Chapter 1 Chapter 1

To protect the endangered elf race from human nobles, I left the Life Forest and seduced Anders, my childhood friend, now the most powerful and ruthless man in the world. As I expected...he was still obsessed with me. For three days and three nights, we drowned in feverish, desperate pleasure. But when I finally woke—naked, aching, gasping for air—a bucket of sulfuric acid was dumped over my head! I screamed. However, Anders stood by with a cruel smile. "Huh, so the legendary immortal elf can feel pain?""This is just the beginning, Jovia. Until you tell me where my parents are." He firmly believed that the elves were behind the mysterious disappearance of his parents. From then on, my hell began: Forced to watch him and Lisa be affectionate, forced to cut open my chest and extract my life crystal that sustained my life for her beauty treatment; forced to sing with an overstrained, hoarse voice to lull Lisa to sleep… He hated me to the core. But every time I was on the verge of death, it was he who would roughly pick me up and force me to swallow the top-grade magic potion. His hands trembled with rage, and something he refused to name. Sometimes he was as cold as ice: "Do you think I still love you, so I can't do anything to you? Keep going!" At other times, he would reveal a heart-wrenching tenderness, gently stroking the scars on my neck with his fingertips and whispering in a low, seductive voice: "Be good, tell me where my parents are. " I silently endured his love and hate, feeling the struggle deep in his soul. I silently kept the secret about his parents that could shatter everything. Soon, I wouldn't have to endure all this anymore. Because if an elf leaves the Life Forest for more than three years, their life source will dry up and will eventually turn into nothing. At this point, there were only three days left until my disappearance. ... In the dead of night, the heavy alloy door of the underground cell was kicked open with a brutal crash. A tall mercenary guard grabbed my disheveled long hair and dragged me up from the cold floor. Several resounding slaps made my ears ring and I became fully awake. Ignoring my painful moans, he grabbed my ankle and dragged me out, cursing all the way. "Miss Lisa is injured! How dare you sleep so peacefully, you monster?" The rough gravel road had torn my skin. I was dragged in front of Anders. Under the luxurious suite's lights, he wore a silk robe, draped like a king’s mantle. His gaze swept over my dripping blood, his brows imperceptibly furrowed. His thin lips moved slightly as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, it only turned into a deeper coldness. "Lisa's hand is injured. Use your life crystal to heal her." I struggled to lift my head and saw Lisa lying on the expensive bed with her eyes closed, her small abdomen slightly protruding, looking extremely weak. "Slap!" The next second, a sharp slap landed on my face, the burning pain instantly spreading. The maid's voice rang in my ears："Where are your eyes looking? Is Lisa someone you, this filthy elf, can look at? Do you want to cast a spell on her? " I had never thought about it, but… Anders's voice was so sinister it could drip water, piercing me like poison:“As long as I'm here, you won't hurt anyone else!” I immediately lowered my head with the rapidly swelling red handprint on my face, my voice hoarse: "…I'm sorry." I slowly crawled to the bedside, my eyes falling on Lisa's wound—it was clearly a mark from when she had deliberately teased me with food in the dead of night, and I had instinctively bitten her. Two years of torture had made me well aware of Lisa's endless "illnesses" and treatment methods. I habitually reached out to unbutton my tattered shirt to take out the crystal, cut open my chest and took out the crystal, just revealing the snow white skin, but heard Anders's furious growl beside me: "All of you, get out!" The bodyguards and maids in the room, as if released from a death sentence, quickly scurried out, leaving only me, Anders, and the feigning asleep Lisa. I didn't understand why he had dismissed everyone, but his thoughts were always as deep as an abyss, impossible to fathom. Without hesitation, I used my sharp nails to fiercely stab at the area of my heart! An indescribable pain swept through my body, and I trembled violently, cold sweat instantly soaking through my clothes. Finally, I managed to extract the life crystal that emitted a soft white light from my body. The crystal's glow enveloped Lisa's wrist, and the wound healed at a visible speed. Anders's deep and mocking voice broke the silence: "Jovia, don't think that by playing this act of self harm in front of me, I'll have a soft spot for you." In his eyes, my choice to extract the crystal instead of using the healing power of my song was merely a performance to gain his pity. But he didn't know that due to the long torture and being far from the Forest of Life, my energy had dried up, and my song had long lost its healing power. I was even more disdainful of pretending to be pitiful in front of him—that was Lisa's specialty. Under the healing glow of the life crystal, Lisa "timely" woke up with a yawn. Anders immediately went forward and gently held her in his arms. "How are you? Does it still hurt?" His voice was the tenderness I would never have again. Lisa glanced at my bleeding, empty chest, a swift flash of cruel satisfaction passing through her eyes. "It doesn't hurt