Chapter 23
Two and a half hours earlier, Lilith knew nothing of the danger closing on Frostbound Bastion.
She was traveling with Auriel under Elowen's guidance toward the Wood Elf settlement.
They crossed dense woodland, forded several rivers, and passed clusters of smaller races fleeing the region.
The journey gave them a clearer picture of the Verdant Forest—and confirmed that Elowen had told the truth.
War was coming to this vibrant land.
Wood Elves were children of nature. They ate no meat and had lived among the trees for generations.
When Elowen finally led the group into their settlement, Lilith laid eyes on a true native civilization for the first time.
Ancient trees towered overhead, each broad enough to support several elegant tree houses. Rope ladders and living vines hung between the branches, and carved chambers hollowed the trunks below. More wooden homes spread across the forest floor.
The settlement had no fences or walls.
Yet the moment Lilith's group approached, she felt countless eyes settle on them.
Elven sentries were hidden all through the canopy.
Once they recognized Elowen, their vigilance eased. Suspicion gave way to curiosity.
The Wood Elf settlement sprawled across an enormous area. Lilith could tell it had once been full of life, but the approaching war had cast a shadow over everything.
"Hey, boss," Blaise whispered from behind Auriel. "Doesn't this place make the elves look like really sophisticated tree monkeys?"
Auriel shot him a warning glare and said nothing.
Privately, Lilith admitted he had a point.
The elves were far prettier, but their fondness for canopy living did invite the comparison.
Elowen led them toward an enormous tree at the settlement's center.
Its trunk was so wide that ten people linking arms might not have encircled it. A beautifully carved residence occupied its hollow base, and several more structures nested high within the crown.
There was no question this tree served as the settlement's heart.
Elowen turned to them.
"Please wait here. I will inform the Seer that you have arrived."
The three Lords waited in the plaza outside.
A short while later, the wooden door swung open.
Elowen gestured them in.
"The Seer is waiting upstairs."
Lilith entered first.
The interior was rustic but finely crafted, like something out of a fairy tale. The lower floor looked like a reception hall.
Yet the Seer had chosen to meet them upstairs.
Lilith also noticed that Elowen stayed outside rather than accompanying them.
She climbed the wooden staircase.
Behind her, Auriel seized Blaise by the arm and hauled him away from several decorations he'd started handling.
The second floor was far larger than expected.
Bookshelves lined the walls, every one packed with old volumes.
A library.
At the far end stood a robed elf, her hood concealing most of her face.
When the three arrived, she spoke.
"Welcome. On behalf of the entire Wood Elf Clan, I thank you for agreeing to aid us."
"The Seer's a woman?" Blaise blurted. "And she's not some ancient fossil?"
"Blaise," Auriel warned. "Show some respect."
He shut up immediately.
The Seer looked amused rather than offended.
"I am quite old," she said. "Elves keep their youth, and our lifespans are effectively without limit, so age rarely shows in our faces."
"You aren't a Wood Elf," Auriel said.
Lilith had noticed the difference in the Seer's aura from Elowen's as well, though she hadn't thought it important.
How had Auriel pinpointed it so fast?
"I’d expect no less from an Angelkin Lord. Your perception of spiritual signatures is exceptionally keen."
The Seer lowered her hood.
She looked nothing like the Wood Elves outside.
Long white hair framed warm bronze skin, and her eyes shone crimson.
"Wow," Blaise said. "Now that's a rare character design."
Lilith understood at once.
This was no unusual Wood Elf.
She belonged to another elven race entirely.
"I am not a Wood Elf," the Seer confirmed. "I was born among the Dusk Elves. Circumstances eventually carried me here, where I became the Seer of this Clan."
"Let's get to the point," Lilith said. "Why did you ask to meet us?"
She had little interest in elven history or internal politics.
She wanted to know why the Seer understood Lords so well—and why she believed Lilith and Auriel could decide the outcome of the war.
"Very well. As the Undead Lord requests, I will speak plainly."
The Seer crooked one finger.
Several small wooden chairs slid across the floor and stopped behind her guests.
Lilith and Blaise sat without hesitation.
Auriel paused before taking the remaining seat.
"Just don't start the story three hundred years ago," Blaise said.
The Seer laughed softly.
"I did not invite you here to tell stories. I intend to discuss profit."
She raised one hand.
Four objects floated above her palm.
Two were spherical crystals shimmering with rainbow light.
The others were old, yellowed books.
"Once again, I thank you both for agreeing to defend this land beside the Wood Elves."
The Seer bowed.
"Please accept these gifts as a token of our sincerity."
The items split into two sets and drifted toward Lilith and Auriel.
Both inspected them immediately.
The title printed across the first book read Natural Perception and Elemental Affinity.
It was clearly meant to be studied.
Neither Lord knew its exact function—but the System did.
They opened their interfaces, while Blaise leaned over Auriel's shoulder to read hers.
[Book: Natural Perception and Elemental Affinity]
[Description: Studying this book improves the user's control over their elemental powers and increases mana regeneration. Further comprehension may also grant EXP.]
The Seer went on.
"In one sense, you are beings who do not belong to this world. Without guidance, it would take you a very long time to grasp its natural laws and learn how its power truly flows."
"I developed this book specifically for Lords. Once you have fully absorbed its teachings, you will wield your existing abilities far more effectively."
Lilith and Auriel both caught the critical detail.
The Seer had written it specifically for Lords.
Her knowledge of them ran far deeper than anything they had expected.
These gifts hadn't merely been chosen for Lilith and Auriel.
They had been designed for outsiders like them.
Lilith picked up the rainbow crystal and examined it.
The System displayed only two words.
[Essence Core]
Even Auriel paused when she recognized the item.
Blaise looked back and forth between them.
"Wait. Why didn't I get anything?"