ¡°Hey, lil¡¯ plant, guess what?¡± The youth smirked.


    Arloum felt a headache.


    ¡®In the past month, this brat¡¯s been as gloomy as a crow. Now, he¡¯s all teeth¡­ I didn¡¯t know humanoids were so fickle, tch.¡¯


    He huffed, scrutinizing the youth. As usual, he was wearing a longsleeved shirt paired with dark-green pants. On his hand was Arloum¡¯s meal; a dead snake.


    Arloum almost drooled. ¡®Spare me the words and hand me the snake!¡¯


    The youth, unaware of the rude plant¡¯s thoughts, started speaking.


    ¡°The prince of Yuriel came by, can you believe it?!¡± he giggled, sharing a long winded tale about the ¡°pristigous¡± and ¡°honorable¡± prince of the Yuriel Kingdom.


    ¡®Brat,¡¯ Arloum pressed his leaves against his stem. ¡®Tell me ¡®nother story, maybe a fairytale. Anything but this!¡¯


    After even the cicadas fell asleep, the youth said something useful.


    ¡°It was a month ago, the prince enrolled the elves from our village into the academy of Yuriel!¡± The youth chuckled, covering his grin with his hand.


    ¡°I just learned it now! That old man chief, hiding it from us¡­ One day,¡± the youth sighed happily, ¡°we might be his bodyguards in the future. How cool is that?¡±


    Looking at Arloum, the youth saw the latter¡¯s leaves flick from one side to the other. It reminded him of a kid pouting.


    ¡®What¡¯s great with being a bodyguard?¡¯ Arloum scoffed.


    ¡®Stab the prince, wear the crown, and conquer the world! Brat, you¡¯re too mild.¡¯


    The youth shook his head, placing the dead snake beside Arloum.


    ¡°Y¡¯ know, should I give you a name? I¡¯m Horlum, by the way.¡±


    Arloum was about to reach out for the snake, when he heard utter nonsense. ¡®I don¡¯t need another name, brat!¡¯


    Horlum tilted his head, fisting his palm. ¡°Ah! I remember that druids can talk to spirit plants. Will you tell me your name, when I become a druid?¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Arloum snorted, waving his leaves in dismissal. Instead of listening to the lunatic, he found it better to focus on absorbing the life energy. Only, he was forced to keep listening moments later.


    ¡®Dream on. I won¡¯t be your slave worker,¡¯ he sneered in his mind, trying to avert his focus from the foul feeling.


    Unaware, Horlum giggled, flashing a toothy grin. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll call you little plant! When I become a druid, I¡¯ll go to you first, okay?¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t, you¡¯ll waste your time,¡¯ Arloum rolled his eyes, though on the surface, he ignored the youth¡¯s ramblings. Horlum didn¡¯t mind.


    ¡°Anyway, little plant. I can¡¯t visit you for a year,¡± Horlum said, freezing Arloum on the spot.


    ¡°When I return, I hope you¡¯ve grown big and strong! You can do it, little plant!¡±


    Arloum''s branches snapped, twisting his body toward Horlum and ignoring the half-finished dead snake.


    ¡®@#*! What do you mean ¡®grow big and strong? When you return, I¡¯ll be dead! Who¡¯s to feed me?!¡¯


    Horlum smiled, poking Arloum¡¯s leaves with a finger. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Zhen to visit you everyday and give you looots of food. He¡¯s too lazy!¡± He huffed.


    ¡°He could use the exercise. All he does is read books about that arcane thing. It¡¯s sooo boring!¡±


    Hearing that, Arloum resumed ¡°ignoring¡± Horlum. ¡®Food problem solved¡­ hopefully. Anyway, arcane? Tch, a waste of time!¡¯


    Not long after describing his friend, Horlum hopped off of the boulder and disappeared. The night quickly passed, and as the sun dawned, Arloum resumed absorbing the sunlight¡¯s energy.


    ¡®Come to think of it, what¡¯s the energy of the sun?¡¯ he paused. His dark energy was dense and dark, while life energy was split into two.


    ¡®Arcane energy is fierce and hot, similar to fire, but sunlight is¡­ just warm. It perfectly substitutes for my dark energy, but at the same time isn¡¯t enough to replicate it. I haven¡¯t seen anyone use sun energy either,¡¯ he mused.


    Unknowingly, hours passed in meditation. Unbothered, he was about to fill up his energy when the warm feeling slowly disappeared, and the air felt damp.


    ¡®Tch, is it going to rain?¡¯ he sighed, opening his eyes to see that everything around him had turned dark.


    ¡®When¡¯s that Zhen going to visit? Dusk is approaching!¡¯ Arloum slapped his leaves on the boulder¡¯s surface, when someone¡¯s humming entered his ears.


    ¡®Is that him?¡¯ he wondered.


    The voice was soothing and lively, as though warding off the gloomy clouds and letting sunshine pass through.


    ¡®He¡¯s got a good voice¡­ he¡¯s an elf, alright. Horlum didn¡¯t lie,¡¯ he nodded, feeling somewhat¡­ proud?


    He tilted his stem and leaves, when a figure entered his vision. The figure was a male elf who was a bit shorter than Horlum.


    ¡®Now that¡¯s an elf. Is Horlum adopted? Or a half?¡¯ Arloum brushed the thought aside.


    Unlike Horlum, Zhen had long, platinum hair, emerald green eyes, and milky-white skin. Above all, Zhen¡¯s ears were a little pointy, unlike Horlum¡¯s round ears.


    ¡°Are you the little plant Horlum was talking about?¡± The boy, Zhen, tilted his head.


    Arloum twisted his leaves, savoring the elf¡¯s sing-song voice.


    ¡°So you are! Horlum said you were smart¡­ Are you a spirit plant?¡± Zhen asked, taking off his backpack.


    Then, he started unzipping the bag.


    ¡®How many times will I tell these brats, I¡¯m better than those dumb¡­ plants¡­¡¯ Arloum stared at the ground.


    After unzipping his bag, Zhen dumped everything inside it. There, half a dozen mice fell out, as well as a dead hare and three snakes, one of which was missing its lower half.


    As dead animals poured out, the stench of blood filled the air, blood splattering all over. Even Arloum was splashed with blood, let alone the boulder and Zhen himself.


    On the other hand, Arloum¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t on the ¡°filth.¡± Rather, he was locked in at the dead corpses.


    ¡®Oh¡­ oh¡­ oh!¡¯ Arloum shivered. ¡®You¡¯re no elf! You¡¯re an angel!¡¯


    <hr>


    Horlum looked out the classroom window in a daze. His desk was stuffed with notebooks, all filled with his neat handwriting.


    ¡°Horlum, are you staying here?¡± A deep but gentle voice called out to him, and he turned to see his teacher.


    A tall elf with ankle-length platinum hair, pale skin, and blindfolded eyes. He couldn¡¯t help rubbing the corner of his eyes absent-mindedly.


    ¡®Will I go blind soon?¡¯ he mindlessly thought.


    After all, elves were cursed with blindness.


    ¡°Horlum?¡± the teacher called out again.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Horlum jolted, looking at his teacher next to the door. ¡°Ah, yes teach. I¡¯ll be staying for a while, will that be okay?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the blindfolded elf smiled.


    ¡°Please close the door and clean the room before leaving, Holrum,¡± the blindfolded elf nodded, leaving the room.


    But then, he suddenly paused just as he was about to exit the door. ¡°Horlum,¡± he called out.


    Horlum blinked, looking at his teacher¡¯s back. ¡°Teach?¡±


    ¡°Half elves won¡¯t go blind, don¡¯t worry about it. Have fun studying,¡± he waved, walking out.


    Inside the classroom, Horlum scratched the side of his face, his cheeks flushed a slight red.


    ¡°Haaa, did I look too much?¡±


    He giggled, looking down at his notebook.


    Seeing the densely packed pages, he sighed, reaching for his sketchbook.


    ¡®I wonder how the little plant is doing¡­ Zhen better feed it daily like I do!¡¯ snickering, he flipped the pages filled with sketches of Arloum.


    Reaching the last, empty page, he grabbed his pencil and started drawing.


    Unbeknownst to him, outside, the blindfolded elf was staring at him through the walls. When Horlum finished sketching, the blindfolded elf squinted, a thin smile spread across his face.


    ¡°Half-elf¡­ pfft,¡± he turned around to leave, touching his blindfold with a smile.


    "It¡¯s been too quiet lately," he hummed, moving his hand to caress his smooth lips.

 3: Youre A Half Elf? Too Bad.

    Arloum focused on his inner-body.


    [Absorption T1]


    ¡®It¡¯s been a month since Zhen has been feeding me¡­ and this thing showed no changes,¡¯ he groaned.


    On the first day of Zhen¡¯s visit, he pushed his [Absorption] skill to 100%. However, even after another month of feeding, it showed no signs of evolving.


    ¡®I can absorb life energy much faster than before, but now what?¡¯ he twisted his leaves.


    ¡®And where¡¯s that brat, Zhen?! He¡¯s been missing for a whole week! He¡¯s just like Horlum!¡¯ his leaves trembled in frustration.


    Although his skill showed no signs of progressing, his body did. Now, he was two feet tall, with a few more branches and over a dozen leaves. However, his black and white leaves disappeared, leaving behind the bright, crimson red leaves.


    At nightfall, his leaves would even glow in the dark!


    ¡®TreeOfDarkness,¡¯ he scoffed. ¡®Isn¡¯t this the demon¡¯s tree of life? Wasn¡¯t it called something else?¡¯


    Perplexed, he chose to ignore it. Even if he was the demonic tree of life, he wouldn¡¯t care. But there¡¯s one thing he knew for certain.


    ¡®I¡¯m not a tree of life, I don¡¯t have access to the primal core. ''T means I can still create the battle tower and¡­ Oh! Oh! I can move my roots now,¡¯ he swayed his leaves, moving his dark energy toward his roots.


    Then, as minutes flew by, Arloum¡¯s body slowly lifted, revealing a slight gap between him and the boulder. Looking closely, there were a dense set of roots wriggling about below the base of his stem.


    [Energy: 2/10]


    ¡®Tch,¡¯ Arloum clicked his tongue, retracting his dark energy. Earlier, it was the size of a baby¡¯s first. Now, it was just a little bigger than a finger.


    ¡®This damned energy¡­¡¯ he sighed.


    After maxing out his innate skill [Absorption], his extraction of life energy was enhanced. In exchange, his energy was also harder to replenish!


    ¡®A whole day refills only a fifth of my energy¡­¡¯ his leaves drooped down.


    ¡®Where¡¯s the pushov¡ªI mean, my friend?! I need food. I must eat!!!¡¯


    <hr>


    In the dead hallway, Horlum hung his head as he strolled. His shoulders were lifeless, and on his hand was a book. ¡°History of Legends,¡± a topic too advanced for his grade, yet he enjoyed it. But now¡­ the book was heavier than iron.


    As he walked, his eyes blurred, his mind whirling through wordless whispers. Even without anyone nearby, it felt as though someone was staring.


    ¡®I did nothing wrong, why target me?¡¯ he gritted his teeth, clenching his fists as he blinked away his tears.


    Minutes later, he approached the staircase. Next to it were a group of elves chattering amongst each other. Seeing their platinum hair, Horlum paused, his feet stopping unknowingly. His knees couldn¡¯t help but shake, and his chest heaved up and down as he breathed.


    He stood, unmoving, and when one of the elves saw him, their face twisted. Whispering to the other elves, they all gazed at him, their faces betraying their disgust.


    Before Horlum could react, the elves had already disappeared upstairs.


    ¡®No, I did nothing wrong. What¡¯s up with them?¡¯ he took a deep breath, clutching his book and staring at the floor as he hurried forward.


    ¡®It¡¯s not my fault I¡¯m a half-elf!¡¯ he yelled to himself, rushing downstairs. Barely able to see in front of him, he wiped his eyes with his sleeves and kept walking.


    The hallway wasn¡¯t deserted like earlier, and each elf that saw him would engage in hushed whispers. Even though his ears weren¡¯t as sensitive as theirs, their words still reached him.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s that guy. Heard his parents seduced¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shh! Don¡¯t say such vulgar words! You¡¯ll ruin your tongue. Ignore him.¡±


    ¡°Look, did he steal that book? Should we¡­ report him?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with that thing. Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Horlum bit his lower lip, tensing up his throat to stop his hiccups.


    ¡®I¡­ I miss home,¡¯ he thought, squinting his eyes into slits. ¡®Mom, dad, why¡¯d you leave us¡­? Brother¡­ I miss you.¡¯


    ¡°Haaa,¡± he let out a shaky breath.


    Hugging his book, he closed his eyes and put his trust to his feet. His memory wasn¡¯t the best, but he had memorized the way to the library.


    ¡®They¡¯d avoid something like me, anyway,¡¯ he was sure of it.


    After all, half-elves were freaks and filthy amongst the elves. They were treated like mutated cubs from a majestic lion, growing up fur-less and tooth-less.


    Soon, the hushed voices came to a stop, and his foot hit a wooden surface. Flinching, he opened his eyes, being welcomed by a tall door carved with intricate patterns.


    ¡®Finally¡­¡¯ he sighed in relief, pushing the doors open.


    As it creaked, the underground labyrinth of bookshelves on the other side was unveiled. To the side, an elf was reading a book in silence.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    The elf opened his mouth.


    ¡°Name?¡± the elf asked, prompting Horlum to look over.


    ¡®It¡¯s the librarian,¡¯ Horlum thought, a bit relieved. The librarian was aloof and seemed out of place, even amongst the elves. He didn¡¯t bother with anything, nor did he care about anything, except for books.


    ¡°...name?¡± the librarian repeated, making Horlum jolt and mutter an apology.


    ¡°Horlum Schavenaem,¡± he said. The librarian nodded and waved his hand.


    ¡°Go in, don¡¯t make noise,¡± the librarian said as he reached for a pen, jolting down Horlum¡¯s name on a book without even looking.


    ¡®Does he ever take his eyes off of books?¡¯ Walking off, Horlum wondered, never seeing the librarian do so.


    The library was built before the kingdom of Yuriel was founded. According to history, the first king of Yuriel built it during his youth.


    ¡®Because of the wars back then, he built a labyrinth and a stronghold¡­ In the end, the labyrinth was repurposed into a library, and the stronghold became part of the academy.¡¯


    Horlum let out a small smile, wiping off the sweat on his forehead.


    His thumping heart gradually cooled down. Walking deeper and deeper into the library, the scent of books calmed his mind. Between bookshelves, there would be tables and chairs scattered around, and some would be occupied by elves. Elves who ignored his existence, absorbed in books.


    ¡®It¡¯s safe here,¡¯ he chuckled soundlessly.


    Like him, all elves were bookworms who thirsted for knowledge.


    A while of walking later, he found an empty table sandwiched between two rows of towering bookshelves. There were spirit plants that looked like white and red fuchsia growing around the bookshelves. With neither sunlight or water, they lived off of residual energy from whoever stayed in the seat.


    ¡®It¡¯d make anyone nearby think slower and enter an unusually calm mood¡­ but that¡¯s just perfect. I can¡¯t believe no one uses this spot,¡¯ he licked his lips, plopping down on the chair.


    As he sat, the back of his uniform and pants clung to his skin from the sweat.


    ¡°Hm?¡± he blinked, smelling a light, strange scent in the air.


    ¡®It smells good¡­ but what does it smell like? It reminds me of honey and flowers.¡¯


    ¡°U-uh?¡± A startled voice came from behind him.


    Eyes snapping wide open, he turned back. There, an elf stood, staring at his sweat-soaked clothes and the now sweat-stained chair.


    Squinting, he scanned the elf with dazed eyes. The eld had long, platinum hair tied to a ponytail, wearing the standard male uniform of the academy¡ªwhite long sleeves and a pair of dark-green pants. His eyes, glossy like amethyst crystals, were hidden behind a pair of thick, round eyeglasses.


    ¡°S-sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to disturb you,¡± the elf hurriedly turned around, walking away.


    ¡°...wow,¡± Horlum stared at the elf¡¯s back for a while, silently rubbing his nose shyly.


    ¡®Did he get here first? He has that scent¡­¡¯


    Shaking his head, he stood up, taking out a dry white towel and wiping the chair dry. Taking his uniform off and hanging it on the back of the chair, he yanked a spare shirt from his bag. Wiping his body dry, he changed into the spare shirt.


    ¡®Hooo, that feels a lot better,¡¯ he smiled, sitting down and stuffing his wet uniform inside a separate, smaller bag.


    ¡®Where was I? I read until I fainted last night. Hopefully I didn¡¯t forget anything¡­¡¯


    Flipping through the thick book of the ¡°History of Legends¡±, he settled on the three hundredth thirtieth page.


    ¡®Ah, here it was! I knew I had a good memory,¡¯ he smirked, reading with his eyes.


    However, he couldn¡¯t read more than one paragraph when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head, he saw a familiar, tall elf.


    ¡°Teacher Kier,¡± he greeted, making the tall elf halt and look at him, even though he was blindfolded.


    ¡°Horlum, it¡¯s nice to see you in the library. What are you reading?¡± Kier asked, walking toward Horlum.


    Seeing him taking a seat, Horlum opened his mouth


    ¡°Does teach know about this book?¡± he asked, showing off the book cover.


    Kier hummed, his smile everlasting. ¡°History of Legends, is it?¡±


    Kier¡¯s brows slightly furrowed, though Horlum didn¡¯t notice, his eyes glued to the pages.


    ¡°Why are you reading this, Horlum? Do you like history?¡± Kier asked.


    Horlum scratched his chin.


    ¡°I guess,¡± he grinned, thinking about a certain plant.


    Back then, when he found a rotting seed and threw it under a boulder, he never guessed it would sprout. It even ate dead animals!


    ¡°I love reading about¡­ spirit plants and trees of life,¡± Horlum said, his eyes unknowingly curling into a smile.


    ¡®The little plant isn¡¯t a tree of life, is it?¡¯ he inwardly wondered, before shaking the idea off.


    ¡®No way. It should be a spirit plant. But who knows?¡¯ he snickered silently.


    ¡°Trees of life?¡± Kier repeated, his voice a little higher than before, his lips parting slightly.


    Then, faking a cough, his smile returned. ¡°The trees of life, have you read about the elven tree of life?¡±


    Horlum nodded. ¡°It¡¯s the Elfrid Tree, right?¡±


    Kier¡¯s smile widened slightly. ¡°Yes, the Elfrid Tree. It¡¯s, it¡¯s where all elves came from. Do you want to know more about the Elfrid Tree?¡± He asked, his voice slightly feverish.


    Horlum shuddered, slightly tilting his head.


    Shrugging his shoulders, he said with a shy smile, ¡°I didn¡¯t know you studied the trees of life too, teach.¡±


    Kier chuckled, his lips forever upturned. ¡°No, I only care about the Elfrid Tree. How is it, are you interested?¡±


    ¡°Erm,¡± Horlum smiled wryly, looking a bit sideways.


    ¡®I want to refuse but¡­ something feels off,¡¯ Horlum discreetly peeked at Kier¡¯s blindfolds.


    ¡®It feels like he¡¯s staring at me with ten eyes.¡¯


    Shaking his head, he breathed deeply. He looked at Kier, only to see the latter smiling in amusement, his head resting on his hand.


    Horlum blinked, laughing in embarrassment. ¡°Sorry, teach, I got distracted.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Kier waved his hand, ¡°so? Are you interested?¡±


    Horlum hummed. ¡°Um, I like reading about all the trees of life, not just the¡ª¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Kier butted in. ¡°Since you¡¯re interested in the trees of life, knowing more about the Elfrid Tree is good, am I right?¡±


    Horlum gulped, thinking about it before nodding slowly.


    ¡®I guess it won¡¯t hurt to know¡­ But, does he worship the elven tree or something?¡¯


    Kier didn¡¯t care about his thoughts. As soon as Horlum nodded, he clapped his hands.


    ¡°That¡¯s great! Once upon a¡ª¡±


    ¡°Ah, wait! Teach,¡± Horlum hurriedly stopped him.


    Kier frowned for a moment before sighing, his smile returning as if it never left.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    Horlum apologized a few more times. ¡°I¡¯ve got to go home early today, teach. Can you tell me about Elfrid in the classroom next Monday?"


    Kier remained silent, nodding his head and standing up. After bidding goodbye to Horlum, he promptly disappeared into the bookshelf maze. Horlum let out a breath of relief.


    ¡®I guess that means I can¡¯t stay here now¡­ I just got here, damn it.¡¯


    Glancing at the book, which he hadn¡¯t read one page since he sat down, he bit his lip and continued reading.


    ¡®Just one more page, last one! Teach shouldn¡¯t come back so quickly.¡¯


    Reading in a hurry, he barely managed to finish one page when he heard heavy footsteps coming toward him.


    ¡®Ahhh! Such a waste!¡¯


    Grumbling inwardly, he grabbed his bag and stood up, wearing it on his back. ¡°Horlum? You¡¯re still here?¡±


    Horlum nearly jumped, turning around and seeing Kier behind him. As usual, the tall elf wore a smile.


    ¡°I was just reading¡ªahem! Packing up, teach!¡±


    Kier shook his head, flashing a smile at Horlum before walking away. On the other hand, Horlum stared at the book with longing before closing it. As he reached the entrance, he approached the librarian near the door.


    ¡°Here you go, I didn¡¯t damage it.¡±


    The librarian nodded, taking the book with one hand while holding a small booklet open in another, reading silently with his eyes. Horlum watched in envy.


