Birth and death, the cycle is endless.
"Observations on Zhu Yuan, Shallow Sea, Volume One
*****
In its distant memory, there was a vast wilderness. The memories of its childhood were of trekking and traveling. When it crossed the border of the "Shallow Sea," the mountain where the storm stopped and the background of the blue sky was still deeply engraved in the depths of its memory. At the border of water and wind, the two planes overlapped strangely in its vision.
That was the deepest impression of its childhood.
But all the distant scenery no longer existed. After a long journey, travel, and travel again, it finally came to this world.
It was a strange beginning, passed down from generation to generation by its clansmen. It was as if the memories flowed in its blood, nurtured the magic, and formed a sacred forest. In the distant dark ages, the gentle magic power attracted the creatures in the darkness. Frost demons, weeping demons, dead spirits. In order to protect this forest, it fought against them.
Just like that, the continuous battle seemed to have gone on for many years.
Until one day, it saw the ball of light fly in front of it.
"Hello, my name is Rose. Your place is so beautiful. Can I stay here?"
"No," it answered sternly.
"Why?" Little Bubbly's eyes widened. Her blue eyes were wide and full of curiosity. It was as if it was very strange that it didn't let her stay in this forest.
"Because you're like them. You pry into the holy magic."
"No, no, no. I just feel that it's cooler here."
"Cooler?"
"Yes. Besides, you can't fight them alone. You need a companion. I'll help you."
It seemed that after that, it had a companion. The word companion, when spoken in the language of the elements, was far more verbose than human words, but its meaning was far-reaching.
"Malourcha, let's build a lake. That way, they can't come over."
"Lake?"
"Yes, a lake. You haven't seen it before, right? It's like the scenery of the shallow sea. Of course, it's not as magnificent as home, but it's still a very beautiful scenery. "
Thinking of home, it nodded.
"Malourcha, is the lake beautiful?"
"It doesn't look like the shallow sea," it thought for a while and answered seriously.
"Then let's make it bigger. "Yes, when I die, please bury me under the biggest Tree of Fog, so that I can go back to my homeland."
"Die?"
It narrowed its eyes slightly. There seemed to be information about this hidden in the distant blood. It was about elemental creatures. A sentence imprinted on its soul seemed to flash in its memory. "New life and death, the endless cycle of the elements —"
"Yes." The little fairy also narrowed her eyes and replied, "New life and death, the elements cycle endlessly. Without death, there will be no new life."
It stared at the dark night sky. The meteor was gone in a flash, symbolizing the fall of another hero in the civilized world that was at war with each other in this flourishing starry sky. The war between mortals had begun 137 years ago and would last for 300 years. It would end 12 years later, the prophecy said.
Buried in the soil in the middle of the forest, a glowing bud bloomed the next year, and then it slowly bore fruit. Two new lives were born from the fruit.
They were the continuation of Rose's life. They were called Mia and Dyce.
Fairies were always born with names. It was a strange thing.
Then there were more and more fairies. The forest became more and more lively and prosperous day by day. But every night after that, it looked at the lush starry sky and always remembered that sentence.
"Malourcha, let's build a lake. That way, they can't come over."
On the shore of the silver lake, the frost demons in the dark didn't dare to cross the surface of the lake as expected.
The war in the human world finally ended 130 years ago. Malourcha looked up at the night sky. A meteor flashed by. The last hero of the civilized world, Saint-ausol, had finally finished the last journey of her life.
The world suddenly became unfamiliar.
…
The magic core was the source of life for a demonized creature. But for a creature like the Crystal Stag that was in harmony with magic, it was only the core of its power. A demonized creature that had lost its magic core would immediately turn into ashes. But for Malourcha, at most, its power would only fade back to its youth.
Brando quickly saw the crystal prism-like existence. It was embedded in Malourcha's spine. As soon as Brando saw it, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes.
The magic core of a healthy Crystal Stag should contain a blue color like the sea inside the crystal. It was like their homeland, the shallow sea. That was the most beautiful place in the water elemental world. But what he saw was a crystal as black as ink.
The corrosion of magic was so severe.
Brando couldn't help but hold his breath.
The world of Wohnde was built on a sea of magic. Most of the power that mortals came into contact with originated from dark magic. But Martha set down the law of Tiamat and used the power of the rules to restrain these wild, dark forces — making them docile and peaceful.
This was a gift from Mother.
But there were some who didn't accept this gift.
