Pain was the first thing that greeted Elian's returning consciousness. It wasn't the sharp sting of a blade, but a dull, bone-crushing ache, as if a giant had squeezed the life out of him. A chill pierced through to his marrow, making his teeth chatter uncontrollably before he could even open his eyes.
Slowly, his heavy eyelids fluttered open. The world was a blur of purple and dark green. He wasn't dead, but he was no longer in the world of men. He lay on a rocky riverbank, half-submerged in water as cold as ice.
"Cough..." Elian vomited river water mixed with blood.
The memories hit him like a tidal wave: his father fighting alone, Elara's scream, and the cold face of Viscount Morgran. He was alone in the Azure Mist Forest, a forbidden territory where humans were nothing but prey.
By all medical logic, Elian should be dead. A fall from that height with a cracked Mana Core was an instant death sentence. Yet, as he looked at his tattered tunic, he saw something impossible. Glowing green moss was creeping over his wounds. Small vines wrapped around his sprained ankle like natural bandages.
The mana in the air didn't crush him; it caressed him, seeping into his flesh and bone.
Rest, Child. We will close your wounds, a whisper echoed in his soul—not a human voice, but the rustling of leaves translated by his very spirit.
Suddenly, a pair of glowing yellow eyes emerged from the bushes. A Shadow Panther, a Tier 3 monster, stepped out. Elian froze. He had no weapon, no strength. He closed his eyes, waiting for the fangs to pierce his neck.
But instead of death, he felt a rough tongue licking the dried blood from his cheek. The predator purred, curling its massive, warm body beside him. In that moment, Elian realized a bitter truth: This world did not hate him. It was humans who hated him.
"Interesting. The forest has chosen a very fragile seed to protect."
The voice was cold and piercing, like a winter wind. Elian turned his head with great effort. Standing on a giant tree branch was a woman who looked like a Goddess of the Forest—or a demon of the moon. Her silver hair flowed like liquid moonlight, and her amethyst eyes stared at him with lethal caution.
She held a transparent crystal bow, a magic energy arrow aimed directly at Elian's heart.
"How did you enter this Sanctuary, human?" she asked. "I smell the stench of greed on your clothes. Has the Empire finally found us?".
"Water..." Elian croaked.
Lunaria, the Queen of the forgotten Moon Elves, narrowed her eyes and released the string. But before the arrow could strike, a massive tree root burst from the earth, forming a shield for the boy.
Lunaria's composure shattered. Her ancestral forest was protecting a human against its own Queen. She leaped down gracefully, kneeling beside Elian. As she stared at his face—pale, beautiful, and possessing eyes that looked like the Abyss—her killing intent vanished, replaced by a dark curiosity.
"You have a shattered Core, yet your meridian system is thirsty for mana. You don't need a vessel; your body is the Core," she whispered, her fingers tracing his jawline. "The humans threw you away because they are fools. But I will teach you the ancient arts they fear."
She leaned in closer, her scent of night flowers overwhelming him. "But there is a price. You will stay here. You will endure pain far worse than falling off a cliff. Can you handle that, little prince?".
Elian looked at her, the fire of vengeance replacing his tears. "Teach me. Make me strong enough to decide who lives".
Lunaria grinned, a look of satisfaction and malice. "Smart boy. Cry today, Elian. But tomorrow, turn those tears into fuel. If you want to save your sister, you must become a monster far more terrifying than the ones who destroyed you".