Chapter 4

As we stood across from the Skeleton Commander, Dion turned toward me. "Aelthas, if I don't survive this, please protect Princess Leona for me," I nodded. I hope it doesn't come to that. I smiled at Aegor , who had been quiet, said, " My Lord." I turned towards him and raised an eyebrow. He continued, "If I don't survive this, it was an honor fighting alongside you ." I nodded and smiled. We all looked back at the Skeleton Commander , which was beginning to charge. Its hammer rose in the air, engulfed in sickly red flames. I sheathed my sword and pulled out my bow. I notched an arrow and let it fly; it struck its breastplate, making it stagger . Eleven archers took aim , and at Aegor's command, let the arrows fly. The Skeleton Commander was hit at least 100 times; it only slowed him. I notched another arrow and charged light magic through the whole bow, making the gold designs light up as the arrow's tip began to glow bright gold. I let it fly with tremendous force; it struck the Skeleton Commander in the chest and exploded in a shockwave. We all fell due to the force. I was exhausted; I could barely stand up as the dust cleared. The only thing that was left of the Commander was its hammer. Dion and Aegor recovered rather quickly. Dion helped me stand up while Aegor and several of his men cautiously walked over to the hammer. The hammer's glow had begun to die down, and as he tried to pick it up, it wouldn't budge. Dion and I walked over to it, and I picked it up with ease. It was heavy, sure, but comfortable for me. Aegor looked at me with wide eyes. "My Lord," he stammered before composing himself. I put the hammer down and walked over to my bow. I slung it over my shoulder, picked up the warhammer, and leaned it on my other shoulder as we all began to walk back to our camp. Nightstrider was waiting for me on the hill, having fled because of the light explosion. I patted his head softly as we entered the forest. I had barely a second to brace myself when Leona threw herself at me , hugging me with force. I grunted slightly and put the warhammer down before hugging her back as she clung to me like a moth to a flame. I chuckled, patting her head. "There, there, Lady Leona." She blushed prettily and looked away with a small pout , which was adorable. I chuckled in amusement, which made her pout even more . She hit me playfully on the arm with a huff. "Alright, alright," I chuckled some more before we all sat around the fire. We had no casualties, which was good; some soldiers, however, may never fight again. 

[Next Morning ] As the sun peaked over the horizon, I awoke with a Start, picked my bow and Straped My Qwiwer" , and made my way out of the camp. Some elves and knights were already up making breakfast. As I walked out of the camp, I took in the woods around me; it felt strangely like home, and I liked it. As I walked, I noticed a small stream going through the clearing, so I sat on a rock next to the river. As I looked into the stream, I noticed something shiny in the water. I bent down and plucked it out; it was a ring- a signet ring to be exact. It had a red ruby, and its material was dark grey, almost black, with designs I couldn't even describe. I put it on my ring finger, and the ring's ruby began to glow before adjusting itself to my finger . I shrugged, standing up. What I didn't notice was the ring glowing faintly. As I made my way back to the camp; suddenly, pain unlike anything experienced racked my body, and I staggered, leaning against the tree. I gritted my teeth as a pained grunt escaped my lips. My head was hurting so much that I let out a silent scream and passed out. 

[ 3 person POV ] Just as Aelthas's body was about to hit the ground, Aegor, who was looking for him, caught him. He immediately put Aelthas 's arm around his shoulder and began making his way into the camp . Immediately, medics took him to their tent . After ensuring his condition was stable, they applied some healing magic to lessen the pain. After that, they left to report . His hair began to lose all its color, becoming silver and straighter. Underneath his eyelids, his eyes became bright green. [ Aelthas POV] I woke up with a grunt, my body sore all over. I sat up slowly; my eyelids felt heavy. I barely managed to crack my eyes open. My head was throbbing all over. I grunted again, stretching my arms out; several pops accompanied my efforts, and I sighed in bliss. I looked at the entrance to the tent and was greeted by a blushing Leona, blinking Dion, and pale Aegor. I blinked. "What?" I asked. My voice was deeper and smoother, I noticed. 

Aegor took a step forward in the tent and rummaged around before giving me a mirror. I took a look into it and noticed the changes immediately. Where once my black wavy hair had been , now straight silver hair flowed. My once light green eyes looked like two bright emeralds . Almost all the baby fat I had was gone, making my jaw even more prominent. I blinked once, then twice, before looking at Aegor for an explanation. That was when he noticed the ring and paled even more. I explained how I found the ring and put it on. He sighed, holding his forehead with an irritated tone. "My lord, that ring is called the Purification Ring. It was made by a mage who hated non-high elves. He created this ring to cause any elf with even a little bit of non-high elf blood to have that blood destroyed and correct all the genetic mutations in the body . The purest high elves have silver hair. The ring was thought to have been lost decades ago when it was stolen by the apprentice of the mage."