The Country of Law’s border, Forest of Serenity.
Along with the arrival of the new day, the radiance of the sun spilled into the dense forest. Green leaves covered in clear, refreshing dew reflected the bright sunshine. At that moment, it should have been the start of a new day for all living creatures waking from their sleep. But now, the forest was in total silence, with neither chirping from birds nor growls from wild animals.
Slender figures flashed past the forest, sprinting ahead. They were elf young ladies donned in light green cloaks, carrying giant bows made from dark brown wood. Their faces were concealed by a raised collar and hood, but a pair of long, pointy, and twitching ears revealed their identity. They moved so quickly that at a glance, one could only see a trail of afterimages behind them. The elf young ladies were seemingly as light as air. They dashed ahead, treading the fallen leaves and branches silently while blending into the green forest. After a few moments, the elf young ladies came to a halt, exchanged looks with one another, and spread out into the surroundings.
“Phew…”
Gazing at the everlasting, pitch-black sky in the distance, Corina let out a helpless sigh, gripping her bow. She couldn’t be more familiar with this forest as this was where she grew up. But now, everything had changed. As the Country of Law was afraid of any possible ambushes from the Country of Darkness, they evacuated residents of the Forest of Serenity to a safer location. Meanwhile, Corina and the other elf young ladies were in charge of patrolling the border, so as to report any happenings immediately.
As a matter of fact, many elves in the Country of Law didn’t believe that the Country of Darkness would launch an ambush on them. That was because the Country of Law had an unique geographical location, where they were surrounded by towering mountains and precipitous ridges. Besides, there were innumerable paths that only elves were able to climb and travel on. Moreover, under the protection of the twin dragons and the vitality enchanted field of the Elf Forest, many elves believed that as long as they didn’t bother others, others wouldn’t mess with them. Elves were pretty much uninterested in the outside world and only hoped to lead their own lives. They thought they had nothing that could cause a war to break out, but Corina clearly knew that the truth was otherwise.
As a representative of the Country of Law who was sent and stationed in the Land of Atonement, Corina personally experienced the war between the Country of Darkness and Land of Atonement. Even though she viewed the situation from a neutral standpoint and didn’t participate, she had a deeper understanding of wars from the experience.
Corina recalled the words Rhode said to her back then in the Land of Atonement.
“Actually, wars are really simple.”
Corina remembered when Rhode had said those words, he was standing above the city wall and overlooking the hell-like battlefield below. The putrid smell of death was unbearable for an elf like her. But despite that, Rhode put up an expressionless face.
“We give various meanings to before, during, and after the war. But it is a pity that everything is meaningless, be it for peace, freedom, survival, justice, or any other foolish reason. All in all, war is a product that cannot compromise both parties. It is like two people quarreling, where if a consensus cannot be reached, they will resort to hurling punches. Perhaps one may bleed, break some bones, or lose one’s life, but in fact, it is actually avoidable if one gives it some serious thoughts before the fight breaks out. We always read about historians in history books mentioning the what-ifs… and that the war will not break out. But it is a pity that there are no ifs in history. Humans can never compromise with one another, just like how you can never convince a wolf to not eat meat or persuade a goat to enter a tiger’s den. We are standing here to not be conquered and destroyed while they are here to conquer and destroy us. There is only one fundamental reason for this war to break out. And that is, we’re standing here…” Rhode said, pointing his finger at the foot of the city wall. Then, he extended his arm and pointed ahead at the eternal night sky. “… and they’re standing there. It is just that simple.”
We’re standing here.
Corina turned to the forest around her and shook her head helplessly. After Rhode became the Void Dragon, the Void Territory and Country of Law had contacts on a higher level, which was why Corina returned to the Elf Forest after she was relieved from her duty as an emissary of the Country of Law. When giving her resignation report, she stated that she was concerned over the aggressive ambitions of the Country of Darkness and thought that the Country of Law should increase their vigilance. However, most elves dismissed the matter and even accused Corina of meddling in others’ business. To most elves, there was no need for the Elf Forest to worry about the possibilities of being attacked by other nations. As a matter of fact, even at this point in time, after the twin dragons ordered the evacuation of the residents of the forest, the elves treated the matter as a ‘just in case’. They didn’t truly believe that the Country of Darkness would attack the Country of Law.
