I Became a White-Haired Loli v2c160

Chapter 160: Destiny

Time passed, and on the continent of Solor, five years had passed since the resealing of the Abyssal Lord.

But in those five years, more had changed than in the preceding centuries.

The Abyssal Demon Realm, having paid a heavy price to seal the Abyssal Lord, had been forced to abandon most of its conquered territories, ending the centuries-long war and entering a period of self-imposed isolation.

But before their withdrawal, they had launched one final, devastating offensive.

The Bewildering Forest, having prepared for this, had sealed their sacred lands before the third day of the Imperial Festival, their High Priestess leading their forces against the demons, preserving most of their strength.

The North Empire, having already made a truce, suffered only minor incursions, their losses minimal.

The Savage Lands, however, had borne the brunt of the attack. Nearly a third of their tribes had been drawn into the conflict, half of them suffering heavy casualties, over seventy percent of their resources plundered by the demon legions.

But after that, a rare peace had settled over Solor, and the native races had entered a period of recovery.

The Bewildering Forest had reopened their sacred lands, reclaiming their lost territories, using the power of their holy sites to rebuild, their natural power growing stronger.

The North Empire, with the vast amount of device fragments and data recovered from Vikarn, had made significant technological advancements.

Although they had lost the assistance of Vikarn’s device arrays, their own combat strength had increased considerably.

And after the Battle of Vikarn, Ares VI had officially abdicated, and Lilia had ascended to the throne, becoming the North Empire’s first empress.

And they had found a cure for the demonic corruption that had afflicted her, in the records from Vikarn. But for some reason, she had chosen not to remove the Demonic Runes, or the blood venom Bai had left behind.

As for the Savage Lands, despite their heavy losses, they had recovered quickly, once again a match for the Bewildering Forest and the North Empire.

After all, the tribes that had been defeated in the war, though also beastkin, were not considered kin by the others—and their corpses were also a valuable resource.

In the sacred lands of the Bewildering Forest, which had now reclaimed much of its former territory and was flourishing with natural power, a young elven girl sat, her chin resting on her hand, looking at a pile of crystal fragments, the remnants of a crystal ball.

“So, why do I have to take the blame for breaking the sacred artifact…?” she sighed.

She was Eleanor, the elf who had accompanied High Priestess Nimora to the Imperial Festival, only to be dragged back after a few days.

Nimora had tried to use the sacred artifact, the “Oracle,” to read Bai’s fortune, but it had shattered after only a glimpse of the future.

But that glimpse had been enough to guide Nimora, to secure a future for the Bewildering Forest, for all of Solor.

To achieve that future, Nimora had spent years in meditation, sealing the sacred lands, intercepting Queen Shaya, preventing her from participating in the Battle of Vikarn.

But she had been seriously injured in the process and had been in seclusion for the past five years.

So… she had never explained what had happened to the “Oracle,” and the rumor that Eleanor had accidentally broken it had spread like wildfire.

And since Nimora had entrusted the fragments to Eleanor, the rumor had evolved: “The High Priestess wants Eleanor to repair the sacred artifact.”

Eleanor was not pleased.

“Sigh…”

She fiddled with the fragments. Although the elven high council hadn’t officially sanctioned the rumor, they hadn’t denied it either.

And so, Eleanor, once a rising star, chosen to accompany the High Priestess to the capital, had been ostracized, pushed to the fringes of elven society.

And now, she was being exiled from the sacred lands, to the Twilight Marsh, a remote, desolate region bordering the Savage Lands.

Of course, she wasn’t too upset. Once the High Priestess emerged from her seclusion, the misunderstanding would be cleared up.

And then, she would once again be the talented, admired young elf she was meant to be…

“Well, maybe not. That was a bit of a headache,” she said, tapping her forehead. “It’s quiet here. It’s nice.”

But…

She looked at the fragments, her fingers tracing their edges, arranging them into a circle.

“They say the higher the quality of the materials, the more powerful the being you can summon… if I use the ‘Oracle,’ could I summon the legendary ‘Aether Elemental’?”

Eleanor was a prodigy. Even without any assistance, she quickly constructed a complex summoning circle with one hand.

“Oh, great Elven God, please grant me a powerful Aether Elemental. And if you’re listening, could you make it a silver-haired little girl? It doesn’t have to be too strong…”

With a few nonsensical chants, the summoning circle began to glow, a connection forming with the void, and then, with a flash of light, a small figure appeared, floating above the circle.

Long, silver hair, a breathtakingly beautiful face, her eyes closed, as if in a deep slumber.

“Wow! The Elven God really answered my prayers! A real silver-haired little girl…”

Eleanor stared, mesmerized, until the girl’s eyes opened, her dark-gold vertical pupils radiating a terrifying aura, and she quickly stepped back, her heart pounding.

“Wow, wow, wow…”

…

Meanwhile, in the depths of the sacred lands, in the temple.

High Priestess Nimora, who had been in seclusion for years, suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze fixed on a distant point.

She seemed to sense something, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

“The irreversible pendulum of fate… has begun to swing again…”

(End of Volume)