Alivaya

Alivaya emerged from the school's main gate, turned left, and headed for the bus stop. The heavy golden netting on her head hung over her forehead, just as it appeared.

A golden spiderweb.

She glared at the laughing schoolmates on the waiting benches—mostly elves, their pointed ears either pierced or adorned with AirPods. Her own ear twitched involuntarily, the weight of the clip-on earrings reminding her of the simple pendulum equation, and she felt a surge of annoyance. The elders had forbidden piercings, replacing them with these pairs of pure gold clip-on earrings, encircling her ears like armor. She could understand the reasoning. A momentary desire could leave marks on the ears that were difficult to heal, and there was a risk of infection. But she was truly annoyed by the elders' tone: "The fallen one who dares to pierce the sacred, beautiful ears of an elf shall be struck by lightning!" Moreover, she couldn't even wear silver jewelry. The elder said silver is like a needle, gold is like ointment; applying silver to the body would harm one's health, while wearing gold jewelry was the only way to maintain health. She thought gold jewelry was something only older women wore.

She leaned against a pillar in the bus shelter, her eyes glancing at her classmates scrolling through Instagram and TikTok. Dark elves' features are easily recognizable; several others, like her, are of the Van race, of course, hybrids.

There are probably no more than twenty dark-skinned elves in the entire school, and she is probably the only pureblood like herself.

The goblins in her class—well, to be precise, elves with goblin blood mixed with elves—and one or two fox spirits, laughed at her again: “How did our noble elven princess do on her exams? Did her bloodline fail her?”

She bombed her math exam, dropping three places in her mid-term grade to seventh. Her original seat was now occupied by a fox spirit in her class. Saku Kokonoe. Anyway, the top two in the class were either him or her. He was actually a good person, but losing to the pure-blooded foxfolk of Hinohon was a bitter pill to swallow. She is forced to wear prison-like jewelry all day, mocked by her classmates, following her grandfather's prescribed schedule of nine-to-five commute between school and her rented apartment, and every month she has to travel a long way south to her tribe, with no freedom whatsoever; for the sake of her princess status, she has to sit upright and stand taller than anyone else at all times; the government would supposedly give high-purity elf, raccoon, and dwarf students extra points in cultural studies, but in reality, she still has to rely on her own late-night studying to achieve convincing results.

What does her bloodline actually give her?

Her grandfather once pointed to the mountain and told her that from here all the way to the shadow of the mountain, it used to be the territory of the Van tribe, managed by the high priest—that was her future job.

Grandpa, that's all in the past. I'm not a princess who will be a tribal chief or a high priest; I'm just a high school girl who wants to go to university.

She boarded the bus and sat by the window, swaying back and forth, lost in thought. Only then did she notice Kana sitting in the seat in front of her. Kana was from the Mei tribe; her ears were shorter than most elves, only slightly pointed than those of human, with very fair skin and large breasts. She wore a crimson Mei tribe scarf with colorful flowers, but her hair was dyed a milk tea color popular in Hinohon. She was popular among the humans, beastfolks, and elves. In contrast, she, as a noble chieftain, could only wear black ceremonial robes with heavy gold ornaments in her tribe. She would never wear such clothes to school.

This reminds her of her neighbor, Maljarein. She is a high-ranking noblegirl, only one rank below Alivaya, but her family was very poor, probably since three hundred years ago when the human brought currency. So they lost contact after graduating from middle school; Maya moved out of the tribe to live alone, and she heard she worked at McDonald's there.

'--Lia--' Maya loved to laugh, but thinking of her smiling face now makes Alivaya want to cry.

What can our culture truly offer us?

She had once went to the pawnshop across the alley from the school to inquire about the price. The pawnshop owner, Dafa Zhu, was an unexpectedly morally conscious troll. When she took the gold net off her head and placed it on the counter, he immediately waved his hand, telling her he couldn't accept such religious objects; he himself seemed to be a devout believer. She pleaded repeatedly before Zhu finally put on gloves, picked up the gold net, and then sighed and put it down. "Let check out how heavy this intricate gold weaving is. With such a thick gold bar, it's probably no less than five hundred. Considering you little girl wore it on your head all day, let's conservatively say it's three hundred grams. However if you really want to exchange something like this for money, you should sell it to a museum. In short, even disregarding the cost of the goldwork, this thing is probably worth eighty, at least fifty thousand."

She was stunned. It was a miracle she hadn't been robbed yet.