anymore... It's just..." She frowned, covering her mouth and nose, her voice trembling with a hint of crying, "After getting pregnant, the smell of blood makes me feel so sick, I want to throw up... Anders, can you make her leave? I'm so scared when I see her..." She is indeed beautiful, putting on a pitiful pose. A blue glow flickers at her fingertips, and her bright red nails are strung with light blue crystals, making her look even more vivid. Anders turned his head, his eyes instantly freezing into ice, sharp as a blade, shooting at me: "Are you deaf? Get out now!" I supported my exhausted body with my arms and crawled out little by little. Behind me, I clearly heard Anders's deliberately softened soothing words: "Lisa, promise me, don't get close to those evil elves again. They are inherently cunning and will only hurt you." My heart, which had been numbed by the intense pain, was suddenly pierced by this sentence, the pain instantly reaching a new peak, even my breathing was torn with agony. Just as I crawled out of the door, a bucket of icy cold water was poured over my head! "Disgusting monster!" A mean maid stood with her hands on her hips and threw a dirty rag hard at my face. "Don't you have an immortal body? Can't you heal any wound quickly? Why are you still bleeding? You've dirtied Mr. Anders's expensive floor! Clean it up right now! Or I'll go tell him and he'll punish you even more severely!" I was too weak to even raise my hand to block it. The rag stuck to my face, giving off a disgusting smell. I struggled to pick it up and began to wipe the mixture on the floor. However, the bloody hole in my chest seemed never to stop bleeding. Fresh blood kept gushing out, soaking the rag and dripping onto the floor, creating new stains. I wiped for the entire night. Inside the suite, Anders and Lisa's deliberate flirtatious whispers and laughter were like poisoned needles, constantly piercing my eardrums and stabbing into my heart. Finally, a drop of scalding liquid slid down from the corner of my eye, disappearing. Anders's eyes full of disgust and hatred when he looked at me once again appeared clearly before my eyes. Soon... very soon... all of this will be over. It turns out that even the elves with long lives in legends will eventually face true death. My life only has three days left.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

When I finally wiped the last trace of dark red blood from the floor, the wound on my chest, under the tenacious self-healing power of the elves, was struggling to close. At the same time, welcomed the dawn of a new day. Anders walked out of the bedroom, carrying the sweet scent of Lisa's perfume. His gaze swept over the blood-stained cloth on the floor, turning dark: "Why is there so much blood?" I didn't explain, merely obediently lowering my head, my voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "I'm sorry... I'll clean up these dirty things right away." Outside the window, in the garden, a maid watering the flowers deliberately raised her voice, her words clearly audible inside: "Hey, did you hear? That elf monster secretly asked me how to please human nobles, what kind of gift to give to a man like Mr. Anders! Oh my! Could she be delusional, thinking of seducing Mr. Anders?""Ha! With her? A lowly elf prisoner, daring to dream of Mr. Anders? Dream on! If it weren't for the elves' mischief, Mr. Anders' parents wouldn't have gone missing. That Jovia should spend her entire life atoning for her sins!"“Does she still want to be the mistress? What about Miss Lisa? Is she going to drive Miss Lisa away?” Hearing these words, alarm bells rang in my heart, and I just wanted to escape back to the dark but safe underground cell. But Anders was quicker. He grabbed my arm without mercy, dragging me into a cold interrogation room filled with all kinds of high tech torture devices, and roughly pushed me onto a metal chair that emitted a faint blue arc—it was an electric chair capable of delivering intense nerve pulses. Anders played with an energy crystal that activated the remote control in his hand, his eyes dark and terrifying, approaching step by step. "They did remind me. It's time for the 'routine questioning' again.""Speak! Where did you elves hide my parents?” His voice was suppressing a wild rage. I closed my eyes, and the soul tearing terror I had experienced on this chair instantly resurfaced in all my senses. I couldn't help but tremble, shaking my head in despair: "I... don't know..." Before I could finish, he suddenly pressed the remote control! "AH—" A pain a thousand times worse than being cut or burned instantly pierced through my limbs and bones! Wild electric currents raged through my body, every nerve screaming and tearing! When the electric shock stopped, I slumped in the chair like a puddle of mud, even breathing became a torturous luxury, each inhalation pulling at the tearing pain throughout my body. Anders's breathing suddenly became heavy and rapid. He leaned forward abruptly, his ear almost roughly pressed against my heaving chest, confirming that the faint heartbeat was still going. His movements carried a panic he himself didn't notice. "Speak. Why won't you speak!" Anders's voice was tinged with a desperate hoarseness, as if he too was enduring torture, "I just want to know where my parents are! Just tell me, and I'll let you go immediately, I swear!" Every inch of my body was screaming in pain. With my last bit of strength, I