Astrologers pursued the path of the people of God, like sages who cut through the thorns in the darkness. Like the god they worshiped, the Goddess of the Abyss Helene, they turned the dark magic into a mirror and sought to see through the fog of the future at the cost of blindness. The darkness eroded their bodies and minds, but they remained steadfast.
The witches went one step further than the astrologers. The ancestors of the Twelve Witches swore to conquer the power of darkness — their descendants followed this oath. But insanity, coldness, eccentricity, and capriciousness followed them throughout their lives — because of this, and because of their status as followers of the Dark Dragon, they were spurned by the entire continent.
There were also those who walked in the shadows. Cultists, devil worshipers, lunatics, and murderers. They worshiped dark magic and didn't hesitate to sacrifice themselves to please those dark, evil beings. These were cripples of the dark side of civilization, but no one denied their existence.
Dark magic was like a potent poison. The damage it caused to anyone was irreversible. Brando felt as if he had seen the answer to a riddle. He gently reached out his hand toward the magic core.
An electric feeling swept through his body.
"Human, stop —"
A gentle voice, completely different from the manic and furious voice from before, sounded in Brando's mind.
"Guardian of the Forest of the Holy Seal, you know what I'm doing —" Brando's hand paused for a moment, then he answered softly, "Have you seen what this forest looks like?"
"You've driven the dark magic out, but it won't help." The voice didn't answer him directly. Instead, it said, "On the contrary, you'll regret your actions."
"I need to know the reason." Brando asked, "If you don't give up this magic core, you'll be assimilated by the dark magic and become a monster. This forest has already begun to wither. The dark magic will erode everything, including your fairy companions — "
The voice fell silent.
After a while, it spoke again, "No, the forest will never wither. Everything you said will not happen, human. You haven't seen the shallow sea, you won't understand how great nature is — "
"The shallow sea?"
Malourcha paused. It was covered in bruises and its body was already dying. A trace of exhaustion appeared in its blood-red eyes, but they burned with a burning flame. "Human, I know what you want. You can take the crystallized blood. But please leave this forest. This forest doesn't belong to anyone. It only belongs to history, to the fairies who have witnessed everything in the past — "
Brando didn't understand what it said, but he glanced at the specks of crystal blood on the ground, then glanced at Maynild not far away. The female Knight looked at the little fairy in her hand. The little fairy was crying a mess.
"Thank you for your generosity, Guardian," Brando answered. "But I'm curious about your choice."
There seemed to be a breeze blowing through the forest, rustling. Brittle branches snapped and fell.
The forest was dying.
Malourcha's body burned with black flames. The Crystal Stag lay there quietly, as if remembering something. Brando saw its gaze. Over his shoulder, it looked at the magnificent night sky of the world of Wohnde.
There were many constellations there, and many epics that belonged to mortals were written.
"Why did you take the initiative to absorb the magic of the entire forest? Is it because the Holy Seal Valley is being corroded by dark magic?"
"Pretty much as you guessed, human," the voice that was gradually weakening answered. "The forest is restless, and not just here. Dark magic is pouring out from under the entire world. The Magic Moon has become brighter than before, human — "
Brando didn't speak. He knew that Malourcha was talking about the Great Magic Wave.
"So you took the initiative to draw the dark magic into your body so that it wouldn't corrode the entire forest."
"But isn't it futile for you to do this? In the end, you will be turned into a puppet by the dark magic. And as the last guardian of this forest, when it dies, it will wither and wither, just like what you saw today, "Brando answered slowly, thinking about all the clues about the mission in his mind.
But his words were cut off.
"That's because you haven't seen the shallow sea, human," Malourcha answered quietly. "That beautiful and magnificent sea surface at the boundary between wind and water. The tides on the sea rise and fall in an endless cycle. Just like our lives — "
"Your lives?"
"Birth and death, an endless cycle —"
"This is the fate of the elements."
Brando suddenly understood —
He stared at the Crystal Stag on the ground with some shock. When the old elemental died, new elemental creatures were born from its corpse. Generation after generation, this ancient knowledge was passed down.
This was like a poem that originated from the ancient times. It was always echoing in the bloodline that was called inheritance. It was silent, but it was also majestic.
"The order of the old days left, taking many memories with it. New life will be reborn under the withered ashes. The dark magic will burn out with me. At that moment, pure magic will once again fill this land. It will nourish the roots of every Tree of Fog, and make the power of life strong again. "
Brando stood there, unmoving. For a moment, he felt his thoughts about the mission fade. He asked, "This is your choice?"
