To Become A Sylv

"It's hard to say which one it is, but I know one thing for sure and it's that they're not an enemy. They seem to be on their own side... I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing," Nell said with an unsettled look on her face.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The person told me to not trust 'him,' whoever that is. I haven't the slightest clue what they might be talking about. Do you know who 'he' might be?" Kies and Iris looked at each other.

"No," they answered at the same time together.

"Well, that's what I figured. It'd be strange if you two did know what that person was talking about."

"Yeah, it would," Iris agreed.

"Now I have to go back and write a report of what happened... Ugh, what a headache. Anyway, you know where to find me if you see something else out of the ordinary. I gotta go. See you two, and good luck in the tournament."

"Thanks, and bye."

Nell and her fellow guards walked away and the two of them went back into the arena. They explained to the other two what occurred and Sirks just shrugged his shoulders. "I expected that much. That guy fought too well for a thief. If you told me that person is an undercover royal guard, I'd believe it," he told everyone.

With nothing else to discuss, they all went back to watching the fight down in the arena. The sun's glare made it hard to see what was going on down there, but from the looks of things, it was just another messy brawl.

Kies really didn't want to watch the fights if it was going to be this boring. Even though Sirks had told him about it before, now he understood why no one wanted to come to spectate the fights in the first round.

"Wake me up when it's our turn, or if something happens," he told the other three.

Sirks was a little surprised that Kies could even fall asleep in this heat, but replied with, "Sure thing."

Kies then closed his eyes and entered a state that was similar to sleep for his race. It was something in between sleep and being awake. If even a feather touched him while in this state, he would know and instantly wake up. He was still vulnerable this way, but it was better than falling into a deep slumber and not knowing what goes on around you.

"Good night."

***

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."

"Like one hundred sure?" Gildor stared at Nina, hoping that she would say no instead, but he received the same answer.

"Yes," Nina answered in an even more determined voice.

The elf took a deep breath and leaned his head against his hand. "I was hoping you said no," he admitted.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this."

The elf didn't say anything and stared blankly at the table for a minute. Finally, he asked Nina a question. "It's to avenge your family, isn't it?"

Nina hesitated for a moment but answered honestly. "Yes." She knew that vengeance is something that the elves frown upon, but it wasn't like they didn't allow it. If a beast killed a family member, for example, elves were expected to grieve for the loss, but do nothing to avenge them. Though, if the unfortunate elf did decide to take action, no one was going to stop them.

"I expected that was the reason... And let me guess, is it also because of him?" the elf pointed at Nina's chest.

She reached into her shirt and pulled out a wooden carving of a bird from under. It was fat and clumsy-looking, just like a certain other bird. She carved it herself in her spare time here. "Yes," she told the elf.

He closed his eyes and the two sat quietly for a couple of minutes. Nina watched the elf the entire time. She saw him rubbing his brow and thinking about what to do. She knew that he was against the idea but she hoped that he would let her join the Sylvs, the elves' equivalent of the Silverfield's knights. She needed to join them if she wanted to join the fight against the demons.

A couple of minutes turned into twenty and the two of them continued to sit silently in their seats until the elf finally made a decision. "I can't stop you."

"Does that mean?"

"Yes, you're free to join the Sylvs and do what you want to do. But just know this, it's not easy to get into it. And please don't be disappointed when I say this, but your fighting capability isn't even what they can consider as satisfactory," he told her. This was true and he knew that Nina knew it as well and he was hoping to get her to change her mind but once again, her response was not what he had expected.

"I know this. That's why I want to study under elder Aragon or Miss Idril."

"What!?"

"I heard they can teach me how to use ice magic."

Gildor stared at Nina with an expression of shock. "Those two... You do know their personalities, right?"

"Yes, I do." Nina knew that they were notorious for hating humans. Aragon had his own son enslaved by the humans and killed, while Idril lost her husband to them. They both despised the humans and it was for the best if Nina avoided those two elves. But, Aragon is said to be one of the most knowledgeable elves with over a century of life experience, and Idril is a long-serving member of the Sylvs and is said to be able to match a demon in a one on one fight. It was pretty obvious that the two of them were both well-respected elves and it was going to be difficult for Nina to get them to teach her.

"Then, knowing this, are you still going to try?"

"Yes."

"Well, like I said, I can't stop you. I'll do my best to help you, but don't expect too much. What you're aiming for is not easy to obtain." Gildor gets up from his chair and Nina does the same. "Follow me, child."

Nina followed the elf elder out of the room and into another room. It was empty other than a couple of long roots hanging from the ceiling. Gildor walked up to one of the vines and placed his hand on it. He closed his eyes and stood motionlessly like that for a couple of minutes. He opened his eyes again and turned to face Nina. "I sent Aragon and Idril both a message. Though very unlikely, if they choose to accept you, you will be hearing from them very soon."

"Thank you." Nina bowed her head gratefully to which the old elf tapped her shoulder and told her to get up. "There is no need for any of that."

"Sorry." Nina looked back up at the smiling elf. His face was filled with wrinkles and he didn't have much time left in this world. It wasn't long until he would pass on and leave them for the other world that awaits after death. She felt terrible for using up the little time he had left to help her with her own concerns, but she knew that if she mentioned it, he would deny that any of it was a waste.

"Does Mytill know about this?" Gildor asked her.

Nina shook her head. "Please don't tell him about it." Mytill would never approve of what she was doing since it was too dangerous. Neither would Autumn but this was her decision and didn't want them to know about it. She'll tell them about it herself when the time comes. For now, it was better if she kept what she was doing a secret from the two.

"I see. Well, don't expect me to save you when they find out."

"Don't worry, I'll handle that somehow."

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