managed to utter broken syllables: "I... can't say..." That secret was about the true safety of his parents, and I couldn't reveal a single bit. "Good... good... very good!" Anders stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a chilling laugh. He waved his hand, ordering someone to bring in the few precious elven life crystals I had kept from my deceased kin. My eyes widened in shock, and I struggled violently on the torture chair, the chains clanking: "What are you going to do? Anders! You can't! You can't do that! YOU CAN’T—" "Can't?" Anders cruelly curled the corner of his lips, his eyes looking at me as if I were an insignificant ant. "What can't I do to a sinner like you?" He picked up a crystal that emitted a faint green light — it belonged to an elf elder who had once cared for me—and then, in my incredulous gaze, he brutally smashed it on the ground! "NO! NO！" As the crystal shattered with a crisp sound and I wailed in heart wrenching agony, he once again demanded harshly: "I heard this crystal is the soul core of your elves? Destroying it means they can never be resurrected, right?" He raised his foot, cruelly grinding over the crystal fragments on the ground, making a grating sound. "This one under my foot, was it your beloved mentor or your loyal guardian?" "Still won't say? Are you willing to watch your people be wiped out because of your foolish insistence?" Tears, like broken strings of pearls, mixed with blood, kept rolling down from the corners of my eyes, hitting the cold ground and solidifying into tiny pearls with blood streaks, emitting a faint glow. "Anders! I hate you!" I screamed with all my might. In response, I received a brutal kiss that tasted of blood and almost deprived me of all my oxygen. Anders' teeth broke my lip, and he panted, grinding his teeth and growling, "Hate me? What right do you have to hate me? Isn't all this the fault of your elves? ” I didn't respond. This kiss, carrying a destructive aura, plunged me into an even deeper trance. Recently, I've been conscious for less and less time. I almost forgot how purely we loved each other long, long ago, under the sun at the edge of the Forest of Life. The elves occasionally leave the forest in search of their destined bonds. When I was three years old, I met a human boy named Anders for the first time. The moment he saw me, he looked up at his beautiful mother and asked seriously, "Mom, I like her. Can I have her as my bride in the future?" Kara couldn't help but smile and looked at me gently, "Then you must protect her well and win her heart." Later, we became the best playmates. Until I was fifteen, the elves, due to their precious life energy and healing abilities, attracted the greed and frenzied hunting of humans. I had to retreat deep into the forest, but I still sneaked out to find him. When others asked about my identity, I was about to make up an excuse like "distant cousin". Unexpectedly, little Anders solemnly took my hand and announced to everyone, "She is the one I love the most, my future bride, Jovia." At that moment, I knew my heart had completely fallen for him. Later, the elves made a deal with a mysterious organization represented by Anders's parents, hoping to secure peace. But after the deal, Anders's parents mysteriously disappeared. As the heir of the elven royal family, I became the prime suspect. I knew Anders hated me to the core, but I really couldn't reveal that secret. Years later, Anders had become a cold CEO in charge of a vast business empire. He bought that piece of forest for commercial development. For the last hope of my people's survival, I had to approach him again. Many times, when he was furiously questioning or occasionally showing vulnerability, the truth almost slipped out of my mouth, but I bit my lip hard. I couldn't say it. Once I did, it would bring his parents to an irreversible fate. However, whether it was love or hate, torture or yearning, soon, I wouldn't have to bear it anymore. There were only two days left. Anders tried to lift me from the execution chair but was met with a warm pool of blood. His movements froze, and his gaze fell on my wounds that had split open again due to the electric shock, the skin torn and bleeding. I weakly managed a sorry smile, "It's... so dirty, right? It doesn't matter... I'm dying..." These were words of relief. However, the word "die" seemed to touch Anders's most terrifying taboo! His pupils shrank, and like a madman, he grabbed an expensive healing potion beside him and forced it down my throat without hesitation! The effect of the potion was negligible. His voice was as cold as the frozen soil of Siberia, but beneath the ice was an uncontrollable panic: "Without my permission! You are not allowed to die!" He roughly unlocked the shackles on my hands and feet and threw me into a pool filled with special repair liquid beside him. I coughed and choked, the liquid stinging my wounds and causing new pain, but the bleeding was forcibly stopped. However, I could clearly sense something wrong with these liquids—they were forcibly stimulating my remaining vitality to repair my body, like drinking poison to quench thirst, and would surely bring more severe backlash and destruction later. I struggled to lift my head, through the misty water, and saw Lisa hiding in the shadow of the porch, giving me a twisted and malicious smile. Her red lips moved silently, clearly conveying a fatal curse: "Jovia, I want you to die!"

