"If they try, I'll cleanse them instead."
"…You're insufferable."
"Flattering."
Meanwhile, outside the room, chaos brewed silently.
The elves had seen the impossible. Ji Xiulan, the cold outsider with a presence that made even the forest's roots tremble, had walked straight into the orchard and plucked fruit without a whisper of permission.
The trees had not resisted. The vines had not struck back. The wind itself had stilled.
To the elves, that wasn't strength. That was heresy backed by terrifying divinity.
And so, they did the only reasonable thing: they pretended not to see.
Except for one.
Kael, the dark elf, whose silver hair was tied back in a sharp braid and whose amber eyes burned with irritation, stood by the gate of the base, arms crossed, jaw tight. His shadow trembled faintly against the wall.
