“Don’t you touch him,” she muttered and then looked to the man, the last one remaining. He lay on the ground a few feet away. His legs were broken from whatever Freya had done to him, and he desperately crawled away from her, terrified.
The elf stepped to the man and flicked her sword clean of the blood coating it. She stood over him and lifted her weapon. He looked at her and his eyes immediately widened.
“Y-you,” he said. “The Traitorous Queen of Iskaeil.”
“Indeed.” She smiled and thrust her sword downwards, cleaving his head clean off his body. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I stared at the elf, my heart thumping inside my chest. I looked to the death around me as my world stood still, frozen by blood and silence.
***
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Traitorous Queen of Iskaeil.
Freya had changed back to her normal form now, the shades of blood no longer part of her body, her longsword no longer a massive weapon of death. She walked around the silent battlefield, kneeling before her victims and shutting their eyes. She uttered a few words before each one and then moved on to the next.
When she finally came to me, she wore a small smile on her face, but her eyes spoke in tones of sorrow. She knew what was going to happen now.
“Freya, what was that?” I asked, standing in the middle of the death she had caused. The bodies of men and women lay around us, some of them recognizable, the others…not so much.
The elf sighed. “I really hoped I wouldn’t have to tell you about any of this, Zoran,” she said. “I really did.”
I frowned. “That doesn’t change the fact that you do,” I said. “Are you going to tell me what all of this means? Or are you just going to keep quiet and let me make my own assumptions?”
“Zoran,” she sighed once more, and her small smile flattened out. Even so, I wasn’t going to back down. I needed to know what was going on here.
I can’t rest easy otherwise, I thought.
Freya took a few steps away and sat herself down on one of the fallen tree trunks. “Fine,” she said.
I stepped closer to her.
“I am not a regular Moon Elf,” she began. “When you last used your Analyze skill on me, you saw a version of my information that I had greatly manipulated. My true race is not exactly one that exists. I am a hybrid being.”
She ran her fingers along the tree bark, and a breath of air escaped her lips. “My mother was the Queen of Iskaeil, a Moon Elf of great strength. My father, however, was a man in the middle of conflict—an exiled prince from a far-off kingdom. He was an outcast, cast away from his home, but my mother loved him dearly.”
What does this have to do with what I asked her? I wondered, but I said nothing.
She went on. “I do not know how the subjects of my kingdom felt about their romance, but they did not intervene in it. My parents’ relationship quickly escalated. However, the moment I was born, my father immediately disappeared, leaving no explanation for why. My mother was distraught, lost for words, but she still stayed strong.”
Freya paused, and her eyes shook, living the very memories she spoke. “My mother diverted all her focus to me and taught me the warrior’s arts every second she could spare. The soothsayers of my kingdom said I would grow to be a powerful ruler, and my mother made sure I exceeded even that. When she finally passed and I took over the throne, I was a ruler that the neighboring kingdoms feared even more than her. The elven soothsayers were filled with joy, telling wild tales of my future fortunes.”
She stopped, and her hands were now trembling. She gripped the tree bark, but the shaking didn’t stop. “That was when it happened for the first time,” she said. “I remember it like it was just yesterday. It was a normal day in the royal court. My generals and I were discussing potential threats to the kingdom when all of a sudden, I felt tremors within me. One moment I was the normal Freya you see, and the next I was…that. Blood-red hair and bloodier eyes.”
Her mouth twitched into a small smile. “The soothsayers of Iskaeil were known to save people from terrible harm,” she chuckled. “But what all of them failed to see was who I really was, or rather who my father really was. He wasn’t an exiled prince. He wasn’t even a Moon Elf.”
Her voice went quiet. “He was a Demon Elf, an elven race so dark and destructive they are said to live only in the lands of death and despair. I do not know if my mother knew of this or not, but it did not change how it affected me. I was a hybrid creature—part Moon Elf, part Demon Elf. A monster.”
That’s where that red-skinned form comes from, I thought.
She sighed. “I was a tainted being, no longer pure enough in the eyes of my subjects,” she said. “They all turned against me, accusing me of knowing who I was all along and hiding it just to gain power for myself. And so I left Iskaeil, not wanting anything to do with a kingdom that had abandoned me.”
She smiled. “And that is the story of why I am the Traitorous Queen of Iskaeil, an elf that can change forms.”
I stood silent, my face expressionless. When that man from the Elite Squad had called her the Traitorous Queen of Iskaeil, I’d panicked, afraid of what Freya had been hiding from me, wondering if her secrets were going to open a rift between us. But after what I’d heard, my mind was too numb to react.
Things slowly began to make sense—why Freya hid her identity, why she was so paranoid about people finding out who she was. My heart ached, resonating with the pain that the Moon Elf was hiding.
“Freya.” My voice was soft. I put my arms around her. “I’m sorry.” I held her close, hugging her gently. Her arms wrapped around me as well, and she leaned her head against my shoulder, her soft hair brushing against my arms. I felt a wet sensation on my skin, and I didn’t need to look to know she was tearing up. My stomach knotted. Freya was the strongest person I knew, and I’d just forced her to tell me something that brought her to tears.
