n

n

nThat night, I somehow managed to fall asleep, despite being surrounded by beautiful girls. Qing Yue and Mei Gui hugged me tightly from me left and right, while Amane ended up sleeping right on top of me. It was truly a miracle I actually managed to drift off into dreamland.

nWell… dreamland? Not exactly.

nWhen I slept, I actually entered the Infinite Realm the other Founders had been talking about earlier today - I wasn't alone, either. Sylvoir was there as well, though the other Founders seemed to be nowhere in sight. She stood by the sixteen - now seventeen - pillars, looking at them calmly.

n

"You're here,

" she said upon sensing me.

n

"Hm… you were expecting me?

"

n

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about something the other Founders should not know about,

" she said softly.

n

"…

" I fell silent.

nDid she find out that I purposely left out some information when talking to them earlier today…?

nI had told the other Founders that I didn't know the power's name, but the reality was, I actually did - Chaos.

nBut Sylvoir's next words let me sigh in relief.

n

"It is regarding the Elemental by your side.

"

n

"… What about her? If you want to take her away, I'm telling you right now - it's not happening. Even if I let you, she won't leave me unless I ordered her to.

"

n

"No, I have no intention of taking her away from you,

" Sylvoir immediately replied.

"I do not know how you managed to do it, but it seems she has already developed a deep emotional connection with you. Taking her away… that is just cruel. Besides, it is not like I have a specific task for her to do in mind.

"

n

"So? Why did you want to talk about her?

"

n

"… The power you hold. She has been affected by it too, has she not?

"

nShe's… sharper than I originally thought.

n

"Yes. She has.

"

nThere was no point denying it here, so I just answered truthfully. Well, half-truthfully, anyway. She wasn't completely correct in saying Mei Gui has been affected by me, but I wasn't about to correct her.

n

"So that is why I could not determine her element, despite her being one of my kin…

" Sylvoir muttered. She seemed frustrated.

nThen, finally turning around to face me, I saw that she had… tears in her eyes.

n

"Xuan Kai… you said you could use all 21 elements thanks to this power, correct?

"

nI nodded.

"What of it?

"

n

"Does that mean… the Elemental with you can also do so?

"

n

"… Yes. Her spells are also amplified just like my own.

"

nSylvoir clenched her fists.

"I thought so… I thought so, but…

"

nSlowly, a tear streaked down her face. I was utterly bewildered at this scene.

n

"U-Uh… Sylvoir? Why are you crying?

"

nShe took a deep breath as she quickly wiped her tears away.

"You do not know, do you?

"

nI frowned.

"Know what?

"

nShe turned back around to stare at the pillars, possibly because she didn't want to be seen having tears roll down her beautiful face.

n

"Why is it do you think that Elementals always live in domains rich in their own mana type?

"

n

"Uh… according to textbooks, aren't Elementals born in places dense in the mana of a certain element?

" I asked, scratching my head.

n

"… I cannot deny that on the surface, that seems like a logical assumption. After all, Elementals have only appeared in places rich with their respective element type's mana. However… I will tell you this right now - all that is false.

"

n

"H-Huh?

"

n

"Elementals are in fact born from a place called Eden. It is located deep underground, at the center of Xenith. There, a massive pool of concentrated mana exists. It… is black and red, just like the magic you displayed today.

"

nMy eyes widened.

nChaos energy…?

n

"That is my other role, other than being the leader of the Founders of the Library of Infinite Beginnings,

" Sylvoir explained.

"I am known as the Overseer. The Overseer of Eden. That is what the other Elementals all see me as, anyway… except for yours. I am akin to the mother of all Elementals. No Elemental does not know who the Overseer of Eden is… yet yours did not.

"

n

"What are you hinting at…?

"

n

"Your Elemental was not born inside Eden, Xuan Kai. I do not know where she came from or how she was even created, but… never mind, that is not the important part.

"

n

"Then what is…?

"

nShe sighed.

"When an Elemental is born, they are neutral in terms of element. In other words, they can be 'any' element, depending on their surroundings. Because of this, I send them through various portals that lead to different locations, depending on available space. Once there, they can absorb the mana around them in order to sustain themselves. Think of mana as food for us Elementals. Without a constant supply of it, we will die. And… naturally, an Elemental can only take in one element of mana for their entire life.

