The Elves

In the Forest of Life, numerous cities built by nature elves were scattered throughout. Among them, the City of the Forest stood out as the only one open to outsiders. The other cities served as strongholds for the nature elves, rarely admitting those of other races unless under special circumstances. Apart from these cities, the forest was dotted with numerous elven tribes, spanning from north to south and east to west, firmly under the control of the nature elves.

At this moment, in a city named Kyatti, an elf radiating a powerful aura of life and nature opened her eyes. Her beauty was ethereal, with a perfectly slender figure, long golden hair that flowed like silk, and deep green eyes that shimmered like the finest emeralds. She wore a dress made of countless flowers, sitting gracefully on a jade bed, her exquisite, elven ears marking her heritage.

Elves were a vast and diverse race, much like the beastmen. Within the elven race, there were nature elves, forest elves, dark elves, ice elves, elemental elves, dragon elves, flower elves, sun elves, and more. Nature elves were considered the purest lineage, with other types being branches of the elven family. Additionally, the elven society included unicorns, treants, phoenix guards, faerie dragons, and sprite dragons, all allied under the elven banner. This coalition made the elven faction exceptionally formidable.

"Once again, the mark has vanished, and this time, completely," the nature elf whispered to herself, her voice clear and melodious, like a brook or a silver bell. "Could it be that the dragon Charles destroyed my elven arrow?"

Frowning slightly, she pondered this possibility. If she were Charles, she would have hidden until the elven arrow was destroyed before showing herself again, not appearing and then destroying the arrow much later. Was he trying to bait her into a trap? The mark's final disappearance suggested Charles was near the city of Vastian in the Karar Desert.

"Perhaps... this is a conspiracy!" she speculated. "Charles might be trying to lure me there to exact his revenge."

In truth, she was mistaken. Charles had no idea that she had left a mark on the arrow. Had he known, he wouldn't have left the Ratman Kingdom to confront the undead in the Shalin region, which led to his pursuit by the zombie dragon king. The two-year delay in the mark's activity was due to Charles' hibernation altar, which inadvertently severed the connection between them. During his recovery, he hadn't left the altar, leaving her unaware of the mark's presence until now.

"If it is a conspiracy, Amy might be in danger," she realized. Reaching for a magical communication device, she contacted her dear sister. Earlier, sensing Charles' presence in the Shalin region, she had tasked Amy with hunting him down. Given Amy's strength and her holy-ranked unicorn companion, slaying the wounded Charles should have been easy. But now, suspecting a trap, she felt compelled to warn Amy.

Moments later, a voice came through the device. "Sister, why are you contacting me suddenly?"

"Amy, I have important news," the nature elf explained her findings and asked, "Where are you now? Have you reached the location I gave you?"

"Not yet, sister," Amy replied. "I'm about a hundred kilometers away."

"Charles isn't there anymore. I sensed him near Vastian City," the nature elf said urgently. "Stay where you are. I'll come to you."

"Don't worry, sister. With Teyrisa by my side, I can handle any trap," Amy reassured her.

"Listen to me!" the elder elf insisted.

"Alright, sister. I'll wait for you in the Golden Oasis," Amy conceded. "I'll also investigate the source of the elven spring there."

"That's good," the nature elf said, relieved. Ending the call, she left her room, mounted a unicorn, and flew out of Kyatti City. As the city's lord, she had not planned to deal with Charles personally, but to protect her sister, she had no choice.

Elsewhere, under a clear blue sky, a white unicorn flew through the air. On its back sat a petite, adorable elf, just as beautiful as her sister but with a more youthful, loli-like appearance compared to her sister's mature allure. Wiping sweat from her brow, Amy complained, "By the Elven Goddess! This Karar Desert heat is unbearable!"

As a race attuned to nature, elves rarely used magic to combat harsh environments, preferring to endure both scorching deserts and frigid arctic worlds.

"We should return to the Forest of Life," the unicorn suggested, speaking in a human tongue, equally displeased with the desert heat.

Amy playfully tapped the unicorn's head. "We can't go back yet! We need to reach the Golden Oasis and wait for my sister, Ella."

"Alright," the unicorn agreed, picking up speed towards their destination.

After some time, the unicorn abruptly halted. "What is it, Teyrisa?" Amy asked, puzzled.

"I think I'm seeing things!" the unicorn replied, astonished. "Look to the southeast. Is that a group of ancient treants?"

"Don't joke around. This isn't the Forest of Life…" Amy's voice trailed off as she, too, widened her green eyes in shock, rubbing them for clarity. "It really is a group of ancient treants! What in the world are they doing in this desert?!"