The origins of the Twilight Sisters of the Wood Elves are shrouded in mystery.
It is well known that the elves are meticulous in recording their history. Although their historical records are not as rigorous and objective as those of the dwarves, they are still quite detailed.
However, the Wood Elves are different.
The Wood Elves do record their history, but their historical records are... complicated.
To put it simply, the Wood Elves often record their history by referring to the "Great Seasons," such as the "Season of Rebirth," the "Season of Revelation," the "Season of Loss," or the "Season of Forgetting." This makes their historical records fragmented and vague.
What's worse, these "Great Seasons" are neither continuous nor independent. The end of one season and the beginning of another often lack clear markers.
For example, the end of one season and the start of another are usually determined by significant events. However, sometimes a new Great Season begins before the previous one has ended, or a Great Season is declared over, but the marker for the next one has not yet arrived.
As a result, many "minor seasons" are often interspersed within the Great Seasons.
Confusing and chaotic, right?
Yes, because over time, even the Wood Elves themselves often struggle to determine the exact timeline of their historical records. In a state with a noble or bureaucratic system, such confusion and inefficiency would be unacceptable. But for the Wood Elves, whose society is closer to a primitive tribal structure, no one pays much attention to such details.
Moreover, like the warp, the flow of time within the Forest of Athel Loren is chaotic. Some parts of the forest are said to have experienced tens of thousands of years, while in other areas, it is said that Orion, the King of the Forest, has only just entered the flames for the first time.
Another reason is that the Wood Elves' historical records are heavily embellished. Their history is rarely fixed in written form. Instead of recording events on parchment, the Wood Elves prefer to pass down their history through songs and legends. Bards and storytellers travel far and wide, recounting heroic deeds and significant historical events.
This has led to the distortion of true history over thousands of years of retelling and deliberate alterations.
To use a metaphor from the Celestial Empire, it's like the difference between the historical accuracy of the "Records of the Three Kingdoms" and the popularized "Romance of the Three Kingdoms." The Wood Elves' history has become highly factionalized, with each kingdom rewriting and embellishing their own versions of events while dismissing those of others.
"One of the Asrai's favorite pastimes is to gather around a bonfire at night to recite poetry and stories. Everyone wants to be a historian, praising the good and glossing over the bad. The poems and stories of each kingdom contradict one another, and perhaps only the rituals of the Wardancers hold some credibility."
—Report by Finubar, former ambassador of Ulthuan to Athel Loren, upon his return.
The only known information is that the Twilight Sisters were originally one person—a beautiful Asrai maiden named Naestrahan. She was drawn into the depths of the forest by the twisted flow of time and the magical light of Athel Loren, guided by malevolent forest spirits.
There, she entered the magical weave of the Oak of Ages and became one with it.
After some time, the girl returned, but she was split into two: Naestra and Araloth.
They first appeared during the Wood Elves' invasion of Naggaroth through the World Roots. Orion and Alarielle, seeking to settle an old grudge, launched an assault on the Witch Queen. Just as the Dark Elves were on the brink of defeat, Morathi proposed teaching Alarielle the "primordial magic capable of repairing the roots of the Oak of Ages." Alarielle, intrigued, accepted.
However, Morathi taught her a far more terrifying form of Chaos magic. Alarielle was quickly corrupted and began a bloody reign, even attempting to merge with Morghur. Her madness lasted for centuries until the ancient treeman elder, Durthu, sacrificed himself to purify the Wood Elf Queen. Alarielle finally regained her senses and chose to isolate herself.
The Twilight Sisters appeared during this time. They were declared Alarielle's daughters, messengers, and spokespersons, representing the Queen at the Council of the Forest for a time... until Alarielle was forced to return due to the threat of Morghur (who had resurrected for the Nth time).
But the taint of Chaos still lingered within Alarielle. The Wood Elf Queen had to fight against the corruption year after year. Alarielle knew that, in a way, the Twilight Sisters were her chosen ones and daughters. When she expelled the Chaos magic—whether good or bad—from the magical weave of the Oak of Ages, it was inherited by Naestrahan, who was then split into two by the weave's power.
To simplify, the relationship between the Twilight Sisters and Alarielle is similar to that between Morgiana and the Lady of the Lake. Their powers are inherited, and they serve as the mortal representatives of their deity.
