Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Purge

"Nowadays, the presence of beastfolk is rare on other continents, due to the relentless hunting by the Pantheon... But here on our Southern Continent, they are still quite common. Most of them live in groups, and there are many beastfolk settlements around Dragon Island," Divine Commander Guo explained.

The so-called beastfolk are closely related to beasts, yet they are a completely different race. Beastfolk can transform between human and animal forms, possessing both human intellect and emotions.

Lingxiao Tears pricked up her ears, listening intently to her surroundings.

"Why can't I sense them?"

"Beastfolk excel at concealing their presence within the forest, making it nearly impossible for scouts to detect them..." Divine Commander Guo whispered.

Lingxiao Tears couldn't help but admire them. It seemed the dragon clan's senses were indeed sharper than her own—perhaps because their kinship with beasts ran deeper.

Soon enough, two beastfolk appeared, walking along a path through the woods ahead.

"Shh." Divine Commander Guo signaled for silence.

The two beastfolk moved with light, wary steps. Their appearance was almost identical to humans, save for a wild gleam in their eyes. Their clothes were fashioned from leaves and animal hides, adorned with horns, fangs, and other beastly trinkets on their heads, necks, wrists, and ankles. On their heads were round raccoon ears, and behind them swayed bushy, striped tails.

When they turned to glance back, alert and cautious, Lingxiao Tears couldn't suppress a chuckle.

"They still have ears and tails."

"Yes, beastfolk retain certain animal features," Divine Commander Guo replied.

Both beastfolk were young and slender, seeming to be sisters. One followed the other to where Black Feather had slain the giant lizard earlier. Finding no one around, they swiftly dragged the creature away.

"Looks like they're planning to have the lizard for dinner," Divine Commander Guo remarked.

"Eating lizard?" Lingxiao Tears asked, curious.

"The flesh and blood of magical beasts contain powerful energy. It's said consuming them brings benefits."

The beastfolk quickly disappeared into the distance, and the trio emerged from the thicket, shaking leaves off themselves.

Finally able to speak freely, Black Feather asked, "You mentioned the Pantheon hunts beastfolk—why do they do that?"

"Because beastfolk are descended from ancient behemoths, and those behemoths once threatened the survival of humanity. The continent's rulers periodically launch massacres—well, to put it mildly, they're called 'purging campaigns'..." Divine Commander Guo said.

"'Purging campaigns'..."

Hearing those words, Lingxiao Tears felt her mind spin.

"Those 'purging campaigns' implicate the dark elves as well..." Divine Commander Guo murmured.

Scenes of horror flashed through Lingxiao Tears' mind—villages consumed by fire, clansfolk slaughtered as they fled. It was this persecution that forced her to leave her homeland for the Holy City.

"Massacring the dark elves? Why?" Black Feather asked, shocked. It was the first he'd heard of such a thing.

"Because..." Divine Commander Guo looked at Lingxiao Tears, unable to speak.

"Because the dark elves are called a cursed race, the source of plague, and servants of demons," Lingxiao Tears continued, her voice icy and resolute, as if recounting something unrelated to herself. The deeper the pain, the colder one's demeanor when facing it.

She went on:

"There are two legends about the origin of the dark elves. One claims they are mutated light elves, corrupted by dark power—this is recorded in ancient history. The other, found in The Book of Ages, says the dark elves forged a pact with the Demon King, gaining demonic power and thus deemed evil. The current rulers of the continent base their slaughter of the dark elves on the latter tale."

"That's outrageous! To massacre an entire race for such a reason—who gave that order?" Black Feather demanded, indignant.

"Who else but the current ruler, the Thunder Emperor? And the Pantheon carries out these 'purges.'"

"The Pantheon? What kind of place is that?"

Lingxiao Tears felt exasperated. "You don't even know about the Pantheon? Did you sleep through all your magic history lessons? Originally, the only organization founded by the gods was the 'Mage Alliance,' a gathering of the best magicians from every race, established to uphold justice and peace across the continent.

But later, the Lightning family created a supreme authority above the Mage Alliance—the Pantheon—which recruits only those of archmage rank and higher. In essence, the Pantheon is nothing but the Thunder Emperor's lapdog, with no concern for peace whatsoever."

"Oh..." Black Feather muttered, half-understanding.

"They slaughter beastfolk and dark elves, and the other races just stand by?"

Lingxiao Tears and Divine Commander Guo exchanged glances, each seeing the same answer in the other's eyes. Divine Commander Guo replied,

"They have a very clever justification."

"In the Divine Realm, there's a Tree of Life left by the gods—you know it?" Lingxiao Tears asked.

"Oh, that I know."

"This Tree of Life is the foundation of the continent. If it withers, every living thing here will perish. Five thousand years ago, when the demons invaded, the Tree of Life was tainted by darkness and nearly died. So... the Thunder Emperor claims the reason for slaughtering the dark elves is to protect the Tree of Life, to ensure the endless flourishing of all life on this continent."

Divine Commander Guo added, "He issues the order in the name of the gods, and the gods are justice incarnate."

"That old fox—so cunning!" Black Feather growled, clenching his fists.

They walked on, continuing their conversation.

"Our dragon clan has always despised the Thunder Emperor's ways, but we can only resist in secret," Divine Commander Guo said. "His justification is so airtight, it's hard to refute."

Black Feather groaned, turning to Lingxiao Tears. "So your dark elf clan is just left to be butchered?"

"There is nothing we can do... Our numbers are few, our magic weak. Especially since our current Dark Elf King disappeared ten years ago, we've suffered even more persecution—forced to hide and flee wherever we can. I came to the Holy City because the magic academies on other continents refused to admit dark elves."

Black Feather hadn't expected Lingxiao Tears to bear such sorrow.

But her pain ran even deeper, though she kept it to herself. Her face was wistful, eyes dark as she gazed into the distance.

In truth, the dark elves believed in the gods. What they could not understand was why the gods had abandoned them...

To be cast out by the very god one worships—that was the wound that hurt most of all.

Lingxiao Tears fell silent, and the mood grew heavy. The three walked on quietly.

Suddenly, a distant explosion shattered the silence.

They looked up to see, above the faraway forest, a streak of yellow light trembling skyward, trailing a comet's tail, leaping into the air, then bursting like a firework, scattering streams of brilliance across the sky.