Chapter 267 - From the Ashes Rises a High Elf

  Katherine Evenhart:

  We were in the courtyard, watg the men disperse. But my mind was elsewhere, on someone I o see more than anything. My son. The weight of longing squeezed my chest with every passing sed he didn’t show up.

  "Is he still in the dungeon?" Margaery asked, her voice full of .

  "Yes, he is. He positiohe stone woman's golem at the door so no one get close," Martha answered.

  I sighed, a mix of relief alessness c through me. The fact that the golem was still active was a good sign. We knew Nathan was fine, especially sidering the chaos he had left behind. The bodies of the Ten Fingers... Their state spoke more than any word could.

  It’s my fault, Nathan. All of this... The thought suffocated me. Because of my weakness, you’ve suffered so much.

  "My nephew must be really angry," Margie tinued. "Nikous Wolves is already a dead man, though I wao take out some of my hatred. But that’s Nathan’s right."

  "A little of your ‘hatred’? Those nobles will crap their pants every time they hear the name ‘Evenhart,’" Hugo said with a smile. We ughed, but it was a ugh heavy with exhaustion.

  Cyl was hidden in the forest, out of sight, following my request to try and shrink her size.

  That’s whehing ged.

  BOOM!

  The castle shook violently, swaying as if it were about to colpse from its foundations. Structures began to crumble, and cracks snaked across the walls. Soldiers ran in a panic.

  "What’s happening?" Margaery shouted, as a soldier rushed toward us, panic evident on his face.

  "We don’t know, dy! The entire ground is emitting shocks, and lightning is exploding somewhere ihe castle!"

  My heart raced.

  The ground vibrated, the air growing heavier by the sed.

  KABOOM!

  The sky erupted in thunder, and dark clouds swirled above us.

  "What’s going on!?" Hugo shouted, trying to be heard over the howling wind. The sky, which had been clear, was overtaken by dark clouds that seemed to e the white ones, gathering directly over the castle.

  Suddenly, a purple lightning bolt asded from the grouhe castle, striking the clouds. They glowed intensely and begaing purple lightning, as if they had been imbued with that strange energy.

  "I don’t believe it!" Margaery excimed, irritated. "Why is Nathan doing this? He was forbidden from using this spell!"

  As soon as she spoke those words, the reition hit me like a blow. My heart froze.

  "No!" I shouted, trying to run toward the castle, but Margaery held me firmly by the arm.

  The castle began vibrating even more violently. Fallen shields on the ground started to be drawn toward the walls with force, stig as if pulled by a mag. Soon after, swords began to be sucked in with the same terrifying speed.

  "Get away, idiot!" Margaery shouted, summoning a gust of wind that pushed the soldiers away from the pull of the force. Everything around the castle was being sucked in, and some soldiers began ripping off their armor as they ran for their lives.

  "We better get back!" Hugo shouted, pushing us forcefully.

  "Shit! Damn!" Margaery excimed in frustration, but she relented, agreeing with Hugo. "If that boy dies, I swear I'll find a way to kill him again!"

  A sileook over the sky. Then, a violet light cut through the darkness, followed by a purple lightning bolt that desded at high speed, striking the castle with a devastating crash.

  KABOOOOOOM!

  The impact was deafening. The purple light shoh sutensity that I closed my eyes, but even so, the brightness still pierced through. A wave of air swept across the area, throwing us to the ground with brutal force. The gss of nearby buildings shattered in sync with the impact.

  A buzzing echoed in my ears as I tried to recover. When the brightness dissipated, I saart of the castle had colpsed, falling into a massive hole that had opened in the ground. The dungeon's foundatioh the castle had beeroyed. Nearby houses had also sunk, and the ground seemed deformed, with parts of it raised unevenly.

  A deep pain gripped me. My heart felt heavy, as though it might tear through my chest.

  "Nathan!" I screamed, frantic, getting up and running toward the castle.

  In the sky, I spotted Cyl flying at high speed in the same dire. The feeling of loss and fear ed me as I ran, unsure of what I would find ahead.

  Hugo Riverclimb:

  ast the area, leaping over the debris. The destru was evident. Katherine and Margaery led the way, moving in desperation. I struggled to keep from tripping, as the terrain was treacherous, with stones and wreckage scattered everywhere. The ground was cracked and fragmented, and part of the castle had colpsed, falling into a huge hole that had opened up in the dungeon area.

  A powerful spell... a banned-level spell... the kind sidered so dangerous that even a mage from the kingdom could end up in prison for using it.

  We walked toward the ter of the chaos, where a crater had taken the pce of the ground, which had sunk into the dungeon area below.

  Katherine and Margaery desded in despair, and Cyl, in her dragon form, was crouched over something at the bottom of the crater. She raised her head a out a roar that made the ground tremble. In desperation, she lowered her head again, frantically digging through the ground.

  As I approached, I saw the young master, Nathan, unscious. His body was covered in wounds, pletely covered in soot. His clothes were torn, and part of his arms was raw, with the skin exposed. The fingers on one of his hands were pletely broken, the bones out of pce, leaving him in a critically arming state.