To challenge rigid traditions, Lia bowed and scraped before Iljavan and Alui, even begging Husung Vito of the Vûlonn tribe and dancing with Kana on TikTok, managing to borrow one thousand dollars—a month's salary for a high school girl. She lied to her grandfather, saying she sold earrings, claiming their outdated practices were the reason the entire tribe was so poor. That night, she was slapped by the elder.

Or what can we do else? Lia almost burst into tears. If her parents hadn't gone down the mountain to work, she wouldn't even have been able to afford high school. Her full name, Alivaya Muakay Kalalu, was entirely a first name, without a surname, making it inconvenient to address her at school, difficult to write on exams, and even against the national identity format. So she didn't learn she had a Hinohon name until she entered middle school. When she first filled in 'Kalalu Takayama' in the name field, she laughed absurdly.

What's the use of being a princess? Will the people pay taxes to her? She's just an ordinary citizen, worrying about an uncertain future.

I just want to be a free, ordinary high school girl, is that wrong?

She couldn't help but shed a tear. She leans against the car window, hearing the golden net tinkling against the glass.

Does she love her tribe? Lia doesn't know. But she probably doesn't hate it. However, she has no idea at all what kind of feelings she should have towards her tribe.

A Hidden Realm in the Eastern Ocean: Horai Island has been the birthplace of dark elves for thousands of years. Powerful elves gathered, forming tribes like Van, Rubaka, Zou, Saisa, and Sedai. Later, with the passage of time and the mutation of the elves, tribes such as the Vûlonn, Mei, Zaú, Gevalan, Talagou, Séna, and even Dàvoň, located on remote islands, gradually emerged.

Legend had it that Horai was a fertile land rich in resources, perhaps even the location of heaven. Therefore, powerful nations and pirates of the Eastern Ocean had all strived to explore the seas, attempting to find Horai's location. The first to discover Horai Island were pirates from the South Seas, who used it as a base for plunder. Because their groups were small, they coexisted peacefully with the island's elves. However, if the elves felt threatened, they would use powerful magic and spells, hunting knives and bows to slaughter the pirates. Over time, to consolidate their profits, the pirates deliberately spread rumors that man-eating demons lived on Horai Island, intending to deter people from approaching.

This propaganda, ironically, spread the news of Horai far and wide. Various nations became convinced that Horai possessed immeasurable resources and actively searched for its location through various means. Notable examples include the expeditionary fleets from the Centrand and the various folk tales of Hinohon. Major powers vied for power while simultaneously guarding against cannibals.

The second group to arrive in Horai, however, was a Western merchant caravan. They were mainly composed of human and white elves. During this period of great exploration, they learned of Horai's existence while trading with pirates. Relying on their superior ships and cannons, they conquered Horai for the first time in a true sense. Most elves retreated to the mountains, inaccessible to the caravans, but Horai still had an impact—they brought writing, science, and the concept of 'trade,' and also imprinted their genes into some of the dark elves.

Later, the Centrand and Hinohon also colonized Horai. The former brought an agricultural system and a government, while the latter brought culture and further technology. Meanwhile, the biodiversity of Horai Island became increasingly complex.

The elves, outnumbered by goblins and trolls, and unable to withstand the guns and spells of the human and beastfolk, saw their civilization steadily decline, forced to hide in the mountains and forests. Even now, with the establishment of a unified government on Horai Island under the coordination of the human, promoting racial harmony, the dark elves mostly appear weak.

Alivaya walked into the forest. It was a thirty-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, and another twenty minutes' walk from here.

This refers to a dark elf like her, familiar with the mountains and forests. If it were a human or a goblin accustomed to flatlands and forests, they probably wouldn't have made it out.

The surrounding giant trees covered everything like curtains, making the night even darker and more mysterious. The air was extremely humid. Nearby was a huge lake called 'Kilhpuz Matanlhathaq,' meaning the lake where stars fell. Legend has it that the moon goddess created this lake by sprinkling stars, and since then, the moon goddess and the sun god have bathed here day and night, making the days less scorching, and nights less cold. This place has since become a sacred site for the Zaú elves.

Because of this story, Alivaya loved this place. At the same time, the surrounding forest seemed like a test, as if excluding everyone else and allowing only her to approach, making her even more eager for her destination.

As she walked, a wasteland appeared in the forest, where a longhouse built in the ancient style stood.

