VIP Early Access
Eksklusif untuk member VIP
Password Protected
Chapter ini dikunci dengan kode khusus
Chapter 3: Dark Elves
DARK Elf Warrior Captain Gia Nageev Mazaram trudged heavily down the unbeaten path. His body, once touted as being Steel by the neighboring countries, had wasted away, to the point he might even lose a fight to a child. The several warriors accompanying him were in similar decline.
The forest was endless and gloomy, dominated only by a dark atmosphere and a lifeless chill.
“There really isn’t anything here, is there?”
“Captain Gia, um, don’t you think we should leave the Accursed Lands now…?”
Gia shook his head, yet again rejecting the same suggestion that he’d heard one too many times by now. He wanted to tell them not to keep making him repeat himself, but he intimately understood his subordinates’ feelings as he felt the same. But their current circumstances would never allow for it.
Ê_n ú m а̂_. і̆ d
“What do we achieve by leaving the forest now? We have nowhere to go after being driven from our land. And I highly doubt the children will survive this aimless travel much longer… Vegetation is abundant here—there must be food somewhere. Push through for our brethren.”
The smile he plastered on his face was far from convincing. But his subordinates had no choice but to obey. They would have no reason to keep pushing forward if they gave up hope now. But, contrary to their greatest wish, what they sought—food—was nowhere to be found.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
“But this damn ominous forest definitely gives you the chills, doesn’t it?”
Searching in silence was terrible for morale. Gia decided to start up a conversation in light of everyone running low on stamina. He felt as if he might go mad if he didn’t say something—the fathomless depths of the still forest didn’t help.
“The Cursed Sea of Trees lying at the edge of Idoragya’s Uncharted Territory—also known as the Accursed Lands. Ancient records speak of a great evil sealed here. Whatever it is, they say it won’t allow life to prosper within its realm…”
“Hahaha. That’s just superstition. If it were true, there wouldn’t be so many trees everywhere. Doesn’t the vegetation that won’t let us see more than a few feet ahead count as life?”
E n u m̀ à. іd̃
It was Gia’s adjutant, a woman well-versed in legends and folklore, who broached the unsettling topic. She was an avid reader who used to spend most of her wages on books, lending her knowledge and words a certain degree of credibility. But Gia deliberately laughed her off. Everyone prayed her fears wouldn’t become a reality. As Warrior Captain, he couldn’t show weakness.
“Don’t give up. Never give up. The noble spirits of our ancestors will surely show us the way to overcome this trial.”
The reason why Gia was revered as a warrior captain was not only due to his skill but also his mental fortitude. He accomplished his missions without ever being crushed by impossible circumstances. This fortitude was why he remained Warrior Captain and continued to take the vanguard, even as his race teetered on extinction.
Motivated by Gia’s encouraging speech, his subordinates marched into the unknown darkness, believing a path would open for them and that they’d be saved from this desperate situation, as he said.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
At long last, the world opened up before them.
Perhaps they expected a miracle to happen. The clearly man-made space was enough to incite hope just for being different from everything else they’d seen thus far. Maybe a recluse lived there in secret. Or maybe it was a location where edible plants grew en masse. It might even be a nest for wild animals. Or, just maybe, it was where God would mercifully grant them comfort from their suffering.
Wе b̊ n̊ o v̈ еl̂ Eṅ ům̈ а̄
However, all their hopes were shattered. For only ruin existed there.
We’re doomed…!
Regret washed over Gia the second he saw it. A stone dais loomed in the center of the clearing that seemed to be carved out of the dense forest. At first glance, the scenery might be viewed as sacred and meaningful, but what existed there was a problem.
First, there was the girl standing directly beside the dais, assessing them with an unrelenting gaze. Mousy, ash-colored hair stood out alongside her dress decorated by gold embellishments twisted in distorted directions.
The eyes sizing Gia up were the living embodiment of abnormal, and they told everyone present that she wasn’t of this world, that she was connected to the root of darkness, and the danger she engendered was fatal.