  "ROOOOAAAR!" Cyl roared in desperation, her agony evident as she looked at Nathan, unscious.

  "Please, help me, Martha!" Katherine cried, holding Nathan in her arms, trembling in fear.

  Margaery, trying to stay calm, created a ball of water and began to his face while cheg to see if he was still alive.

  "Help my nephew!" Margaery pleaded desperately.

  "Calm down!" Martha shouted, taking Nathan from Katherine’s arms. "He o stay ft." Pg him on the ground, her hands began to glow as she used healing water to surround Nathan’s body.

  "How is he? Please, tell me!" Katherine, panig, couldn’t take her eyes off him. Margaery, anxious, nervously bit her nail.

  "It's bad. Very bad," Martha responded, evaluating him carefully. "Everything inside him is a mess. One of his lungs stopped w, and ans are failing. His heart is slowing down... The spell used his body as an energy duit, and he couldn’t ha."

  "Nathan is dying..." Martha pleted, her voice heavy with .

  "ROOOOOOAAAR!" Cyl's roar echoed with desperate fury, as she pushed us away with her massive head, driving aempting to approaathan. Katheriried to calm her, but the dragon persisted, f us back with untrolble strength. I was thrown aside, uo resist. Martha, determio tihe healing, tried to return, but before she could get close, Cyl opened her mouth and unleashed a torrent of fmes directly onto Nathan.

  We froze, terrified, not uanding what was happening. The fmes surrounded Nathan, and as they appeared, Cyl began to shrink before our eyes, her powerful fmes dwindling as she returo the dragon size she had when she was in the cave.

  When it finally ceased, the fire disappearing into the air, we all stood stunned. Nathan was pletely unharmed, not a single burn on him, his clothes intact, as though the fmes had been nothing more than a breeze around him.

  Immune...

  He really is immuo her fire.

  Nathan had always warned us about this, and although I had seen Cyl spitting small fireballs at him when she was just a little bird, I never imagined his immunity would reach this level.

  Martha quickly ran to reevaluate him.

  "He’s healed..." Martha said, surrounding Nathan with healing water. "Everything’s fixed, inside and out."

  Cyl lowered her head and gave Nathan a gentle kiss. Shortly after, her body glowed with an intense radiance, and within seds, she returo the form of a small phoenix. She flew slowly to Nathan’s side, gently nding beside him and fainting.

  Martha pced her hand over her. "They’ve both passed out pletely, exhausted all their mana. They’re in a critical state with their reserves. Their bodies shut down. They'll be sleeping for a few days."

  Katherine and Margaery, a mix of relief and despair, rushed to embraathan, carefully pg the small red bird in his p.

  "My son..." Katherine whispered, tears streaming down as she held him lovingly in her arms.

  "You only give me trouble..." Margaery murmured, her eyes welling up as she stroked Nathan’s face.

  He was pletely covered in soot. Sifu appeared beside me, desding into the crater, probably having withe destru from afar while esc the nobles out of the fortress region to their homes.

  I stared at the young master and then at the destru around me.

  Who’s more dangerous? Him or the dragon?

  Margaery and Katherine began ing him up, creating a water bubble to remove the dirt c his body. He was soaked in soot, and as they ed every detail, a small ued glow began to appear in his hair, catg our attention.

  "It ’t be..." Margaery murmured, incredulous.

  "What is it?" I asked, approag with the others.

  We formed a circle around Nathan, watg carefully to see what had ged.

  "The hair..." my wife said, shocked.

  "pletely silver," Sifu affirmed, his voice firm, yet also surprised.

  Nathan’s hair, once dark, now shimmered like pure silver, not a sirand of any other color. The white-silver tone was so clear that it reflected the sunlight with a softness almost ethereal, as though he himself emitted a subtle glow.

  The trast between his silver hair and pale skin atuated his striking appearance even more. Each lock seemed sculpted by nature itself, giving him a mystical presence.

  Looking at Nathan now evoked a sense of fasation, simir to the effect Adrihna used to have on people.

  "Get me a cloth! Quickly!" Margaery shouted, hurriedly. "We o cover his head so no oside sees him."

  I doubt anyone would have the ce to tell anything we asked to keep secret...

  Martha, without hesitation, fiddled with her bracelet and pulled out a towel.

  We were all surprised by her readiness.

  "It’s a servant’s duty to always be prepared," she expined practically.

  Margaery quickly covered Nathan’s head with the towel. "I've had a full day. First, I hid a war, a massacre, and then the existence of a dragon. I ’t handle anything more today."

  "We o get Nathan out of here. I want to take my son to an infirmary. He... he’s never drained his mana like this before..." Katherine said, her voice filled with .

  Margaery nodded, sharing the same urgency.

  The limbo state was a dangerous stage, where a mage pletely exhausted their mana, falling into an uain sleep. Ireme cases, this state could lead to death.

