Trissnel, a region ruled by the high eleves…
Galanhad was sitting by a tranquil lake surrounded by dozens of red roses in full bloom. There was a hum of magic in the air, little shimmering particles floating around him.
He was in deep meditation, connecting his mind to nature and as a result to his forefathers.
'You must be pleased, my ancestors, today you bless me with abundant magic…'
He smiled and then powers surged through him, igniting every nerve fiber in his being.
"Ahhh—! How delightful."
"Those disgusting wood laggards should be writhing in pain right about now."
First, they would suffer from the loss of their leader, and their aimlessness will lead to disorganisation.
Then their food stores would run dry, causing great starvation.
And finally, we will be rid of them.
The door creaked open and Galanhad flinched, his expression shifting slightly.
He was not facing the man, yet, he knew exactly who he was.
"What is it, General Yoon? It must be urgent seeing that you have interrupted my communion."
"We have a problem… it's the wood laggards."
Immediately the words left his lips, Galanhad felt his ancestors leave him.
The flow of power was immediately cut, and all the roses began to wither, starting from the one closest to him, down to those out of reach.
From ruby red to ashen grey.
"How dissapointing…"
Galahad turned around to address the man.
Yoon was a stern man with the eyes of a warrior, a look born from years of unending blood shed.
He was dressed up in golden armour mixed up with leather parts for mobility, and had a great sword strapped to his back.
Galanhad placed a finger on his chin and began to tap the fingers of his other hand on his laps.
"Alright? Speak."
Yoon stiffened, a drop of sweat falling from the side of his face. He seemed to hesitate for a second before steeling himself.
"All the mercenaries we sent are dead, they were ruthlessly killed in the hands of one Elf."
Galanhad smiled.
"Heh…"
General Yoon winced.
"Hahahahahahaha!" Galanhad laughed like a crazed man, repeatedly slapping his leg as he did.
"Come on Yoon! I didn't know you were such a comedian! Do you expect me to believe that one man, a laggard for that matter, managed to wipe out those highly skilled mercenaries?!"
Yoon averted his gaze from Galahad's harsh glare. "It is listed in the report sir, our sources are never wrong…."
"Pfft, it seems our spy must have run mad then, either that, or he has turned his back on us, he is a wood elf after all."
He paused, maintaining eye contact but not saying a word, yet, he still had that unnerving smile on his face.
Then he breathed out, and the atmosphere seemed to shift.
"Kill him."
"S-sir?"
"I said kill him and get another spy. Is that too hard for you to understand?!"
Bang!
A wave of green energy exploded into Yoon's abdomen, slamming him into the wall and creating a net of cracks on the ancient structure.
Yoon coughed up blood, his limbs trembling as the magic ate into him like poison.
But even with his body riddled with pain, he hurriedly got up and ran towards Galanhad to bow once again before him.
Galanhad hissed. "What?"
Yoon blinked rapidly, sweating even more profusely.
"T-there is more my lord…'
Galanhad's fingers tightened in a fist. 'Why is today filled with such odious news? Are the wood elves such good liars?'
"Speak!"
Yoon braced himself…
"O-our spy…" he stuttered.
"If you cannot properly use that tongue of yours, then I may as well cut it off." Galanhad barked.
Yoon stiffened, a shiver running down his spine, because he knew that that was no mere threat. Then he screamed at the top of his voice, letting everything out at once.
"THEY SAY THE NEW LORD HAS AWAKENED A DIVINE ASCENSION!"
Swish!
Yoon's vision was inverted as he suddenly saw the world from an odd angle.
The world seemed to slow to a crawl.
'What is that?' Yoon wondered as his eyes landed on a blurry figure slowly falling to the floor.
'Is that…'
A headless body…?
'Oh…'
"AHHHHHH!"
Yoon breathed out his last words, as his head fell into the river, staining the water crimson.
Slowly, the roses began to rise once more. Their leaves regained their green shade and the flowers were back to their scarlet colour, albeit a little fuller.
Galanhad shook the blood off his fingers as he glared down at the corpse.
"It was foolish of you to believe the lies of a laggard general, that alone was an insult to my authority."
'A divine ascension.'
It was such a blatant lie that the thought of it caused him to taste bile.
Amongst the high elves in Trissnel, only two people had currently awakened a dive ascension.
"How then would a laggard even dream of such a feat? You should have kept this lie to yourself, Yoon."
Then he paused and ran the bloody hand over his jaw.
"Then again… I would have killed him if he kept it secret."
He tilted his head slightly and shrugged. "Oh well… Sabrina!"
Out of the shadows, a woman stepped out, her footsteps noiseless. She was dressed in a tight fitting leather shirt and pants that clung to her figure—clothes designed for quick movements and blending with the darkness.
The perfect gear for espionage.
Bound about her neck, like a slave's collar was a thick iron choker, lined with dozens of runic symbols.
She glanced at the corpse on the floor but gave no reaction, not even a slight twitch when she stepped on the blood and went to a knee in front of him.
"Hmmm…"
At the sight of her, Galanhad's face twisted with disgust. He had to hold himself from vomiting, as his eyes moved over her features.
Heterochromatic eyes, one a shimmering gold, while the other electric blue, pale blue hair that was nearly white, and freckles dotting her nose.
She was disgusting, just like her abominable parents.
"Go to that dump those elves call a home, and bring me the head of both the liar and his lord."
The collar shone a soft light and Sabrina sprung up like an emotionless puppet. "Yes my lord…."