Chapter 37: Is it an illusion or reality? The uninvited god of darkness...

Shu Li flew higher in confusion and looked down from above.

More than ten thousand Elves had gathered in the vast hall. Every one of them was tall and slender, with fair skin and beautiful features. Dressed in ornate crowns and magnificent clothes, they moved with effortless elegance, performing a delightful dance to the graceful, lively melody.

Besides the Elven King playing the harp, some Elves played flutes, recorders, and harmonicas, while others plucked stringed instruments. The orchestral ensemble was utterly mesmerizing.

Surrounded by the hall’s golden splendor, listening to exquisite music and watching a captivating dance, Shu Li’s eyes and ears were treated to a magnificent feast.

Unable to help himself, Shu Li flew toward the Elven King, landed atop the harp, and sat down as though it were the most natural thing in the world. The translucent wings on his back swayed gently with the melody.

He loved music.

He had loved it ever since he was little.

Music did not merely relax the body and mind. It could also resonate with the soul.

Although he had been born into a wealthy family, even he could not escape having parents determined to give their child every possible advantage.

Starting in kindergarten, he had studied foreign languages, drawing, calligraphy, violin, taekwondo, street dance, swimming, golf...

There had been far too many. So many that he eventually became resistant to them. In the end, the only things he kept up were hard-pen calligraphy and violin. He learned little more than the basics of everything else and abandoned them one by one as his schoolwork grew heavier.

After transmigrating to this other world, he had been stunned by the heavenly beauty of Elven music and poetry.

At first, Shu Li thought every Fairy’s playing and singing was flawless, without a single fault to criticize.

Later, after hearing more and gaining a deeper understanding, he gradually learned to distinguish the differences.

For instance, Siet was not as accomplished a harpist as Lia.

That was why Siet was the cubs’ first language teacher, while Lia was their professional music teacher.

Yet Lia was not the most musically accomplished Fairy either.

Anyone who had ever heard the Elven King play the harp would understand exactly what it meant to hear music beyond compare.

During the previous illusion, Shu Li had heard the adolescent Elven King play in the Hall of the Gods and had been completely entranced.

Now, hearing the Elven King play once more, he felt as though his very soul had been elevated.

The tiny Fairy cub sat on the Elven King’s harp with his chin propped in both hands, listening in rapture and completely forgetting that he was inside an illusion.

The young Elven King changed his fingering and played a breathtakingly beautiful flourish, almost as though displaying his virtuosity, bringing the hymn of praise to the gods to an end.

The Elves in the hall stopped dancing and respectfully bowed to the Elven King.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for bringing us such moving music."

The Elven King smiled faintly. Even under countless worshipful gazes, he remained perfectly composed.

The Elves dispersed and returned to their seats to continue eating and drinking. The Elven King remained seated with the harp in his arms, apparently in no hurry to rise.

Shu Li emerged from the spell of the beautiful music. Blinking his pale green eyes, he studied the golden-haired Elf before him.

In reality, he would never dare stand face-to-face with the Elven King. But this was an illusion, and the other man could not see him. He could boldly indulge himself and get as close as he pleased.

The blond Fairy cub flapped his wings and left the harp. After circling the Elven King once, he landed on his shoulder, expertly gathered a lock of his hair into his arms, and then—

Buried his face deep in the golden strands, which flowed as smoothly as water.

Wah!

He had wanted to do this for ages!

He had no idea how the Elven King cared for his hair, but its texture was unbelievably fine.

The previous two times Shu Li had stood on the Elven King’s shoulder, he had not dared act so brazenly. Now that he was inside an illusion, he could stroke and nuzzle the hair however he liked, satisfying himself to his heart’s content.

The Elven King’s fingers paused just as he was about to begin playing again. He lowered his gaze and glanced to the side.

Shu Li continued rubbing against him with outrageous abandon. He was only a step away from using the Elven King’s hair as a swing.

Suddenly, he felt an almost imperceptible gaze fall upon him.

Shu Li instinctively raised his head and stared suspiciously at the Elven King’s flawless profile.

Hmm?

He... probably could not see him, right?

An immense gulf of time separated them. None of this was real. Even Shu Li was not truly himself here, merely an incorporeal consciousness.

