I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl

Chapter 496: Chapter 493 – The Ancient Library and the Storm in the Rift

The next day, the soft morning sunlight filtered gently through the windows of the luxurious guest room in the elf royal palace. The golden rays touched the living wooden walls that pulsed slowly like the calm breath of nature, creating beautiful and dynamic patterns of light on the smooth, cool white marble floor. Small leaves growing on the walls moved gently, as if cheerfully welcoming the morning, releasing a fresh aroma that soothed the soul, a mixture of morning dew, young leaves, and a hint of sweet flower nectar. Sylvia stood on her room’s balcony, the cool breeze brushing her smooth face. She gazed at the city of Aeloria, which now looked even more alive and magical under the morning light.

The previous night had been filled with a special banquet and deep conversations with the royal family. Although her body was tired, her mind remained alert. The dimensional rift mentioned by King Eldrin continued to disturb her thoughts. "We must be ready for anything," she murmured to herself. Sol, leaped nimbly onto her shoulder, its bushy tail wagging cheerfully. Sylvia stroked Sol’s soft fur with affection. "Let’s take a short walk, okay? To clear my mind before meeting the others."

She wore a simple elf outfit lent by the palace: a soft green tunic made of lightweight, breathable leaf-silk fabric, adorned with faint golden protective rune embroidery that shimmered when touched by light. Her long pants were comfortable for movement, paired with light leather shoes that made no sound. Her long black hair was left loose, creating a beautiful contrast with her perfect elf disguise thanks to Stacia’s magic. After making sure Sol was comfortable on her shoulder, Sylvia left the room with light steps.

Alicia and Stacia were still sleeping soundly in their respective rooms after the long night of delicious food and deep discussions. Sylvia decided not to disturb them. With permission from the guards that Elara had informed beforehand, she left the palace and walked along the smooth white stone paths, warm underfoot from the morning sun.

The morning scenery in Aeloria was truly captivating, almost like a dream come true. Elves went about their activities gracefully and in harmony with nature. Some tended small gardens between the roots of giant trees using nature magic. Their hands moved gently, making flowers sparkle and bloom fresher, releasing stronger fragrances. Others carried baskets of fresh fruit from tree markets hanging on high branches, walking across beautifully curved living wooden bridges. Elf children ran around joyfully under the shade of giant leaves, laughing as they played with floating mana light orbs that drifted like glowing butterflies. The air, rich with natural mana, made everything feel more alive: colors were brighter, sounds clearer, and moods lighter, as if the burdens of the world disappeared for a moment.

However, Sylvia soon realized that her presence was drawing more attention than she wanted. Her thick, lustrous black hair stood in sharp contrast to the elves’ usual silver, gold, or soft leaf-green hair. Several elves stopped their activities and stared at her with a mix of admiration, curiosity, and slight bewilderment. Soft whispers followed her, carried by the gentle morning breeze.

"Who is that black-haired elf? I’ve never seen her in Aeloria before..."

"She arrived with Princess Elara last night. Maybe an important guest from an allied kingdom outside the forest?"

"Her energy... feels a bit different. Very strong, like a mix of darkness and holy light."

Sol on her shoulder only purred softly, seemingly enjoying the attention and feeling proud to be part of this mysterious "princess." Sylvia smiled faintly but quickened her graceful steps, maintaining an elegant elven posture to avoid excessive gossip. She didn’t want their true identities exposed before it was time.

Unintentionally, her steps led her to a large, elegant building rising among the ancient trees. The library was made of sturdy, centuries-old living wood, its trunk still alive with faint glowing veins. Its wide entrance gate stood open, adorned with knowledge runes that glowed softly like an invitation to anyone thirsty for wisdom. A simple plaque read "Great Library of Aeloria" in beautiful flowing elven script that resembled plant tendrils.

"Library..." Sylvia murmured with interest. She could imagine how excited Stacia would be if she were here. Driven by curiosity, she stepped inside. There were no guards blocking the way any elf was free to enter, and her perfect disguise allowed her to be accepted without any questions.

The interior of the library was extraordinary. Living wooden shelves towered high to a transparent ceiling, allowing natural light to enter gently. Thousands, even tens of thousands of ancient books were neatly arranged and perfectly preserved with magic. Soft mana light illuminated open pages, making the gold, silver, and crystal ink within them sparkle as if alive and breathing. The scent of old paper mixed with natural wood and mana ink filled the air, creating a deep, calm, and intellectual atmosphere. Several elves sat at comfortable reading tables, absorbed in their books while surrounded by small light orbs that assisted with illumination and automatically turned pages with light magic.

