The head elf's voice resonated through the tension-filled air. His eyes never left Carlos as he spoke, his tone heavy with centuries of authority and wisdom.
"There are ancient elves who guard the Mother Tree." the head elf said, his words deliberate. "They will not care for your mortal concerns, or your god's blessing. This is not a battle for you. It is not ours to fight. It is theirs."
Carlos's gaze hardened, and his hand clenched into a fist, his fingers burning with the heat of the flame within. He understood. The ancient guardians of the Mother Tree would not stand aside simply because Carlos was here to seek the root. No.They would challenge him, just as they had challenged any who dared step too close to the heart of the elves. They just don't care. Even in the past, when the elves started the war, they didn't show up. Even when Carlos was killing all of the elves in the village, they didn't show up either. It is not that they didn't know, they just simply don't care.
The head elf gestured toward the path leading to the sacred grove, his face unreadable. "Go." he said with finality. "But know this, the Mother Tree is not so easily reached."
Carlos didn't respond. Instead, he turned to his soldiers, who had been watching the exchange with quiet vigilance. "Stay here," Carlos commanded his soldiers, his voice cold and firm. "Do not move, or I will kill everything that tries to harm them."
He fixed his gaze on the head elf, then on Fenric, the elf who had already made an attempt on his life. "Especially you." Carlos added, pointing directly at Fenric.
The elves stayed silent, stood still, as Carlos began to walk toward the stream that would lead him to the Mother Tree. His footsteps were steady and purposeful, his body brimming with the power of the Outer God. But his heart was heavy, focused on his brother—Erevan. There was no time to waste.
As he approached the small boat that would take him across the stream, Carlos found no one willing to row him. The elves watched him, their eyes cold and calculating, but none stepped forward to offer assistance. His soldiers try to but he stops them, commanding them to stay there. He doesn't need help, he just wants to see if that head elf will flutter him like in the past, more now that he is the mask of another god. But just like he had expected, the head elf really shows his true self towards people that he can't control, he doesn't even hide it. The fluttering and kind self is for people he can control. And Carlos will not be the one he controls… ever again.
Carlos stood at the edge of the water, his jaw set. He knew this path—knew it well from his past life. But in this life, things have changed. He no longer had the luxury of time.
Carlos had stayed here before, so he knew it, the luxury time he had, three days is one and a half days in this elf village, maybe that is why the elves are long lived species, Carlos thought.
"Ole," Carlos said, his voice barely a whisper.
The words of the god echoed in his mind just enough to echo the whole village if not the voice was in his mind.
"As much as you can dream," Ole responded, the voice is again in his mind. "Think of what your mortal can take."
Carlos stared at the sky and thought of what that meant and a realization struck him. The fire inside him, ever burning, had limits—he could only handle so much of its power before it consumed him. Two blessings, that was all. Any more, and his body would become nothing but ash.
"I need wind," Carlos said, his voice filled with determination. "To sail the boat straight to the Mother Tree."
So he dreamed, revealing the wind's blessing, and Carlos felt the power course through him. He could feel the breeze, light but sharp, pulling him toward his destination. The wind would carry him swiftly to the sacred grove, but he knew it wasn't just for speed. The wind was the key to navigating the dangerous waters that lay ahead—he had fought elves before, and their connection to water and earth was unmatched. He couldn't rely solely on fire or magic; he had learned that lesson in his past life. Without blessings, it was a pain for him to fight them, he had to even sneak attack to land a hit on them. Now that he gets what the past didn't have, he has to use it wisely.
He would need to finish this quickly, before the elves could surround him. The fire would take care of the fight when it came, and the wind would ensure his escape if things went wrong.
Carlos took up the sword at his side, the cold steel a reminder that he still had the will to fight, to defend. As he set his foot into the boat, the breeze picked up, guiding him toward the tree.
"Be careful" the god's voice echoes in his head.
