Just being a dark elf in Warhammer

Sitting on his throne again, Orion gazed out across the bustling clearing, but he was troubled by visions of the pond beasts. The beasts crawled out of his memory, peering down at him from the branches, whispering accusations and mocking him. The beasts looked so real, so hateful, that he began to roar, struggling to believe that the beasts were just a fantasy.

As Orion stumbled forward, he saw an even stranger sight, himself, bloodied and mangled, but proudly grasping what looked like snake skin, a shimmering red membrane.

“You are destined for glory, you cannot fail.” The vision kept flashing, becoming increasingly bizarre, but it didn’t seem strange to Orion until another Orion stepped out of the shadows and called to him.

The vision pulled away, and Orion frowned as he sat on the throne, his memory still a pile of fragments, one moment of the Gray Hall, the next of the Wild Forest, he saw the life he had once lived. Centuries ago, he saw himself, covered in blood, standing on a burning rock, holding up a lifeless, broken body and roaring.

Orion nodded, the vision in his mind becoming clearer, but almost immediately, new memories came. He saw the beasts in the pool again, and when he staggered into the water and begged for support, the beasts laughed at him.

"You can take me back! I want to see them." After a moment, Orion broke free of the vision again, and he raised his hand to call for Atomis who stood by.

"Who?" The smile disappeared from Atomis's face, replaced by confusion and confusion.

"You know who it is, you let them judge me. You took me there, you can do it again." Orion's voice was hoarse with pain.

"Ah, I see. My king, you saw something that mortals cannot understand, you saw Bruyd, the great gathering. The portal opens once a year, at the time of judgment. If we go back to the pool now, you will only find weeds and mud." Atomis understood, he looked around hesitantly, and after confirming that it was safe, he whispered, although it was a low voice, but mixed with awe.

Orion stared at Atomis, trying to distinguish the authenticity of the information from Atomis's black eyes.

"My knowledge is limited, the queen can tell you more. King, you saw the remnants in front of us, you saw the last remnants of the Beast Council." Atomis shrugged and responded.

"What happened before doesn't matter, I'm here now!" Orion was angry at the servant's humble tone, he grabbed the ivy that snaked under Artomis' skin and pulled Artomis closer until their faces were almost touching, his voice was an angry whisper, "Who rules this forest? The Bruyd you mentioned? Or your king?"

"There are different ways to rule." Artomis became hesitant, his eyes were full of fear, but mixed with something else, after a moment of hesitation, he answered.

"How can an animal question my power?" Orion pushed Artomis away, what Artomis said made him sick, pushing him back to the terrible scene by the pond.

"No, no, no, king, you don't understand. They are not animals, they are not what they look like at all, they..."

"You! There must be a way!" Orion interrupted Artomis' explanation.

"I'm... not sure." Artomis' face turned pale, he saw that Orion's eyes were two angry emerald slits, flashing with the fire of the forest. Finally, he could no longer bear the horrible sight, and he gasped, "We waited until sunset, and then we hummed an ancient melody. Then we fell asleep, and when we woke at midnight, the branches had grown."

"What are you talking about?" Orion raised his eyebrows and questioned Artomis.

"It's a poem, king. I have heard many such stories, some magical beings can manipulate the hidden space of the forest... My king, I don't mean those weavers, but... Bruyd."

"I can't wait until dark." Orion ignored the last words of Artomis, and he began to search his memory, trying to find the memory related to this, he recalled the strange beast, how the slender fingers poured down from the top of the staff.

"If Bruyd allows you to enter the dark road, you will need time, you can even come back here before leaving." Artomis shrugged again.

"I am willing to do anything, I am willing to wait!" Orion nodded, but his thoughts returned to the past. When he remembered begging Bruyd, he felt a chill of shame, like a cowardly baby, a shame he could not bear. After a moment, his consciousness returned to the throne, and he looked at Ariel, who was still beating in the center of the clearing.

I don't know how much time has passed, it may be a moment, or it may be an eternity.

"Face me, you coward! Who is the crying wretch now?" Orion roared, glaring at the mist around him.

"It's you." The voice was a whisper, coming from behind Orion, hidden in the shadows.

Orion turned and watched the mist gather among the stones, forming a hunched figure leaning against a stick. The sight of the hooded figure reminded him of the anger and shame of their last encounter. His body shook as he aimed his spear at the figure. As he looked closer, he saw the strangeness of the figure, and the reason why the body moved, the shape under the robe was made entirely of twisted white snakes.

