A New Beginning part 5

Martha's Perspective

Years had passed since I last met my best friend, my partner, my competitor, and the only person who never cared about my royal bloodline—she only cared about my well-being and happiness. Her name was Evelyn. She was everything I could ask for in a friend.

When I was born, I had a peculiar talent: the ability to identify truth and lies in a person. Growing up, many beings approached me, trying to use me to build connections with the Elven Royal Family, but this talent allowed me to see through their deception. Everything changed when I entered Beauxbatons Academy of Magic at the age of eleven. That was where I met Evelyn—a simple child, full of curiosity but with a head full of mischief. On the very first night, she set off fireworks to celebrate our entrance to the academy. And her mischief continued from there.

I still remember the first Christmas when I was unable to go home. Evelyn took it upon herself to bring me to her house, and it was there that I discovered the true meaning of 'fun.' From that moment, our friendship only grew stronger.

It was only last year that I heard she had given birth to a beautiful and healthy son. We kept exchanging letters, and I was utterly flabbergasted to see the depth of her love for her child.

A week ago, I received a revelation from the Goddess of the Moon, instructing me to bring the moonstone to Evelyn's child's birthday. I was confused, as priestesses are generally not allowed to leave the kingdom except for special exceptions. The last time I was permitted to travel was due to the havoc caused by the Dark Lord in Britain, when I had to deliver the Sun God's revelation to the International Confederation of Wizards. But this time, the purpose of my journey was entirely different.

The moonstone is a sacred gem, formed from the tears of the Moon Goddess when she mourned the loss of her fallen sisters. It is commonly known that Goddess Artemis, along with her sisters, waged war against the rogue god alongside other divine beings. Many of her sisters perished in the battle. After the war ended, Artemis wept over their bodies, and her tears, merging with their souls, formed the moonstone. It is said that only a living being blessed by the night can hold a moonstone with their bare hands, for only the night sky is powerful enough to embrace both the stars and the moon, creating an unparalleled beauty in the darkness.

Among elves, some are blessed by the Sun God Apollo, while others carry the blessings of the Moon Goddess Artemis. Yet, both types belong to the same Elven and Elven Royal family. My father carried the blessings of the Moon Goddess, while my mother bore the blessings of the Sun God.It is similiar with other Elves too.

A week ago, when the Moon Goddess commanded me to bring the moonstone to Evelyn's son, the Sun God also gave me another instruction—to teach Elven archery to the child if he was capable of holding the moonstone.

The command shocked me. I knew Aimé carried human blood, and it was impossible for a human to receive blessings from any god. Then how could it be possible for him to touch the moonstone? Not forgetting that the Arts of Archery by elves can not be used by any other being, courtesy of the blessings of God Apollo and Godess Artemis, but now I'm instructed to teach elven archery to a human cub.

However, as a high priestess, my duty was not to question divine orders but to carry them out.

A week passed, and the day of the birthday arrived. To avoid unnecessary attention, I polymorphed myself and attended Aimé's birthday celebration. While my entire existence was dedicated to fulfilling the gods' commands, a part of me was simply eager to see Evelyn again.

But all logical thoughts left my mind when I caught a glimpse of the child for the first time. His soul was golden.

Those who lie have souls tainted in purple. Those who speak the truth have white souls. Evelyn, my family members, and a few close people in my life have silver souls, meaning they can never betray or harm me. But gold?

Never in my life had I seen a golden soul.

Closing my eyes, I tried to suppress my talent and clear my thoughts. When I opened them again, silence filled the room.

And then I saw him.

Nestled in Evelyn's arms, the baby was mesmerizing, beyond words. It is commonly known that elves and Atlanteans are the most beautiful beings on Earth, but in his presence, all of them paled in comparison. He had an otherworldly charm, a beauty so enchanting that I found myself unable to look away.

Soon, a house elf approached to escort us upstairs. Without a second thought, I agreed, forgetting even to excuse myself from the other guests. My mind was solely fixated on seeing the child up close.

Entering the room, I found Evelyn seated, with the baby on her lap busy…...fighting against an orc.

Do babies nowadays prefer gruesome-looking toys?

Whatever the case, my gaze was fixated on Aimé. I noticed him looking around curiously before returning to his toy battle. That was when I lost my composure.

No living being had ever detected my 'Soul Mirror' magic. And yet, this child—so young—had sensed it. My thoughts instantly flashed back to the gods' revelations.

I could not hide anymore.