Carlos doesn't reply and talk back, he just waits to get to the tree in peace. And in the meantime, he tries to control his magic and compare the body he has to his past body with muscles. He fucking missed his body, is that what Carlos what thinking while the god is laughing to death after hearing that thought of Carlos.
With every stroke of the wind, Carlos felt the distance between him and the Mother Tree shrink, but as the boat approached, his eyes locked onto a figure standing silently at the water's edge. An elf.
This elf stood tall and regal, a man or a woman?, their posture straight, as though rooted in the earth itself. They were dressed in flowing robes of pale green, the color of new leaves in spring. Their skin shimmered with an almost ethereal glow, their long hair cascading like silver streams down their back. The elf's eyes, a striking shade of amber, held an intensity that spoke of centuries of wisdom—and of pain.
The elf's features were sharp, defined, the embodiment of beauty and strength, but beneath the surface, there was a sense of danger. Their eyes locked onto Carlos's with an intensity that made it clear: they were here to protect the Mother Tree, and they would not allow anyone to pass without a fight.
Carlos did not speak to the elf. Words were unnecessary, and the time for diplomacy was long gone. Instead, he stood tall, his hand gripping the sword, his body radiating with the fire and wind. He could feel the tension building in the air, the magic of the forest pressing against him like a suffocating weight.
Without a word, the elf moved, swift and graceful. In the blink of an eye, they were upon him, their blade flashing in the sunlight. The fight had begun.
Carlos met the elf's attack with the same deadly precision. The blade clashed against the elf's with a loud ring, sparks flying as the two danced in a deadly waltz of steel and speed. The elf was fast—almost too fast to track—but Carlos had the wind and the fire at his back.
They didn't speak. Their eyes locked in silent battle, each of them fully aware that only one would leave the clearing alive.
But for some reason, Carlos feels like the elf he sees is not the real head and before he can notice there are many elves jumping on him as if he was a prey.
—-----------------------
At the palace,
"Your Majesty is gonna die." The healer said as soon as the sun started shining bright and the empire's greatest sun, the life of the empire and the phoenix of the east, Erevan, awakened.
This has been their routine for quite a while, as soon as Erevan wakey wakeyy…. The healer will say something unpleasant every time…
The healer might have forgotten about the titles after the queen slapped her, she became so bold …not even has the time to care. Kave tried to warn her but got shut down by her saying…
"I Got Slapped By The QueenWhile Protecting Your Majesty, So Mind Your Own Business Just Like Before, General Kave."
The thing is the king didn't say anything back, but Kave knows that this is what Erevan does when he is saying sorry to someone. And for how she said that, that is for sure that Erevan is gonna be like that for a while until she returns back to normal.
And it would not be good if someone heard like that and gossip started, he is not able to explain it to Carlos as Carlos just changed from sweet little potato to the overprotective brother.
That day, Kave could not even recognize Carlos at all. He thought that some daring officer might have carried the king until he saw Carlos. So, yes the scene before him is not really surprising. And Kave has been guarding the king as he still doesn't trust the healer. And that is how, that kind of thing happening as Kave was watching as the healer is saying like that without backing an eye.
"Ah…Morning, Lumiera." The king said, not hearing or not listening to what she just said and smiled politely. And that is the other thing, Kave just found out what the healer's name is. Of course by the king as he doesn't like calling healer, healer everytimes.
"Morning too, Lumira" KAve greeted her from the shadows. The first time Lumira heard him form the shadow, she screamed so bad and hid behind the king that day for a whole two hours. For that time, Kave realised that the healer is not afraid of anything except ghosts. She is not even afraid of cockroaches
like other women but ghosts…
"Ghosts are a different species." Kave can hear every single word the healer had said that day.
"Just like you, Lumira."
" Kill yourself, General"
Kave also knows a full story on why Lumira is afraid of those so called ghosts that didn't even exist. Do not ask why and how he knows. The king just told him the full story and Kave didn't ask a single thing how the fuck the king know that too.
