Chapter 29 A gift is like her worst nightmare.
"What killed me was never the orcs' gift, but Ilovia."
Melia looked just as confused as Ashlin.
Ashlinn couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean?"
“Since my father died thirty years ago, Ilovia has completely changed. No elf is allowed to leave here under my mother’s orders.”
"But your allergies..."
“The reason is the same. It is the closure of Fairy Valley that has led to generations of allergies; it has also led to the loss of inspiration,” Shida said. “Mother, I hope you will wake up. My time is running out, but please always remember… I love you, and I love the you of the past even more; I love Ilove Iloveia, but not the Iloveia of today. If you still don’t understand, I will show you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ashlin felt as if she had fallen down a bottomless rabbit hole, surrounded by complete darkness.
At first, her heart pounded violently in her chest, but then it grew weaker and weaker, and she even wondered if she was going to die.
She seemed to have detached from her physical body; she was lighter and thinner than a piece of paper.
“Look, this is the advantage of being a ghost,” Shida’s faint voice rang out. “I can show you worlds that living beings with genitals cannot see. I can let you see my memories, and I can show you pasts that I have never seen.”
Ashlin's vision gradually cleared. She stood in a garden of blooming pink and egg-yolk yellow roses, with seven familiar statues before her.
They were brand new then, the white plaster gleaming faintly in the sunlight.
Beside her, Melia's body was tense.
Just then, a little girl ran past them. It was the living Sheeta, who looked even younger than she did in her ghost form.
“Father!” she cried joyfully, throwing herself into the arms of a male elf.
The male elves were robust with thick eyebrows, and wore elven noble attire similar to that of Aidan, but in a looser and more casual style, with open collars.
Upon seeing his daughter, a happy smile spread across his face.
Melia and Ashlin both gasped simultaneously.
“Clive,” the Queen whispered, “my love.”
Ashlin finally understood.
This is the image the forest goddess presented to her, showing the elf poisoned by the chimera snake.
Melia's ex-husband.
Ashley watched the father and daughter embrace, a sudden sense of surprise washing over her. She and Sanova had never been this close; their relationship often oscillated between father and daughter, teacher and student, and friends. If Sanova were her biological father, would she have had more love in her childhood?
She wanted to go closer for a better look, but she couldn't move; so did Melia and Aidan. They were just spectators.
In his memory, Cliff, bathed in soft light, gently stroked Sheeta's light-colored hair.
“I’m heading north now,” he said. “The orcs have encountered a monster that escaped from the labyrinth, but they don’t have the weapon to kill it.”
“No,” murmured Melia beside Ashlin, and Aidan gripped her hand tightly.
They all knew what was going to happen next.
He took out a long white bow from his back; the bow gleamed brightly in the sunlight.
"Do you recognize this bow, dear Sheeta?"
The little elf girl sniffed it: "The smell of dragon fire."
“Indeed. This is a dragonbone bow, crafted by the dragon warriors of Dias and given to us as a gift in a peace treaty with the elves. It is extremely rare, and any arrow nocked on it will be imbued with the magic of dragonfire.” Cliff made a drawing motion with his bow. “Only it can kill the monsters from the labyrinth.”
Hida's eyes widened.
"Can you teach me how to shoot an arrow?"
Cliff grinned; this was the last time he smiled.
"I'll teach you when I get back."
The scene has changed.
Ashlin arrived at the battlefield numbly, just as the forest goddess had shown her. She didn't bother to watch how Cliff died after shooting the chimera; she didn't want to. Everything had happened so quickly.
She tried her best to suppress her grief, but to no avail. Queen Melia had first lost her lover, then her daughter, once because of a monster in the north, and once because of a gift from the orcs. Ashlin could easily imagine why she gradually became withdrawn and isolated.
As a queen, she shouldn't be like this; but as a wife and mother, she was simply overwhelmed with grief. Elves are immortal; life is eternal for them. How many deaths can an elf witness in a lifetime?
The scene shifts again, this time to the past version of Melia. She kneels beneath the sacred oak tree, her silver hair like withered grass on an old man's head, her tears like her broken heart. Her long hair and tears fall lifelessly together.
“I need to see him,” she pleaded, “any way possible…”
Her voice grew softer and softer. For a moment, nothing happened, and Ashlin almost thought that Melia had simply fainted under the tree.