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

In the alternating torment of dizziness and intense pain brought by the liquid, I vaguely felt someone gently lift me up. The warm embrace dispelled the bone chilling cold, and a large hand, trembling with almost tender care, stroked my dry and knotted long hair. Scalding liquid dripped onto my icy face, the heat so intense that it made my very soul tremble. “Jovia…” “If all this had never happened... If we were still like before... How wonderful it would be..." Is it Anders? He... is crying? I used all my strength and struggled for a long time before I could barely open my heavy eyelids. Unfortunately, there was no Anders in front of me, only the expressionless guard who roughly dragged me towards the dazzling courtyard. The scorching sun burned my exposed skin like flames, and my body's moisture was evaporating rapidly. My throat was as dry as a desert, and every breath brought a searing pain. Anders and Lisa were under the exquisite pavilion in the courtyard. Seeing me being dragged there, Lisa immediately put on a worried and innocent face: "Oh dear, haven't you eaten for a long time? Are you hungry?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet. My throat was dry and sore, and I couldn't make a clear sound. I just weakly shook my head. The guard beside her, at Lisa's glance, mercilessly kicked me in the waist and abdomen! "Ugh!" This kick hit the wound that had not yet fully healed! The intense pain made my vision go black, and fresh blood instantly soaked through the torn fabric on my abdomen. I saw Lisa flash a mocking smile, which immediately turned into a feigned look of concern. Anders's brows furrowed in annoyance. He quickly took off his expensive velvet coat and, with a hastiness he didn't even notice, covered my blood stained body. "Enough! Heal her wounds immediately!" His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Stop pretending to be so pitiful! Lisa can't stand the smell of blood. Do you want to harm her again?" Lisa's eyes sparkled as she gracefully bent down and dumped a plate of wilted, strangely glowing petals and stems, clearly enchanted refuse mixed with dirt and gravel, onto the filthy ground in front of me. "I know you must be starving. Eat up." She said in a tone that was "kind", but her eyes were filled with malicious anticipation. I instinctively looked to Anders beside me, but he averted his gaze in disgust, as if even a glance at me would dirty his eyes. I slowly and humbly lowered my head, like the most despicable livestock, using my mouth to gnaw at those vegetables smeared with filth. I slowly and humbly lowered my head, like the most despicable livestock, using my mouth to gnaw at those petals smeared with filth. Lisa's malicious voice rang out again, brimming with undisguised excitement: "Jovia, why aren't you eating the flower petals? They're so nourishing for your kind! Come on, eat!" I numbly stuffed a cold, luminescent petal into my mouth. Long term torture had already destroyed my sense of taste, unable to discern any flavor, only feeling a strange, chilling energy seep into my veins. "Is it potent?" Lisa leaned closer, her smile growing wider, with a sickly satisfaction, "I heard you elves cultivate these in sacred groves, infused with your life essence. Consuming them must feel... invigorating, right?" The petal in my mouth instantly dropped into the dust. I raised my head sharply, looking at Lisa's face, twisted with perverted pleasure, in disbelief. A wave of icy weakness hit me like a tidal wave! I could no longer hold it back and collapsed to the ground, my limbs trembling uncontrollably. "Ugh!" A cold sweat broke out over my body as the stolen life energy within the flower clashed violently with my own fading spirit. Starblooms are plants that are toxic to elves. They reproduce by absorbing the energy of elves. I haven't seen them for a long time and have even forgotten what they look like. "Clang!" The piece of flowers petals in my mouth instantly dropped into the dust. I raised my head sharply, looking at Lisa's face, twisted with a perverted pleasure, in disbelief. A wave of nausea hit me like a tidal wave! I could no longer hold it back and collapsed to the ground, opening my mouth. "Ugh!" "Good heavens! My shoes!" My vomit had soiled the tip of Lisa's diamond encrusted high heels. Lisa jumped up in fright, her expression as if she wanted to kill me, but Anders couldn't see. No command was needed. The guards immediately grabbed my hair and roughly dragged me away, simultaneously forcing a hard pebble into my mouth to silence all my sobs and retches. Fortunately, I spat out some petals. I was calming down the strange sensation of the reduced energy in my body. Anders quickly pulled Lisa into his arms, not even glancing