But the girl was the lesser of the two evils. The problem was the other person present. Nay, Gia wasn’t certain the other could even be called a person.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
The second being was a paradoxical phenomenon that seemed to have stepped right out of the legend Gia’s adjutant spoke of.
Its shape was human—but the rest was indistinguishable. Blacked out of view, as if rejected by the world itself, it was undoubtedly the manifestation of the great evil spoken of in the legends. The being was so dreadful, so abominable, it made him wonder: did something go wrong to break the natural law of the world, which would make it crumble and fall to ruin?
I don’t know what it is. But my instincts can’t stop screaming that it’s nothing good.
The girl’s gaze never moved off of Gia and his subordinates, and it was likely that the evil being was also watching them. Gia’s subordinates didn’t so much as breathe. Understanding his next move would determine the fate of his race, Gia chose his words carefully.
“I-I am the Warrior Captain Gia Nageev of the Dark Elf Mazaram Clan. I can see you are a powerful and noble being! Please allow me to first apologize for entering this forest without permission!”
Gia slowly kneeled, head bowed, careful not to provoke the evil being.
W̃ е́b̊ n о v̆ е ľ E n̂ u m á
It was a sign of respect, although he didn’t know if his intentions were understood by these inhuman beings. Fortunately, Gia’s subordinates followed his lead.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Gia waited to be spoken to. His instincts compelled him to show the utmost respect and gratitude.
“…Hmm. You seem to fully understand what it means to enter this land, don’t you, dark fae? Well then, what reason brought you to break the taboo?”
The girl spoke after a multi-second pause. Gia and his people were on pins and needles awaiting their fate, but her response brought some relief. At least they could communicate.
Of course, they didn’t think for a moment that they were out of hot water. They were merely granted temporary pardon on a passing whim. That was the only thing Gia knew for certain.
E n̆ú m̀ а̌
“Our Dark Elf clan, Mazaram, once resided in a land at the center of the Idoragya Continent. However, our former masters, the supreme elven decision-making body known as the Tetrarchy Council—”
“Be quick about it.”
“W-We were persecuted and chased out of our land. With nowhere else to go, we came to this forest…”
Gia hastily summarized after provoking the girl’s irritation. Trying to carefully and elaborately explain their dire circumstances was a mistake.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Our lives are in their hands, he reminded himself. What should I do? Should I say something? Or do I wait for them to speak first?
His thoughts spun in dizzying circles, and his heart thudded so hard it hurt. Between his shallow breaths, the cold sweat coating his body, the deep forest darkness, and the being embodying an evil so great, it could consume the blackness of night—Gia was at his limit. Just as he was about to beg for mercy—
Е́n̆ ú m̌a
“You’re just skin and bones, aren’t you?”
The thing sitting on top of the dais spoke.
Gia shuddered as if something had just crawled down his spine. He was trembling so hard he could see himself shaking. Sweat poured from his pores, accompanied by utter disgust.
Its voice sounded like a young man. Yet there wasn’t a modicum of emotion in it—he couldn’t even sense a will or soul from it. Even the dead writhing in hell would have a little more life and feeling to their voice. The thing’s voice was uncanny and ghastly enough to make Gia think those things, slowing down his brain from reacting in a timely manner.
“My king asked you a question.”
The girl’s voice was filled with palpable anger.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“Our persecution was so severe that we came to this land to escape! We ran out of food along the way and couldn’t secure more while trying to lose our pursuers… We haven’t eaten for days.”
Shocked to discover he’d unknowingly committed the grave transgression of ignoring the thing’s question, Gia hastily explained himself in a pathetic voice. The words that came out hoarse toward the end represented his immeasurable regret.
“Hmm.”
The evil being seemed satisfied with Gia’s explanation. With it satisfied, the girl also seemed appeased enough to give a slight nod. He’d just successfully crossed a very thin piece of ice again. Of course, there was no visible end to the danger.
Why? Why must we be punished like this?! What did we do wrong to deserve this?! All we wanted was a safe place to live!
They were forced to bow their heads and beg for mercy simply for entering the forest. They did nothing else wrong!
