Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

Why do we say that Aisha and Kunos are a couple?

The Eternal Queen of Avalon and Orion of Azsor Loren share many similarities in their lineage and essence. To put it bluntly, the Eternal Queen is essentially a female version of Orion, while Orion is a male version of the Eternal Queen.

Although one is in Ulthuan and the other in Azsorloth, no matter how the form changes, the essence is the same cycle of reincarnation and inheritance.

In some stories and novels, the main characters often have a personal grandfather or a special opportunity or advantage that helps them grow.

However, the Eternal Queen and Orion are completely different. They do not carry the souls of an old man or an old woman. The number of Orion's predecessors is unknown, as time is unstable in Atholloren. But the tenth Eternal Queen carries at least eight. The reason for eight, and not nine, is that the soul of the first Eternal Queen was captured by Slaanesh.

The wisdom, skills, experiences, and will accumulated by these predecessors have deposited the experiences, strengths, and failures of past generations into the bodies and souls of their successors.

Unfortunately, these two inheritors are often not the main characters in the story. They possess power and inheritance, but are unable to truly digest or unleash its potential.

So they became the background on the stage, like people who possess endless treasures but can't unlock the key.

But once it is truly ignited, it means "climbing the steps"—ascending the steps to the finish line of those who came before, taking that as a new starting point, and then stepping onto higher steps.

This accumulation is like the code of the Shishi Mountain... no, it's more like the iteration of civilization and power.

Each generation is stronger than the last, truly surpassing their predecessors.

Of course, the premise is that one must be able to digest this power and inheritance; otherwise, even the most generous gift will become a burden.

In another timeline, Estrel is eventually poisoned to death by Julian.

Clearly, she never activated that inheritance before her death; otherwise, she wouldn't have perished so easily in the conspiracy. Her entire life trajectory was like an empty... vase, beautiful yet fragile, unable to fulfill the role that should have been hers.

Her daughter, Ella Riley, clearly activated the legacy at some point, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to manifest herself on countless occasions at the end, nor would she have continued to be a key figure in the next era.

Now… Estrel has been awakened, and a new turning point has emerged. The gears of fate have been set in motion anew.

Ella Reilly: Am I not going to have any scenes left?

And all the turning points were inseparable from Liver and Darkus.

Perhaps only a unique spellcaster like Liv in the entire elven spellcasting system can do this. Her experiences in Azsorloth allowed her to glimpse the essence of Orion; and during her years in Ashirael, she continued to cultivate and accumulate knowledge, further enhancing her spellcasting abilities.

Darkus's role was simple: he merely connected the two, establishing a link that had never existed before.

Upon hearing the Eternal Queen sit up abruptly from her deathbed, Darkus gave Liv a thumbs-up, his face filled with heartfelt admiration. That admiration wasn't simply for Liv's magical prowess, but for her decisive action in that life-or-death moment. Even though Liv hadn't verbally recounted her inner struggle, he could sense the pressure she faced and the desperate courage she displayed.

Without treatment, death is certain; with treatment, there is a chance of death.

In matters of faction and politics, Liv is on his side. If Liv were to kill the Eternal Queen... the ensuing reaction would be a chain reaction of an immeasurable storm.

Darkus certainly wouldn't hold a grudge against Liv; that's always been his nature—he never shirks his responsibilities. On the contrary, he would take on the political pressure for Liv. Although Liv's timing was unfortunate, coinciding with this incident, he was the one who sent her, and it was never his style to shift the blame if something went wrong.

He didn't ask any questions, didn't hold her hand and use it as a microphone to interview her, and didn't ask any stupid questions, such as why she inserted the divination staff into the Eternal Queen's body instead of just sticking it on the ground; nor did he try to find out what spell she used or what kind of stimulation she underwent.

If he actually asked those questions, it would only make him seem shallow and ridiculous, and besides, we're in a meeting right now, so that's not the point.

Of course, he also knew...

At that time, the land beside the Eternal Queen had already been polluted. If the staff were to be driven into the ground, it would only hasten the Eternal Queen's death, leaving her no chance of recovery.

As for magic, it was one of Liv's unique skills, "Dream Weaver".