"Mother, what do you think... is this acceptable?" The Lady of the Lake gently picked up her teacup, her eyes sparkling with interest as she glanced at Alarielle. "The Twilight Sisters are your treasures, Mother. Surely you wouldn't begrudge them?"
"Ryan's son?" Alarielle's eyes, previously dull, suddenly lit up as she focused on Devonshire.
Devonshire, like his father Ryan, was surrounded by a pure, bright azure aura of psychic energy.
This was an irresistible temptation for the Twilight Sisters, who were both chosen ones and spellcasters. The key was that Devonshire was still inexperienced in controlling his psychic energy, causing it to leak out naturally.
As for Ryan, by the time Lileath took an interest in him, he was already a semi-finished product. It didn't take long for him to master his psychic energy and prevent it from leaking. Another reason was that Ryan was already "claimed." Most of the elven gods of the Heavenly Pantheon knew that Ryan bore Lileath's mark, so they lost interest.
Devonshire, however, was still up for grabs.
Moreover, the Wood Elves had a natural fondness for children, especially young males like Devonshire, who was neither too old nor too young.
Even Casson, the newly appointed Duke of Parravon, had been teased by two Wood Elf maidens during his Grail Quest.
"But... Naestra and Araloth are my daughters, and Devonshire is your son!" Alarielle was stunned for a moment before she couldn't help but say, "Ryan is your man, and you are my daughter."
"What does that matter? By that logic, isn't Morgiana also my daughter?" The Lady of the Lake said nonchalantly. "Devonshire even calls her Auntie Morgiana."
The elves, especially the long-lived Wood Elves, didn't pay much attention to such matters. After hearing this, Alarielle slowly nodded. The Wood Elf Queen thought for a moment. Although Devonshire currently held no military power or influence, this could still strengthen ties and mutual trust. Besides, she had been planning to let the Twilight Sisters lead their own forces.
The Wood Elves lived long lives, very long lives. If Naestra and Araloth were fond of Devonshire, there was no harm in it. Alarielle knew how powerful Ryan's bloodline was, so Devonshire was surely not a short-lived mortal.
"Take the Prince around the area," Alarielle said to the Twilight Sisters. "Take good care of him. You should get closer."
Seeing that Alarielle not only didn't object but even encouraged them, the Twilight Sisters grew bolder.
"Little brother, are you hungry? I have some roasted venison and fruit pies here. I'm not hungry, so you can have them," Naestra said, holding Devonshire's arm. The intense floral scent of the mature older sister filled Devonshire's senses as she handed him the food wrapped in oilcloth.
"Th-thank you, Sister Naestra," Devonshire blushed and hesitated for a while until his mother Lileath nodded, indicating it was fine. He then politely accepted the food.
"Little brother, I'm Araloth. I often come to the forests of Parravon too. You can call me sister as well," Araloth leaned against Devonshire. Compared to Naestra's strong floral scent, Araloth carried a fresh pine and sandalwood aroma. Her crimson lips brushed against Devonshire's ear as the cold, alluring older sister whispered, "Have you ever ridden a dragon, little brother? Naestra and I can take you on Sathyan-Har. The dragon's back is quite spacious. How about we go play in the forest? If you get tired, you can just sleep there. No problem."
Devonshire felt a bit dizzy being sandwiched between the two older sisters, but the young Baron, having grown up around his two mothers and a group of beautiful aunts, wasn't entirely defenseless against such charms. He felt something was off, so he shook his head. "No, my father and mother will be here soon. Let's wait for them."
"It's fine, there's still time. We can take you to Uncle Daith's Starforge and have him craft you a set of Starfire Rune armor and weapons!" Naestra continued to tempt him. "How about it? Want to..."
A full set of elven rune equipment forged by Daith, the Laird of the Starforge and chosen of Vaul, the elven god of crafting! Devonshire was tempted. He knew exactly how much such a set of equipment would cost on the market.
A set of Wood Elf Starfire Rune equipment would fetch at least 8,000 gold crowns on the market, second only to the 10,000 gold crowns for a full set of Dwarf Rune Gromril Masterwork Plate Armor forged by the master runesmith Dron-Feinson (Karad's godfather's 5,000 was a friendship discount plus the dwarves repaying a favor).
