[Months Earlier]

Ater watched.

The Elves all remained on the groundpowerless as they all succumbed to the might of his Master's Magic.

Rey Skylar, his sole proprietor, then commanded him to take care of things from that moment onwardgiving a most important task.

'I am to spy upon the Elves and gather as much information as I can within the 10-day Interval before Master's departure to the Front Lines.'

His task wasn't very difficult. What he found a little challenging was deciding how to go about it.

'Should I eliminate one of them and take their place using Shape-shifting?'

He could even mimic their scent, if need be, so as not to attract any suspicion in the slightest.

'The Elves have incredible senses, but I'm not an incorrigible trickster for nothing.' Ater mused.

Besides, these fools had dared to defy and insult his Master.

If things were up to him, he would have slaughtered all of them and initiated his mission in a much more aggressive manner.

But no.

His Master had been explicit with his orders.

'This requires a certain level of finesse.' Once he had that settled in his mind, he began to execute the task.

The first thing was to utilize his Skill [Possession] to enter into one of the Elves and completely take over their body.

He would use that opportunity to gain access to their memories as well.

Once he decided upon that, it was easy to account for the person to target first.

'It feels a little vile to do so, but I have to admit that this one is the most suited for the task at the moment.'

He thought this as he stared at Aurora El Slaviaria.

Within a second, his solid body grew dark and lost any form. He became a dark mist, and the billowing smoke began to draw closer to the sleeping Aurora.

~FSHIII~

He seeped into her nostrils ever so subtly, granting himself a preeminent seat in her body.

At that exact moment, Aurora opened her eyes.

No, it wasn't her.

The darkness that covered the whites of her eyes did not Appear to be hers, neither did the smile that she wore on her face.

This was Ater in control.

"Now then to set things up." He looked at the rest of the Elvesa total of twelvehis grin growing wider.

Utilizing the Magic of the Elf's body, he used Wind to carry all of them so they floated.

'Looking through her memories, it seems their hideout isn't too far from here. I'll take them all there first.'

And that was precisely what he did.

In his usual efficient manner, Ater led all the floating Elves to their havena place decorated with exotic looking flowers and a sweet aroma that permeated the air.

The moment he entered the place and took a whiff, his body reacted instantly.

Her bluish green hair failed from side to side. Her tight grip on her staff loosened, and her pale skin seemed to spasm a bit.

'Muscle memory, huh? They appeared to have decorated this place so it's reminiscent of home. If that's the case, then the Land of the Elves surely must be worth exploring.'

Yes, Ater could sort through Aurora's memories to find out more about the land, but the further back a memory was, the longer it would take to get there.

Ater was still sorting out the surface level and recent memories, so was yet to fully investigate the scope of her mind.

'Now that we're here, I'll relinquish control over her body for now.'

That way, he could focus more on learning about her and her people. Also, by giving Aurora and the rest of the Elves agency, he would be able to study them to his satisfaction.

'Alright then let the games begin.'

**********

The Elves woke up quite a while later, and Aurora gathered the women together in order to make their plans to return.

Ater watched everything from within her and internally cast his perspective on the matter.

'So they plan to cross the vast seas that separate both continents with Runic Magic. That's rare, even among Elves.'

The major difference between Runes and Spells was the utility that they offered.

Spells were spoken and granted instant results, while Runes were inscribed and could be stored for future use.

They could also be activated by people who didn't even use such Magic as long as they triggered its effects.

The same way Dungeon Traps operated was the same way any Rune would. There had to be inscriptions, Mana imbued within said inscription, and a catalyst that activated the effects.

'It sounds simple, but it's really not; especially in this case.'

Not only was Rune Magic very rareeven to the point where humanity had barely developed any proper theory, not to mention practice on itbut Spatial Magic was also very rare.

In essence, when analyzing the mere possibility of someone having a Rune Scroll that could teleport them over such a long distance, Ater felt it pertinent to acknowledge its impressive nature.

'I am not surprised that she has something of this sort, though. She's an esteemed Elder, after all.'

In Elven Society, their denizens were typically divided into two.

The Elders and the Young.

Elders had lived at least three hundred years, while Youngs referred to any Elf below that age.

There were several perks to being an Elder, one of which was getting a True Name.

The name Aurora El Slaviaria was one given to her once she became an Eldermature enough to be granted another name other than the base one attributed to an Elf at birth.

Not only was she an Elder, but she was also an Esteemed one

a member of the Esteemed Council, who governed The Elves and served as their guardian.

'The Magic in the Rune is not of her doing. There's someone else among the Elves who is capable of that, and they're the ones who possess the rare Magic.'

Ater could already tell, both from Aurora's memories and the conversation that was ensuing among the Elves, that her actions would be frowned upon by the rest of the community.

Especially the other members of the Esteemed Council.

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Thanks for reading!