at the shoes, and directly ordered the servant, "Throw them away! Go get Lisa ten pairs of the latest style!" His care for her remained meticulous, but the gaze he turned towards me was filled only with bottomless hatred. "Jovia, stop that disgusting, pitiful face! Lisa was just joking with you. She told me that this is fresh vegetables that was flown in today. You completely ruined her good intentions. If you don't want to eat, throw all this garbage away!" He shouted at the servant. Lisa changed into brand new, even more luxurious shoes. She looked at me mockingly and suddenly pointed outside, as if there was some good show about to start. "Anders, don't blame Jovia." She pretended to console, snuggling in his arms, "She might really not be hungry. Not eating is fine. But she dirtied my shoes just now. She should compensate me, right? How about... letting her stay and keep me company while I have a manicure? It'll be like entertainment for me." Anders sighed helplessly, pinching her cheek: "You're always so soft hearted, too kind." He turned his head, his eyes instantly hardening like iron, gripping my chin to force me to raise my filthy face. Then he gently wiping away the bloodstains with a finger, it seems as if one has returned to the past. It's impossible, I know: "Did you hear that? You offended Lisa. Now stay with her and have manicure. If you dare to make her even a little unhappy again, I'll make your life a living hell!" I said nothing, merely nodding blankly, wondering what she meant, the mind was a bit-muddled… Anders's fingers gripping my chin suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. He seemed to want to say something more, with a suppressed, indescribable anxiety, but was interrupted by a rapid ring of the communicator. He quickly picked it up, listened for a few words, and his brows furrowed. He turned, tenderly kissed Lisa's forehead: "There's an emergency at the group. I need to handle it." Then he bent down and kissed Lisa's protruding belly with extreme care and affection. Watching the warm scene of the family of three, a thick, sour feeling uncontrollably welled up at the tip of my nose. Anders's figure vanished at the end of the corridor, and the gentle, lovable mask on Lisa's face shattered instantly. She gave me a huge, disdainful eye roll, her face full of disgust. "I hate having dirty things around when I'm having manicure! Go to the trash can over there and stay there. Don't let me see you! " Silently, dragging my heavy body, I moved to the corner of the courtyard where the huge metal trash can was, and curled up to sit. Although it stank, at least there was a small patch of shade here, allowing my sunburned body a moment of respite. Before long, one of Lisa's personal maids came strutting over with an empty bucket, pinching her nose and looking me up and down with disdain. "Hey, monster! Miss Lisa said she's short of the purest red pigment for her nail art. She thinks the most beautiful red is the color of fresh blood! She wants you to 'donate' a bucket of blood for her use." With a clatter, a rusty dagger with dark red stains was thrown at my feet. "Use this to cut! Hurry up!" I looked at the filthy dagger and weakly said, "It's... rusty... it'll cause infection..." The maid immediately put her hands on her hips and screeched, "Do you still think you're some delicate princess? Just giving you the knife was already a favor, and you still pick and choose! Hurry up and cut! Or else you'll get what's coming to you!" The icy despair seized me once again. I trembled as I picked up the rusty dagger, its blade dull and blunt. I gritted my teeth and, with all my strength, slashed it across my wrist! Bright red blood beads quickly seeped out, coalescing into a stream, dripping drop by drop into the bucket. The pain in my wrist gradually numbed, and my body's heat rapidly dissipated with the loss of blood. I felt a bone chilling cold, my lips losing their color, and my vision going black in waves. I don't know how long it was until the bottom of the bucket was finally covered in dark red liquid that I collapsed, releasing my hand, and the dagger dropped to the ground. I leaned against the cold trash can, my consciousness already blurring. Not far away, a few maids were chatting by the flower beds, their voices neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to drift into my ears. "Miss Lisa's nail art is so beautiful! It's just that the special material she uses is so rare. I heard the diamonds on her manicure were strung together with the crystal cores of elves. That enchanting color is the blood and tears of the elves. Just a small bottle requires killing several elves!" "Sigh, it's a pity that these monsters only have one crystal each. If they had more, we wouldn't have to go around catching