“You idiot,” I muttered.
I held her tight, and we stayed there for what felt like an eternity.
When she finally pulled away from me, she wore a smile on her face. Whether it was forced or not, I didn’t know. “I’m sorry I showed you something unpleasant,” she laughed. She had no tears in her eyes, but her form was still stooped.
I looked at her. “Freya, I—”
She stood up. “We should get a move on,” she said and walked away.
Should I say something? I wondered, but decided against it. I followed her silently as we made our way through the forest yet again. And as always, I couldn’t help but think about what had just happened.
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to explain everything. I looked at the elf.
DING!
My Analyze screen popped up in front of me, even though all I’d done was look at her head.
“Not now,” I muttered and went to dismiss it.
And then I noticed the numbers it displayed.
Name
Freya
Race
Demon Moon Elf
Level
506
My breath caught in my lungs. What the heck? I thought. I had known Freya was actually stronger than the Level 47 I’d analyzed her to be before, but this was just insane! Her numbers were beyond what my mind could even comprehend at this moment.
DING!
Congratulations! You have advanced a skill.
Analyze Level 3!
Screens will stay hidden from other eyes for 10 seconds after generation. You can now also view information about racial characteristics of the subject being analyzed.
Effect 1
Screens will generate 30% faster
Racial characteristics? I looked at the screen that was in front of me. There wasn’t any new information on the screen about the racial characteristics, and so I did the next best thing—tapped on the race subdivision.
A new screen opened, populating itself with text.
Racial characteristics cannot be accu
rately determined for subjects of mixed blood or race.
Moon Elf:
A powerful subclass of an elf. Moon Elves are nocturnal creatures that prefer silence and calm over anything else. They are known for their high magical affinity, and especially for their very high affinity for the Light Arts. Their magical prowess and physical strength increase as the moon approaches its full moon phase.
Demon Elf:
A powerful and rare subclass of an elf. Demon Elves are creatures of the dark and are not looked upon favorably by other elf subclasses. They are known for their pronounced love for causing death and destruction. Unlike most elven subclasses, Demon Elves are physically very strong creatures and have a high magical affinity for the Dark Arts. Their strength and vigor are said to increase the more despair and darkness they are surrounded by.
I read the text and immediately noticed there were many contradictory traits between the two different races. For one, the Moon Elves were peaceful and calm, while the Demon Elves lived for chaos. I wondered if that meant Freya as a person was made of two things that couldn’t really coexist with each other. What would that mean in the long run?
Freya chuckled. “Analyzing me, are you?”
She knew. I quickly swiped across the screen, dismissing it.
“I didn’t really mean to do that,” I said. “I accidentally summoned the screen and—”
“It’s fine, Zoran.” She turned around, a smile on her face. “There were many things that I kept hidden from everyone. I wouldn’t blame you if you were still curious about who I am.”
“It’s not like that,” I said.
“Really?” she chuckled. “Do you not have any further questions, then?”
“I don’t have—” I stopped. “Okay, I might have one.”
She smiled. “Let’s hear it.”
“What are those runes that were on your body before?” I asked. “Back when I first saw them, I genuinely wondered if you were under control of the Phantom Lord as well.”
“Maybe I am.”
I took a step back. “What?”
“Kidding,” she chuckled. “Those runes…they’re to keep my demon side locked inside me. It’s a seal of sorts.”
“You have a seal?” I blinked. “Why?”
“When my demon side first appeared, I could not control it, and so I went on big rampages, destroying things around my palace. I never hurt anyone, but I wasn’t far from it either. I knew I had to do something about it, and so I went to the people who I still trusted most—a few strong wizards and mages. I asked them to cast a seal on me so my demon side would never take complete control of my body again.”
“Oh,” I said. She’s been through a lot.
“I know what happened today did make me seem like a savage, but it’s extremely civilized compared to what might have happened if I didn’t have the seal.”
I stayed silent. Hopefully I don’t get to see what uncivilized Demon Elves are like, I thought.
“Listen, I don’t want you to worry about this, okay?” she said. “I won’t attack you, ever. Demon form or not.”
“I know.” I smiled. “I trust you, Freya.”
“Thank you,” she said. “Oh, and one more thing. My demon form, as you might have seen in your Analyze screen, is aggravated by darkness. So, every time there’s a new moon, my Moon Elf side weakens and my Demon Elf side becomes extremely strong. That’s the only time my Demon Elf side might break the seal on its own. But even then, it’d be too weak to take complete control of me. Still, I just wanted you to know. We’ve got a long way ahead of us, and I don’t want you to freak out if something happens in between.”
“I understand,” I said.
“Phew,” she said. “I guess I’ve answered all your questions with that, then.”
“Well…,” I said.
Her eyes looked at me teasingly. “What else do you have?”
“It’s not exactly a question, but when I used my Analyze skill on you two times before this, both screens gave me falsified information. Was that because of your illusion magic?”
