At the top of the tower is endless darkness, but at the bottom of the tower is a source of light. Pen | fun | pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

Tess stared curiously at the gem that was set in the center of the ground. She vaguely felt that it was a little different from the last time she had seen it...... But I can't say what the difference is. It still didn't look like a stone, but more like a frozen fire, and under the ice, the flames were still burning and jumping, as if it had life.

-- It's like a heart.

She shuddered involuntarily.

"Interesting. ”

She heard Ankelan whisper, "You have some ...... Very special friend. ”

Tess stared at the gem in a daze, and it took a moment for her to react, the latter sentence probably addressed to her. She didn't understand, she didn't take it to heart, she still didn't pay attention to it, she didn't look at him—she couldn't understand what he was drawing zigzags around the gem anyway.

The runes were drawn in mid-air, slightly disturbing the air, and astrolabe-like figures glowed faintly in mid-air, silently falling down and falling to the ground, flickering brightly for a moment, and then vanishing.

"Come here. ”

Ancrane reached out to her again.

This time Tess wasn't so obedient again. She stood where she was, a few steps away from him, tilting her head and looking at him in silence.

She remembered the last time he had drawn strange runes like this, and then stood on top of the gem with her in his arms...... But I can't remember what happened next.

Is she some kind of sacrifice?...... What did she lose?

"Come here. ”

Anclan repeated patiently, neither in a hurry nor in anger, his tone neither commanding nor pleading, just ...... Naturally, as if convinced that Tess at this moment would not go against every word he said.

Tess walked over and took his hand.

The elf's hands were as warm and dry as ever, but the language that came out of his mouth was unfamiliar—Tess had never heard Norway sing in such a language...... Her elf is a warrior.

Her fingers froze, but she didn't move. Even though she felt the flames rising from under her feet, countless strange shadows dangled in front of her eyes, and the blood rushing all over her body was hot as if it were boiling...... She didn't move, just raised her head and looked intently at the elf's side face.

She was all too familiar with the angle...... She was always on his left side.

Her eyes didn't blink when the long cone-like dagger burrowed into the elf's body, and her slightly dilated pupils looked innocent and dazed.

She was always on his right side because he needed her to guard his left side...... She was familiar with all his hidden flaws.

The elf bowed his head. Blood poured out of the wound as if it were impossible to stop, but his expression remained calm without a wave. Tess felt that he didn't feel any pain at all...... So this body may have died long ago, even if it still had temperature.

If that's the case...... It doesn't matter.

Tess was sure she had pierced the heart, but that didn't seem to have any effect on the elf at all. Maybe you should still treat him as an undead and stab him in the head...... But he was too tall for her to reach.

It almost made her feel a little ridiculous.

"What do you get by killing me?" she heard Ancrane ask softly, "and once I die, he will cease to exist." ”

"He's still there. "He's going to be here too." I don't care what he used to be...... Or what exactly. He may be just a part of you - if he still wants to be a part of you, I would like to try to accept all of you, but he doesn't, he wants to be himself...... He is who he is. So, even if he's just a shadow, I'll make him the master, if I can't do it...... At least I can set him free. ”

“...... What is there about such a perfect soul that is almost false that you are worthy of love?"

"If you created him like this, why don't you know the answer?"

Ankeland fell silent. His blood was pouring all over the ground - Tess looked down at her bloodied feet, slightly panicked.

But the elf still stood firm, as if his life did not depend on blood. Tess stood for a moment, then crouched down, and the short knife hidden in her sleeve popped out and slammed into the blood-glowing gem - its light glittered along the blood, and disappeared into the elf's body little by little.

The elf leaned over nimbly and grasped her arm firmly.

"Don't make a fuss. He said.

The helplessness in that tone was like Norvi, which made Tess involuntarily stunned.

"Let her go!"

Naria's voice pierced the air sharply, followed by a spear forged from ice.

The elf casually draws a symbol and pushes it back. The spear changed direction abruptly and stabbed at Is.

Ed didn't have time to pick up his staff, but his magic was enough to resist the bounced attack, but the elf couldn't respond to the next attack with the same likeness - Iss bounced, used himself as a weapon, and slammed it over.

He even transformed back into an ice dragon in mid-air, pressing down on the elves in the not-so-wide space at the bottom of the tower, his long tail deftly curling up at Tess's waist.

Tess stabbed a knife at the tip of its tail.

The ice dragon let out an angry roar, and the retracted tail was instead whipped at the elf's grip on Tess's hand, the huge claws already pressed against the elf's head.

However, the elf did not dodge, did not even bow his head. He maintained a half-squatting position, one hand still firmly grasping Tess, squinting slightly at the ice dragon's flickering claws, and a cold smile on his lips.

"Don't touch him...... Get out of here!"

Tess screamed, no longer caring about what it sounded like.

The giant claw paused in mid-air, but the ice dragon's tail was too late to retract.

The flames exploded silently from the point where it touched the elf's body, engulfing the entire space in an instant.

There was fire in front of him - nothing but flames, no sound could be heard except the roar of flames, as if the whole world had disappeared into flames. Tess felt like she had been burned to ashes...... Even if the body doesn't have it, the heart probably burns out.

She wasn't hurt. But she didn't know what this flame from hell meant to her friends.

"Naria!...... Ed!"

She screamed and began to try to break free from the elves' grasps.

All she could answer was a roar.

The flames rolled. The huge figure of the ice dragon appeared from the firelight, and its outstretched wings seemed to burn in the flames...... Its entire body seemed to be burning, and even its silver-white scales were burned red.

Tess kept her eyes wide as she could, and was finally able to confirm that even though it was a fire-feared ice dragon, it was not hurt, it was just angry and panicked...... And it looks like it's turned into another dragon.

“...... Interesting. Ankelan murmured.

Tess hated something "funny" - no, maybe not.

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