Suddenly, Melia screamed, her eyes flashing with a terrifying light. Powerful magic shook the earth, and the divine tree swayed.
As a gentle breeze swept by, a tall, thin man emerged from the shadows.
He wore a pure black cloak, and at first glance, he looked like a giant bat. Upon closer inspection, he removed his hood, revealing a handsome face.
“Queen Melia, the Elf Queen,” he said softly.
“It is so. In contrast to the vibrant forest, I am Santorius, the god of death,” he said. “Your pain has affected me. The greatest curse of the immortal is to watch one’s loved ones fall into the spirit world while one’s own remains forever.”
Death raised his hand, and a silver flute landed in Melia's hand. It was inscribed with: Nokali.
"Life," Melia whispered.
"I have added a gentle breeze from another world to this flute. The wind allows life to communicate, souls to flow, and darkness to be released."
"But remember, I control the boundary between life and death, and those who attempt to disrupt the order will pay an eternal price."
Ashlin felt a sudden, loud noise in her ears.
The Magic Flute of Nocali is a gift from Death.
Is this why the moon goddess wrote such riddles and spells?
Four deities, four elements, and four locations.
Just as she was about to think she understood something, the scene changed again, interrupting her thoughts.
Then she saw Ilovia.
Inside the main hall, the indistinct Melia issued a decree forbidding elves from leaving Elf Valley at will; outsiders entering Elf Valley would also be severely punished, and most would end up in the dungeon.
"No more of my people can be allowed to die from dangers outside..." After issuing the decree, she muttered to herself, and Ashlin had to strain her ears to hear her.
The once vibrant paintings in the palace have faded, hanging on the walls day after day, never to be renewed. The painters who once loved to travel and sketch are now confined to their studios, endlessly depicting legends that have existed for millennia. Spiderwebs have formed on the statues, occasionally swept away by elven cleaners, but even the strongest sunlight cannot make the plaster shine, for time has solidified them.
The stage performances are exquisite and exaggerated, but the scripts follow the same formula, repeating themselves endlessly. Playwrights, wanting to discover new ideas, can only painstakingly search through ancient books.
Aidan scratched his head, staring at the sheet music he had repeatedly marked, until finally, in frustration, he yelled, crumpled the parchment into a ball, and slammed it against the cupboard door. The ball rolled alone on the floor. The musicians played the same old tunes forever, refusing to compose anything new for decades. They couldn't hear the notes of the outside world, nor could they play any new melodies; they knew they should express something, but they didn't know what to express.
Artists lacking inspiration come to the sacred oak tree to pray; it is the source of their magic, the tradition of their art. But even it is gradually withering away.
Ilovia remains exquisite, yet breathtaking.
All the scenes collapsed, and they returned to the darkness of reality.
"Do you see it now, Mother?" Hida's spirit asked. "How has Ilovia changed over the years?"
"Yes."
“Yes,” Melia interrupted her. “I’m sorry. I will…”
She took a deep breath.
"Make changes."
The vines on the Sheeta statue bend gracefully, as if trying to smile.
“So, with your vow and the protection of the Forest Children’s magic… I think I can finally leave. I have been waiting for this day.”
Before she finished speaking, she seemed to have completely immersed herself in Ashlin's work, no longer shining, no longer vibrant, no longer speaking.
Ashlin thought that she might have inadvertently created a new kind of magic, which, when combined with the soul, became something newer.
Unprecedented.
The night was eerily quiet; no one uttered a single word.
Aidan observed Sheeta's plant sculpture with curiosity, but soon looked at Melia with concern.
Tears streamed down Melia's cheeks. Seeing her so distressed, Ashlin also slumped down in sadness.
She was still immersed in the series of images that had just been shown, and felt sad for the elves.
But a small voice echoed in my mind: If Lucas were here, what would he do? He certainly wouldn't let himself let his emotions cloud his judgment and cause him to forget his goal, right?
She hadn't forgotten their original purpose: to impress the Queen and obtain permission to find and borrow the magic flute. She had already been warned twice by the forest goddess that their time was not unlimited.
“You heard and saw everything just now, Your Majesty,” Ashlin said softly, mustering her courage. “We are human, but we are not unfamiliar with the pain of life and death. Perhaps I do not know what it feels like to lose a child, but that does not mean I am incapable of trying to feel it. This is our final gift.”
"The situation is urgent, Your Majesty. Could you grant us permission to search for the Magic Flute and borrow it for a while?"
