The Ley Line Warden's Hidden Agenda

"...Lanlos, can you hear me? You rogue? You jerk?" When the other elf didn't respond, Vereesa's voice grew increasingly anxious.

"Ah, I can hear you." A glint returned to his vacant eyes. Lanlos's voice was hoarse, as though he were a long-paralyzed patient. It took him a good while to come around.

The elven mage stood up, his gaze never leaving the crystal in his hand. "How long was I out?"

"A few minutes. No matter how much I called you, you didn't answer. What happened?" Vereesa asked with uncharacteristic concern, visibly relieved.

Before, Lanlos wouldn't have passed up the chance to tease her. But now...

His eyes narrowed, and his brows drew together. Countless questions swirled through the elven boy's mind, and that was no good sign.

"We need to get back to the Western Temple." Lanlos tore off a corner of his robe, wrapped the crystal in it, and hung it from his belt. "I have a bad feeling something's about to happen."

"But it's already getting late..." Vereesa pointed toward the sun, which was almost sinking into the sea, but he cut her off before she could finish.

"We'll travel through the night. We have to get back as soon as possible." The doubts and unease in his heart urged Lanlos onward. He didn't even feel like sitting down to tend to his wounds.

Then he thought of his injuries, and his gaze fell instinctively on Vereesa's feet. "How's your leg?"

"Luckily, nothing's broken."

"Want me to carry you?"

"Get lost!"

Traveling at night wasn't wise. Even with the bright moonlight cast by the White Lady, most of it was blocked by the canopy, leaving the two elves to make their way through near-total darkness.

"Hey, wouldn't it be better to take the main road?" Insects chirped around her, and the darkness was so thick that she could barely see her hand in front of her. Vereesa felt inexplicably uneasy.

Eversong Woods wasn't safe after dark. There was the risk of disturbing sleeping beasts, and Vereesa had heard countless stories of people spotting ghosts.

When the High Elves first landed here, they had fought their way from Silvermoon City to Zul'Aman. The forest looked dazzling and splendid, but beneath the soil lay the remains of countless High Elf heroes and Forest Trolls.

That was another side of this golden forest—and the side that frightened Vereesa.

The emotional upheaval of the day had nearly driven her to paranoia. The elven girl felt as though countless eyes were watching her from the darkness all around. It seemed like some creature might reach out and tap her on the shoulder at any moment. And when she turned around...

Still just a child. Watching the girl draw closer and closer to him, Lanlos couldn't help giving a faint smile.

Their time together over the past two days had shown him her strong and brave side, but also how young and timid she was. And the sight of her collapsing against his chest and crying had been etched into his memory forever.

Lanlos stopped abruptly. His eyes narrowed, and his smile vanished, leaving only gravity and seriousness.

"Why'd you stop?" Vereesa, walking behind him because of her injured leg, nearly bumped into his back.

"There's something up ahead." His quiet words sounded almost like he was talking to himself. He left Vereesa with that hair-raising warning, then immediately crept forward with caution.

"Are you serious?" She really didn't want to follow him, but compared with being left here alone, she gritted her teeth and steeled herself to go after him.

As it turned out, Lanlos hadn't imagined it.

"Awooo!" The long, hollow cry made her chest tighten. It was familiar, yet grating.

Lanlos peered out from the bushes, his brow furrowing slightly. Sure enough, Mana Wraiths had appeared ahead—and there were a whole lot of them!

They were in a rare hollow without any maple trees. Weeds grew everywhere, and moss clung to the long-abandoned buildings. In the moonlight, they could just make out a Phoenix Emblem amid the gaps between the ivy leaves.

Lanlos didn't stop to investigate the ruins' origins. His attention was entirely drawn to what the Arcane Wraiths had surrounded.

It was rusted and covered in moss, but the complex markings engraved on its body were still visible, though the passage of time had nearly worn them away. It had a tall, humanoid frame and a flat, round iron head. Its arm blades were badly blunted and almost completely covered in runes, yet the enchantments, which should have long since run out of power, were glowing brilliantly once more.