Sylvia walked slowly between the shelves, her fingers brushing the spines of thick, lightly dusty books. There was a complete collection on the history of Yggdrasil, from its roots that penetrated dimensions to its branches that blessed the kingdom. Ancient nature magic books contained complex formulas on plant control, healing with leaf mana, and rituals of harmony with nature. There was also a special section on dimensional monsters and their weaknesses, lost holy artifacts, and records of ancient civilizations swallowed by time. Sylvia opened a few light pages about the legends of the Tree of Life and read with great interest for nearly half an hour.

However, as usual, Sylvia wasn’t the type to stay long with thick books and complicated theories. Her head started to feel dizzy after reading complex runes and long paragraphs about deep magic theory. "Enough... my brain is spinning like a carriage wheel stuck in mud," she muttered with a small smile to herself. She carefully returned the book to the shelf and left the library, feeling fresher even though she hadn’t read much.

The walk back to the palace was leisurely. Sol occasionally jumped down to explore the soft green grass or glowing flowers that curiously followed its movements, but always returned obediently and faithfully to her shoulder. When she arrived at the palace, Elara was already waiting for her in the main guest lounge with a serious yet hopeful expression.

"You’re back. Excellent," Elara greeted with a smile. She invited Sylvia to sit on a cushioned wooden chair adorned with leaf-silk pillows, near a large window that directly faced the magnificent Yggdrasil Tree. The tree’s golden light seemed to bestow blessings upon their conversation.

Elara unrolled a long parchment scroll filled with neat notes and detailed hand-drawn maps in crystal ink. "This is a complete report from our best scouts about the dimensional rift in the northwest, near the dense Dark Forest. The rift has grown quite large and continues to widen every day, as if a great force is pushing from within. The most concerning thing is the extreme weather phenomena around it."

She pointed at the map with her slender finger. "There are always violent storms. Extremely strong winds that can uproot large trees in an instant, nonstop lightning that burns everything it touches, and sharp hail like silver arrows. Patrols are extremely difficult. Many of our soldiers have been injured just from this ferocious weather, not to mention the monsters coming out of the rift."

Sylvia listened attentively, her brows furrowed in concentration. Sol in her lap purred softly as if it also understood the situation. "These extreme storms seem closely related to storm elements. There might be a storm ruler or an ancient entity inside the rift controlling the weather. The blue energy flashes and black winds you mentioned... Those are bad signs."

Elara nodded in agreement. "Exactly. The scouts reported monsters with storm characteristics: giant thunderbirds that fly swiftly, nearly invisible wind wolves, and living water elements that freeze into deadly ice. We must be very careful."

Sylvia leaned back, her mind working quickly. "Our strategy needs to be specific. Stacia can use space magic to create safe zones from the storm. Alicia with elemental debuffs to weaken those monsters. I’ll utilize darkness and fire powers. Fire can evaporate hail and counter the cold winds. Sol and Qilin will also be very helpful with their holy energy."

Elara smiled in relief, her shoulders relaxing. "With the three of you, I feel much calmer. Father and Mother have agreed to give full support: elite troops and the best nature mages. Tomorrow morning we’ll hold a full strategy meeting with the elders and commanders."

The rest of the day was spent on intensive preparations. Sylvia met Alicia and Stacia in their rooms and told them all the details she had heard from Elara. Stacia immediately became excited, her eyes shining brightly. "Space magic and storm barriers? This is a great opportunity to try the new spells I’ll find in the library later!" Alicia carefully considered debuff combinations, noting ideas in her small notebook while occasionally asking for details about the monster types.

That evening, they had dinner together with the royal family in the main dining hall. The atmosphere was more relaxed than the previous night. The table was filled with fresh dishes, and the conversation flowed about battle strategies, old elf stories of fighting dimensional threats, and knowledge exchanges. King Eldrin gave them three leaf-crystal pendants as nature protection artifacts. "May these protect you in the upcoming battle," he said with a wise voice.

Sylvia felt the warmth of true friendship among them. Tomorrow, the journey toward the dimensional rift and its violent storms would begin. That night, under the calm light of the Yggdrasil Tree, she prayed in her heart that all their preparations would be enough to face the coming threat.