them..." These words were like thunderclaps in my mind! I turned as pale as paper in terror and used my last bit of strength to stand up, leaning on the wall. In the air, there seemed to be a faint, desperate moan that belonged to an elf! My heart pounded like a drum, and I prayed frantically in my heart: Please... please don't let it be what I think... The closer I got to Lisa's flower room, the clearer and more piercing the suffocating, desperate moans became! I saw it! Through the glass of the flower room, I saw several elf corpses lying haphazardly at Lisa's feet! Their beautiful eyes were wide open, empty and lifeless. And Lisa, she was choking the neck of a young elf, her face wearing a cruel smile that was almost joyful. Her sharp scalpel skillfully pierced, sliced, and then dug out a still faintly pulsating, pale blue life crystal! Red and light blue lights were flashing on her fingertips. Her nails were made with the lives of elves. Then, in the elf's shrill, heart wrenching scream, she threw the crystal to the ground without hesitation and crushed it under her delicate high heels! "Crack!" That crisp sound seemed to shatter my heart at the same time! Strapped to the same cold, rune-engraved metal table where …Lyra. My dearest childhood friend, the one who studies and plays with me, whose laughter used to echo through the royal gardens, Her vibrant green eyes, wide with terror, locked onto mine. A crude gag muffled her whimpers. All the blood in my body froze, and the immense grief and anger almost made me lose my balance. Just then, a familiar yet terrified, childish cry came from the depths of the flower room: "Sister! Sister, save me!" I turned my head sharply, my heart almost stopping!

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I saw my younger brother, Elio! He was only ten years old! He hadn't even fully mastered the art of human transformation yet, and now he was lying in a small, reinforced glass tank, his wings glowing with a pale golden light, dragging behind him in terror. "Sister! " He frantically pounded the thick glass wall, tears streaming down his face, desperately crying for help. Lisa saw him too. Her eyes lit up instantly, like she had discovered a new prey, and a malicious smile curled her lips. "Oh? So…this little thing is your brother, and this one you know,too? He's quite cute... Then... let's start with them. Let's see how beautiful their crystal is and whether it will match my new nail art style. Next, it'll be your turn, dear Princess." Lisa laughed, a light, tinkling sound that scraped like glass on stone. She leaned closer to Lyra, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper filled with malice: "I want to see the blue. I hear it’s the color of deep, still water just before a storm…or perhaps." A high-pitched whine filled the room. The crystal probe glowed with an eerie blue-white light. Without ceremony, without another word, Lisa plunged it precisely into Lyra’s chest, directly over her heart. Lyra’s body arched violently off the table, a silent scream tearing through her gagged mouth. Her eyes bulged, fixed on mine, filled with incomprehensible agony. From the point of the probe, a brilliant, deep sapphire light began to pulse, then streamed, pulled inexorably into the device. It wasn't a violent rip like Elio's, but a slow, agonizing draining. Lisa watched, utterly fascinated, a connoisseur appreciating fine wine. The blue light swirling. Lyra’s struggles weakened, her vibrant green eyes dimming, fading to a dull, lifeless grey. Her body slumped, utterly still, as the last wisp of sapphire essence vanished. The whine died. Silence, thick and suffocating. Lisa carefully picked up the dark blue crystal, palm-sized crystal, radiating a deep, mesmerizing blue light—the concentrated essence of Lyra’s life, her spirit, her laughter. Lisa held it up to the light, turning it this way and that, her face alight with covetous delight. "Exquisite," she breathed, completely ignoring the corpse cooling on the table. "The clarity! The depth! It will pair beautifully with the diamonds." She glanced dismissively at the tray of green and yellow crystals. "So much more… elegant than those common things." She finally looked down at me, kneeling in a pool of my own weakness and despair. She dangled the still-warm blue crystal just inches from my face. The light pulsed faintly, a cruel echo of Lyra’s stolen vitality. I could almost feel the ghost of her presence, a final, silent cry. "See, Jovia?" Lisa purred, her eyes gleaming with sadistic triumph. "Everyone serves a purpose. I want everything." She closed her fist around the crystal, its light momentarily snuffed by her grasp, then tucked it carefully into a pocket of her smock. Two tall guards immediately carried out the order, brutally dragging