The world around Kieran seemed to lose its colors and darken. The only light that remained was this figure sitting at the foot of the tree.

A blazing light. If Kieran had to describe her, it would be with those words.

Sitting gracefully under a large tree, bathed in the speckled sunlight filtering through the leaves, was a young woman dressed in the uniform of the academy.

The bright white fabric of the uniform emphasized her slender silhouette, accented by a contrasting black tie, knotted with care, as well as elegant black cuffs. The uniform had been cut to perfection, enhancing her graceful silhouette while allowing freedom of movement.

Her long silver hair, with a natural moonlight luster, was elegantly braided into a single braid that was draped over her shoulder, revealing delicate elf ears. The sun caught on the silver strands, creating a breathtaking play of light.

As the sun played in the leaves above, adorning them with a gentle dance of light and shadows, her golden eyes were absorbed into the pages of the book in her delicate hands. Each word seemed to captivate her, adding an even deeper layer to her already deep gaze.

Kieran was frozen in place as if time had stopped for him. His eyes fixed on the silver-haired girl under the tree as if it were the only thing that existed.

"... In addition, some students use these books to find a clue on their paths of evolution..." Ryan, who was talking to himself, stopped, noticing that Kieran was no longer beside him.

Turning around, he found him several meters behind him, frozen in place.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked.

Receiving no response, Ryan approached his brother before looking in the same direction as him, only to find several trees.

"What are you looking at? Kieran?"

Ryan called Kieran several times before losing patience and starting to shake him to wake him up.

"Why are you shaking me like that?" asked Kieran.

Kieran finally reacted after having been shaken several times by throwing only a glance at his brother before moving his eyes again to the girl under the tree.

"I called you several times, but you don’t answer. What are you looking at?"

"The silver-haired girl."

"A girl? Where?"

"The one under the tree."

"Under the tree?"

Ryan did not understand his brother’s words. Looking back at the trees, he saw no one under it.

"Are you sure you’re not hallucinating?" Ryan asked.

"I’m beginning to doubt it myself," replied Kieran honestly.

Ryan frowned, trying to figure out which tree his brother was looking at so intensely, he focused his gaze when suddenly a figure appeared to him.

'How did she appear? She wasn’t there a second ago.'

Finally seeing the features of the girl his brother speaks of, Ryan couldn’t help but exclaim, "It’s her!"

"Do you know her?" asked Kieran without looking away.

"I told you an elf came to help Ozryn. It’s her. She saved us that day."

"It's her? Why is she alone?" asked Kieran, keeping his gaze on the girl under the tree.

"The other students avoid her. The elves say that she's an abomination that has brought calamity to their race and that we must stay away from her. You might get in trouble if you try to get close to her."

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"An abomination? She helped our city. I have to thank her anyway, and I don’t care if that bothers them," replied Kieran before walking towards her.

"Wait, Kieran!" Ryan tried to call his brother but he was already gone without paying attention to what he said.

Scratching the back of his head, he headed to the Martial Arts Hall, sending a message to Kieran to find him inside later.

Kieran walked towards the silver-haired girl under the tree. With each step he took, he could feel his heart beating faster and faster without understanding why.

'Why... my heart beats so fast... Could she be...'

"Hi," said Kieran when he arrived before her, stopping his train of thoughts and trying to calm his beating heart.

The silver-haired girl slowly raised her head, her golden eyes fixed on those of Kieran as a trace of surprise appeared in them for a moment.

There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other.

"Hi," she replied, her voice sweet and melodic.

"My name is Kieran, Kieran Arvost. You may not remember us, but I wanted to thank you for saving my brother and me during the destruction of the city of Ozryn."

"I remember you. You tried to help me before you lost consciousness while asking me to save your brother," she said, closing the book she was reading and placing it on her lap before continuing, "My name is Elseria Sylnorin."

'Sylnorin? I thought you didn’t have a child, Master?' asked Kieran in his mind.

