Fian followed the female elf walking one step ahead of him. Their footsteps echoed through the brightly lit corridor, sunlight pouring in through the wide-open windows.

At the far end of the corridor, a man and a woman with pointed ears approached them.

"Why are you coming here?" the female elf, Amara, asked after they passed one another and the two young elves ahead exchanged greetings.

"It’s time for Fian to meet Elder Vakua," Elowen replied.

The man beside Amara nodded. "Yes. It’s long overdue. Go."

Baschara placed a hand on Fian’s shoulder before continuing down the corridor with Amara. Fian and Elowen resumed walking as well.

Although they appeared youthful, Amara and Baschara were actually quite old. They were elders of House Elfutih.

Over the past few months, Fian had met many members of House Elfutih to formally introduce himself. The two of them were among those he had already met.

Meeting every member of House Elfutih had taken far longer than expected.

Only a handful lived in the capital city. The rest moved constantly, from cities to counties to small towns.

After meeting them all and receiving their acknowledgment, Elowen finally told him that it was time to meet Elder Vakua Solasari.

They entered a room resembling a grand reading hall. An elderly elf with white hair and a long white beard sat in a high-backed chair, a book resting in his hands.

He set the book aside and examined the two young elves before him.

"Sit."

The aura radiating from Elder Vakua was far greater than that of Headmaster Magnus.

Perhaps it was because Magnus’s elderly appearance was merely a disguise, while Vakua was truly ancient.

According to Elowen, Elder Vakua was the oldest elf and the oldest higher being in this kingdom. Even before the mist shrouded the continent, he had already been a mature elf with countless experiences. He was a living witness to the continent’s transformations over thousands of years.

Now, he was the leader of all elves.

Despite their nature as wanderers who disliked settling in one place, when Vakua summoned them, the elves obeyed without hesitation.

"Young Asta already told me about you, child." Vakua’s gaze rested on Fian. "He entrusted House Elfutih to you."

Fian had thought his visit would be nothing more than a greeting and formal introduction.

He had not known this meeting would become a turning point in his life.

"Elowen will guide you," Vakua continued. "Not only to grow stronger, but to protect this family. To protect the elves who now stand at the edge of extinction."

Fian only dared to glance briefly at Vakua’s eyes before lowering his head again.

He wanted to refuse.

He had followed Elowen all this time because he wanted to uncover the truth behind Asta’s death.

Since childhood, Fian had never known what family meant. Only after Gara brought him home and showed him warmth did he begin to understand it.

Asta was someone new who had given him a faint sense of family. That was why he could not accept Asta dying without reason.

Even so, Fian could barely lift his head now.

Vakua was overwhelmingly powerful. In front of him, Fian felt like a pawn, unable to act or resist.

"The most important task for the elven race now," Vakua continued calmly, "is to protect those who remain before we truly vanish."

"Asta proposed the creation of a village that could shelter elves. Even now, envoys are searching for wandering elf settlements to persuade them to join. All of this began with Asta’s idea."

In other words, that responsibility would inevitably fall upon Asta’s successor.

Fian.

Fian did not want to be a successor.

But he did not mind bearing the responsibility.

He knew Asta had died near that village.

If he wanted to uncover the truth behind Asta’s death, he had to go there. And he had to go often.

Suddenly, Vakua rose from his chair.

"I will show you the village myself."

Both Fian and even Elowen were caught off guard.

It seemed Vakua had seen something in Fian, something that made him worthy of trust.

No one had been informed that Elder Vakua would leave his chamber.

When other elves saw the ancient elf walking through the corridors, they froze in shock before quickly following him.

As the highest-ranking elf, Vakua was both fiercely protected and deeply feared. Everyone knew how powerful he was, and none dared allow him to travel without escort.

As a result, not only his personal guards but several other elders joined them.

They immediately understood what had drawn the elder from his reading hall.

It was the young elf who had inherited Asta’s legacy.

There were no looks of jealousy directed at Fian.

Instead, they looked at him as one would look at hope.

Not only because he was the unofficial leader of House Elfutih, but because he had managed to move Elder Vakua himself.

Vakua Solasari was the last of the Solasari line.

After his own successor had died before him, he had refused to name another.

Since then, he had shown little interest in interacting with young elves at all.

Using the teleportation talent of one of the elves, they arrived instantly at a village near the border.

The settlement, built only about a year ago, still had no official name. Some elves called it Asta Village, in honor of his death and because he was the first to propose its creation.

The moment they stepped onto the teleportation point, chaos greeted them.

Elves were running everywhere. Shouts echoed through the air. The stench of blood was thick and suffocating.

Several elves who initially thought another invasion had arrived let out sighs of relief when they realized it was their own kind.

"Please stop the monsters in the north! It’s dangerous there!"

An elf with blood running from his ears and a pale, drained face did not linger. He immediately ran north again.

He clearly mistook them for reinforcements.

He did not even notice their attire. Their clean white garments were more suited for rituals than battle.

From the northern direction, elves dressed in similar white robes, now stained with blood, carried wounded comrades on their shoulders.

"Assess the situation," Vakua ordered. "Divide into four teams. Secure each gate."

The elves accompanying Vakua were no ordinary elves.

They were the strongest of the strong and responded instantly to his commands.

"You two will follow me to the northern gate," Vakua added, glancing at Fian and Elowen.

...