Only Wisdom Awakened - Chapter 223

Chapter 223: Subsiding Hatred
The memories around him flashed by, and he only managed to catch but a glimpse of certain moments of the elf’s life, but there was one image that remained strong in Lirael’s memory…

The trees, the houses, and even the people… were all drowned in a sea of red flames, that raged throughout the whole forest, the smoke, rising up from the destruction of their houses, obfuscated her view and her breathing as the young elf girl limped her way towards her home.

The young woman fell to the ground, crying on the ashes of what remained of her unfortunate family.

And at the sight of her dead parents, even the grown-up Lirael shed a tear.

“How were you able to survive?”

Hans asked.

It wasn’t a question he would’ve ever asked someone in his lifetime, but they were now in the plain of darkness, she was… dead.

What would the dead keep their secrets for?

“That day… I ran away, I wasn’t running from the fire, I was running from home”

“Why?”

Hans inquired.

“Because I couldn’t stand it… I couldn’t stand seeing all my friends advance while I remained stuck at the same level, and even then, they treated me like an equal even if the only thing that made an elf special was their control over spirits…

I thought of myself as a worthless elf, no better than… a human, and I decided to leave home at the age of twenty-one, in search of something that could improve my talent.

I walked for half a day before finally turning around to glance at my house one last time…

But what I saw wasn’t the beautiful green forest I had grown in, it was nothing but a brazier for the flames of hatred.

I left all my belongings where I was, and with all my energy I ran, I ran as fast as I could while I hoped for them to be alive!

I was sweating and tired, and the smoke had begun fogging my vision, but I couldn’t stop… the air in my lungs was scarce, but I pushed my body beyond its limits, all to go back home…

The place I was ready to leave.

I was ready to say goodbye to my parents for a long time… but I didn’t hope for it to be the last one…

And the so desperate me ran… I ran back until I reached my house.

I couldn’t see anything, because of the smoke, but the flames had already begun subsiding as the trees in that area had already withered.

The smoke was so thick that the sky looked Dark even on a clear day.

When I reached my house… the only thing I found were ashes.

My parents, my friends, everything I had ever cared about… it was all gone….

And at that moment, I only wanted to follow right behind them.

I let myself fall to the ground, ready to close my eyes for the last time, and then my vision became even more blurry before I lost my senses.

However, I don’t know how much time later… I woke up.

Confused and devastated… I woke up.

A lot of time must’ve passed then, a couple of days at least since the forest had already burnt to a crisp, and the smoke had disappeared.

When I woke up, I wanted to kill myself… that damn talent… I didn’t care about it, they could even take it all away from me… but not my family, not my friends, not my everything…

I tried to starve myself, but my impending desire for vengeance led me to where I had left my belongings to eat.

Going around covered so as not to reveal my identity as an elf, I traveled the human world, and in a bar one day, I happened to hear something I wish I had never known…

The ones to set the elves’ forest aflame had been a bunch of vandals… and the reason they did it was…

just for fun.

And then the disgusting comments that the drunk man told to the others… beasts, they were simply beasts, disgusting beasts who deserved to be slaughtered.

We elves avoided killing any creature and were careful even when handling plants, but at that moment, the only thing I had in mind was to slaughter them, set their bodies afire like what they did to my family, and then humiliate them for what they were saying about us.

However, I wasn’t able to do anything, and I just silently walked out of that place.

I traveled a lot, for almost four years, before finding a little forest, my only contracted spirit was a water spirit, and I asked for help to create an illusionary barrier there.

I spent the rest of my life in those lands.

I grew new plants, meant specifically to kill humans, and developed a lot of dangerous poisons… but I realized my weak cowardly self wouldn’t have ever been able to use them for anything.

And so, I began developing new potions, potions that could heal those who needed treatment and potions that could cool down those engulfed in flames.

After countless decades of research, they worked, and they were perfect, even beyond that… if only those potions existed when my family was attacked… only half a bottle of those essences could’ve saved many lives…

But the humans didn’t deserve them… they did not deserve to learn such things, as the hatred in their hearts would never subside even with all the potions in the world.

So I made the decision to bring everything to the grave with me.

When I was about to die, I built my own grave in a desolate place and then wrote a journal written in the elven language, so that if any of the elves were still alive, only they would be able to find me.”

‘This is insanity!’

Hans exclaimed without saying it out loud.

‘Her body was that of a tier-0, the lowest level, even a level 1 awakened can surpass, and yet her abilities sharpened over almost two centuries allowed her to create Rare (low) healing potions and anti-heat potions, and also many other common (top) grade potions.

She was four tiers ahead of her level…

Unfortunately, most of the recipes she invented utilized various elemental spirits, and even if I managed to get someone to help Aiden with them, then the condition wouldn’t be satisfied…

He has to create a potion two tiers above his own alone, meaning he needs to create a common (top) tier potion without anyone’s help, the only way I have found to allow him to do that is by getting him a special material…

According to Lirael’s research, it would require the use of a special material called spiritual fruit.

It can originate from any type of fruit-producing plant, but it has to be a plant that has grown imbued in an environment full of light spiritual power, which correlates to healing properties.

I don’t know how, but I have to find it quickly so that Aiden can finally advance to the unique class…

To find such information… I guess I’ll have to ask Emma about it, if she is Money Maven, finding something like this shouldn’t be a lot of trouble for her.’

“I see why you were so wary of me when we first met…”

Hans said, but no reply came back.

“I thank you for sharing your story with me, and although it may not be the best of the promises I can make, I would like to make a pact with you…”

Once again, that wary expression of her returned…

‘Even if I have seen her memories, I do not have the experience necessary to handle things like she does… I will let her guide me while I explain to Aiden how to create a potion, and then he will do it by himself….

“I would like for you to assist me while I teach someone dear to me your alchemy…”

Her expression was filled with hatred as she answered:

“Dont even dream about it, after coming here and robbing me of my s-”

“I said I wanted to make a pact, meaning I also have something to offer”

But what he said didn’t matter, after what she had suffered in her lifetime, teaching a human kid the secrets she had spent her life researching… she didn’t even have to think about it, only one reply was in her mind.

“You think you can make me change ideas?!

Whatever deal you offer… money, honor, fame, recognition… I am dead, I have no need of what you humans adore so much”

“What if I said-”

“It doesn’t matter!! It doesn’t matter what you say, I am but a soul, let me rest in peace”

“Sigh…”

Hans sighed, and the elf thought he was about to leave her alone, but he talked once again, this time, he did not let her stop him:

“If you help me teach my friend… I will help you pass on your knowledge to some elves”