the crying and struggling Elio out and pinning him down on the ground, His back, and the transparent little wings that couldn't be retracted, facing Lisa's blood-stained scalpel! "NO—" The string of my sanity snapped! I could no longer bear it and threw myself to the ground, furiously banging my forehead against the cold, hard ground, making a dull thud. "Please! Lisa! Please! Let my brother go!" He's just a child! An orphan adopted by my parents! He's not of the royal blood! His crystal is green! You want a bule one, take mine! Take my crystal! Please! Let him go!" Lisa's knife tip was already lightly pressing against Elio's tender chest, drawing a thin line of blood. She tilted her head, her smile innocent yet cruel: "But, Jovia, you're a little liar who's full of lies. How do I know you're not lying to me again now?" "Or... let's see for ourselves. Little one, let me first see what color your crystal is, and then I'll take your sister's… Ah! You little beast! What are you doing?" Elio, who was pinned to the ground, suddenly summoned an astonishing force from somewhere and managed to break free from the guards' hold! Acting like a cornered little beast, he lunged forward and bit down hard on Lisa's wrist that was holding the knife. "Don't you dare hurt my sister! " His young voice was filled with anger and fear. "Get away! " A furious roar, like a thunderclap, rang out! Accompanied by a sharp palm wind, the tiny Elio was sent flying like a kite with a broken string! "Puh!" A few bloody baby teeth flew out of his mouth and landed at my feet. Anders, like a furious lion defending its territory, instantly rushed forward and held the crying Lisa tightly in his arms, his eyes burning with a rage that could incinerate everything. "Jovia, You made my parents' whereabouts unknown, and now you dare to hurt Lisa? You elves are all ungrateful ingrates. " I scrambled to my brother's side, shielding his small, trembling body behind me, tears streaming down my face: "Please, Anders! Please spare him! He's just a child! Do whatever you want to me, Kill me! Kill me now! I beg you to spare him!" "Shut up." Anders laughed in-rage, his handsome face contorted with fury: "Didn't I tell you already? As long as you tell me where my parents are, I will not only let him go, but also you! This is your last chance!" It's like this again... Despair, like icy waves, instantly submerged me, draining away my last shred of strength. I raised my head and, for the first time, with all the hatred that had seared into my bones, stared straight into Anders's eyes, which were clouded by rage. "You know nothing at all." "I've told you! By that time, even if I don't say anything, you'll know the truth! Why do you keep pushing me? Why do you have to hurt my family? " "Anders, I hate you, I'll always hate you!" Anders was stunned by the overwhelming hatred in my eyes, but he quickly turned his head away, avoiding my gaze, his voice as cold as a verdict: "Since you're so stubborn, let your brother bear the sin for you!" Everything happened in slow motion, yet so fast that I couldn't stop it. With Anders's tacit consent, a guard's sharp knife glinted coldly, and without hesitation, it plunged precisely into Elio's tiny, still slightly heaving chest! I clearly heard the faint sound of life's crystal being pierced and shattered by the blade! "No—" Elio's body stiffened abruptly, his big eyes, like the purest lakes in the forest, instantly lost all their luster. His small body rapidly grew cold and rigid in my arms. His faint elven aura vanished completely. The crystal shattered, and his soul was consumed. I knelt on the ground, holding my brother's cold little body in my arms, my mind blank. The world lost its sound and color, leaving only an endless, all-consuming darkness and silence. A flash of satisfaction crossed Lisa's eyes. Pretending to bend down to help me up, she suddenly let out a cry and fell heavily to the ground as she approached me! Immediately covering her protruding belly, tears welled up in her eyes. Pointing at me and my brother's corpse, she sobbed like a rain-soaked pear blossom: "Jovia! Why did you push me? I was just joking with you guys. Your brother wanted to bite off my hand! Now do you want to kill my child too? Such a cruel heart you have!" It felt as if a huge black hole had been dug in my chest, with icy cold wind howling through, taking away all warmth. I watched Lisa's brilliant performance and Anders's face turn ashen in an instant. I knew that no matter what I said, it would be seen as a lie in his eyes. So, I raised my empty eyes and spoke in a hoarse voice, as if sandpaper was rubbing against my throat, calmly and lifelessly: "Yes. I did want to harm all of you. Execute me." If death could immediately take me away from this hell, I would be