Elven Legacy

Chapter 11: Royal Library & Elven Royal Cultivation Manual

While I was lost in thought, walking down the hallway for several minutes, I heard Great-grandfathers's voice snap me out of my train of thought.

"We're here." Muttered Charles as he walked past a giant arched doorway leading into a beautifully lit Library.

Stopping in my tracks, I looked up and noticed a giant arched doorway, but beyond that, I could see a massive open room filled with humongous bookshelves packed to the brim with books. Seeing the number of books fascinated me to no end; walking forward, I passed underneath the arched doorway, and once I was inside the room, I could now fully see the size of the bookshelves.

"My goodness, how tall are these bookshelves!?" Remarked Elif in awe and fascination.

"Hmm, last time I checked, I believe they were a couple of kilometers tall, but that was several thousand years ago, so I'm sure they've grown to accommodate the new books we've collected. Now come, child, we don't have all day for you to continue staring at the books." Answered Charles walking forward while urging Elif to hurry along.

Listening to Great-grandfather, I followed after him while walking in between the bookshelves; curious at how many different bookshelves there were, I started counting. Once we finally made it to the opposite side of the Royal Library, the number of bookshelves I counted astonished me.

'One hundred eighty! One hundred eighty bookshelves whose height is a couple of kilometers tall and with a width I couldn't even measure as I couldn't see their end. How many books are in the Royal library!?' Thought Elif while having difficulty comprehending how many books were in the library.

"Alright, come step on this platform with me, and we'll be teleported to the highest floor, which is where you'll receive the cultivation technique." Said Charles while standing on the platform he was talking about.

Shaking my head, I focus back on why I've come here, and it's currently not to read books; walking forward, I step onto the platform next to Great-grandfather. Once I do, it releases a glowing light that encases us in a dome; after a few seconds, the dome disappears, and we now stand in a much smaller room than before, along with a door across from us.

Following behind Great-grandfather, who starts walking towards the door with his silent footsteps; once we arrive right in front of it, Great-grandfather pushes the door open, allowing me to see inside. There is nothing extraordinarily fancy about this room; it looks like just a standard room you would find in our castle, but what makes this room so unique is the large statue of an Elven woman made entirely out of crystal.

The statue of the Elven woman is looking directly at us while holding a Quạt tay which covers half her face. However, even so, I was still mesmerized by the magnificent beauty displayed by the Elven woman, causing me to imagine how breathtakingly gorgeous she would've looked in person. She's wearing Elven Royal garbs with a long scarf around her neck that comes down and wraps around her wrists, letting the rest hang down; her hair looks as if the wind is blowing, causing her hair to float backward. I was so immersed in gazing at the statue that Great-grandfather had to shake me for me to tear my eyes away.

"Regain your composure Elif; even if it's not her personally, you're standing right before Progenitor Lordess; you can't show such disgraceful behavior." Stated Charles, in a stern tone, as he looked at the statue with immense respect and reverence in his eyes.

Shocked at Great-grandfather's revelation, I tried regaining my composure, which was quite difficult with that otherworldly statue there. Still, I eventually managed to calm myself, and right after Great-grandfathers's voice sounded in the room.

"Listen, Elif; this will be one of the most important events to ever happen in your life, as this is where you will take your first step in the cultivation journey." Announced Charles in a serious tone.

"I understand, Great-grandfather! So what must I do to start my journey." Replied Elif with equal seriousness, although he didn't manage to hold in his emotions as you could subtly hear excitement and expectation in his voice.

I saw Great-grandfather smile at the reply I gave him before his face again went serious as he explained the process.

"The process is simple; all you have to do is arrive right in front of Progenitor Lordess's statue and touch her outstretched hand, as all the information regarding the Elven Royal cultivation manual will be directly transferred to your brain and soul. But when you arrive, make sure to bow and greet yourself before Progenitor Lordess." Stated Charles as he patted Elif's shoulder.

After Great-grandfather gave me his support, I took a deep breath and exhaled before I started walking forward, arriving in front of the statue, which only took a few seconds as this room wasn't big. Standing before the statue, I did what Great-grandfather told me and bowed with one arm in front of my chest while the other was behind my back.

"Greetings, Progenitor Lordess; I am Elif August, the current Crown Prince of the Elven Immortal Empire." Announced Elif with respect.

Once I finished my greeting, I stopped bowing and stood up straight; when I looked back at the statue, I saw her eyes glow golden for a split second before reverting back to normal. Not understanding what might've just happened, I ignored it and continued following the instructions that were given to me; reaching my hand out, I rested my hand on her hand, and the moment I did, I felt some connection with the statue. Then I felt something flow through my body, starting from my outstretched hand and stopping at my brain; shortly after, I felt a whole bunch of information enters my mind, and the process felt weird as if the information was engraved into me, allowing me never to forget it.

About one minute later, I no longer felt any information pouring into my brain as right when it stopped; I lost the connection between the statute; taking my hand away, I looked up at the statue, wondering if anything else was going to happen, but after a while, I turned around to look at Great-grandfather who seemed to be motioning me to come to him, which I did.

"So, Elif, how did the process feel?" Asked Charles.

"Umm, it's hard to explain; it didn't really feel like much other than knowing I know something I didn't know before." Remarked Elif.

Great-grandfather just hummed in response as he looked at the statue and gave one last bow before turning around and leaving the room, copying what he did; I bowed to the statue and left the room, making sure to close the door behind me. We didn't say anything as we made our way back to the entrance of the Erdtree, or I should say Royal library, as Great-grandfather doesn't seem like one to start a conversation, and I was too busy trying to understand the Elven Royal cultivation manual that I received.

"Alright Elif, this is where we part ways." Said Charles.

Hearing Great-grandfather's voice, I left deciphering the manual for later and looked up only to see we were standing right in front of the giant double doors that allow entrance to the Royal Library.

"Why are you saying it like I'm never going to see you again?" Asked Elif, who seemed slightly confused.

"Hoho, that's my fault; I figured since I haven't seen my own children in a while, you wouldn't visit in a while as well, but you did seem quite fascinated by the number of books we had, so you'll probably visit again." Chuckled Charles as he rubbed his chin.

"Of course I'll visit; who wouldn't be interested in coming back after seeing the vast size of the Royal Library." Replied Elif in anticipation.

"Well then, I'll hold you accountable for that. It was great to finally see you, Elif, but sadly I must return to my duties, don't make me wait too long now, child." Said Charles in a happy tone as he turned around and vanished, leaving Elif all alone.

Watching Great-grandfather vanish deeper into the Erdtree, I looked ahead and noticed I was still behind the giant doors.

'How did he expect me to open this!?' Thought Elif dejectedly.

"Almost forgot to open these, hehe." Said Charles, whose voice seemed to have come from thin air.

The door's started opening right after great-grandfather's voice sounded out; thanking him in my mind; I made my way over to my parents, grandparents, and little sister Elaine, who had all waited for me outside.

'Hehehe, now I can start cultivating, then grandmother won't be able to teleport me whenever she wants.' Thought Elif, while not even knowing how long and arduous it would be before he finally attained that dream of his.