"Kneel down before me, for I am the king and I will have your loyalty."

"You're a hypocritical king, you're doomed, I can smell it." Rach hissed, a clump of pale, worm-like snakes emerging from his mouth as he reclined While on the staff, the snake turns into a roar.

"You are a liar! Kneel down before me!"

"I won't, you are not my king, never have been," Rach whispered, and as he spoke the mist swirled around him, obscuring him again.

"I am the king!" Orion passed through the mist, but found that it was empty, with no figure and no stone. He roared and thrust his spear into the mist in vain.

"That's it, you don't need to prove it to me."

Orion spun, staring into the twisted white landscape. The mist rolled back, forming a floating avenue of trees, and the figure was at the other end of the avenue, wearing a hood and leaning on the staff just like before.

"Come to me." The rustling whisper appeared in Orion's ears again, and the harsh voice continued to challenge his nerves.

Orion moved his hooves and walked towards the boulevard. As he walked, he found that he was shaking a little. When the whispers rang in his ears again, he looked down. At some point, snakes appeared at his feet, and the skin below his legs shrank, revealing gleaming tendons and flashing bones.

"Pain, weakness, fear, anger, weakness! You are scared." The mocking whisper sounded again, and as the staff was raised, the sea-like snakes raised their heads and looked at Orion and resonated.

"Is he worth your life? What has he done?" The voice sounded again, this time not from Rach, but from another Orion in Orion's soul.

"He doubted me!" Orion roared.

"Of course, you can leave easily. The forest is waiting for you." After whispering, Lage stretched out his hand to point in the direction behind Orion.

Orion turned around and looked in the direction that Lach was pointing. He saw a peaceful forest, full of dappled sunshine and birdsong.

"I won't let him laugh at me!" Finally, Orion turned his head and roared at Lahe.

"I'm worthy of anything."

Dozens more fangs sliced ​​through Orion's skin as he ran along the foggy boulevard, pain blooming at an alarming rate. Pain flooded his limbs, and for a second he thought he couldn't even take a step. He tried to separate his thoughts from the pain and eliminate his doubts, he said to himself, and then moved closer and closer, running towards the distant figure.

"You are braver than I thought, but you are also stupider than I thought." Faced with Orion coming straight at him, Lage did not shake his head in disbelief, nor did he flinch. After he whispered, he raised one arm, and dozens of slender snakes hung from his large sleeves, disguised as fingers. He pointed the longest one at Orion's chest and continued to whisper, "You have killed yourself, and the power of the Great Forest will no longer be given to you."

Orion seemed not to have heard Lach's words and let out a long sigh of satisfaction. He stared at Lach's disappearing figure and the stone held tightly in his hand. The stone was polished until it looked like a puddle of oil, glistening in his fist. The stone even looks wavy, as if water is wafting through the center of the stone. After the figure completely disappeared, he crossed the fog desperately. When he stopped, he opened his eyes and saw a beautiful oak forest, dappled by the midday sun. The feeling of his hooves hitting the ground was particularly real, and he could feel the rocks on the ground.

Orion's mind struggled with pain, suddenly plunged into darkness, and spun away in the tide of time. He sees a series of places and people, a bewildering series of scenes that throws him into trouble. For a moment, he felt very suspicious. Had he arranged an impossible task for himself? How much does he understand? After a moment of breath, he looked at a face he recognized, a firelight surrounding a pair of endlessly sad eyes.

Thoughts were thrown at Ariel like spears, the dream disappeared and the world returned.

There is a wide open space under the Era Oak, surrounded by a high grass platform and a pile of tall tree roots. Hundreds of elves gathered in the open space, laughing and dancing.

"Are you back?" Ariel looked at Orion with eyes full of excitement and surprise.

"Back." Orion gasped while sitting on the throne. He realized that Ariel was observing him. At this moment, he finally realized that he was in a dream just now.

When Ariel left again, Orion's clenched fist opened, and there was something in the palm that should have been empty, a piece of snakeskin stained with blood.

Orion felt a rush of joy as he gazed upon the snakeskin, he was the master of the forest, intoxicated by the possibilities presented to him. He felt a powerful sense of pride that was grounded in awe. They were all wrong, and he realized that he was destined to rule this forest, that I would rule it more firmly than they, and that they would all kneel before him.

