The Amber Sword

TL: 5th chapter. Edit: There’s a mistake in which the chapter did not copy over (damned umatrix extension).

Chapter 92 – The kings and the dead (7)

============ ??? POV ============

Am I in a dream?

The Silver Elven Court was as perfect as my memories. The saintly white luster of the walls, ceilings, corridors and fences.

How long ago have I not dreamt of this……

“Sister.”

“What did you address me?” That voice in my dreams became sharp as usual.

“I-I’m sorry.”

That dream……

I remember my mother said to me, when I pressed gently on my chest, I would be able to feel my warmth and life from my ‘heart’ with my fingertips. Only when one touched there, would they feel at peace.

It was precisely because of that, that my memories of the Cherau village became clearer, and how have I yearned to return to that time…..

“Father king, my noble sister….. I am sorry. It is all my fault.”

========== Brendel’s POV ===========

Brendel’s mind shuffled through different answers as to why the girl’s spirit was still around. He had calmed down from the shock, and thought if he saw it through a gamer’s perspective, this would be a developer’s immunity settings, that it was a follow-up to a quest and possibly the key to activating the Altar, and even though he could probably find the answer on his own—

Did it not look like the solution was in front of him?

[If this is a mission, then this little girl is going to wake up pretty soon. The only exceptions thus far in this world are the Planeswalker and the cards…]

Brendel looked up at the starry sky and waited patiently, wondering if the spirits also adhered to the game.

The mercenaries whispered amongst themselves, as Amandina grabbed Romaine’s hand and watched the Silver Elf warily. No one dared to approach her, as the unicorn was still beside her. The might exhibited by the Spectral Knight’s mount was still fresh in their minds and nobody knew whether it would go on a rampage.

But it was just as Brendel had predicted, the Elven girl’s eyelids moved and opened.

It was a pair of slightly vacant silver eyes with a little confusion in her eyes, which quickly seemed to be poured in with many things all at once. It was as if memories and complicated emotions filled her eyes up as it suddenly flickered with comprehension.

Her body moved a little, and she turned her head around to look at everyone around her.

She seemed to recall something, before she her brows were crunched into a sorrowful expression. Her body curled up as she coughed vehemently, and she brought her hands to her lips. Once she uncovered them, her hands were filled with silver blood. She reached out with her hands, trying to grasp the silver lance on the ground.

The mercenaries pulled out their weapons and were on their guard, and a few of them wanted to stop her.

“My lord, she has no more strength left to fight us.” Amandina quickly tried to persuade Brendel into stopping the mercenaries. She recognized the expressions of the Silver Elf, which was how she felt when she was at her lowest point.

[Indeed, she has no strength left.]

Brendel nodded. The spirit had reached the final stage of fading away. Even if he was to stand in front of her, she would not even be able to raise her weapon to strike him down. The spirit was holding on to some wish or mission to persist in this world. It was also the source of her Soul Energy. Once it was gone, she would have no more connection with this world.

After a short moment, the girl suddenly stopped and stared at her transparent hand. It was becoming fainter and seemed like it was going to disappear anytime.

Brendel raised his hand to make everyone stop, which was not necessary to do so. If the Spectral Knight struck fear in the mercenaries’ hearts, then the Elven girl in front of them was so weak and pitiful that they felt like they needed to protect her.

“Messere…… Am I going to…… disappear?” The Silver Elf stared at her hand while she spoke. Her voice was like the fabled nightingales within the deepest forest.

Her tone made the twin Elementalists gasp. The Wild Elves were considered as great musicians, and they could hear how beautiful and trance-like the voice was.

[There are two Elven blood lineage that were derived from the Golden Bloodline. The first is the Silver Elves, the latter is the Mist Elves. As expected, the voice from a Silver Elf is beautiful.]

Brendel nodded silently to the Silver Elf’s question. The related quest indeed came, but he felt he was unable to feel happy. If it was in the game, he would have seen her as a NPC, but at this moment, he discovered that he was unable to cut his emotions off.

“Was……”  Amandina asked timidly in a small voice: “That Spectral Knight….. you?”

The Elven girl did not speak but silently nodded. Her arms and legs were becoming transparent as well. She looked up to sky with a melancholic smile, and said with a tearful voice: “I…… killed so many people…… Mother Marsha, must have abandoned me……”

“That is not your fault.” Brendel’s voice sounded angry.

[The Holy Cathedral of Flames was the faction that caused this incident. Mother Marsha would not have gotten angry if it was not for their interference. As punishment, luck as never been on Aouine side ever since then.]

Brendel had essentially made sense out of the entire situation.

The priests of the Holy Cathedral of Flames probably wanted to change the oath between the Elven kings, the Elven Goddess and Mother Marsha. He personally had changed similar contracts before as a gamer, and the risk presented to him was acceptable precisely because he was a gamer. The citizens of Aouine must had been either bold or greedy enough to attempt something like this, and the conclusion was distorting the oath and allowing evil spirits to invade the sanctuary.

It was a tragedy.

The evil spirits surely did not stop at controlling just the little girl, and many more Elves must have been possessed. Despite that, the high ranking priests were not simple pushovers and a dire battle not recorded in history broke out in this area. After the battle ended, all records of the Altar disappeared.