She nodded. “Light Arts are strong with illusion magic,” she said. “I was able to manipulate what kind of information people saw of me. What you see on your screen now is truly what I am. A Level 506 Demon Moon Elf. However, I get to that level only when I break out of my seal.”
“What?”
“Every seal has a price you must pay,” she said. “I sacrifice my power in levels in order to seal off my demon side.”
I stared at her. “Wait, so your seal pushes you all the way down to a Level 47?”
“I know it sounds silly,” she sighed. “But that’s how it is. My seal is going to take complete control over me in a few minutes, so if you analyze me later, I should be back to my Level 47 self.”
I stood silent. That was a ton of power to sacrifice just to keep her demon side under control. But it was wrong for me to judge her. I didn’t know any of the true hardships she faced because of the demon side within her. I didn’t know of the things she’d gone through because of that thing.
We continued walking, and neither of us said a word to each other. The only sounds in the air were those of the leaves against the wood and our feet against the ground. A gentle breeze blew through from time to time, setting a chilling sensation on my face.
I couldn’t tell how long we’d been walking, but when Freya finally stopped, my arms were sore and parts of my legs were numb. I didn’t know if dawn had broken yet—courtesy of the dense canopy above us—but the darkness had lightened up a bit.
I shuffled up to the elf. “Are we taking a break soon?” I asked.
“No.” She pointed to a gap in the grove in front of us. “We’re here.”
I followed her finger and noticed a small house built within the thick of the trees, hidden well by dense branches and leaves.
“Grand Wizard Krof,” I mumbled. We made our way through the vegetation and walked up to his door. “Is he really going to kill us on sight?” I asked.
“Well, only one way to find out.” Freya smiled and knocked on his door.
I listened to the silence that came after and tried to pick up the slightest noise within it.
The door thudded open and an old man stood there, a grumpy expression on his face. He was dressed in robes of midnight blue and had a small stoop in his posture.
“Don’t keep standing out there,” he said and walked inside, leaving the door open.
He seems nicer than I expected. I looked at Freya. She shrugged her shoulders and followed him in. I stood out for a second longer, a little paranoid if he was actually going to attack us, and then finally decided to go inside as well.
The wood under my foot stayed firm as I stepped into the sole room of the house. A fireplace sat on the wall to the far side, its architecture similar to the one back at Ijyela’s house. Two chairs sat in front of it, and the flames cast a dance of shadows onto the wooden walls. The old man sat down on one while we stood in front of the door.
“Well?” He looked at us. “Are you going to take a seat or not? Ijyela said you have something important to talk about.”
“She did?” Freya blinked.
“She used the Ga’em messaging service to talk to me,” he said. “She knew the only way to get my attention was to tell me about what was going on, and I do have to say, this is the most interesting case I’ve heard of in my life. And I’ve lived a long, long time.”
“That’s…quite some praise.” Freya frowned.
“Anyway.” He turned to me. “You’re the Eternal with the Death Seal? The one the Phantom Lord is coming after?”
I froze. He’s talking about it so nonchalantly, I thought. So far everyone had shown me extreme reactions while talking about either the Eternals or the Phantom Lord. This man, however, was subdued in that respect.
“Well?” He raised an eyebrow. “Are you the Eternal?”
I nodded.
He reclined back in his chair. “Good,” h
e said. “Here’s what I know. There have been certain odd presences stirring around here in the past few months. At the start, they were all spread around various parts of the Viridian Forest. I tried going after them to see what they were, but I found nothing when I reached the spots where I’d sensed them.”
“That’s odd,” I said.
“Indeed,” he said. “But then, about two months ago, I sensed the presences all conjoin at a location within the Dargonian Empire. And for just a moment, I felt the aura of something much greater than anything else I’ve felt before.”
“The Phantom Lord,” I whispered.
“I am still not entirely sure that is whom I sensed,” he said. “But the evidence that Ijyela has given me does lead to that conclusion. Ijyela herself seems quite confident that what I sensed was indeed the Phantom Lord.”
Huh. I blinked. I thought Ijyela wasn’t that sure if the Phantom Lord had actually come back, though.
“And where exactly was the point these presences conjoined at?” Freya asked.
“The Heartfelt Ruins,” he said.
She blinked. “That place is completely abandoned. Why would they meet there?”
“I am as clueless as you are.”
“What about the presences themselves? Have you sensed any of them since?”
“Not as often. They’ve all turned fainter, but a few of them are still at the ruins.”
Freya looked at me. “Then that’s where we should—”
The roof broke and sent wood and metal shattering against the floor. I dove for cover, dodging the debris from above. A jumble of rocks thudded into the wooden walls, crushing through it. What the heck is going on? I picked myself back up and turned around to face the destruction behind me. Wait a minute. I blinked. I wasn’t looking at just a jumble of rocks, but a jumble of rocks shaped like a hand.
The Eternal: A Boxed Set (World of Ga'em Book 6) Page 16
