Aurdis walked out of her room with an uneasy expression. There was something that felt unsettling in her heart, but she couldn't pinpoint it.
The issues they had to deal with should have been resolved. The creatures from the Chaos Realm were banished and sealed, unable to return and threaten them, at least that was the plan. Moreover, Erend had mentioned that his friend in the Chaos Realm would keep the creatures in check.
She strolled towards the garden on the side of the Elf palace. The garden had significantly improved since the damage it suffered due to Laston's betrayal. With the Elves' magic, its fertility and beauty had been restored.
Uncertain about what to do and what was causing her restlessness, Aurdis settled into a garden chair and gazed at the sky.
The sky was exceptionally clear over the Elf Palace today. Only a few orderly clouds drifted in the east, and the sun shone brightly.
"This is supposed to be a good day," Aurdis thought, "but... what's bothering me?"
"(Ah, there you are!)"
Saeldir's voice startled Aurdis, who had been lost in her thoughts. She turned, and Saeldir approached her with a somewhat pale expression.
"(Is something wrong? You look pale,)" Aurdis said.
"(No. I'm just tired,)" Saeldir replied as he took a seat beside her. "(Have you heard from Erend?)"
Aurdis nodded. "(He's contacted me several times.)"
"(Did he... um... mention something?)"
Aurdis frowned. "(What do you mean?)"
Saeldir appeared anxious. He clenched his teeth, then stared at the sky, as if reluctant to say what was on his mind.
"(What is it?)" Aurdis asked impatiently.
Saeldir turned to her, and for a moment, he looked deadly serious. Then he said, "(The Great Calamity. Did you forget about it?)"
Upon hearing that, Aurdis felt as if her breath had been sucked from her lungs. Tut was right; she had forgotten something significant amidst the recent turmoil of the past few months.
Aurdis placed her hand on her face. "(How could I forget that...)"
Saeldir grimaced. "(I've also somewhat forgotten about it due to the issues we've been dealing with, but... it's not something we can just overlook.)"
They sat in silence for a few moments in the gentle breeze, their silver hair gently swaying. It felt like they just wanted to stay here and do nothing.
However, that wasn't how things should go. They needed to take action, and they needed to do it quickly.
Aurdis looked up at Saeldir. "(First, let's inform Aerchon about everything we know.)"
It had seemed like a bad idea before, but now Aerchon appeared to have changed. So they believed that Aerchon needed to be involved in an issue of this magnitude. After all, he had known about The Great Calamity from before.
"(I agree,)" Saeldir said.
"(And after that... we'll have to tell our father.)" When she said that, even Aurdis looked uncertain. She bit her lip, dreading the prospect of speaking with her father.
Saeldir sighed. "(I don't like that.)"
"(It's not you who will be speaking to him, right? It's me!)" Aurdis said.
"(Oh, you're right.)" Saeldir looked relieved. "(Good luck.)"
Aurdis clicked her tongue, annoyed by Saeldir's reaction. Of course, he felt relieved because he didn't have to speak with the King of the Elf Palace.
It turned out that this was the source of the uneasy feeling Aurdis had been experiencing. She looked up at the sky again and took a deep breath.
But then Aurdis remembered that she wasn't the only one facing difficulties. It was Erend who would bear the heaviest burden. She knew that Erend would be the one to face The Great Calamity, and she could only help as best as she could.
"(We need to get moving!)" Aurdis stood up abruptly, as if jumping into action.
Saeldir, unsure why she suddenly seemed so enthusiastic, furrowed his brow.
"(What do you see? We're only going to do a small part compared to what Erend will do,)" Aurdis said.
And then, the realization dawned on Saeldir. She was right. Erend would be doing most of the work when The Great Calamity truly arrived.
So Saeldir stood up as well. "(I will search for references on The Great Calamity. Hopefully, we can find something useful.)"
Aurdis nodded, and they went their separate ways, each with their own mission.
~~~
Meanwhile, Aerchon, who was training in an open field commonly used by palace guards for drills, paused to take a sip of water.
Sweat covered his entire body, making his shirtless form glisten in the sunlight. Despite feeling winded and quite tired after spending a substantial amount of time training, Aerchon felt like it still wasn't enough.
He was convinced that Laston was still out there, in some unknown place, gathering his strength and preparing for another attack. That's why he had to become stronger and remain vigilant.
Suddenly, the door to the training area swung open, and Aurdis emerged. She scanned her surroundings, and upon spotting Aerchon, she swiftly approached him.
"(What?)" Aerchon asked. The stiffness in Aurdis's expression suggested that she had something serious to discuss.
"(The Great Calamity,)" Aurdis wasted no time. "(Have you forgotten about it?)"
Indeed, Aerchon had forgotten about it, a fact that Aurdis could clearly discern from his expression.
Several months ago, Aurdis and Saeldir had told Aerchon about something called The Great Calamity. Initially, he had been skeptical, but when they both mentioned that it originated from Erend's vision, Aerchon immediately believed them.
Somehow, he had come to trust and respect Erend more now than when they had first met. It was a positive development because they were bound to continue working together and supporting each other.
Shortly after, Aerchon took a deep breath to steady himself. "(Yes, I did forget about it.)" he admitted. "(What do you think we should do?)"
Aurdis looked uneasy, biting her lip. After a few moments, she said, "(We have to inform Father.)"
Aerchon fell silent. It didn't sound like a good idea, but they didn't have any other choice. In the end, for a matter of this scale, the King of the Elf Palace had to be involved and take action.
"(Alright. Let's go meet him.)"
~~~
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