    ¡®If only I can rent books and take them home during weekends¡­¡¯


    It was friday, and he was required to return all the books he borrowed from the library. Otherwise, he¡¯d be fined with a penalty. Thinking back to Kier¡¯s offer, he inwardly clicked his tongue, cursing softly.


    ¡®Teacher Kier is good, but¡­ it was suuuper uncomfortable earlier. It¡¯s like I was eating mud¡­¡¯


    Lips in a flat line, he exited the library, not noticing an elf staring at his back. The elf sneered, rubbing his lips in thought.


    ¡°I thought elves were fragile. Is it because he''s half?¡± he hummed, walking toward the librarian.


    Sensing him approaching, the librarian furrowed his brows, closing the booklet in his hand.


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The elf laughed softly.

 4: I Only Like Books

    Arloum watched Zhen in silence.


    ¡®So you know to return, damn brat,¡¯ Arloum growled, but kept half of his gaze at his ¡°meal¡±.


    Zhen was reading a book beside him after dumping another pile of dead animals.


    ¡®Why¡¯s there a fish?¡¯ Arloum wondered, having sorted through the stash of dead animals.


    Tired of his usual food, he ¡°ate¡± the fish first, only for his leaves to droop.


    [Energy: 12/10] ¡­


    [Energy: 11/10]


    ¡®Why¡¯s there only one?¡¯ he clicked his tongue, watching as the life energy he absorbed slowly overflowed from his body.


    Deciding to absorb the rest of his food later, he focused on Zhen. Strangely, Zhen was only wearing shorts, leaving the rest of his body bare.


    ¡®Is he really trying to learn arcane?¡¯ Arloum shook his leaves.


    ¡®To think an elf would try learning human magic, tch,¡¯ he almost laughed.


    As he was staring at the young elf, Zhen seemed to notice and smiled at him.


    ¡°Little plant, are you curious?¡± Zhen asked, his voice lighter than a feather.


    ¡®I¡¯m curious how you''ll fail,¡¯ Arloum huffed.


    In his memories, elves could never use arcane magic because of their fragile bodies. Those who attempted experience extreme pain, and if they persevered, their lifespan would be cut short.


    ¡®Though I know one elf who managed to bypass that barrier, Ymer¡­¡¯ Arloum clicked his tongue.


    ¡®She¡¯s the reason I''m like this!¡¯


    Zhen chuckled, watching Arloum shake his leaves as though excited. Raising his hand, he poked Arloum''s stem.


    ¡°Alright, I''ll tell you. See this?¡± Zhen showed the book he was reading to Arloum.


    ¡°It''s incantation magic,¡± Zhen said with a smile. ¡°Others call it ¡®green magic,¡¯¡± he said.


    Arloum paused for a moment.


    ¡®What in the world is green magic?¡¯


    Ignorant to Arloum''s confusion, Zhen looked around, before standing up and walking out of the former''s view. A few minutes later, he came back with a fist-sized spider at hand.


    ¡®...hm,¡¯ Arloum stared at the spider, whose legs had been plucked off.


    ¡°I''ll show you,¡± Zhen said, closing his eyes and pointing at the spider.


    Then, he started blushing, stuttering as he spoke. ¡°Great Ymer, the ocean¡­ the ocean¡­ is great!¡±


    Zhen looked away, still pointing at the spider. Meanwhile, Arloum stared at Zhen and didn''t know what to think. Nevertheless, Zhen continued chanting.


    ¡°Engulf the fire, uh, Tyra!¡± Zhen yelled, though nothing happened.


    Before Arloum could react, Zhen''s brows furrowed and he held his outstretched wrist. Clearing his throat, he chanted louder.


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Great Ymer, the ocean is great! Engulf the fire, Tyra!¡±


    ¡®¡­¡¯


    Arloum severed his vision, focusing on his inner body.


    ¡®What kind of chant is that?! Even a witch¡¯s prayer for a demon has better incantations!¡¯ he covered his stem with his leaves.


    However, when he heard Zhen muttering to himself, he couldn''t help but open his ¡°eyes.¡±


    Just like earlier, Zhen was still pointing at the spider. But this time, he was reading from the book, holding it with his other hand.


    ¡®Oh?¡¯ Arloum leaned closer to Zhen. ¡®I''m just curious¡­ I won''t laugh¡­ I swear.¡¯


    Oblivious to the gossiping plant, Zhen read from the book with a flat tone.


    ¡°O¡¯ Great Ymer¡­ the ocean engulfs flames¡­ silence the roaring fire, Tyra,¡± he said, and a drop of water formed in front of Zhen''s palm.


    Then¡­


    ¡®That¡¯s it? All that for a drop of¡­ water?¡¯ Arloum stared at the droplet, and then at Zhen.


    Seeing his ¡°magic,¡± Zhen groaned, dropping his hand and laying on the boulder. Staring at the sky, he let out a sigh.


    ¡°I understand the full incantation and shortened it¡­ why won''t it work?¡±


    Arloum shook his leaves, looking at the sky. Of course, he couldn''t see the sky, all he saw was the void.


    ¡°Little plant, did you see that? I used magic!¡± Zhen turned to face Arloum, his eyes barely staying open.


    ¡®Yes, I saw. I felt embarrassed for you¡­ Tch, never do it again, brat!¡¯ Arloum wanted to plead, but had no mouth.


    Zhen, seeing Arloum''s leaves swaying from left to right, chuckled happily. Then, he closed his eyes, but his mouth kept moving.


    ¡°Oh right, sorry about last week. The prince was announced to be missing, so no one was allowed to go out¡­¡±


    ¡®Brat, I don¡¯t care. Just bring me more food if you''re sorry!¡¯ Arloum cut off his vision, wishing to filter the words coming from Zhen¡¯s mouth.


    On the other hand, Zhen kept talking until he dozed off. He didn''t know that snakes, spiders, and slugs crawled all over him afterward. Meanwhile, Arloum started eating his meal.


    <hr>


    Horlum looked at his sketchbook. Each page, back and front, were filled with drawings of various plants and trees. However, the plant he drew the most was the strange plant he left to Zhen''s care.


    ¡°Man, I wanna go home,¡± he frowned, staring at the drawing of a plant with three leaves. Then, he looked out the window.


    ¡®We can¡¯t leave the dormitory¡­ What¡¯s the point?¡¯ From the window, he could see the endless forest. Though, in the horizon, he imagined a towering tree swaying gently as if waving at him.


    ¡®I wonder if that lazy-bones kept his promise and fed the plant,¡¯ Horlum laid on the desk, using his arms as pillows.


    After a while, he stood up, packing his notebooks into his back. As usual, he was the last to leave the classroom, and even the teacher, Kier, had left a while ago. However, as he was packing his things, he heard footsteps echoing in the hallway.


    ¡®Is it teacher Kier?¡¯ Horlum guessed, stuffing his sketchbook and pencils into his bag.


    However, as he turned to look at the open door, the footsteps halted. Moments later, no one appeared.


    ¡®I guess not,¡¯ he shrugged, wearing his bag.


    Then, he went to the door when an elf walked in, nearly bumping against him. The elf¡¯s long hair was tied to a ponytail, and he was adorned with round eyeglasses.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t he the one from the library?¡¯ Horlum raised an eyebrow, walking around the bespectacled elf.


    ¡°Um, Horlum, right?¡± The elf called out, startling Horlum with his soft voice.


    Horlum turned around, flashing a shaky smile. ¡°Yeah? Do you need something?¡±


    The elf shook his head. ¡°My name is¡ªFredrinn,¡± he said, before rushing away. Watching his retreating back, Horlum scratched his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±


    After Fredrinn turned to a corner, Horlum shrugged, turning around only to stare into someone¡¯s flat chest. Looking up, he saw a blindfolded elf.


    ¡°Teacher Kier?¡±


    ¡°Horlum,¡± Kier smiled. ¡°Do you mind coming with me to the office for a bit? There were¡­ some problems with your performance today. It¡¯s quite concerning.¡±


    Horlum chuckled, looking sideways.


    ¡®So what?¡¯ He frowned.


    ¡®I¡¯ve been horrible at subjects since day one,¡¯ Horlum nearly rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Teacher Kier, what¡¯s it about? I¡¯m sorry I made mistakes¡­¡±


    Kier chuckled softly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not hard to fix. However, I need to address something while we¡¯re at it. Please, follow me,¡± he nodded, gesturing at Horlum before walking away.


    Horlum shivered. ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m not in trouble, right?¡¯


    It took them both a dozen minutes to reach the faculty room, where Kier sat on a chair behind a desk. Horlum sat in front of him.


    ¡°Teach?¡± Horlum asked, looking at the elf¡¯s blindfolded face.


    For some reason, he always felt a chill when looking at the elf.


    ¡°Horlum,¡± Kier spoke, his voice lower than usual.


    His smile was a bit flat today, too.


    ¡°Firstly, you made mistakes on the Theory of Green Magic,¡± he said, passing a piece of paper to Horlum.


    Horlum took it, reading it with a glance. ¡°Um, I didn¡¯t study well¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Kier smiled, tapping his fingers on the desk.


    ¡°And now, I wanted to ask you something,¡± he stared at Horlum through his blindfold.


    Horlum nodded silently, watching him with his heart pounding.


    ¡®I didn''t commit a crime, did I?¡¯ he started nibbling on his tongue.


    ¡®I mean¡­ I only stole a pencil¡­ from you¡­¡¯ he gulped.


    Kier¡¯s smile stretched a bit wider. ¡°Horlum, I heard you were getting bullied lately.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Horlum blinked.


    ¡°I was?¡± he asked, faking a shocked look.


    Inwardly, he scoffed. ¡®Wow, I didn''t notice at all!¡¯


    Kier nodded, his smile slowly flattening. ¡°I talked to a few students, and apparently, you¡­ degraded some of the girls.¡±


    Horlum¡¯s eyebrows nearly touched, his lips twisting into a frown. ¡°I didn¡¯t! I barely even say a word to any of those shi¡ªthose guys!¡±


    Kier let out a sigh. ¡°Calm down, Horlum.¡±


    He then smiled, trying to soothe Horlum''s anger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, tell me what happened. I won¡¯t blame you.¡±


    Horlum stared at the blindfolded elf, before letting out a deep breath. Though, his mind was stirring like a disturbed wasp nest.


    ¡®Something¡¯s wrong,¡¯ he pinched his thighs.


    As a half elf, he wasn''t new to schemes and framing others. Heck, he even stabbed some people before, though that was in self defense.


    ¡®I don¡¯t know any of the elves¡­ aside from Fredrinn and teach Kier¡­ but that''s only at school.¡¯


    Shaking aside his thoughts, he spoke up. ¡°I really don¡¯t know what happened, teach. I promise I¡¯ve never talked rudely to anyone.¡±


    For a moment, Horlum saw Kier¡¯s eyebrows twist, his lips turning into a grin. Blinking, Holrum squinted his eyes, seeing Kier¡¯s smiling face as usual.


    ¡®Did I see wrong?¡¯ he licked the back of his teeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, Horlum,¡± Kier spoke gently. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a misunderstanding. If you encounter any trouble, feel free to come to the faculty office.¡±


    After bidding goodbye to Kier, Horlum went straight to the library. But, as he sat down, a few elves passed by him. Then, his ears twitched, hearing their hushed voice.


    One of them whispered, ¡°I heard the freak got in trouble?¡±


    ¡°Someone saw him pushing down a girl,¡± another one said.


    Then, the elves walked too far for him to hear. Horlum was left staring at an empty table, wondering if he had a doppleganger.


    ¡®When did I push down a girl?¡¯ he huffed. ¡®No, scratch that, when did I go near a girl? Please, I only like books!¡¯


    The next day, he found himself cornered by three older students.

 5: A Sleeping Beauty

    Dusk was fast approaching, with Zhen arriving at the boulder where Arloum was at. Seeing the plant, Zhen hopped on the boulder and opened his bag.


    Blood splattered on the rock, staining them both as a dozen snakes fell out. One, still moving, quickly tried to slither away, but Zhen swiftly stomped on its head.


    For the past month since Zhen''s return, their daily life has been consistent. After dropping off Arloum''s meal, Zhen would hurriedly leave.


    ¡®What are you waiting for?!¡¯


    Though this time, Zhen stared at Arloum for a moment. His eyes were slightly weary, and his face slightly pale. On the other hand, Arloum was frantically waving his stem around.


    ¡®Move faster, damn it!¡¯ Arloum¡¯s leaves twitched in frustration.


    [Energy: 990/10] ¡­


    [Energy: 810/10]


    ¡®Ahhh! My precious stockpile!¡¯ his leaves drooped down, and seeing this, Zhen sighed.


    ¡°See you¡­ next time, little plant,¡± he said, poking Arloum''s leaves.


    Without tidying up his bag, he grabbed it and jumped away.


    ¡®Hoorah!¡¯ Arloum¡¯s leaves perked up. As soon as Zhen walked out of his vision, he ate his food like there was no tomorrow.


    By midnight, all the snakes had been sucked dry.


    [Energy: 1489/10] ¡­


    [Energy: 1272/10]


    ¡®Hn, hurry up!¡¯ he inwardly yelled, manipulating his dark energy toward his roots.


    Slowly, his stem was lifted, and his roots began to emerge. Sensing his dark energy rapidly diminishing, he grabbed the overflowing life energy in his body and rapidly converted it into crude dark energy.


    ¡®The replica is trash, but it¡¯s enough!¡¯ he held his breath. Watching the crude dark energy being consumed faster than earlier.


    [Energy: 700/10] ¡­


    [Energy: 391/10] ¡­


    [Energy¡­]


    As the breeze touched his virgin roots, Arloum watched as they squirmed on the boulder¡¯s surface.


    ¡®Tch, alas!¡¯ he heaved a sigh of relief.


    [Energy: 4/10]


    ¡®My roots are five times my body,¡¯ Arloum clicked his tongue.


    ¡®This might be a problem. Can I cut it now? I couldn¡¯t cut it when it was buried¡­¡¯ he tapped his roots with his leaves, observing his thin but flexible roots.


    Though, as he bent them too much, his roots would snap. Feeling a searing sensation in his mind, he pondered before bracing himself. Gathering the majority of his roots, he bent them like he was trying to snap a twig in half.


    ¡®It¡¯s pointless to have so many roots,¡¯ he thought, ¡®in the first place, I don''t get my energy from the soil.¡¯


    Left with four thick and long root ¡°tentacles,¡± his leaves swayed in satisfaction.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡®Let¡¯s recover first,¡¯ he hummed, remaining still to absorb the scrap energy in the air.


    When the moon was starting to sink, his meditation was cut off by a bird''s cry.


    [Energy: 7/10]


    ¡®Hn,¡¯ Arloum stared at his inner-body for a while. ¡®I recovered energy faster¡­ a bigger body is a burden, it seems.¡¯


    Looking at his stem with dozens of leaves, he felt tempted to cut them off.


    ¡®No, that''s too much,¡¯ he flicked his leaves.


    Shaking off any unnecessary thoughts, he crawled off the boulder and found a nearby stream of water.


    ¡®I wonder¡­¡¯


    He looked at the stream of water in front of him. Dipping his leaves in, he hummed in joy.


    [Energy: 8/10] ¡­


    ¡®So water replenishes my energy!¡¯ He slapped the stream of water with his roots.


    ¡®Why didn¡¯t I think of it? I could¡¯ve absorbed rainwater!¡¯


    Like with absorbing scrap energy from the air, sunlight, and life energy, the energy he gathered from the stream of water was converted into crude ¡°dark energy.¡±


    ¡®In terms of quality, it¡¯s slightly better than sunlight but behind life energy. But the water isn''t running out anytime soon,¡¯ he chuckled, before looking behind.


    After crawling for a bit, his short-sighted vision couldn¡¯t see the boulder anymore.


    ¡®Should I leave like this?¡¯ he mused. ¡®I mean, I can travel back easily.¡¯


    Thinking for a moment, he then focused on the temperature around him.


    ¡®It¡¯s still cold. Dawn should be a while away. A little exploring won¡¯t hurt,¡¯ he waved his leaves, decisively following the stream of water.


    ¡®Stream¡¯s gotten thicker,¡¯ he found.


    Occasionally, he''d spot a snake crawling along the stream. Unfortunately, before he could come close to any of them, the snakes would bolt.


    ¡®Tch, cowards,¡¯ he mocked, half amused and half irritated. ¡®I need you not, either way!¡¯


    Crawling a few dozen minutes forward, more and more streams of water merging together. Now, the water level is starting to deepen.


    ¡®Where are these streams coming from?¡¯ he wondered, when he felt the air starting to get warmer.


    Likewise, the surroundings have gotten a little brighter as well. Knowing it was day time, he shook his leaves and started tracing his path.


    However, his journey back in was quickly thwarted when he found a small cave entrance.


    ¡®... Zhen would come near dusk, I have more time. Besides, I''m not in a hurry to feed with water nearby.¡¯


    Curious as a cat, he crawled into the opening, finding a figure laying inside.


    ¡®Is that an elf? Who would sleep here?¡¯ he peeked at the figure, though didn''t crawl over.


    After all, even elves would cut trees down. How else would they build their structures?


    Crawling around the figure while sticking close to the cave¡¯s wall, he stared at the elf''s face. The elf was blindfolded, his skin pale. Most notably, his throat was sliced open, revealing his esophagus and dried blood.


    ¡®So it was murder, tch. But why blindfold him? Was it on purpose?¡¯ he mused, before crawling toward the corpse.


    He had a guess as to why, but it didn''t make sense to him. ¡®Adult elves are blind, but their eyes are too pretty¡­ why cover them?¡¯ he complained a bit.


    Distracted by some strange thoughts, he watched the corpse for a few minutes.


    ¡®His body shows not a spot of decay. There''s no bugs ¡®round either. Strange, is it a powerful elf?¡¯


    He clicked his tongue, staring at the corpse for a hot minute. Reminiscing of the past, he sighed and shook his leaves. Then, he checked his inner-body, recalling his innate skills.


    [Absorption T1]


    [TreeOfDarkness T1]


    ¡®Absorption is maxed out, and TreOfDarkness represents me,¡¯ he hummed.


    ¡®Can I¡­ merge them?¡¯ Arloum pondered.


    Ever since inventing the ¡°status mirror¡± in the past, he realized that skills could be merged. However, he had never merged ¡°himself¡± with his skills in the past.


    Mostly because ¡°he¡± was already at the peak of power since birth.


    [Energy: 10/10]


    ¡®But how much energy would it take to finish the merging?¡¯ he then stared at the elf.


    ¡®¡­since it''s a corpse¡­ can I absorb it?¡¯


    He tapped the corpse with his leaves, confirming his guess when he saw two forms of life energy.


    A living being would only have one form of life energy when they''re still alive. Only after death would their life energy start decaying.


    ¡®Is it safe?¡¯ he wondered.


    Whenever he absorbed life energy, he always felt drowsy and lethargic. In other words, if someone saw a plant latched onto a corpse¡ªand the corpse was rapidly drying up, they¡¯d definitely burn the ¡°plant¡± down.


    The cave itself was not cramped, with only one visible entrance.


    ¡®It''s enough for snakes and cats to squeeze through, but not a humanoid¡­ maybe a brat. It''s safe, then,¡¯ he sighed, when he tensed up.


    ¡® ¡­ then how''d the corpse get here?¡¯ he crawled away from the corpse, staring at it with a vigilant gaze.


    Looking around, he crawled toward the cave walls, patting every side of it when he reached a patch of vines. Poking it, his roots sank going deeper and deeper into the ¡°wall.¡±


    ¡®So there¡¯s a secret entrance¡­ is it safe?¡¯ Arloum looked at the corpse, and then at the secret entrance.


    ¡®It should be. Apart from the corpse, it doesn¡¯t look like people go into this cave often. Alright,¡¯ he crawled over to the dead elf.


    ¡®Victory goes to daredevils!¡¯ he yelled inwardly, sliding his roots into the elf''s exposed esophagus.


    After burying his roots inside the elf''s neck, he focused on his inner-body. Then, he connected his dark energy with the elf''s life energy, swiftly guiding it to his body.


    ¡® ¡­ I¡¯m¡­ dizzy,¡¯ he gasped for air, even though he couldn''t.


    Looking at his inner-body, he realized the cause instantly.


    [Energy: 390/10] ¡­


    [Energy: 610/10]


    ¡®Tch,¡¯ he drowsily controlled his dark energy, using it to convert the overflowing life energy into dark energy.


    ¡®This better be worthwhile,¡¯ unable to do anything else, he resigned himself to his subconscious.


    ¡®I hope it won''t take too long¡­ Zhen, don''t you dare throw away my food,¡¯ he thought one last time.


    [Absorption T1 (99%)], [TreeOfDarkness T1 (101%)] ¡­


    [Absorption T1 (98%)], [TreeOfDarkness T1 (102%)] ¡­


    <hr>


    The sun dawned like a falling star, and birds cluttered over a boulder. They pecked at the dry roots laying around, but as a figure walked near, all of them flew off.


    Some carried the roots with their talons, while some simply left, already satisfied.


    Looking at the empty boulder, the figure sighed, before climbing and sitting atop the rock. Placing his blood soaked bag beside him, he stared at the clear sky.


    ¡°Until we meet again, old friend. Cheers to our second chance,¡± he stood up, leaving the bag behind and staring at the sky with his bright, green eyes.


    Meanwhile, a lone elf stood inside the dark room of the faculty office, donning a black cloak. Staring out the window, he slowly took off his blindfold. His pitch black eyes shining slightly, sucking in the surrounding light.


    He scoffed, walking toward a drawer and taking out a piece of paper.


    ¡°Those damned outcasts finally reached out, pfft,¡± he scowled.