Melia closed her eyes tightly for a while, as if centuries had passed.
After opening her eyes, she touched Sheeta's statue again before finally saying, "Yes, I grant your permission. However, I have two requests."
"First, after finding the magic flute, we must help heal the sacred tree."
"certainly."
"Secondly, Aidan must go with you to investigate."
Ashlin froze, scratching her hair.
Is going with Aidan still a good idea? Why did he look at her like that at the party? Maybe she should question him.
“Okay,” she reluctantly agreed, “let’s go find Lucas and Tara first.”
There were no other spirits on the road, and the night breeze began to grow slightly cool. The sun had not yet risen, but a faint red glow was already appearing on the horizon, and the few clouds in the valley resembled bloodshot eyes.
This was the time she should have been asleep, or more accurately, close to waking up. But Ashlin was wide awake.
“I don’t know,” Ashlin said hesitantly. “I felt something… it awakened, it broke through the boundaries. But I don’t know how.”
Aidan seemed thoughtful. "The Elf Valley does indeed have a magical protective layer. Could it be that your forest magic was too wild and broke through it?"
"Then what did I awaken?"
The elf did not answer. This was not a good sign.
Ashlin glanced at him sideways, pondering how to ask him about his gaze. "Hey, why were you looking at me at the party?" It didn't sound like a smart question, since parties are for people to see.
"Lord Aidan... why did you look at me like that when I was performing?"
"'Like that'?" Aidan looked surprised. "Like what?"
"That's it."
Aidan seemed to find her amusing, but she wasn't. Was she overthinking it?
Ashlin was furious and gritted her teeth.
“Your eyes are different from the other audience members.” She felt incredibly stupid when she said it.
Aidan's tone couldn't be more sincere: "Ashlin, I was stunned by your performance, I was completely mesmerized. You know I'm very sensitive to all kinds of magic, whether it's forests, art, or anything else. And when you combine them, I felt... my five senses explode, it was utterly breathtaking."
Aidan smiled helplessly.
"With such enchanting magic appearing on the stage of the Star and Moon Party, who wouldn't go mad? Ashlin, my only thought is to reclaim the magic flute with you and offer our long song to the Divine Oak."
Ashlin snorted through her nose.
Aidan paused for a moment before speaking again.
“Well, there are other reasons, too,” he said cautiously. “I might… be captivated by you. I mean, not just your performance.”
Ashlin suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"What does this mean?"
Ashlyn stared at him, Aidan's face flushed slightly, illuminated by the glowing mushrooms and floating lanterns.
Is he lying? He doesn't seem like it. But the feeling he gave her before wasn't like that...
So, her previous suspicions about him were correct. He really could be interested in a human girl. That was enough to make her instantly unfollow him.
“Alright, I can let you off the hook for now, but only because the situation is urgent. I don’t have time to ponder the thoughts of you centuries-old relic,” Ashlin said curtly. “By the way, I only like your music.”
Tara's house was lit, but a strange, rotten smell permeated the area in front of it, reminding Ashlin of... some kind of canine. Tree branches nearby were broken, and there were many paw prints on the ground.
It felt familiar, as if she had some kind of connection with this creature.
No.
Ashlin didn't dare to think about it too much.
The candles in the house flickered forlornly, and the house was empty. The stench of blood grew stronger, and Ashlin's heart pounded violently; it seemed as if countless monsters lurked in the dim corners.
"Is anyone there?" she asked tentatively.
There was no response.
The room reeked of herbs and blood; the incense had just been extinguished, indicating that the owner had only recently left. Deep claw marks and bloodstains were visible on the walls, and shards of medicine bottles and a longsword lay scattered on the floor.
Ashlin gritted her teeth, took a few more steps forward, and then suddenly stopped.
A hand was sticking out from behind the door, with dark red blood underneath.
Like her most terrifying nightmare.
"Aidan."
"Did you find anything?"
The elven musician walked quickly over, but also froze in place.
Lying on the ground in front of them was Tara.
Her long brown hair was dyed deep red and spread messily on the ground; her eyes were vacant.
Fresh blood, accompanied by four scratch marks, bloomed from his chest, like a scarlet rose blooming on red veins.
Beside her lay a tattered blue cloak, embroidered with the golden sun emblem of Helian City, also stained crimson with blood.
Ashlin's mind went blank, and her ears were ringing.
She knew this cloak all too well.
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