Fenarval, who was standing at the edge of the woods, looked at Ariel and Orion sitting on the throne, and watched Ariel greet his subjects, lighting up the awed faces of his subjects with a suitable word. But Orion had no interest in pleasing his subjects. He just sat on the throne quietly, staring at the thing in his palm with his mouth open. He could feel that Orion was in good condition and seemed to be stronger than when he came out just now.

Fenavar didn't know if this sense was real or if it was some kind of hallucination. Perhaps he was misled, because Orion and Ariel were the incarnations of gods. When the fire is lit, Orion's strength is Ariel's weakness. Does Orion's strength at this moment have something to do with this? Because the queen's rule has a prerequisite: harmony.

As long as Ariel can maintain her balance, the forest will allow her to stay here. Balance is key, maybe she forgot? If there were needs that were more suitable for the forest, would the forest abandon her without hesitation?

Thinking of this, Fenavar couldn't help but think, if he had a duel with the king, would he be crushed? Nothing will change? Will his kin die in this destructive forest? For a moment, he shook his head, feeling like a child. After a moment, he smiled again. He came here for a purpose. He didn't seem to need to think so much. He only needed to use the talents given to him by Morayig and complete Morayig's instructions.

"Can you play me some songs that I can sing?" Fenaval, who no longer thought about it, walked out of the woods. He grabbed the harpist's shoulders tightly, leaned against the harpist and gave him a broad smile. .

"I have seen you, Bel-Gedden, no matter what you want, I, no matter what you want, servant of God, I want it...I will play for you!" The harpist stopped playing and turned his head to look at Fei attentively. Navarre. After a few seconds, her expression lost its confusion and turned into a smile, and she nodded, trying to be serious. But her words trailed off and she frowned, not knowing exactly what she wanted to say. After a moment, she finally did it, proud of herself for being able to speak a coherent sentence.

"Mora'ig's Lament." Fenarvar let go of the Harper's shoulders, stood up and cleared his throat.

"Really? On the first day of spring? Are you sure? Is this the song you really want?" The harpist frowned and said while looking around at the scene. She felt that the song was a little out of place now. .

"Believe me, don't I know the master's will?" Fenavar nodded eagerly.

The harpist raised her eyebrows, trying in vain to make a look of disdain... Then she did as she was asked and began to play a sad tune.

As the rhythm struck, Fenaval began to sing, his voice so shrill that the tune played by the harpist changed.

Moraygo's Lament is not a simple piece of music, but an epic poem full of pathos and lessons, telling a tragic story of a double suicide and revealing the destructive power of pride. The story takes place in the distant past, when Athel Loren was not yet completely stable, and the fate of the elves was swinging in the wind...

As Fenavar's song reached a heartbreaking climax, the Asrai nobles fell silent, touched by the warmth and sadness of his voice. Even the nobles who knelt in front of Ariel turned around, wanting to see who dared to sing such an inappropriate song in this grand ceremony, and to sing it so gracefully and gracefully.

"Am I not the king?" Orion continued to talk to his knight as if he had not heard the song, tapping the snakeskin in his palm with his other hand.

"The Bruids are the guardians of these things, and only they understand. No one else knows the thoughts of the forest, even our most skilled spellcasters..." Artomis stood next to the throne, staring at O The snake skin in Ryan's hand, his dark eyes were full of doubts, and after a moment, he said hesitantly.

"Don't I have the right to rule? Didn't you choose me out of everyone?" Orion growled lowly, his shoulders shaking.

"Of course, you are my king." Artomis hesitated for a moment and then said, "But... without Bruyd's power, the forest will fall apart."

"But, in front of those creatures, I had to prostrate myself on the ground, and I had to endure their ridicule and suspicion." Orion said while looking at Ariel, watching his lover speak to the awe-inspiring subjects. Meaningless nonsense. The subjects' stories were suffocatingly monotonous, and Ariel tilted her head to the side, maintaining a kind smile and continuing to listen.

For a moment, everything faded away, and Orion and Ariel stood alone under the oak tree of their reign, filled with hope. It was then that Orion realized that in all of that long ago, there was something supernatural in Ariel's eyes, her gaze fixed on the unknowable.

"I will never let you down." Thinking of this, Orion felt his burden again.

Ariel felt Orion's gaze. She smiled and extended her hand to Orion, but her hand was immediately grabbed by an Asrai noble. The noble kissed the hand and started telling some ridiculous stories to try to amuse her. . She did not take away her hand. She kept staring at Orion, and when the crowd blocked their view, she smiled.

