Evolution

Seven days after Astroth's departure from the elves' home:

"I shouldn't have given him the task of bringing that flower; I must have been dumb at that time. Only one flower grows in a year. How will he discover that?"

"It's the seventh day, and he is still not back yet. Should I apply for his search? What if he is in danger? A person should keep his friends safe, and I sent him on such a quest. What should I do now? Where are you, Astroth? Please come soon."

Eli was distressed and anxious for Astroth. A week passed, and he did not come back. Her mind flooded with unpleasant thoughts. Everyone was concerned for his well-being and was praying for his return.

Their concern also directed toward Eli, who has been in poor health since the day of Astroth's departure. Suddenly, the maid comes screaming, "Intruders! Intruders!"

Everyone present in the room had their eyes wide open in shock; they were trembling with the thought of intruders.

The fear and memories of war were buried deep in their hearts. Eli closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She says firmly that this day was supposed to arrive today or tomorrow. Even if it leads to the most unfavorable outcome, we must fight. Let's check how many intruders there are.

Everyone equipped themselves with weapons and scouted the area where the intruder was last sighted. They were shocked to find that the intruder was still there and that he was not a human but something they had never seen before. It was a striking creature; they were fascinated with its figure.

It was about 6 ft. tall, standing on long, thick legs with a sturdy build. Its pupils were vertical and golden blue. It had a long, thick tail that stretched from its body, and it had grey-silver scales all over its body.

A pair of wings emerge from its back and cover it as if it was wearing a robe. That beautiful figure was standing still, staring into the eyes of the elves.

One of the elders asks the creature before them to state their identity and purpose for entering their territory. The creature grinned at the elder's question.

This made the old man furious. He warned the creature to go back the way he came. After glaring at him, the creature asked what if he didn't want to leave.

After listening to his response, everyone stood firmly in position with their weapons ready to face the enemy.

"Wait! Eli called from behind, with a confused look on her face. She bites her lip and speaks with hesitation.

"Astroth! You- You are Ash, right! "

She was prepared for any response, but he did not reply. He lifts his hands in the same way Eli used to ask for a hug from Astroth.

Eli ran towards him and embraced him with an affectionate hug. He says, "Yes!" I am Astroth."

Everyone was confused and jumbled by this situation. They asked what happened to him and where he went for seven days.

Astroth narrates to them his journey to the elf ruins, meeting Vayu, and his fight with Basilisk. They were stunned to learn that Astroth had made a contract with a spirit; spirits are very demanding when forming contracts, even with elves.

However, the elders were concerned about the presence of basilisks in these parts of the forest. At this point, Eli scolds Astroth for visiting the ruins knowing how dangerous it is to face a banshee of elves.

"But how did you become this big? What happened after the fight with Basilisk?"

They were eager to hear his response. However, Astroth replies that he was unaware of what happened.

" I felt like I was in a deep sleep with no sense of time."

When he woke up from his sleep, he was already in this form and was shocked to find himself in this body.

He explains how he took another day to get used to this new body. He even gained an enormous mana pool and new magic with this form.

----

After some argument, the elders explain that Astroth must be of some race that can evolve. No one can say if this is his final form or if he may evolve again.

They also explain that his spirit, 'Vayu', may have used a lot of her magic and must be in hibernation. They also emphasize how she will be stronger than before on her return.

Upon hearing that Vayu is safe, Astroth lets out a sigh of relief. Astroth remembers something and gets on his knee as a knight in front of Eli,

"Princess, I have completed the quest, and here is the dandelion flower you asked me to bring." "Please accept it and forgive me."

Eli flushed and proudly tells him to stand; she also orders that he must never face dangers that could put his life at risk.

Astroth informs the elder about the foreign mana that he could feel inside the flower. The Elders were dumbfounded by Astroth's discovery of foreign mana in flowers.

They asked Astroth to check with his new magical abilities what was hidden in the foreign mana.

Astroth was amazed to see the basic computer codes in the mana. He confirms that it was prepared to hide something inside.

It is possible that someone hid a message here and changed the gene of the plant, thereby turning it into a monster-repelling flower.

Astroth cracks the code and, after applying some mana to the flower, a sudden voice starts ringing inside his head with sound magic.

"Hey, Is it functional? _-+$#@@???** Hello! Now it is working.

I am Tatsumaki. I was summoned from the earth by the Holy Kingdom for help. I rejected them after knowing their true intentions.

I'm not sure if you're from Earth or a descendant of mine. Do not trust anyone.

You may have to turn the whole human race into enemies if you learn the truths that have been buried for centuries by human kingdoms.

I have hidden some #*"'4$1 strong items across the continent. They will accept you as their master if you are worthy to walk the path of the hero.

4 # 45%... Stay safe and visit Vadallat... You will get some clues there... "

A deep silence covered the entire room; Astroth was shocked after learning the truth of this world and the hero's legacy. Others did not hear the sound of Tatsumaki's voice.

Astroth tells them that the previous hero left some weapons for his successor. They were overjoyed with the news of strong weapons. However, Astroth kept things like truth and the human kingdom to himself.

Astroth realized he had no knowledge of this world, so he had to ask the elder about some of the basics of this world.

He was interested in learning about this world, and somehow he was relieved that the hero had left some items to help if someone was summoned again.