Malourcha didn't answer.
The voice only muttered to itself, "I should have left a long time ago. When I saw the shooting star fly across the night sky, I knew this era no longer belonged to me."
"So long."
"But the lake still doesn't look like a shallow sea at all."
"It's just really beautiful —"
Brando lowered his eyelids slightly.
He was a little moved. But more than that, he was confused. Why did the system set up this scene? Was there a hidden mission here? Was he just here to be a spectator?
No, there had to be something that could be changed.
He saw the Crystal Stag lying on the ground gradually close its eyes. The dark magic seemed to want to break free from its body, but it was firmly locked in the magic core.
In that moment, Brando seemed to sense the last image that the Guardian of the Forest of the Holy Seal sent over.
The vast sea stretched as far as the eye could see. The jagged cliffs and the waves crashed against the rocks. Far away on the horizon, the Holy Mountain where the storm had stopped was like a light blue ink painting.
Clouds floated in the sky.
He saw the traveling fawn. Together with its herd, it crossed the coast and the moors. It seemed to be a long journey, and no one knew where they would end.
The long time flashed through Brando's mind. It was like a thousand years in the blink of an eye. He saw a lot. He saw the fairy called Rose.
"I see my hometown."
"It's beautiful, just like when I left. It hasn't changed, waiting for me to go back. "
…
Brando blinked hard. The corners of his eyes were a little dry.
When he opened his eyes, Malourcha's body was emitting a hot white light. It became transparent and light. The magic floating on its body seemed to have been reborn. In the dazzling light of a new star, the black magic was guided by a power that surpassed the realm of life and death. An invisible law descended from the sky.
In that moment, he and Maynild raised their heads together. Their souls trembled at the same time. They felt the power from Martha.
It was gentle, but it could see through people's hearts.
All words and sounds seemed to lose their color.
The fairies raised their heads to look at this scene. They were surprised to feel that the forest was breaking apart, but a warm power was breaking out of its cocoon.
Brando saw the little fairy in Maynild's hands run toward the Crystal Stag's corpse with tears on her face. She cried and screamed, opening and closing her mouth, but no sound could be heard.
Between heaven and earth, there was only law and power left.
Brando saw the golden magic bloom from Malourcha's corpse. It poured into the ground and spread in all directions along the path in the forest like a spider web. Then he saw a thin layer of smoke rise from the ashes of the Crystal Stag. It formed Malourcha's appearance when he was alive — that majestic and beautiful creature raised its head to look at the night sky.
Then the layer of smoke began to dissipate.
But in that moment, Brando suddenly realized something. He raised his head and shouted loudly at the soul in the form of smoke, "Malourcha, wait! Your magic core won't completely turn to ashes. A part of it will be inherited by the new element! "
The Crystal Stag obviously realized something as well.
It shook slightly and turned its head to look at Brando. Because its body had begun to fall apart, Brando couldn't even see its expression clearly. But he read the last message it wanted to express from Malourcha's eyes.
Help it.
The magic core had been completely contaminated. Even if only a part of it was inherited by the new Crystal Stag, it would still be assimilated. The new elemental life form would only become a completely bloodthirsty monster.
And this forest would also become a dark and terrifying wilderness.
So this was the mission.
Brendel's heart was suddenly enlightened. But he didn't feel relaxed at all. He watched as Malourcha's body slowly turned to nothing. It looked at him anxiously, but there was nothing he could do.
No.
Wait.
There was another way. Brando suddenly raised his head. He looked at the Crystal Stag. His mind was filled with the image he had seen before. The vast sea stretched as far as the eye could see. The jagged cliffs and the waves crashed against the rocks — this was the shallow sea, the source of the endless growth of elemental life forms.
"I can help you, Malourcha."
He suddenly said loudly, "Are you willing to accept?"
A blank card had already appeared in Brando's palm. Malourcha saw the card and seemed to understand something. It had a long life. Bits of knowledge had accumulated in its heart since a certain era.
"Are you willing?!" Brando roared angrily.
The golden magic was filling the entire forest, but the black flames reignited from the center of the golden light. One man and one stag, they only had one last chance.
"What do you plan to do, human?" This was the meaning in Malourcha's gaze.
"I'll use the dark magic as the source and seal you together with it. I'll use the rules of the Card of Fate to extract it from the magic core. Maybe I'll succeed! "
"How confident are you?"
