"Shouldn't you take another break? We're almost there." Sylvia asked as they soared through the air.

Her voice was soft but the tension beneath it was real.

Azel had been flying for more than twenty-four hours with only a few short rests, yet he still pushed forward without slowing.

His wings of holy light beat strongly against the wind, radiating golden particles that drifted lazily behind them like falling stars.

It was already early evening of the next day.

The sky burned with fading orange, and the thin clouds looked like waves of molten gold stretching far across the horizon.

Despite the beauty, Sylvia watched him with controlled worry. To anyone, she appeared like a devoted lover concerned for her partner's exhaustion, but underneath her poised expression hid her true intention.

'If he pushes himself too far, he will be weakened during the Trials… That cannot happen. A weakened partner is a liability.' Sylvia thought behind her serene face.

Though she had to admit… closing the distance between two vast Empires within twenty four hours was crazy.

Yet she tilted her head gently, allowing her blond hair to flutter in the wind the way she knew he liked.

'Still, if I push him to rest now, he may become suspicious. Let him decide. He is easier to control when he feels he is choosing things on his own.'

Azel only smiled.

"I'm fine…" he said, though his breathing was undeniably heavier than before. "Besides, I think I can see it from afar…"

They had been flying over endless plains, over fields dotted with grazing beasts, and lakes reflecting the sky.

This was the first time anything changed. Ahead stretched an enormous forest, the trees so tall they pierced the last rays of sunset, glowing as if they drank light itself.

From this distance, Azel could already see figures moving within the canopy… slender silhouettes with their bows drawn.

Sylvia felt his body tense the moment he noticed the glint of metal.

She rested a hand on his shoulder, lightly squeezing. "Do not be alarmed, darling. They are simply our watchers."

He exhaled slowly but kept his speed. "Is there a rule that I'm breaking by flying in…?"

"Well, Elun'varis does have a rule that humans cannot enter without permission," Sylvia replied. "But you are with me, so I am sure it will be completely fine."

She finished speaking at the exact moment the sky filled with arrows.

Dozens… no, hundreds shot upward like streaks of burning silver, propelled by mana strong enough to distort the air around them.

The sudden rush of killing intent scraped against Azel's senses, and he reacted instantly.

"You were saying?" he muttered as he dove sharply downward. His wings twisted in a perfect spiral as arrows sliced through the space he had been moments before.

While some missed, the other arrows pursued them relentlessly, guided by the elves' enchantments.

Azel flapped once, sending a burst of golden pressure outward, then spun upward in a tight corkscrew. A rain of steel passed harmlessly by, slamming into the ground far below.

As the arrows hit, their glow flickered and died… losing the mana infusion that had guided them.

Azel smirked. "Well, that was easy—"

But the arrows detonated.

A violent burst of mana erupted beneath them, a ripple of raw force strong enough to blow him to the side.

Azel's wings snapped open, catching the unstable air as he struggled to stabilize them both. Sylvia held onto him without fear, pressing into his chest with a perfectly timed tremble.

'Good… a bit of harmless danger will make him more protective of me.' she thought, lowering her eyes as if frightened. 'He must feel needed.'

He regained control at the very edge of the trees while Sylvia raised her hand elegantly.

"Cease your fire!" she commanded, her mana lacing her voice like a bell struck under moonlight.

Instant silence.

The elves flinched as if slapped by a divine force.

One stepped forward from the branches… he was tall, dressed in embroidered forest-green robes and his wooden arrow shaped like a ceremonial artifact more than a weapon.

"My lady… we did not see you. We simply assumed it was an intruder." He bowed, hand raised to signal the others to lower their weapons.

Sylvia inclined her head slightly.

"You were simply doing your duties. I hold no offense." Her tone became gracious, though cool. "Did we arrive in time?"

"For the Elf Trials, milady?" he asked, then saluted deeply. "Yes. You are precisely on time. The Royal Dinner will be starting later tonight."