    Then, he reached inside his cloak, taking out a glass fountain pen.


    ¡°My dear, can you see it? Our dreams are within reach,¡± he chuckled, caressing the fountain pen gently.

 6: Elfrid Tree

    The moon hung above the sky, and seven cloaked elves trekked through the elven forest. Each of them was equipped with a slender sword tied to their waist, and a bow on their back. At the end of their midnight hike, they reached the edge of a deep ravine.


    ¡°Are you sure he''s here?¡± one of them asked.


    Unlike the rest, he had a red feather sewn onto his hood, where his right ear would''ve been.


    The cloaked elf next to him nodded, a few long platinum strands of hair showing from his cloak. He was the sole elf with platinum hair amongst them, the rest having charcoal-black hair.


    ¡°He¡¯s down there. No one should¡¯ve found him,¡± the platinum-haired elf said.


    The others walked next to him, looking down at the ravine.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you put him here? Don¡¯t you know this is a sacred place?¡± an elf shook his head, though his voice reeked of sarcasm.


    The platinum-haired elf scoffed.


    ¡°Sacred? As if you bunch care about that. We¡¯re here to fetch the sacrifice for our god. Let''s go,¡± he said and started climbing down.


    ¡°We just climb down like that?¡± the elf with a red feather said in disbelief.


    However, the platinum-haired elf ignored him, climbing down with finesse.


    ¡°This guy¡­ haaa, be careful,¡± he said to the other elves and began his descent. The rest followed suit.


    A few dozen minutes later, all seven of them stood before a small cave opening.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± the platinum-haired elf said.


    ¡°You fit through that?¡± the elf with a red feather pointed at the cave entrance.


    It was barely enough for a child to squeeze through.


    The platinum-haired elf scowled, turning around and walking away.


    ¡°You can try,¡± he snarked.


    The rest glanced at each other, before following him.


    Soon, they were in front of another cave entrance. It was large enough to fit each of them, granted they crouched and didn''t stand.


    ¡°Be careful of sharp edges and spiders. They¡¯re venomous,¡± the platinum-haired elf said, crouching and crawling into the cave.


    The elf with a red feather clicked his tongue.


    ¡°You pure elves sure have it nice,¡± he kicked a pebble, before starting to chant.


    ¡°O¡¯ Great Ymer,¡± his face showed disgust, be he continued, ¡°The ocean engulfs flames, veil me from fire, [MistBarrier].¡±


    His chant echoed in their ears, and a faint mist manifested around him, forming a protective bubble. Soon afterward, he followed after the platinum-haired elf.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The remaining elves shrugged at each other, repeating the same incantation and following suit. Just like him, the other elves spoke Ymer''s name with venom in their tongues.


    Before long, giant spiders rushed toward them, trying to bite. On the other hand, the platinum-haired elf was ignored by the spiders.


    ¡°Finally! I thought I¡¯d eat a spider after all that!¡± the elf with a red feather grumbled as he exited the narrow tunnel.


    Looking around, the group found themselves in a cavern. The ceiling was littered with stalactites, each pointed stone dripping with clear water. The cavern itself was cold, and there was no sign of recent activities.


    The platinum-haired elf shook his head slightly, stretching his hand out. Then, opening his palm, he mumbled an incoherent chant.


    ¡°[FlameBurst],¡± he said at the end of his incantation.


    Sparks appeared above his palm, and he quickly made a fist. Grabbing the unlit torch tied to his waist, he opened his fists and a burst of fire engulfed half of the cavern. Bats flew around, startled, and some rats darted across the floor.


    Meanwhile, the platinum-haired elf used the flames on his palm to light up the torch. When the air grew warm, the fire was extinguished, leaving behind the lit up torch.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± he turned to beckon the other cloaked elves. ¡°Don¡¯t stray too far, it¡¯s easy to get lost. This cave has multiple tunnels,¡± he explained before walking forward.


    The elves behind him shared a glance, before the one with a red feather lifted his hood. His face was pale like snow, his eyes were pitch-black¡ªjust like his hair, and his ears were pointy like spearheads. Looking at his forehead, one would see a red dot.


    ¡°Ugh, it¡¯s getting hot in here, don¡¯t you think?¡± He snickered, staring at the platinum-haired elf.


    In his example, the other five elves took off their hoods, revealing similar features¡ªthough they didn¡¯t have the red dot on their forehead. On the other hand, the platinum-haired elf stayed silent for a while.


    ¡°Tch,¡± he spat on the ground, yanking off his hood.


    His platinum long hair was tied to a ponytail and was tucked inside his cloak. And just like the other six, his eyes were pitch-black¡ªeven more so than the others.


    The black-haired elves started laughing as the platinum-haired elf revealed his face.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± the latter said, walking away without hesitation.


    In silence, an hour passed by. When the group of seven stopped, they were standing in front of a mass of vines. As the platinum-haired elf started moving the vines away, the elf with a red dot on his forehead couldn''t hold his tongue.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know vines magically grow deep in caves nowadays.¡±


    The platinum haired elf took out a dagger, swiftly cutting away at the tangled vines.


    ¡°It¡¯s here to fool animals. But,¡± he glanced at the elf with the red dot, ¡°who knew it would fool you.¡±


    ¡°Che.¡±


    Ignoring the grumpy elf behind him, the platinum-haired elf unveiled the secret entrance. Entering yet another chamber, they all looked at the figure in the middle of the ground.


    The figure had milky-white skin, his clothes having been torn all over the place¡ªmostly around his hips. White foam oozed out of his openings, red lines littering his once unblemished skin like a whip¡¯s love. His platinum hair was scattered on the floor like a waterfall, and the blindfold over his eyes was lifted, revealing his rolled-back amethyst eyes.


    Staring at the elf¡¯s debauched look, the elf with a red dot shivered, pressing his legs together. Glancing at the murderer, the platinum-haired elf, he whispered with a shaky tone.


    ¡°Of all the elven beauty, you chose a dead one. Chimera, you are¡­¡±


    The platinum-haired elf scoffed, stomping toward the corpse.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my doing. I left the prince with his clothes intact, and I only slashed his neck,¡± he said, but the other elves cast doubtful glances.


    ¡°Then why¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask me,¡± Chimera scowled.


    Moving the dead prince to his back, he quickly realized a problem. There was a strange, decaying plant stuck on the corpse¡¯s neck. It was barely half a foot tall, and its leaves were slimy and falling off.


    Once again, the elf with a red dot shot a comment.


    ¡°Not only do you enjoy the dead, your taste in gardening is just as unique.¡±


    Chimera ignored him. Squinting, he glanced at a small entrance to the cavern.


    ¡°Did a kid crawl here?¡± he muttered. ¡°Children are so brazen,¡± he sighed, raising his dagger to dig out the strange plant.


    Either way, the prince¡¯s corpse was seen by the black-haired elves, and their alliance would be secured. Unfortunately, the prince wasn''t suitable to be a sacrifice now.


    However, as the blade neared the plant¡¯s stem, new leaves sprouted from its branches. Within a second, the plant grew more and more, the red leaves¡¯ glowing crimson veins illuminating his face.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Behind him, the other elves witnessed the anomaly. Together, they surrounded the rapidly growing plant, as well as the rapidly drying corpse.


    ¡°This is¡­ a gift from me,¡± the platinum-haired elf claimed, his breathing stable unlike his mind.


    Likewise, the other elves doubted his words.


    A long minute passed, and the corpse was now drier than sand. On the other hand, the plant grew to be taller than them, its leaves dense and plentiful.


    Chimera spread his arms wide, his eyes glimmering with craftiness, his voice loud and clear.


    ¡°Everyone,¡± a chuckle escaped his throat, ¡°Let us greet the Elfrid Tree¡¯s reincarnation.¡±


    The black-haired elves stared at him speechless. After a deafening silence, the elf with a red dot on his forehead spoke, his voice dripping with sarcasm.


    ¡°You need to get your eyes checked, you must be colorblind. It looks more like the demonic tree, Chimera.¡±


    Chimera smiled gently, patiently explaining to the other elves.


    ¡°Trees of life are influenced by external factors. Once, the demonic tree had white leaves, and the elven tree had golden leaves. But overtime, the demonic tree grew red leaves, and the elven tree grew amethyst leaves," he stepped toward the young tree, patting its red, glowing leaves.


    ¡°Now, let us worship our new god.¡±


    <hr>


    At the same time, Arloum¡¯s soul stirred awake, only to be met with drowsiness heavier than a boulder.


    ¡®Who¡¯s noisy brat came to visit?¡¯ he wondered, thinking of two young elves.


    ¡®Tch, shut up and leave my food, or I¡¯ll whip you!¡¯


    In the end, his consciousness faded away. Before he fell into slumber, however, he anxiously checked his inner-body.


    [Absorption T1, TreeOfDarkness T1 ¡ú TreeOfDarkness T2 (1%)]


    [Energy ¡ú DarkEnergy T1 (1%)]

 7: I Believe In You

    On a palace balcony built by renowned masters, a figure stood tall, overlooking the elven forest. His back was adorned by a royal red, heavy cape, and a crown rested upon his head.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± a servant walked toward the crowned figure, kneeling in reverence.


    The king of Yuriel, raised his hand. Without turning around, he spoke, his voice heavy on the servant¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Have the druids found my heir?¡± he asked, and a light breeze suddenly entered.


    A dim, green glow was cast upon them both. If the servant looks up, he¡¯d see a tiny, winged creature sitting on the king¡¯s shoulder, staring at him.


    ¡°Afraid not, my king,¡± the servant bowed his head deeper in shame.


    ¡°Prince Tera left no trace upon his¡ª¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± the king growled.


    ¡°You are dismissed. Do guard the Ganesha well,¡± he hummed, ¡°the kingdom is welcoming the second prince.¡±


    Hearing the queen¡¯s name and the sudden news, the servant trembled.


    ¡°King, what have I done to deserve¡ª¡±


    The king waved his hand, and the servant¡¯s head rolled on the ground. Not a single drop of blood stained the ground, not even its stench could be sniffed.


    As the green light faded, the king said a final sentence to the departed servant.


    ¡°I can respect my enemies, but I can¡¯t find mercy for them,¡± he said, turning around and walking away.


    On the ground, the servant elf¡¯s platinum hair faded, slowly turning darker and darker until they were pitch-black.


    <hr>


    ¡°It¡¯s Horlum,¡± an elf whispered, glaring at Horlum with disgust.


    ¡°I heard he touched Freya. How is he still here?¡±


    ¡°He did that to Freya too? That¡¯s ten girls now¡­¡± another one whispered.


    ¡°They should kick him out. He¡¯ll corrupt the students next year, and the years after that!¡± one more elf said, this time, they didn¡¯t bother to lower their voice.


    Clenching his teeth and fists, Horlum walked with his head down toward the library. Ever since he was framed last week, more and more blame fell on his head. It got so bad that the entire academy knew his name!


    Worse, if there was something bad happening, he¡¯d be the first to be mentioned!


    ¡®Bastards, I¡¯m not even an adult yet. Why would I do those things? Blame an old elf, not me!¡¯


    Knowing he frequented the library, many elves visited the library less and less. Not that he minded, the less elves bothering him, the better. Besides, the library was his safe place, and the librarian gave him zero attention.


    Not before the rumors, and not after them.


    Walking to his usual place, he greeted the hanging spirit plant. Sitting down, he took out a book.


    ¡®A shame that the book I was reading suddenly vanished,¡¯ he sighed.


    He asked the librarian about it, and the latter said someone took it. Naturally, he smelled something fishy, but what could he do?


    ¡®Anyway, studying green magic is not that bad either,¡¯ he wiped the book¡¯s cover, reading the title written in cursive.


    ¡°Wisdom of the Sages, Green Magic.¡±


    ¡®I¡¯m not sure if there are books about druids in the library, but I sure haven¡¯t seen any. Maybe I haven¡¯t found it yet,¡¯ he scratched his head.


    ¡®Ahh, starting with green magic is enough,¡¯ he opened the book.


    This would be his second time reading it. The first time, he skimmed over it to make sure it had real knowledge. He went through a lot of books about green magic, though most of them were simply theories and speculation.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°...green magic is a practice our ancestors developed. Through incantations, the caster seeks to connect with the past Legends and borrow their power, using it for themselves.¡±


    Horlum scratched his head. ¡®But haven¡¯t the Legends all perished?¡¯


    Either way, the book didn¡¯t explain it.


    ¡°...green magic incantations are divided into three parts. The caster must first call a Legend¡¯s name, and then praise them, before stating their wish. Most incantations are fixed, but the caster can shorten them to three phrases.¡±


    Horlum tilted his head, turning the page over. But then, he heard someone¡¯s voice behind the bookshelves to his right. Though he didn¡¯t mean it, he felt bad for eavesdropping.


    Even as a half, he was still an elf, after all.


    ¡®I¡¯ll just ignore them,¡¯ he thought, looking at the book again.


    But just as he was about to keep reading, he paused.


    ¡°I heard professor Ian was angry today,¡± an elf said.


    Another elf hummed in reply. ¡°It¡¯s because of the freak.¡±


    Horlum held the book tightly, even making the edges crumple.


    ¡®Because of me? What did I do?¡¯


    For starters, he didn¡¯t know anyone named Ian. The only professor he knew was the one teaching their class, Kier.


    ¡°Again? What¡¯d the freak do this time?¡± the first elf asked, sounding fed up.


    ¡®I never did anything!¡¯ Horlum furrowed his brows. His eyes blurred, but he stared at the book without blinking.


    ¡°Someone told me that the freak¡­ uh, did something to professor Ian¡¯s son,¡± the second elf said.


    The first elf gasped. ¡°Really?! He even does it to boys¡­¡±


    The second elf hurriedly corrected him. ¡°He didn¡¯t do that, geez. He just, you know, beat the kid up.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± the first elf asked.


    ¡°Beats me,¡± the second elf said, before shifting the subject.


    On the other hand, Horlum was biting his tongue, not seeing the wet spots on the book that kept increasing.


    ¡®Why me?¡¯ he asked himself.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t do anything wrong, I didn¡¯t offend anyone, so why? Does god hate me?¡¯ he snickered, knowing it was ridiculous.


    Sniffling, he wiped his eyes and stared at the book.


    ¡°Great,¡± he said, his voice hoarse. ¡°Now it¡¯s all wet.¡±


    He chuckled, grabbing the page and turning it. Even though he hadn¡¯t read it yet. Even though he was nearly tearing the paper from his grip. Even though¡ª


    ¡°Uhm, don¡¯t ruin the book?¡±


    Horlum jumped, making the chair he was sitting on tumble to the floor. Turning around, he saw an elf who was staring at the fallen chair.


    ¡°You are?¡± Horlum asked, before quickly turning around to wipe his face with his sleeves.


    Turning around again, he stared at the elf. He wore his long hair in a ponytail, and his eyes were blurred by a pair of thick eyeglasses.


    ¡®What¡¯s his name again?¡¯ Horlum searched his head, feeling a bit bad.


    Hearing his question, the elf frowned, pouting at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m Fredrinn, rememberrr?¡± he said, before handing over a handkerchief.


    But then, Horlum wiped his nose with the sleeves of his uniform. Fredrinn¡¯s outstretched hand twitched, and he awkwardly patted the book dry instead.


    ¡°Why were you crying? ¡­ erm, sorry for asking,¡± Fredrinn faked a chuckle, his soft voice making Horlum look everywhere else but the elf.


    Horlum opened and closed his mouth, though nothing came out. Finally, when Fredrinn finished drying the book as best as he could, he answered.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear? I¡¯m a bad elf.¡±


    Fredrinn looked at him, eyes wide. ¡°A-a bad elf?¡± He shivered, though Horlum didn¡¯t catch it.


    ¡°Ahem! I mean, what do you mean? You don¡¯t seem like a bad¨Ca bad elf¡­¡±


    Horlum¡¯s shoulders dropped, gritting his teeth as he felt his vision blurring again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said.


    Fredrinn squinted, his brows raising up.


    ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t know? I can help¡ª I! I mean! Um, why don''t you know?¡± Fredrinn giggled, a faint blush appearing on his face.


    Horlum was a bit dense, he¡¯d admit. But even he wasn¡¯t so blind to not notice anything strange.


    ¡®Why¡¯s he acting weird?¡¯ He thought, staring at Fredrinn¡¯s flushed face.


    His lips curled down, and for a moment, his worries seemed to vanish.


    ¡°Do you have a fever?¡± He asked, reaching out and touching the other¡¯s forehead with his palm.


    The moment his palm touched Fredrinn''s hot skin, he could¡¯ve sworn a chill ran down his spine.


    ¡°No, no! I-I just, don¡¯t worry,¡± Fredrinn brushed off Horlum¡¯s hand, though his fingers were slick with sweat.


    ¡°Um, Horlum. You¡¯re not bad. Don¡¯t worry, don¡¯t listen to them!¡± he said, seemingly oblivious to the rumors.


    Horlum chuckled, smiling for the first time in seven days.


    ¡°Thanks, Fredrinn. You¡¯re a good¡­¡± His words abruptly ended, his eyes wide as Fredrinn¡¯s knees buckled without warning.


    ¡°Fredrinn!¡± Horlum rushed to the unstable elven boy, who was nursing his head.


    Fredrinn quickly pushed him off. ¡°I-I¡¯m fine, really¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re sick, tell your professor and rest at home,¡± Horlum shook his head.


    Stretching his arm, he tried to aid Fredrinn in standing up. The latter stumbled back, stuttering while staring at Horum¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine! Don¡¯t worry, my arms¡ªmy legs just lost balance for a second,¡± he laughed, steadying himself by holding onto the bookshelves.


    ¡°So,¡± he looked at Horlum, who reluctantly returned to his chair.


    Thinking for a bit, he sat across Horlum. ¡°Uh, anyway, why did you say you¡¯re a bad¡­¡±


    Horlum shrugged, not letting Fredrinn finish his words. ¡°Ask anyone, and they¡¯ll tell you I did all the bad things in the academy.¡±


    Fredrinn said without a pause, ¡°But you didn¡¯t.¡±


    Horlum blinked, looking at Fredrinn helplessly. ¡°How can you be so sure?¡±


    ¡°¡®Cause I was following y¡ª¡± Fredrinn stopped himself, losing his voice and staring at Horlum¡¯s questioning face.


    Changing his too honest words, he cleared his throat, looking a little sideways. ¡°Common sense. I¡¯m just following common sense. Elves are gossipy, it¡¯ll pass soon. But, uh, did you do those things?¡±


    Horlum scoffed. ¡°Of course not, I¡¯m here to study. If anything, I can accept being framed for stealing books.¡±


    Fredrinn nodded, his eyes closed. ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right.¡±


    Seeing the somewhat silly elf, Horlum smiled. ¡°Thank you, Fredrinn. This means a lot to me.¡±


    ¡°Eh?¡± Fredrinn looked at Horlum¡¯s smiling face.


    Rays of sunshine seemed to burst through the library ceiling, illuminating the latter¡¯s face. Horlum wasn¡¯t handsome, not by elven standards. But he had good looks¡ªhis eyelashes were long, his nose was straight, his eyes were sharp, and his face was shaped nicely.


    ¡°It feels nice, knowing someone believes in me,¡± Horlum chuckled a little, looking at Fredrinn only to freeze.


    Fredrinn fell face first on the table, smoke rising from his head like bread fresh from the oven.

 8: Succubus Tree

    Three days went by in a flash.


    ¡®I never thought I''d be friends with an elf,¡¯ Horlum stared at the mirror.


    Recently, his face, worn down by stress and doubt, was bright like a sunflower. With Fredrinn around, the stabbing rumors couldn¡¯t reach his head. Fredrinn¡¯s never-ending chatter filled his ears already.


    ¡®The guy can turn something as mundane as the weather into some sort of fairytale,¡¯ Horlum rubbed his forehead, though his wide smile betrayed him.


    With a backpack hanging over his right arm, he left his room and the elven dormitory. It was a humble building to say the least, made entirely out of wood with two floors aboveground and three below.


    According to the rules, the senior students will live belowground, while the juniors stay aboveground. He lived on the second floor.


    ¡®Not that it matters,¡¯ he squinted, blocking the sun''s glare with his hand.


    Not long after, he felt someone tapping his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a familiar bespectacled elf.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Horlum greeted, to which Fredrinn greeted back.


    Together, they walked toward the academy¡ªit was only a minute away. Strangely, the academy was smaller than the dormitory, at least on the surface.


    ¡®The library underground is bigger than the entire academy,¡¯ he thought, not sure if he should be amazed or confused.


    ¡°Are you going to the assignment board today?¡± Entering through the gates, Fredrinn asked, looking at the distance.


    ¡®The assignment board¡­¡¯ Horlum thought about it, following Fredrinn¡¯s gaze.


    There, a simple bulletin board was erected. Every student can take tasks from it, and then officially register in the faculty office. The assignments were special missions that grant special benefits, though most were tailored for the senior students.


    ¡®There¡¯s no need to look at it. It¡¯s barely been half a year since I enrolled in the academy,¡¯ Horlum thought.


    ¡°Scratch that, we¡¯re going to be late,¡± he said.


    Fredrinn looked at the sky, seeing the sun barely starting to climb. Then, pouting, the two of them separated and went to their respective classrooms.


    By the time classes were over, the sun had just peaked.


    ¡°Did you bring food?¡± Fredrinn asked, squirming beside him.


    The bespectacled elf had two bags, which he just noticed. One was a backpack, and the other was a slingbag that looked more like a box. If he had to guess, Fredrinn stuffed his lunchboxes in there.


    ¡®Lunch,¡¯ Horlum rubbed his stomach.