"

n

"So… you're worried about my Elemental not being able to handle it?

"

n

"You… you are saying she can? She has been constantly on the move, with no stable source of mana to consume. Not only that, but she also has all 21 elements in her body, thus making her constitution extremely conflicting and paradoxical. My estimates say… she will die within a year.

nI laughed, and she glared at me.

"What is so funny? Do you not care about whether or not your Elemental lives or dies?!

"

nI placed a hand on her shoulder, much to her surprise.

n

"Relax, Sylvoir. Mei Gui - that's my Elemental - she'll be fine. I forgot to mention this earlier today, but you see… the unique power I have in my body also enables me to absorb other people's magic and convert it into mana for myself.

"

nHer eyes widened.

"And… your Elemental also has this skill?

"

nI nodded.

"Naturally. And as for the second part of your concern… I have to correct you a bit. Yes, Mei Gui and I can both use all 21 elements, but that does not mean the mana of all 21 elements are flowing in our bodies.

"

n

"… What?

"

n

"It's more like… hm, how do I put it… the mana of all 21 elements fused together to create a brand new form of mana. That's the energy coursing through our veins. So, while it is paradoxical at first glance, it is in fact quite harmonious.

"

n

"…

"

n

"So? Convinced now?

"

n

"… Are you certain what you say is true?

"

nI nodded.

"Trust me, Sylvoir. I know Mei Gui better than anyone.

"

n

"… In that case, I am relieved.

"

n

"Is that all?

"

n

"Yes… you may leave now.

"

n

"Well, you say that, but… how do I…

"

n

"Purge all thoughts from your mind. That is the easiest way.

"

n

"Purge all thoughts…

"

n

"But before that, how long are you going to keep holding my shoulder for?

"

nShe glared at me, and I quickly moved my hand away.

n

"U-Uh, sorry, my bad.

"

n

"Also. What you saw here today… never happened.

"

n

"What, you mean… you crying?

"

nHer face began turning red, as she clenched her fists.

"I may not be able to kill you out of consideration for the Library, but… torture techniques, I am quite proficient at as well.

"

nI gulped.

"Okay, okay, fine… but on one condition.

"

n

"What?

" she asked impatiently.

n

"You answer my question - what kind of Elemental are you?

"

n

"That… I cannot tell you. Not because I do not want to, but because I do not know myself. It has been a question I tried to comprehend for the millennium I have been alive for now, yet to no avail.

"

n

"Hm… in that case… how about this? You let me call you by a simpler name.

"

n

"Huh?

"

n

"Sylvoir is too hard to say… so how about Sylvie instead?

"

n

"S-Sylvie…

" she murmured hesitantly.

n

"You don't want me telling anyone about today, do you…?

" I taunted, smirking.

n

"T-Tch… fine. Call me whatever you wish. Now leave, before I change my mind and start launching fireballs.

"

n

"Yes yes…

"

nI closed my eyes and purged all thoughts from my mind, just as she had instructed me to.

nInstantly, my surroundings went black, and I fell asleep.

n*****

nThe next morning, we woke up early, at around 6 AM. The tournament would be taking place at 8, in two hours. That was more than enough time to get ready for the day.

nOnce we all refreshed ourselves, we headed downstairs, where Old Man Leng and his wife were already waiting. I told him where the tournament would be held - the center of the Fortress, where the four Districts met, direcetly underneath the massive tetrahedron in the sky known as Fragment. Old Man Leng said he knew the place, so we all hopped on, half on his vehicle and the other half on his wife's.

nThe drive took about half an hour - longer than I had expected, even though we made a stop on the way to grab food. When we arrived at last, it was already 7:30 AM, only another half hour until the tournament began. We got off the cars and covered the rest of the distance by foot, since there was no way for the hovercars to get in. That was how cluttered the traffic was, since everyone wanted to watch.

nFlaria had wanted to fight together with us, but since she didn't compete in the preliminaries, she could not fight in the main tournament.

nI took a deep breath and looked at the girls.

n

"You all ready?

"

nThey nodded in response, smiling confidently.

nI smirked.

"Let's do this, then. Together.

"

n