712 It’s very weird
Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief at the shocking words that spilled from Wesley's lips. The Tree of Fate, the guardian of their planet, had fallen into slumber?
How could that even be possible?
That simply couldn't be!
Under the astonished gazes of Alec, Elizabeth, and the others, who were equally taken aback by the old elf's words, Ronan gripped Wesley's shoulders, his expression a mix of disbelief and urgency.
"What? Hadn't the Tree of Fate already recovered from the dark energy consuming it, thanks to Kyle? Then why??"
Wesley grasped his hands with a wistful smile and could only shake his head. His voice trembled as he stared at him.
"No... it's not because of dark energy... not dark energy. The Queen just contacted me. It's Enthrall... the fourth shadow general. He was on the elven planet and had harmed the Tree of Fate's core."
He sucked in a deep breath.
"By the time the elves discovered his presence, it was already too late."
Ronan's expression darkened; he had encountered Enthrall once before and knew that, unlike the other shadow generals, this man was exceptionally devious. The fourth shadow general's whereabouts had been a mystery for quite some time, so he didn't expect him to act so suddenly.
But the real question was, why would he damage the core of the Tree of Fate?
Ronan steadied himself, but his grip on Wesley's shoulders instinctively tightened when he posed the question that weighed heavily on his mind currently.
"What about the... planet? It's safe, right?"
Wesley nodded, and a flicker of relief finally flashed in the eyes of the elf before him.
"The planet is safe... Enthrall left immediately after he was discovered. He didn't try to fight anyone; he just laughed at everyone before disappearing, as if he had accomplished what he intended."
Ronan stepped back and glanced at Elizabeth, who returned his gaze with a solemn expression. They were both aware that The Tree of Fate wasn't weak; it could protect itself. But if Enthrall had managed to reach its core without detection, it meant that the fourth shadow general had either grown powerful or discovered something formidable to mask his presence.
Wesley thought for a second.
"I believe we should return to the elven planet. There are only three supreme ranks there: the Queen, her shadow, and the old man who is nearing the end of his life. The Tree of Fate was the protector that kept all powerful enemies at bay, but now that its protection has vanished, if the elves face an attack, none will survive."
Elizabeth asked the two elves to leave for their planet when they looked at her, even though they had just arrived.
"Very well, go ahead, but I will accompany you. I want to evaluate the damage inflicted on the Tree of Fate and see if I can uncover a clue regarding what the shadow generals are scheming by suddenly harming it."
Behind her, unlike Nine, Carcel, and the others who felt remorse after learning that the Tree of Fate had been harmed—since they were quite grateful to the elven Queen—Alec's eyes burned with pure rage.
He clenched his fists tightly.
This anger had consumed him since he heard Enthrall's name. How could he forget the man he wants to kill with his own hands? The very man who had forced him to sign the dark contract?
'Ah... finally a clue about him. I thought he had disappeared completely.'
He surprised everyone around him by suddenly interrupting Elizabeth and the two elves' conversation.
"What about Enthrall, the fourth shadow general? Is there a chance he is still on the elven planet, or he might come back?"
Wesley shook his head at him.
"I have no idea. He just disappeared."
Alec thought for a few seconds, but it was as if Elizabeth sensed what he wanted. She chided him with a soft sigh.
"No, you are not allowed to follow us to the elven planet. Stay here with all your friends. The elders will help you all settle in."
Alec felt the urge to argue but restrained himself. Ultimately, he consented.
"Alright, but please let me know if you hear anything about the fourth shadow general."
Elizabeth hummed thoughtfully. Noticing the fury in Alec's eyes directed at Enthrall, she understood that he had an unresolved conflict with the fourth shadow general.
But she wondered when Enthrall had crossed paths with Alec? Didn't Alec and the others come from the blue planet?
As she thought about her home planet, she began to wonder how the planet was faring and how its residents were doing. Untimely, she decided to ask Alec and the others for more details about her home planet when she returned from the elven planet.
She shook Alec's shoulder.
"Just wait. No matter where Enthrall is, he will definitely return to the battlefield since he loves to stay on the frontlines. Until then, you can focus on becoming stronger, as he is much stronger than you are right now."
Nine's eyes turned toward Alec. Instead of wondering why Alec wanted to know about the fourth shadow general like the rest, he had something different on his mind.
'Why do I feel like Alec was already aware that something bad was about to happen on the elven planet? After all, he was the one who urged everyone to leave the planet as quickly as possible...'
He thought for a moment but then sighed when he remembered that Alec possessed a powerful artifact. That artifact would have provided th man with a warning about any potential future danger.
'Still... I should ask him about what conflict he had with the fourth shadow general.'
After Elizabeth was done contacting someone she trusted to familiarize Alec, Carcel, and the others with the Forsaken Land they all had just arrived in, she turned around and began to float with the two elves. She had just created a rift in the air to reach the elven planet directly when suddenly, Sophia's loud voice interrupted her.
Elizabeth glanced back and saw the old demi-woman hovering in mid-air, a smile brightening her entire face.
Sophia was one of the individuals who had gone to confront the demons. Although she noticed the serious atmosphere around her, it didn't faze her; her aged eyes sparkled as she eagerly shared the news she had just received with Elizabeth.
"The divine dragon has appeared again! That's why Zhask and the other elders went to check the supreme projection. Can you guess what the elders discovered? The veil shrouding the contents of the projection has been completely destroyed! And..."
She couldn't help but burst into laughter—a joyful sound that took Elizabeth by surprise.
"And you won't believe this, but the elders discovered that Azazeal's name is no longer at the top of the projection!"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. Unlike the countless others who had lost faith in the projection, the seven elders had always trusted in it ever since Odiak, one of the greatest artifact makers in the universe, validated its power! Her face lit up with a smile, but Sophia wasn't done yet.
"It's not just Azazeal—the four shadow generals and many other formidable names from the dark side that once occupied the highest positions on the projection have also now fallen to lower ranks!"
Elizabeth gasped in shock and covered her mouth as her eyes lit up with excitement.
"Finally, now it all makes sense why the shadow generals were so desperate to conceal the contents of the projection!"
The earlier somber atmosphere created by the tragic news about the Tree of Fate began to lift, as even Wesley and Ronan were surprised by Sophia's words.
Elizabeth hurried over to the demi-woman, eager to know the name that had taken the top spot in the projection. However, to her and the two elves' disappointment, Sophia could only shake her head.
"The name isn't visible to anyone. Perhaps the supreme projection is trying to protect the owner of the name?"
Elizabeth took a deep breath to steady herself. In such a short time, she had been overwhelmed with information. She quickly retrieved an artifact to contact James and Odiak, wanting to share everything, but she could only grumble in frustration when neither of them responded.
Nine, Alec, and the others, who were unaware of the projection and the divine dragon, could only observe the scene from below with intrigued expressions. Sinon's floating figure halted behind Yue and Nine. He narrowed his eyes.
"Guys... don't you think it's a bit weird?"
Mia was the one who replied to him.
"Weird?"
The demi-human flapped his wings with a serious and thoughtful expression, as if he were considering something important.
"It's very weird. Think about it: whenever something significant happens, Kyle is somehow connected to it, but this time... there's no mention of Kyle!"
Everyone around him was left speechless. What did he think about Kyle? The man was indeed a bit eccentric, but there was no way everything significant happening in the universe would be related to him!
Sinon gasped with a distressed expression as everyone ignored him and began to walk toward the residence in the center of the floating island. He shouted at them.
"So, you all don't believe me? But what if Kyle is really connected to all this!"
"At least, take me with you!"
He quickly rushed behind them before they disappeared from his sight.