Elven Legacy

Chapter 192: One More!

Floating in the air, I watched the portal contort into abnormal shapes as it started shrinking in on itself; while that was occurring, I sensed Elaine approach me from behind, causing me to turn around while smiling in triumphant, though before we could even bathe in our victory, Elaine didn't slow down, one bit and slammed right into me.

"Brother! You're hurt! Are you okay!?" Exclaimed Elaine in worry as she looked up at Elif with teary eyes, deep in his embrace.

"Yes, Elaine, I'm fine, though it does sting a little, and it's ruining my clothes. Actually, considering it's my blood, it may very well be enhancing them, now that I think about it." Replied Elif with a soft smile as he looked down at Elaine while the two were hurdling through the sky.

"Hmm, are you sure? You're not lying to me, are you, Brother?" Asked Elaine with a pout as she suspiciously eyed Elif, who merely chuckled and tenderly rubbed her head.

"I'm fine, Elaine; it was merely a shallow cut and looks bad because of the amount of blood. With Miss Lynda's help, it should heal within a day." Said Elif with a smile as he stopped their momentum, causing them to float upside down while their long silver hair swayed in the wind.

"If you say so, Brother." Replied Elaine with a sigh of relief as she also smiled in joy, though that was only for a short moment before disappointment consumed her heart.

Looking down at Elaine, who was digging her face into my chest, I noticed she seemed to have lost her joy, which caused me to forcefully remove her face from my chest and lift it, though she constantly refused to look me in the eyes, which only served to confuse me; however, before I could question her, she spoke first.

"I-I'm sorry, Brother, even though you trusted me to destroy the formation, I failed, and you were forced to do everything yourself; my presence was completely useless." Said Elaine in a self-mocking tone as she belittled herself, which wasn't something Elif liked to see.

"Stop belittling yourself, Elaine; I won't lie and say you were extremely helpful to make you feel good since I don't want you to get complacent. But you weren't useless, either; without your help, I wouldn't have known about the formation, nor would I have figured out how to deal with it." Stated Elif solemnly with a slight frown as he forcefully held Elaine's face so they could make eye contact.

"Listen, while it may not sound that important, considering all we needed to do was destroy the formation, you should know more than me that violence isn't always the answer to your question, even if it's a good answer. What if I destroyed the formation and caused the portal to explode, or something worse, like making the portal permanent?" Added Elif lightly as he pointed at the collapsing portal, which was now smaller than a tenth of its previous size.

"Well, I suppose, when you put it like that, I did help a little." Muttered Elaine softly as she rested her head on Elif's chest while her mood slowly improved.

"You did more than what I would quantify as a little, but just know this was a team effort; I wouldn't have been able to do it without you and vice-versa." Said Elif softly as he kissed Elaine's forehead while rubbing her head, causing her to smile as she soaked up his warmth and love.

Anyways, with Elaine seemingly back to her usual self, I flew the two of us toward the shrinking portal, which was now only a couple hundred meters tall, many times smaller than its original size. Although it may seem like we've won, I still remained vigilant, as the premonition from when I first saw the Nether Monsters wasn't disappearing.

So, for the next few minutes, I stood at a distance and eyed the portal down, making sure nothing somehow managed to escape through it before it closed for good.