Chapter 272 - I Beca a High Elf
Nathan Evenhart:
I ran my fingers through my hair, but no matter where I looked, the black strands from before were gone. I still couldn’t believe what had happened to . My heart pounded as I rushed to the nightstand beside my bed. With trembling hands, I grabbed the mirror and stared at my reflection. That was when reality finally hit .
“It’s… silver-white…” I murmured in disbelief, my eyes fixed on the gleaming strands that had replaced my forr hair.
"You didn’t know? I thought Aunt Katie had already told you," Chloe said, watching as I examined my silver-white hair.
Kinue, standing beside her, chuckled as she stepped back.
"No. I had no idea," I admitted, still stunned.
"Well, you’re in for a lot of trouble now," Kinue said, still laughing.
"What do you an?" I asked, confused.
"You know, I played with your hair while you were unconscious," Chloe smirked, running her fingers lightly through my hair. Imdiately, a faint tingling sensation ran through my scalp. When she pulled her hand away, I noticed strands of my hair clinging slightly to her palm.
"Electricity…" I muttered, feeling the soft buzz of energy in my hair.
"Exactly like Professor Adrihna explained. The hair of your kind is magical—it acts as a mana conduit," Kinue explained. "Your hair is conducting your lightning mana."
I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to comprehend it. The gentle tingling and the faint crackle of static left even more bewildered. It was as if my hair had beco an extension of my own energy.
"So… my hair is literally the physical manifestation of my mana?" I asked, still processing.
Kinue grinned and nodded. "Exactly. And now that it’s awakened, learning to control the mana in your hair is going to be part of your training."
"I see…" I murmured, staring at the glowing strands that carried my energy. "Looks like the professor will have to teach how to control this too…"
Kinue added, "You also need to figure out how to turn off whatever is making your presence feel this way. Professor Adrihna once told that High Elves learn this as children so they don’t cause trouble when walking among other elves. But since your hair just changed, you’ll have to adapt quickly. They learn it as infants, but you… you have to catch up now."
"What do you an? What presence?" I asked, still not entirely understanding.
Chloe rolled her eyes. "Your aura, dummy. The sa mystical aura that Tiffania used during the ceremony. You need to stop the mana flow into your hair. Right now, you’re constantly emanating that presence. Your hair even looks like it’s glowing. If you don’t learn how to suppress it, you’re going to attract a lot of attention."
I took a closer look at my hair, and for the first ti, I understood what they ant. There was sothing… different about it, sothing that made it feel like I was looking at a rare gem.
"This mystical aura is coming from the mana circulating through my hair… Like a delicate construct, the very essence of a High Elf’s mana personified," I muttered, touching the silver strands and studying them more closely.
My hair shimred faintly—not like a bright light, but sothing more ethereal, almost spiritual.
"Hum… The professor’s doesn’t glow as much, but maybe that’s because yours is a lighter shade than hers," Kinue mused, examining it up close.
The glow wasn’t sothing obvious. It wasn’t a regular light but a subtle, nearly imperceptible radiance—sothing that felt almost otherworldly. It had a serene quality to it, like an intricate masterpiece sculpted by nature itself. That delicate glow carried with it an air of mystery and admiration.
"I really need to learn how to control this..." I murmured, now aware of what it must feel like to be a High Elf. Maybe that’s why they don’t care about beauty—naturally, they emit sothing beautiful, sothing that might even be overwhelming to them.
It’s the sa as when I focus mana into my eyes and they start glowing. After all, my special eyes are a physical manifestation created by my mana. My hair is almost the sa thing.
"So? Did it change?" I asked, trying to replicate the process I use to activate mana in my eyes, this ti attempting to control the mana flow in my hair.
"It changed a little, it looks more normal now," Chloe said, watching closely. "You deactivated that natural glow High Elves have, but even so, it's still really beautiful…"
Kinue let out a small chuckle beside her.
"We’ll have to dye your hair before going back to the academy. Now that you can control the mana in your hair, maybe the dye will last longer, since you can prevent mana from flowing into it," Kinue suggested. "That way, you won’t have to dye it so many tis a month."
"Hope that works," I replied, really hoping her idea was right.
Kinue, who trained with Professor Adrihna in mana circulation techniques and light elent manipulation, was practically an expert. If she said it might help, I trusted her judgnt.
"Before, the process wasn’t complete, so you didn’t have full control over your hair as a mana conduit. Now, we can dye it and test if it lasts longer," Kinue explained, examining my hair with a critical eye. "Besides, I don’t want you attracting other females..."
"What?" I asked, nervous.
"She’s right!" Chloe imdiately agreed.
"I agree too!" Cylla shouted from the bed.
