The lost island.
There is no sun, nor the light of stars and moon.
The dark tide washed over the dim beach, turning into thousands of scattered white waves, and then receded, over and over again.
Suddenly.
Some crystal-clear cracks in space emerged, penetrating the sky above the dark sea.
After a few breaths, those crystal cracks slowly dissipated and returned to nothingness.
Only two figures remained, quietly emerging in the void.
Click.
The golden elf girl in a white dress landed gently, her white feet stepping on the soft sand.
...
...
She turned sideways, smiled slightly, and extended her hand to the person behind her.
"Welcome to our royal court."
The golden elf's mouth curved into an arc, and he took two steps back.
Then she lifted up her skirt and performed a noble salute unique to the Elf Royal Court.
"Char...Sensei."
"It's worth my trip here to hear such a name."
Xia smiled, and also crossed the space rift, landing on the soft beach.
As soon as he entered this island shrouded by the veil of eternal night, he sensed a sense of oppression coming from the center of the island that he could not ignore.
When he first arrived in the First Age, he noticed the anomalies in the laws of the world, and the anomalies in the Lost Island were even worse.
It prevents him from releasing even a single bit of his mental energy.
The source of this oppressive feeling is the center of the island, that huge ancient tree that rises into the sky and seems to be directly connected to the curtain of eternal night.
Or to be more precise, it is some kind of lofty, forbidden will that is dormant on that ancient tree.
Xia was certain that once he released his mental power on the Lost Island, it would inevitably alert the dormant will on the branches of the World Tree.
Then, anything is possible.
This is a selection based on bloodline.
As long as there is a being with the blood of elves flowing in its veins, even if the blood has long been polluted and is extremely thin, it will be excluded from the oppressive feeling of the branches of the world tree.
On the contrary, other intelligent races.
Even if they were humans who had never received extraordinary gifts before and whose bloodline itself did not transmit power—
As long as you step into the curtain of eternal night, you will inevitably encounter unspeakable suppression and targeting.
"If we think positively, then of course we can understand that since they are not of our race, their hearts must be different. This is the protection of our race by the fallen Elf King, who prevents foreign races from invading the Lost Island."
"but--"
"If you think about it from a different perspective."
"Can it be understood that all people with elven blood are under control, so naturally there is no need to pay attention to them."
"Outsiders are the ones who are truly free and unrestricted, so naturally we must suppress them by any means necessary."
Char's mumbling was extremely faint and was dissipated by the whistling sea breeze on the beach.
Of course, Hathaway, who had finally returned to the Lost Island and was immersed in joy and excitement, had not heard it.
"Teacher Char, what do you think of this world?"
The golden elf girl stood barefoot on the beach at the edge of the Lost Island, staring at the dark sea level in the distance, in a daze.
As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar.
Although she felt a little awkward and embarrassed when calling Char "teacher" at first, Hathaway has become accustomed to this title after saying it many times.
After all, he was indeed his teacher in magic and the arcane.
If it weren't for Char's help, even if she had discovered magic power, it would take an unknown amount of time to transform it into a practical model and system.
But the Lost Island can no longer wait that long.
"To be honest, not very good."
Xia also put his boots into the space pocket.
He walked to the side of the golden elf girl, and together they looked out at the endless dark sea before them.
"Since this was once the royal court of the high elves, it must be magnificent and elegant, and not inferior to any magnificent wonders of any human kingdom."
"But it's too dark in here."
"In this world without light, relying only on the meager light from fluorescent minerals and torches—"
“No matter how magnificent or spectacular the scenery is, we can never see its entirety. We can only see the tip of the iceberg with the light of fireflies and imagine the real magnificent scenery.”
After hearing Char's comment, Hathaway also smiled.
This is the truth.
"Yeah, this place is really not beautiful."
"If you really follow my words and compliment me against your will, I'm afraid I'll start to doubt your aesthetic standards."
A sea breeze blew in from the distant dark sea.
The wind blew on the two people's faces, and even lifted the golden elf girl's plain white skirt, which fluttered in the wind and rustled.
She stretched out her hand slightly, as if trying to catch the flowing sea breeze.
"Although I was born before the fall of the royal court, I was actually very young at that time. Because of the Elf Royal Court's protection system for children, underage high elves had no chance to leave the royal court at all."
"So, I am actually the same as the elves born after the Cataclysm."
"This place you call the Lost Island is my entire world."
Hathaway's beautiful light golden eyes stared at the dark sea, and the light dimmed slightly.
"Maybe it's because he saw my talent and qualifications."
"Those elders in the council chamber madly instilled those ideals and beliefs in me when I was still a minor."
"Describe to me how beautiful and magnificent the bright world called the Western Continent is outside the Lost Island."
"They say that this is our true homeland, the one we love so much."
"In order to leave the Lost Island and return to that bright world, they are willing to do anything, just like moths to a flame."
Hathaway smiled softly.
"And in fact, those elders in the council did exactly that."
"I have spent my entire life searching for the way forward for the elves, the future of the elves, even if I don't know how many people have fallen out of control and turned into crazy disaster beasts."
The golden elf squatted slightly and scooped up a handful of gray sand from under his feet.
A few shrimps and crabs fled out of the sand in panic and landed on the beach.