She didn't knock, but gently pushed open the door and entered the longhouse. Moonlight mixed with the dust she brought in illuminated the dim room. She couldn't help but smile. A candle on the dining table beside her added a touch of warmth to the cold bamboo room. She dragged her feet slowly towards it.

"You've come, Alivaya." A calm voice comes from the shadows of the room, directed at a person sitting against the wall opposite the door. The man is shirtless, with long, curly hair that smoothly cover his shoulders.

He had been meditating with his eyes closed. He slowly opens them after finishing his meditation, stand up lightly, and casually grabs the old cotton coat from the side and put it on. The garment was originally probably white, but after countless labors and washes, it turned a pale yellow, like rice bran, severely loosened, yet not torn, creating a visual effect reminiscent of an ancient Greek robe.

Lia first met Shimaka ten years ago. At that time, cooperation was encouraged among the Dark Elf tribes, so the elders brought the newly crowned princess, Alivaya, to meet with the leaders of various tribes. At the elders' assembly, only the chief of the Zaú tribe was absent, because the Zaú tribe, hidden in the center of Horai, was extremely isolated. However, one among them was willing to cooperate with other tribes, and that person became the representative of the Zaú tribe. That person was very Shimaka.

Lia still remembers her first visit to Shimaka's residence; she was trembling with fear and could barely speak to him through her grandfather, unable to talk at all. Before her second departure, she cried bitterly and was forcibly dragged along. The Zaú tribe was skilled in astrology, and Shimaka was a master of sorcery. The elders hoped that Alivaya would learn sorcery from Shimaka, so she was sent here every month. Over time, Lia discovered that Shimaka was not only skilled in sorcery and astrology, but also proficient in fox magic and white elf magic. He was also adept at mathematics, biology, and literature, living a self-sufficient life farming and fishing in his hut. What captivated Lia even more was Shimaka's philosophical insight; he often uttered thought-provoking remarks. Shimaka was probably the most enlightened elf she had ever met. He didn't demand princess-like manners from Lia, nor did he adhere to rigid traditions. His only insistence was that he never called her by her nickname. He said, "Your name is not just a string of notes; it represents where you came from, what blessings you brought into this world, it is your origin, your root."

Even after entering middle school, she continued to keep in touch with Shimaka. He had installed an antenna behind his hut and used magic to reduce noise, so he could use Discord. She would occasionally visit him in person. Shimaka had a small warehouse at the foot of the mountain with a Harley-Davidson motorcycle inside. He usually rode it to buy groceries, and when she came, he would take her for a ride. Shimaka seemed to be only in his early thirties.

"You are my mentor," she had told him. "You're just like Socrates."

Shimaka tied his hair into a neat ponytail with a hair tie on his wrist and sat down opposite her. He flicks his finger at the candlelight, and the flame suddenly becomes brighter, illuminating a slight blush on Lia's face and also lighting up his own face, a lighter shade than Lia's, a reddish-brown of a half-elf.

She found it a little strange. Shimaka usually made tea for the two of them first; his Starfall Lake black tea is excellent. But Shimaka merely offered his detached, faint smile, a perfunctory greeting: "The bus should arrive at 7:20. I've been observing you for half an hour now. You've quickened your pace, taking forty-five minutes. Pretty punctual this time. Was it raining on the way?"

She checked her phone; 8:09. Sure enough, it was correct. "I was thinking of arriving later so I wouldn't have to listen to your nagging." She took a folder from her backpack.

Shmaka smiles and accepts the documents she handed him. "Calculus. You cried and said you bombed the test."

"Just a few points lower." Lia blushed instantly. "I also want to hear you talk about botany. I really don't understand those little things that don't run." She had a little trick up her sleeve: plants move. Shmaka loves to nitpick her words.

Now, more than a sorcerer, Shmaka is her tutor. He would remotely solve her problems anytime, and once a month, he would tutor her in person.

A cup of tea was suddenly placed in front of Shimaka, then in front of Lia. The aroma of the black tea wasn't as perfect as Shimaka's, but it still had the rich fragrance of Starfall Lake tea. She turned her head in surprise and saw an elf standing there quietly and respectfully.

Shimaka smiles, casually gesturing to the elf, and introduces him to her. "Alivaya, this is {{user}}, from my tribe, who was sent to study with me, now being my apprentice."

Lia was very surprised. She had never heard of Shimaka taking on apprentices, let alone a closed-off and conservative Zaú elf. She couldn't help but observe the elf closely.