Nameless King

"Alice, you said monsters attacked you."

"Yes. I ran away, so I don't know what happened next." Alice nodded.

"The humans aren't bad architects." Ern said in a thoughtful manner, "I haven't seen houses like that, not even the Inerains."

"Don't Constructs have the most advanced houses?" Erza asked.

"Yes... But, technology is not the main force in our world. I like the way Vampires and Humans' houses look much better than Constructs'. They have everything in metal, with lots of light and electricity everywhere. I was in a city like that once, and I felt like I was in prison."

"It's a small town. I've seen more stunning scenery." Wain muttered, "Okay, let's go. We need to find survivors."

"Sure." Ern ran after him.

They entered the town. Some outer houses were smoking, but no one was inside, as if everyone had left the place long ago.

"It's very quiet here. That's rather suspicious. Isn't it?" Ern frowned.

"Yeah... Something's not right here." Wain nodded.

"Maybe it's all about the monsters?" Alice became alarmed.

"No." Wain shook his head, "I don't believe the monsters killed everyone. When they attacked my town, there was practically nothing left of it. You can still live in many houses, especially in the center."

They were advancing toward three skyscrapers in the center of the city. Wain, Erza, and Ern looked around carefully, trying to find some clues.

Suddenly Ern stopped and raised his hand slightly.

"What is it?" Wain asked.

"Do you hear that? It's very quiet, but I can hear voices. They're coming from behind that skyscraper."

"Let's go check it out."

"Yeah. It's quiet. Something tells me it's not the monsters, but it's not the humans either." Ern muttered.

They walked slowly toward the eastern skyscraper. They hid their auras, even Alice, helped by the Dormant Stalker. It was almost impossible to see them.

Peeking out from behind the wall, they saw something they had never expected.

On the large square, many of the humans had gathered, they were uninjured and looked healthy, but their faces were sad. In front of them on the platform stood an Elf. He had long blond hair, blue eyes, and light green armor with wind patterns.

'What the fuck is going on here?' Wain thought.

Others had a similar opinion

Ern gestured toward the men.

Their hands were tied. Occasionally the Elves would come up to them and take them to nearby houses, then they'd come back, and everything would repeat itself in a circle.

"What will you do?" Ern asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. Obviously, the Elves want something from the humans, but why would they show up here and now? What's more, they're pretty strong. That guy on the platform sure has been in Third Chronicle for a long time," Wain muttered.

"Are you guys stupid?" Erza said, "They came here to find the Forgotten Forest of Elves. It's not too far from this town."

"Maybe you're right, but what if they found this town by accident?" Ern hesitated, "I won't hide it. If I had met Wain in another situation, I would have tried to capture him, too. The humans are a real treasure."

"Okay, let's figure out what's going on here." Wain said as he came out of hiding.

The humans noticed Wain, and their eyes went wide. They didn't expect that there was anyone else in town that the Elves hadn't tied up.

The elves realized that the people were acting strangely and turned around.

"Hello. How are you doing?" Ern stood next to Wain.

"Who are you?" Head Elf frowned.

"I have the same question." Wain said coldly as he let out an aura.

Wain's aura was overwhelming. The common people even began to breathe hard.

"What have you set up here? Why did you come here, and why are these people tied up?!" Wain exclaimed.

The elves prepared for battle. They drew their swords from their sheaths and were ready to activate their skills.

"Are you sure of your powers?" Ern grinned.

He and Erza released their auras; it was like two dense streams of energy, blue and red-black, that reached into the clouds.

"Damn! What monstrous auras are those!" Elves shuddered.

The battle could have begun at any moment, but the strongest's actions were always decisive.

"Stop." Head Elf suddenly said. His voice was powerful and stern, like an order from a general.

He jumped off the platform and stood in front of the Elves.

"My name is Alas Valxin. I am in charge of this operation. The squad is under my full command, so if you don't start attacking, we won't either, at least not until there is a reason to do it."

"Do you really think we're going to stop?" Wain said.

"Yes." Alas nodded, "You and this girl are the humans, so it's no surprise that you're acting on emotion, but you should think rationally. These people haven't activated their Soul Altars yet, they're weak, and any random attack will kill them. Even now, it's hard for them to breathe because of your auras. If we start fighting, you won't get anything but hundreds of people dead."

Alas' words were the voice of logic, so Ern, Erza, and Wain calmed their auras. They didn't expect that instead of conflict, they would move smoothly into a conversation.

"Huh, you're a surprisingly smart commander." Ern grinned, "You understand what you're doing looks like from the outside, don't you?"

"Yes. You certainly didn't take it the way it really is."

"Why are these people connected? Why did you come here?" Wain asked.

"Recently, this town was attacked. We heard about it from a man who happened to escape. It's been a long since that moment, but we were lucky. The monsters didn't attack the town, they decided to attack a second time yesterday. Luckily, we were already here and could repel the attack."

Alas continued, "We were surprised to learn that this large city is inhabited exclusively by the humans, a lost race. We are now questioning everyone about what happened and trying to find out about one place, but that doesn't concern you.

Alas stepped forward, "So what should we do? Fight or talk in a more comfortable environment?"