The morning light of the Elves always came extraordinarily gentle.Lin Xing lay on the vine hammock of the tree house, his fingertips unconsciously tracing over the pale golden star leaf seal on his arm, the aftermath of last night's sacred tree knot still vibrating gently in his veins.
"The power of the Star Leaf Contract will grow with your heart." The Elder's words echoed in her ears, and she turned her head to look out the window, where Silverleaf was standing beside the Sacred Tree, his silver hair dampened by the morning dew and plastered to the corners of his pale forehead.Since yesterday's parting, he seemed to be deliberately avoiding her sight.
"Human girl, it's time for class." the cool voice came from below the treehouse, Silverleaf was holding a staff woven from moonlit vines, the crystal ball at the tip of the staff refracting fine specks of light, "The elders say you need to learn basic nature magic - though I don't think humans can master elven power."
Lin Xing followed him to the Moon Tear Lake.The lake was crystal clear, with glowing blue scale grass growing at the bottom, undulating with the water waves like a flowing starry sky.Silverleaf squatted down and tapped the water with his fingertips, and a string of bubbles rose up, each one reflecting the sight of the forest: injured deer grazing, and tree trunks with broken branches repairing themselves.
"The core of nature magic is perception." he looked up at her, amber eyes reflecting the light of the lake, "Try to feel the life energy around you, like...Like you did yesterday when you activated the junction."
Lin Xing closed her eyes, the pain she felt when the Sacred Tree was cut down coming to mind.She stretched out her hand, palm facing upwards, trying to remember that feeling of being connected to nature.It was a long time before the tips of her fingers glowed with a very faint luminescence, like a candle flame that was about to go out.
"It's too deliberate."Silverleaf suddenly grabbed her wrist and pressed her hand against the blue scale grass at the edge of the lake, "It's not about thinking with your head, it's about listening with your heart.What are these plants saying?They need sunlight, they need water, they need to...To be treated gently."
His fingers were long and cold, wrapping around her wrist.Lin Xing's heart raced, and suddenly she heard the subtle "rustling" of the blue scale grass - it wasn't the sound of the wind, but the plants conveying their joy.When her fingertips touched the grass blades, they even bloomed with a brighter blue light, as if responding to her touch.
"I...I felt it!" she looked up in surprise, only to find Silverleaf staring into her eyes, the tips of her ears reddening slightly.Remembering the elven taboo on eyes, the two scrambled to avert their eyes.
In the following days, Lin Xing gradually mastered the basic plant manipulation techniques.She was able to make dandelions carry dewdrops to injured birds, and she could make dead wood re-sprout new shoots, but she was never able to summon a powerful barrier of vines like Silverleaf.Until that night when the rain poured down.
A snow fox covered in wounds broke into the village, blood still dripping from a wound on its abdomen.Lin Xing subconsciously rushed over and pressed his fingertips on the wound.A miracle happened: the Star Leaf Seal suddenly lit up, soft golden light seeped into the fox's fur, and the wound healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, even the broken bones were growing back.
"Healing magic..." Silverleaf stood behind her at an unknown time, her voice trembling, "An ability that only the direct bloodline of the royal family possesses...She was like this back then..."
"She?" Lin Xing looked up and realized that Silverleaf's gaze was empty, as if he had traveled through a thousand years of time.
After a long period of silence, Silverleaf sat on the stump, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cracks on his staff, "Three hundred years ago, my lover, Yue Li, was also a descendant of the Elven royal family.When the human army raided, she used healing magic to protect the entire village, but she herself was...Was shot in the heart by an enchanted arrow."
He raised his head and looked towards the twinkling starlight at the top of the Sacred Tree, "I stood under the Sacred Tree with her body in my arms and watched as her spiritual energy dissipated a little.Her last words were, 'Silverleaf, don't let hatred blind you, just as star leaves need sunlight and shade to grow'."
Lin Xing gently sat beside him, not daring to touch his trembling shoulders.It turned out that underneath all that indifference and wariness, there was such a deep wound hidden.She finally understood why he had been so wary of seeing humans when they first met.
"Now I'm watching you," Silverleaf suddenly turned her head, her eyes glistening with water, "watching you use healing magic to save the Snow Fox, watching you shed tears for the Sacred Tree...It's as if Yue Li's soul never left, but just changed its ways, and came back to me with the warmth of a human."
Before the words fell, the sound of a branch breaking came from the distance.A giant wolf with black mist wrapped around its body broke through the boundary, its scarlet eyes locking onto Lin Xing.Silverleaf immediately got up, his staff slashing out blades of green light, "It's a magical beast tainted by dark magic!Hide behind me!"
The giant wolf's claws and teeth carried a corrosive black mist, and just as Silverleaf's vines wrapped around its body, they emitted a "zippy" burning sound.Lin Xing saw that his arm was splattered with black mist and immediately developed a festering wound.
"Silver Leaf!"She couldn't care less about her fear and rushed forward to press on his wound.The Star Leaf Seal lit up again, and wherever the golden light went, the black mist melted like ice.The giant wolf let out a wail and turned to flee, but before it disappeared, a hint of human-like resentment flashed in its eyes.
"This is no ordinary magical beast..." Silverleaf frowned, "Its eyes...Like a puppet being manipulated.I'm afraid the human royal family won't stop."
Back in the village, the Elder looked at the unfading golden light on the back of Lin Xing's hand and looked grave, "The reappearance of healing magic means that the power of the Star Leaf Contract is fully awakening.But the royal family will not allow the existence of hybrids, they will definitely send out more powerful pursuers."
He turned to Silverleaf, "Back then, Yue Li's sacrifice closed the door to your heart, but now, you must learn to trust Starleaf as much as you trusted her.Only by guarding the pact together can you break the curse of a thousand years."
Late at night, Lin Xing came to the Moon Tear Lake alone.The lake reflected the starlight of the sacred tree, and she took off the maple leaf necklace, watching the pendant burn in her palm.Her father had said that her mother was an elf princess, so Yue Li...Was it related to her mother?
"Thinking about what?" Silverleaf's voice came from behind him, and this time he didn't avoid looking away, "Yue Li is your mother's sister, your aunt.So your healing ability is actually a double awakening of the royal bloodline."
Lin Xing froze.It turned out that her connection to the elf race was deeper than expected.She looked over at Silverleaf and found him gazing at the reflection of the two in the lake water-the human maiden and the elf guardian, the shadows of Star and Leaf intertwined in the rippling light, as if they were destined to be bound together.
"Tomorrow, we go to the depths of the Sacred Tree." Silverleaf said softly, "There the remnants of the first Starleaf Pact are kept, and perhaps a way to stop the war can be found there.But on the way there will be star-tracked visions, and you must face your innermost fears..."
He held out his hand, a maple leaf woven from starlight coalescing at his fingertips, "Don't be afraid, I will always be by your side.Like Tsukuri said, the star leaves need each other in order to shine in the darkness."
Lin Xing held that starlight maple leaf and felt the temperature of his palm.The Blue Scale Grass at the bottom of the lake suddenly lit up en masse, reflecting the two of them on the surface of the lake, as if the entire forest was witnessing this race-spanning pact.
In the distance, the annual rings of the sacred tree emitted a slight vibration.Conspiracies were quietly brewing in the darkness, and the story of the Star and the Leaf had only just turned the most moving chapter.