106 Long-Awaited Meeting

The spatial tunnel between the Atlas Pillar and the Shrouded Lands was an all-black void, without sound or light. Only one's spiritual senses could perceive anything in the dark abyss. If it wasn't for the constant feeling of being dragged through the tunnel as if one was tied to a fast-retracting bungee cord, maybe one would never move at all. Of the people making the journey, only the leading Anordir could see at all due to his third eye's unique powers. It was due to this that he led the group. Uilos had the most powerful spiritual senses of those present aside from Anordir, thus making his presence at the rear useful for any unexpected accidents during their journey, even with the Three-Eyed Owl leading.

The eerie and awful silence of the tunnel lasted nearly an hour by the time the tugging sensation got stronger by a half. Instinctively, everyone prepared for an unseen impact, ready to hit something they weren't supposed to encounter. Instead, the total darkness became blinding as the sensation vanished, leaving the very bewildered travellers to try and readjust themselves. Of course, they failed, as the lack of gravity in the tunnel made reorientation impossible in midair, thus making them hit the ground hard. To nobody's surprise, the two Guardians stood perfectly fine where they were.

Where they'd landed was the centre of a grassy field full of wildflowers, with an identical portal to the one in the Atlas Pillar behind them. Around the field was an expanse of rolling hills, except for directly behind them, which revealed it to be a cliff of at least 25m down to the ocean as it slammed upon the rocky shoreline.

Uilos had a mildly pleasant look on his face as if the scenery brought him good memories. Considering his age, he might have even seen this field back before it was separated from the mainland. His all-white eyes seemed to look over the group as he said, "Welcome to the Shrouded Lands, the home and last bastion of the Ancient Elves of Andor and Bardor, their lost planet. As much as I'd like to take in the sights of this field again, we have a job at hand, so we must make haste. Anordir, would you mind?"

The Three-Eyed Owl calmly nodded as his third iris glowed luminously. Warm golden energy enveloped those present, who all quickly comprehended that it was likely solar power, before beginning to brighten rapidly. As it became unbearable to look at, everyone felt a familiar sensation of teleportation, except it went upward rather than remaining stationary. The sensation was thankfully short, as was the brilliant light, as they soon landed on stone tiles in what appeared to be an open-air courtyard. Looking around, the visiting group took everything in with astonishment. Luca, who knew that, aside from their appearance and some of their lore, nothing was known about the Ancient Elves, was absolutely dumbfounded to see that the courtyard sat on the grounds of what he could only describe as a palace of Japanese architecture, except he knew it wasn't just that simple. It looked very similar to how he knew it, but it had a great deal of focus on the gardens and grounds around the main building. It reminded him of Heian period mansions and palaces, some of which he only knew from photos or simulated locations.

The sudden arrival of people startled some of the groundskeepers who had been tending to the gardens. Thankfully, one of them recognized two of the new appearances and hurriedly went to inform the guards of the new guests. Anordir did not plan on waiting and began making his way towards the palace, with the rest of the group quickly following along. At the back of the group, Uilos was giving a brief introduction to their new location, "This is the imperial shrine of the Shrouded Lands. It's built behind the imperial palace where the Emperor and the rest of his kin reside. Only one person lives in the shrine, and it is she who we are to meet."

As they alighted the top of the stairs to the shrine itself, a pair of female guards in lightly armoured robes bowed politely to them, with the left guard speaking, "The High Priestess has been prepared for your arrival. Please, no shoes within the shrine." She did give a quick look at the feet of some of those present before but refrained from commenting, as it was not her place. As everyone removed their shoes, including Waythe, who began to lightly levitate so as not to sully the shrine's floor with his Undead energy, the two guards opened the sliding doors and gestured for them to enter.

Inside the shrine was very little furniture. In fact, the most prominent piece was the solitary bed on the far side of the shrine. In the centre of the room were several floor cushions for them to be seated. Aside from a bookshelf of various old writings and a handful of lights, nothing else existed. This only bothered Luca, as he knew his nerves would get the better of him without other things to look at when his anxiety spiked.

Seated on the only cushion by the bed was an Ancient Elf who looked astonishingly like a teenager save for her white, floor-length hair. Her eyes were her most drawing feature, as they were all-black but occasionally flickered with motes of starlight like the night sky. Even in the dull lighting, she glowed like a star. As the doors slid open, she gave the slightest smile, gesturing with one hand towards the cushions, "Come, sit." Aside from Anordir and Uilos, who took positions by the door, everyone else moved to take a seat. Once everyone was seated and the door closed again, the Ancient Elf girl spoke again, "I welcome you, children of Andor. I have waited a long time for this day. I am Elensell, the last of the exiles of Bardor and High Priestess of the Ancient Elves of the Shrouded Lands."