Chapter 594: Curing the Fairy Queen - Part 2
Inside her room, Zelda was busy finishing her work.
There were many issues to handle, especially those concerning the Elven race and the condition of the World Tree.
The dark force had taken hold of the tree, polluting the surrounding springs, air, and rivers.
At first, Zelda intended to forbid her people from using those water sources—but ultimately, she gave in.
It wasn't without reason. The territory had several water sources, but the largest and most vital one was near the World Tree.
That wasn't surprising, given that the World Tree was something extraordinary and irreplaceable.
There were other rivers and springs to the west and east of their territory, but they were far fewer in number.
Worse still, those sources were quite far from the settlements—it could take anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour for a round trip to fetch water.
In contrast, the rivers and springs around the World Tree were right nearby.
The flow was strong and wide, and the elves only needed to walk two or three meters from their homes to collect water.
Just imagine telling them to ignore a river only a few meters away and instead carry water from sources located several to a dozen kilometers away.
Zelda didn't need anyone to explain—she already knew what kind of chaos that would bring.
"Huh..." She let out a long sigh, massaging her temples. "I must stay composed and patient. The Gate to the Altar will open in a few days. Once it does, the problem that has haunted us for thousands of years can finally be resolved."
The Gate to the Altar was the link between the Holy Altar and the outside world.
It was hidden within the World Tree and opened automatically once every six months.
Coincidentally, only three days remained before it would open again.
When that time came, they would finally be able to enter—and Zelda planned to ask Leon for help in confronting the great problem that had plagued their people for so long.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound echoed from outside. Startled, Zelda stood up and narrowed her eyes, trying to find its source.
"What is that?" She muttered, her brow furrowing.
Moments later, a faint but ominous pressure blanketed the palace, causing the entire building to tremble.
Objects fell and shattered, fragments scattering across the floor.
Zelda's chest tightened in panic, but she forced herself to stay calm. She snapped her fingers.
*Snap!*
A green light burst from her fingertips and spread across the room.
Within seconds, the tremors eased—though not entirely.
Feeling slightly relieved, Zelda patted her chest and whispered, "What just happened? Why was there a sudden earthquake?"
The barrier protecting the Elven territory was an ancient one, created through chants by powerful elves of the past.
In addition to shielding them from enemies and cloaking their land in illusions, the barrier also protected them from natural disasters such as earthquakes.
As long as they remained within its protection, they were supposed to be safe from any kind of natural calamity.
Of course, things would be different if the core points of the protective formation were destroyed—but such cases were extremely rare and unusual.
Yet now, an earthquake had struck out of nowhere, leaving Zelda both confused and uneasy.
"Is this an enemy attack?" she wondered. But she quickly shook her head, dismissing the thought.
As the ruler of the Elven race and the primary guardian of the barrier, she would immediately sense if an enemy or a powerful being breached their defenses.
So far, she had felt nothing.
Zelda let out a long sigh, then bit her lower lip as she muttered, "Please... no more misfortune. We've suffered more than enough already."
With a heavy heart, she stepped toward the door to uncover the cause of the tremor.
...
Meanwhile, inside the Fairy Queen's chamber, the healing process was filled with tension.
Because of the overwhelming pressure from both holy power and chaos power, Syra, Sia, Elisa, and Elina felt as though their bodies were weighed down by immense force.
"What's happening?" Elisa asked, her teeth clenched.
"That... it must be the holy and chaos power released by the Fated One," Syra replied, her breathing uneven.
"Holy power and chaos power? You mean that white and black light?" Elisa slowly raised her heavy hand and pointed at the two forces flowing into the Fairy Queen's body.
Syra gave a faint nod and spoke in a strained voice, "Yes, that's what I mean. They're said to be the two most powerful forces in existence. Long ago, they belonged to two legendary figures whose names are etched into our history—Demon Emperor Amon Crimson and…"
She suddenly winced as pain shot through her temple, cutting her off.
Seeing this, Sia panicked and quickly grabbed her arm.
"Syra, are you alright?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
Syra took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "I'm fine. I just… forgot the name of the second legendary figure. Do you remember it?"
"I don't," Sia admitted, "but I know there was another figure besides the Demon Emperor Amon Crimson."
Syra paused for a moment and sighed. Her gaze returned to Elisa as she continued, "Both powers once belonged to the original wielders of the Holy Sword of Zenith and the Great Sword of Chaos—the two legendary weapons used to seal the Evil God."
"As the Fated One, he can wield both powers at once. It's all recorded in our history."
Hearing this, Elisa couldn't hide her admiration.
"So the Fated One really is that powerful, huh?"
Although she had read about him in historical records, she'd never fully grasped the extent of his strength.
All she knew was that he was the one destined to usher the world into a new era and defeat its greatest enemy.
Beyond that, her knowledge was limited—mainly because she didn't enjoy reading books all that much.
But now, hearing firsthand how powerful the Fated One truly was, her admiration for Leon grew immensely.
Just then, the Fairy Queen's once-motionless body suddenly convulsed violently.
"Arghh!"
A scream of pain tore from her lips as her body thrashed uncontrollably.
"Mother!" Elisa cried out, rushing forward—only to be held back by Syra and Sia.
"Wait, Princess! Don't get any closer—you'll disrupt the process!" Sia warned, stopping her.
Realizing her mistake, Elisa lowered her head, guilt washing over her. "I'm sorry…"
"It's alright. I understand your concern," Sia replied gently.
Her eyes shifted back to the Fairy Queen, whose body was still trembling.
Then suddenly—
*Whoosh!*
Thick black smoke burst from the Fairy Queen's body, the sight so terrifying it made Syra, Sia, Elisa, and Elina instinctively flinch.
Moments later, the dark smoke began to fade, and the Queen's body gradually stilled.
Leon slowly pulled his hands away from her temples and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
With a small nod and a faint smile, he turned to the others and said, "It's done. The Fairy Queen has recovered."