An Arcane Construct—a masterpiece of High Elf ingenuity, a powerful construct forged by combining arcane magic with engineering and alchemy. Even the shoddily made ones possessed the strength of a mid-level adventurer, and their iron bodies offered immense resistance to both physical and magical attacks. If they weren't so expensive to build, they might have replaced the Dawnblade Knights as the High Elves' most powerful ground force.

The construct before them looked absolutely wretched. Its long neglect made every movement come with the heart-stopping groan of its parts. Yet the instant it went on the attack, it seemed reborn!

Beep, beep!

The strip of light on its head, which seemed to serve as its eyes, flashed repeatedly. As it faced the Mana Wraiths, it abruptly turned a vivid crimson.

"...Enemy... eliminate..."

It raised both arms, and the runes glowing with magical light blazed brighter. A dazzling pale-purple radiance burst forth, and a sphere of arcane energy rapidly expanded outward, swallowing all the Mana Wraiths in the blink of an eye.

The scene was extremely familiar, but unlike the magical explosion caused when an Arcane Aberration died, this spell's energy was far more controlled and concentrated.

A third-circle spell, Arcane Explosion Spell. It dealt less damage than a fireball, but its range was much greater. Its stable arcane energy also made it extremely safe: it was difficult to counter or interrupt, and casting it generated an effect much like a shield, offering resistance to most energy-based and ranged attacks.

But that wasn't what made it most appealing. Its greatest strength was its ability to clear a battlefield.

A powerful gust tossed his gray-white bangs as Lanlos watched the Arcane Wraiths dissolve into the air. He silently retreated.

The two of them weren't strong enough to take on an Arcane Construct. What's more, this thing carried the same aura as the Conduit Crystal. Lanlos had no desire to get himself killed.

He glanced at Vereesa. Without a word, the two of them silently walked away in perfect unison. Meanwhile, the doubts and unease in Lanlos's heart grew ever stronger. He could understand an Arcane Aberration, but how had a decommissioned construct found and made use of a Conduit Crystal?

"Very impressive. You've been much more efficient than I expected." Velania had dropped her usual playful demeanor. Her solemn expression made Lanlos doubt his own judgment.

"There's something I don't understand. You said the Conduit Crystal was ejected. Was this the first time something like that had happened?" Getting straight to the point, Lanlos opened the cloth wrapped around the crystal. The deep-blue surface radiated a powerful aura of magic. "Why hasn't this happened before?"

"That's right. It's the first time." Velania gave the crystal in his hand a meaningful glance, then said solemnly, "I'm not sure whether it was a coincidence or... deliberate."

When Velania took out an identical crystal, Lanlos wasn't too surprised. For some reason, though, he didn't mention the Arcane Construct.

"Before you came back, I found it on the other side of the coast." The Ley Line Warden's face was full of worry, not joy at recovering the Conduit Crystal. "I discovered that part of its structure had changed. But I've only been in this position for a few years, so I can't get to the bottom of what caused it."

"There's more to this than meets the eye... We have to find out what's wrong with the crystals. The wardens at the other temples might be able to help us find the answer."

"But at a time like this, I have to stay at my post. I need your help."

"What do you mean?" Lanlos frowned and stared straight into her eyes.

"You must take the crystal to the Eastern Temple. Landral Dawnstrider should be able to find out what's going on with the local scholars. As for your students..." Seeing the concern on Lanlos's face, Velania looked down at the crystal in her hand. "I've already sent a message. They'll be back here soon. I'll have them head north and return to the academy. This crystal also needs someone to take it to the Northern Temple."

"Understood. I'll leave right away." Lanlos put the crystal away, nodded, and turned to go.

"Hey, young man, aren't you forgetting something?"

Lanlos turned around and saw Velania teasingly eyeing his clothes. He immediately caught on. His wounds had been bandaged, but his robe was in tatters, exposing a large area of his fairly well-built, tanned skin.

"You're about the same size as my apprentice. I'm sure his robe will fit you." Velania glanced at the silver-haired ranger beside Lanlos, then paused. "I'll also get you some transportation for the journey."

You? Lanlos turned around and saw Vereesa looking at him with a challenging smile.

Velania watched the Strider carrying the two elves speed away. The corners of her lips slowly curled upward, and a flash of emerald light darted through her eyes.

If Lanlos had seen it, he would have been utterly shocked. He knew that aura all too well!