'Did you meet an elf with the same name as me? I didn’t have a child, but I had a sister who became queen after me. It’s no wonder that some elves have the same name nowadays,' replied Runihoril, always busy drawing Luna’s attention, not knowing why Kieran asked him such a question.

"Are you part of the family of the first Elf King?" asked Kieran.

A trace of surprise appeared again in Elseria’s golden eyes, but this time it did not disappear.

"Do you mean the first Elf Queen?" asked Elseria in return, not knowing if she had correctly heard Kieran’s words.

"No, I mean the first King, Runihoril Sylnorin."

Elseria’s eyes widened. She looked around her before looking at Kieran again.

"You shouldn’t say that name. Some elves might cause you trouble," she says when she sees no one close to them.

"Why is that?"

"Runihoril Sylnorin is the most respected king and, at the same time, the most hated among the elves. Many elven clans hate him while others worship him."

"What about you? Do you respect him or hate him?"

A silence was heard after his question. Kieran had the impression of having a lump in his throat while Elseria looked at him intensely for a long time without saying a single word.

"He is the king who has brought the most to the elves, and even though he has denied our traditions, he deserves respect for everything he has done for our race."

Kieran felt as if a weight had been removed for some unknown reason.

Elseria’s eyes moved slightly when she saw an elf in the distance coming out of the Martial Arts Hall.

"You should avoid staying with me. Other students will avoid you if you stay near me," she said, lowering her eyes to her book, her fingers slightly curled, pressing on the book cover.

"It's a shame..."

Elseria felt a sudden emptiness when she heard his words. She began to open her book when she heard Kieran’s next words.

"But it's okay. I always preferred when there are fewer people around me anyway," he said before casually sitting not far from her, his back against the tree.

Elseria looked up suddenly before turning her gaze towards him.

"What are you reading?" asked Kieran.

"It's... It's an ancient book that talks about existence, which was perceived as deities by humans. They appeared long before the discovery of crystal essence in this universe," she said, averting her gaze.

"What kind of deity?"

"It seems that there were different kinds, some with a human-like appearance like Zeus, Isis, or Amaterasu, while others like Tiamat and Jambavantha resembled crystal beasts. The strangest thing is that some of these names also appeared in ancient elven books."

Elseria's words caught Kieran's interest.

'It shouldn't be possible for writings dating back millions of years about deities to exist in both universes with the same names when they could only have come into contact since the appearance of the rifts 25,000 years ago,' thought Kieran.

"Can you tell me more about these deities?" asked Kieran.

Elseria looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"According to ancient texts, these deities were powerful beings, each associated with different aspects of the universe. Some were said to control elements like wind, water, and earth, while others embodied concepts like love, war, or wisdom..."

Kieran listened attentively as Elseria continued to tell stories about these ancient beings. Some stories did not seem to demonstrate a divine existence as he imagined them. A Transcendent could reproduce this type of feat, but other stories had existences that literally created a world by themselves.

As they delved deeper into the subject, the conversation unfolded effortlessly. Kieran felt an unusual sense of calm and ease around Elseria. The worries and anxieties that often occupied his mind these past few months seemed to dissipate in the background.

Unbeknownst to Kieran, the soft rustling of the leaves in the background and the gentle murmurs of the wind seemed to lull him into a state of tranquility. The heat of the sun filtering through the leaves added to the peaceful atmosphere. Elseria’s soothing presence and engaging conversation gradually lulled him into a state of relaxation.

His eyelids became heavy, and fatigue invaded him despite his efforts to stay awake until he closed his eyes and fell asleep peacefully.

Hearing only a gentle breath beside her, Elseria looked towards Kieran, only to be surprised by the view.

"Did he fall asleep? How could he fall asleep like that?" she murmured, a glint of envy in her eyes, "It must be nice to be able to sleep without being invaded by a nightmare."

She glanced at a silver bracelet around her wrist. Small inscriptions were engraved on it.

"I wonder how he was able to see me."

Returning to her book, she continued to read, occasionally glancing furtively at Kieran.