    For the past few days, Fredrinn brought him lunch every day. At first, he refused. But through the latter¡¯s continuous attacks, he finally relented.


    ¡®And thank god I did. His food is delicious,¡¯ that point, he made sure to get across.


    How? By eating like a pig, how else?


    ¡°I brought us snacks,¡± Horlum said.


    Unlike Fredrinn, the snacks he brought were stuffed in his backpack. He wouldn¡¯t leach off of Fredrinn, even if the latter wanted him too. He wasn¡¯t that shameless.


    As for his school stuff¡­


    ¡®What¡¯s that, can you eat it?¡¯ Horlum snickered, imagining his professor¡¯s stern face.


    As much as Kier tried to be all friendly, he always kept a distance. Even if Kier had good intentions, he didn¡¯t want to infect the other with his terrible reputation. Even though all of it were baseless rumors.


    ¡®As for Fredrinn¡­ this guy won¡¯t let go of me, try as I might,¡¯ he sighed.


    Nonetheless, he was grateful for it.


    ¡°Did you bring bananas?¡± Fredrinn asked, looking at Horlum with his wide, amethyst eyes.


    Horlum nodded, watching Fredrinn smile and lick his lips. ¡°I brought bananas, apples, and grapes.¡±


    All three were Fredrinn¡¯s favorite fruits. As for him, the only fruit he liked among the three were the apples. That¡¯s why he bought three apples¡ªtwo for him, one for Fredrinn. The rest of the fruits were for Fredrinn.


    As expected, Fredrinn cheered and grabbed his arm, dragging him as he walked.


    ¡°Wait, where are we going?¡± Horlum asked, looking behind them.


    The cafeteria was the opposite direction where Fredrinn was leading him to. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡®The garden?¡¯ Horlum guessed.


    ¡°The garden, duh!¡± Fredrinn said, confirming his thoughts.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to my secret place, where no one can see or hear us,¡± Fredrinn giggled, looking at Horlum with narrowed eyes.


    Horlum blinked, but then shrugged his shoulders. ¡°The garden is full of elves,¡± he said.


    Rather than the cafeteria, the majority of elves chose to eat lunch in the garden. He himself wanted to eat there, but if he did, the elves would likely evacuate.


    ¡®If that happens, I¡¯ll have another rumor behind my back,¡¯ he thought helplessly.


    Fredrinn huffed. ¡°Don¡¯t think about those bastards,¡± he scowled.


    ¡°Anyway, the place we¡¯re going to is isolated. No one even goes near it,¡± he said, giggling weirdly as they walked.


    On the other hand, Horlum felt that something was off, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint what. However, as they entered the garden gates, they were instantly met with countless stares.


    Horlum flinched, but later scoffed.


    ¡®Fredrinn was right, why should I care about these bastards?¡¯ he snickered, his chin held high as they skipped past the elves.


    Moving along, Horlum gawked at the colorful flowers and lush plants everywhere. On the ground, on pots, one raised beds, and some were even hanging from statues.


    ¡®This reminds me of the library¡­ it''s also bigger than the academy, from the looks of it,¡¯ Horlum was baffled.


    Just like the library, the garden was like a maze, with high bushes acting as walls¡ªsimilar to hedge mazes.


    ¡®Wow,¡¯ Horlum took a deep breath, filling his lungs with fresh, almost sweet air.


    It was his first time in the garden. In the past, going near it overloaded him with anxiety. After the rumors, that anxiety turned into dread.


    ¡°Aaaaand~ we¡¯re here!¡± he heard Fredrinn say.


    Turning toward the elf, he saw him standing in front of a tree. A tree with pink leaves and red, fist-sized flowers.


    ¡®What kind of tree is that?¡¯ Horlum scratched his head.


    The pink leaves looked normal enough despite its color. But, the flowers were as big as sunflowers while resembling chrysanthemums.


    ¡°Do you like it?¡± Fredrinn asked, grinning as he sat under the tree.


    A moment later, the elf was taking out a towel and spreading it on the ground.


    ¡®Oh, so it¡¯s a picnic,¡¯ Horlum scratched his ear.


    ¡°It¡¯s my first time seeing a tree like it,¡± he said, ¡°It looks strange.¡±


    Fredrinn nodded. ¡°The elves believe that it¡¯s cursed.¡±


    Horlum, about to sit down, froze for a moment. Then, glancing at the tree and at the busy Fredrinn, he finally sat.


    ¡°A cursed tree? Then why don¡¯t they cut it down?¡± Horlum asked, only to see Fredrinn scowling.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a cursed tree. Well, its origins are complicated, but other than that, it¡¯s just a beautiful tree,¡± he said.


    ¡°We can agree with that,¡± Horlum grinned.


    Horlum looked at the pink leaves, and then at the flowers. ¡®Well, as strange as it looks, it is beautiful. Ah, look, the flowers fade from red to white as it nears the center.¡¯


    Then, he recalled his sketchbook that he hadn¡¯t touched in months. ¡®I remember I have a plant at the ravine. I wonder if Zhen has been feeding it as he promised.¡¯


    After so much time and all the stress he endured, he almost forgot about it.


    ¡®That plant has red leaves, and its veins glowed slightly, too. In terms of strangeness, that plant is much weirder than this pink tree,¡¯ he chuckled.


    ¡°Why is this tree ¡®cursed,¡¯ anyway?¡± Horlum asked, watching Fredrinn take out two wooden lunchboxes.


    One of the lunchboxes had a pink flower, while the other had a blue one. The former was for Fredrinn, while the latter was for him.


    ¡°Tsk,¡± Fredrinn crossed his arms, shaking his head.


    ¡°It started when a spy planted a tree in the garden for some unknown reason. When the spy got caught many years later, the seed already grew into a lush sapling. The elves tried cutting it down, but¡­¡±


    Horlum tilted his head, seeing Fredrinn scratching his head.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But the elves couldn¡¯t cut it down. Even when the sages came and used spells, the tree was still alive,¡± he said.


    Horlum looked up at the tree, seeing its unblemished bark. ¡®That¡¯s one tough tree,¡¯ he couldn¡¯t help thinking.


    ¡°Then, why is that?¡± Horlum asked, to which Fredrinn replied with an ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°After many efforts, the elves searched for the tree¡¯s origin and realized that it came from the demon clan.¡±


    Horlum¡¯s eyes widened a bit. ¡°Demons? So¡­ the tree, is it cursed or not?¡±


    Fredrinn huffed, mock glaring at Horlum. ¡°It¡¯s not cursed, okay? It¡¯s just special. Although it grew really quickly and is strangely tough, it doesn¡¯t do anything bad.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Horlum nodded absentmindedly.


    ¡°That reminds me, there¡¯s a rumor that the late prince tried cutting it down,¡± Fredrinn mentioned.


    ¡°The prince?¡± Horlum¡¯s lips flattened.


    He knew the prince. For one, the prince was the reason he was enrolled in the academy. Secondly, the prince became everyone¡¯s daily topic at one point. After all, an elven royalty suddenly disappeared one day.


    ¡®The royalty claims that humans kidnapped the prince, but it''s strange,¡¯ Horlum sighed.


    The prince, just like any other elf, had a weak physique. But other than that, he was a druid, someone who can command plants and trees at will. A character like that, being kidnapped so easily?


    Within the kingdom, to boot?


    ¡°Smells like conspiracy,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Horlum?¡± Fredrinn looked at him in askance.


    He waved his hand. ¡°Nothing. What happened to the prince?¡±


    Fredrinn watched him for a while before continuing. ¡°Well, the prince was about to use druid magic on the plant, when the king and queen stopped him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so the king and queen like the tree,¡± Horlum commented.


    Fredrinn shook his head. ¡°No. It didn¡¯t come out for a while, but after the prince¡¯s attempt, the royals forbade druids from going near the tree. They said using druid magic in front of the tree would tempt the druid.¡±


    ¡°Tempt the druid?¡± Horlum stared blankly at Fredrinn.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he shrugged his shoulders, ¡°That¡¯s all they said. No other clarifications.¡±


    ¡°Then, what¡¯s the tree¡¯s name?¡± Horlum stared at the tree again.


    ¡°That,¡± Fredrinn turned away, blushing a bit.


    Horlum narrowed his eyes, feeling that something was suspicious. Before he could ponder, though, another voice reached their ears.


    ¡°It¡¯s the Succubus Tree.¡±


    Turning around, the two saw a tall elf with a blindfold on his face. A standard to all adult elves.


    ¡°Good afternoon, students,¡± Kier smiled, strolling toward the two.


    <hr>


    Minutes earlier¡­


    In the dark, faculty office, an elf sat alone on his chair. With the lights turned off and the windows closed, no one would see anything. But for adult elves, who¡¯d been blindfolded for a long time, it was no issue.


    ¡°Tsk, annoying rats,¡± the elf groaned, reaching out for the drawer under his desk.


    There, he took out an envelope, tearing it into two. Taking out the papers inside, he read them silently.


    Each paper had a list of names on them, with more than half in the list being the names of the students in the academy.


    ¡°Tsk,¡± he crumpled the papers.


    As he was about to crumple the envelope too, he found another note inside.


    Reading it aloud¡­


    ¡°The new god needs sacrifice¡­ Ptui¡ªwho do they think they are? Ordering me around,¡± spitting on the note, he crumpled it and the envelope.


    An incantation later, flickering flames and smoke filled the room as the paper burned to ashes. The flames didn''t burn anything else.

 9: Forsaken By The Legends

    The air stirred, as the rustling of leaves filled the dimly lit cavern.


    Arloum¡¯s consciousness slowly returned, and his vision opened with a snap.


    ¡®Hn?¡¯ Looking around, he noticed candles surrounding him, as well as dead animals.


    ¡®Did people get in?¡¯ his heart sank.


    Hurriedly, he closed his vision, peering into his inner-body. There, he saw that his energy core had changed. Previously, it was dark, dense, and moving it felt like dragging a piece of metal along.


    But now¡­ it was a pinch away from pitch-black, though it was a lot easier to move around.


    ¡®Did it evolve?¡¯ he focused on his soul, calling out his status mirror.


    [DarkEnergy T1: 10/10]


    ¡®Dark energy¡­ it¡¯s only tier 1?!¡¯ Arloum withdrew his senses from his soul, before checking again.


    ¡®If it¡¯s just tier 1, then it¡¯s useless!¡¯


    Frustrated, he exited his inner-body and looked around the cavern again.


    ¡®Oh, my leaves,¡¯ he examined himself.


    The cavern had no light source apart from the candles surrounding him, and himself. His leaves went from the previous red to a slightly paler shade¨Cbut the crimson glow the leaf veins emitted were far more intense. It was enough to illuminate the cavern ceiling.


    ¡®I grew too much,¡¯ he thought, tapping the rocky ceiling with his leaves.


    ¡®I need to prune my branches. Having a big body is disadvantageous,¡¯ he shook his branches, lowering them closer to the ground.


    Finally, his gaze turned to the animals on the floor.


    On the ground were boars surrounded by chickens. Some were decaying, while others were fresh, blood oozing out like tree sap. At the same time, thousands of maggots wriggled inside the fiesta of corpses. From afar, it¡¯d seem like the corpses were still alive.


    ¡®Uck, it¡¯d surely stink here,¡¯ he grumbled, thankful for his lack of sense of smell.


    Taking his gaze off of the corpses, he glanced at his roots.


    ¡®Luckily, none of them burrowed underground,¡¯ he moved them around, feeling like he was lifting a bunch of giant fishing nets.


    His roots had covered the entire cavern floor, making it look like a spider¡¯s den.


    ¡®That¡¯s one more thing to cut,¡¯ he sighed.


    With nothing to do, he closed his eyes, focusing on his inner-body.


    ¡®Dark energy shouldn¡¯t be limited to tier 1,¡¯ he mused, glaring a hole into his core.


    ¡®Tree of Darkness is only tier two¡­ that should be why my dark energy is only at tier 1,¡¯ he paused, opening his eyes.


    Looking at the corpses, his branches gently lowered.


    ¡®I should be able to upgrade it,¡¯ he thought, his leaves wrapping around the corpses.


    The maggots inside paid him no mind, though some crawled onto his leaves. Before they could move toward his branches, they fell to the ground, looking nothing more than dandruff.


    ¡®Disgusting bugs,¡¯ he sneered.


    Without further delay, he moved his dark energy, turning it into twenty six, thin strands. Each strand travelled into a leaf, before penetrating the dead corpse¡¯s flesh.


    ¡®Eugh,¡¯ startled by the sudden sensation of a million worms crawling all over his body, he took a while to steady his mind.


    ¡®This never gets comfortable,¡¯ he braced himself.


    ¡®But thankfully, I can absorb life energy much faster now,¡¯ he comforted himself.


    In less than a minute, he absorbed all the life energy of the twenty six animals. As his dark energy guided the two forms of life energy near his core, he closed his eyes.


    ¡®Upgrading any skill needs extreme caution, but I don¡¯t have any experience in upgrading energies,¡¯ he looked at the ball of life energy sitting near his dark energy.


    Unlike before, where it would slowly dissipate, his dark energy had a firm grip over the life energy. Although he couldn''t accurately estimate its value anymore, he knew he was barely losing any.


    ¡®Just in case,¡¯ he grabbed the decaying life energy and expelled it from his body.


    Satisfied, he grabbed the ball of life energy, which had more than halved, and merged it with his dark energy.


    ¡®Ahh,¡¯ his body trembled.


    ¡®What¡­¡¯ his mind turned hazy, and a warm, fuzzy feeling assaulted his soul.


    However, before he could think about anything, the sensation vanished. On the other hand, he felt his dark energy slowly going out of control.


    ¡®No good, what happened?¡¯ getting rid of any distracting thoughts, he used his willpower to stabilize his dark energy.


    Contrary to his worries, the process lasted less than a second. Confused, he focused on his soul and checked his status mirror.


    [DarkEnergy T1(1%): 11/10¡­ ¡ú 10/10]


    ¡®Oh¡­ It''s just one extra point of energy,¡¯ he almost laughed.


    ¡®This means, I can¡¯t upgrade my dark energy in large quantities, or I risk letting it riot all over my body¡­. Why can''t I store more dark energy?¡¯ he moved his branches, wrapping his leaves around his body.


    After thinking for a while, he looked at his core. He never saw it exceed a certain size. Though, he didn''t want to waste time thinking about it. Not now.


    ¡®Time to get a move on, someone found this cave,¡¯ he thought, taking one last look at the candles.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    However, as he moved his roots to find the entrance he came into, he realized that it was blocked with mud. On the other hand, the secret entrance he found was replaced with a wooden door.


    ¡®Hm,¡¯ he calmed himself, examining the candles and the ¡°sacrificial¡± animals.


    ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be sacrificial material to TheFirstDevil, right?¡¯ He chuckled at the thought, trying to brush it off.


    He knew that Legend was long dead.


    ¡®This isn¡¯t good, I¡­ oh, someone opened the door,¡¯ he stared at the opened door.


    There, three figures slowly revealed themselves. Each of them had pale white skin, and their eyes were pitch black, their hair being the same. The three figures walked side by side, with the one in the middle being slightly ahead.


    ¡®Dark elves,¡¯ Arloum thought, looking at the dark elf at the very front.


    ¡®Accursed one?¡¯ he moved his branches closer, staring at the red dot on the dark elf¡¯s forehead.


    ¡®It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve seen dark elves, much less an accursed one,¡¯ he couldn¡¯t help but reminisce.


    During his rule a long time ago, he encountered all the races in the world. He also encountered both pure elves and dark elves.


    ¡®Though, I didn¡¯t know half elves existed until now,¡¯ he recalled Horlum.


    Pure and dark elves weren¡¯t too different, even having the same ancestor, the Elfrid Tree.


    ¡®Dark elves were violent, while pure elves were slightly less so. Ah, but pure elves go blind after adulthood,¡¯ Arloum stared at the dark elf with a red dot on his forehead.


    ¡®Accursed ones, on the other hand, have terrible luck. It¡¯s like the Elfrid Tree forsake them. Each and every accursed one dies a horrible death, and were thus shunned. However, from the looks of it,¡¯ he paused, watching the two dark elves respectfully making way for the accursed one.


    ¡°Lord Enis,¡± the dark elves then bowed.


    The accursed one, Enis, raised a hand, indicating that it was needless. Walking toward Arloum, he stared at the tree with a straight back.


    ¡°Are you Elfrid?¡± he asked, his voice devoid of a drop of respect.


    ¡°Why should we worship you?¡± he continued asking.


    Arloum nearly whipped the man.


    ¡®Elfrid? Are you bullshitting me? I¡¯m not a tree of life!¡¯ he scowled, throwing elegance into the air.


    ¡®And besides, who told you to worship me?! Leave me be and let us part ways.¡¯


    Oblivious to his thoughts, Enis watched Arloum''s branches stretching outward, nearly covering the entire ceiling. The song of leaves rustling played in the cavern, a cold breeze swirling around the three dark elves.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± Enis asked, snickering.


    ¡®You¡­¡¯ Arloum looked at his dark energy, and then at his roots.


    ¡®Can you guess if I¡¯m a merciful being?¡¯ he asked, coldly laughing.


    However, after channeling dark energy to his roots, Enis fell to his knees, both his palms flat on the ground.


    ¡°I apologize, great Elfrid,¡± he said, ¡°It is in my nature to be a crude man. I beg of you to understand.¡±


    Arloum¡¯s roots twitched, all of them snapping toward Enis, encircling him.


    ¡®You shameless creature. Begone from me sight!¡¯ he growled, his roots rising and falling around Enis, wanting to encase him in a cocoon.


    However, with Enis kneeling, Arloum suppressed his rage and gathered his dark energy. After all, he had no idea how many dark elves there were.


    ¡®If there¡¯s too many dark elves, they could bombard me with spells,¡¯ Arloum knew when to be cunning, and when to be careless.


    ¡°Great Elfrid,¡± Enis said loudly, ¡°We are here to offer you sacrifices. We only have one wish.¡±


    Glancing behind him, he saw the two dark elves kowtowing. They were trembling, which made him want to laugh. But remembering what happened earlier, he held himself back.


    ¡®Sacrifices?¡¯ Arloum listened closely, his branches leaning close to Enis.


    Though, Enis had no clue. Instead, hearing the silence, he kept talking.


    ¡°We will offer you pure elves to feast upon. In return, we wish for you, O¡¯ Great Elfrid, to give us strength and fix our health!¡±


    ¡®Fix your¡­ health?¡¯ Arloum wanted to scratch his head.


    But a moment later, a memory resurfaced from the deepest part of his memories. It was a simple gossip he heard after toying with an elf back in the days.


    ¡®Oh, you mean your lifespan?¡¯ he waved his branches wildly, as if to laugh.


    ¡®I remember now, what separated dark elves from pure elves. Their lifespan!¡¯ he stared at Enis, whose head remained down on the ground.


    Elves were gifted with many things. Beauty, talent in magical arts, craftsmanship, archery, swordsmanship, and they had near perfect eyes¡ªexcept the pure elves. The only thing they truly lacked was a good body.


    Not only were their bodies fragile and lacked strength to rival a human adult, their lifespan was abysmal.


    ¡®In the past, elves had a lifespan of thirty years. But, during Ymer¡¯s reign, she extended the lifespan of pure elves to two hundred,¡¯ he cackled inwardly.


    Ymer was a pure elf through and through. Even her mindset was ¡°pure,¡± and she remained chaste as well.


    ¡®But, nothing is perfect. Despite her saint-like personality, she detested dark elves. Dark elves had thirty years like the pure elves of before, but Ymer ruthlessly cut it. It would be merciful if she eradicated the race instead.¡¯


    Yet, she didn¡¯t. Because of her actions, dark elves, standing at the top of the hierarchy of races, were thrown into chaos. He wasn¡¯t sure how much their lifespan was reduced. All he knew was that dark elves disappeared after the scandal.


    ¡®So, tell me, accursed one, how low have your race fallen?¡¯ he asked inwardly, though conveying his thoughts was another matter.


    Looking at his branches, he had an idea.


    [DarkEnergy T1(1%): 10/10 ¡ú 9/10]


    Etching his thoughts onto a bit of dark energy, he transferred it to one of his leaves. Slowly lowering his branches and aiming at Enis¡¯ head, he shed the leaf and let it fall. Coincidentally, the leaf landed atop the red dot on Enis¡¯ forehead.


    As soon as the leaf touched Enis¡­


    <hr>


    Enis sneered, listening to a dark elf reporting that the ¡°message¡± was delivered to Chimera.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, the guards told me that the ¡®Elfird Tree¡¯ had awoken,¡± he said, waving for two dark elves to follow him.


    Those two elves were his left and right hand, though both were already seventeen years old. In other words, they¡¯d die in three more years.


    ¡®Tch.¡¯


    He himself was already nineteen, but paid it no mind. Even though he could feel his body rapidly failing¡ªhe could hardly breathe already.


    ¡®Damn ancestors,¡¯ he scowled.


    All dark elves knew the late Legends of the pure elves. How could they not? Those petty Legends were the reason for their suffering.


    ¡®This ¡°Elfrid Tree¡± better be worth the trouble,¡¯ he nearly cursed.


    When Chimera introduced them to the ¡°Elfrid Tree,¡± he was doubtful. All of them were. But, tired of living the life of a feather floating above never-ending flames, they gave it a try.


    What could they lose? They didn¡¯t have anything to begin with.


    ¡®If only we can still practice the primal arts,¡¯ he sighed. ¡®A shame, it needs a dark elf to live past twenty. What a coincidence. Right, Ymer?¡¯


    Shaking his head clear of thoughts, he and his subordinates entered the cavern. There, they saw a tall tree with red leaves, with leaf veins that glowed and a trunk that was nearly black.