"I don't know —"
Malourcha nodded slightly. A layer of dense smoke only left the area below its neck. Its entire body had already vanished into thin air, but its four hooves still stood upright on the ground.
Brando took out the Card of Fate and showed it to Malourcha's soul. "The Shire, help me calculate how much wealth is needed to seal the card this time!"
"Sir, can you calculate such a simple problem yourself?" The Shire's groggy voice came from the other end of the soul. He yawned. Clearly, he didn't know what was going on here.
"Cut the crap and tell me —" Brando gritted his teeth and reprimanded.
The Shire shuddered and finally reacted. "Ah, then sir, quickly unlock part of the seal's authority and let me see what kind of card you want to seal —"
Brando immediately did as he was told.
"The Crystal Stag." The Shire was slightly taken aback. "This thing is much stronger than the little princess from that day. Although its soul has already acknowledged it and can greatly reduce the cost of sealing it, it still needs to consume close to a thousand wealth."
"Ah, wait — what's this?" The Shire's voice was a little impatient. "Dark magic? Sir Leader, you want to extract it from here — this is the law of chaos. Its authority is no less than that of a Planeswalker's. Are you sure you want to do this? I don't quite understand … "
"You don't need to understand!" Brando was going crazy. Malourcha's head was already faintly discernible. "Just tell me how much you need!"
"There's too much dark magic …"
"That's already very little!" Brando didn't yell out the rest of his sentence. Most of the dark magic had already been purified by Malourcha and turned into the power of order.
"Alright, alright — I understand. It needs a total of 2720 wealth."
"That much!?"
"I already said …" The Shire answered. But his words were immediately rudely interrupted by Brando. "Enough. Tell me if I have enough wealth right now."
"… Barely. But sir, don't you plan on keeping some? Didn't you say that there might be better materials in the Stained Frost Forest? This place is still within the Anserra Forest, right? " The Shire asked curiously. He didn't understand if his Sir Leader had run into some kind of trouble.
But Brando didn't have time to pay attention to him.
He pressed his thumb and forefinger on the surface of the card and shouted at Malourcha's soul, "Seal!"
But the expected situation didn't occur. It was completely different from the last time he sealed Metisha. The Card of Fate floated silently in the air, motionless.
"What's going on?" Brando's right hand that held the card stiffened slightly.
"Sir Leader … The soul of the target you want to seal is too weak. The dark magic isn't enough to make up for the flaw in this part of the law … You still need some wealth to create a virtual law. "The Shire's voice suddenly shouted anxiously.
"How much more do you need?" Brando asked through gritted teeth. He was about to miss his last chance.
"Not enough …"
Brando's heart chilled, but at that moment, The Shire suddenly cried out in surprise, "Ah … There's new power being poured in. What's going on? "
The young Wizard attendant obviously didn't understand what was going on. Brando didn't understand either, because he only saw the blank card suddenly flash with silver light, and then explode like a flash bomb.
A dazzling white light spread out in all directions.
Brando narrowed his eyes slightly. After the light gradually dissipated, he saw a card wobbling down from the air.
"In the darkness, but with a heart towards the light, for Eversong —"
The card fell into his hand:
Song of Samsara
Eversong VIII
Light 4 Dark 4
[Spell]
Pay 40 Mana (Knight) to summon Malourcha the White Deer (Level: Faran Knight, Level: -10) into the field. When the White Deer leaves the field, choose two cards from the graveyard and shuffle them into the holder's deck.
Maintain. Malourcha the White Deer will maintain until the next day's reset.
"Birth and death, endlessly growing and multiplying —"
Brando looked at the White Deer depicted on the card, and the sprite on its back. He was a little stunned for a moment. In that instant, he understood what had happened.
He looked up and saw the golden magic enveloping the entire forest. The withered Trees of Fog were collapsing in patches. But new branches and buds grew out of the ashes, quickly growing into a dense patch of small trees.
A young Crystal Stag lay in the middle of these trees with its eyes half-closed.
The forest seemed to be protecting it.
With a soft hum, Brando saw a pale green panel jump out in front of him:
"Mission: Elemental Activation, completed, perfect completion."
"Mission: Song of the Shallow Sea, completed, perfect completion —"
…
(PS: We agreed on 6000 words today, this chapter won't be divided into chapters. Just look at it this way. I'm so tired today. When I get home, I have to go out to train again, and then I have to rush back to write again. I really want to kill myself.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, you are welcome to come to qidian.com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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