"There was a child. He had golden eyes. He thought of me as a poor liar. They called him Zephyr." Orion's attention returned to Artemis again, his voice was low and urgent, His body shook uncontrollably as he recalled it.

"I know nothing about such things, all I know is that he seems to be the protector of children? Your queen will tell you more than I can. She has been communicating with Bruyd for thousands of years, and she is better than any People understand the soul of the forest better." Artomis took a step back and shook his head.

The thought of Artomis made Orion sick. How could Ariel be connected to these beings? He didn't want to discuss this with Ariel, and even the thought made him feel sick.

"Who else knows about them?"

"The Seeress? But she seldom mixes with her kind. You will meet her on Midsummer Night, she will come to pay her respects and witness the beginning of the wild hunt." Artomis looked into the clearing, trying to find him To find the presence, there are long shadows in the clearing, making it difficult to see the crowd clearly.

"I cannot wait until summer. I am no fool, Artemis, and I know what you have done to me. You have bound me to the seasons. I have no time. I must win the fealty of these poor souls now." Ryan stared into Artemis's dark eyes.

"But...can you win their allegiance, king?" Artomis frowned. He was frightened by Orion's words and subconsciously expressed his inner thoughts. When the words came out, he realized something was wrong, and then he added, "Or is it their hatred?"

"I make them kneel down, I make them kneel down! That's enough, they will never question my power again!"

"But at what cost? That's not a toy." Artomis looked at the snake skin in Orion's hand again, pain flashing in his eyes.

When Orion was talking to Artemis, the Asrais in the clearing were still looking for the source of the singing. They expected to see a noble noble, but what they saw was a ragged and dirty performance. By.

Fenavar ignored the strange looks around him. He was still completing the task assigned to him by his master, and he ignored the harpist's fingering errors. His voice soared on the final phrase, and he stared at Orion, telling the story within the song.

The music stopped and the clearing grew quiet.

Orion remained oblivious, trapped in an ongoing state of schizophrenia. But Ariel noticed, and hundreds of nobles waited with bated breath to see what would happen next, along with Fenavar.

Fenaval saw Ariel wipe her eyes and stare at him, and for a few seconds he felt the weight of Ariel's eternal gaze. But Ariel didn't say anything in the end. After showing a tired smile to his subjects, he said that the celebration should continue.

After receiving Ariel's signal, a bard immediately stood up and sang a more cheerful song, and the nobles began their wild, ritualized dance again, relieved that the embarrassing moment had passed.

As Orion was about to answer Arthomis's question, he noticed someone hesitantly approaching the throne. The nobles still crowded around the throne stopped their chatter and exchanged glances with each other. Ariel nodded to the nobleman who came forward. When the nobleman bowed to her, he received a smile of recognition from her.

"Great King." Aldade's voice was rough and his cheeks were red with embarrassment. As he spoke, he kept looking around at the assembled nobles, and it was obvious that he was uncomfortable in the presence of other nobles. Kneeling awkwardly, trying to adhere to the etiquette of the Queen's court, he said slowly and carefully, "I'm honored that you remember me."

Orion felt a direct connection to Alded. He searched carefully for memories of Alded. After a few seconds, he remembered the scene of them riding together many years ago. They flew high over the treetops. It was as if he could feel the wind howling in his face, laughing as they rushed towards their unseen prey in the rain.

"We hunted together."

When he turned his gaze to the kneeling Aldaid, he realized that the clumsy warrior was a friend of his, closer to him than any of the other nobles present, and he softened his voice slightly.

"Yes, King. Many times, since I was a child. Maybe, in the summer, we can hunt together again." After receiving Orion's affirmation, Aldade raised his head and exchanged glances with Orion. A slight smile appeared on her thin, chapped lips.

"Prince Aldade, what do you want?" Orion leaned back on his throne, aware that the entire party was watching the exchange, and filled his voice with his usual ferocious tone.

"King, I..." Aldade began to stutter, his words sputtering, his face growing darker as he struggled to speak clearly. He coughed nervously and resumed his expression, "Forgive me, but I'm here to offer my help."

"Your help? I need your help?" Orlean's voice was low, and the threat in his voice was so real that the nobles around him began to retreat.

"The king does not need help, but occasionally, he will satisfy his most loyal subjects and allow them to serve him." Aldeid was still kneeling on the ground, and his voice remained slow and cautious.