    ¡®Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the demonic tree,¡¯ Venilo chuckled hollowly.


    Then, he heard his subordinates calling his name as they bowed. Nodding, he left the two by the entrance and strolled toward the tree.


    ¡°Are you Elfrid?¡± he asked, not bothering to lower his tone.


    ¡°Why should we worship you?¡± paying no heed to the startled gasps behind him, he kept going.


    They waited for a few seconds, and the tree¡¯s leaves started rustling. A small gust formed, blowing on their hair and clothes.


    Enis narrowed his eyes, a sneer forming on his face.


    ¡°Are you mad?¡± he asked, when all of a sudden, a chill gripped his heart.


    He controlled his face, but his body was like a kite amidst a storm. Hurriedly, he knelt, asking for forgiveness.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯ secretly, he looked around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary.


    ¡®It felt like¡­ my soul was leaving my body,¡¯ inhaling, cold air filled his lungs.


    For the first time in a long time, he breathed easily, but he couldn¡¯t appreciate it at all. Not with his heart thumping like he ran a mile up a mountain.


    After the scare, he talked to the tree for a while, slowly getting to his point.


    ¡°...we wish for you, O¡¯ Great Elfrid, to give us strength and fix our health!¡± he said, his voice loud and clear.


    During their talk, he belatedly noticed the roots surrounding him. Then, he heard the creaking of branches as they lowered. Anxious, he couldn''t help taking a peek at the tree.


    ¡®What¡¯s that?¡¯


    Staring blankly at the glowing red leaf floating down to his forehead, his fingers drummed at the cold, rocky floor.


    ¡®Is it safe? Should I run? ¡­ No,¡¯ with a wide grin, he almost laughed at himself.


    Run? He could barely move his body, how could he run?!


    ¡®Accursed one¡­ heh, such a fitting title,¡¯ his shoulders slumped, waiting for the leaf to decide his fate.


    Closing his eyes, he recalled his short life. His parents died a few months after his birth. After all, even though their lifespan was only twenty years, it didn¡¯t mean they matured quickly. At least, their bodies didn¡¯t. It still took seventeen to eighteen years for a female dark elf to be able to reproduce properly.


    If they tried rushing it, the next generation would be full of abnormalities.


    ¡®Damn it. I should¡¯ve followed the tradition. If only I had a child¡­¡¯


    Then, he felt a cold leaf fall onto his face.


    A moment later, his wails echoed throughout the entire cave system.

 10: The War Begins

    Arloum stared at Enis.


    The latter was carrying a woman on his back. A naked woman. Her hair was long and curly, brighter than gold, even with all the dust coating it. Not only that, her skin was a healthy milky color, and just one look and you''d feel how soft it was.


    ¡®Curly golden hair? What¡¯s next, her eyes would be ash-colored?¡¯ he joked.


    But then, Enis dropped the woman in front of him, and the woman spasmed. Slowly, she arose, staring at Arloum with her gray eyes.


    ¡®Isn¡¯t she an angel?! What¡¯s an angel doing here? Where¡¯s her wings?!¡¯ Arloum cursed, wanting to whip Enis.


    ¡®Angels are vindictive behind their fragility. What are you thinking, madman?!¡¯


    Alas, after all his inner-monologue, the ¡°angel¡± spoke up.


    ¡°Are you the so-called Elfrid Tree?¡± she asked, her voice hoarse, though trying to sound polite.


    ¡®She sounds¡­ elf-ish. No way, that¡¯s not an angel,¡¯ Arloum frowned, lowering his branches further to look at the woman.


    There, he found an oddity in the woman''s face¡ªshe had pointy ears. Angels didn''t have pointy ears, nor did they have sing-song voices. Rather, their voice echoed in your ears.


    ¡®Another half? This era is full of hybrids, tsk.¡¯


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Before you is the sacred tree, the Great Elfrid,¡± Enis said, grabbing a handful of the woman¡¯s hair and yanking it up.


    Without a peep, the woman


    stood and Enis let her go. Arloum noticed her knees trembling, and she was coated in a fine layer of slime.


    ¡®Hm, how vile.¡¯


    ¡°Great Elfrid,¡± the woman said, her polite tone straining, trembling as she held back her rage. ¡°Why have you made union with these heretics?¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Enis scoffed, kicking the woman in the back.


    She fell on the ground, face first, but didn¡¯t let out any cry of pain. Instead, she simply crawled back up.


    ¡°Queen,¡± Enis said, ¡°know your place.¡±


    ¡®Queen? A half angel, half elf, is a queen? Ha! Laughable,¡¯ Arloum¡¯s leaves rustled, his roots slowly converging around the naked woman.


    ¡°Enis, I know you. Do not interrupt my last moments,¡± the queen said, her voice solemn and clear despite her hoarse voice.


    ¡°Tch,¡± Enis crossed his arms, glaring at the queen.


    ¡°Now,¡± the queen turned back to Arloum. ¡°Great Elfrid, please. Do this mortal a favor, give light to my ignorance. Why bless the accursed?¡±


    Arloum thought about it, shaking his leaves. His roots wrapped around the queen¡¯s bruised ankles, making their way up her soaked legs.


    ¡®Woman, not everyone gets their wishes. But to answer you, it¡¯s rather simple,¡¯ his roots tightened around her slightly bulging stomach.


    The queen winced, her hands grabbing his roots.


    ¡°Not there,¡± she said, her voice barely above a whisper.


    No one heard her.


    ¡®They offered me something, while you haven''t. Follow the old rules, pass on in peace,¡¯ he said in his mind.


    Of course¡­


    ¡°Uck¡ªha¡­ You won¡¯t answer me, after all,¡± the queen let out a soft laugh, closing her eyes.


    She heard not a single word from Arloum¡¯s thoughts. Arloum couldn¡¯t be bothered either, not wanting to give her his dark energy.


    ¡®I learned my lesson,¡¯ he glanced at Enis.


    After a few seconds, the queen was encased in a cocoon of roots. She was still alive, but Arloum didn¡¯t mind. No, he welcomed it.


    ¡®Absorbing life energy from the living is harder, much harder. However, the life energy will be pure, without any decay.¡¯


    While alive, creatures would produce a stable amount of life energy. Provided, they weren¡¯t ill. In the case of injuries, the decayed life energy is quickly expelled and replaced.


    ¡®That¡¯s why, absorbing life energy while the target is alive is ideal. For one, they won¡¯t die instantly while their life energy is being absorbed, meaning they¡¯d provide more life energy. Secondly, there won¡¯t be any disgusting decayed life energy, so nothing is wasted.¡¯


    He hadn¡¯t absorbed life energy after waking up, but he had a plan. He¡¯d take his time sucking the queen¡¯s life energy, whilst simultaneously upgrading his dark energy.


    ¡®As for her retaliation¡­ my roots have crawled inside her heart. She can¡¯t resist, unless she¡¯s a high-ranked fighter. But, dark elves managed to capture her. The chances of that are nil.¡¯


    [DarkEnergy T1(1 ¡ú 2%): 10/10]


    ¡®Ahh¡­¡¯


    Silence ensued for a brief moment, when one of Arloum¡¯s roots approached Enis.


    ¡®Enis, can you hear me?¡¯ Arloum channeled dark energy to the tip of his root, connecting with the dark energy inside Enis.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°M¡¯ lord, I am here. I can hear your voice,¡± Enis said, shivering.


    After Arloum accidentally transferred a point of dark energy to Enis, the latter¡¯s body turned robust. Not only was he stronger, he also started practicing the ancient dark elf arts¡ªPrimal Magic.


    This, Arloum had no idea about.


    ¡®The most useful feature is that connecting our dark energies allows communication. Fortunately, his dark energy will never grow,¡¯ Arloum was sure of it.


    Not everyone can absorb life energy. Not to mention, no one else knew how to access their status mirror¡ªit was something he invented and taught to no one. Also, few had his skill in energy mixing, though a lot knew it in theory.


    ¡®Enis, how many of you are there?¡¯


    Enis paused, answering rather slowly. ¡°M¡¯ lord, there are seven hundred dark elves, with me being the sole accursed one.¡±


    ¡®Seven hundred¡­ how do you plan to revolt with such numbers?¡¯


    Since they were able to communicate, Arloum consulted Enis about his plans. He then learned that Enis was the current patriarch of the dark elves.


    With their ever dwindling numbers, they planned to overthrow Yuriel in secret. After replacing the king and plundering its resources, they wanted pure elven women to give birth to dark elves.


    Afterward, they¡¯d leave and target another kingdom.


    ¡®They had truly fallen. To think that the once mighty dark elves now only have seven hundred people¡­ and this crude plan. It''s bound to fail. In the first place, pure elves and dark elves cannot produce offspring.¡¯


    ¡°M¡¯ lord, we have spies all over Yuriel. We may not be masters of mystic arts, but we are masters of assassination,¡± Enis said.


    ¡®Fool,¡¯ Arloum laughed, ¡®Don¡¯t you know the world you live in?¡¯


    Enis blinked, lowering his head. Obviously, he knew. But, what else could they do? It was this, or slowly die.


    ¡®A single druid can eliminate half of you, and a single sage can do it much faster. Now, tell me, how will you act against such force?¡¯


    Enis remained silent, sighing.


    ¡°We have the Chimera on our side,¡± Enil said with the voice of a mosquito.


    ¡®Ha. Face reality, accursed one. If you wish to lead your race to glory once more, you need one thing.¡¯


    ¡°Power?¡± Enis asked.


    ¡®Yes,¡¯ Arloum answered, his leaves glowing brightly.


    It wasn¡¯t intentional.


    [DarkEnergy T1 (2% ¡ú 3%)]


    ¡®... and I will give you power. With my essence inside of you, you have escaped Ymer¡¯s curse.¡¯


    Enis looked at Arloum in a startle. ¡°Is, Is that true, m¡¯ lord?!¡±


    ¡®Ha, lower your voice,¡¯ Arloum barely disguised his amusement.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Enis hurriedly steadied his breathing.


    ¡®But yes. It is true. Ymer¡¯s curse is¡­ nothing, hmph. Now, if you wish to gain power¡­¡¯ he paused, chuckling darkly.


    Enis felt his heart drop. He couldn''t help but wipe off the cold sweat on his forehead.


    Seeing that, Arloum wanted to slap the dark elf.


    ¡®It¡¯s simple. Bring me¡­¡¯


    Enis closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Hearing Arloum''s wishes, he let out a smile.


    ¡°It is a simple task, m¡¯ lord. The dark elves are yours to command,¡± he pledged, kneeling on the ground and reciting an ancient prayer.


    Arloum¡¯s leaves trembled, and his branches whirled around. He wanted to whip Enis to stop the nauseating prayer, but¡­


    ¡®For my plans, I can endure. Elfrid¡­ ha.¡¯


    As soon as Enis finished his prayer, Arloum''s roots poked his forehead.


    ¡®Accursed one, Elfrid. Forget those names,¡¯ Arloum scoffed. ¡®From now on, you''ll be an Onyx, and my name is Arloum, never forget.¡¯


    ¡°This Onyx will never forget, lord Arloum,¡± Enis knelt, wanting to recite another ancient prayer.


    Arloum hastily stopped him. Reluctantly, Enis left under Arloum''s orders.


    Watching the latter''s departure, Arloum waved his branches around, his leaves creating a strange symphony.


    ¡®A race thirsting for hope for centuries, wishing nothing more than to reclaim what was once theirs¡­ is a race too easy to fool. They act mature, cunning, and wise. But in the eyes of an ancient¡¯s, they''re nothing more than children calling out their mother''s name. Ymer, for this, I thank you.¡¯


    Arloum laughed in his mind.


    [DarkEnergy T1 (3% ¡ú 4%)]


    <hr>


    ¡°Lord Arloum¡­¡±


    Enis stared at his palm, watching as a black energy hovered over it. This energy gave him boundless vitality, healing him back to his peak. With it, he could conquer the world!


    He chuckled, shaking his head and clenching his hand into a fist.


    Of course, he knew it was an illusion. Like how a starving man would think that rotten food is delicious.


    ¡°The Onyx¡­ not bad,¡± he smirked.


    Standing up, he left his tent, calling his subordinates to gather the dark elves.


    It only took an hour, and the once empty cave system was packed with hundreds of dark elves.


    ¡°Listen, you all. God has abandoned us,¡± he said, and an uproar instantly engulfed the silent cave.


    Enis watched them, doing nothing to appease their distress. Soon, the dark elves realized this too, and they all quieted down.


    ¡°But now, we have a new lord,¡± he outstretched his arms, black smoke surrounding his chest.


    ¡°This is proof. Do you see it? Do you?!¡± he grinned, showing off his teeth.


    Then, releasing an aura that sent shivers to all the dark elves, he continued. "This is the lord''s blessing! With this, with our lord, we will shed our curse and soar back to the mountain peaks!¡±


    Enis panted, having spoken at the top of his lungs. Similarly, the dark elves all had widened eyes, their chests heaving up and down. He grinned.


    ¡°Will you follow me? Will you follow our lord?!¡± he roared, stomping on the ground and forming small cracks.


    The dark elves all roared back.


    ¡°Glory to dark elves! Lord Enis!¡±


    ¡°Glory to dark elves!¡±


    Enis cackled, his laughter drowning out the dark elves'' excited yells.


    ¡°ENOUGH!¡± he yelled, freezing all the dark elves on the spot. ¡°Our lord''s name is Arloum, remember it well. And I, the first Onyx, is his messenger. Now¡­¡±


    Enis stretched his hand, dark flames dancing atop his palm. Feeling hundreds of eyes on him, he could barely maintain his boiling blood. Ever since he was born, he had never been so excited!


    ¡°Our lord needs sacrifices. And what better sacrifice is there¡­ other than Ymer''s descendants, Yuriel?¡±


    The dark elves once again filled the cave with their voice.


    <hr>


    ¡°Sir,¡± in the middle of the dead night, a cloaked figure knelt to a man on the golden throne.


    The man on the throne had long platinum hair that pooled onto the carpeted floor. His head was slightly downturned, and his features were hidden by darkness.


    ¡°Your majesty,¡± the cloaked figure repeated himself, bowing deeper to the king.


    The king of Yuriel raised his hand.


    ¡°You may speak.¡±


    The cloaked figure trembled, staying silent for half a minute before opening his mouth. His words trembled like a taut string that was pulled and released.


    ¡°The¡ªthe Chimera, he found a tree of life.¡±


    ¡°Hm,¡± the king hummed, tapping the throne¡¯s armrest with a finger, the sound echoing throughout the throne room. The cloaked figure shivered at the sound, his kneeling figure shifting to that of a kowtow¡ªas if he was a peasant begging for mercy.


    ¡°Continue.¡±


    The cloaked figure inhaled sharply, before pressing his lips shut.


    ¡°The Chimera found the demonic tree¡­ in Elfrid¡¯s tomb.¡±


    ¡°The, demonic tree?¡± The king let out a chuckle, each laugh sounding deeper than the last.


    ¡°Nonsense.¡±


    After waiting in silence, the cloaked figure heard the king speak again.


    ¡°Have the druids found Ganesha?¡± He asked, his voice a little strained.


    The cloaked figure flinched, slightly raising his head. Then, he opened his mouth.


    ¡°My king¡­ The dark elves have¡­ recently appeared,¡± he said in a hushed voice.


    His words were vague, like a fleeting butterfly, but the king¡¯s forehead throbbed painfully.


    ¡°Dark. Elves. Hmph,¡± the king leaned back on his throne, resting the side of his face on the back of his hand.


    Then, looking down on the cloaked figure, he spoke.


    ¡°Rally the druids. And call the sages. We¡­ are at war.¡±

 11: Sacrifice

    <h5>Chapter 11</h5>


    Ravines crawled on the ground, energies rising up like gas from the depths of the earth, serving as light of various colors in the pitch black realm.


    Kneeling, her sword plunged deep in the ground before her, a woman sucked air into her lungs. Her golden hair flowed like a curtain, blocking all but the lower part of her face. As she exhaled, golden breath seeped out through her blood-red lips, dropping gently and being absorbed by her chipped sword.


    Gritting her teeth, she clenched the handle of her sword, using it as a cane for her to stand. Her broken armor clattered as she did, and with her back and legs straight, she glared at the pitch black sky.


    ¡°This won''t do¡­¡± she muttered, her voice light like a soft melody.


    ¡°I need more power. Invaders shan''t step upon our lands!¡± She yelled, memories flashing through her mind.


    Memories of the old era, where a single tyrant ruled over the world. Memories¡­


    ¡­of the Onyx Era.


    ¡°Forgive me, departed friends,¡± she lowered her head, translucent gold energy wrapping around her body.


    ¡°I wish not to trample on your efforts, but it must be done. It''s time to bring back the One Without Wings!¡±


    <hr>


    Arloum stared at the ground, scrutinizing the ashes of the queen elf. After absorbing all of the queen''s energy, his dark energy stabilized and was easier to control.


    [Dark Energy T2 - 3/11]


    ¡®This thing can finally improve,¡¯ he waved his branches around, relief washing over him.


    With his dark energy entering the second tier, he was able to increase its density and thus, store more energy inside of him.


    ¡®But¡­¡¯


    He closed his external vision, focusing on his inner body. There, his dark energy formed a sphere inside his body. However, this time, there was something in the middle of the energy sphere.


    [Embryo - 1%]


    It was a small figure, resembling a fetus, and was a translucent black¡ªalmost gray.


    ¡®What the heck is this?¡¯ He moved his dark energy, watching as the translucent embryo vanished. But after gathering his energy back into a sphere, the embryo reformed.


    ¡®Is it a fairy?¡¯ He wondered. ¡®But fairies are formed from spirit energy. And¡­ fairies are green.¡¯


    Perplexed, he controlled his dark energy and fed it to the embryo. Upgrading the majority of skills followed a simple pattern¡ªsimply dump energy into it!


    ¡®Oh?¡¯ However, even after his dark energy was about to run out, the embryo showed no change.


    ¡®Do I need more energy?¡¯ He almost laughed at the thought. ¡®Of course I do!¡¯


    ¡®I told Enis to gather more sacrifices for me, but dark elves, they''re not the most reliable. If it was before, I''d be assured, but currently¡­¡¯


    Enis told him that only a few of the dark elves could use magic, which was why they had to lay low.


    ¡®Tsk. He could¡¯ve just told me they¡¯re weaker than common bandits! Enis said he sent out assassins, but without magic, what use could they have?¡¯


    Annoyed, a devious idea formed in his mind.


    ¡®All I need are sacrifices. Who cares about where they came from? Elves are sacrifices, and so are dark elves¡­ ahem!¡¯


    His roots squirmed, before straightening up, covering the entire cavern floor. Then, three dark elves entered the dimly lit space.


    ¡®Oh?¡¯ Arloum watched the three with intrigue. ¡®I haven''t seen these dark elves before. Why are they wearing cloaks inside?¡¯


    From his experience, the dark elves wouldn''t bother having too much clothing on their bodies in the cave. Ventilation was limited, and with seven hundred of them cramped in the cave system, the heat could easily become unbearable.


    ¡®Hold on,¡¯ Arloum''s branches paused, freezing in place. ¡®Something feels off¡­ Dark elves don¡¯t possess innate spirit energy. These guys on the other hand¡­¡¯


    ¡°So, this is a tree of life?¡± One of the dark elves muttered, staring at Arloum with his amethyst eyes.


    Then, a heavy aura erupted from the dark elf, his eyes glowing brightly like a pair of stars.


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡®?!¡¯ Arloum''s consciousness and dark energy sank to his roots, the top of his body wilting at a rapid pace.


    ¡®Enemy! Where''s Enis?!¡¯ He cursed, keeping his gaze fixed at the dark elves. After sensing the other''s killing intent, he transferred his ¡°soul¡± into one of his roots.


    That way, even if his main body is eradicated, he won''t die.


    It was a simple trick that everyone in the old era knew, but it carried risks and disadvantages. The main being the fact that he has no access to the rest of his body¡ªbut Arloum wasn''t concerned about it.


    ¡®I can survive as an energy life form, but that''s no better than suicide. I need a vast amount of energy to do it. Not to mention, my current body is unique.¡¯


    [Tree of Darkness - T2]


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to give this up so soon¡­¡¯ Seeing the ¡°dark elves¡± moving closer to his trunk, he ruthlessly cut himself from the rest of his body.


    ¡°Oh?¡± The amethyst eyed dark elf chuckled, stretching out his arm. ¡°It seems that it''s intelligent. No matter, the result won''t change,¡± he humphed, translucent green energy enveloping his forearm and hand.


    Then, like an arrow being shot, the energy pierced Arloum''s wilting body and was sucked inside. Moments later, the wooden trunk started to compress, emanating a green glow that illuminated the cavern. Under Arloum''s solemn gaze, his entire body, including his root system, was absorbed by the green energy.


    He, on the other hand, squeezed himself in a crevice in the cavern. His body felt uncomfortable, and it was getting worse by the second. Inside his body, which was now a root barely longer than a palm and thicker than two fingers, his dark energy was uncontrollably rampaging around.


    ¡®Not good! I need a bigger vessel to share this burden,¡¯ he scanned the cavern. However, with his current body, he could barely see in front of him.


    ¡®If Enis is nearby, I can parasitize him. That way, I¡¯d be able to keep this root,¡¯ he silently crawled toward the cave entrance.


    Unbeknownst to him, as his body was swallowed by the green light, a small, translucent figure manifested, hovering mid-air. It has short hair, indicating that it was male, but its body showed no characteristics of any gender.