"Thank you." Sylvia tugged gently on Azel's shirt. "Darling, let us go deeper."

Azel shifted his stance and prepared to take off again, but the elf raised his hand.

"Milady… may I ask what you are doing with a human?" As always, the word "human" dripped with disdain, as though the simple act of saying it dirtied his tongue.

Azel's crimson eyes darkened, but he forced himself to remain civil.

Sylvia, however, answered first with a dangerous expression.

"He… this human is my lover. Be respectful."

The elf stiffened, pale and horrified, immediately bowing again.

"Y-yes, my lady. Forgive me." He looked at Azel one more time, trying to hide the insult in his gaze but failing. "Please take care of my lady."

Azel shot past him without responding. Hundreds of branches blurred beneath them as he flew deeper into Elven territory.

As they moved into the ancient forest, the density of life energy grew overwhelming. It was pure, thick, and almost suffocating in its richness.

"I didn't know elves lived in trees…" Azel muttered.

"That is blatant racism, darling," Sylvia replied. "Elves do not live in trees."

Deep in his mind, Elarielle's voice rang suddenly.

[Ah… is that really her?]

Large roots spread across the ground like roads made from living wood, twisting and spiraling upward into the distance.

[She feels familiar… Ah! Is that really her?]

Azel slowed as the trees parted.

What lay before him was a city so vast and breathtaking that even his hardened mind failed to describe it at first glance.

Elun'varis stretched across the horizon… white stone towers shaped like grown crystal, spiraling walkways, glowing bridges woven from living roots, silver lights floating in the air like drifting fireflies. It was alive.

And at its heart…

A tree.

A tree so massive it seemed to pierce the heavens themselves.

Its trunk radiated divine energy and its leaves shimmering in soft shades of green and gold, shedding gentle motes of light.

'Yggdrasill, huh?' he thought.

[Yes, it's her! I planted her myself!] Elarielle shrieked in excitement. [She's even bigger than me now!]

Azel blinked, stunned. The Goddess of Life had planted Yggdrasill.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense.

Sylvia pointed ahead with regal grace. "Come, darling… we must descend."

The castle rested at the base of Yggdrasill, glowing with silver and emerald light.

"Come on… we have to go down." Sylvia said. "To the castle."

…

"So I have several questions." Azel said as they descended toward the distant silhouette of the castle.

The wind rushed past them which was warm and gentle now that they were within the borders of Elun'varis, and Sylvia clung even tighter to him… far tighter than she needed to.

Gwendolyn floated beside them, her ghostly form drifting through leaves and branches as if they weren't even there, her eyes shining with nostalgic awe.

Meanwhile, Azel was too focused on the immense shape rising in the distance to care about anything else.

"Why couldn't I see that tree when we were flying in?" he asked, eyes widening more with every flap of his radiant wings. "It's so big it looks like it's touching the sky."

He wasn't exaggerating.

Even from here, Yggdrasill dwarfed mountains. Its trunk alone was thicker than entire districts in the human capital.

Its branches stretched outward like divine arms, each one glowing with life energy like they were hiding a world of their own.

It made no sense that he had missed something this gigantic from the sky.

"That is the power of the Elf King's illusion." Sylvia answered sweetly as if she were whispering to her lover. She rested her cheek on his shoulder to sell the act. "Unless you enter the Land of the Elves completely, you cannot see Yggdrasill. The illusion hides it from all outsiders."

She lifted her head slightly, her golden hair brushing his jaw.

"Humans, beastkin, dwarves… all of them are blocked from even knowing Yggdrasill exists. Only the Human Emperor is allowed the truth. It is protection."

Azel narrowed his eyes. "Protection, huh…? Or paranoia."

Sylvia giggled softly, squeezing him closer.

"Oh darling, you must not say things like that here. They take such words very seriously."