Corina had no other way around her overly optimistic and naive companions. In fact, she empathized with their thoughts. If one never left this forest, one would feel like the entire world was peaceful and had no conflicts. The indifferent personality of elves also ensured that they wouldn’t exchange blows with one another over small matters like shrews. Due to this reason, elves put themselves in the place of others and thought that the rest of the world was similar to the Elf Forest in terms of environment. However, only an elf like Corina who traveled abroad and experienced wars had a deeper understanding of the true meaning of life. As for the hothouse flowers, no matter how Corina convinced them, it would be useless unless they experienced wars for themselves.
“Madam Corina!”
At that moment, two elf young ladies shuttled out from the bushes from the left and right, landing lithely beside Corina.
“Everything is normal. There are no strange happenings.”
Upon hearing her subordinates’ report, Corina pondered for a while. Then, she nodded and said.
“Good, let’s…”
“————!”
Before Corina finished her sentence, a deep, resounding explosion boomed, instantly startling her. She lifted her head and turned to the direction of the explosion. In the northeast direction, billows of black smoke rose, while a sea of flames swarmed in all directions, devouring everything in its path. Shortly after, a dozen fireballs descended from above like meteorites, smashing and bombarding the forest.
“Ambush!”
Looking at this scene, Corina’s heart sank immediately. She turned around and gazed at her two subordinates. Upon witnessing their pale and terrified expressions, Corina couldn’t help but let out a sigh. Even though they were outstanding elf warriors who patrolled the border with her, the training grounds were completely different from a real battlefield, after all.
“Safir! Inform the patrol guards to isolate the rear and ensure that the flames don’t reach the central area right away. Nestor, gather the rest and retreat from the front lines immediately. Head to the first line of defense; I will check on Tina and the rest!”
“Madam Corina, we want to fight too!”
Upon hearing Corina’s order, the two elves returned to their senses instantly. A few moments ago, they were just like other elves who believed that no one would offend them if they didn’t offend others and it was impossible for the Country of Law to be ambushed. But now, that fragile illusion was demolished completely. However, they were well-trained warriors, after all. And they quickly pulled themselves together.
“Stop messing around. This is an order. Get to it now!”
Corina ordered and sprinted toward the conflagration without taking a second glance at her subordinates.
Corina shuttled through the forest like a vigorous cheetah. The entangledvines and low-hanging branches didn’t hurt her at all. In the blink of an eye, she arrived at the periphery of the battlefield. Even though she was mentally prepared, she couldn’t help but take in a deep breath of cold air upon witnessing the scene.
“This is too much…!”
The exuberant and peaceful forest disappeared completely, only to be replaced by a sea of flames that blazed the ground and trees. A strong smell of smoke assailed her nostrils.
———Swish!
Just as Corina decided to take a step farther to search for the three elves patrolling this area, she turned around and abruptly leaped back. At the same time, a dazzling red flash brushed past her, crashing heavily on the ground. In a loud explosion, burning flames erupted behind her. She somersaulted in the air and agilely landed on a thick tree branch. At that moment, she looked up and discovered the true identity of the enemy in front of her.
It was a mysterious figure in a black cloak. He wore a tall, triangular black hat that covered his head, revealing only a pair of eyes flickering in a mystical radiance. What was most eye-catching about this enemy was the three individual flames burning at the tip of the hat. They were seemingly alive and dancing as Corina took a closer look.
The mysterious black-cloaked figure held a scarlet, steel chain in his left hand. And at the end of the steel chain was a fire elemental monster standing on the ground and glaring at Corina.
This time, Corina knew she had gotten into huge trouble.