    ¡°King,¡± the green figure spoke, his voice light and fluffy, like the passing of the wind. You¡¯d miss it without listening closely.


    ¡°This tree has no life. It¡¯s just a husk,¡± he said.


    The dark elf with amethyst eyes, ¡°King,¡± frowned.


    ¡°Then go and search for it!¡± He yelled, prompting the green figure to cross its arms, pouting.


    ¡°Hmph! I''ll get you back tonight!¡±


    On the other hand, Arloum was carefully crawling out of the cavern. Though he couldn¡¯t see the situation, he could hear their voices.


    ¡®It¡¯s a fairy! That dark elf is a druid, how?!¡¯


    In his knowledge, dark elves had their own magic system. It was impossible for them to be a druid, a profession focusing on spirit energy.


    Just as he reached the entrance, however, he sensed another group approaching. This time, he felt the other party¡¯s familiar energy.


    ¡®Enis!¡¯ He hurriedly crawled toward the source of the energy.


    With the drumming of footsteps, he sensed the dark energy in Enis¡¯ body clearer. Spending some of his dark energy, he propelled himself toward Enis and clung onto his ankle.


    ¡°Lord Arloum!¡± Enis yelled as he ran inside the cavern. Seeing the three ¡®dark elves,¡¯ as well as the empty cavern, his eyes widened.


    ¡°Who are you?!¡± He yelled, squinting his eyes. Of the three, only one of them revealed their faces¡ªKing.


    ¡°Enis Erneshium,¡± King spoke, his voice condescending. ¡°You have violated his majesty¡¯s bottom line. Thus, I am here to eliminate you rats.¡±


    Enis clenched his fists, circulating green energy around his body. But then, he felt the energy in his body going awry. His face paled, but before he could notice what happened, several more dark elves rushed in.


    Each of them raised their daggers, blocking him with their bodies. Meanwhile, a voice echoed inside his head.


    ¡®Enis, can you hear me?¡¯ Arloum spoke, connecting their dark energies together. It was an ability that Enis gained after he accidentally gave the latter a drop of his dark energy.


    ¡®Lord Arloum?¡¯ Enis replied with his thoughts.


    ¡®Good. Now, run! That¡¯s a druid, we¡¯ll all die here. Sacrifice your warriors and escape, bring the others with you!¡¯ Arloum ordered without pausing.


    Enis took a deep breath. Of course, he knew the truth in Arloum¡¯s words¡­ but it left a bitter taste in his mouth.


    ¡®Lord, the dark elves¡¯ future is in your hands¡ª¡¯


    ¡®Run, now!¡¯ Arloum yelled, his senses blaring.


    However, Enis didn¡¯t turn around. Instead, he looked down, seeing Arloum¡¯s root sticking to his ankle like a blood-sucking leech.


    ¡®Please. Guide them to the light,¡¯ Enis pleaded, before wrapping Arloum with green energy.


    Unprepared, Arloum felt his body shoot backward, away from Enis and the cavern. He didn¡¯t fly far and landed on a dark elf along the way.


    ¡®Tsk, that damned accursed one!¡¯ Arloum yelled, before using more of his dark energy to control his root.


    He didn¡¯t think anymore, the discomfort in his body slowly turning into pain. Unfortunately for the unsuspecting elf, Arloum slipped inside his mouth, before he crawled into the poor elf¡¯s guts.


    ¡®You, lead the others out!¡¯ He yelled, connecting his dark energy with the dark elf¡¯s innate energy.


    ¡°W-what? What was¡ª¡± the dark elf stammered, dropping to the ground and gagging.


    Arloum didn¡¯t bother replying. His dark energy exploded inside the dark elf¡¯s body, blood gushing out of the latter like a geyser.


    ¡°Hey, are you okay?!¡± The dark elves around him panicked, some stopping to help, while the others rushed forward. Even now, they could hear their patriarch yelling furiously at someone in Arloum¡¯s cavern.


    ¡®Ha¡­ that feels much better,¡¯ Arloum relaxed his tense senses. He was surrounded by decaying life energy, and the dark elf¡¯s innards now an exotic smoothie.


    ¡®Hmph, naughty,¡¯ he flicked his root, absorbing the decaying life energy without halt. Then, he absorbed the dark elf¡¯s remaining life energy, as well as his own dark energy that had exploded out.


    ¡°Urgh¡ª?!¡± The dark elf buckled, holding his abdomen as more and more blood and bits of his flesh escaped his mouth and nostrils. His eyes rolled back, tears flowing out freely.


    Inside, Arloum¡¯s roots extended out, penetrating the rest of his body like a puppeteer putting strings on his puppet.


    [Parasitism T1]


    Arloum memorized the technique in his mind, before forcing the dark elf to his feet.


    ¡°Hey, lay back down. Don¡¯t force yourself,¡± the other dark elves gently held him down, when the cave floor suddenly trembled.


    A violent gust of wind blew toward them, forcing them to close their eyes lest they get dust inside them.


    Of course, Arloum¡¯s vessel didn¡¯t have to do any of it, the dark elf¡¯s eyes remained wide-open and bloodshot.


    ¡°I am,¡± Arloum controlled his energy toward the dark elf¡¯s throat, and a gurgling sound echoed out. Nevertheless, it was enough. ¡°Arloum¡­ In Enis¡¯ words,¡± a gush of blood suddenly escaped his mouth.


    Meanwhile, the surrounding dark elves stepped back, their bodies trembling. Staring at ¡°Arloum,¡± their eyes were filled with fear.


    ¡®Damn it! This won¡¯t work, they¡¯d think I¡¯m a zombie!¡¯ He gnashed his teeth. Then, an idea formed in his mind.


    Acting quickly, he grew a branch out of his vessel¡¯s mouth, showing a glowing red leaf to the dark elves.


    ¡°Follow¡­ me!¡± He said as loudly as he could, before trying to walk out. However, he tripped and fell face first on the ground.


    Seeing this, the dark elves couldn¡¯t get themselves to move an inch.


    Meanwhile, Arloum was trying to regain control of his vessel.


    ¡®Damn it! I need a better vessel! That damned Enis, this wouldn¡¯t be a problem if he was my vessel!¡¯


    After all, Enis had absorbed a drop of his dark energy and surprisingly adapted well to it. The other dark elves weren¡¯t the same, and even if they could adapt, they didn¡¯t have enough time.


    ¡®It¡¯s no use, if it¡¯s like this, I¡¯ll just absorb them now and escape¡ª¡¯


    Suddenly, he felt his vessel being lifted. Then, he was being carried out of the cave system.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s the lord! Lord Arloum! It¡¯s him, let¡¯s get out!¡± The dark elf carrying him yelled as he ran. Meanwhile, the few dark elves who stayed behind looked at each other.


    ¡°Are-are you sure?¡±


    ¡°You saw it! It¡¯s lord Arloum¡¯s leaves!¡± The dark elf said, though his voice was shaking.


    Meanwhile, Arloum wanted to cry. Only, his vessel could only let out rivers of blood.


    ¡®My luck hasn¡¯t run out! Someone¡¯s brave enough to pick up a corpse!¡¯ He celebrated.


    Then, he crawled out of his vessel¡¯s mouth, absorbing as much life energy as he could to grow several thin branches and a few glowing red leaves. Then, the dead dark elf fell to the ground, and he wrapped his branches around the dark elf¡¯¡¯s neck.


    Seeing this, the dark elf carrying him let out a sigh of relief. Then, the dark elves behind exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s lord Arloum! Quick, let¡¯s get out of here!¡± They said, quickly following them on the way out.


    Meanwhile, Arloum watched the dark elves behind him in silence.


    ¡®They followed so easily¡­ then, if I had revealed myself earlier¡­¡¯


    Thinking of his needless stress and efforts, he almost wanted to bury himself.


    Almost.


    <hr>


    King spat out blood on the ground, holding Enis by the neck. The latter was glaring at him, his body full of bloody cracks from his earlier attacks.


    ¡°What magic did you use?¡± King narrowed his eyes, squeezing Enis¡¯ neck tighter.


    Enis growled, blood bubbling out of his mouth. Before he could spit at King¡¯s face, the latter twisted his wrist, snapping Enis¡¯ neck.


    ¡°Rat,¡± King threw Enis¡¯ body down, kicking it with disdain. ¡°I don¡¯t know what magic you used against me, but it¡¯s futile. You rats, your days are numbered.¡±


    Then, his amethyst eyes dimmed. A thin, red line forming on his neck before rapidly thickening.


    The next second, his head rolled out, landing beside Enis¡¯ hand that was still holding tightly to his blood-covered short sword. Wisps of black smoke flowed out of the sword, licking the severed head before fizzling out.

 12: Muddy Waters

    The sun blazed fiercely in the clear skies, nearly baking the humid forest below. Birds chirped up in the trees, snakes slithering not far from their nests. Salamanders climbed the tree trunks, their eyes trained on the crickets sitting on top of leaves.


    On the ground, a group of cloaked people marched, their heads hanging low. Occasionally, they¡¯d slap their arms, revealing mosquitos on their palms. Sometimes, those who were younger whined, rubbing their stomachs while tugging at the cloak of the adults.


    The latter ignored them, they could only do so. They didn¡¯t have the energy to say a few comforting words¡ªthey didn¡¯t even have enough energy in their bodies.


    They too were starving, all of them were.


    At the forefront of the group, a dark elf was walking with a slightly hunched back. On his back was Arloum, his roots wrapped around the dark elf¡¯s torso.


    [Embryo T1 - 1/1]


    Currently, his focus isn''t on the outside world. Inside his body, he stared at the small figure curled up in a ball, resting behind his dark energy.


    ¡®What happened to this?¡¯ His branches swayed on instinct.


    After the dark elves fled from the cave system, the druids surprisingly didn¡¯t give chase. Because of that, almost five hundred dark elves managed to escape.


    Yet, the attack wasn¡¯t the end of their problems.


    To repel the druids, Enis called all their fighters¡ªnone of them returned. The remaining elves were the non-combatants, and very quickly, they ran to an issue.


    ¡®There¡¯s not enough food.¡¯


    Sure, they could hunt. They did, but the wild animals suddenly vanished no matter where they went.


    Later on, they realized that they were being chased by the elves¡ªthe sages who mastered Green Magic.


    ¡®After a week of constant fleeing, the majority of the dark elves starved. The others were either bitten by a random venomous creature or had an accident. Either way, there¡¯s less than a hundred dark elves now,¡¯ Arloum sighed.


    When the first batch of dark elves succumbed to the other side, he tried absorbing their life energy. However, he failed. Whenever he tried doing so, he¡¯d only find a body full of decayed life energy.


    ¡®Ymer¡¯s curse, tsk.¡¯


    He¡¯d be lying if he claimed he wasn¡¯t frustrated.


    ¡®First, we have to escape this forest. There¡¯s no future here, only demise,¡¯ he shook his branches.


    Focusing back on the embryo, he couldn¡¯t help but feel strange.


    ¡®Is this what they call fate?¡¯ He wondered, controlling the embryo to lift its head.


    ¡®It has Enis¡¯ face.¡¯


    Right after they escaped from the cave, the embryo rapidly stabilized and ¡°matured.¡± Now, even when he moved his dark energy around, the embryo wouldn¡¯t dissipate.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡®Is this thing a fairy? Fairies are the ¡°soul¡± of spirit plants that gained intelligence. However, I have an actual soul¡­ will this ¡°fairy¡± become a second me?¡¯ He pondered.


    During the week, he experimented with the embryo and learned that apart from taking it out of his body, he could fully control it.


    ¡®...or will it act as my second body?¡¯


    Thinking about it, he¡¯d rather the result be the latter. When he gained the ability to parasitize another living being, the host would reject him. However, if he has a second body, the rejection problem could be solved!


    ¡®Communication will be much easier if I have a fairy body. However¡­ to use Enis¡¯ face, is this a cruel joke?¡¯ He scoffed.


    Enis was a tool in his eyes. Without the sudden intrusion of the druids, he planned on having Enis continue giving him sacrifices while expanding his ¡°forces.¡±


    The Onyx.


    ¡®If I could train a bunch of dark elves with dark energy, then they can compete with druids¡­ that was the plan. Alas, plans couldn¡¯t keep up with the changes.¡¯


    He felt a bit bitter.


    ¡®Tsk. That guy clearly could¡¯ve survived with my help. Why did he want to die so badly?!¡¯


    He also felt angry.


    After all, he already considered the dark elves as his belongings. He even gave them a new name, only for them to be killed so suddenly.


    ¡®Whatever. It¡¯s no use lamenting. Hey, dark elf,¡¯ he moved his dark energy, connecting it with the energy of the dark elf carrying him.


    The dark elf looked up, his face pale as paper, dark lines nesting below his sunken eyes.


    ¡°...lord?¡± He asked, his voice hoarse and airy.


    Arloum stirred his words for a while, unable to scoop up a sentence.


    ¡®...how long until we arrive at the half elves¡¯ settlement?¡¯


    The dark elf slowed down, staggering for a bit as he lowered his head. Mumbling in a barely audible voice, he said, ¡°...maybe in a day, my lord.¡±


    ¡®Hm.¡¯ Arloum gathered his energy back into a sphere. Moving his branches, he rubbed the dark elf¡¯s head silently.


    ¡®This race is a sinking boat. Unfortunately, we¡¯re floating on our own, and I don¡¯t have many choices¡­ or I could settle down and plant myself.¡¯


    He pondered for a bit, his branches sliding down to the dark elf¡¯s neck. The dark elf flinched, but he didn¡¯t do anything more. He even slowed down, almost coming to a halt.


    ¡®...tsk. Keep moving!¡¯ He slapped the side of the dark elf¡¯s face with his leaves, retracting his branches.


    ¡®It¡¯s dangerous to bind myself with this race. It¡¯s much less riskier to simply hide underground and wait for dust to settle,¡¯ he glanced behind him.


    There, the dark elves followed his lead, neither slowing down or rushing. Their heads were hanging low, and their shoulders were slumped.


    Seeing them, he slowly turned around, and then up at the clear sky that the tree canopies obstructed.


    ¡®...what a strange feeling.¡¯


    He closed his eyes, focusing back on the embryo inside him.


    Watching it silently, he felt somewhat listless. In his mind, an odd feeling muddled his senses.


    Like a lemon being slowly squeezed of its juices.


    ¡®Haaa¡­¡¯


    Opening his eyes, a bird nest caught his attention.


    There, a snake was coiled in a disk, a bird stuffed in its mouth. At the same time, a second bird was chirping loudly, pecking crazily at the snake¡¯s head. After a while, the snake spat out the bird in its mouth, fleeing down the tree.


    The bird hopped around the dead bird, chirping in distress and sometimes nudging it with its head.


    ¡®...strange indeed,¡¯ his branches bunched together, seeing the bird lay next to its deceased partner, covering it with its wings.


    <hr>


    King sat on a chair in the academy¡¯s principal¡¯s office, his eyes closed. The principal, whose eyes were covered in a golden blindfold, steepled his hands atop his desk.


    Behind him, a plate of cake was suspiciously hidden behind a stack of books.


    ¡°Sage Olieva, my time is finite,¡± King lazily spoke, his tone carrying a hint of annoyance. He didn¡¯t even open his eyes.


    The principal, Olieva, nodded. Opening his mouth, he wasted none of his words. ¡°The academy is facing issues. Lately, many of the students have gone missing.¡±


    King nodded, not saying a word. Seeing this, Olieva couldn¡¯t help but frown.


    ¡°Druid¡­ King, you know this is a serious matter, each elf is a treasure,¡± he said.


    Although from the legends of old, Ymer¡¯s act of increasing their lifespan was recorded as a good deed¡ªwhich it was¡ªit came with a troublesome cost.


    That was, it was much harder for female elves to conceive. An infamous elf king once married dozens of female elves, only to end up with a single offspring. Unsatisfied, he ordered his trusted men to help him fertilize his wives, but it was futile. Instead, his wives rebelled, ending that kingdom¡¯s long history by burning it to the ground.


    Ever since then, elves took the matter of romantic partners seriously. Each child was protected not only by the family themselves, but also by the elven military.


    Strangely, this matter only concerned the pure blooded elves. If an elf mates with another species, their chances of fertilizing or being fertilized is shockingly high!


    The only issue was that most ¡°hybrid¡± fetuses died in the womb. Even if they survived, they had various abnormalities¡ªranging from physical deformities to mental illnesses.


    Thus, Olieva was irritated by King¡¯s lack of care.


    On the other hand, King summoned his fairy, rubbing its fluffy hair.


    ¡°Sage Olieva, I believe this is your problem,¡± he said.


    Olieva stood up, slamming his hand on the desk. ¡°King! His majesty has ordered us to work together and deal with the dark elves¡ª¡±


    King scoffed. ¡°Those rats have been dealt with already.¡±


    Olieva froze, his mouth still open. Slowly, he sat down. ¡°The dark elves have been dealt with?¡±


    He couldn¡¯t doubt the druid in front of him. Originally, he suspected the dark elves for the students¡¯ disappearance. But now, if what King said was true, he had no lead.


    ¡°Anyway, this concerns me not. Deal with your own problem, sage,¡± King scoffed.


    Standing up, he left the office after slamming the door behind him. Tickling the fairy lying on top of his palm, he whispered.


    ¡°Go inform his majesty about this.¡±


    The fairy opened his eyes slowly, standing up with a huff. Then, his translucent green body slowly faded away.


    King narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°These damned sages might not have reported this matter to his majesty¡­¡± he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°Hmph. Just who is muddying up the waters?¡±

 13: Surprise Vacation

    The wind blew, gently brushing the pink leaves of the succubus tree. Its flowers shed petals, white nectar dripping from its glands.


    A black butterfly flapped its wings, quietly landing on the flower. Its proboscis lowered, sipping away at its nectar. Then, as silently as it flew, it fell to the ground, twitching as life fled its body.


    Surrounding it, hundreds of other butterflies shared its fate.


    The wind whispered, gently pushing the succubus tree, its leaves playing a sad tune.


    <hr>


    ¡°That was weird,¡± Horlum muttered, looking at the black butterfly on his desk. Moments ago, it had flown in through the window, and then promptly died.


    ¡®Is it a bad omen?¡¯ He thought, spinning his pencil with his fingers. Glancing at Kier, his professor, he inwardly rolled his eyes.


    ¡®What¡¯s so fun about assignments? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s useful,¡¯ he grumbled.


    About a week ago, when Kier found him and Fredrinn about to eat lunch under the succubus tree, the latter warned them not to go near it.


    Of course, they kept going to it, eating lunch under the tree most of the time. In Fredrinn¡¯s words, ¡°Ignore the nosy teacher, he can¡¯t eat you.¡±


    ¡°Pfft,¡± Horlum covered his mouth, looking at his professor as if he was listening. He wasn¡¯t.


    ¡®He can¡¯t eat me, yes. But he can bury me under a bunch of homework, haaa¡­¡¯


    For the past week, Kier had been giving out three homeworks each day. It quickly earned him the students¡¯ dissatisfaction, but the professor didn¡¯t give a damn.


    ¡®Speaking of which, three of my classmates are absent again,¡¯ he glanced around.


    The classroom was small, with a total of sixteen seats for the students. He was sitting at the very back beside the window, giving him plenty of cover for when he wanted to doze off.


    ¡®What¡¯s up with that?¡¯


    He munched on his lower lip, thinking of a few ideas.


    For three days now, one of his classmates would be absent each day.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡®Maybe¡ª¡¯


    ¡°Ahem, attention, please!¡± Kier said, his voice making Horlum jump.


    Chuckling to himself, Horlum stared at the professor, once again immersed in his job of acting.


    Kier tutted, but didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead, he focused back on the entire class.


    ¡°Today, I will end the class early,¡± he said.


    The entire classroom went silent. With his sensitive ears, Horlum faintly heard his classmates breathing roughly.


    Kier smiled. ¡°You will have ten assignments to pass in our next class.¡±


    In an instant, all the elves, excluding Horlum, felt their shoulders getting heavy. If not for Kier looking at all of them, some would¡¯ve started grumbling.


    ¡®Ten assignments? Did he hit his head or something?¡¯ Horlum blinked away.


    Anyway, it didn¡¯t concern him. He never did his homework, anyway. At least, properly.


    Each of his assignments were done at the school, and he guessed all the answers.


    ¡°Ahem,¡± Kier cleared his throat. ¡°As for the next class, you will get a letter from the academy when it begins. Now, enjoy your vacation. Class is over for today,¡± he nodded, leaving the room with his hands behind his back.


    Meanwhile, all of the students were still staring at the blackboard.


    Horlum gulped. ¡°D-Did I hear that right?¡± He mumbled, but no one heard him.


    The next moment, however, the classroom was filled with cheers!


    Horlum sighed, sitting beside Fredrinn under the succubus tree.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± He asked, looking at the hundreds of dead butterflies.


    It¡¯s been an hour since Kier¡¯s class ended, and Fredrinn¡¯s class had just ended as well. As soon as the latter was freed from his class, the two went to the garden to have their lunch.


    Fredrinn quickly munched on the banana in his mouth.


    ¡°Those are Fleeting Butterflies,¡± he said, his voice a bit muffled. ¡°You don¡¯t know them?¡±


    ¡°Fleeting butterflies?¡± Horlum tilted his head.


    ¡°Yup. After breaking out of their chrysalis, they find a mate and breed as soon as they can. After the female lays the eggs, they gather together and die. They only have a day to live,¡± Fredrinn gulped, before putting the banana in his mouth.


    ¡°Eh? That short?¡± Horlum raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± Fredrinn nodded, humming into the banana.


