Chapter 3: Isabelle
Deep in the forests that Lorne Village was on the edge of, two elves seemed to be flying as they leapt from tree to tree, hurrying forward without rest. But despite travelling for more than an hour, they did not break into sweat nor seem to be out of breath. Elves were known more for their magical affinity than their physical prowess, and this magical affinity is what these two elves were relying on to sustain their stamina. By feeding a trace of mana into their bloodstream, they were able to improve their physical capabilities, allowing them to display stamina that far outstripped that of a human's.
"I hope we get back in time, I have waited so long for this moment, to think that it would arrive earlier than expected! What a surprise!" one of them exclaimed, his voice clearly carrying a tinge of excitement.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. I'm sure we will get back in time. Look, we are almost there!" his companion was obviously much older, sporting a beard which reached his collarbone.
"I sure hope so!"
The duo suddenly passed through a thin curtain of energy, designed to be a detector for intruders. It was an invisible veil which could not be detected by normal sensory means. Enchantments cast on the veil would automatically detect those of their own, and strong illusions would be used to attack the minds of intruders. It was a simple but effective defense mechanism suited for the elves, one that had kept them safe for the past thousands of years.
"Your Majesty!" a guard immediately came over to join the duo when they reappeared through the other side of the veil.
Despite their difference in statuses, their outfits were similar. All three were donning leather armour over their shirt and had a short blade tucked at their side. Their long pants stretched into their high boots. If there was one best word that could describe the similarity among them though, that would be – Green. Every single item on them, from their boots to their leather armour, even including the scabbard of their short blade, was green in colour, making them difficult to spot within the forest.
"How's your queen?" the younger of the initial two inquired as the group continued to leapt through the trees towards their destination.
"This…" the guard hesitated as he thought about how to best answer. "You will be able to see for yourself soon…"
The young elf frowned upon that answer but did not press for more answers. Did something bad happen to the queen? Subconsciously, he started to speed up. He needed to get back as soon as possible to personally see what happened, they were already close by after all.
However, he did not have to wait long before sensing something amiss.
There were visible trails in the air as energy rapidly converged to a point ahead of them, as though there was a vortex voraciously sucking everything in. And the centre of this huge vortex seemed to be exactly where they were headed to – Greenspire, the royal palace of the elven kingdom Spireland.
As the young elf approached Greenspire, he could feel that a small trace of energy was uncontrollably leaking out of even his own body, joining the endless trails of energy in the air as they were all pulled into the vortex.
"What is this!" the older of the initial two exclaimed in alarm, his eyes darting left and right to observe their surroundings.
While there was no visible change to the surroundings for now, he knew that if this were to continue unchecked, the loss of energy would negatively impact the forests, turning this entire area into a wasteland in less than 10 years' time!
10 years wasn't even a long time when it comes to humans' perspective, and one had to consider the fact that elves had an average lifespan 5 times longer than that of humankind. So relatively, 10 years would seem even shorter in their eyes! Moreover, energy from the elves themselves was being absorbed as well! If this goes on, the entire palace would have no choice but to move to another area. This would have heavy implications on the authority and prestige of the royal clan!
"I'm sorry but I have no idea what is going on as well. But this phenomenon only started yesterday right before the queen suddenly went into premature labour. The Greenspire had been in a lockdown since then and no information had been sent out. We were only told to keep a distance from the Greenspire for the time being," the guard answered to the best of his abilities.
"No matter, you can go now. I will handle the rest," the young elf sent off the guard with a wave of his right arm, just as the Greenspire came into view.
Now, he could clearly see that the origin of the vortex was indeed within the royal palace. This only caused him to further hasten his steps in anxiety.
The Greenspire was not excessively grand. It covered an area of just over two football fields, making it seem more like a big mansion than a proper palace. However, it was still striking to the eye as it stood atop a small hill, overlooking all the other houses in the surrounding. Despite the layers of defensive enchantments, natural vines and hanging tree roots were still manipulated by magic to serve as a natural layer of fence around the Greenspire. The defensive enchantments did not hinder the young elf a single bit as he entered the Greenspire, clearly recognise him as friend instead of foe.
"Your Majesty!" Everyone stopped what they were doing in order to greet him the moment he entered.
"Continue with what you are doing!" the young elf did not halt his steps even after entering, immediately rushing upstairs towards where he believed the queen to be.
He charged up all the mana within him that he could muster before he slammed open the door, ready to suppress any form of danger that the energy vortex could be causing. However, what he saw shocked him into hesitation. For a moment, he stood there in disbelief, unable to believe the scene before his eyes.
His wife was lying on the bed and in labour as he expected, but what he could not believe was that the centre of the vortex actually seemed to be within her! At this moment, everyone was too busy to bother with him after shooting him an initial glance. Even the lady on the bed seemed to be oblivious to his presence as the labour seemed to have stolen all of her mental and physical capacity.
What is this nonsense? How is this even possible? If things go on at this rate, wouldn't his wife be the first to be drained of all energy?
It didn't take long for him to guess the cause of the vortex, and he rushed up to the bedside. Clasping his wife's left hand with his own, he immediately started pouring his mana into her, hoping to share the burden. His mana reserve was abundant, and the quality of his mana was high, so he was confident that he would be able to make his wife feel better. As he expected, the strain on the elven queen dramatically decreased upon his swift actions, and the rest of the labour went smoothly.
