III

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Arc III Chapter 5

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25th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753

"Here, my notes. Although I doubt that they are of any use to you considering that you are not able to read them After all, they are written in Alfreikian." Nelaeryn presented her with his notes with a smug expression plastered across his face. The implications of his words were clear. His notes were beyond a plebeian of common birth like her. In this world, education was a rare commodity, a privilege of the few and rich.

"Hmm ..." Aurora lowered her gaze to study his writing. His notes ... The letters were ... cryptic, to say the least. Unrecognisable in shape and form. Alien. Her eyes were unable to decipher the incomprehensible text before her. The letters did not trust her with their content. And yet, the letters appeared ... familiar, as if once known, even when defeated by a piece of humble writing.

Nelaeryn relished her inevitable defeat, celebrating his moment of victory with a petty grin. The elf was a terrible loser and an even worse winner. He had known perfectly well that she would not be able to read Alfreikian.

"..." Nelaeryn poked her nose. He had scored a victory, restoring his wounded manly pride. "Told you so, girl."

"You're such a meanie. You knew, didn't you?" Aurora pouted, puffing up her cheeks.

Nelaeryn grinned. Having the upper hand warmed his heart. Victory made him magnanimous, not to say arrogant. "As if I cared, victory is victory."

"..." Aurora grumbled in protest."But I must say your handwriting is pretty. Your letters are beautiful. Elegant, yet simple."

"You flatter me, girl." Nelaeryn cleared his throat, his chest swelling with pride. He was content with his calligraphy finally being acknowledged.

"..." Aurora merely smiled. A healthy dose of tactical flattery never hurt. Nelaeryn thought highly of himself. Such was apparent. Despite his years, he still fell prey to youthful naivety and vanity. He should have known better. Her simple words flattered him, visibly improving his mood.

"You are smarter than you look, girl. At least, for a human girl", Nelaeryn commended her. "You know, you deserve a reward. You were asking what we are doing here, right?"

"..." Aurora nodded, hugging her doll tightly.

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"Have you ever heard about archaeology?" Nelaeryn directed his question at her.

"Not that I know of." Aurora tilted her head.

"Hardly surprising considering your circumstances", Nelaeryn elaborated. The elf soliloquised again. He liked his own voice. Perhaps even a bit too much. Not that Aurora cared. A talkative fool was a useful fool. He provided from. Better not to interrupt him. "That being said, archaeology is the study and documentation of the past. Arwing and I are both archaeologists. We try to preserve the past. We are preserving the past through our efforts for future generations. Unfortunately, so much knowledge was lost.

The world one millennium ago was a different world. It was a world marked by chaos and decline. The Age of Strife and the Weltenbrand were about to usher in centuries of darkness that would push all of civilisation nearly to the brink of extinction. It was a time when the known world burned.

These days, this time is an era now mostly confined to the realm of distant myths and legends, even when scholars and historians argue to this day about what caused this complete collapse of all civilisation. The Weltenbrand brought untold devastation to the land. Entire cities and kingdoms were razed from the map. Vast stretches of land were depopulated. Even our ancestors took part in the war, long before the foundation of Alfreik. Our forefathers fought at the side of our ma ... at the side of the humans of Valyria, the Pearl of the North. To no avail. Valyria was destroyed in the fires of the Weltenbrand.

Unfortunately, we know so preciously little about this era. The Kingdoms of Valyria and Valentia have both long since perished, and with them, most of their secrets. The language of the Ancients might have survived to this day, but the same cannot be said about their knowledge ..."

"... ... ..." A sharp, piercing pain befell Aurora, like a knife driven into her skull. Her headache returned. Nelaeryn's tale sounded familiar, yet differed from what her tutors had taught her. Suddenly, her mind saw things much clearer. She remembered now.

Nelaeryn noticed her absence. "Hey, are you listening, girl?"

"..." Aurora regained her composure, her hand reaching for her humming head. "Uncle Nelaeryn, ... there is something that I do not understand."

"Such as?" Nelaeryn raised an eyebrow.

Aurora grinned. "Unless I am mistaken, the city of Valyria was a ... human city state, was it not?"

"Yes", Nelaeryn conceded, slightly startled by her statement.

Aurora smirked with glee. "Uncle Nelaeryn, do not you realise that you are contradicting yourself?"

Nelaeryn dismissed her observations, believing them the words of a mere child, a human child no less. "Tch, what would a human child like you understand? The intricacies of history are beyond your feeble mind."

Aurora smirked, a dark, calculating glee filling her eyes. Old habits died hard. A glimmer of her true self resurfaced. "If you think so, Unlce Nelaeryn. In your arrogance, you think you are privy to the ultimate truth, but history is a delicate art indeed. To be able to look beyond your own bias is not always an easy task to accomplish."

"..." Nelaeryn's mood deteriorated. His eyes narrowed. "Stop obfuscating. Speak plainly, what are you talking about, girl?"

"You elves take considerable pride in your lineage", Aurora pointed out. "Some more. Some less."

"You are correct, we elves are a proud and noble race, proud of our origins, proud of our superior intellect and magic talent."

An ominous giggle accompanied Aurora. "That might be true, but if the elven race is truly the crown of creation, blessed by the gods and spirits themselves, tell me, what are you doing here in Valentia? Why are you here? Why are you studying the ruins of an ancient human civilisation? Do you not have any ruins of your own to commemorate your glorious and splendid past?"

"..." Nelaeryn stiffened in an instant, like petrified. His eyes widened, betraying his shock. Her words had struck a sore point.

"..." Aurora grinned. She had got him where she wanted. Her lips moved on their own, privy to knowledge that no ordinary girl of common birth should possess. "Do I not presume correctly, Uncle Nelaeryn? No need to take me for a fool, I have noticed your slip of the tongue. Unless I am mistaken, you elves were fighting at the side of your ancient masters, were you not? Though, I must confess that I am hardly surprised. After all, loyalty and obedience are only to be expected from a race of mere forest dwellers, from a race of uplifted slaves."

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