Chapter 154: Eleanor Discovers

Ian still remembered Eleanor’s warning. The power of nature had failed to rouse Kei, and ingesting the Sacred Spring of Life had merely managed to stabilize his breathing. If he blindly pumped any more power into that tiny frame, he might end up being the very one who pushed Kei closer to the edge of death.

Yet sitting around and watching Kei sleep indefinitely wasn’t an option, either!

Ian placed his hand against the rim of the jade pedestal. The glowing green water rippled beneath his fingertips. It resembled no ordinary spring; the density of the mana contained within was so absolute that simply standing close made him feel as though the magic power within his own body was being drawn toward it.

If he couldn’t force Kei to drink any more, then he would simply let the Sacred Spring of Life find its own way to Kei!

The sudden flash of inspiration caused Ian to pause. He stared down at Kei for a long beat; Kei still lay motionless, his frail respiration heaving softly beneath his clothes.

"Kei, if this feels uncomfortable, you better wake up and yell at me for it," Ian muttered softly.

Sliding his arms beneath Kei’s back and knees, he lifted the boy carefully.

Kei’s body felt terrifyingly weightless.

He laid Kei flat directly inside the pedestal. The green water surged around Kei, transforming into thin ribbons of light the instant it brushed against his skin, weaving seamlessly into the boy’s physical form. The radiance swelled upward, blanketing his arms, his shoulders, and his tiny face.

Before long, Kei’s skin began to emit a shimmering glow, as though countless fireflies were slumbering beneath the boy’s flesh.

Ian held his breath.

His fingers clamped tightly against the edge of the pedestal, caught between crushing terror and fervent hope.

A beam of light thinner than a strand of hair brushed past Kei’s neck, coiling tightly around the jade-green leaf resting against his chest. The Tree of Life’s leaf shivered faintly, its previously feeble glow abruptly flaring with blinding brilliance as it, too, began absorbing the energy of the Sacred Spring of Life.

"It’s working..." Ian whispered joyfully.

He couldn’t tell whether he was speaking to Kei or desperately trying to reassure himself.

The power inside the pedestal surged steadily upward, enveloping Kei like a warm current. The bruised, ashen tint vanished from the boy’s features, his lips gradually regaining a soft blush. Yet his eyes remained tightly shut.

Ian stood rooted beside the pedestal, refusing to budge even a single step away.

He convinced himself that the moment Kei recovered, the moment he blinked his eyes open, he would confess everything. He would tell him how terrified he had been, how Kael had lent a helping hand, and how he was no longer an ordinary Elf, having fallen into a Dark Elf instead.

Yet the longer he waited, the deeper the silence grew within the chamber.

The luminescence upon the water’s surface subsided gradually. The green ripples swirling around Kei melted away, followed by the fading glow upon his skin. Finally, the very last droplet of light within the pedestal vanished completely.

And still, Kei did not wake up.

Ian leaned over anxiously to inspect him, a wave of profound unease twisting his chest.

"Kei?"

He brushed his fingers gently against the boy’s shoulder before halting abruptly, terrified of waking him too harshly. His respiration remained steady, and Kei’s complexion had warmed up nicely, but his unconscious state remained entirely unchanged.

"Kei, open your eyes. I’m right here."

Ian attempted to shake him once more, but before his hands could accomplish anything...

A deafening explosion echoed from outside.

The ground violently quaked. Whipping around on pure instinct, Ian threw himself defensively in front of the pedestal. A body came hurtling straight through the entrance, slamming heavily against the stone floor not far from him, leaving a streak of crimson blood smeared across the ground.

"Ugh... cough!"

Ian froze in horror.

Kael propped himself up against the floor with one hand. His golden hair was a disheveled mess, his tunic shredded to pieces, and dark red lacerations blanketed his arms and face. Panting heavily, his golden eyes stripped of their usual serenity, blood leaked continuously from the corner of his lips.

"Kael!" Ian lunged forward, but Kael immediately thrust a hand out to shove him away.

"Stay back!"

"What happened to you?!" Ian roared. "Who did this to you?!"

"It doesn’t matter," Kael forced his head up to glare at his older brother. "Hurry up and run! Eleanor is here!"

Ian froze.

Before he could demand further answers, footsteps rang out from the entrance, measured and unhurried, entirely devoid of panic, as though the newcomer knew with absolute certainty that no one in this room could possibly escape his grasp.

A wave of chilling mana swept across the threshold.

Eleanor materialized.

He glanced at Ian, then down at the battered Kael, before finally locking his gaze upon Kei lying within the drained pedestal. His cold expression remained unaltered, though his eyes darkened dangerously.

A moment later, he let out a soft, low chuckle.

"Well done, Ian." His voice sounded deceptively light, making the frigid fury lurking beneath his emerald eyes all the more terrifying. "I underestimated you."

Ian stood squarely in front of Kei. He stared at Eleanor, his fingers curling into fists involuntarily.

"I never imagined that during my tenure as the Elven King, a Dark Elf would actually emerge from within our race," Eleanor ground out, a cold smile stretching taut across his lips. "And you even dared to boldly plunder the Sacred Spring of Life. This is an outright, unadulterated insult to the entire Elven race!"

"Don’t speak as though this is solely Ian’s fault!" Kael snapped, forcing himself to push up off the floor.

His body swayed unsteadily. Ian hurried over to steady his younger brother, yet refused to yield his position standing dead between Eleanor and Kei.

"You fool," Kael hissed under his breath, his voice trembling with pain. "Why didn’t you just run away?"

Ian looked at the wounds covering Kael’s body, then glanced back at Kei lying motionless behind him. He gave a faint, bitter shake of his head.

"It’s too late."

"You—"

"We’d be hard pressed to escape anyway," Ian laughed wryly. "Looks like we’ve got no choice but to stake our lives fighting him."

Eleanor raised a hand. Ominous emerald mana converged around his fingertips before launching straight toward Kael and Ian.