The moment baby cries could be heard, the energy vortex immediately died down, causing the elven king to let out a sigh of relief. As he thought, the cause of the vortex was likely due to the baby's monstrous innate magical affinity causing a phenomenon which served to boost the mana reserves within the baby, despite at the cost of everything else in the surrounding.
"It's been hard on you, Mist," the young elven king smiled lovingly at his wife.
"It's nothing at all," the queen shook her head weakly. "Where's Isabelle? Can I see her?"
"Bring her over," the elven king signalled to the servant who had just wrapped the baby princess up in fur.
The servant carefully walked over with the baby in hand, gently laying her down on the bed beside the queen.
"She's beautiful," Mist naturally smiled upon seeing her baby.
"She's just like you," the elven king agreed.
Elaine blinked her eyes in a daze as she stared at this couple before her eyes. She might be dreaming, but isn't this dream a little too far-fetched? These two individuals in front of her seemed to have ears that are pointed at the top, just like the elves that she had seen in movies! She had never been one who was very committed to fictional stories, so how could she end up dreaming of a fantasy world like this?
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Just like Leon and April did, Elaine quickly realised that this dream of hers seemed to have become the new reality. In fact, it was easier for her to adjust her mind set due to the sheer absurdity of the situation. Unlike Leon and April, Elaine was born into a world of elves and magic. There wasn't a single human around her, and work got done by a wave of the hand. This caused her to quickly accept that she was no longer in her old world, and now had to bear the name of Isabelle Spireguard – Firstborn of King Cential Spireguard, and Princess of the Elven Kingdom Spireland.
Being the first and only child of King of Spireland, she was showered with love from both the royal family and the other elven folks, and Isabelle grew up in comfort, never taking a step out of the kingdom. Blessed with incredible magical affinity thanks to the royal bloodline, she did not take much effort to pick up the magical arts that the elves were so proficient in. This further improved her standing in the hearts of the elves, being regarded as the gem of the kingdom by all.
On this day, Isabelle was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, and the entire kingdom was in a festive mood. The 10th birthday was especially symbolic to the elves as it signified the coming of age according to elven traditions. Even though elves have a lifespan 5 times that of humankind, increased mental capacity resulting from a higher magical affinity meant that their mental fortitude generally matured at a much faster rate. By the age of 10, elves were believed to be fully capable of thinking and making decisions for themselves.
A huge banquet was held in the central plaza of the kingdom, a huge circular clearing at least 200 metres across in diameter. Elves of all stature were invited as they danced and sang around a bonfire. Many got drunk that night as their friends had to forcefully remove them from the banquet, lest they accidentally injured someone with stray magic.
"I thank all of you for coming tonight!"
A booming voice silenced everyone present as all eyes turned towards the centre of the plaza. In front of the bonfire stood the King of Spireland, Cential Spireguard. He was dressed in his usual leather armour, but donned a heavy fur cape over it. Isabelle stood beside him, dressed simply in a green top and pants that were tucked into her long leather boots. Her hair was tied behind her in a long ponytail that reached her waist. She was just 10 years old, but with her sharp features, everyone could tell that she would grow to be a beauty if given just a few more years.
"We have gathered to celebrate the coming of age of my daughter here, and I believe everyone had enough of waiting! I shall now proceed with the coming of age ceremony!" King Cential turned away from the multiple audiences and looked towards Isabelle. "Are you ready, Isabelle?"
"Yes, father," Isabelle nodded with conviction in her eyes.
The elves' coming of age was marked with a ceremony where they linked their mind with the earth, also known as the Heartlink ceremony. This was done by relying on the elves' high affinity with nature and magic. Though that was the case, to aid in the Heartlink ceremony, an elder would usually assist by spreading a bit of enchanted mud on the forehead of the young adult, providing a catalyst for the link.
Upon establishment of the link, the elf would be recognised by nature itself, receiving a boost to their capabilities. Each elf received a different boost which seemed to be random in nature, ranging from speed to strength, to an overall increase in everything, but one thing was consistent among all elves. The greater the boost, the greater the pain that have to be endured when receiving it!
With such high magical talents, everyone had high expectations for Isabelle, and so does she herself. She was hoping to receive an unprecedented boost that completely overshadowed everyone else, and with that she was bracing herself for a strong wave of pain.
Everyone watched with bated breath as the king dipped his thumb into the pot in his hands, and reached out to spread the mud on his thumb onto Isabelle's forehead.
Feeling the cool sensation on her forehead, Isabelle closed her eyes in concentration. Isabelle had heard about the ceremony from many of her elders before today, and had a vague idea on what to do. She knew that this was a good opportunity to set a strong foundation for the long years ahead of her, and dared not get distracted. She focused her thoughts onto the mud on her forehead, trying to delve deeper and establish a link with the earth.
King Cential took a few steps back to prevent his presence from affected her senses, and just as he stopped a fair good distance away to continue watching his daughter, a thin veil of energy rose from the ground and surrounded Isabelle in a circle. Surprise showed evidently on everyone's faces as they saw this – this was probably a sign of a strong connection being established!
Yes, probably. Because none of them had ever seen such a phenomenon occurring during a Heartlink ceremony! Naturally, no one knew for sure what it signified!
However, before they could think further, the veil of energy suddenly converged into a singularity within Isabelle.
"Not good! Take cover!"
Seeing this, King Cential immediately shouted as he rushed towards Queen Mist and cast a magic bubble which wrapped around them.
Before most of the elves could react, the singularity within Isabelle blasted out in all directions, sending a shockwave through the entire plaza that threatened to bulldoze through everything in its way!
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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