Then these little creatures were knocked to and fro by the subsequent tide, but after regaining their balance they continued to crawl hard.
The Cataclysm brought devastating disasters to the ancient dragons, giants, and elves, the extraordinary races that stood at the pinnacle of the Glorious Age, but it did not have much impact on other lives.
Human beings, a race that was not very noticeable in the glorious era, only achieved their rise thanks to the catastrophe.
And these small shrimps and crabs cannot even understand the specific meaning of the catastrophe... They just live on the beach according to their biological instincts. No matter whether it is the First Age or the Fourth Age, no matter how many times the rulers of this world have changed, whether they are ancient dragons, gods, or humans.
Hathaway silently watched the shrimps and crabs that crawled across her palms and fled in panic until they disappeared into the sea and could no longer be seen. Only then did her eyes come alive again.
"Now that I think about it, those seniors in the Council were really cunning."
"They were severely contaminated by the Cataclysm and probably knew that they didn't have much time left, so they simply and crudely instilled those ideas and the future of the elves into me and left without caring about anything else."
"I didn't even think about what I would do if I gave up and let things go badly."
Xia Ya said: "Actually, if you don't want to do that, you can stop at any time now."
"Those are expectations and directions imposed on you by outsiders. If you are not willing to do it, then no one has the right to force you to do it."
"How should I put it..."
The golden elf girl thought for a moment before speaking again.
"When all the seniors left me one by one and I was left alone, I did have the thought of just giving up."
"Who let those old guys so willfully put such a heavy responsibility and mission on me? Then I will also be willful. I guess there is nothing wrong with that, right?"
"But then I thought about it carefully. In this lost island shrouded in the veil of eternal night—"
"For me, there seems to be nothing else I can do except continue the research of my predecessors and carry on with the ideals they left me."
"Whether I admit it or not, exploring the astral world, exploring magic, and finding a way to get the elves off the Lost Island—"
“All of this has become the entire meaning of my life.”
"Without these things, the meaning of the existence of the golden elf named Hathaway Zekin would disappear."
Her gaze shifted from the dark sea to the young man beside her.
"Of course, that was me in the past, not me now."
"Ever since I met you, Mr. Char, in the dimensional void."
"Although I am reluctant to admit it, Hathaway Zekin has indeed found a new meaning for her existence."
"Arcane, magic, and the truth that exists deep in the starry sky—"
“That’s something I’m willing to spend my whole life pursuing.”
"Besides that, I also want to truly become your disciple, Mr. Xia. Not just the kind of casual talk now, but to be able to stay by your side forever."
"And become the irreplaceable first member of the wizard tower you want to build."
Hathaway turned sideways and smiled slightly.
The faint fluorescence of the surrounding torches and minerals reflected in her eyes, as if reflecting an entire brilliant sea of stars.
"But this may take a very long time."
"If I want to teach magic to the elves and have every member of the tribe practice the arcane arts... this process may be very long."
Her words paused slightly, and even the light in her eyes dimmed a little.
There are some things Hathaway dare not say.
This process may take a very long time.
It might last so long that Char might completely lose his patience with her.
Leave the Lost Island and go in search of new disciples and new wizard companions.
Although he had only been with Char in the astral realm for a few months, the golden elf had already known very well what kind of power this mysterious human he had met possessed.
As long as it is something he wants to do, he will be able to do it and it will not be affected by anyone's will.
Hathaway knew very well that she was not irreplaceable to Char.
As long as he wanted, he could find new companions and new disciples at any time.
Even without his assistance, he could still build a magnificent tower as he described - one that belonged only to wizards.
However, immediately afterwards.
That clear voice rang in her ears.
"I will not lose my patience, and there will not be a second disciple to take your place."
"In my heart, Shi-chan is the only one."
Hathaway's beautiful light golden eyes suddenly widened.
Although she was somewhat confused about the ambiguous title "Shi-chan", the golden elf understood that the word referred to herself.
And her talent as a high elf was telling her.
The other party's words were not false comfort.
Rather, it is a credible reality.
To me, Mr. Char...
Is it the only one that is irreplaceable?
Hathaway felt as if she had been hit by a heavy hammer. A slight warmth spread out in her heart, bringing with it indescribable joy.
"Also, Hathaway."
"I want to hear your true thoughts."
The clear voice sounded again.
"It is not a fake thing called ideal that was inherited from those elders of the Council you mentioned."
"It's a wish that belongs only to you."
Char's voice seemed to carry magic.
Hathaway gradually forgot the heavy mission on her shoulders and the constraints she imposed on herself.
Then she spoke her true feelings.
"Actually, I don't have as strong a determination as those seniors."
"Bringing the elves back to the Western Continent or something like that... I've never been there, so naturally I don't have any desire or pursuit for it."
The golden elf looked at the dim sea.
"I just... want to make this world brighter and brighter."
"It allows me to see the whole picture of the ocean, not just the tip of the iceberg in the darkness."
"So, is that all?"
Then, she heard Char's pleasant chuckle.
"In that case."
"I have indeed heard your wish."
The clear words paused slightly.
Then, it became distant and profound.
"So."
"Let us, on this lost island—"
"Go light up a new sun."
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