Chapter 518 Becoming a Star
“Father, he woke up!” Amy was elated. She patted her little head and heaved a sigh of relief.
Mag and the customers also heaved a collective sigh of relief. Sally and Xixi were both magic casters extremely skilled in the art of healing. With them present, even the most grievously wounded being could be saved.
A hint of color had returned to Joshua"s face, but Xixi was looking at him with a complex expression as she withdrew her hand. As she did so, the World Tree seedling disappeared in her palm with a flash of green light.
Sally"s lips quivered as she also withdrew her hand with an indignant expression. She had already done her best, but Joshua was already close to the end of his natural lifespan, and had burned through all of his remaining life force. This was merely a brief revival before his life came to an end.
A joyful expression also appeared on Blour"s face, but his heart immediately sank at the sight of Xixi and Sally"s expressions. It appeared that the worst-case scenario had still eventuated. He looked at the overjoyed smile on Anna"s face, and his heart was filled with sympathy.
“Grandpa! You"re finally awake! I thought you were abandoning me.” Anna pressed Joshua"s large hand tightly against her face and sobbed with elation.
“That old b.a.s.t.a.r.d"s still not dead?!” Ebenezer turned to Joshua, and a cold light flashed through his eyes. He swung his uppermost pair of arms through the air, and two black magic b.a.l.l.s whistled toward Joshua. At the same time, he whipped his huge serpentine tail and charged toward the restaurant"s entrance while brandis.h.i.+ng his other four weapons.
“You should be the one to die!” Blour glowered at Ebenezer as he swung his wand through the air. A green barrier of light appeared in front of him, standing in the way of the two black magic b.a.l.l.s. A dull thump erupted, upon which both the barrier and the magic b.a.l.l.s were destroyed at the same time. Vines as thick as a human arm then began to erupt from the ground to bind Ebenezer. At the same time, a series of wooden walls about three or four meters tall appeared, cutting off Ebenezer"s path forward.
“Anna, I"m going to go to a very faraway place. I won"t be able to look after you anymore, but I hope you can be strong and harbor no hatred or resentment in your heart. You must become a free and kind-hearted elf.” Joshua gently caressed Anna"s cheek with a smile on his face.
“Where are you going, Grandpa? Please take me with you; I"m scared.” Anna sobbed as she stared at Joshua with a fearful expression.
“I won"t be able to take you with me this time.” Joshua shook his head as he pointed up at the sky, and said, “High Priestess Helena once said that elves are destined to return to the Sea of Stars at the end of our lives. Our souls will rise into the sky and become a star in the night sky. If you miss me, then look up into the sky. I"ll be constantly watching over you from up there.”
“No! I don"t want Grandpa to become a star; I want you to stay with me forever…” Anna shook her head as tears flowed down her face in a pitiable display.
“Father, is he going to rise into the sky just like Mother has?” Amy asked.
“It"s not the same thing. Your mother is only living on the moon for now. One day, we"re going to get her down from there.” Mag shook his head as he patted Amy"s little head. He looked at Joshua and his heart felt very heavy.
If he and Amy were to encounter such peril, he would definitely also do everything he could to ensure Amy"s survival, but what would become of Amy if he were to die? Would he have to bid farewell to her in such a heartbreaking manner as well?
Sally also wore a grief-stricken expression on her face. It was her first time encountering a pair of wandering elves, but she didn"t think that she would be witnessing the death of one of them after just half a day. In that moment, life suddenly seemed so fragile.
The customers were initially quite relieved to see Joshua"s revival, but they all wore sympathetic expressions upon seeing the direction that the events were unfolding in.
“Silly child, Grandpa is too old, and must leave you now. I am extremely proud to have had such an adorable granddaughter like you.” Joshua gave a resigned smile, but his eyes were also filled with concern and an unwillingness to part with Anna. He turned his head with difficulty to face Blour, and then continued, “Young Master Blour, can I ask you to do me a favor?”
Blour turned to face Joshua and nodded as he said, “I"ll do my best.”
“Anna"s parents have already pa.s.sed away, and I"m also going to die now. Can you please take care of Anna in my stead?” Joshua pleaded earnestly.
“Grandpa, I only want to stay by your side! I don"t want anyone else. Please don"t go…” Anna sobbed as she hugged Joshua"s arm and shook her head stubbornly.
“Poor child.” Xixi glanced at Anna with a sympathetic expression before transforming into a white cat and charging toward Lulu. A green line connected the two of them, and she said in the dryad tongue, “Lulu, stop him!”
Lulu was initially locked in an impa.s.se against the demons and orcs, but his strength was suddenly significantly enhanced. He swept aside an orc with a single slap before slamming a demon"s head into the ground with a powerful punch. He shook off the two demons behind him before throwing himself at Ebenezer. He sprang into the air and caught Ebenezer in an aggressive bear hug. The two of them were tangled up and fell to the ground as a result, where they grappled for dominance over the other.
The vines that were sweeping toward Ebenezer changed directions to target the other orcs and demons, preventing them from getting any closer.
Blour was silent for a moment as he looked into Joshua"s eyes. His gaze then fell on the sobbing Anna. There were tears smeared all over her little face, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Her adorable smiling face back when she was having ice cream earlier in the day still remained in his mind, but only half a day had pa.s.sed, and she had been reduced to such a pitiable state.
Blour was silent for a long while before turning to Joshua again. He nodded solemnly, and said, “I"ll look after her and teach her to become a free and kind-hearted elf.”
“Thank you.” A smile appeared on Joshua"s face. He clenched tightly onto Anna"s little hand with his large wrinkled hand, and cast his gaze toward Lulu and Ebenezer as he asked, “Do you two know why we"re being hunted down?”
“At the very least, I don"t believe he"s telling the truth.” Blour shook his head in response.
Sally opened her mouth, but remained silent. However, Joshua had said “you two” rather than “you”, so she knew that he was speaking to both Blour and herself.
“They"re part of a hunting party specializing in capturing wandering elves. All of the elves they"ve captured are being held five kilometers to the north of Chaos City. They"re going to be transported to the Wind Forest, where they would become slaves of the major families or warriors defending the borders of the Wind Forest. Elves who resist will be crippled or killed in battle.” An ironic smile appeared on Joshua"s face as he said with his final breath, “The war among species is over, yet the demons and orcs are still ravaging us elves. But this time, the masterminds are those in the Wind Forest… How ironic…”
Joshua"s hand fell limply at his side, yet his wistful eyes were still locked on Anna…