Е̂n̄ ūm̂ а
What’s going to happen to me? I don’t care about myself. But what about my subordinates and clansmen? What tragic end is in store for them after this evil being has its way with them?
Shivering from imagining a chilling future, Gia was consumed by a vortex of irrepressible rage and sorrow.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Is wanting to survive really that sinful?!
Something plopped onto the ground and rolled in front of him.
Gia swayed like a tree in the middle of a storm, his mind filled with the ridiculous thought that he’d just heard the sound of his own head falling off. Could anyone really blame him for squeezing his eyes shut in utter terror? Long gone was the Mazaram clan’s warrior captain once feared for his dauntless courage—in his place was a mere mortal, miserably shaking in his boots.
But then he opened his eyes, lured more by the sweet, herbaceous smell tickling his nose than the whereabouts of his own head. A single, juicy red fruit had rolled onto the ground in front of him.
E n̊um̊а̇_
“Wh-What is this?”
“For you,” the thing replied simply.
Gia gulped without even realizing his mouth was watering. The fruit bore a shape he’d never seen before.
As far as they knew, fruits were small and hard. Although most fruit could be somewhat sweet, they were more bitter and sour, and while they tended to be edible raw, they were a food that could only be eaten after taking several steps to make it palpable.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
But the round thing before him was different. The juicy aroma conveyed its sweetness, and its shiny, deep red skin appealed to his eyes, like it was begging him to just eat it already.
When Gia picked it up, the fruit weighed heavily in his hand, telling him it was packed full of nutrients. This gemlike fruit was probably the type only nobility could eat—nay, not even they had likely tried it.
Ẁ еbnȯ v e ľ Е̌n umа̌
There, in his hand, was the food he—and all his people—desired.
“It’s an apple—ever heard of it? Tastes good if you turn it into a rabbit.”
Gia understood less than half of the words the being uttered. At the very least, he managed to learn the round fruit was called an apuhl and that it was edible.
“An…apuhl? I’m afraid it looks different from every fruit I know of…”
The being had said, “For you.”
In that case, he should cause no offense by accepting it. But Gia’s confounded thoughts made him wonder whether it was really okay. He worried whether it was rude to eat in this sacred clearing. Plus, he had reservations about consuming food while his clansmen starved at their encampment.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“It’s good!!”
“So sweet! And juicy too!”
From those remarks, Gia realized his subordinates had tried the fruit before he made his decision. But whatever decision he would’ve come to, he likely couldn’t have stopped his starving warriors.
He spun around to see what his men were doing, only to find them ravenously sinking their teeth into the fruit the being must have given them. Juices and an incredibly sweet aroma overflowed from the fruit they clutched in their hands.
Gia gulped loudly and wavered on whether he should partake with them, but he had something more pressing to do first. He glanced back at the shadow being. Fortunately, it seemed to be nodding contentedly. By that reaction, it appeared his subordinates did the right thing rather than being disrespectful.
Relief washed over him while, at the same time, he felt the need to scold his men for greedily devouring the fruit. But, in the end, he couldn’t tell them off when he saw the large teardrops falling from their eyes as they stuffed their mouths. He understood their suffering and starvation firsthand.
W̆ еḃ nо̀v e l Е̊ n̂ u ḿ ä
“Have some pears too.”
Something else plopped onto the ground and rolled in front of Gia. It was a green fruit this time. Pehr…that was another food they were unfamiliar with. The green skin made it seem unripe, but the overflowing sweet scent that was different from that of the apuhls dispelled that concern. This was yet another exquisite source of food. Gia picked it up and stared at it dumbly.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
“You there! What is wrong with you? It’s a precious gift from my king. Accept it.”
The girl wore her displeasure and suspicion on her sleeve. Gia didn’t know what the evil being was thinking. But he could get a read on the girl’s personality to some extent.
She wholeheartedly respected and served the embodiment of ruin sitting there. She would likely never stand for anything that upset her master. An insolent person who treated her master’s gifts with disdain was no exception. In light of that fact, Gia appealed to the girl and the being she served.
