The Ultimate Evolution

The sun gradually fell below the horizon and took back its warmth. Something unexpected happened after that. Melody"s condition worsened after the sun set, and fell into a semi-conscious state.

She leaned on Sheyan with her eyes closed, her pale skin looking soft and gentle.She tightly held onto her Protector"s arm with a smile on her face. Only the occasional creases that appeared between her brows betrayed the pain she was in.

The others exchanged meaningful glances. There were definitely some followers of Elrond and Glorfindel in Rivendell still. Without Melody leading them in with the Ring of Air, all their plans were meaningless. They know that casually striding into Rivendell would only result in their capture.

They concentrated their gazes on Sheyan as Sheyan had unknowingly become the centre of the group. He thought for a moment and said.

"Sire Vilya was created for the purpose of protecting the Elves. Even though Lady Sunstrider has to go through some growing pains to a.s.similate herself with the ring, it definitely wouldn"t curse her or harm her life."

Sheyan continued.

"Let us depart first and find a place near Rivendell to rest for the night. Tomorrow morning, we will send someone into Rivendell to scout. After making sure the coast is clear, we"ll escort Lady Melody in. Our biggest worries now should be Legolas and Galadriel, but they surely hadn"t received any news yet, so they wouldn"t suddenly travel 800 km back to Rivendell overnight. Our plans might have been delayed but there"s still not much risk of things going wrong."

Sheyan"s words were reasonable. The rest nodded their heads in agreement. About 3 hours later, they reached the foot of a hill that was situated less than 10 km away from Rivendell. Any further and they might be found by Rivendell"s scouting party.

Under the spells of the Elves, the proud trees bent down their bodies and weaved themselves into wooden houses. The fishes in the river voluntarily jumped onto the bank. The bushes parted themselves to reveal a piece of dry land. A short while later, bonfires rose on the clearing.

They knew Melody would want to spend some time with Sheyan, so they built a separate house for the both of them. The house was situated a bit of a distance away from the other houses, but close enough that they can still rush over if anything were to happen.

The dancing fire spread a comfortable warmth to the embracing couple. For Melody"s comfort, Sheyan actually lit 2 fires around them. The dry pine twigs crackled while they burned. The smoke they produced carried a faint aroma.

The warmth gave rise to hints of blushes on Melody, accentuating her beauty. Her thin body felt so frail in Sheyan"s arms.

Before this, Melody gave off a gentle fragrance, but now she emitted a strong aroma. The aroma was akin to the crisp smell of clean, dry clothes under a bright sky. Hugging Melody gave Sheyan the feeling of basking in an early summer sun. It made him feel clean. Comfortable. Happy.

Sheyan tightened his embrace, buried his face in Melody"s thin shoulder, and took a deep breath. He then said.

"It"s a nice feeling, hugging you."

Melody smiled. She indulged herself in the strong body of her Protector, breathing in the distinct smell of her man. It made her happy, made her forget all her worries and pain. She slowly rested her head on his shoulder, and sang.

The noises in the surrounding somehow dimmed out as soon as the song started. The voices of conversations, the crackling of the twigs

twigs in the fires, the boiling noises from the pot - they were all silenced.

The only sounds that answered the song back were the cries of insects in the forest, the rustling of branches as they swayed in the wind, and the burbling of rivers as they flow. The song had no name, but anyone who heard it would only think of one word - nature.

"That"s the voice of an angel," exclaimed Franklin who was hearing Melody"s song for the first time. He was baking a kind of root that looked like sweet potato in the fire, but lost himself in Melody"s voice and had burned the root before he realised it. The burn was so bad that end of the stick he was using to hold the root lit up in flames.

The rest of the Elves, including Elder Annenia Cyathea, closed their eyes and listened to the song attentively. The song seemed to hold a special significance for them.

The Dwarves showed an even stronger reaction. Some laughed and gulped down large mouthfuls of beer, while others planted their faces in the ground and wailed. The most extreme reaction belonged to Segimli. He tried hard to hold himself back initially, but eventually gave in. He stood up, grabbed his battle axe, and screamed.

"Aunt Ufraydin! My love for you will never change!"

Sheyan couldn"t help himself and laughed loudly.

"Such unique taste! His puppy love was for his aunt!"

But Sheyan quickly shut his mouth. He suddenly recalled that 99% of young Dwarfs would fume in rage when they found out that their infatuations were exposed.

Sheyan, too, gradually indulged himself in Melody"s voice and fell into a trance. He only woke up from the daze after Melody had finished

had finished her last note. Sheyan was about to say something when pain struck his chest. He felt as if there was a small file running back and forth. He let out a groan despite himself and grabbed his chest.

Melody looked at him with a soft gaze and suddenly gave him a kiss. From the tip of Melody"s tongue, a warm ball of light travelled down Sheyan"s throat. The ball of light left an indescribable trail of heat all the way to Sheyan"s chest.

Sheyan suddenly felt an itch in his throat. He instantly pushed Melody away and vomited out a few mouthfuls of blood. The blood was black in colour and had some solid substance mixed in it. Even though Sheyan"s body felt weak after throwing up, he felt relieved and his mind felt clear, as if he had slept for 24 hours.

Sheyan was about to comfort Melody, who looked really worried, when he received notifications from the nightmare imprint:

[You have listened to the song of a Twilight Elf. Due to the affinity of the Twilight Elves with plants, the Stairway of the Sun grew lively. All the activated abilities of the Pestilence Monarch will have their levels temporarily increased. There will not be any crucial options accompanying this boost. Duration: 120 minutes.]

[You have absorbed the Sunlight Love from Melody Sunstrider. The Stairway of the Sun in your body basked in the glory of the scorching sun. The hidden negative effects were removed. The duration of the temporary boost to the Pestilence Monarch is prolonged to a week.]

[Hint: If you can repeatedly get help from Melody Sunstrider, the boost may become permanent.]

The tyrannical "Pestilence Monarch" was melted by Melody"s gentleness!

Of course, Sheyan wouldn"t immediately ask Melody to give him more, more! But he already had a mind to stay in this world for a bit longer. He was evenHe was even prepared to give up on some gains in order to do so.

As time pa.s.sed, Melody"s body gradually recovered. Sheyan guessed right. Vilya was created to protect the Elves, not to curse the Elves. Despite there being some friction with the powers in her, it wouldn"t cause her bodily harm.

When the first ray of dusk touched upon Melody"s body, she could already stand up by herself. She still couldn"t use any strong spells but at least she"s not half unconscious anymore.

Melody"s long hair swayed under the sun. She raised her hand high, with Vilya glowing brightly on her finger, and pointed to the east towards Rivendell!

"Let"s go! The light of Sin"dorei shall s.h.i.+ne upon Rivendell!"

But first, they took a detour to the Sacred Oak, Sindalor. She asked everyone else to stay put, then approached the tree with Sheyan.

Sindalor was as lush with life as usual and cut an imposing figure, as if he was holding the sky up. Before they got near, he already spoke in a low m.u.f.fled voice.

"I could sense that your aura is unusually weak. It was almost as weak as the first time I met you. What befell you, follower of Sin"dorei?"

Despite what he said, Melody was in high spirit. She extended her hand with smile, like a queen offering her hand for her subject to kiss.

"Through the guidance of Sin"dorei and the help of my Protector, Sire Vilya is now by my side. Which is why, grandpa Sindalor, I need your help."