Ariel pursed her lips slightly, obviously she was amused by Aldeid's words.

"What do you want?"

"King, not long ago a group of outsiders entered Alanrock from the Gray Mountains..." Aldeid turned his eyes from Orlean to Ariel, and then back to Orlean again, coughing, and then he began to speak.

"Outsiders? Aldeid, are you afraid of blood?" Orlean narrowed his eyes and examined Aldeid who was kneeling on the ground.

"Of course not, King, but... this is not a natural cycle of life and death." Aldeid paused and spoke more slowly, he didn't want to be misunderstood.

Ariel's smile disappeared, she leaned forward and listened attentively. The nobles crowded closer, eager to hear the conversation between Aldeid and Orion. Orion remained silent.

"Someone has betrayed us, these outsiders have been helped, your subjects and the forest are in danger. If you don't unite your forces under your banner, the entire forest will be in danger, and outsiders are taking your kingdom for themselves."

Aldeid's words were responded to with contempt and ridicule.

"Unite? Are you saying we can't defend ourselves?" one noble shouted.

"Ridiculous! Are you giving us orders? Are you going to teach us how to defend our own woods? Like your father?" another noble questioned angrily.

"You're going too far."

After arguing for a while, the nobles quieted down and waited for Orion's response.

"Our border is a trap, Aldeid. Any bastards that break in are nothing more than playthings. If I am happy, I will hunt these things. If I am not happy, I will not. In any case, there is no threat!" There was no emotion in Orlean's eyes, but his brain was thinking rapidly. After all, this was the first time his subjects saw how he should take on the responsibilities of a king, and then he filled his voice with contempt.

"You said we were betrayed?" At this moment, Ariel took over the topic, with an incredible tone in her voice.

"Yes, my queen, outsiders are walking through the forest, as if they were born under this shade, and they are taking a secret route that only Asrai knows, which is why we must unite." Aldeid replied.

"Who would betray their queen?" Ariel was really confused.

"Queen... I saw it in the team of outsiders... I saw the prophetess..." Aldeid shook his head, looking uneasy, and he said after a moment of hesitation.

The nobles exclaimed again, and some even put their hands on their weapons.

"You mean... you saw Liv?" Ariel was confused, and she raised a hand to signal silence.

"I came here to show my respect, and I mean no offense to you, but... I saw the Twilight Sisters among the outsiders." Aldeid's embarrassment intensified, and he glanced hesitantly at Orion, but the king was whispering something to Artomis and seemed to be uninterested in the conversation.

"Did you see those beasts?" Orion roared after a moment.

"Beasts? No, they call themselves Duruchi, and have the same faces as us."

"Beasts, what are you called? The ghost council that claims to rule the forest?" Orion turned to Artomis, his voice full of hostility.

Aldeid tried hard not to shudder when Artomis walked out from behind the throne, his featureless black eyes and bloody, ivy-covered skin almost as scary as Orion.

"Bruyd!" Orion's low roar continued.

"What did they say to you, my love? Why do you feel such hatred for them?" Ariel's eyes widened, and he stood up from his throne.

"They are like animal ghosts, strange snakes, bloated toads, wolves that mock our language and eagles made of moonlight, all nonsense." Orion couldn't look Ariel in the eye without reminding him of the humiliation he suffered at the pond, and he leaned forward as he roared, looking directly at Aldaid.

Aldaid shook his head and looked at the queen, expecting an explanation, but Ariel was stunned by Orion's hostility and was speechless.

"I have heard of such things, but they are not beasts, but Duruchi, and..."

Aldaid stopped mid-sentence, drowning out the jeers and taunts of the nobles, who realized that he was losing Orion's interest. Several nobles squeezed past him, blocking his view from Orion, and made him stumble away from the throne. He looked desperately at Ariel for support, but he only saw Ariel whispering something angrily to one of the maids.

"Beast! Yes, beast, I must act. The forest is in great danger. I will be back as soon as possible." Orion sat there thinking for a moment and finally stood up. He let out a deafening roar, then he refused to look Ariel in the eye and turned to pick up the Spear of Kurnos.

Today's topic: What is regret? Sacrificing family and friendship for busy work? Not enough self-confidence? Or something else? It's all... Getting up early and arriving late.

Dacus hurried and hurried, but still didn't catch up, but he arrived just in time.

A deafening hunting horn echoed in the forest, and the howling of hounds and the noise of birds filled the air along with the echo of the hunting horn. (End of this chapter)