    Horlum frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t try to talk with food in your mouth.¡±


    Fredrinn bit down, before smirking.


    Horlum shook his head. ¡°Anyway, what do you plan on doing during the vacation?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± Fredrinn turned to look at the clouds. They were dark, and strong winds gathered in the distance.


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably just stay at home,¡± he shrugged. ¡°What about you?¡±


    Horlum exhaled, picking up his water container and taking a sip. ¡°I¡¯ll go back to the village.¡±


    ¡°The village¡­ oh,¡± Fredrinn nodded, not questioning it further.


    ¡°Are you interested?¡± Horlum smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s not a bad memory for me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Fredrinn asked, before clapping his hands. ¡°Then, tell me about it!¡±


    Horlum laughed.


    For half elves, their settlements were strictly ¡°guarded¡± by elves. It was to prevent them from reproducing with other elves, while also monitoring them in case they contract some sort of illness.


    However, most knew that the elves ¡°guarding¡± the settlements don¡¯t follow the rules. Most of them would even have ambiguous relationships with the half elves they were supposed to avoid.


    Horlum waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later, let¡¯s eat¡­ and, uh, if you want, you can visit our village!¡±


    ¡°Really?!¡± Fredrinn stared at Horlum with wide eyes, and stars almost seemed to house those amethyst pupils.


    Horlum¡¯s lips twitched. He almost regretted stretching out the invite.


    ¡®I wanted to brag to the others that I have an elf friend, but¡­¡¯ he gulped.


    ¡®I hope the village can survive Fredrinn¡¯s energy.¡¯


    As for Fredrinn, his thoughts were on another page, but he would never share that.


    <hr>


    ¡°Is it ready?¡± Chimera asked, his body shrouded in darkness.


    A cloaked figure knelt behind him. ¡°Yes. We have enough souls to charge the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Tch, noisy.¡±


    The cloaked figure coughed, blood splattering on the floor. In his last moments, he watched as Chimera took out his sword from his throat.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you know to keep secrets as secrets?¡± Chimera kicked the cloaked figure¡¯s dead body.


    After a while, he clicked his mouth, chanting a spell. Flames gushed out from below the corpse, silently engulfing it and turning the corpse into ash.


    ¡°Tsk, you¡¯re just as useless as those dark elves. Now I¡¯ve got to hunt them down, or it¡¯s all pointless.¡±


    Turning around, he walked away under the bright moon¡¯s gaze. The wind howled behind him, and the pink leaves of the succubus tree rustled fiercely. Upon close inspection, its leaves seemed to glow a dim, white light.

 14: The Coward Hypocrite

    Arloum steadied his roots on the ground.


    ¡®There¡¯s not much energy to suck here,¡¯ he lamented as he focused on upgrading his dark energy.


    Not only that, the embryo was also eating up most of his dark energy. Although he could choose not to upgrade it, he didn¡¯t.


    ¡®If this thing is a fairy, it¡¯ll be of tremendous help.¡¯


    [Embryo T1 (6%) - 1/1]


    [Dark Energy T2 - 2/12]


    ¡®As I expand my capacity, the dark energy becomes more unstable. Could it be that my capacity is limited by the tier of my energy?¡¯ He slapped the ground with his branches, unable to curse.


    ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll have to be creative with my energy usage.¡¯


    Helpless, he opened his eyes, looking around. The dark elves planted him in a fertile area somewhere in the forest.


    ¡®Earlier, Fick told me that they¡¯ve spotted an elf guard sleeping on a tree branch. After some scouting, they found that the half elf settlement was nearby.¡¯


    Fick was Enis¡¯ successor, becoming the new patriarch. The two weren¡¯t related, but because he chose to ride on the guy¡¯s back the entire time, the remaining dark elves decided that he was the ¡°Chosen One.¡±


    ¡®Hmph. If he¡¯s useful, maybe I¡¯ll let him inherit the name of Onyx¡­ tsk, Enis.¡¯


    He was still mad at Enis¡¯ untimely demise, feeling as if the name Onyx was now a little unsightly.


    ¡®Speaking of dark elves.¡¯


    He looked around, watching the dark elves curled on the ground, clutching their stomachs as they huddled together.


    ¡®Another dozen died due to hunger. More are set to follow,¡¯ he sighed.


    ¡®I can probably create a fruit, but now''s not the time.¡¯


    Even if he did, he wasn''t a fruit factory. How could he possibly satiate the dark elves with one or two fruits?


    He shook his branches, about to keep sucking whatever energy it was coming from the soil.


    ¡°Lord,¡± a raspy voice sounded from the front.


    It was Fick. His black cloak was tattered, and he was carrying a small sack with him. Tied to his belt was a dagger, a blade that had saved him more than once throughout their journey.


    Arloum waved his branches, motioning Fick to come closer. He did.


    Hearing his arrival, the other dark elves roused from their ¡°sleep,¡± staring at Fick with hunger filled eyes.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    They couldn''t even drool anymore, their bodies dehydrated.


    Water wasn''t too scarce in the forest, but drinking caused their empty stomachs to churn painfully. Most would rather drink less, and only few could endure the pain.


    Fick was one of them.


    ¡°I¡­ I found these,¡± he whispered to Arloum, opening the sack. Seeing Fick not opening the sack, Arloum realized that he didn''t want the other dark elves to see it.


    ¡®What¡¯s inside?¡¯ Arloum moved his roots, taking a few out to inspect the sack.


    There, his roots felt a few round objects, though most of them were squished as his roots pressed on them. Not only that, he felt insects crawling up his roots.


    ¡®Are these¡­ rotten fruits?¡¯ He guessed, tempted to use his roots as his ¡°eyes.¡±


    Though, the idea of seeing what was most likely maggots so close made him think twice.


    ¡®These are useless to me¡¯ He looked at Fick, confused as to why he brought them back.


    Fick coughed. ¡°I found¡­ a box of them¡­ those were the few good ones I found,¡± he said.


    ¡®A box of rotten fruit? What''s he getting at?¡¯ Arloum frowned in his mind.


    Then, Fick leaned closer. ¡°Lord¡­ cough¡ªforgive me, but, can you¡­ make a miracle?¡±


    He asked, and Arloum could almost hear a sob from the latter''s dry throat. Watching closely, he saw Fick¡¯s tightly clenched fists.


    ¡®...is he at his limit? He wants me to turn rotten fruits into edible ones? If I could, I would''ve absorbed the trees around us long ago!¡¯


    He shook his branches.


    ¡®It¡¯s not possible.¡¯


    Fick fell to his knees.


    Then, he felt Arloum''s leaves touch his forehead.


    ¡®It¡¯s impossible, but¡­ are you willing to sacrifice yourself?¡¯


    <hr>


    Fick sighed in his heart, his steps heavy as he walked through the forest. The air was hot, searing his pale skin and making him wish he could bathe in ice.


    ¡®Am I making the right choice?¡¯ He asked himself, his hand raising to touch the small sack tied to his waist.


    A few minutes ago, he found an elf and a half elf hiding in a bush. The two were engaged in passion, their bodies intertwined, and while they were distracted, he found the sack of fruits lying nearby.


    Carefully, he snatched it, before retreating in a panic. However, when he glanced back, his eyes met with the half elf¡¯s.


    ¡®Is it right to do this?¡¯


    Back then, he kept running back, but the emotions in the half elf¡¯s eyes were still vivid in his memories.


    Reluctance, disgust, hopelessness, and sorrow. Not aimed at him, but to the elf defiling her body.


    ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m sorry,¡¯ he took a deep breath.


    Their goal was to invade the half elves and have Arloum devour all the half elves living there. Before, he wanted to rush as much as he could, but seeing the female half elf made him hesitate.


    ¡®Is it bad for us to live? We just want to survive,¡¯ he gritted his teeth.


    He was no warrior. He was only a civilian in the dark elf community. All of the remaining dark elves were. The only reason he became the patriarch was because of luck.


    ¡®Maybe¡­ it¡¯s better to just¡­¡¯


    He paused. His eyes staring blankly at the ground, and then at the sack of fruits tied to his waist.


    Spit flooded his mouth, his breathing becoming ragged.


    Hesitating, he opened the small sack, taking out the fruits inside. Upon seeing the apples and mangoes that were half-rotten, his eyes became wet with tears.


    ¡®It¡¯s food.¡¯


    He couldn¡¯t help but gulp. Taking deep breaths, he pushed the fruits back inside the sack. Then, his legs moved without much energy, and he walked dazedly until he was in front of Arloum.


    ¡®We can eat¡­ right?¡¯


    His mind went back to the female half elf, a claw gripping his heart.


    ¡®I¡­¡¯ He looked at Arloum, his eyes stuck on the latter¡¯s glowing red leaves.


    He coughed, pointing at the sack of rotting fruits next to Arloum. ¡°I found¡­ a box of them¡­ those were the few good ones I found.¡±


    Seeing Arloum¡¯s branches waving slowly, he bit his tongue, before speaking.


    ¡°Lord¡­ cough¡ªforgive me, but, can you¡­ make a miracle?¡± He said, his voice trembling.


    ¡®What am I saying?¡¯ He clenched his fists.


    ¡®Those half elves are our way to survive. By killing them¡­ we can live¡­¡¯


    And yet, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He didn¡¯t even dare to think about it.


    ¡®I¡¯m a coward.¡¯


    Arloum¡¯s branches shook, and for some reason, he understood what the latter meant.


    ¡®Heh,¡¯ he chuckled, though no sound came out of his throat. ¡®I¡¯m a coward, and greedy. A miracle? When did that ever happen?¡¯


    He lowered his head, falling to his knees as he stifled his cries.


    ¡®Maybe I¡¯m not suited for this¡­ if only lord Enis was here¡­ we could just follow him¡­¡¯


    Suddenly, he felt a cold leaf touch his forehead. He couldn¡¯t help but close his eyes, feeling as though a hand was touching the top of his head.


    Like a soothing whisper, ¡®It¡¯s not possible, but¡­ are you willing to sacrifice yourself?¡¯ A voice bloomed in his mind, both tempting and promising a bad omen.


    ¡®Sacrifice myself?¡¯ Fick asked Arloum, but also himself.


    Could he do it? For his people, dark elves that he knew his entire life? Or for those half elves he only met once?


    He couldn¡¯t answer it.


    ¡®Become my sword. Surrender your will to me. Close your eyes and simply follow my voice,¡¯ Arloum¡¯s words silenced his thoughts.


    ¡®...can I¡­¡¯


    He didn¡¯t finish that sentence. Can he kill others? Can he trample on others for his race? No.


    He¡¯d first be killed before he could even raise his voice, much less his dagger.


    But what if others did it for him? What if his god used his body for him?


    ¡®I am a coward, my lord,¡¯ he said, pressing his head on the ground in front of Arloum.


    ¡®I am a hypocrite. I am useless. So, if this body is of use to you, and my race, then please¡­ please!¡¯


    He opened his eyes, raising his head to gaze into Arloum¡¯s glowing red leaves.


    ¡°Use me.¡±


    Arloum¡¯s leaves shone brightly, his laughter filling up both his and Fick¡¯s mind.


    ¡®Wise choice.¡¯

 15: The Sacrificial Lamb

    The air is stiff like ice, blowing like a fan on the foggy night.


    On the smooth, earthy ground, Fick lay with his eyes closed, his face pale and sunken. His upper body is bare, with only his pants covering his lower body. Fireflies were flying over him, while the dark elves knelt on the ground, surrounding him.


    ¡®Is this a demonic sacrifice?¡¯ Arloum wondered, watching the gloomy performance of his people.


    ¡®Even though they''d rather curl up and try to sleep through hunger, they still got up to worship me.¡¯


    He didn''t know what it was, but he felt as if he was watching his pet trying its best to stand, even with broken bones.


    ¡®Haaa¡­ well, this technique of mine does feel a bit demonic,¡¯ he mused. ¡®My body is that of a tree and I have a fairy within me, while the energy inside me is similar to demons. Quite the curious thing.¡¯


    The fairy was exclusive to elves, while demon magic is, well, the trademark of demons.


    ¡®Heh, and now I''m trying to borrow the angels¡¯ techniques.¡¯


    He crawled on top of Fick''s torso, and then around his neck. When he stopped, the dark elves lowered their heads. Before long, a harmonized, quiet prayer echoed in his ears.


    ¡®Angels can turn faith and prayers into magic. Although I don''t know how it works, it''s not bad to try. These dark elves aren''t doing much, anyway.¡¯


    In theory, with the dark elves'' prayers, the area would be saturated in faith energy. Of course, even if it didn''t work, Arloum''s plan would remain the same.


    Using parasitism, he would be able to provide Fick a constant supply of dark energy. If his plans worked, Fick would be able to contend with the druids after them.


    ¡®This way, we could either invade the elves, or leave the forest. Both are good. Speaking of which, it was a good call to slowly infuse Fick¡¯s body with dark energy.¡¯


    Thanks to his unnoticed efforts, he and Fick could seamlessly communicate¡ªwhen Arloum connects their energies. Doing so also increased Fick''s affinity for dark energy, making Arloum confident in parasitizing him.


    ¡®Make me proud, my second Onyx!¡¯ Arloum inwardly yelled, before pruning most of his roots and branches.


    After he was left with one strand of root and a branch with three leaves, he slipped into Fick¡¯s mouth.


    Fick¡¯s eyelids trembled, resisting the urge to vomit as Arloum traveled down his throat.


    Then¡­ nothing happened.


    The prayers lingered in the air. Fick''s breathing was steady, his body relaxed and his mind calm. When he opened his eyes, his pitch black eyes pierced the clear, starry sky.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    But for a brief moment, a fiery red glow hovered over his black pupils, before vanishing like a phantom.


    Inside his body, coiled around Fick¡¯s heart, Arloum¡¯s branch and root trembled.


    ¡®It¡¯s working¡­!¡¯


    He watched as his dark energy filtered into Fick¡¯s heart, merging with his blood. Then, his blood spread the energy throughout his body, strengthening him passively.


    Suddenly, Arloum saw the embryo shifting, as if wanting to enter Fick''s body.


    ¡®Should I let it merge with Fick as well?¡¯ He pondered, watching the embryo for a while.


    ¡®No, maybe in the future.¡¯


    In the end, he suppressed the embryo, letting it fall into slumber in his body. When his dark energy nearly ran dry, he connected his energy with Fick''s.


    ¡®Can you hear me?¡¯ He asked.


    Fick breathed in, before slowly breathing out. He closed his eyes, his mind blank for a few seconds.


    ¡®Lord¡­ I can hear you.¡¯


    Arloum paused, listening to Fick¡¯s lifeless voice. ¡®Do you feel anything different?¡¯ He asked, a bit puzzled.


    ¡®He wouldn¡¯t suddenly kill himself, right?¡¯


    This time, Fick answered in a heartbeat. ¡®I feel calm.¡¯


    ¡®Is that so¡­ Then, lead the way to the half elves. It¡¯s time to make you stronger. Back then, I promised Enis to give him strength. With him dead, you will receive this strength.¡¯


    ¡®As you wish,¡¯ Fick answered, standing up. Looking at the dark elves still immersed in prayers, he chewed on his spit.


    ¡®I can feel your hesitation,¡¯ Arloum chuckled. ¡®You are my Onyx. Soon, you will shine the Onyx light to your kin. Go, tell them that paradise awaits them.¡¯


    ¡®...thank you,¡¯ Fick mumbled in his mind. Taking a deep breath, his voice exploded from his mouth.


    ¡°My brethren!"


    The dark elves flinched, startled into opening their eyes. Staring at Fick, their hearts started beating rapidly.


    All of them were emaciated, their bones showing through their skins. However, even though he was lean and wasn¡¯t muscular, Fick looked healthier than a horse!


    ¡°Our Lord¡ª¡±


    ¡®God of Darkness,¡¯ Arloum whispered, feeling a bit excited. Inside, he watched through Fick¡¯s eyes as the dark elves stared back at him, their eyes carrying hope.


    ¡°Our God of Darkness is with us. And I, his Onyx, will lead you to paradise! My brothers and sisters, I ask you one thing,¡± he knelt, lowering his head.


    ¡°Wait for me. When I return, we will have a feast!¡± He raised his head, a faint, blood red smoke flowing out of his eyes.


    <hr>


    Night falls, the hounds howling at the moon as two elves climbed a trees.


    ¡°Tsk, so noisy,¡± an elf grumbled, laying down on a tree branch wrapped in a blanket. His platinum hair was cut short, almost too short.


    ¡°Hehe, deal with it you manchild,¡± another elf sneered. He, too, laid down, lifting off the blindfold over his eyes. Unlike the first elf, his hair was long and reached his waist.


    ¡°Shut up, you man-whore,¡± the short-haired elf snorted. ¡°How was your slut?¡± He snickered, licking his lips.


    ¡°Her? So-so. What, you''re finally gonna try out those warm toys?¡±


    The short-haired elf smacked his lips. ¡°Maybe in the future. I haven¡¯t found someone that suits my taste. I¡¯m not like you who¡¯d fuck a tree if it wore a skirt.¡±


    ¡°Oh, fuck off. What suits your taste, anyway? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± The long-haired elf gasped.


    The short-haired elf¡¯s face was full of black lines. ¡°Damn it, Roven, I¡¯m not that kind of person! You don¡¯t understand, those women are flatter than a board. All of them are!¡±


    Roven huffed. ¡°So what? The inside is still the same.¡±


    The short-haired elf scoffed. ¡°Uncultured man, you are,¡± he waved his hand, turning away from Roven. ¡°Let¡¯s¡ªow! Fuck!¡±


    The short-haired elf jolted up, hurriedly pitching the upper side of his thigh.


    ¡°HAHA!¡± Roven guffawed, watching his friend struggle to take off his belt. ¡°I bet it¡¯s an ant,¡± he giggled.


    The short-haired elf cursed, reaching into his pants and yanking out the bug that bit him.


    ¡°Che,¡± he clicked his tongue, squeezing the massive weaver ant until it was pulverized.


    ¡°Damn it, when did¡­¡± he muttered under his breath, when a strange light caught his attention.


    ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that?¡± He squinted to the distance. There, a flickering red glow floated in the darkness.


    ¡°What¡¯s where?¡± Roven looked over, squinting his eyes when¡ª


    ¡°Agh?!¡± A rock hit him right in the forehead, sending him off balance and down the tree branch!


    ¡°Roven!¡± The short-haired elf jumped down, catching Roven mid-air. With a thud, the two of them rolled on the ground before they crashed into a tree.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Hiss¡ª!¡± Roven wiped his forehead, then brought his hand in front of him.


    It was covered in blood.


    ¡°Someone threw a¡ª¡± He spoke, when the bushes rustled not far from them.


    The two of them quieted down, the cold whistling of the breeze passing by their ears.


    Step by step, dry leaves were crushed under someone¡¯s foot. Roven stood up, followed by the short-haired elf.


    The two shared a glance, before the short-haired elf shouted.


    ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    The footsteps halted. Then, he heard a thud next to him. Turning around, he saw Roven slumping to the ground, his forehead gushing out blood.


    ¡°Roven! Tch,¡± he ran behind the tree, quick footsteps rushing toward him.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± A shiver ran up his spine, his eyes darting around. ¡®Damn it, I don¡¯t have my sword with me,¡¯ he inwardly cursed, straining his ears for any sound.


    There was none.


    Not even the cry of bugs.


    That was all he knew when his eyes rolled back, his body slumping to the ground.


    Meanwhile, Fick lowered his elbow, staring at the unconscious elf beneath him. Shaking his head, he turned to look at Roven.


    ¡°You¡¯re that elf from earlier¡­¡±


    He grabbed his dagger, gripping the handle tightly.

 16: I Found You

    Fick¡¯s eyes turned bloodshot, a red glow out of his pupils. His vision was red, and his heart was pounding in his ears.


    ¡®Kill him.¡¯


    A whisper tickled his brain, as if a temptress¡¯ hand was caressing his wrist, making his grip on the dagger tighten.


    ¡®Cut his throat. Bathe in his blood. You will become stronger.¡¯


    He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Then, with shaky hands, he sheathed the dagger and tied it back to his waist.


    ¡®Why won¡¯t you follow me?¡¯ Arloum was dismayed, but he was more curious than angry. If he was even angry at all.


    Of course, he wouldn¡¯t spare the two elves. He finally saw the end of the tunnel, he would be a fool not to crawl out!


    ¡®Don¡¯t move.¡¯


    Using his dark energy, roots crawled underground before piercing the backs of the two elves. Silently, he sucked their life energy dry, not bothering to keep them alive.


    At the same time, Fick opened his eyes¡ªwhich had turned back to normal.


    ¡®I don¡¯t want to kill¡­ my lord,¡¯ he said, and Arloum felt Fick¡¯s drowning mind.


    ¡®Why are you feeling guilty?¡¯ He asked, truly confused. ¡®You already know that I¡¯ll still kill those two.¡¯


    Fick nodded. ¡®I know that. I¡¯m not against it,¡¯ he bit his tongue, before walking away. Behind him, the two elves were left on the ground, their bodies dry as though they had rotten in place for a year.


    ¡®I¡­ can¡¯t bring myself to kill. I¡¯m afraid to see blood. I¡¯m sorry, I disappoint you.¡¯


    Arloum blew away his thoughts. ¡®It is not too bad,¡¯ he said.


    He wasn¡¯t lying.


    [Dark Energy T2: 15/15]


    Thanks to the two elves, his dark energy shot up to 15 points. After that, he couldn¡¯t feel it increasing anymore, making him feel frustrated. However, he realized that he could still improve his dark energy¡¯s ¡°quality.¡±


    ¡®I can make it denser. In a way that¡¯s increasing the quantity too. However, it¡¯ll make it unstable and difficult to control¡­ I should focus on the rest of my abilities instead,¡¯ he sighed.


