Somewhere far from Luwas Outpost...
Rin's eyes slowly blinked open. He felt his eyeballs was too heavy as if he hadn't woken in years.
It felt like he'd been lost in some deep, endless sleep, trapped in an eternal slumber. A steady, faint ache throbbed behind his eyes as the try to recall the last traces of his struggle to merge with the Golden Phoenix still simmering inside him.
As his vision slowly sharpened, clarity did not bring comfort—instead, a wave of disorienting confusion washed over him, crashing like a tide upon unfamiliar view.
The knights who had once surrounded him were gone. The shouts, the blades, the battle — all vanished like a dream.
Instead, an unfamiliar sight stretched out before him, calm and strangely serene.
Ugoo~
'Where… where am I?'
Rin's tiny voice murmured in baby tongue, his mind racing behind his curious baby eyes.
He lay on a wooden bed, swaddled in soft, finely woven fabric that hugged his tiny, fragile frame. Plush pillows backed his head and their embroidered designs catching the faint, cool glow radiating from crystal stones set into the walls.
The crystals pulsed gently with a pale blue light, casting soft, shifting shadows across the unfamiliar room.
The walls were made of smooth, dark wood and curved slightly inward, wrapping the space in a comforting, cocoon-like warmth.
On a nearby dresser, strange tools and delicate instruments sat neatly arranged—tiny glass vials filled with herbs, runic knives, slender metal tongs, coils of silver thread, and brushes tipped with fine feathers—objects far unlike anything found in the world of men.
A lone circular window sat across from him, and through it filtered slivers of golden light. The view outside was worth checking out. Towering trees with thick violet trunks and sprawling dark-purple leaves stood majestically, their branches heavy with glowing, pink fruits that resembled starfruit—only these were massive, almost the size of coconuts. They shimmered softly, as though alive.
Ughooa~
'Robert… Marissa… I wonder if they're alive…' His innocent voice trembled with concern. The memory of his desperate confrontation with the knights was foggy. He had believed that the Golden Phoenix's blessing would allow him to unleash some grand power, to stand and defend himself and eventually win the battle by himself.
But reality had been far crueler.
Instead, his newborn body had been overwhelmed by the Phoenix's power. The divine energy, too great for his fragile frame, had triggered a forced shutdown — a dormant state where his body could slowly adjust to the bloodline awakening within him which he had yet to completely figure out.
Before Rin could gather his scattered thoughts, a shadow appeared.
A small figure approached the cradle and peered down at him, eyes wide with childlike curiosity. Rin blinked, startled.
The visitor was not human.
The child's skin was smooth and dark blue, almost obsidian under the dim light. Long pointed ears twitched slightly, and deep crimson eyes gleamed with keen interest. Flowing white hair cascaded down the child's back like silk.
'Dark Elf…' Rin guessed immediately, his curiosity piqued. No wonder the place felt so different.
He instinctively looked at the child's Divine Frame to read her basic information:
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Name: Jairah (Dark Elf)
Level: 6
Title: None
Class: Runewood Stalker
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The young dark elf suddenly spoke, but the words were foreign—smooth, sharp syllables that flowed in a completely different rhythm than the human language.
"Mom! I think this human is awake!" Jairah shouted in their own tounge, calling toward the window where the violet leaves swayed gently.
The door suddenly opened and three figures entered the room. Rin's eyes lit up in relief.
Robert and Marissa stood there, alive and safe.
But following them was another presence—one that made even Robert and Marissa step aside with deference.
A tall female dark elf stepped forward with quiet authority. She was covered in flowing robes spun from silver spider silk, the fabric reflected softly beneath the crystal glow, while ancient runes embroidered along the hem shimmered with faint light.
Her long white hair was braided with violet threads, flowing like silk down her back. Intricate silver tattoos—arcane and complex—curved along her exposed neck and wrists, pulsing softly like living runes. Though clearly feminine, her physique was that of a trained warrior—lean, muscular, and perfectly balanced, radiating both grace and strength.
Rin immediately scanned her Divine Frame.
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Name: Jeis Ku'Rak (Dark Elf)
Level: 35
Title: Keeper of Runewood
Class: Runewood Shadow Hunter
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Her very presence radiated authority—a reminder that Rin was now in a realm not ruled by humans.
"I thought this little human was going to sleep for an eternity," Jeis said dryly, her piercing crimson eyes examining Rin with predatory curiosity. "Too bad—I wouldn't have minded a human royal bloodline for dinner."
She turned to Marissa, her expression softening slightly. "So this is the third prince of Aurelus?"
Marissa carefully lifted Rin from the cradle, smiling gently at the child as she handed him over to Jeis's waiting arms.
"Yes. And I believe this child may be the one who will someday save our broken kingdom from the clutches of King Aurelus."
Jeis raised a thin eyebrow, studying Rin closely.
"So... you've raised a Night Crawler's cub to hunt the Night Crawler king?" she mused.
Robert crossed his arms, confidence glinting in his eyes. "This child has far greater potential than his father ever had."
Jeis's voice cooled. "That is, of course, if he lives long enough to fulfill that potential."
Her crimson gaze hardened. "Do not forget, humans. This is Nara Encampment, deep within Runewood territory. Humans are forbidden here. You're lucky my debt to Marissa earns you even this much tolerance. But harboring not one, but two more humans strains even my goodwill."
Robert exhaled slowly, choosing his words with care. "We have no other refuge, Jeis," he said. "Aurelus's agents are everywhere. Mullen Thabaga and even in Pillih, every village I once called safe is now under his web of influence. Only Runewood lies beyond his reach."
