On a stormy night in the forest, rain poured down in a torrent, enveloping everything in a cold darkness. Walking through the rain was a young elf maiden. She had silver hair, a stunning face, and pointed ears. Her graceful figure was adorned with a pure white dress, exuding an ethereal beauty that seemed untouched by the world's dirt and impurity.
However, merciless rain drenched her completely. It slid through her silver hair, her beautiful face, and her expressionless violet eyes, eventually dripping off her in small droplets. The splashes of water dirtied her dress, clinging to her thin body and accentuating her slender curves. The cold and dampness stole away her warmth, leaving her with a bone-chilling sensation.
Such a sight made her appear like a forsaken holy spirit abandoned by the gods, cast into the depths of darkness.
Unaffected by the cold, she continued walking aimlessly. For her, the bone-chilling cold somehow alleviated the sorrow in her heart. The voice of the elder echoed incessantly in her mind.
"Phyllis Alfred, the sinner! You have lost your status as an elf saint. From this day forward, your identity as an elf saint is revoked, and you are stripped of the name Alfred. You are banished from the realm of the elves. From this day forth, you shall never step foot on any land belonging to the elves in this life or any other!"
No matter how she tried to defend herself, no one believed her innocence. Despair enveloped her heart.
She walked without purpose, unaware of her destination or where she could go.
***
Not far from Phyllis, a young man with black hair was running hastily, using his hand to shield himself from the rain. He grumbled, "What bad luck! Why does it have to rain? And why did I pass through to this world without any protagonist-like luck?!"
A neutral voice echoed in his mind, saying, "It's the host's own fault."
The young man, named Mu Yunfan, had a handsome face and appeared to be in his early twenties. He had entered the forest in search of some delicious ingredients, but after a whole day of searching, he not only failed to find what he wanted, but he also got caught in the rain without an umbrella. His mood was now extremely gloomy, and he just wanted to get out of this miserable place as soon as possible.
However, as Mu Yunfan ran, he suddenly caught sight of a white figure in the dim forest not far from him. Due to the darkness and the rain, he couldn't see clearly, but he vaguely made out a woman dressed in white with silver hair.
Mu Yunfan was startled and almost tripped, thinking that he was seeing a ghost. This was the deep part of the forest, and it was nighttime. How could there be a girl here?
The surrounding forest was filled with an eerie aura, which made Mu Yunfan feel a little scared.
But despite his fear, Mu Yunfan's curiosity caused him to stop and look at the girl not far from him.
At that moment, Phyllis was walking parallel to Mu Yunfan. Through the dim light of the night, he managed to barely make out that she was an elf maiden with silver hair, pointed ears, and wearing a thin white dress. Since she was walking using her legs, she couldn't be a ghost or a spirit. Mu Yunfan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Mu Yunfan then noticed that, in this cold night, she was wearing such a thin dress and had been drenched by the rain. She must be freezing, yet she seemed to have no reaction as she walked forward.
Mu Yunfan couldn't help but wonder why this elf maiden would appear in the depths of the forest at such a time.
Just as the rain began to subside and the clouds blocking the moonlight drifted away, a beam of moonlight shone upon Phyllis' face.
Mu Yunfan finally saw Phyllis' face clearly, and his breath momentarily stopped. It was a face that could only be described as breathtakingly beautiful.
Mu Yunfan was extremely shocked. Although he had never seen an elf before, he had heard of their beauty. Elves were known to have high average levels of attractiveness. However, Mu Yunfan never expected that their beauty could reach such incredible heights.
She was so stunningly beautiful, but at this moment, she was completely drenched by the rain, her hair slightly messy, and her white dress stained with dirt. She looked as if she had fallen from the heavenly realm to the mortal world, like an angel.Next, Mu Yunfan noticed Phyllis' hollow gaze, which sent a shiver down his spine. It was a look that seemed to be filled with despair.
Frowning, Mu Yunfan couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to this beautiful elven girl to make her look like this. In this kind of situation and place, Mu Yunfan couldn't just ignore a girl like her. Just as he was about to approach her, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves coming from behind Phyllis, followed by calls of "Lady Phyllis, Lady Phyllis!"
Instinctively, Mu Yunfan hid behind a large tree and peered out to observe the situation. He saw eight people on horseback approaching Phyllis. Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were all wearing silver light armor and had pointed ears - they were eight elves. The horses they rode had horns on their heads, indicating that they were not ordinary horses, but unicorns, the preferred mounts of elves.
Phyllis heard the sound behind her and stopped in her tracks, turning around to see the eight elves. She was stunned for a moment. The elves stopped in front of Phyllis, and the leader of the group exclaimed with joy, "Lady Phyllis! We have finally found you!"
Phyllis looked puzzled. She had been exiled from the elven kingdom as if she were a criminal, so she couldn't understand why the elves would come looking for her. The elf leader knelt down on one knee in front of Phyllis, and the others followed suit. The elf leader proclaimed loudly, "Lady Phyllis, our Grand Elder sent us to find you and bring you back!"
Phyllis was taken aback. It was the Grand Elder who had ordered her expulsion from the elven kingdom, so why would they want to bring her back? Suddenly, Phyllis had a thought and her voice trembled as she said, "Is it possible... that the Grand Elder, he believes me? That I did not... touch dark magic?"
As the elven holy maiden, Phyllis's mission was to resonate with the Tree of Life and spread its blessings to the entire elven race. She was highly revered among the elves, even above the Four Great Elven Kings. However, a month ago, Phyllis inexplicably lost her resonance with the Tree of Life.
Then, she was framed. A black magic array appeared in her room, and traces of dark magic were detected on her body. The evidence was conclusive, and no matter how she argued, no one believed her. Being the sacred elven holy maiden and having allegedly come into contact with evil black magic, she was met with scorn and condemnation from all the elves. She was stripped of her power, her title as the elven holy maiden was revoked, her family name was taken away, and she was expelled from the elven kingdom as a criminal.
However, now the Grand Elder wanted to bring her back. Did that mean the Grand Elder believed her? Did they believe that she hadn't touched dark magic?
The elf leader nodded and said, "Yes, please accompany us back, Lady Phyllis."
At that moment, crystalline tears fell from Phyllis' face. She went from being the admired elven holy maiden to the scorned criminal of the elves, a fall from heaven to hell. Despite her desperate pleas for justice, no one believed her. The pain and despair she felt almost crushed her.
But now, the Grand Elder believed in her.
Clearing her name, seeing the light in the darkness, she felt overwhelming joy. Tears streamed down her face, but there was a smile on her lips.
Not far away, Mu Yunfan silently watched everything, feeling a mix of disappointment and happiness. He was disappointed because he had thought he had finally encountered a situation that a protagonist would face, rescuing a damsel in distress. Maybe it would even lead to a love interest. However, he realized that she didn't need his help at all. But he was also happy to see her overwhelmed with joy.
However, just as Mu Yunfan was about to quietly leave, he suddenly noticed something was amiss. He noticed that all eight kneeling elves had their hands on the handles of their swords, as if they were ready to fight at a moment's notice.
