In the olden age, Arcus elves resided in a utopia-like garden on the western continent. The garden was filled with all kinds of eye-catching flowers and plants, which oozed pleasant aroma. 

 

  A petite silhouette was striding in the garden, heading to the center lake. When she put her hand into the water, it was miraculously stained into azure. The tainted water then vaporized; In a split second, the  vape gathered into a blue staircase, which linked to the palace built above the lake.

 

  It took Valanthe the petite girl a slight jump to the staircase. As she climbed up, she came to a palace with vibrant liquid-like hue. Pushing the door open, she spoke to a lady sitting on the throne, “mother, how may I help you?”

 

  It was another arrogant voice that talked back.

 

  “Oh, so you’re the heir to the throne of Arcus?”

 

  A beautiful yet dangerous lady leant close to Valanthe and tilted her chin, forcing their gazes to meet each other.

 

  “Your beauty does live up to fame.”

 

  “Get your hand off me!” Valanthe smacked the lady’s hand and scowled. “I don’t need a compliment from you invader!”

 

  “Valanthe!”

 

  The Queen of Arcus, sitting on the throne, scolded. Then she turned to the lady and apologized, “please forgive my daughter’s impoliteness, Shamash.”

 

  “It’s alright. Good to know that she’s an energetic girl. That means she won’t be dead easily,” Shamash giggled and continued, “Queen of the Western Elves, we’ll be picking your daughter up at the promised time. See you tomorrow.”

 

  Shamash strided her way out of the palace, leaving Valanthe and the Queen in the hall.

 

  “Mother, could you please explain this to me?”

 

  “Valanthe, I’ve agreed to become the Eldus’s ally. As a friendly gesture, you’ll be temporarily living with the Eldus as the heir.”

 

  “...So I’ll become their leverage?” Valanthe sneered, for she was clever enough to figure out the truth behind this deal.

 

  “Relax. They won’t harm you. Just go back and pack your belongings. The Eldus will be here to pick——”

 

  “Enough!”

 

  Valanthe confronted the Queen agitatedly, “mother, are you going to betray Lady Zana? Without their music, we can’t make it through the oestrus period——”

 

  BAM! The angry Queen bashed the handle. Not even clenching her fist could ease her resentment, which was irritating enough to make her quiver.

 

  “That’s the only thing that drags us down! We could have been the best with our outstanding ability…”

 

  When the Queen lifted up her head, there were quintet halos running in her pupils. 

 

  “The Eldus...They are vicious invaders indeed, but they have profound knowledge that can help us get rid of our biological flaws,” the Queen eventually explained her incentive.

 

  The Queen then held Valanthe in her arms and whispered, “Valanthe, I’m sure that you’ll get me.”

 

  Although Valanthe voted against the alliance with the Eldus, family ties overpowered rationality. At this moment, she held the Queen back.

 

  “I understand. I’ll go with the Eldus tomorrow.”

 

  Since then, Valanthe had been living in the Eldus’s base as a hostage. Yet living alone in a strange place was a torment even for a tough one like Valanthe. Fortunately, her solitude was soothed by Zack the earthling.

 

  Valanthe knew clearly that Zack was merely Eldus’s tool, but his gentleness, his words and his presence made her guard drop bit by bit as time went by. On the day when her oestrus period began, she completely fell for him.

 

  Emotional attachment grew stronger and stronger as the physical intimacy became more intense, which also distracted Valanthe from her nostalgia. However, tragedy always knocked on your door at the best moment of life.

 

  At this quiet night, Valanthe was gazing at the scenery outside the window. She became even more anxious as the vessels residing underground were all gone.

 

  “Valanthe, go to bed. You haven’t been sleeping for two days. Don’t wreck your body,” Zack said softly.

 

  “Sigh. I can’t sleep in bed. My mind is so unsettling right now. Zack, can you make me a hot drink? Something sweet may help calm me,” Valanthe requested.

 

  Zack nodded then left the room. After confirming his absence, Valanthe opened the window and let someone in, who knelt before her immediately.

 

  “Your highness, I’m so glad that you received my Hue.”

 

  “Hue” is a unique ability of the Arcus Elves——the communication between their kind by altering the brightness of the color tone.

 

  “What happened exactly? Why is my mother trapped inside Mech City along with the others?” Valanthe asked desperately.

 

  “Requested by Shamash the Eldus, the Queen led the army to aid the Eldus in the Monesis heist. But I heard that the leader of Machinas sealed the whole city in order to stop them.”

 

  “What...How come…” Valanthe sat on the bed out of devastation.

 

  “The remaining elves are all terrified. Your highness, in my humble opinion, you should return as soon as possible.”

 

  “Return?”

 

  “Now that the Queen and Shamash have gone, you’re not abided by the deal anymore. Besides, it’s also a chaotic moment for the Eldus without their leader. There’s no better timing for escaping than now.”

 

  “Shouldn’t I feel happy about going back?...” Valanthe grasped her collar as her head was wrestling with her heart. At this moment, she thought of Zack.

 

  “No. I can’t jeopardize the sake of my clan because of personal attachments!”

 

  Valanthe, who had made up her mind, reached out towards the elf and said, “you’re right. For the sake of our clan, I must go back.”

 

  “Let’s go before they spot us...Mmm!”

 

  Just when the elf was about to climb out of the window, a fire arrow pierced through his body.

 

  “Hey! Are you alright?”

 

  Valanthe shook the elf, but the arrow was shot into his fatal part precisely and killed him.

 

  “Luckily I got here in time, or I would be losing our adorable elf queen here,” said Enlil the Eldus, who just entered the room with a smile.

 

  With all the grudges, Valanthe could no longer hold back her rage. As she surged the power, the whole room was tinted into beguiling blue in just a blink of an eye; the room temperature dropped below zero. Other creatures would surely be frozen, but Valanthe could move freely. 

 

  Valanthe revealed a hidden blade and charged at Enlil, who was caught unguarded and got her cheek cut.

 

  “Ouch. You’re good, the future queen. Too bad that you’re alone now,” said Enlil. Not only wasn’t she angry, but she licked her own blood and smiled. 

 

  “Surround her.”

 

  At Enlil’s order, the ceiling was smashed followed by the appearance of five earthling soldiers, cornering Valanthe. In the meantime, Enlil compressed the fire element into an arrow, aiming at Valanthe. 

 

  “Guess my life ends here...Mother, we’ll see each other very soon,” Valanthe thought as she braced herself for death, but she didn’t feel the anticipated pain; Instead, she was wrapped up by a familiar warmth.

 

  “Zack!”

 

  “Run...now…”

 

  Taking the hit for Valanthe, Zack had his body burnt charcoal. The moment he had done speaking, his body collapsed powerlessly.

 

  Valanthe couldn’t express her grief even for one second, for any hesitation would make Zack’s sacrifice go in vain. 

 

  While the earthling soldiers were still in shock, Valanthe seized the chance to leap out of the window. Meanwhile, her tears drew a parabola in the mid air...