Advent of the Archmage

"Theodore, come with me." The High Elf Queen waved a hand at Link. She was looking at him warmly, as a mother would at her son who had made quite a name for himself.

The real Theodore would have felt immensely honored to be able to walk side by side with the queen. However, Link was never one to let such a thing go to his head. From the way the queen had acted, he imagined that the queen must have grown suspicious of his identity and was now trying to confirm her own suspicions.

Link gave her a small bow. "Many thanks, Your Highness."

Ignoring the looks of admiration from the other High Elves, he took a step forward and was instantly teleported ten feet forward to the queen's side.

"Leave us, all of you. I would like to have a word with Theodore in private," said the High Elf Queen.

The High Elves looked at each other, unsure why their queen would issue such an order. They all looked hesitant to comply, especially the palace guards, who seemed reluctant about leaving their posts.

"Leave us!" repeated the High Elf Queen even more assertively.

This was the first time any of the High Elves had heard the queen raise her voice at them. Instinctively, they backed away.

The only High Elves remaining on the path to the High Elves' royal tomb were Link and the High Elf Queen.

After casting a soundproof barrier, the queen's face relaxed somewhat. She smiled weakly at Link and said, "Come, Theodore, we have much to talk about."

"After you," said Link with a small bow.

The High Elf Queen began walking forward, with Link following after her.

The sun cast its gentle glow on them from the sky. A breeze blew past them from time to time. A sweet smell wafted from the purple-leaved trees that lined their path. The queen ambled down the path in ruminative silence as if trying to think of what to say next to Link.

Link patiently waited for the queen to speak.

Soon, the tomb's entrance appeared before them. Two 20-foot-tall statues stood solemnly on both sides, forever keeping watch over the place.

"Both these statues were built 2935 years ago. They each possessed Level-9 pinnacle power and were once the most powerful entities to ever exist in the realm. However, 3000 years had passed, and they have both been reduced to nothing more than ornamentation."

Link said with a smile, "Nothing can withstand the erosion of time. The world is continually changing. Without anyone taking steps to revamp their functions, these magical statues would surely lag behind everything else."

"Yes, your words couldn't be truer," said the High Elf

Queen with a sigh. She then fell silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, she turned to look at Link and said, "This has gone unnoticed by present-day High Elves since these statues were never the basis of High Elf civilization. If the World Tree were to meet such a fate, it would certainly cause a huge stir among those living in its shade. Theodore, you have attained power unequaled by anyone else on this island. Do you think that the World Tree will one day become obsolete?"

Link narrowed his eyes. The question sounded loaded. After thinking about it for a while, he said, "Even if such a day were to come,

I'm sure we High Elves would still have a place in this world."

"I'm not so sure about that now," said the High Elf Queen again with a sigh. "The High Elves have enjoyed 3000 years of peace and prosperity. This has been both a blessing and a curse from the World Tree.

It is true that the High Elves of today have become decadent. Their arrogance has also incurred the resentment of the other races on the continent. If the World Tree were to disappear one day, I fear that we would not be able to survive a backlash from everyone else."

"Your Highness, why would you say something so pessimistic?" said Link. He was not at all surprised that the High Elf Queen was able to foresee such an outcome. Every decision she had made in the past had attested to her incredible foresight.

In order to avoid such an outcome, she had done everything in her power to quell any signs of uprising from the other races on the continent. She had managed to carry out her machinations without a hitch for the last 3000 years. It was not until the appearance of Link that her failures began to multiply.

"As a leader, I have to consider all possible outcomes,"

said the High Elf Queen. She was now smiling her kind, motherly smile as she looked at Link. She continued, "Theodore, you are a remarkable young man.

Your diligence, modesty, and trustworthiness have stood out amid the decadence in the Isle of Dawn. You have survived the Dark Elf Queen's slaughter in the Black Forest, and just recently, you managed to take down Saroviny and save the Isle of Dawn from certain destruction. The World Tree was right to bless you with its power, it would seem."

Link had been showered with so much praise ever since he first appeared in Firuman, it was now beginning to wear on him. If he wanted to, he could just take a stroll along the streets of Ferde, where he would immediately be accosted by the city's inhabitants and be forced to listen to their incessant adulations.

His face remained expressionless. He quietly waited for the High Elf Queen to continue.

Both of them had arrived at the feet of the tomb's magical statues. The High Elf Queen turned to Link and said, "Past these two statues is the royal tomb. See this silver line on the ground?"

Link looked down and saw that a 4-inch-thick silver line had been drawn between the feet of the two statues. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the line was, in fact, a row of magical runes packed tightly together. He could also feel mysterious magical energy coming from it.

"A Sacred Blood Barrier?" asked Link.

"Yes," replied the High Elf Queen, nodding. She had stepped over the silver line. "The Sacred Blood Barrier represents the pinnacle of High Elf innovation in the mystic arts. Don't worry, it's just a detection seal. The two statues will be activated if any non-High Elf intruder crosses this silver line. Do come in, Theodore."

Link, however, stood rooted to the ground. He looked at the High Elf Queen and saw that she was still wearing the same warm smile as before.

However, as seconds passed, the warmth in her smile began to fade while the look in her eyes grew cold.

"Theodore, what are you waiting for?" she asked.

The barrier's magic was too complicated to be overcome by Link in such short notice. Without thinking too much about it, he stepped over the silver line.

He felt confident that he would be able to take on the two magical statues if he were to trigger the Sacred Blood Barrier. He had finally understood what the Firuman realm wanted.

However, the realm fusion process was not without its risks. If he wanted to help Firuman achieve fusion with the Aragu realm, he would have to brace himself for a few hiccups here and there.

When Link lifted a foot over the silver line, the runes in it instantly turned red. Rays of red light shot out from the ground, threatening to bring the two magical statues to life.

Suddenly, the High Elf Queen lifted her foot, which glowed with the soft green light of her Nature Power and set it down on the silver line.

Paccha... The sound of breaking glass resounded in the air. The red light given off by the runes on the ground vanished in an instant. The two statues remained standing inertly on both sides of the tomb's entrance.

Link was now standing on the other side of the barrier. He had successfully crossed the silver line on the ground.