Corrupt Creations

"Everything... will, disappear?" Seth couldn't bring himself to accept such an outcome would befall a land that was full of fresh herbs, items and artifacts. What a waste of resources. 

"You do not have to bother with what will happen with everything that is inside the Fire Labyrinth. This Venerable One already has a solution of what to do with it. But first, let me give you what was promised." 

A bolt of Fire descended right in front of Seth, bringing the magical Phoenix Feather. A feather with a reddish-orange color, radiating with vitality. The Phoenix Spirit detached its soul from the feather, officially parting with the last item of its inheritance. What was left, was the ancient spirit of the phoenix, that would dissipate along with the labyrinth. 

"I thank you, Lord Phoenix Spirit." 

Seth grabbed the Phoenix Feather and went towards Lilian, ready to use it and save her life. 

"Stop! You do not need to use the Phoenix Feather on her. This Venerable One decided to impart its full inheritance with that lass and the feather will no longer be needed." 

Seth stopped with puzzlement. 

"Then, how will you be able to save her life?" 

"That is something that this Venerable One should be preoccupied with. But, just to dispel any of your doubts, you shall observe it from aside." 

The big burning eyes started to burn with more ferocity, making the entire hall shake. All the treasures that were scattered around the floor and shelves, started to levitate while catching fire.

The fire burning them was none other than the real Phoenix Flames, a fire ten thousand times stronger than the normal fire that practitioners normally encountered. 

The artifacts and herbs turned into dust and that dust turned into energy right after. The Phoenix Spirit directed that energy towards Lilian's body, controlling it precisely, so it could enter her veins and transform her entire foundation. 

A torrential bolt of energy kept entering her body non-stop, reforming her cells from scratch. 

"There is no need for you to stay here, this whole process will take about an entire year. At the end of the process, the resources around the labyrinth will be thoroughly used too. Her body will then be ready to receive my full inheritance. Go, there is nothing left for you to do here." 

"Alright, I thank you again Lord Phoenix Spirit." 

A harmless fire surrounded Seth, sending him to the world outside. While leaving he gave one last look towards Lilian. 

The Phoenix Spirit kept looking where he was standing some seconds ago, thinking about the shocking events that happened around that young man. 

"Sigh... At least, I can guarantee that my Phoenix Flames will be able to shine again through the whole universe if this lass is by his side." It turned its focus towards Lilian, making sure to perfectly handle her transformation process, since it wanted that its full inheritance was passed down flawlessly. 

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Ereinrith City. 

It was considered the most beautiful city of the Elven Kingdom. The way this city was built, could only be described as unique. Nothing less would be expected from the city that represented the elf race. 

The houses were most made of wood, polished marble or an exquisite mixture of them. Some of the houses were even connected with the huge trunks of the ancient trees that were part of the city. The environment was very clean and fresh, the sunlight was passing through the vast foliage on top of the trees to illuminate the city below, giving it the necessary warmth. 

Practically every single person walking in the city had a very pale skin and long hairs. Some were blonde and others had black hairs, but they were all long and shiny. Their pointy ears were taking a peek at the outside world through the gap they made in their hairs. This was a racial trait the elves were proud of. 

Rarely, one would be able to witnesses a human walking through the crowd of elves. Humanity had a friendly relationship with the elf race nowadays. They have fought over territory in the distant past, but they overcame their disagreements, building up at least an amicable relationship. 

However, it didn't mean that humans would be warmly welcomed on their territory, there was a certain kind of resistance towards humans. So, the humans around the city were very few, and most if not all of them, were doing business. 

Paeris Beihorn had just arrived at the city with his disciples. After excusing himself from his duties, he left his disciples behind to directly head towards the most important place of the entire Elven Kingdom. 

Ereinrith Sacred Palace. 

The part of the city where the palace was, for some reason, had way less people and guards than it should. Another characteristic that one would notice, was that the guards around the palace were way stronger than the others patrolling the city. Of course, the protection of the royalty had to be stricter, but the difference of power between them was stark. 

But this wasn't a secret information that the public didn't have the access to. It was actually a prerequisite for the guards around the palace to be strong, since it was for their own good. 

Paeris entered the palace after passing through all the security. Since he was a well-known character around the city and an important member of the expedition squad, he was allowed entry. He arrived at the main hall inside the palace and requested an audience with the queen. 

A beautiful woman appeared to probe his reasons for requesting an audience. 

"Greetings, miss Allannia." Paeris bowed with respect. He was a Mana control late-stage realm practitioner, but in front of miss Allannia, he felt pressured and fragile. 

Allannia nodded and asked: "What are mister Paeris reasons for requesting an audience from our queen? You know that it is a great sin to waste our queen's precious time, right?" 

Paeris felt beads of sweat trickling from his forehead, but he acknowledged her words while not backing down. He was certain that he brought important news back. 

"If you know, then come with me. Make sure to go directly to the point, since it is unknow if you'll be able to survive for a long time there." Allannia gave some advices. 

Impressively Paeris didn't take it as a threat, since he knew about what she was referring to. It would indeed be a life-risking situation for him if he overstepped his boundaries. 

They passed through a corridor and entered another passageway after. This passageway was long and Paeris could feel how heavy the environment was becoming after each step he took. After walking through the passageway, they saw a huge white marble door, that led directly to the royal chamber, where the queen stood right now. 

Before entering the royal chamber, Paeris was already feeling the heaviness surrounding his body, he quickly activated his Mana, circling it around himself, for protection. Allannia was faring better than him, but she did the same. 

The door opened for him and Paeris went inside, while Allannia stood guarding on the outside. After entering that beautiful hall, he saw the silhouette of the Elf Queen sitting on her throne, however, he didn't dare to raise his head and look directly towards her. 

Paeris knelt on the floor and said: "Your loyal servant Paeris Beihorn brings important news for your highness." 

"Please, say." 

The gentle voice of the queen resounded on his ears, but Paeris didn't dare to take things lightly.

He quickly took the contaminated crystal with the red droplet inside, showing it to the Elf Queen. 

"This was discovered by one of my disciples, Ilbrien. It turned red after he fought with a group of three people. A woman with fiery red hair, a young man with a considerable strength and the recent direct disciple of the Deep Lake Goddess. I made sure to record their appearances with the Eternal Glazed Crystal that my family bought from the Glazed Lake a long time ago." 

Paeris took another crystal out, placing it on the floor alongside the first one. However, the queen didn't make a single move to grab the crystals, what left Paeris speechless and drowning in a pool of apprehension. 

He felt the heavy atmosphere around him repressing him even more than it was, and he was forced to release even more mana in order to resist the heavy feeling. He quickly thought if he was forgetting to mention something, until he remembered another piece of information his disciple told him. 

"Finnea said that the human male was poisoned by the evergreen poison, however a week later he was standing straight in front of us. That man seemed to have a deep and mysterious background." 

The queen finally showed some reaction, because that was an information that piqued her interests. 

"Is that all?" 

"Yes, your highness." 

"Alright, you may leave. You can redeem another droplet of the World Tree for your efforts as well as have your disciple skip the preliminaries of the upcoming tournament." 

Paeris was already feeling it unbearable to keep in the presence of that heavy pressure, but he felt really happy after receiving the gifts from the Elf Queen. He left the royal chamber, leaving the crystals behind.