I looked at the three of them, still trying to figure out if this was a joke or if they were actually serious.
They’re serious. I think I’m in trouble… a lot of trouble.
"Don’t worry. I’m satisfied with you all in my life… I guess my house will always be lively," I said with a small smile. "But… I just ask that you all be patient with . I need my own ti to process what I feel."
Before I could think of anything else, the three of them moved in and hugged all at once. Cylla, of course, was the first to jump onto my shoulder, and I felt her start sneakily kissing my cheek. I decided not to say anything and just enjoyed the mont.
"By the way, Nathan…" Chloe started, her face slightly red. "About this patience thing… how long do you think I’ll have to wait before I get another kiss?" She turned her face slightly, trying to hide her nervousness.
I thought for a mont, seriously considering the situation, then answered.
"About 200 years," I said, joking.
She laughed and gave a light slap on the shoulder. "Idiot… but fine, I’ll wait… for now," she said, hugging again.
"Wait! What do you an 'another kiss'?" Kinue suddenly asked, surprised. "You two already kissed?"
Chloe and I exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
"I want a kiss too," Kinue demanded, hugging even tighter and tilting her face dangerously close to mine, puckering her lips.
"Hey! He said to respect his pace," Chloe intervened, pulling Kinue away. I realized my cousin was using what I had said as an excuse to stop Kinue from kissing .
"This isn’t fair..." Kinue grumbled.
I looked at the two of them while Cylla laughed on my shoulder and realized my life was going to be a lot more lively… and full of chaos.
Eira Green:
It was nightti in Midgard. Prince Thorsten and I stood atop a castle, parts of it shattered by a lightning strike. We observed the scene around us, where a divine presence, though faint, could still be felt.
Sisika had tapped into a fraction of her divine power.
Beside us, a raven hovered in the air. It belonged to our superior, who had investigated the area earlier and summoned us.
"A human involved with Nidhogg… This Nikolaus Wolves… he was being manipulated by them."
The prince’s face was tense, more serious than usual, and I knew exactly why.
"See, Prince Thorsten? Sisika used her powers to save that human. You know what that ans, right? Love," I comnted.
He clicked his tongue, visibly irritated.
"She would never fall in love with a human…" he grumbled.
Prince Thorsten had been one of Master Sisika's students, admiring her since childhood. Perhaps that admiration had grown into sothing more. He had done everything to beco one of the potential suitors when the Great King made the proposal to the tribal leaders.
"Well, you can deny it all you want, but the truth is right in front of you. She isn’t being treated like a mascot—she’s choosing to stay with the one she loves," I said, trying to make Thorsten accept reality.
He turned his back on , too proud to admit what he knew to be true.
"I'm going to investigate the area," he muttered before transforming into a phoenix and flying away.
I sighed, frustrated.
He left all the hard work to .
I leaped from the top of the castle and landed in the crater below. Earlier, a few human mages had been working to restore the damaged structure. Transforming into a small phoenix, I slipped through the cracks in the rubble, diving deeper into the dungeon remains. The entire place was in ruins. The lightning’s energy had scorched every wall. I maneuvered through whatever openings I could find.
After so ti, I finally reached the remains of the ashes. Scattered among them were the remnants of many corpses.
"The sll of… ancient magic," I murmured as I flew over the ashes.
Corrupted.
After investigating the area, I ca to a conclusion—all the evidence had been destroyed.
Did Nathan Evenhart destroy everything? Why? I thought he would have been interested in understanding the past… or was there simply too little left to find?
Pushing aside my thoughts, I continued flying through the dungeon toward the exit.
"Nidhogg reaching out to humans on this continent… Things are truly close to happening," I analyzed, feeling a rising tension. Contact with the past was limited—only the tribe leaders knew the full details of the great war. Since I was born after it, I never fully understood the past events or the secrets of my own world.
As I flew, sothing made freeze. A dark figure stood in the distance. It wasn’t sothing from this world, but rather the echo of a presence far removed from this reality. Yet sohow, it had been drawn here.
I knew exactly what it was. That presence… it was him, the one the Nidhogg serve.
"I can… I can see you…" the voice whispered, and for a mont, I thought it was speaking to . "I can see you… white-haired boy…" it murmured to itself.
The shadowy presence vanished, dissipating like ash in the wind, banished from reality.
I approached the spot where it had stood.
"I see… It was a remnant of his mana," I muttered. "Not the real one… just an echo of his existence."
On the ground, I found a small fragnt of a black stone.
"So that’s why… A Nidhogg must have infused this stone with that being’s mana," I murmured.
He still lacked the power to return, but soon, he would.
"Their Great Lord… is coming back."
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