Halor Kingdom

"I came from the world of Azeroth. Night Elves were the earliest race to emerge in the world, and the first to learn how to use magic. Ten thousand years before the First War, Night Elves had already begun using magic to reshape the world. Queen Azshara and the Highborne became obsessed with studying Arcane energy, and their reckless use of magic brought about a terrible disaster. We once... heh, the Highborne were the highest class among Night Elf nobility. Yet most Highborne died during the War of the Ancients, and the survivors eventually evolved into several different races."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to revisit that painful past, so I can't tell you about that long process of evolution. In short, the exiled Highborne lost their powerful hearing and eyesight. They were no longer as strong as Night Elves, nor did they retain their high resistance to disease. They lost the silver-glimmering eyes that pulsed with Arcane energy, as well as their violet skin filled with magical power. Though they still possessed lifespans beyond mortal reach, they were no longer immortal."

"I am a Sin'dorei. In my world, we were not on friendly terms with humans. It was common for fighting to break out whenever we met. But for reasons I cannot tell you, I have no particular feelings toward humans. So I will not take the initiative to fight." Elufiel told the mage this at last.

Odovish snapped out of the story. He was astonished by this race so skilled in magic, and he could also hear remembrance and sorrow in the elf's words. The downcast elf was so quiet, wrapped in a faint melancholy. Odovish suddenly felt that she was very, very far away... He was eager to say something, to pull her back into the mortal world.

But before Odovish could speak, Elufiel spoke first. She smiled at the mage. "Mr. Mage, I also want to tell you that no one understands better than I do what Arcane means. The thing my race pursued throughout their lives—its danger and its wonder—no one in Kanado understands it better than I do."

The smiling elf was like brilliant sunlight, breaking free from the shackles of dark clouds and shining into the depths of the mage's shadow-filled heart. This elf understood Arcane. She could understand her! The thought began to take root in the mage's mind.

Only Odovish knew how excited she was. Elufiel could only see that the mage's eyes had grown deeper, nearly ink-blue.

"I will show you the truest side of this world." Not the prosperity and peace that floated on the surface, but the truth hidden among ruined walls and old scars, beyond the Holy See's layers of blockade.

Elufiel blinked and said seriously to the mage, "May the Holy Light protect us."

"The Holy Light?" As expected, Odovish became interested in this unfamiliar Kanado term. "Is it the radiance of a god?"

"No." Elufiel tore off a piece of bread. "In fact, no one knows what the Holy Light truly is. We prefer to think of it as a kind of faith. All right, Odovish, don't be such a curious child. I'm your student, aren't I?"

Being called a "curious child" by an elf who looked like a young girl left the mage somewhat embarrassed. But Elufiel did not notice the mage's expression. She was concentrating on battling the food. Compared to the thick soup and bread, the roasted rabbit was far more to the elf's liking.

After the meal, Odovish told Elufiel where they would be going.

"In two months, a gathering of spellcasters will be held in Everlook Canyon, north of Moonglade. There, you will see many independent Arcane practitioners. You will witness firsthand their attitude toward magic."

Elufiel nodded, then told the mage that she needed a room to tend to her robe. She could not survive amid ice and snow while wearing such a thin robe without any enchantments.

Odovish then booked two adjoining rooms for them. Not long after Elufiel entered hers, he knocked on her door and handed her a package. "You need some local Kanado clothing. Such exquisite patterns are rarely seen in human kingdoms, and bright colors are even more a symbol of expense. Usually, only nobles and high-ranking members of the Holy See can obtain them. Even ordinary wealthy merchants would not dare wear them casually."

Halor Kingdom

The Eastern Plains were the largest stretch of plains bordering Green Forest, and the Halor Kingdom stood upon this fertile land.

A two-wheeled carriage traveled along the flat road at an unhurried pace. Driving it was an apprentice the mage had found from somewhere, named Gelin. When Elufiel first saw the boy in his drab gray cotton clothes, she could scarcely believe that he was a magic apprentice. He looked far too much like the child of an ordinary commoner—a child who would take work wherever he could find it to support his family. And he truly did know many things that spellcasters might never bother to learn in their lives, such as skillfully harnessing a carriage—rather than an apprentice who memorized magical theory and wiped down experimental tools for his mentor.

The boy in gray did not call Odovish "Master." He merely looked at her with respect and admiration when greeting her, then began driving for them like an ordinary hired coachman.

Sitting in the carriage, Elufiel regarded Odovish with curious eyes. "Is that your disciple?"

Odovish shook her head. "Not exactly. I have never held a formal apprenticeship ceremony with him. Old Carl found this child abandoned in Green Forest. He learned all his previous magical knowledge from Old Carl. Later, when Old Carl was targeted by the church, he entrusted him to me before he died."

Elufiel fell silent. The mage had never told her anything specifically about the Holy See, but from the scattered hints, it was not difficult to tell that it was an enormous organization and bitterly hostile toward Arcane spellcasters.

Seeing the elf sink into silence, Odovish raised another subject. "On the way to the next town, I have plenty of time to explain Kanado's customs and local culture to you. What would you like to hear about?"