Pillars of Ita

Chapter 1248: Ripples on the Sea of ​​Light VI

There were two candidates for the Saint, and now that Isildur was dead, the only one left was Lilandel of the Ironthorn Family. But Autumn Forest could not retreat again and again, especially when the opponent used such a despicable method.

"There is another way." Quel'dra gently put down Isil's body and said to the three people - Fang He noticed that her eyes fell on him, "I am also Greenhill, with the blood of the stars. I can replace Isil."

"No," Elf King Eloris interrupted her firmly. "You haven't been recognized by the unicorns, the sacred forest will not open its doors to you, and you can't become a tree keeper, Zoya."

"I cannot be a tree keeper, but I can close the door of the Ash Forest. The tree will not look down upon me as it did upon Isildur, but as a member of Greenhill, it is enough for me to be part of the 'door' for a short time."

She smiled faintly, her eyes as gentle as ever, as if she was talking about something insignificant:

"Don't be sad, Eloris. This will buy us thirty years until you choose another great saint to inherit this path. In this way, the elves and the holy tree can be redeemed. The future... will be handed over to you and Soria."

Eloris shook his head. "We may have other options. Let the Ironthorn family and the people of the council get what they want. I can overcome all objections and suppress the dissatisfaction of the nobles. Time will heal the rift. In the final analysis, this is just a contradiction among the elves."

"Isil's death cannot be in vain," Quel'Dora looked at him and said firmly. "I have no prejudice against that girl Lilandel, but there are too many doubts in this conspiracy. Only the Dark Saints can easily take away someone's starlight. Eloris, are you really confident in handing the 'Gate' to them?"

The Elf King's gaze fell on the girl. The trees in the courtyard cast a silent shadow on him. On one side was his ideal, and on the other was his lover. What choice should he make?

……

"The Elf King has agreed to our choice and decided to nominate Lilandel as the candidate for the Saint."

"Great! This way the conflict between the Elven Court and the Parliament can come to an end, and the Holy Tree can survive."

"As expected of the wisest king of this generation, he defied all odds and put aside his personal likes and dislikes."

Fang He seemed to be traveling in the long river of time, constantly hearing the whispers overflowing from the fragments of memory and falling into his ears.

The Elf King Eloris began to implement his plan, suppressed internal opposition, acted on his own, and continued to reject Soria and Quel'drala's requests to see him, day after day.

Until one day, the elf girl broke open the door, and a group of Sons of Light chased her into the hall, pointing their spears at the uninvited guest.

"Eloris, my love, my dear king, you can't be so stubborn any longer," Quel'Dora's face was full of pleading, "You can't appoint Lilandel as the gatekeeper."

"You are the one who is stubborn, Zoya," Eloris sat on his throne. The elegant king of the past was long gone. It was as if a stranger was sitting there, looking at his former lover with indifferent eyes, "Isir is dead, and you should let go of your hatred. Of course, we will not let any murderer go, but this has nothing to do with Lilandel, she is qualified to bear this responsibility."

"Eloris, you don't think so," the elf girl shook her head vigorously, "You want to use her to replace me. But Isil is innocent, and so is Lilandel. Put aside your paranoia, my king, you know that you are on the wrong path, and hatred cannot bring the right results--"

"You are too self-righteous, Quel'dra," the Elf King said coldly, "Guards, please take Lady Quel'dra away. The Elven Court's plan is only related to the survival of the Holy Tree. I must be responsible for Lady Nature's oracle. This is not a personal relationship between you and me."

Fang He watched the guards take the elf girl away. It was a dragon knight, but she did not resist.

He saw only deep disappointment in her eyes.

Fang He turned his head. For a moment, he finally saw a familiar shadow in the Elf King. Just like two hundred years later, the king sat on his throne indifferently, watching his lover leave with a complicated and painful look, like a trapped beast.

From that day forward, the wind stopped blowing through the leaves of the trees, and the forest kept silent about the King of the Elves.

In a trance, Eloris saw the shadow again.

"My cruel king, you sacrificed an innocent person for another innocent person, and replaced one life with another. You said something very high-sounding, but in the end, what you did was no different from what we did."

"You sweet-talking monster, revenge in this world must be just. I am just answering that innocent girl in the Ironthorn family's own way. When they stabbed someone's chest with a knife, they should know that one day the same fate will befall them."

The old Elf King looked at the shadows flowing before him, "If we cannot respond to hatred with hatred, how should we respond to selflessness and love?"

"Ah, hypocritical king," the shadow smiled and said, "but you know the answer in your heart. 'Wrong means cannot bring about the right results, and paranoid ideals will only bury upright beliefs, just as hatred will only bring hatred, and blood will only be repaid with blood.'"

There was no one left in the hall, only the constant mocking voice echoed.

The lonely king sat on his throne.

Fang He turned around and walked into the darkness.