It is an extremely rare secret art, mastered only by prophets. Outsiders may think that dream weaving sounds like nothing more than a trick to help people get a good night's sleep, but those who truly understand it know that it is a dangerous art that directly confronts the soul and the subconscious.

The art of dream weaving requires the preparation of matching herbs and powder made from owl droppings.

Otto: ?
It sounds strange enough, but it's necessary.

The spellcaster weaves an extremely intricate magical web into herbs and powders, thereby influencing the dreams of those who inhale the powders.

Dream weaving can stimulate the subconscious of the person being affected. The specific details of the dream are determined by the caster, thus obtaining the result desired by the caster.

It can allow a patient suffering from recurring nightmares to have a peaceful and pleasant night of dreams, or it can plunge the patient into an endless nightmare of terror.

Sometimes, it can be used to convey specific messages, but how these messages are interpreted is entirely up to the recipient. It can sow doubt and incite conflict, or it can soothe anxieties; it can fabricate omens in dreams, giving people revelations, or it can create illusions, driving people onto a predetermined path.

In short, this spell is incredibly versatile, and its effects are entirely a deep-seated mental struggle.

However, the current Liv no longer needs to rely on those auxiliary materials. With her current strength, she can simply wave her hand to make her target fall directly into a dream, and then use her powerful will to weave the structure and direction of the dream.

It was a perfect combination of strength, experience, and belief.

While guiding the dream-weaving magic, Liv also used the divination staff as a medium to connect its power with the bloodline of the Eternal Queen, further strengthening the connection between Estrel and the successive Eternal Queens.

And so, at the crossroads of death and life, darkness and light, Estrel sat up.

As for how Darkus knew about the Dreamweaver spell... he had heard Lief tell him about it, although he had never tried it himself.

In other words, only Liv could pull off this job; no one else could imitate it. But that's not why Darkus liked Liv; he liked Liv's personality.

Emotion is mixed with reason, and reason is hidden within emotion.

Liver might hesitate or waver on minor matters, but she's never ambiguous when it comes to truly important things. She's the kind of ruthless person who can remain calm and make decisions in the eye of the storm—a truly ruthless person, through and through.

However, Lever's next words caused Darkus's expression to change. In short, a fight broke out.

Although the cultists were mixed in with the enemy's ranks, they were just small fry; the real main force consisted of a large number of Slaanesh demons.

The first thing the Eternal Queen did after rising to her feet was not to issue orders, but to express her gratitude to Lief with sincere eyes. Her second action was to raise her slender yet majestic arms and, with extraordinary power, rapidly melt the thick snow around her, allowing the ice to dissipate into flowing streams that nourished the tree roots.

The ancient trees trembled and awoke at her call, their branches twisting and their roots rising from the ground. The entire forest seemed to transform into an organic army, exposing the pursuing enemy in the open space.

As is well known, Slaanesh demons do not possess much aerial power...

Thus, the battle situation became clear.

The two colossal dragons naturally became the core offensive force on the battlefield. They soared high, swooping and circling, their scorching breath and poisonous mist mingling in the air, pouring down like a torrent of molten gold onto the enemy ranks on the ground, accompanied by a pungent stench of burning flesh and agonizing screams. Meanwhile, the creatures on their backs did not hesitate, unleashing a deluge of arrows and spells as if they were free.

Although the Slaanesh chariots charged across the open ground, their attempts were ultimately unsuccessful. The Eternal Queen and Liv acted almost simultaneously, their iron-chain-like roots erupting from the ground to firmly bind the ornately decorated chariots. Entangled by giant trees and locked with iron roots, the wheels and horses were forcibly fixed to the ground, losing their momentum and power, becoming mere prey to be slaughtered.

The Eternal Queen on the open ground was like a torch in the night, or a lighthouse on the shore. Her tall figure and the surrounding radiance drew more and more Avalon sisters to her, and those who had fled from the various passages of the Winterwood Palace found their way and saw hope.

However, these people did not rashly approach the core battlefield, but instead moved cautiously along the edge of the trees. Besides the fact that they were unarmed and unable to participate in a battle of this scale, the more important reason was that their ranks were infiltrated by enemies and cultists.

The enemy's true core strength has finally appeared: three enormous guardians.

They formed a triangular formation and approached the battlefield; however, unfortunately, their arrival did not produce the expected deterrence or division.

