Magic is a natural ability that elves possess from birth. Unlike humans, who need to learn it, they understand it instinctively, like breathing.
However, they also have a weakness. One person can only possess one element of magic within them.
While not particularly important, for elves, it has a significant impact.
Natural elements have a law.
For example, if water meets fire, it's certain that water will win. However, with the elves' natural talent for controlling magic, that law can be twisted, such as fire evaporating water.
Wouldn't that weakness not harm them?
However, there's a secret known only to elves.
Just because their talent for controlling natural magic is so high doesn't mean their magical energy is also high.
Magic that can make fire evaporate water requires a tremendous amount of magical energy.
So? Can't elves do it? Yes, they can.
However, not all can do it. There's a condition, the elf must reach five hundred years of age.
Once they reach that age, they are called 'High Elves', and the magical energy within them undergoes a transformation.
Since elves live long lives, isn't that something that's not impossible for them to achieve? Why should it be a secret?
Just because they live long doesn't mean they can't die.
There are many things that can cause death. Unexpected things and even the smallest things can cause death.
So, if death can naturally occur suddenly, what if the secret was revealed to someone other than the elf race?
Wouldn't that be a golden opportunity to massacre elves who have almost reached that age?
Although the possibility of such a thing happening is small, it is not impossible.
However, it's funny that the elves still act arrogant about their magic because of their high self-esteem.
However, that doesn't apply to elves who are chosen as heroes. Sometimes they can even possess more than one magic element.
Myrielle, the current elf hero, possesses three magic elements: fire, wind, and light.
It's powerful magic, especially since the light element is quite rare to possess.
So, what if the great elf hero chooses to betray her own kingdom?
That was a remote possibility, and even impossible.
The hero who was supposed to protect them betrayed them?
But what if the one who said that was the king of the elven kingdom himself?
The current king of Elarion didn't come from any family. He was just a poor merchant's son with nothing to be proud of.
Although he was kind and wise, and even worked for the prosperity of the people, there was still one thing that bothered him.
He felt afraid.
He went from being just an ordinary man to a king who led the nobles before him. He could feel the rejection in the nobles' eyes.
Just because they couldn't oppose him didn't mean they couldn't hate him.
The burden of the kingdom rested on his shoulders. What if one day their trust in him was lost?
That would be a huge mistake.
Feeling that it was no longer possible to convince the hero, the nobles began to influence the king with rumors of the hero's betrayal.
Would the king trust the hero as much as the hero trusted him?
If only the king had believed that Myrielle would never betray him, the destruction of Elarion might not have happened.
The great and admired hero had now become a villain.
The nobles began to overreact. With their men, they began slaughtering the common people and also killing elves who had the potential to become high elves.
They began spreading rumors they had created, positioning the hero as the villain in the rumors.
The rumors were baseless and contradicted the actual facts.
The commotion began to disturb the people until it reached the king's ears.
The nobles reported this and tried to corner the king into capturing and killing the hero.
The king initially did not believe the news. He was sure there must be a misunderstanding.
The existing evidence could not point to the hero as the perpetrator.
Then rumors that the hero wanted to overthrow the king. Although shocked, the king was quite certain that this was not true.
But then the king changed his mind. No, more precisely, he forced himself to change his mind.
The king, a commoner without any royal blood, was chosen to stand before the nobles, arrogant nobles who looked down on the commoners.
Even though the king knew they disliked him, he still felt afraid.
Was he afraid of being ordered to abdicate? Yes, he was afraid.
Was he afraid of being abandoned and betrayed by all those before him? Yes, he was afraid.
Was he afraid of being stabbed in the back by all of them? Yes, he was afraid.
He had always been afraid. From the beginning until now.
In front of these nobles who looked down on him, he clenched his fists tightly.
His lips, which had been tightly closed, struggled to open.
The words that escaped his mouth were, "Yes... We must capture the hero."
Meanwhile, the elf hero, Myrielle, who was in disguise among the crowd, heard strange rumors about herself. But she trusted that the king would be able to wisely assess the rumors.
As Myrielle continued her journey, something caught her eye.
She saw several children with their hands in chains being pulled by someone. Myrielle immediately felt strange, especially with the crowd trying to ignore it.
Sensing something was amiss, Myrielle quietly followed the children.
They were somewhere in the basement of a building.
Walking through the dark, silent hallways, the children's trembling voices could be heard.
If they started to whimper or stop walking, they would be beaten by the man pulling their chains.
After walking a short distance, they arrived at a seemingly spacious room. Looking at the room, one wouldn't think it was underground.
However, as soon as they stepped closer, Myrielle's eyes widened.
Her lips parted and closed erratically.
"What is this...?"
The room contained numerous iron cages holding the children.
Not only were there elven children, but there were also children of other races and even half-bloods.
The caged children were injured and starving. They were held like hunted animals.
With her wind magic, Myrielle was able to walk in without anyone noticing her presence.
With her eyes still wide open, Myrielle stepped deeper into the room. And there she saw it.
Elves possessed a high level of knowledge in magic. And that was why they couldn't help but be interested in magical research.
However, this was too much.
Myrielle's eyes opened even wider. Her face twisted with shock and anger.
Seeing the bodies of children being forcibly mutilated until they screamed loudly.
Myrielle's hands clenched tightly.
Seeing their blood being sucked dry until their consciousness disappeared.
Myrielle began to walk.
Hearing the screams of mercy from the children until they cried blood.
The sparkling yellow eyes of the elf hero had turned blood red.
Seeing the elf researchers even laughing out loud as the children cried.
Her green hair that reminded people of cool and peaceful meadows was now starting to whiten as cold as a blizzard.
Even though Myrielle had become a hero, sometimes in her heart she always thought she was just an ordinary girl who loved peace.
But before her was a hell that was even crueler than war.
There was no forgiveness, no mercy.
The wind magic that had been obscuring her presence began to dissipate. The people there were shocked to realize Myrielle's presence.
"The kingdom I've always protected...
Black veins began to carve its way down her body and face.
...It's so rotten here."
Flames began to spread from her hands. A loud explosion could be heard even in the royal palace.
"If there's so much rotting garbage... then the right thing to do to keep the smell at bay is to burn it..."
The hero had fallen.
She had become a 'Dark elf'.