Aelfric, Xeveris, Vaelorion, along with the rest of the Elders, rushed out through the back of the palace toward Yggdrasil to form a perimeter around it to prevent the Dark Forces from reaching it.

"Eliminate any Dark Elf on sight!" Vaelorion ordered the knights.

Xeveris glanced at him and Aelfric sighed, correcting him, "Dark Forces."

"Didn’t he say some of the brats from his colony were coming to attack you?" Vaelorion snapped back at the Elf King.

Aelfric felt the vein in his forehead pulsing before he looked at Xeveris, "Keep an eye out for your young ones."

Xeveris nodded, if they were fortunate, his people might have already intercepted the youngsters. He could only trust Yttriva and the others to knock some sense into the foolish brats.

Just as Xeveris was thinking that, the Dark Elves who were at some distance from the palace had intercepted the youngsters.

"You damn brats, what have you done?!"

"Do you have any idea of what’s going on out there?!"

"How dare you run away from home, you little shit?!"

Fior and the others who were seriously marching towards the palace with the resolve of ending the tyranny of the Pure Mana Elves were expecting to face the Pure Mana Elf knights and the fearsome Sir Rhylen but instead they were met by their own parents and guardians.

Some of the youngsters were already being beaten by their parents, while the rest were receiving an earful from the Elders.

"How dare you brats go against the leader?!"

"Do you even know what kind of a disaster you’ve brought?!"

Fior watched the absurd scene before him with disbelief before he turned and a scowl instantly made his eyebrows furrow.

Yttriva stood near the tree watching him.

"Even you’re here." He remarked coldly.

Yttriva’s expression didn’t change as she stepped ahead, "Stop this right now, Fior and return to the colony."

"Why would I listen to you?" Fior snapped, "We are doing what you all failed to do for decades. These Pure Mana Elves wouldn’t have gotten so haughty if you hadn’t let them knock us down and trample us from time to time."

Yttriva walked up to Fior, her eyes had a strange icy glint which made Fior pause for a moment, he had rarely seen such an expression on his grandmother’s face.

"Fior, do you have any idea of what’s going on?"

Fior’s fists clenched and he glared at Yttriva, "Yes, we are fighting for our liberation and you all are being a hurdle."

Yttriva glanced at the other elders who had managed to beat their kids into submission while some others who were still being scolded harshly. None of them were in a trouble as serious as Fior this time, she couldn’t save him this time if he continued down this path. But first of all, she had to make sure that he wasn’t under the control of the Dark Forces.

"Fior, did you meet someone from the Dark Forces?" She asked.

Fior grew strained hearing that, he wondered if Zevran and his men were caught or something. He hoped they were fine, they had gone to West to make sure that Fior and his group would safely get to the palace from East.

"Fior, I’m asking you something!" Yttriva raised her voice and Fior looked back at her.

"Yes, so what?" He asked and in the next split second his head jerked sharply to the right as he felt the stinging sensation over his cheek.

For a moment, he was stunned.

"You foolish brat, do you even know what you have done? Those Dark Forces are killing everyone on the island, we barely survived when they attacked us. There are Dark Mages with them who are destroying Yggdrasil!"

With every word, Yttriva’s voice grew louder, loud enough for almost all the Dark Elves who were in the vicinity.

Some of the youngsters who heard it and were already wary of the suspicious foreigner Dark Elf immediately snapped their heads to Fior.

"Dark Forces?!"

"What the hell?! Was that Elf a demon? Or Sorcerer?"

"Fior, why didn’t you tell us?!"

"No wonder he seemed shady!"

Fior heard the aggravated shouts from the men who were under his command just a few minutes ago and then turned his eyes, glaring at his Grandmother.

"They are not destroying Yggdrasil, they are simply aiding us take down the scumbag King." Fior sneered.