“What is your name” Romaine asked.

Brendel suddenly discovered her question was really constructive.

“Medissa Lunette.” Came the reply.

“”You’re not from the royal family?”” Brendel and Amandina spoke at the same time. Only the royal bloodline, the Aavlon royal lineage, was permitted to enter this tomb.

“Yes, I am a craftsman’s daughter.”

“But this is the tomb of the Elven kings……” Amandina continued to ask.

The question from Amandina made the Elven girl paused for a while. Half of her body was becoming transparent: “There are unique circumstances…….”

“Unique circumstances? I have heard of the Silvers Elves interring their bravest and greatest heroes along with the ancient kings……” Amandina looked doubtfully at the girl, unable to find traces of a ‘greatest hero’ in her.

Medissa carassed the unicorn beside her as her eyes became misty: “That isn’t it. I am here to replace someone else.”

[What?]

If there was another mouthful of water in Brendel, he would have spat it out again. He had never heard of substitutes or was there a queue for being entombed?

Amandina had a clearer grasp of the situation. “A replacement in order to save someone? Or to be buried as a sacrifice?”

[What kind of third rate development is this? To think that the ‘noble’ elves would also do something like this, looks like they are no different compared to humans.] Brendel was surprised.

But Medissa shook her head: “I volunteered.”

“Volunteered?” Brendel could not understand how an ordinary citizen was able to replace a royal family member.

She had a faint smile on her face, as though she had recalled a memory to be proud of. “I, volunteered to replace…… my older sister…… No, I came here…… for the sake of the her Royal Princess.”

She was becoming fainter.

“Hold on.” Brendel interrupted her, “Sister? Her Royal Princess, what do you mean by that?”

“My mother, is a craftsman in the Cherau village. My father, is the king of Aavlon. I think, I am half a princess……”

“Does this mean your sister is the Silver Elves Kingdom’s princess?”

She nodded.

“Why did you need to replace her?”

“My noble sister was cursed by the Miirna people. The royal court magicians told me father that a related blood member had to die for her sake, or else she will continue to weaken in her prime until she died.” Medissa slowly explained: “But my noble sister is the best leader within the kingdom. The human allies, the dwarves, our citizens, no one wished to see that happen……”

“In the end, my father chose me.”

Amandina was so indignant that her brows knitted together tightly: “…… He’s your father, how could he have done something like this!”

Brendel could only pat her on her shoulders to calm her down. “During the era of Chaos, the twilight dragon was a force that exceeded the imaginations of the various races. They paid a great price in order to resist that existence, as the king of the Silver Elves, it could only be seen as something normal.”

He stared at Elven girl in silence, before he asked: “Why have you told us about all these?”

“Because…… I wish to ask you for help?”

[Just like a mission.]

“What help do you need?”

“The lizardmen in the forest had stolen my sister’s necklace. I don’t know what they want to do with it, but without that trinklet, my sister’s curse would not be able to focus on me, I’m afraid it would—“

“You’re already about to disappear, why are you still trying to care about someone else!” Amandina interrupted her after listening in dissatisfaction.

Medissa cast a glance at her and smiled.

“Precisely so, I wish….. That my disappearance….. has meaning…..”

Amandina did not know how to refute her.

“But this matter is none of our business. We do have the right to refuse your request.” Brendel spoke quietly. Even though logic told him that he should accept the quest, but he felt a little angry when he looked at the Elven girl who had nothing to do with the cruelties and violence in the world.

Her eyes momentarily turned sad, but was quickly replaced with a touch of slyness: “Messere…… human, you came to seek, for the souls of the Ancestral Elves…… right?”

She was nearly gone.

“You know of our intentions?”

“I was able to listen in, through the gust of wind in the valley……” She closed her eyes. “To gain the acknowledgement of the Ancestral Elves, you would have to gain my acknowledgement……”

She paused for a moment, as though she was too tired to continue speaking. “That is why, I want to make a deal with you.”

[I’m actually being held hostage. And I’m even threatened by a little girl.]

Brendel felt bitter feelings emerging from his heart. Did he had the option to get angry? He turned back to look at everyone, but the girls and even the Nightsong commander nodded their heads.

“Very well, but I have also have my own request. In order to deal with the lizardmen bandits, I would have to gather the help of the Ancestral Elves, otherwise I would not be able to deal with them.”

The girl nodded.

“I acknowledge your presence and you have my permission.”

“Are you not afraid that I will betray you?” Brendel was slightly surprised.

Medissa was silent for a moment. “I am…… worried.”

She started coughing and flecks of blood could be seen spluttering out, before it disappeared into thin air. She raised her head weakly, as tears spilled across her face: “I’m…… worried….. I…… do not wish to disappear……. I still…… have things…… that I want to do. I’m really sorry, can you…… help me….. please?”

A sudden rush of wind blew across the top of the forest, as though it was wailing— while Medissa completely vanished before their eyes.

Everyone was stunned into silence as the heartrending pleadings wormed their way into their hearts. Each word seemed to hang around their ears, and Brendel had an inscrutable expression.