Just as every story has an end, behind the yellowed pages of the book, the memory has finally reached its final moment.

The agreed time finally arrived, but just like this story did not have a happy ending, the regrets about the past were written on every page of the book.

Fang He woke up from his dream and saw flames all over the sky. The sea of ​​fire almost set the sky on fire, turning the autumn woods into a sea of ​​red.

He heard screams, women sobbing, palaces and courtyards collapsing in fire and wind, and sparks flying above the treetops.

A figure rushed in and placed his hands on his shoulders. Quel'Dra looked at him seriously and spoke to him word by word:

"...Listen carefully, little Morning Star, don't be afraid. Everything will be over soon. The Elven Court and the Sacred Forest will return to their original state. In the long time, disasters will not come again. I will protect you, every one of you..."

"I'm sorry about Isild. It was my fault that I failed to protect her. Eloris did a lot of wrong things, but I am also responsible for all of this. I don't blame him, but I must take responsibility..."

Quildra gently smoothed the messy hair on his forehead with her hands, just like an elf lady carefully smoothing his hair, and the two figures seemed to overlap at this moment.

"I'm sorry. I may not be able to accompany you any longer. Please apologize to Soria... to His Majesty for me. Little Morning Star, one day in the future, you will understand all of this. You will understand me and Isil... One day, you will get the real answer."

"Originally, Isil and I could have fought for that day to come for you, but now, we no longer have the chance. Please remember what I said, remember everything you saw today, hatred will never bring the right results, don't hate anyone, just remember them, don't let the tragedy happen again -"

"Little Morning Star, promise me."

Fang He woke up from his trance and nodded slightly.

Then he saw the elf girl leave resolutely. She closed the door, and the world behind the door was shattered. The shadow in his memory could no longer maintain a concrete image.

Memory ends——

And the girl never came back.

Fang He felt tears rolling down his cheeks, but those feelings did not belong to him. He finally realized that in these pictures, there was another perspective.

Sylvie plays the role of Isildur.

And what about him?

After the world collapsed, in the endless void before the eyes, there was only the door through which the girl left, standing in the boundless darkness.

Fang He looked at the door and knew that it was time for him to leave.

He put his hand on the door handle and pushed it gently, and then he walked out of the mist of history. The goddess of fate placed all the threads in this place to guide them out of this maze.

Outside the maze, he saw a familiar figure—Sylvie, who was sleeping peacefully, lying on a patch of moss. Not far from her, the elf lady was standing in the middle of the woods holding a holy staff.

It was a lush and green forest that seemed like a dream. In the center of the forest, a holy white tree rose from the ground, and the flame of divinity was burning on its trunk.

And under the flames was another gorgeous woman—Selina Elris, the bishop of the Congregation of the Holy Virgin whom they had met once before.

"It seems you are a step late," Selina was looking at him and sneering, "But if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found this place."

But Fang He was not surprised at all. From the moment he knew how a new god should be born, he understood that the Dark Saints must have a backup plan.

Besides, he already knew most of the inside information from the drawings given to them by Arryn Ironheart - even the fact that the bishop was still alive.

"You're not surprised at all?" Selina was slightly startled. "So that's why you had to get here no matter what, even though you knew I was following you—"

"But what gave you the courage?" she asked. "Is it just blind emotion like the Elf King?"

Attila Greenhill All Stars turned around and looked at the young man behind her with a gentle gaze. There was no blame in her eyes, only relief and tenderness.

"So, is this the end of the story?" Fang He asked her after a long absence, "Miss Attila?" The elf lady nodded slightly.

At that time, she also liked to call her Little Morning Star.

"Isir grew up with her. She is my aunt. Little Morning Star is the nickname she gave me."

The elf lady spoke softly, as if narrating a story from the past, "Isir is my cousin. In fact, the one who was truly blessed by the Holy Tree was not her, but me—"

"For the sake of his lover, Eloris, the Elf King, forced Lilandel from the Ironthorn family to take the throne, but he did not tell anyone the truth. On the day she became the tree keeper, the Son of Light pushed this innocent girl into the Gray Forest..."

"But hatred cannot lead to the right results. In endless despair and resentment, Lilandel traded her soul to the Dark Saints. She used herself as an anchor to bring the power of the Soul Devourer Amatus into this holy land, and as a result, the Holy White Tree was severely polluted."

"Everything was irreversible, but at the last moment, Quel'Dra sacrificed herself and hid the 'door' and 'key' in the mist again. Lady of Withering burned out the divine fire and suppressed the breath of the world of death within the sacred forest - and the goddess of fate, Elaine, designed to lead the soul-eater Amatus into her own labyrinth."

"So far, all the fates and prophecies about the past two hundred years have been blocked, and the branches of the Holy White Tree have been hidden in the mist. Until one day, the Lady of Withering ran out of power, and the maze of fate could no longer control the dark monarch, so the disaster came back again, and gray and white stripes spread and grew on the Holy Tree."