Jeis's eyes narrowed, her silver-white brows knitting. "And how can you be so certain of the king's reach?"
Her voice was neither accusing nor curious—it was testing. Measuring the depth of Robert's desperation, weighing the risks of allowing his presence to remain.
Robert did not falter. His voice stayed steady, firm like the trunk of an old oak.
"Because I once served the king."
Even Marissa tensed slightly beside him, glancing at Robert with the faintest flicker of unease. He had never spoken those words aloud in front of her.
Jeis's crimson eyes gleamed sharper, her interest piqued. "Explain."
"For over twenty years," Robert continued, "I roamed the empire as a potion merchant. But my true role was far darker. I was one of Aurelus's shadows—an operative tasked with reporting disloyalty, acquiring information, and eliminating threats before they could rise."
The admission hung in the air like a blade.
Jeis's irises began to glow with faint purple light, swirling like pools of liquid amethyst—her innate ability activating. It was the gift of the Dark Elves, a mind-reading skill few outside their kind had ever seen and lived to tell of.
"So," she murmured, "you were a spy."
"I was," Robert admitted, unflinching beneath her invasive gaze. "But that life is dead. My only loyalty now is to the child. And to ensuring he never walks the path his father carved."
A suffocating silence fell. The room grew heavier with each heartbeat as Jeis's scanning gaze seemed to peer directly into Robert's very soul, stripping away every falsehood, every buried sin.
Even Marissa clutched Rin tighter, her knuckles white against the pale fabric of the baby's swaddling cloth.
Robert, for all his steady words, could not stop the flicker of memory rising behind his eyes.
He remembered all too well the dark elves' brutal response to those who crossed their borders and trust.
Years ago, a caravan of human slavers had dared to snatch young dark elves for profit. Only three dark elves were dispatched—and by sunrise, the slavers had been flayed alive. Their mutilated bodies were hung like grotesque trophies across Runewood's southern border. It was a warning written in blood. Even now, some called it the Scarlet Dusk.
Their brutality was legend. But so too was their unshakable sense of honor—and of debt.
Robert's eyes briefly met Marissa's. She had saved Jairah years ago—a lone child who had wandered too far from the safety of Runewood, nearly killed by a Night Crawler beast. Her act of courage had not gone unnoticed by Jeis, nor forgotten.
"Jeis," Marissa finally spoke, her voice soft but edged with quiet strength. But before she could continue, Robert raised a hand, signaling her to let him finish.
"You may search me," he offered, his voice unwavering. "Use your gift. See for yourself that my words carry no deceit."
Jeis did not respond at first. The swirling purple light deepened within her gaze as she continued scanning him fully, searching every corner of his being—his intentions, his fears, his truths.
Minutes passed. Or perhaps it was seconds that only felt like minutes.
Finally, the glow in Jeis's eyes dimmed and faded, her gaze softening, though the sharpness never left completely.
"You are sincere," she said at last. "But sincerity does not erase danger. Harboring you here places me and my child at great risk. If word reaches the other clans, my protection may not be enough. The council will demand blood."
Her voice was heavy with the reality of the world they now walked.
Before anyone could respond, a new voice rang out—calm, commanding, and utterly unshakable.
"It is fine."
The words were spoken gently, but the power behind them froze every person in the room.
All heads turned toward the doorway.
A tall figure entered, his mere presence shifting the air like the arrival of a powerful storm. His skin was pale and flawless, his long golden hair cascading like golden sunlight across his back. He wore flowing robes of ivory silk embroidered with ancient sigils of the highest authority. Every step carried the grace of one far above common station.
Robert's breath caught instinctively as his Divine Frame activated, feeding him the man's details:
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Name: Mathes Goldhair [ High Elf ]
Level: 54
Title: Scepter of the Elven Sovereign
Class: Stormsong Mage
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Robert's heart pounded. This was no ordinary diplomat but a living weapon of destruction.
Mathes Goldhair—personal advisor and right hand to the Elven Queen herself.
"The Queen already knows of your presence. In fact, the moment you set foot here in Runewood, your lowlife figures are already captured by my eyes." Mathes stated, his tone like a calm but cold that carried hidden currents beneath. "I have already told the queen and she has given her word."
Robert's mouth parted, but no words came. Even Marissa stiffened, her eyes wide with both relief and awe.
Mathes stepped forward, his gaze settling on the infant still resting in Marissa's arms. His golden brows furrowed slightly as he studied the child, as though reading the threads of fate itself woven into Rin's very existence.
"According to Her Majesty," Mathes continued, "the Whisker Oracle has long foreseen this child's arrival. Fate has brought him to us, just as was given on the Prophesy of the Golden Sparrow."
He paused, pressing two fingers to his temple as if massaging away the weight of some previous debate.
"The Oracle has declared that if Runewood is to survive the storm that approaches, this child must be hidden from the other humans and be raised here. Although its against our people's culture to allow such filth, but unfortunately this childs presence is by no means an accident."
The room fell into a deeper silence, as if the air itself dared not stir.
For now, beneath the towering violet trees of Runewood, with ancient debts and strange alliances forging fragile bonds, Rin's path was protected—for a time.
The battle for his future was far from over. But on this day, beneath glowing crystals and watchful crimson eyes, the first pieces of destiny had begun to shift.
Rin, on the other side, looked in shock at the regal-looking elf with glowing blond hair and mumbled in his baby tongue,
"UhooO~"
"Legolas... is that you?"