Chapter 70: Song of the Welkin Moon
"You have a family now," Lirien said, her voice low, almost pleading. "No one wants you two to do this."
She was sitting on the branch of a tree in the dense, green forest. The sunlight was dim, filtered through layers of emerald leaves, the wind cozy as it rustled the leaves of the trees and grass on the ground alike, creating a relaxed atmosphere that stood in complete contrast to the restless heart of Lirien. The gentle sway of the branches did nothing to calm her.
"Yet there is no one except us who can do it if we want to stop ’them’," a strikingly handsome man, sitting on the branch beside her, replied. His voice was low, his lavender eyes looking down at the forest floor below. He wore a cloak woven from white fur, resting on his shoulders, its edges brushing against the bark. Blue robes with silver patterns underneath caught the dim light. A pair of sandals rested on his feet, dangling freely from the branch. At his back, a pair of wings rested with countless snow-like feathers, their tips glistening faintly. "This is the only choice we have, and something everyone agreed upon."
"It is not the only choice!" Lirien said, her voice hurried, holding herself back from breaking. She tightened her grip on the branch, leaning forward towards Boreas. "I can do it instead of you two. I also possess Primordial mana. Unlike you, I do not have any family. No one will cry if I die."
"Your four dear disciples will not like the sound of that," Boreas chuckled, finding her argument foolish and childish. A faint smile played at the corner of his lips. "And do not say such useless words. There will surely come someone in your life in the future who will cry for you, or you will cry for them."
Lirien decided not to say anything to that. She did not want to argue with him, at least not on a day like this, even though she knew no one would love someone like her, the being who was hated by the dragons and feared by the humans.
After a brief pause, Boreas asked, a faint curiosity laced in his voice, "Where are your disciples?"
"They went to convince ’him’ not to do it, while I came to convince you," Lirien answered, annoyance clear in her voice. "And I know they will also return disappointed, just like me. I do not understand why you are so eager to throw away such a beautiful life. I always envied you for having everything that I wished for. Yet you are th-throwing it all away. I-I absolutely hate it."
Boreas released a long sigh, his head turning upward, looking towards the sunlight filtering through the gaps between the leaves. The golden rays painted patterns across his face. "We are doing it because we want to protect that very beautiful life we have created. In that regard, ’he’ is even more impressive. He ended the War of Dragons just seven years ago and has now already reached a level similar to mine. He is not called The Legendary Knight for nothing."
"And he is going to sacrifice himself for the greater good or whatever alongside you when he has so much potential to grow further," Lirien muttered with a sharp retort, her head snapping to the other side. Her voice was bitter, wounded.
Boreas only released low, awkward chuckles in response, the sound fading into the rustling leaves above them.
"Lily, I have a small favour to ask of you," Boreas said, his every syllable dripped in sadness.
He took out a polished green jade box from his robe and said, extending it towards Lirien. "It contains a fragment of my daughter’s power. Return it to her when the time is right."
Lirien’s eyes widened, shock spreading through her face as she asked, "Wh-what do you m-mean?"
"I want her to have a normal childhood filled with good memories." Tear tickled down from the corner of his eye as he continued with a faint smile on his face, "memories where she doesn’t remember about her dead parents or the responsibilities she must bear."
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"Miss Principal, this is not the place to take a nap," a voice entered Lirien’s ears. She slowly opened her silver eyes, her vertical slit irises falling on Aldric, who was standing above her head, holding a small tea cup of intricate design as she lay on the ground. Her dense silver hair were spread across the green grass, swaying slightly with the cold breeze that swept across the plain.
She rose to a sitting position, her serene face turning towards Chloe a few metres ahead of her, where she was peacefully absorbing the mana stone. The surrounding wind and mana were all attracted towards her as if being pulled by the force of gravity, absorbing into her graceful frame. The air around her shimmered with visible currents.
"You seem to be troubled by something, Miss Principal," Aldric asked, his tone even and his face expressionless. The steam from his cup curled upward, dissipating in the open air.
"No, I just exhausted myself helping her with the absorption," Lirien replied, her face slowly returning to normal, hiding the grief it had carried just a moment ago. The mask settled back into place.
"You do remember that while you are taking naps here, the documents in your office are piling up," Aldric said, taking a sip from the cup.
Lirien’s sharp eyebrows twitched in annoyance. She took a brief moment as if thinking of something before answering, "You will have to take care of them, Aldric. I must not leave this place until she successfully forms her core."
Now Aldric was the one who seemed annoyed. He clearly knew that it was just an excuse for her to slack off, but he had no counter for it. As much as he hated to admit it, Chloe really needed supervision until she formed her core.
He released a sigh of defeat, taking one last sip from the cup. The liquid disappeared with a soft swallow. "May you fulfill my curiosity in exchange?"
"You are getting curious about something?" Lirien’s voice carried a hint of shock.
Aldric was an extremely rigid and professional man who barely indulged himself in conversation with Lirien unless it was about work.
"Why did you reveal your true form to Vlad on the full moon night when you were slacking off?" He intentionally put more weight on the last word, reminding her of one of the countless events when she had silently vanished from the office for a full half an hour. His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
Lirien decided to ignore the obvious jab in his words and answered, a faint smile forming on her face, "Because I wish to hear the Song of the Welkin Moon again."