Devonshire could only look to his mother Lileath for help again. Seeing this, Lileath hesitated. The goddess loved stirring up trouble—it was in her nature—but she couldn't just let the Twilight Sisters whisk Devonshire away to have their way with him. Ryan and Sulia would be upset.
After all, she was Devonshire's mother. If she mishandled this and caused Devonshire to develop childhood trauma, Lileath would be unwilling to bear the consequences.
Not to mention that stubborn old man who still held a grudge against her.
"Go and tour the peaks of Parravon, but don't go too far. You must return by dusk," the Lady of the Lake finally decided not to let things go too far. "Also, Naestra, Araloth, behave yourselves."
A while later, Ryan, Sulia, and Morgiana arrived.
Ryan frowned when he saw his son sandwiched between the Twilight Sisters, learning archery. He thought, What are you up to now, my Lady?
But before Ryan could ponder further, Alarielle and Lileath got straight to the point.
"Morghur has not shown himself, so our plan to eliminate him has been repeatedly delayed," the Lady of the Lake said to Ryan. "We invited Mother—Queen Alarielle—here to discuss this matter."
"If Morghur doesn't appear, we can't organize an army to play hide-and-seek with him in the depths of the Grey Mountains," Ryan sat down, the Sun King sighing helplessly. "With too few troops, we stand no chance against Morghur, especially with the Chaos Winds raging. With too many troops, the logistical costs would be enormous. Moreover, the mountainous terrain favors the beastmen, while the Asrai and humans are at a disadvantage. Our artillery would also be ineffective."
"Sun King, do you know why Morghur has not appeared since his resurrection?" Alarielle sneered, her gaze fixed on Ryan.
"Queen Alarielle knows Morghur best. Please share any information you have. We Bretonnians have always been steadfast allies of the Asrai. We watch over and assist each other, benefiting mutually. The enemies of the Asrai are our enemies," Ryan said righteously.
If you were truly a steadfast ally of the Asrai, you wouldn't be speaking to me in that high elven accent, Alarielle frowned. Still, she had to admit that Ryan's words sounded quite pleasing, so she didn't beat around the bush. "Morghur is afraid of you."
"What?" Ryan was momentarily stunned, but he quickly understood. "Morghur is avoiding the forests because of me?"
"Yes, Sun King. Do you know how brightly you shine in the mortal world now?" Alarielle nodded. "Outside the magical weave of Athel Loren, there is a vast expanse of orderly light. Even I find it dazzling. Morghur is a being created by the Dark Gods specifically to corrupt and destroy Athel Loren. It has no intelligence, only instincts. It instinctively fears you, and its beastmen hordes fear you and your tricolor banner, your Old Guard."
"So, what do we do now?" Ryan frowned. If the Morghur issue wasn't resolved, both Bretonnia and Athel Loren would be unable to spare most of their attention and border troops to deal with other matters, let alone form an alliance with the Wood Elves. "Should I temporarily leave the kingdom to lure Morghur out?"
"There's a better way, Ryan. Mother and I have discussed it. We can do this," the Lady of the Lake shook her head and said softly, "You channel your power into me, and Queen Alarielle and I will perform a purification ritual at the edge of Athel Loren, in Anmyr. This ritual will have a significant impact, and Morghur and the Chaos Gods will not ignore it."
"Then, our combined forces will face Morghur and its Shadowgave beastmen horde in Anmyr!" The Lady of the Lake pointed to the Withering Lands in Athel Loren, the battlefield she and Alarielle had chosen. "We only need to protect the Queen during the ritual. Morghur will surely come. Ryan, only your power can purify and completely destroy Morghur."
However, to the Lady of the Lake's surprise, Ryan did not immediately agree. The Grey Knight Primarch's face showed hesitation. His gaze shifted from the Lady of the Lake to Alarielle, then to the Twilight Sisters in the distance. He said slowly, "If you've already discussed and decided, why ask me?"
With that, Ryan stood up and called to Devonshire, "Devon, come with me. I need to talk to you."
"Coming, Father," Devonshire broke free from the Twilight Sisters and quickly walked to Ryan's side.
Ryan left with his son without looking back.
The Lady of the Lake's expression changed slightly. She quickly looked to Sulia for an explanation, but the Knight Queen closed her eyes and shook her head slightly, signaling Lileath not to press further. Sulia's heart was heavy.
Her worst fear had come true.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/INNIT
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.