The two elves walking side by side looked more like a beautiful painting than living beings.

Even at Gyakarta Academy, seeing more than one elf in the same place was rare.

As murmurs of admiration and praise rose from their surroundings, the two aloof elves showed no expression beyond their usual calm.

Some might think this was simply the default expression of elves. In truth, it was the result of the lives they had lived.

Elves were always admired, but only elves knew that their lives were far from beautiful.

Elowen led Fian to the third-year dormitory tower and stepped into a floating stone platform. She took out a necklace with an emerald, leaf-shaped pendant. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

The beautiful elf pressed the pendant against the wall before them.

Instead of rising as it should from the first floor, the floating stone began to descend.

When the door opened, Elowen stepped out, followed by Fian. What greeted them was a damp underground tunnel, lit by torches placed far apart, leaving the passage dim and shadowy.

For the two elves, blessed with enhanced vision, seeing the details of the tunnel posed no difficulty.

"All floating stones are connected to an underground space," Elowen said, speaking for the first time.

They walked forward, passing doors lining both sides of the tunnel.

"Each of these doors belongs to someone," she continued. "Influential professors of Gyakarta Academy."

After a short while, Elowen stopped in front of one door that looked no different from the others. There was no number, no obvious way to distinguish it.

Using the emerald leaf pendant, Elowen opened the door.

"Once someone is granted ownership of a room here, it remains theirs forever," she explained. "Even if they are no longer a professor, or even if they pass away. The security is bound to the owner themselves. Other than them and those they trust, no one else can enter."

The moment Fian stepped inside, the door behind him closed.

The scene before him was nothing like the damp, dim tunnel outside.

It didn’t even resemble a room.

A massive tree stood at the center, surrounded by a small meadow that separated it from other trees in the distance.

It felt unreal.

Even more so when Elowen led Fian closer to the great tree, revealing a door embedded in its trunk, invisible from afar.

"This is where Master Asta stored everything he owned," Elowen said, guiding Fian inside.

The interior was warm and cozy.

She gestured toward a cushioned settee and told Fian to sit, while she moved to a hanging cabinet across the room to prepare warm tea.

From the moment they left the cafeteria until now, Fian hadn’t spoken a single word.

Elowen, known for her aloof nature, privately felt that compared to Fian, she wasn’t aloof at all. Still, she chose not to comment on it.

"As you know, my name is Elowen Elfutih," she began after placing a steaming cup of tea in front of Fian. "I share the same family name as Master Asta. But I am not related to him by blood."

Fian didn’t respond, but his gray eyes were sharp, listening intently.

"Elfutih is not a bloodline family," Elowen continued. "All elves who bear this name are those raised and taught by Master Asta."

She met Fian’s gaze.

"Fian, you are Master’s last disciple. At his request, one he was unable to fulfill during his lifetime, I will now officially bestow upon you the surname Elfutih."

Her voice was steady.

"From this moment on, you are Fian Elfutih."

Fian’s expression shifted instantly. His brows knit together, and it was clear he wanted to speak, yet he stopped himself.

Elowen went on.

"You are not only officially part of House Elfutih. You will also carry Master’s final wish."

"What wish?" Fian asked.

It was the first time he had spoken since meeting her.

Quietly, Elowen exhaled in relief.

She looked straight into Fian’s gray eyes.

"Master Asta asked me to make you the leader of House Elfutih."

Fian’s expression changed drastically.

The announcement was too sudden. Too unreasonable.

"Why me?" he asked. It was the most important question.

Elowen shook her head.

"Master only said that you have potential. As for what kind of potential he meant, even I do not know."

Fian was clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but Elowen continued, handing him the emerald leaf pendant.

She explained the nature of the room and told him he could enter whenever he wished. Elowen herself, however, would no longer be able to access it unless she came with Fian.

"From now on, I will guide your training," she said. "We can train here. I will also teach you about elf history and the current state of elf society. There are many elf families with different origins, but I’ll briefly explain the most influential one today."

The most influential elf was an Elder who served as the representative of all elves on the continent.

Thalric Grandis.

He was over several thousand years old and the oldest living being in the world, surpassing even the oldest dragon still alive.

After Asta Elfutih’s death, he became the only elf who had witnessed the glory of the elven race, back when the Sacred Tree had not yet been shrouded by mist.

Like House Elfutih, House Grandis now consisted only of the Elder himself and his disciples.

Year by year, the elven population continued to decline, and it became increasingly difficult for their numbers to grow.

"I will take you to meet Elder Thalric," Elowen explained, "after we reunite with the other members of House Elfutih. They are scattered across the kingdom, but they have promised to return within one week."

Fian simply nodded.

He hadn’t fully processed the information or the position suddenly placed upon him.

Elowen understood. There was nothing she could do. She was merely delivering her master’s will.

She hadn’t even told Fian yet about the responsibilities he would bear as Elfutih’s successor.

Especially since, before his death, Asta Elfutih had left behind an ambitious project.

A project to gather wandering elves and have them live together in one place, waiting for the mist to subside.

That very project was also what led to Asta’s death.

Remembering it, Elowen’s gaze sharpened, her expression darkening.

"Fian," she said gravely, "there is something I must tell you."

She paused.

"I, the other members of Elfutih, and even Elder Thalric believe that Master Asta’s death was planned by a certain party."

Her voice grew colder. "A party that harbors hostility toward elves."

...