Star Forest was a massive forest that extended across the entire northern border of Cloud Kingdom.
As Spider had said back when it was just him and Kail, the forest radiated dark mana. But it was faint and it was only after they passed the barrier that the amount jumped in density.
It was enough to force them to stop and adapt to the sudden pressure from the mana. Esmerelda shuddered. To her, it felt like the mana was crawling along her skin like bugs. She brushed her arms off but the feeling wouldn't go away.
To Kail, Spider, and Nova, the mana was like a comforting warm blanket. Their bodies absorbed the mana immediately.
Kail felt his mana pool filling up, eagerly taking in the abundance of dark mana. Kail had no doubt that he could strengthen his body just by meditating in this area of the forest. A smile came to his face.
Even Spider and Nova were smiling. The mare was unaffected by it. Animals were naturally attuned to every type of mana.
"It's good to be home," Nova said as they continued their journey.
Nova led them to the five-pointed star clearing. It was a walk that took about ten minutes.
The clearing itself was massive. Kail estimated it to be about a kilometer in width. Nova stopped at the edge and Kail looked around the empty clearing, wondering why he had stopped.
Nova began speaking in a different language, causing Kail to look at him. Only Kail could understand what he was saying. From the context of the words, Kail assumed it to be an opening spell. As if to answer his thoughts, the air rippled like water and a village rippled into view in the clearing.
Esmerelda let out a soft gasp as the group watched with great interest. Nova stepped into the clearing as soon as the ripples stopped.
The bustling village of elves quieted down as soon as the barrier around the village showed signs of life. Everyone looked their way as a tall man walked towards them from the crowd, two women following close behind him.
Instead of the silver outlining of facial features that Nova had, his were gold. He had an air of authority and nobility about him. He wore luxurious robes that reminded Kail of ancient Chinese fashions. He felt a bit homesick as he studied the man.
The man smiled as his gaze rested on Nova. "Welcome home, Nova. I'm glad to see my son safely return. Though, why so soon? What happened to your teaching job?" His orange, purple, and red mixed eyes went to each person behind Nova.
Kail was surprised to learn this man was Nova's father.
Nova frowned. "I will explain everything once we are alone."
His father was showing obvious distrust towards Kail and Esmerelda. His smile had been replaced by a disgusted frown. "Fine. Make sure the humans don't do anything stupid."
Kail's impression of him went downhill but he could not fully blame him for his attitude. Humans had destroyed their people and pushed them to the brink of extinction. Nova had warned them that this would happen so it wasn't entirely unexpected.
The group followed Nova's father through the crowd, which parted to let them walk by uninhibited.
They made their way to the northern point of the clearing where a walled-in mansion sat. There were five buildings in total behind the walls: two to each side and one in the middle.
A smooth stone pathway went to each one. Flowers lined each side of the pathways, letting off a calming aroma.
Kail spotted a few elves peeking out through windows of one of the buildings to his left. Perhaps they were curious about the strangers that had been given access to their hidden home.
The group was led into the center building and into a sitting room. The room was warm and fought off the cold with magic.
Nova's father took a seat a the opposite end of the room where the hosts would sit. Nova motioned for Kail, Spider, and Esmerelda took take a seat to the side. He continued standing. Kail refused to take a seat and stood at his side, not letting him face his father's clear anger alone.
Nova glanced at him but said nothing. He was silently grateful for the kid's actions.
Nova's father ignored Kail as he looked at Nova. "First, explain why you thought it necessary to bring humans to our home. Do you realize how much danger you are putting us in by doing this?"
Nova clenched his jaw, wanting so badly to say some harsh words. He held himself back and forced himself to take a deep breath.
"I brought them here because we, along with the Goddess of Darkness, decided it would be a safe place for Young Master Kail to continue his training. Due to his darkness element, his family and the royal family wanted to get rid of him."
His father looked at Kail. "Is this the Kail you speak of?" He did not doubt Nova's reasoning once the Goddess of Darkness was mentioned.
Kail bowed respectfully as Nova had shown him when they first met. "My name is Kail Phoenix. I am the warrior chosen by the Goddess of Darkness."
Nova's father doubted such a small child was the warrior that Nova had been so excited to teach. How could a child be chosen for such an important role?
A melodic voice filled the air from Kail's left side. "My, my. Gala, you are still so uptight." A woman appeared beside Kail. It was none other than Izabella. "You really doubt my warrior? This kid is far stronger than you." A teasing smirk was on her beautiful face.
Gala, Nova's father, irked and frowned as he glared at her. "There is no way he could be stronger than me. He's just a child who hasn't even begun to reach his mana manifestation."
Izabella huffed. "Of course he has. He isn't like everyone else. You're still disrespectful to me as always," she grumbled.
Kail was confused by the conversation between the two. Normally he was the only one who spoke to her so casually. Everyone else spoke to her with the utmost respect....minus Storm.
Realizing that this a moment for him to prove himself to Gala, he summoned his mana between his hands. Gala's gaze shot straight towards the mana formed between Kail's hands. His eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible. How is he able to achieve mana manifestation at such a young age?" Gala asked.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. That is a mystery even I don't know the answer to," Izabella admitted. "I'm just happy that he can do it this early. You know what this means, right?"
Gala sighed as he nodded. "It is finally time for war against that damned sister of yours. I will grant Kail a place in the Uyghur sect. He will be treated with even more respect than myself and has full access to everything. He will also have control over the Guǐ sect. Both sects will be yours to command when the time comes to officially fight." Gala rested his now respectful gaze upon Kail.
Feeling a bit startled by the sudden change in attitude and treatment, Kail smiled. "Thank you very much for your help."
Izabella smiled as Nova let out a soft sigh of relief.
Gala looked over at the two women who stood on either side behind him. "Go announce the news to the rest of the village. Kail and his companions are to be treated with utmost respect."
The two women bowed with eager smiles before rushing out of the room to begin their work.
That night, a feast was held in Kail's honor. Gala was speaking with Esmerelda about different spells that could be used for protection on children and weaker soldiers. Spider was talking to a group of curious Night elves about Snow elves.
Nova was speaking with a woman in a hushed tone. The two were leaned closely together, their gazes flirtatious. Kail had learned that this woman was Nova's fiancée. Nova was taking advantage of being home again to catch up on the missed time with her.
Kail was busy accepting gifts and talking with the large group of elves around him. They had politely allowed him to eat before bombarding him, eager to meet the one destined to bring back their shared element.
It took everything Kail had to not let himself be overwhelmed. A few children his age were even offered as marriage partners by a few parents. He had to decline the offers politely despite being aggravated by them.
He wished he could outright say that he was an adult soul in a child's body but knew that was a secret he could not blatantly say to everyone.
I just got out of one arranged marriage. I don't need to enter another one, he thought with annoyance. For now, at his age, marriage was just a shackle. He had more important things to focus on. He pitied the children being offered. They had no say in it, forced to be a political pawn for their family.
The night was long and Kail was exhausted when he finally found a chance to escape the party. He rushed outside and a glance at the sky told him it was about four in the morning. He sighed and took in a deep breath of the icy air.
Snow was beginning to drift slowly down onto the world as he made his way to a temple that sat in the center of the village.
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