Just as every question has an answer, every cause has a result. And she is the end of that story.

So Little Morning Star is exactly Miss Attila’s perspective.

She is the last person to witness the incident that happened two hundred years ago, besides the Elf King, Sword Saint Soria, and Miss Tata's mother.

The elf lady held the holy staff in her hand and told the story tenderly.

Just as she had lost everything, experienced everything, and witnessed everything there many years ago; and many years later, she once again returned to this sacred forest.

This is the place where Quel'Dra once left.

Only this time, she was no longer alone.

"There is another version of that story," Selina said sarcastically, "After Lilandel's innocent death, the Ironthorn family was targeted by both sides and never recovered from it."

"The broken families were scattered everywhere, most of them chose to hide their identities and live in poverty, generation after generation."

"One of them chose the surname Elris and, using this pseudonym, they regained their status step by step."

"When I was young, I grew up in such an environment where I was looked down upon, until I returned to Silver Wind Harbor and took back the position of bishop of the Saint's Church—"

Selina showed a hateful expression and said hysterically: "But what did we do wrong? The plan was drawn up by the Linoril Council, and the assassins were also sent by them, but in the end we have to bear all of this?"

"As for the innocent girl who was killed by Eloris, Lilandel didn't know about it from the beginning to the end. She died innocently at the hands of each of you."

"Regarding Lilandel," Attila said calmly, "I'm sorry, but no one wants to see that happen. Quel'dra and Soria both tried their best, but it wasn't just Eloris who opposed her at the time—"

Because the parliament also needs her to become a saint.

The two were not even present when the final rites were performed.

And that was exactly why Soria later chose to leave the Elf Court and parted ways with the Elf King, becoming strangers to each other.

But Selina smiled indifferently, "You don't have to apologize to me, because without all this, there would be no me, no us."

She gave a strange smile, "At the most desperate moment, Lilandel turned to my master. She sold her soul to them and was reborn—"

"One hundred and seventy years ago, thirty years after Lilandel's death, after a reincarnation at the Gate of the Sacred Tree, a twin soul fetus was born at Silverwind Harbor."

"That's me and my twin sister."

As Selina spoke, she extended her hand toward the Holy White Giant Tree. "I know your plan. Use the Great Saint as a seal to hide the 'door' and the 'key' once again. And this time, the truly chosen person will return to correct the mistake made two centuries ago—"

"The divine fire of Lady Withering will soon burn out, and the power of darkness will be completely expelled from this sacred forest. The rules will not be vacant, and a new god will be born in Ataria."

"From now on, your plan will be complete again. The legacy of the tree keeper will continue in an orderly manner, from the hands of Her Royal Highness the Princess to the next person, the next era, until you have completely solved this problem."

"It was a perfect arrangement," Selina said, "but unfortunately, it was still a step too late."

"Now the twins' souls have come to this place. Unfortunately, her origins were shaped by you, but she does not belong to you. The split soul and boundless hatred will shape a new dark god."

She turned around and squinted her eyes at the two of them. "Attila, Quel'dra, and Eloris, let me ask you, do you regret it?"

The elf lady raised her holy staff and stood in front of Fang He.

Selina looked at Fang He, "Mortal, are you willing to see her die in front of you?"

Atila turned around and pursed her lips, as if to remember this moment, with a gentle look in her eyes. "I had planned to have the elders receive you well and then send you off, but I guess that didn't happen."

Fang Yu shook his head.

Even if the Holy Forest received them courteously, he would not change his decision. Besides, he did not come to this place unprepared.

"Ed, you can't fix this."

"I have dreamt of today's scene more than once. In the dream, Isildur is still alive - that person, she still calls me Little Morning Star."

"Everyone was still there then, and we were still happily living in that time."

"But people's happiness must be based on someone being able to take responsibility. I have received too much kindness and it is impossible for me to selfishly forget those sacrifices."

"Ed, I still remember what she said then—"

But Fang He looked at the elf lady silently and still shook his head.

"Ha," Selina looked at the two of them jokingly, "See, just like the Elf King, this is the emotion of mortals, indecisive and selfish."

Her voice was a little sharp:

"Yes, it was you who killed an innocent girl with your own hands and destroyed your own hopes."

But Fang He just withdrew his gaze and looked at the woman.

He seemed to see the shadow from the past, the same shadow that had once gossiped in front of the Elf King Eloris, and the two shadows were overlapping into one on this woman.

He finally spoke:

"You can try."

"what?"

"I say, you can try," Fang He stretched out his hand, "I'll give you a chance to conceive of divinity and depict a new god from the divine fire."

"To touch the grey flame, isn't that your purpose? Please."

Selina was stunned for a moment.

"Ed?" Miss Elf looked at him with some confusion.

But Fang He had a blank expression on his face, and there was even a hint of mockery in his eyes as he looked at Selina.

……