Fenrir possessed exceptional magical skill, and a high-level spell called "Fenrir's Light" was even named after him. This spell didn't cause the caster to glow; instead, a white pillar of fire appeared, lifting the caster into the air, allowing them to overlook the entire battlefield and cast spells normally. The caster was immune to arrow attacks, but not to flying units or melee attacks. If the pillar of fire was dispelled, the caster could safely float back to the ground via a conduit.

However, the Light of Fenrir has undergone a completely new transformation in Fenrir's hands.

The flying spell transformed into a barrage of magical missiles, raining down relentlessly. He had developed the Arcane Disintegration into a multi-stage attack, primarily designed to torment large targets, leaving them with no choice but to either dodge or not; against smaller targets, it was a swift and decisive kill.

Thus, before these three guardians could even approach the core area of ​​the open space, they were overwhelmed by a torrent of missiles, dragon breath, arrows, and magic. They screamed, roared, and resisted, but ultimately could not withstand the overwhelming onslaught. Their figures gradually twisted and crumbled under the onslaught, and they were finally banished completely.

As for those lustful demons who are like clay chickens and earthen dogs?

They were no match for the elven army. The sword saints had already made their move, their blades as sharp as the wind and their swords as powerful as thunder. Waves of enemies were cut down and fell on the snow. Their beautiful, twisted figures fell one after another, turning into debris and howls.

Dakos glanced at Fenrir, who calmly returned his gaze before lowering his eyes back to the table.

This is clearly wrong.

Based on his understanding of Fenrir, the latter would never respond with mere silence in such a situation. Whether it was a sarcastic remark, a veiled inference, or something else, that was Fenrir's consistent style.

This is an underlying logic that time cannot change; it is a kind of inevitability inherent in one's character.

The current calm, ironically, makes people uneasy.

"How did the demon come to be?" He tapped the table, the sound echoing in the silent council chamber.

The underlying logic is this: demons never appear out of thin air. They need a medium, a rift, some kind of trigger to guide or summon them. The twilight tide, the imbalance of magical winds, and some kind of sacrificial ritual are all common channels.

This time, however, three guardians of the secrets suddenly appeared. These beings are not like cabbages sold in bulk by the ton; they cannot be casually released into the mortal world.

Silence filled the air.

Finally, Schrinassto stood up, his expression grave, as if he were organizing his thoughts. Following closely behind, Arelani and Asantir also rose. Their movements were remarkably synchronized, giving Darkus the unsettling impression that they were like students who had made a mistake, forced to bow their heads before their teacher.

“After all the demons were banished, we launched a campaign to hunt down and exterminate the cultists…” Schrinassto began.

"And then?" Darkus frowned slightly, and seeing the Demon Swordsman abruptly stop halfway through his sentence, he couldn't help but ask.

“The next day…” Schrinassto’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “We found a ranger named Vidor in the forest, dragging a corpse.”

This time, the Demon Swordsman's words still trailed off, as if the second half of his sentence was too difficult to utter, something even someone as powerful as him couldn't say directly.

But this time, Darkus didn't press the issue, because his underlying mechanism had been triggered.

If he wasn't mistaken, he recognized this ranger named Vidor; the memory was so vivid it felt like yesterday. He had sparred with this man in Nagarond.

Vidor's archery skills were simply superb; he wielded a large bow with unparalleled skill, his arrows fast and accurate, almost flawless. Moreover, he wasn't limited to archery; he was also a master swordsman, nimble yet deadly.

Of course, these are not enough to make him stand out; there are others as well.

As for why Vidor was in the forests of Avalon... he was, of course, a spy. He was sent there under Darkus's direction; he was a mole planted beside the Eternal Queen to gather intelligence and be on standby at any time.

Schrinassto's gaze shifted, landing on Arelani and Asantir, clearly intending to pass the problem on to his companion.

"Hosa Fay?" Before they could speak, Darkus uttered a name himself, his voice low but carrying an unwavering certainty.

“Yes…” Schrinassto was surprised at first, then nodded with difficulty, as if squeezing the words out of his throat would exhaust all his strength.

"No wonder."

The cause and effect were finally connected, and the answer gradually emerged.

Everything clicked.

Clues, suspicions, and omens all found their place at this moment. (End of Chapter)