It was only when the matter turned to the two children, Elseth and Elroth, that a difficulty arose.
They were still young and had not yet chosen their destiny. Until they decided whether to embrace the fate of the Elves or that of Men, they could not set foot in Valinor.
"What is your decision?" Elrond asked solemnly, looking at Sylas and Arwen.
Sylas and Arwen exchanged a glance. No words were needed—their thoughts were already aligned.
Sylas turned to the others and stated their decision clearly.
"For now, Arwen and I will not go to Valinor. We will wait until Elseth and Elroth grow up. Once they make their own choice, we will depart together."
Sylas had no intention of forcing a destiny upon his children. Whether they chose the fate of Elves or that of Men, he would respect their decision.
After all, even if they chose mortality, he could still grant them long life, only the right to sail West would be lost.
Moreover, Sylas had no desire to leave Hogwarts Castle in haste.
Still, a trace of concern lingered in his heart.
"Gandalf," Sylas asked, "will this right to sail West ever expire?"
Understanding his meaning, Gandalf smiled and shook his head.
"Of course not. As long as you do not renounce the journey entirely, remaining in Middle-earth for a time will not affect your qualification."
Only then did Sylas truly feel at ease.
After staying in Middle-earth long enough, it would not be too late to depart.
With the matter settled, everyone exchanged farewells after the brief gathering.
Elrond returned to Rivendell, and Galadriel returned to Lothlórien.
As for Gandalf, he chose to remain at Hogwarts, intending to spend the remainder of his time in Middle-earth there, teaching the children how to fly.
Although they had decided to sail West by ship, no one was in a hurry. They planned to remain in Middle-earth for at least another decade before traveling to the Grey Havens and boarding a great ship bound for the West.
Sylas, Arwen, and the children spent several warm, peaceful days at the castle before traveling to Rivendell to visit Frodo Baggins, who was receiving treatment there.
Although every possible measure had been taken to isolate Frodo from the influence of the One Ring, during the journey to Mount Doom it had inevitably left deep physical and mental scars.
Thus, after Sylas teleported Frodo and Sam away from Mount Doom, Elrond had brought them to Rivendell to recuperate.
Frodo's wounds ran too deep. Though Elrond could soothe them, he could never fully heal them.
Fortunately, Frodo's fate remained unchanged.
Because he had destroyed the One Ring, a deed of immeasurable merit, he had been granted the right to sail to Valinor, where he would receive complete healing.
Bilbo Baggins had also been granted this right.
As a former bearer of the Ring, and for his role during the War of the Ring, where he disguised himself as Frodo and drew Sauron's attention westward, buying precious time, Bilbo, too, had earned passage to the Blessed Realm.
Now, both Frodo and Bilbo were staying in Rivendell, preparing to depart with the first group of Elves sailing West.
When Sylas arrived in Rivendell, he immediately sensed its decline.
Without the sustaining power of Vilya, the valley had begun to follow the natural rhythms of the outside world.
Flowers that once bloomed eternally started to wither. Leaves upon the mountainsides turned yellow and fell, casting Rivendell in the quiet melancholy of autumn.
The Elves, recalling the former splendor of their homeland, felt deep reluctance even as they prepared for the journey West.
After visiting Frodo and Bilbo as they recovered, Sylas made his way alone to the highest terrace of Rivendell.
There, at last, he found silence.
Elrond stood quietly, gazing out over the valley.
His expression was as calm as it had always been, yet a faint melancholy lingered about him. When he heard footsteps behind him, he turned and offered a gentle smile.
"You've come."
Sylas nodded and stepped to Elrond's side. Together, they looked out over the tranquil, elegant landscape of Rivendell.
"Lord Elrond," Sylas asked softly, "are you reluctant to leave?"
Elrond nodded, his gaze lingering on his homeland. After a moment, he sighed.
"The Elves of Rivendell are already preparing to depart. The decline of this place is inevitable. Perhaps in a few hundred, or a thousand, years, this valley will become desolate, and no trace of the Elves will remain."
Sylas turned to him, his tone steady and reassuring.
"You don't need to grieve too deeply. As long as one's family endures, there will always be a place of peace."
After a brief pause, he added, "Besides… I may be able to help, at least a little."
As he spoke, Sylas raised his right hand.
Between his fingers appeared a ring radiating a crystalline, gem-like brilliance, the Earth Ring: Kaiya.
A pale golden light spread outward from the ring, expanding rapidly until it formed an immense, translucent dome that enveloped the entirety of Rivendell. The dome shimmered for a few breaths, then slowly faded away, vanishing as though it had never existed.
At first glance, the valley appeared unchanged.
But everyone within Rivendell could feel it.
A warm, profound, and stabilizing force now surrounded them. The air grew gentle, like early spring. Flowers straightened and bloomed once more, trees regained their vitality, and the creeping sense of decay was quietly driven away.
Rivendell flourished again.
The sudden transformation stunned the Elves, then joy spread throughout the valley. A sense of renewed peace and happiness filled their ancient home.
Even Elrond was momentarily speechless.
He looked at the ring on Sylas's finger, astonishment clear in his eyes.
"I thought your ring was destroyed in Mount Doom," he said. "I never expected it to survive… and its power feels far greater than before."
Mount Doom had destroyed even The One Ring, yet Sylas's Earth Ring had endured.
The realization deeply surprised him.
"I didn't expect Kaiya to survive either," Sylas admitted calmly.
"Perhaps it's because of its inherent nature."
He went on to explain.
During the collapse of Mount Doom, his staff, spatial storage, defensive alchemical artifacts, everything he carried, had been consumed by molten rock. Even his phoenix form had failed to withstand the earth-fire, and his body had been burned away.
Only Kaiya had remained.
Perhaps because of its core attributes,, stability, defense, endurance, and its ability to resonate with the earth itself, the Earth Ring had survived the inferno.
More than that.
It had been tempered by the earth-fire and had resonated with the Silmaril, gaining a new and vastly greater source of power.
Before, Kaiya relied on a fragment of power as a medium to communicate with the earth and govern the Earth element.
Now it was directly connected to the Silmaril, drawing upon its strength. Its power had undergone a fundamental transformation, surpassing even the former might of the Three Elven Rings.
As for why the Earth Ring could resonate with such a treasure, Sylas could only speculate.
"Perhaps," he said thoughtfully, "it's because Kaiya was created under the guidance of Fëanor and Kyle Bree."
After all, Fëanor was the greatest creator of Elven treasures in history. Kaiya had been forged using techniques derived from his legacy, so it was only natural that a connection might exist.
Even Sylas's own fate, being drawn deep beneath Mount Doom, bathing in the light of the Silmaril, and ascending beyond mortal limits, may well have been influenced by Fëanor's lingering imprint upon the world.
...
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