When Lumira was a child, after being adopted into the royal healer Robert family, Lumira got into a fight with her father Robert for her not spending time with family. That day, her father wanted to punish her for not respecting time, so he asked everyone in the mansion to act like they couldn't see him, only Lumira. And everyone goes along with it, since their little master is acting like a spoiled child too much under their care. It was supposed to be a prank but for Lumira, Ohhh it was a nightmare. She couldn't even get out of her room, crying the whole time thinking her father died because of her and not spending time with him when he was still alive and he was there to ghost her for that reason. She goes into depression and her father had to kick open the door and comfort her and stick with her for a whole three months just to make Lumira forget about those thoughts about him leaving her and talked to her about ghosts not existing and they wouldn't try to hunt her even if she couldn't save them.
Yes, that is it. And Kave only knows that after making Lumira scared for two days straight that even Lumira got used to him always leaning on the walls, always watching.
"You still creep me out, General." Kave doesn't know why Lumira feels that he is a creep. So he just simply asked again.
"Why."
"Because it is not normal for someone to watch their king sleeping soundly everyday with even flinching."
"If I don't watch carefully, someone might sneak."
"Oh they won't. A little privacy won't hurt."
"And I am not talking because you didn't give the king privacy but because you are also making me feel I am not safe."
"...."
"What? Cat got your tongue."
"You…" As Kave and Lumira argue back and forth, a smooth voice interrupts them, making them realize there is a higher being than them in the room.
"Excuse me…"
"I think it is time for my medicine…" The king spoke, voice gentle and soothing, making Kave and Lumira come back to the real world. If the king is a siren, Kave was pretty sure he and Lumira would have fallen for it a long time already.
As if the same Lumira who is angry with the king for not protecting himself is shown again…
"If your majesty is trying to die anyway, why would your majesty, the greatest shining star of the empire, need the medicine that your humble servant had made?"
"Lumira… Ha..your talent for pleasing the king has gotten better."
"Good for you…" The king said back.
"Your imperial majesty knows that she is being sarcastic, right?" Kave asked the king gently, worried if he talked loudly, the king's condition might get worse.
"Oh, your imperial majesty knows very well what this humble servant of his is talking about." And for some reason, Lumira is not helping much as Kave is seeing how the king tries to get the medicine bowl from Lumira but fails miserably.
"Even though your fluttering has gotten better, you still need to work on your movements and facial expressions. They didn't follow your fluttering." the king said, still trying to catch the hands of Lumira that has a bowl of medicine.
"You are getting bold lately, even though your imperial majesty would forgive you because of some guilt, he is feeling, that doesn't mean I will forgive … And I believe you have seen my lord's expression when your majesty got injured, I am pretty sure you don't want to die yet for speaking like that." Kave says while catching the bowl from Lumira and handing it towards the king.
For a minute, he is pretty sure Lumira's perfect smile broke and the king's gentle smile appeared and drank it in one go as Kave was watching him and looked again at Lumira. But Lumira's smile back again as nothing have happened.
Only then did Kave realises that Lumira is of the same height as him, though. Even if he is still growing, that is not a normal height for women at all, Lumira is a different species, he knows that but to have the same height as the knight at 19 years old, that is specifically high. 185 cm by the way. Even the king is 176cm,well he is still growing since he is only 16 years old but still why is that woman so high.
"You are…. taller than I expected." Kave added.
Lumira who is still acting as if she was smiling drop when she heard Kave talk. She really doesn't like Kave at all.
"I get that a lot." She tilted her head, but a gentle smile formed_not shaming, just being proud.
When the king handed her the bowl he just drank, she looked proud as if a mother just saw her child drink medicine by himself. Maybe she is not that of a threat…just maybe, the king will get another comrade. And maybe he would not feel lonely when Kave and his lord have to leave his side… just maybe.
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