Having convinced himself, Shu Li cast aside all restraint. He happily rubbed his face against a lock of hair as cool and smooth as silk, little sighs of contentment escaping his lips.

"Freyus."

A handsome man in white robes and a golden crown called the Elven King’s name in a clear, crystalline voice.

The Elven King turned toward the white-robed man, set down the silver harp, and rose to bow gracefully.

"Lord Freis, may I ask whether you are satisfied with the arrangements for the Midsummer Festival?"

The man addressed as Freis was none other than the Light God, Laient Freis, creator of both the Elves and the Fairies.

The Elven King was the first Elf he had created, making him the Child of Light in the truest sense.

Freyus and Freis.

The Light God doted greatly upon the Elven King and had bestowed upon him a name resembling his own surname. For a long time, the Elven King had lived alongside the gods. Only after the Light God created many more of his kind did he leave the Hall of the Gods, come to the western reaches of the continent, and establish the Elven Kingdom.

The Midsummer Festival was a joyous day for giving thanks to the Light God and the God of Earth. The Elven King had invited the gods to Crystal Castle to celebrate alongside the Elves.

To entertain the gods, the Elven King personally played the harp for them.

"Very satisfied," the Light God said wistfully. "Ever since you left the Hall of the Gods, it has been a long time since I last heard such beautiful music."

"Thank you for your praise," the Elven King replied modestly. "Whenever you wish to hear it, you need only summon me."

The Light God gazed at the more than ten thousand Elves in the hall and sighed softly. "I would hardly dare summon you on a whim now."

His child had grown and had a people of his own. With so many responsibilities demanding his attention, how could the Light God simply summon him whenever he pleased?

The Elven King placed his right hand over the left side of his chest and said respectfully, "For you, I will always answer the call."

The Light God gazed lovingly at his most exceptional child, his pale golden eyes brimming with warmth. Suddenly, his attention fixed on the Elven King’s left shoulder.

"What is that ball of light on your shoulder?" he asked.

It was extremely faint and concealed among the strands of hair. Without looking carefully, one truly would not notice it.

The Elven King lowered his head and brushed his slender fingers across his shoulder. "Perhaps it is a little insect drawn here by the Elven song."

Shu Li’s eyes widened in disbelief. As the Elven King’s fingers swept past, he spread his wings and hastily flew away.

What?

What was going on?

Wasn’t this an illusion created by the Elven song?

Why could they... see him?

This was terrifying!

Shu Li beat his wings furiously and shot upward. He hid in a corner beside the hall’s skylight, curled himself into a ball, and hugged his knees tightly as he questioned everything he thought he knew.

An illusion, by definition, was an unreal realm.

In other words, after hearing the Elven King play the "Song of the Earth," his soul had resonated with it, causing his consciousness to hallucinate and create an imaginary world.

That imaginary world could be bizarre and fantastical. It might be false, or it might be real.

But if it was real, that usually meant it depicted something that had happened in the distant past.

Separated by the uncrossable river of time, people from the past could not possibly see someone from the future.

That was precisely why he had approached the Elven King without restraint and rubbed his face against his hair.

But after hearing the conversation between the Light God and the Elven King, Shu Li began to doubt his own understanding.

Perhaps they could not see his appearance clearly, but they knew he existed.

Shu Li’s scalp prickled. This situation had escalated into a supernatural event beyond all comprehension.

He shuddered and tangled his fingers anxiously in his hair.

Suddenly, his fingertips touched the flower crown on his head.

This was... the symbol of the Elven King’s blessing.

He had always assumed the flower crown was merely an ornament with a few peculiar functions. For example, whenever he removed it before bed, it would automatically reappear on his head the following morning.

Today, however, it had thrown a tantrum.

It had rejected the golden circlet and tyrannically claimed his head for itself, clinging so stubbornly that he could not remove it no matter how hard he tried.

Only then had Shu Li realized that this flower crown was no ordinary ornament.

Could it be the reason he had twice entered illusions connected to the Elven King?

Was it also possible that the flower crown had sent his consciousness backward through the river of time and returned him to the past?

Shu Li was startled by his own theory.

That was a little absurd!

Time had neither shape nor substance. It was the most elusive thing in existence, forever moving forward, with no one able to halt its passage.

The past inevitably affected the future, but the future could never interfere with the past.

If even his technologically advanced original world could not accomplish such a thing, why should this other world be capable of it?