Yttriva raised her hand to slap him again but Fior grabbed her wrist, "You’ll all keep your heads buried in the ground, old hag. Zevran and his men are risking their lives for us. If you step in to destroy what we’ve been waiting to do for years then it’s obvious that you will be seen as an enemy."

He shoved her hand away and Yttriva gritted her teeth, "Are you dumb? Didn’t you hear what I just said? Those are Dark Forces and there are Dark Mages, they don’t care about your little liberation dream, Fior. They are here to destroy Yggdrasil and you just gave them the opportunity!"

Fior’s frown deepened, "Zevran is my ally! He and his men are fighting alongside us for us, old hag! You should be the one to understand who’s the friend and who’s the foe."

Yttriva stared at her grandson who seemed to have been brainwashed into believing that the Dark Forces were his ally and he trusted them. If she didn’t stop him, then he would be killed here tonight and she wouldn’t be able to save him.

Yttriva’s arms trembled as she lowered her eyes for a moment, the tears gathered in her eyes as she recalled her son’s face.

"Mother, please look after our little Fior while we’re gone."

She could hear the gentle sound of her son and it only made her heart sink even more. Not only she couldn’t protect her grandson but now she had to watch him commot the greatest sin. Compromise and threaten the safety of Yggdrasil, the responsibility that both the Elf kind were given.

She released a shaky breath and then looked up at Fior, he had grown quite a bit in all these years, he was taller than her and his eyes had a sharp shape like his mother but carried the gentleness of his father and the headstrong nature of herself.

"Listen to me, Fior." She started in a gentle voice.

"You don’t understand, the Elf you call your ally is here to destroy Yggdrasil and you are not only committing a regicide here, but also putting the world in grave danger. I beg of you...stop."

Fior paused, he had only heard her speak so gently when she was too drunk and drifted over on the topic of his father.

He could see the unshed tears in her eyes, for the fraction of a moment he couldn’t help but feel hesitant.

"Fior, we’re not going ahead."

"Yeah, if it’s about Yggdrasil then we’re not with you anymore."

Fior looked at the men who all refused to go along the moment he heard that they were risking Yggdrasil.

"Fine," he spoke and Yttriva felt the sense of relief wash over her.

She reached out to touch his arm but what he spoke next made her froze, "But I will still kill the King."

Fior looked at the people, his expression serious, "You are free to not come with me. But regardless of what Zevran wanted, I came all the way here to have a battle with the Pure Mana Elves for the sake of our people. After everything, I can’t give up."

The men who had followed Fior glanced at each other while Yttriva snapped.

"Have you lost your mind, boy?! I just told you that Yggdrasil is in danger!"

Fior looked at her, "Then I will take down Zevran myself, but don’t stop me here. I cannot back down. This is something that I started so, I have to take responsibility for it till the end."

Yttriva gritted her teeth and some of the young Dark Elves started stepping away from their parents and guardians.

"We agree with Fior for this."

"Yes, we set out to fight for our dignity."

"We will beat both the Dark Forces and the Pure Mana Elves!"

The youngsters who were hesitant also started gathering beside Fior.

Yttriva watched Fior helplessly as he looked at his army with a triumphant smile before he turned to look at Yttriva.

He cleared his throat and averted his eyes as he stepped closer to her.

"I don’t know if I’ll come back or not but, don’t drown yourself in your booze, alright?" He said.

Yttriva watched as he turned to his men, "Shall we move along then?"

The men cheered and Yttriva almost watched in a daze as Fior and his battalion marched ahead.

"What do we do now?" The Elders wondered.

"We should go along. Those brats are fighting for us, we might as well lend a hand."

"Yeah, while we won’t fight with the Pure Mana Elves, we can at least help protect Yggdrasil."

The Elders and the parents discussed before one of them looked at Yttriva.

"Elder Yttriva, you’re coming, right?"

Yttriva gripped the bow slung over her shoulder tightly before she sighed deeply. If she couldn’t stop Fior, then she might as well, stand beside him this time and save her family.