Seizing the perfect moment, I revealed myself.

And then it happened.

The child in my arms reached for the moonstone on my wrist.

I stood frozen, unable to react. He unfastened the protective cover and touched the sacred gem with his bare hands.

My eyes widened in disbelief.

The fact that Aimé was blessed by the Goddess of Darkness, Nyx—the most powerful primordial goddess to ever exist made me lose my composure.

Thus, bringing us to the present moment.

.......

Back to the present time-

I was confused by the sudden turn of events. One moment, I was on my mother's lap; the next, I was in Martha's arms, only to be snatched back by my mother again. A solemn atmosphere filled the room as everyone stood still, with Martha staring at me intently.

Then—Martha used magic to pick my enemy... Ahem... I mean, my orc bear plushie and held it out in front of me.

I gave her a bright smile in return.

Click!

Seriously, where did the camera come from?

Ignoring the distraction, Martha turned to my mother and said, "Evelyn, I believe you know the story of the moonstone. Your child held the moonstone with his bare hands, and a week ago, I was instructed by the Goddess of moon to approach him with it. Now that Aimè has proven he can touch it, he has satisfied the condition laid by our God of Sun. So he more than qualified to learn archery."

My mother, having calmed down, listened carefully to Martha's words while keeping her eyes on me. "But what do the moonstone, archery, and Aimè have in common? In the legend I know, only those blessed by the Goddess of Darkness can unlock the moonstone's full potential."

My grandmother couldn't stop herself from asking, "And what role does archery play in all this?"

Sensing the tension in the room, Martha and the other elves quickly cast a soothing spell to calm everyone. Once the atmosphere settled, Martha explained everything—from the ancient war between the gods to the recent revelations and the divine orders she had received.

As everyone turned their attention to me, I remained blissfully unaware of their concerns, too focused on my ongoing war against the orc plushie. In reality, however, I was reading a system notification.

Few moments back, as soon as I touched the moonstone, a notification appeared on the system interface.

"System, show me the notification."

[Ding! The presence of a moonstone allows the system holder to perform a summoning ritual. Once a ritual is conducted, the moonstone will lose its summoning power. The rank of the summoned beast will depend on the sunshine points spent. Higher-ranked beasts require more sunshine points.]

"System, show me my total sunshine points."

[Sunshine points - 11,000]

"System, what will happen if the moonstone loses its value? Won't that be suspicious?"

[Ding! The host need not worry. The moonstone will lose its summoning power only for the system holder, not for the elves.]

Hearing this, I felt relieved. Now, I just needed to find the right moment to summon a beast. But what were the ranks, and how many points did they require?

"System, list the rank classifications and their corresponding costs."

[ Ding! Rank classifications:

Common grade – 500 points

Elite grade – 2,000 points

Tier 1 grade (contains elemental power) – 5,000 points

Tier 2 grade (contains special power) – 14,000 points

Tier 3 grade (contains multiple or fusion powers) – 31,000 points

Legendary – 71,000 points

Mythical – 180,000 points ]

I glanced at my sunshine points and did a quick calculation. I had enough to summon a Tier 1 beast, but should I save up for a higher-tier summon?

"System, can I save the summoning ritual for later?"

[Ding! The system holder can conduct the ritual at any time, provided they are in the presence of a moonstone and have touched it.]

Great! Finally, some good news.

Sensing a sudden silence in the room, I looked up to find everyone staring at me. I responded with my signature bright smile.

Seeing my expression, everyone visibly relaxed. However, the next words that left Martha's lips made me drop my orc plushie.

"I will return to take Aimè to our ancestral temple shrine—not just to teach him archery, but... Elven archery."

Everyone in the room collectively gasped.

It was common knowledge that individuals of one race could not learn the inherent talents of another. Yet, here stood the High Priestess of the Elves, declaring that a human child would be taught Elven archery.

Elven archery was unique. It required neither a bow nor arrows; warriors summoned their own ethereal bows, and their arrows carried elemental power. During the war against the rogue god eons ago, Elven archery played a crucial role, responsible for large-scale destruction as well as stealth hunts against the rogue god's minions.

Now, the very idea that a human child—me—was about to learn such an ancient and revered technique left everyone stunned. Glancing at one another, they quickly realized they had all heard the same thing.

The room fell into silence once more, and I, still trying to look for my orc plushie, kept thinking about how my summons would be in appearance.

Wait a minute, will they be able to carry me?