The two worlds were not remotely on the same level. Aside from magic, this other world was so backward that it might as well have been a primitive society.

Wait—

Magic!

Shu Li touched the little flower crown, deep in thought.

Magic itself could not be explained by science.

In that case, perhaps reversing the flow of time could happen too?

While Shu Li huddled in the corner trying to persuade himself, a minor commotion broke out in the hall.

A man’s magnificent, resonant voice suddenly rang out, laden with mockery and icy malice.

"Oh, beautiful Elven King, first Child of Light created by Laient Freis, why did you invite so many gods yet forget me alone?"

The voice disgusted Shu Li.

The man clearly had a wonderful voice, yet deliberately spoke in an affected tone, every word dripping with malice. It was unbearable to listen to.

Shu Li wanted to see exactly who had dared come looking for trouble with the Elven King during the Midsummer Festival.

He flew down from the skylight and cautiously approached the Elven King. Secretly clutching the hem of his robe, he pretended to be a real insect.

"Honorable Lord Hordech, as you said, I am the Child of Light, while you are the God of Darkness. Our paths have never crossed. Please forgive my discourtesy," the Elven King replied with neither servility nor arrogance. His brilliant, jewel-like green eyes remained perfectly tranquil.

"Is that so?" Miloga Hordech, the God of Darkness, curved his lips into a smile. His scarlet eyes fixed ominously upon the golden-haired Elf and the Light God beside him.

"Laient, my adorable twin brother, it seems you failed to teach him proper manners," the God of Darkness mocked.

The Light God was far less courteous than the Elven King. He said coldly, "Miloga, you are not welcome here. Hell is where you belong."

The God of Darkness narrowed his eyes, and a terrifying pressure radiated from his entire body.

The Elves had already stopped eating. As one, they gathered behind the Elven King, their hostility toward the uninvited God of Darkness unmistakable.

The Light God narrowed his eyes and retaliated with an equally terrifying force.

The two dreadful powers clashed countless times in the space of an instant, erupting with astonishing destructive force. Yet some invisible restraint reduced that destructive power to nothing.

Shu Li did his best to keep himself "stuck" to the hem of the Elven King’s robe. Tilting back his little head, he glanced from side to side.

The God of Darkness and the Light God were actually twin brothers. Apart from their hair and eye colors, they looked exactly alike.

The black-haired, red-eyed one was the God of Darkness, while the golden-haired, golden-eyed one was the Light God. One wore black robes and the other white. They stood face-to-face, locked in opposition, neither willing to yield.

After a moment, the God of Darkness appeared to fall slightly short. He withdrew his power and adopted a posture of concession.

"Hell?" He swept his gaze around the magnificent golden hall and said coldly, "Wherever I stand is hell!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, limitless darkness invaded the Elven King’s Crystal Castle.

"Ah!"

Shu Li cried out in alarm.

So this was the God of Darkness?

How could he attack the moment he felt like it, without warning or reason? He was completely insane!

It was dark—so terribly dark that Shu Li felt as though he had gone blind. He could see nothing. All he could do was clutch the hem of the Elven King’s robe helplessly, powerless to act.

What should he do?

Was this still an illusion?

Why did it feel so real?

Confronted by absolute darkness, he gradually grew agitated. The oppressive weight in his chest made him want to cry, magnifying every negative emotion within him.

Shu Li frowned in pain as his temples throbbed. The moments before his transmigration surfaced vividly in his mind, and he was overwhelmed with regret for his own foolish actions.

He did not dare imagine how devastated his father would be after learning of his accident.

Shu Li felt as though he were suffocating. Breathing became difficult, and his consciousness blurred as the darkness threatened to swallow him whole.

A warm hand caught and supported him.

Half the darkness seemed to recede, and he could vaguely make out the Elven King’s beautiful face.

"Go back—"

As that gentle voice fell, the world spun around Shu Li. His vision flickered, and the darkness disappeared. What greeted his eyes were Fairies and Elves dancing gracefully, as well as... the Elven King seated in the center of the hall, playing his harp.

He had left the illusion!

Shu Li shook his head. His entire body went limp, and he fell from the air.

The Elven King abruptly vanished from where he sat playing and reappeared beneath him, opening his palm to catch the exhausted Fairy cub.