    Then, he watched as Fick slowly walked, the man''s mind muddled and full of conflicting thoughts.


    ¡®Although Fick doesn¡¯t want to kill, it¡¯s not too bad. At least, I can keep all the life energy. Even when he starts killing, it wouldn¡¯t change much. It¡¯s impossible to kill all the life in the world in one day.¡¯


    After walking for a while, Fick heard Arloum¡¯s voice in his mind.


    ¡®Let¡¯s go to the half elf settlement. It¡¯s time for the clan to have a feast,¡¯ he said. As for what the feast would be, both of them didn¡¯t know yet.


    ¡®With excess darker energy, I can perhaps create numerous fruits. Or, better yet, we can loot the village after killing everyone captive.¡¯The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Fick nodded, wordlessly moving toward the half elf village. He wasn''t a talkative person in the first place, though he sure was an overthinker.


    Meanwhile, Arloum closed his eyes, focusing on his and Fick¡¯s inner bodies.


    ¡®Fick can absorb life energy as long as he comes into contact with it. Bathing in blood is one way to do it, he can even drink blood, but that¡¯s less efficient¡­ As long as he''s exposed to enough life energy, the dark energy in his body will react and absorb it, strengthening him.¡¯


    Arloum was sure that Fick would seek power, but as for when, he had no idea.


    ¡®Hn¡­ it¡¯s not bad to nurture this hesitant Onyx. Who knows if his soul and mine can become linked together¡­¡¯ His thoughts wondered for a while.


    ¡®Even if he''s stubborn for the time being, I can still give him a strength boost through my dark energy, which is purer than his. As for his life span and Ymer¡¯s curse¡­ hmph,¡¯ he couldn''t help but snort.


    After parasitizing Fick¡¯s body, he gained access to the energies in the latter¡¯s body. There, he found that Ymer¡¯s curse was a mixture of three energies ¡ª arcane, decayed life energy, and spirit energy.


    ¡®It should be formidable in theory, but alas, my dark energy thriumps. I wonder how strong it was at its peak.¡¯


    After countless years of being passed down from generation to generation, the ¡°curse¡± had long weakened. However, its effects remained the same. The only thing that weakened was the curse¡¯s ability to resist other energies.


    ¡®Maybe in the future, the dark elf¡¯s natural energy can expel the curse. But, with their dwindling population, maybe they¡¯d be extinct before it could happen¡­ Tsk, Ymer, you ruthless woman.¡¯


    Recalling the woman who led a revolution against him, Arloum snickered.


    ¡®After so much time, you should''ve died. Even if a Legend never dies, your memories would¡¯ve long perished. However, all of me still remains. Even my body is still out there, banished in the outside realms.¡¯


    He laughed in his mind.


    ¡®Oh ¡°Legendary Heroes,¡± you pitiful things. You sacrificed your lives to ¡°save¡± the world. But in the end, the one you believed in is nothing but a fraud.¡¯


    <hr>


    Horlum and Fredrinn panted as they sat side by side. They were covered in sweat, their clothes soaked and near translucent.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ that¡­¡± Fredrinn tried to speak, but he was forced to keep gasping for air.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Horlum turned away, before glancing at his clothes. It was torn in many different ways from their earlier ¡°exercise.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think a wolf would suddenly chase us,¡± Horlum said bitterly.


    Fredrinn slumped back on the bench they were sitting on. ¡°At least¡­ we made it¡­ right?¡±


    Horlum nodded. ¡°Yup, we¡¯re here. This is the village I grew up in,¡± he stood up, offering Fredrinn a hand.


    Fredrinn looked at his hand, and then at Horlum¡¯s sweaty face and his smile.


    ¡°Ha¡­ don¡¯t you¡­ feel tired?¡± He helplessly panted. He was an elf, but Horlum was a half-elf.


    He had greater talent in mystic arts, but his body was fragile. On the other hand, Horlum seemed to be the exact opposite.


    ¡°You said¡­ your father¡­ was a human?¡±


    Horlum nodded, smiling as he recalled both fond and cruel memories. ¡°He was¡­ until he encountered a curse and turned into a beast. Mom and dad¡­ perhaps they''re enjoying themselves up there.¡±


    Fredrinn froze, his mouth opening and closing like a frog. ¡°Er¡­¡±


    Horlum chuckled. ¡°Don''t worry, I''m okay. It''s been so long¡­ and really, I think I can''t even cry anymore. This has been the happiest I''ve been!¡± ¡ªAfter all, I met a friend like you. You''re like the brother I never had.


    He grinned, hiding the last part of his sentence.


    Fredrinn''s face turned strange, before he clicked his tongue, shaking his head. ¡°You darn¡­ simpleton, saying words¡­ you don''t understand.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Forget it¡­ haaa, I can stand now¡­ Hoo, my legs¡­ are like jelly¡­¡± Fredrinn shuddered, grabbing Horlum''s hand to stand up.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Horlum watched Fredrinn trying to stand on his own, his knees trembling.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I think¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s walk slowly,¡± Horlum said, to which Fredrinn nodded.


    Soon, they found themselves standing in front of a small, wooden house. They''ve long entered through the village gates to ward off the wolf, but they didn''t see the elf guards.


    In fact, they haven''t seen anyone yet.


    Fredrinn rubbed his arm, feeling goosebumps. ¡°Isn''t this strange?¡±


    ¡°The emptiness?¡± Horlum asked, shaking his head. ¡°It''s the usual. No one likes to go out except for the kids¡­ and, well, all of us were sent to the academy. Oh, come to think of it, why didn''t the others return?¡± He murmured.


    Fredrinn shrugged. Then, Horlum walked up to and opened the door. Seeing Horlum entering the wooden house, he followed him, when a silhouette caught his eye. Turning around, he saw a black shadow standing behind a tree in the distance.


    Fredrinn¡¯s heart skipped a beat. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he bolted inside and locked the door.


    ¡®What was that?¡¯


    <hr>


    ¡®My lord?¡¯ Fick hid behind the tree after seeing Fredrinn enter the wooden house.


    ¡®Avoid that house,¡¯ Arloum said, his voice strange.


    Fick didn''t mind. Stepping out of the trees, he walked toward one of the houses. Pushing the door, he found that it was locked¡ªbut a few discreet stabs with his dagger killed the door.


    Just as he gently placed the door on the ground, a strange, pungent smell attacked him in waves. Low and high pitched voices assaulted his ears, as well as the sound of clapping.


    Fick froze for a moment, before hesitantly entering the house. ¡®Lord, I¡­ think you can attack them now. We came at the right time.¡¯


    Arloum, confused, let a root grow out of Fick''s feet. The root drilled through the wooden floor, entering the ground and searching for the house owners. Very soon, he found two life sources entangled together.


    ¡®You¡¯re right. They seem to be fighting and are very close, I can kill them in one strike,¡¯ Arloum said, praising his Onyx.


    Fick''s lips turned flat, his thoughts going off-track. ¡®The lord doesn''t seem to know¡­?¡¯


    Arloum listened to his thoughts, before brushing it off. Since he can''t see anything with his ¡°eyes¡± underground, he had no idea what the couples were doing in the bed.


    He simply gathered dark energy with his roots, and then had his root penetrate the surface, as well as the couples.


    The two couldn''t even cry when their bodies grew weak in an instant, only feeling a sharp pain before life exited their bodies.


    ¡®Hm¡­ they seem to be¡­ copulating?¡¯ Arloum mused, before ignoring it. He''d seen many things.


    On the other hand¡­


    ¡®So this is where you live, you brat.¡¯

 17: Its Haunted!

    ¡®Faster, go faster,¡¯ Arloum urged. ¡®Is this your first time?¡¯


    ¡°Y-yes,¡± Fick lowered his head, hiding his blush.


    ¡®Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s my first time too,¡¯ Arloum secretly snickered. ¡®I¡¯ve never stolen anything in secret.¡¯


    Fick nodded, quietly stuffing food into his bag. Apart from two marinated rabbit meat, the house only had fruits. He tried searching for a bigger bag as well, but he couldn¡¯t find any. Thus, with only one sack, Fick stuffed the rabbit meat with the fruits.


    ¡°Is, is that enough?¡± Fick asked, looking at the sack he was holding. It was stretched taut, being as big as his abdomen.


    ¡®It should be,¡¯ Arloum replied. The next moment, he was watching Fick sneaking out of the house like a misbehaved child.


    When Fick started tiptoeing out, he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. ¡®...you do remember that you broke the door, right?¡¯


    Fick¡¯s face was stoic. ¡°That¡¯s because no one¡¯s around.¡±


    ¡®How do you know there¡¯s people nearby now?¡¯ Arloum sneered. He could sense it, no one was nearby¡ªthey were all cooped up indoors.


    Fick had no reply. With his heart pounding in his chest, he entered the forest, hurrying away.


    Apart from nearly tripping over the two dry bodies of the elves from earlier, Fick found no trouble.


    Surrounded by the dark elves, he placed a cloth on the ground before untying the sack.


    ¡°Gulp.¡±


    Fick smiled, watching the dark elves restraining themselves. However, their eyes could burn the fruits gathered into a small pile on the ground. As for the two marinated rabbit meat, no one gave them a glance.


    Arloum ignored the dark elves, his eyes focused on the rabbits. ¡®...so you don¡¯t want the rabbits?¡¯


    ¡®Mosquito meat is still meat,¡¯ Arloum thought, when he remembered something. ¡®Wait a minute, weren¡¯t we supposed to be raiding the village?!¡¯


    Nevertheless, he didn¡¯t remind Fick for the time being. After seeing Horlum, he didn¡¯t feel like rushing things.


    Fick smiled at his kin. ¡°Everyone, this is all I¡¯ve brought for now. I¡¯ll bring back more¡ª¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°We can help you,¡± one of them interrupted, his voice sounding more like gasps.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s too risky to go alone,¡± another one said.


    Before long, all the dark elves were volunteering to join Fick.


    Fick couldn¡¯t help but frown at their words. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡®Dangerous,¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°You all should eat first,¡± he sighed, shaking his head. ¡°We might be on the move soon.¡±


    The dark elves looked at each other. Together, there were less than sixty of them left. On the other hand, there were only seventeen fruits.


    ¡°Let the others eat first,¡± the older ones said, pointing to the younger dark elves.


    Fick looked at the dozen dark elves who surrendered their food. All of them were less than a year away from their ¡°natural¡± death.


    ¡°...alright.¡± Fick nodded, lowering his head.


    ¡®My lord,¡¯ Fick called to Arloum in his mind.


    ¡®What, will you ask me if I can remove the  curse?¡¯ Arloum guessed Fick¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡®...yes.¡¯


    Arloum thought for a moment. ¡®I can. But I need more sacrifices¡ª¡¯


    ¡®I¡¯ll give you all of them,¡¯ Fick said, his voice steely.


    Arloum was taken aback, but he smiled the next moment. ¡®Have you made up your mind?¡¯


    Fick nodded. ¡®They are my¡­ my people, after all. If it¡¯s for them¡­¡¯


    Fick stood up, watching the dark elves sharing the fruits with each other. They tried giving the ¡°old¡± dark elves something to eat, but they were rejected.


    ¡®If it¡¯s for them¡­ I can kill.¡¯ Fick clenched his fists.


    ¡®That¡¯s more like it,¡¯ Arloum was satisfied.


    Unbeknownst to Fick, however, Arloum silently moved the embryo in his body into Fick.


    ¡®What can this do, I wonder,¡¯ Arloum thought, sensing the embryo floating to Fick¡¯s head. Then, he felt the embryo melting into Fick¡¯s soul.


    [Embryo T1 (6%) ¡ú Fairy T1 - 1/1]


    ¡®...It turned into a fairy?¡¯ Arloum frowned in his mind. ¡®Fick became my fairy?¡¯


    Confused, he tried moving his ¡°fairy,¡± but nothing happened.


    Like a fragile sand castle, Arloum¡¯s mood crumbled down.


    <hr>


    Horlum and Fredrinn stared at a book on the ground, both of them crouching in a corner of the house.


    ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s this?¡± Fredrinn asked, looking at Horlum.


    Horlum shrugged, shaking his head.


    Moments ago, he spilled a glass of water, and the wooden floor was soaked. Fredrinn tried to help wipe out the water, but then he slipped, knocking his head on the corner of the house.


    Afterward, the wooden floor caved in, and they found the book under it.


    ¡°Wanna read it?¡± Horlum was about to grab the book, when Fredrinn panicked and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°What if it¡¯s a cursed book or something?!¡±


    Horlum raised an eyebrow, feeling Fredrinn¡¯s cold and trembling fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, I recognize this,¡± Horlum grinned.


    Fredrinn¡¯s mind turned blank, and he watched Horlum grab the book and sit on the bed on one side of the house.


    Horlum¡¯s house was small, shaped like a  box. One side had the bed, the other side had the ¡°kitchen,¡± the other side had cabinets and drawers.


    As for where to bathe or relieve oneself¡­ There was a nearby river and a well.


    Horlum stared at Fredrinn, secretly laughing in his mind. ¡°Fred?¡±


    Fredrinn flinched, breaking out of his daze. ¡°Then, why did you shake your head earlier?¡±


    Horlum scratched his head. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯ve been searching for this for ages back when I was a kid¡ª¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still kids,¡± Fredrinn blinked.


    Horlum ignored him. ¡°...but I couldn¡¯t find it. How should I know it was hidden under the floor?¡±


    Fredrinn sighed, sitting on the bed with Horlum. ¡°So, what is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a children¡¯s story book. Dad used to read it to me all the time, and I remember waiting for him to read it to me everyday.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it?¡± Fredrinn pouted. ¡°I thought it was some sort of mysterious book or something.¡±


    Horlum smacked his lips. ¡°Well, it is a mystery.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Fredrinn tilted his head.


    ¡°Did you think I¡¯d be searching for this for no reason? I miss it, yeah, but it¡¯s more because I forgot all the stories in the book,¡± he opened the book. It was blank.


    ¡°Are you sure your memory is okay?¡± Fredrinn giggled.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to rub it in,¡± Horlum rolled his eyes, flipping to the next page.


    It was blank.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a book like that before. Where did you guys buy it?¡± Fredrinn asked, watching Horlum flip to another page.


    It was still blank.


    Horlum frowned in confusion, skipping to the middle of the book¡­ it was blank.


    ¡°...Horlum,¡± Fredrinn shuddered, his arms full of goosebumps. ¡°...I think, I think that¡¯s haunted.¡±


    Horlum opened his mouth, but then, the book pages started flipping by themselves. By the time it turned back to the first page, ink stained the top of the page, before forming into words.


    {Who are you?}

 18: Jump Down to the Abyss

    Horlum and Fredrinn stared at the book in silence. Both of them couldn¡¯t blink, nor could they move an inch.


    Even their breaths were stuck in their throats.


    The ink changed shape, forming another set of words.


    {Where¡¯s Tyrel?}


    This time, Horlum¡¯s hands that were holding the book trembled.


    ¡°How¡­ do you know my father¡¯s name?¡± He asked softly, his words almost inaudible to Fredrinn¡¯s ears.


    {You spoke. I can¡¯t understand you, go write on my body.}


    Horlum took a deep breath, before he turned to look at Fredrinn. The poor elf¡¯s mind was undergoing a restart.


    Horlum waved his hand in front of his friend¡¯s face, but Fredrinn remained unresponsive.


    ¡°Fred?¡± Horlum called out, touching Fredrinn¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Fredrinn¡¯s eyes moved, looking straight into Horlum¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Are you okay? Do you need water?¡± Horlum asked, walking toward the table to grab a pitcher. Then, he searched for the cup, only to remember that it broke several minutes earlier when it fell to the floor.


    ¡°No¡­ I need sleep,¡± Fredrinn fell back to the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. ¡°I think I¡¯m dreaming.¡±


    At that, Horlum couldn¡¯t find the words to say. ¡®I know he¡¯s scared of ghosts, but isn¡¯t this too much? I mean, it¡¯s just a¡­ conscious book¡­¡¯


    Putting his thoughts aside, he grabbed a pencil from a drawer and picked up the book again.


    He wanted to write: ¡°What are you?¡±


    {I am a book,} but the book responded before he could finish writing.


    With an awkward smile, he wrote another sentence. ¡°Do you know my father?¡±


    {Are you his son?}


    ¡°Yes,¡± Horlum spoke, before writing it down.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    {Are you a half elf?}


    Horlum opened his mouth, but this time, he held himself back. Writing down, ¡°Yes,¡± his brows furrowed.


    ¡°Fred? You there?¡± He called out, but Fredrinn didn¡¯t answer. Turning around, he saw that the poor elf had managed to fall asleep, his face pale.


    Before he could check up on Fredrinn, the book pages started flipping until it reached the middle part.


    {Did Tyrel mention anything to you?}


    ¡°Mention what?¡± Horlum frowned. He picked up the pencil, chewing on his lower lip before he answered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he wrote.


    The book didn¡¯t reply for a while.


    Then, just as he thought that maybe the book didn¡¯t see his sentence, the words on the pages changed.


    {Have the humans invaded?}


    Horlum¡¯s hand froze, and his heart fell to his stomach.


    Hurriedly, he wrote down, ¡°No, what do you mean?¡±


    {That¡¯s good. Things are still salvageable. Where is Tyrel?}


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­¡± Horlum gritted his teeth, writing down; ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    This time, the book didn¡¯t reply for a long time.


    Horlum waited anxiously until the sun was almost down, before new words appeared on the book.


    {I¡¯m dead? How did I die? What could kill me?}


    <hr>


    Even after the dark elves finished eating, and Fick was preparing to ¡°raid¡± the half elf village again, Arloum was still distracted.


    He kept trying to separate the embryo from Fick¡¯s soul to no avail. Instead, Fick was having a constant headache.


    Arloum sensed it as well, so he could only give up in bitterness.


    ¡®If he dies, will my ¡°fairy¡± die too?¡¯ He sighed.


    ¡®It wouldn¡¯t have been bad if it only merged with Fick¡¯s soul. The main problem is, I can¡¯t upgrade it anymore! It¡¯ll be stuck on tier one.¡¯


    Thinking about it, he focused on the status mirror in his mind.


    [Tree Of Darkness T2, Dark Energy T2 (14/15), Parasitism T1, Fairy T1]


    ¡®To upgrade myself to the third level, I need all the skills to be in harmony¡­¡¯


    Without thinking much about it, he dump most of his dark energy into [Parasitism].


    [Dark Energy T2 (14/15 ¡ú 2/15), Parasitism T1 ¡ú T1 (24%)]


    ¡®Oh, not bad,¡¯ he praised absent-mindedly.


    All living creatures could become stronger, even to the point of becoming a Legend. They simply have to "stabilize" their ¡°self,¡± and then break through their limits.


    However, most creatures didn¡¯t understand this concept. Currently, Arloum didn¡¯t know anyone who knew the secret to advancing. Even Legends could only instinctively know what they needed to do in order to advance.


    ¡®Only after I invented the status mirror did I learn about this¡­ fortunately, I suppose, I have this information. Otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t know what went wrong when I try to advance.¡¯


    Each advancement would merge the skills a person knew and increase its potential. For this reason, not many people learn too many skills, in fear of not being able to advance.


    ¡®That aside, how do I upgrade the [Fairy]? I tried giving Fick dark energy earlier, but all it did is make him stronger.¡¯


    ¡°Lord,¡± suddenly, Fick spoke, startling Arloum out of his thoughts.


    ¡®What is it?¡¯ Arloum asked.


    ¡°Do you think¡­ I¡¯ll lose myself?¡± Fick asked, taking out his dagger and staring at the sharp edge. ¡°Just earlier, I said I won¡¯t kill. But now, I¡¯m about to do the opposite.¡±


    Before Arloum could respond, Fick took a deep breath and continued.


    ¡°If I was hesitating, or felt nervous, I wouldn¡¯t ask this. But¡­ I don¡¯t even feel scared. I feel calm, too calm.¡±


    ¡®That¡¯s natural, I¡¯m parasitizing you. Sooner or later, your thoughts will be in line with mine,¡¯ Arloum thought to himself.


    ¡®If you have a strong will, you won¡¯t lose yourself,¡¯ Arloum answered his Onyx.


    It wasn¡¯t a lie¡ªArloum wasn¡¯t some sort of soul master.


    ¡®While [Parasitism] can influence the host¡¯s thoughts, it¡¯s not an advanced skill,¡¯ he murmured. ¡®Though, with the difference in our souls, I can replace Fick¡¯s soul if I want to.¡¯


    He sliced away at the thought. Changing bodies was a big taboo, and he had no plans of losing the [Tree Of Darkness] skill.


    ¡°How should I strengthen my will?¡± Fick asked.


    ¡®...it¡¯s simple. Either you never give into any temptation, or you jump into the deepest abyss and climb out.¡¯


    ¡°...¡± Fick closed his eyes shut, quietly sheathing back his dagger. Then, after three steady breaths, he reopened his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± he said, walking back toward the half elf village.


    As for the dead bodies from earlier, he didn¡¯t care if they were found and placed the village in high alert.


    In Arloum¡¯s words, it was ¡°training.¡±


    Still, before he left, he took the time to hide the bodies under the bed.


    ¡®Remember, every time you kill, you must get soaked in their blood,¡¯ Arloum reminded.


    ¡®That way, it¡¯ll be easier for me to harvest their life energy,¡¯ he thought.


    ¡°Understood,¡± Fick nodded.


    As he set off, the dark elves all secretly shared a look.