“There are others who escaped with us to this land. Young children among them…and those children—our children—are starving to death. They haven’t eaten anything for days and are wasting away. Please give this generous and benevolent gift of food to those children rather than me. I beg you…”
W̄ е b̈ n ö v е ĺ Е̊nu mа
Gia tasted something metallic on his tongue. Blood was seeping into his mouth from the corner of his lip. Without even realizing it, he’d bitten his lip in a bid to keep his overwhelming feelings of cowardliness and shame at bay.
He no longer heard munching and slurping from his subordinates either. His words had likely reminded them of their mission. Their clansmen were waiting for them as they fought against their hunger. With so many of their people no longer capable of even standing, they’d only one job to do.
But that was their problem.
Gia heard the girl click her tongue as if to silently convey it wasn’t her master’s concern. Even so, he bowed his head as if his life depended on it—and it did. That was the last shred of pride he’d left to give. He was going to bring this food back with him no matter the cost.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Gia did not back down, even when faced with a terrifying being of legend and the embodiment of ruin. Eyes filled with unwavering determination eloquently conveyed his resolve to achieve his goal at the cost of his own life.
His heartfelt plea was answered all too swiftly.
Ēn ů m̈ӑ
“I feel for you.”
The being undeniably said those four words.
“W-Wait! King Takuto?!”
The girl raced to her master’s side in a flurry and quietly advised it, but the jet-black darkness did not heed her.
Something plopped onto the ground, followed by the sound of many things spilling onto the ground together.
Gia’s jaw dropped as he watched the surreal miracle unfold before him. Out of thin air appeared more fruit, giant lumpy potatoes, and grain that resembled wheat.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
That wasn’t all either: there was bread so soft, it squished when the fruit touched it; dressed animal carcasses with so much meat and fat on the bone it made you wonder how much they had to fatten the livestock for it; and on top of all that, there were beans, vegetables, salt, and what looked like spices. A literal mountain of food appeared from nothing, with that being as the source.
“For you.”
Gia couldn’t hide the waterfall of tears streaming down his astounded face, understanding the meaning of those words. This was the pure definition of benevolence. This omnipotent being listened to their circumstances and said, “I feel for you.” Then it produced an abundance of food solely to help them and their clansmen.
Accepting charity was foreign to their people. Dark Elves were an abhorrent race that’d fled the light. They were only allowed to barely survive by the mercy of the Elves, the Fae of Light. They lived in the shadows as objects of contempt.
No one was sympathetic when Gia and his people were banished. On the contrary, many said the world was purer now that the Dark Fae were gone. Elves naturally avoided them, but so did mankind, Dwarves, and every other race.
Gia believed that was their lot in life and their fate. He was convinced living nobly in harsh conditions, and enduring isolation from the rest of the world, was his race’s calling. He’d absorbed the idea that their lot in life was to tremble in a freezing, isolated corner of the world, with no god to save them.
W̊ёb̊ ǹо̃ v ĕ l Е̌ńŭm̆а̂
But he was wrong.
This being extended them a helping hand.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Maybe they were being deceived.
Just maybe, it was toying with their emotions out of pure malice.
But even if that were the case, no one had ever sympathized with them, much less offered them aid.
“It’s a miracle!”
Е n̊ u má
“We’re saved!”
“Oooh, thank you! Thank you, almighty being!”
Gia could tell his subordinates were beside themselves with joy.
“Almighty one, what…d-do they call you…?” Gia had to ask.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He only just realized he’d yet to ask that being’s name. He figured the word the girl used to address her master with was likely the name of the one clad in darkness. But that wasn’t good enough—Gia wanted to hear his name directly from him.
He wanted to know the glorious name of the being that had brought about this miracle as easily as waving a hand—the name of the benevolent one who’d bestowed the warmth of compassion on his race for the first time.
W̃ е b̊n̊ о̇ v е̇l Е̇nū m̂ a
“Take it.”
It only answered with those two words in a detached voice devoid of emotion.
Konten Bab Belum Tersedia
Bab ini belum memiliki konten teks atau sedang dalam proses penyuntingan.