  I stepped forward and offered my help. "I’ll carry the young master and the little phoenix. Did we mao get a carriage? It’ll be nostalgic. After all, I brought this boy to the castle years ago just like this."

  Nathan Evenhart:

  Fire... It holds tless nuances of power and iy. The most on is the e fme, but fire be molded, elevated to a higher level, where its color transforms. A skilled fire mage reach blue fire, a stage where the heat doesn't just burn—it destroys.

  And what if this principle lied to lightning? That’s what occurred to me. After all, nature already shows this phenomenon. The iioween positive aive charges causes the electrical discharge that gees lightning, but under extreme ditions, it reach a purple hue. A lightning bolt that exceeds the limits of heat and bees something greater, somethiating.

  Purple lightning is a rare phenomenon, where the temperature of the electricity bees unbearably high. Simir to blue fire, but infinitely more chaotic. This iy creates an explosion withiructure of the lightning itself, dist its position and f its purple hue. However, to achieve this, it was necessary to create a boiling point for the electriergy.

  The problem? The lightning is unstable. It dissipates before it even be molded. The purple hue is not the result of something that happens afterward, but rather ahat occurs before, at the very instant the electricity surpasses any known limits. I needed a vessel capable of taining and trating the electricity until this point of rupture.

  Then, I looked inward. To my own mana gem.

  The mana that flows through this gem is the basis of everything. It travels through the body, adopting the elemental property. What I did was dangerous. I trated all the mana in my gem, f it to align with the electric element and amplifying its iy. I didn't just el the energy—I forced it to exceed its own limits while still ihe mana gem.

  When I released that energy to strike the clouds, the atmospheric phenomenoed. The clouds were attracted and iransf into storms of purple lightning. However, magical energy of such magnitude is not something that be freely trolled. It always returns to its point in like a mag, just as a lightning bolt always strikes down, attracted to the ground. And the point of attra? It was me.

  My body became the ductor. To trahis electricity, I had to touch it, but the price was high. The spell ed me from the inside, cooking my flesh aroying my body. It was cataloged as banned, areme power, but self-destructive.

  I khis. I’ve always known.

  When I first used it, as a child, I nearly died. My ans were cooked, my blood was boiling. It was as though parts of it were evaporating. The pain was indescribable. This spell is not something you train with. Each use takes a piee. And now, here I am again, paying the price.

  But... why am I remembering this?

  Ah... I uand now. I’m in limbo. That’s why everything is dark. The Aspect of Life has fis effect. My mana has been draio the extreme, and my mind now drifts through this eternal darkness, where time seems to . Or is it... that I’m dead?

  The darkness... it seems alive. It pulses. It whispers... it calls me, invitio bee part of it.

  How much time has passed? Days? Years? Or was it just an instant? Who am I? What is this around me? Why was I thinking of lightning and its colors? I no longer know anything.

  Am I dead? Will I be like this forever? Just a voi the darkness?

  And if this is my fate, anyone hear me?

  “I …” a voice echoed in the darkness, soft yet cutting. My eyes desperately searched for its source, but there was no one visible. The presence, however, was unmistakable. Someone was there, watg me. Even from a distahat gaze weighed on me. Suddenly, the voice ceased and, like a fleeting shadow, it disappeared.

  Then the pain hit me. Not a on pain, but something deep, tearing at my mind and soul. All my memories retur once, overwhelming, relentless. Images of two lives iwined before me, each with its beginning, its distinct paths. One life had ended, while the other had persisted. Familiar faces began to emerge from the abyss of my memory. I remembered their he feelings I held for each of them, the weight of each e.

  “Nathan Evenhart…” I murmured, fog on the sound of my own name as if redisc it after ay. “I uand... I still exist. This is me.”

  With that certainty, I felt my physical body ref in the void of limbo. I began to fall, an endless drop in that unfathomable darkness. When I finally hit the ground, it was as if the entire impact had been absorbed by the void. I felt no pain. I was scious, pletely awake.

  I’m scious in limbo... this... shouldn’t be possible.

  My entire body shuddered as I looked up. I was being watched. Two pairs of giant red eyes were fixed on me, h like fmes in the dark. Before I could prehend, another pair of eyes appeared o them, and then ahree pairs of crimsoared at me, each pulsing with an overwhelming presence.

  The darkness around began to dissipate, revealing what was onimagihree giant figures emerged, rger than a castle. They were dark entities, seated on equally massive throheir faces, carved like ebony statues, seemed frozen in inteions: the first, marked by sadness, had a sculpted tear that would never fall. The sed face emanated ainguishable rage, as if each line was a tained scream. The third, right in the ter, dispyed a disturbing smile, a refle of distorted happihat seemed to mock those who stared at it.

  The air around trembled with their prese was as though reality itself was being tainted, poisoned by something primal and deeply evil. I remaiill, trying to prehend these presences.

  What are these figures?

  “They are demons…” a deep voice whispered beside me. I turned, only to find the e glow of the eyes of the massive serpent that inhabited my soul. “That’s what the ‘Illuminated’ really are. They are not gods. They are demonic beings.”