Sylas used the power of the Earth Ring to restore vitality to Rivendell.
Elrond was genuinely pleased by this, yet after a moment, he still shook his head and spoke to Sylas with calm sincerity.
"There's no need for you to expend so much effort," Elrond said."You already have Hogwarts to safeguard. If you take responsibility for Rivendell as well, it will only add to your pressure and burden."
"There are drawbacks to this."
"Moreover," he continued gently, "we Elves will soon sail West. This place will inevitably grow quiet and eventually become uninhabited. You shouldn't waste your strength maintaining an empty land."
Hearing this, Sylas shook his head.
He looked out over the valley's serene beauty and sighed softly.
"How could I bear to let such a landscape disappear?" he said."Besides, this is Arwen's birthplace, her home. I should leave her a place she can return to, a place where her memories may rest."
In truth, with Sylas's current level of strength, and with no restrictions upon his power, maintaining both Hogwarts and Rivendell posed no difficulty at all. Even supporting several such lands simultaneously would not trouble him.
More importantly, the Earth Ring: Kaiya possessed an advantage that even the Three Elven Rings had never matched.
It could commune directly with the power of the earth itself, reshaping terrain, enriching soil, and nurturing vegetation. Even a barren desert could be transformed into fertile land where forests would rise in abundance.
For this reason, Sylas resolved to use Kaiya's power to preserve Rivendell's landscape.
Not for dominion, but so that Arwen might always have a place to return to when she wished to remember her kin.
After all, Sylas and Arwen would not sail to Valinor until Elseth and Elroth had grown up and made their choice of fate. By then, nearly all the Elves of Middle-earth would have departed.
Though he and his children would still remain, there would inevitably be moments of solitude.
And Sylas could not bear to see such a historically rich and graceful Elven home fall into ruin once the Elves were gone.
The architecture, the gardens, every detail of Rivendell embodied Elven wisdom and artistry. To abandon it entirely would be a tragedy.
Hearing Sylas's words, Elrond was deeply moved.
He was happy for Arwen, and grateful that the valley itself could continue to exist.
As the Lord of Rivendell, Elrond's attachment to this place ran deeper than anyone else's. Though he had calmly accepted his fate to sail West and reunite with his wife Celebrian in distant Valinor, parting from Rivendell still weighed heavily on his heart.
Now, with the power of the Earth Ring covering the valley, Rivendell would remain vibrant even after the Elves departed. Time might pass, but decay would not claim it.
This brought Elrond genuine comfort.
After a moment of reflection, he turned to Sylas with solemn resolve.
"Sylas," Elrond said, "after we leave Rivendell, I wish to entrust this valley to you, placing it under your care as one of your domains."
"I entrust all affairs here to you. I believe you will govern Rivendell well."
Sylas was slightly taken aback.
He could sense Elrond's sincerity and fully understood the weight of this trust.
He did not offer a token refusal. Instead, he nodded with equal seriousness.
"Rest assured," Sylas said.
"I will continue to care for Rivendell. Even tens of thousands of years from now, future generations will still be able to see this place, and the legends of the Elves will not fade."
Elrond smiled and placed a hand on Sylas's shoulder.
"I believe in you."
After spending several days in Rivendell, Sylas and Arwen brought Elseth and Elroth to Lothlórien to visit Galadriel and Celeborn.
The atmosphere within Lothlórien's forests was even more forlorn than that of Rivendell.
Lórien's vitality and beauty had depended entirely upon Nenya, the Ring of Water borne by Galadriel. Now that Nenya's power had faded, the enchantment sustaining the forest had vanished.
Time itself seemed to hasten.
The forest's radiance slowly eroded, its life force ebbing away. Even the ever-blooming ela flowers, once symbols of Lórien's timeless beauty, had begun to wither.
The once-lush Evergreen Forest was now swept by a chilling autumn wind, leaves falling without end.
Most striking of all were the trees, the pride and foundation of the Golden Forest. Their golden leaves drifted down one after another, yet no new buds appeared to replace them. It was clear that the groves were slowly dying, their vitality draining away as the forest grew barren and withered.
If this continued, then in a few decades, or perhaps a century, the trees of Lothlórien would completely perish, and the name Golden Forest would fade into memory.
A mournful atmosphere filled Lothlórien.
Sorrowful Elven songs echoed among the trees. Those preparing to sail West were reluctant to leave their homeland, while the woodland Elves grieved for the dying trees.
Touched by the heavy mood, even Arwen felt her heart sink.
She walked quietly to the tree she had once planted herself. Resting her hand against its silvery-gray trunk, she could feel its life slowly slipping away. A trace of sorrow appeared in her eyes.
Sylas could not bear to see this.
Moreover, his purpose in coming to Lórien had always included resolving this very problem. Having already preserved Rivendell, he would not ignore Lothlórien.
Thus, Sylas activated the Earth Ring: Kaiya once more.
He communed with the earth, drawing together vast currents of earth-aspected power. A massive golden dome formed above the forest, gently enveloping all of Lothlórien.
Under Kaiya's influence, time within the forest seemed to slow.
The soil grew rich and fertile. Vegetation absorbed new vitality, and the aura of decay was quietly dispelled. The forest stirred, fresh shoots emerged, faded colors brightened, and withered branches regained their strength, as though time itself had been gently turned back.
Life and magic surged once more through the Golden Forest.
Joy swept through the Elves of Lórien, and songs of celebration rang out among the trees.
High above, Caras Galadhon, built upon the greatest of the trees, seemed to glow with renewed vitality.
"I must thank you, Sylas," Galadriel said, her eyes shining brightly as she looked upon the restored forest.
"You have allowed beautiful Lothlórien to continue to exist."
This forest had been Galadriel's life's work. These required extremely demanding conditions to grow, only in lands saturated with powerful magic could they truly flourish.
Galadriel had relied on Nenya to create and sustain such a vast forest. But with the destruction of the One Ring, Nenya's power had faded, and the decline of Lothlórien had been inevitable.
She had been powerless to stop it, able only to watch as the trees slowly withered toward death.
Now, thanks to Sylas, that fate had been halted.
Even though she would soon sail West to Valinor, Galadriel could not bear to see the realm she had built with her own hands fall into ruin.
"My lady, you are too kind," Sylas replied with a gentle smile.
"This is only what I should do. After all… this is Arwen's homeland, is it not?"
Arwen looked at her husband with warmth and tenderness, her smile radiant, filled with gratitude for his thoughtfulness and joy that Lothlórien had been preserved.
Galadriel and Celeborn watched the scene with quiet happiness.
The Lord and Lady of Lórien exchanged a glance, understanding passing between them without a word.
Then Galadriel spoke again.
"Sylas," she said gently, "we have heard that Elrond has entrusted Rivendell to your care. Celeborn and I…"
She paused briefly before continuing.
"After much deliberation, we have also made a decision."
Sylas immediately sensed the weight behind her words.
"Please tell me, my lady."
"Celeborn and I have both received the summons from the West," Galadriel said softly.
"We will soon depart from Middle-earth."
"Therefore," she continued, her gaze turning to Arwen, "we have decided to entrust Lothlórien to Arwen, so that she may inherit this land and become its mistress."
...
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