more than willing. Anders was completely enraged by my "confession", his forehead veins bulging. Just as he was about to give the order, Lisa suddenly let out an exaggerated cry of pain, clutching her stomach and curling up. “Anders, Ouch... I... I think I'm going into labor..." Anders gave me a sinister look, as if I were a corpse: "Keep an eye on her! Once Lisa gives birth safely, I'll make you pay!" He picked up the screaming Lisa and rushed towards the prepared delivery room with anxiety. Watching his hasty departure, I forced out a smile that was even worse than a cry. I won't make it to that day. My time is up tomorrow. I was roughly dragged back to that dark and damp underground cell by the guards. The room above my head was Lisa's makeshift delivery room. Her painful moans and Anders' anxious soothing words came and went intermittently for a whole day and night. At first, I could still hear those sounds, but later, my consciousness began to blur and my body grew lighter and lighter, as if trying to break free from this heavy shell... The pain gradually receded and my senses gradually shut down... Finally, a loud cry of a newborn baby broke the silence, announcing Lisa's "safe delivery". But just then, a series of unusually rapid footsteps approached, accompanied by the guards' panicked report: "Mr. Anders! Sir! Your parents... Your parents are back! Right outside the manor gate!" Anders rushed out of the delivery room, his face a mix of shock and disbelief: "What? What did you say?” He almost rushed to the surveillance screen in the main control room of the manor. On the screen, clearly displayed were the middle aged couple standing outside the manor gate, covered in dust and with extreme anxiety on their faces—they were his long missing parents! Anders's hand was trembling slightly. He abruptly turned on the communicator, his voice carrying an unperceived change in tone: "Let them in! Immediately!" When Anders rushed downstairs and met his parents in the grand foyer, he didn't even have time to ask about their experiences over the years. His parents, Ezekiel and Kara, instead of showing the joy of a long-awaited reunion, only had deep seated fear and anxiety etched on their faces. Kara didn't even get a chance to look at Anders clearly before she grabbed his arm, her voice shaking uncontrollably: "Anders, Where's Jovia? Did she come to see you? Quick! Take her to the core spring of the Forest of Life! Hurry! She's been away from the sacred land for too long. Without the nourishment of the Life Spring, she'll die!" Anders's breath caught in his throat! A cold panic seized his heart in an instant and spread throughout his body. He suppressed the fluttering in his chest, trying to remain calm, even with a hint of an attempt to convince himself of ease that was barely detectable: "Mom, what nonsense are you talking? Elves... aren't they immortal? She... she just made a mistake and I put her in the basement to reflect. She's fine..." "PIA! " Before he could finish, his usually refined Ezekiel used all his strength to deliver a resounding slap to Anders's face! The old man's eyes were wide with rage and heartbreak, an anger and pain never seen before: "You good for nothing! What do you know? Quick! Take us to the basement! Right now! " Anders was hit and his head turned to the side. His face was burning with pain, but what hurt even more was the deep despair in his father's eyes. Uncontrollably, images flashed through his mind: my pale face like paper, empty eyes, the calm words "I'm dying", and the endless stream of blood all over her body... An ominous premonition, like a cold snake, coiled around his heart, tightening with each passing moment. The calmness and control he was so proud of crumbled in an instant. He moved his parents towards the entrance of the underground cell, almost stumbling and extremely stiff, each step as heavy as if lead had been poured into his legs. "Dad, Mom, look, Jovia... she's... she's okay, right?" His voice was dry, as if seeking the final confirmation, his trembling hand grasping the cold doorknob. His parents stared at the door as if they could see through the thick metal. Anders took a deep breath, as if summoning all his courage in his life, and slowly turned the lock. "Click." The door opened. "Dad, Mom, look, Jovia... " “WHAT!” “OH—NO!” His words were cut off. Because when his parents saw the scene inside the cell, they let out a heart wrenching, soul shattering cry! Anders turned around stiffly and extremely slowly. On the cold floor of the underground cell, there was no curled up figure as he had He saw half of "her" face, faintly visible in the light dust, peaceful as if in deep sleep, yet with an eternal sense of extinction. His Jovia was right before his eyes, slowly turning into... LIGHT DUST.