A cyan bird flies low over the dense forest, its melodious chirping bringing the news of dawn. The passing elves unconsciously look up, witnessing the pale golden dawn filling the sky, its colors painting the emerald green leaves and branches.
In the soft morning light, life bursts forth from the giant tree standing tall under the sky.
At the border of the Emerald Forest and the Sacred Spirit Mountain Range, countless years ago, the Goddess of Life and the Goddess of Moonlight forged a seed of friendship. From then on, the immortal Golden Giant Tree soared into the sky, symbolizing emerald and silver moonlight, becoming an eternal memory for the elves.
Beside the Golden Giant Tree, another World Tree stands tall. In the faint morning light, its branches and vines shimmer with a translucent emerald green. Whenever a gentle breeze blows, the leaves, dyed green by life, rustle, obscuring the rising and falling branches and leaves that cover the sky. If one were to be there, they would feel as if they were in a dream of life.
However, this is already a sacred place of life, and for the elves, it might even surpass a dream.
A year ago, the Goddess of Life sowed the World Tree in the elven soil. Since then, the sky, once shrouded by the dark moon, has seen the dawn of life again. At the foot of the World Tree, the scars of war were erased by the breath of life, and beautiful flowers bloomed.
Some time ago, an elven bard widely publicized that he had seen the noble figure of the Goddess of Life in a dream. She appeared in a sea of flowers, picked the most beautiful pure white flower, and gifted it to the night sky.
However, the bard’s words were naturally scoffed at by many elves, who then continued their work of rebuilding their homes.
With the Goddess’s permission, many elves whose homes were destroyed could rebuild their cities on the World Tree. Each branch of the World Tree forms a space, capable of accommodating the grandest cities in history.
Although less than a year has passed, the prototypes of cities have already appeared on the World Tree of Life. Given time, Sky Cities will reappear, and even the famous elven cities of history are not impossible.
In a space within a branch of the World Tree, at the foot of the city, a burgeoning elven village is built by a lake as blue as sapphire. Perhaps it is leisure time, as two cute figures flash in the clear lake water, chasing each other up the hill.
“Hey, slow down! That’s the village of the Dark Elves ahead. If we break in, Uncle Green will scold us when we get home!”
“The village of the Dark Elves?”
The elven girl with cyan hair in front stopped, curiously raised her head, and then looked back at her pursuer, her big eyes blinking.
“But aren’t the Dark Elves and us both elves? And didn’t we see a Dark Elf girl a few days ago? She wasn’t as scary as the adults described.”
“Silly Xiaofu, you should only say that in front of me. If Uncle Green finds out, he’ll definitely spank you. Xiaofu, you know Uncle Green’s wife was killed by these Dark Elves.”
The elven girl who had caught up with her didn’t have time to catch her breath. She extended her hand and messed up the girl’s hair, then pretended to glare at her with displeasure. “It’s all your fault, Xiaofu, for dragging me to find that Dark Elf that day. I was scolded for a long time when I got back.”
“But not all Dark Elves are bad.”
The elven girl, called “Xiaofu,” still wanted to argue. She climbed to the top of the small hill, tilted her head up to look into the distance, and suddenly her big eyes widened. Happily, she turned her head:
“Xiaotu, look, that white flower. This is a gift from the Goddess to the Dark Elves. I heard from Elder Grandpa that the meaning of this white flower is friendship and equality…”
“Tsk.”
Another elven maiden chuckled, covering her mouth, her laughter like clear silver bells. She tapped Xiaofu’s head again. “Silly Xiaofu, Elder Grandpa also said that this is just the ramblings of a bard. The Goddess is so busy, how could she have time to send flowers to these Dark Elves?”
“But, even if not. If the Dark Elves are all bad, why would the Goddess let them come into the World Tree? I heard that the Goddess wants us to be able to get along peacefully…”
“Tsk, Xiaofu, don’t say that in front of Uncle Green.”
The elven maiden stuck out her tongue and then showed a curious expression, “But, who told you this, Xiaofu?”
“Oh. It was a Dark Elf sister, but a very gentle older sister, as pure as real moonlight… I asked her name, and that Dark Elf sister said her name is Irene, and she just arrived here. Hehe, Irene sister even invited me to her house for afternoon tea. Next time, I’ll take Xiaotu with me!”
The two elven girls, pulling their skirts, walked side by side and sat on the hill, chatting animatedly.
However, the hatred and origins between the two races were too profound for these two young elves, who had not experienced war and were only in their teens. Soon, the girls’ attention was drawn to other matters.
“By the way, Xiaofu, do you know? I heard that Lord Ig has returned to the World Tree!”
“Lord Ig?”
Elven maiden Xiaofu’s big eyes suddenly lit up. She grabbed her companion’s wrist. “Is it Goddess Princess’s Lord Ig? Has the Sacred Spirit Mountain Range been pacified by Lord Ig? Wow, Xiaotu, do you think we can meet Lord Ig?”
The name “Ig” was not a common elven name, but in just one year, it had become known to countless elven maidens in the name of a hero.
Lord Ig was the Guardian Knight of the Goddess Princess, and the Knight Commander personally appointed by the Goddess Princess.
It was said that the Goddess gifted him the sword that represented victory. With the Goddess’s blessing, Knight Commander Ig was invincible in his campaign in the Sacred Spirit Mountain Range. Countless vicious rebels fell by his sword, and countless rebellious territories returned to the rule of the Empire.
There were also faint rumors that this Knight had once challenged the Goddess of the Night Sky, blocking a dark attack from an evil god…
The last time they heard news of this Knight, the allied forces led by Ig had penetrated to the end of the Sacred Spirit Mountain Range, about to launch a full-scale attack on the Moon Well occupied by rebellious Dark Elves… If this Lord also returned to the World Tree, it would mean the war was over, wouldn’t it?
Elven maiden Xiaofu’s pure white little hands clutched her chest slightly, and she suddenly raised her face with surprise. “Wait, Xiaotu, you said, if the Knight returns to the World Tree, can we have the fortune to see the Goddess Princess?”
…
On a branch of the World Tree, shedding his armor and clad in simple robes, the black-haired youth leisurely descended into the city, which was still under reconstruction.
He naturally did not know that he was being discussed by two elven girls at this moment. His lake-blue eyes were filled with longing.