He sighed. "Fine. Next question. What exactly is this trial about? Why even hold a successor trial when the Elf King already has a daughter?"

Sylvia's smile deepened.

'He really knows nothing… perfect.' She kept her expression sympathetic and leaned closer, brushing his neck lightly.

"I see you really know nothing about Royal Elves." she said, laughing lightly as if fond of his cluelessness. "Don't worry, that's what I'm here for. I'll teach you everything you need to know."

Azel frowned slightly. "Teach me…?"

"Of course, darling." Her fingers secretly tightened around his sleeve, grounding him emotionally. "First of all, I am not a Royal Elf."

That made him blink. He had assumed… like everyone that Sylvia was the King's true daughter.

'But she introduced herself that way…' he thought.

Sylvia sighed dramatically, as if exposing a long-buried pain.

"I am the adopted daughter of the Elf King," she said. "By blood, I am not part of the Royal line. That is why the Elf Trial must happen. If I were a true Royal Elf, such a trial would be unnecessary."

"Huh."

"The current Elf King," she continued, "is the last true Royal Elf. Royals are born with perfect magical balance. They can wield up to ten affinities, each at the level of Great Mage or higher. Their bodies do not deteriorate. Their lifespan is unmatched. They are… perfect."

Azel gave a low whistle. "Ten affinities? That's insane."

"Yes." She smiled up at him. "I could never compare."

They descended lower now. The castle gates appeared below them, carved from living wood that glowed with mana.

Several elves stood on the walls with bows in hand but the moment they recognized Sylvia, their tense posture relaxed.

Azel folded his wings and landed just before the entrance.

Sylvia slipped from his arms, but immediately slid her hand into his, intertwining their fingers like a devoted lover.

Anyone watching would see a perfect romantic picture.

Azel didn't see how her eyes glinted with calculation.

"You called the Elf King an 'it.' Why is that?" he asked.

"Because Royal Elves are born genderless." Sylvia explained. "They can choose a gender later in life if they desire… but they are not born with one. That is why the term it is used until they decide."

"That's… weird."

"Well, there is one condition." Sylvia whispered as she guided him through the open gates.

The doors parted with a burst of soft green magic. "For a Royal Elf to choose a gender… they must fall in love."

Azel blinked. "What?"

Before he could process that, they stepped into the front yard of the castle.

The garden was immaculate with flowers that shimmered with life mana, beasts made of vines lounging lazily, and glowing butterflies hovering in the air.

And standing on the porch of the grand castle was a figure that stole Azel's breath for a moment.

Tall, slender, perfect posture. Long silver-green hair that reached the waist. A pure white suit and a long cape that dragged over the polished wooden platform and a crown shaped from intertwined branches rested upon its head.

And its face… was neither male nor female but somehow beautiful beyond reason.

Its tri-tone eyes glowed. There was Gold at the center and silver around it like a moonlit ring while emerald was at the outer rim.

Azel had never seen anything like it.

The Elf King stepped forward without expression.

"Welcome home, Sylvia." The voice was monotone, neither deep nor soft but strangely melodic. "I assume this is the contestant you have brought."

Sylvia tightened her hold on Azel's hand and smiled up at him with the perfect expression of a devoted lover who trusted him fully. "Yes. He is my chosen partner."

The Elf King's eyes slid toward Azel.

Azel felt something enormous press against his soul, like ancient roots crawling through his thoughts though it was dispelled moments after.

Then…

"…Interesting. This will be a very interesting trial."

With that cryptic remark, the Elf King turned and walked inside the castle, it's cape fluttering behind with unnatural grace.

Azel blinked, unsettled.

'Why did it feel like the Elf King was checking me out…?'

He shivered once, then tried to ignore the weird sensation crawling up his spine.

Just then Gwendolyn leaned on his other shoulder, her ghostly breasts squishing against him as always.

"I know that elf!" she shouted. "It's Yarog's childhood friend! We need to talk to it more!"

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