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  Current Year:500Selena's Awakening:Year 528-------------

  After Selena, the Eldritch Abomination, fell into her fifty-year slumber, the Dark Elves began their recovery.

  The loss of their people had made them even more cautious.

  The newborns, already with physical bodies of adults by Year 500, were still young and inexperienced. With fewer numbers, the Arae iing the tunnels were growing faster. And in the far distance, goblins with a programmed hatred for them tio roam the western mountains.

  Even after Selena's fall, every goblin and Brood Mother had bee aware of the birthpce of their creator's nemesis. The resulting aftermath was a tinued onsught of goblins.

  Thankfully, with Myra holding the Chaos Gehihe following hordes couldn't injure even one of them.

  To ensure no casualties or injuries, knowing that their ons could not harm her, she traveled out aloo annihite the hordes until the Brood Mothers were forced to stop, requiring the remaio recover and grow again.

  After Selena, nine Brood Mothers were left. One was teleported to the western ti, and three were ter found aroyed by Myra.

  To bat her and avoid extin, the Brood Mothers created a unicatiowork simir to what they had with Selena, except with no overarg mind. With this, the remaining five learned and have been managing to evade Myra's genocide, but their growth was stifled.

  The Dark Elves, who learned of this lush and green nd far to the west, became curious. Greeile nds versus the harsh, unfiving wastend and dangerous tunnels?

  After twenty years of recovery, and with a few more Dark Elven children born- spurring their desire for a more hospitable nd- expeditions began.

  Ag as a midpoint, a strange cave they hadn't known about before became their outpost. And from here, sweet berries, delicious animals free of toxins, and water beyond the Oasis flowed into their encampment.

  Yet some argued that they should remain in the desert. The mountains, teeming with life and abundance, would make them soft, and the desert acted as a perfeatural defense against future hordes of monsters.

  Their ter-argument? Rituals could be held to send the young into the desert for trials and tributions. Myra could protect them, and they could grow more easily.

  But the pro-desert Dark Elves argued it would be suicide and even crueler if they were nht up to uand the dangers from birth. The new nds would also harbor new poisons, unknowns, and dahat could kill their people- though they had yet to find any toxins on par with the desert.

  At least in the desert, they had five turies of experience.

  The debates aed arguments have endured for two years and have yet to cease. Meanwhile, expeditions tinued into the base of the lush western region, unc little to no dangers beyond the goblins.

  The harpies were devastated after their battles with the Dragons, and most of their popuce became trated around the coastal mountains after su incursion.

  Xanveris, Xelvanya, and Zark became the three who stood in Myra's pce when she was away, taking charge of expeditions and proteg their people.

  The of the Sahir Tenebris, only 22 years old, was not yet allowed to take part in any leadership due to her inexperie was still highly respected.

  Any who held the powers of the Red Mist were now revered, with anticipation that they could be blessed like Myra and bee the honor of their family for millennia.

  Meanwhile, on the Primordial ndmass, Ignis Firebeard died of old age. His soul, like many others, was bereft in a void with no afterlife, doomed to disappear into nothingness as there was no default afterlife system in pce.

  His successcies Firebeard- named after a certain Primordial's cold fmes that froze rather than burook up the maheir history, their heritage, remained as tainted as the first geion.

  Multiple dwarves, friends of Gcies, swooned around his love is, and one by ohey each died, falling victim to unfortunate "acts." It was se and obvious, yet with no proof, people could only suspect him, earning him the title of "the dwarf with the most dead friends."

  Despite their chaotic rivalries behind the ses, the dwarves remaihe most advanced civilization on the p. Iron fes became onpce as they began experimenting with coal, copper, tin, and other materials to create stronger alloys.

  They came close a few times but failed.

  Another achievement was the mastery of the Dragon's Breath to create the first magically ented ons.

  Ingots created solely through Dragon's Breath were imbued with one specific element. They tried using multiple dragons and even multiple Primordials before they scattered, but only one element would ever stick.

  For the Primordials, however, they were capable of visualizing specifies to assist in their embodiment and creation of magic beyond their Dragon's Breath.

  Unaware of the dwarves' internal politics, the Queen shared the four most basies with them for the simple four elements. While still uo be used in bination, these runes allowed stronger es to the imbued element and gave the wielder or wearer the ability ter it at will.

  The first Rare equipment worthy of notification was created on Ats's p.

  As for the Primordials and their dragons, per Ats's request, they stopped procreating. This bothered some males initially, but to appease their Sky God, they plied.

  When news of the massacre of several Primordials and dragons reached the Queen and other Primordial females from a fleeing dragon, their fury knew no bounds. The desire to leave aerminate life on the western coast of the eastern ti grew year by year- to have revenge for their children against the Bck Primordial and harpies.

  They uood the Sky God's io save this ndmass's wildlife popution, but they could not abide others killing their children.

  The only reason they refrained was due to the Queen's sistent prayer- a prayer that desired revenge, permission to scorch the nd. And to this date, it remained unanswered, and the others' patience was wearing thin.

  And on the Western ti, problems were beginning to arise. Corpses of beastkin and humans with their innards removed were found along the outskirts.

  her side- North or South- cimed responsibility. Yet both distrusted each other, and tensions began to mount again as the source of these abomis remained unknown.

  The elves, however, discovered the truth quickly. Their keen senses and magic cshed violently with the goblins that had now ihe ti.

  Much like on the eastern ti, the goblins harbored an instinctual hatred for elves. They did not explore much after entering them, as their sole purpose was reignited.

  Only out of the y to grow strong enough to extermihe elves did they venture further- reag humans and other parts of the ti. They also had little choice, as new arrivals along the mountainions made exploration dangerous.

  Roasting to death was not an ideal oute.

  Nor did the dwarves appreciate their presence when they were discovered. The dwarves in the region, developing their first iron onry and crossbows, quickly turhem against the goblins.

  Much to the Brood Mother's fusion, outside of finding her nemesis so quickly, some goblins began severing from her e. Not many, but enough to make her more wary of the mountainion surrounding her.

  In response, she cautiously redirected goblins toward false caves to avoid dete.

  It was the differeween a subtle ping of a goblin's death- the mind e gently returning- or a jolt as the e was forcibly ripped away.

  Little did she know, she was already found. And the culprits?

  The Green Primordial, disguised in elven form, and the beastkin vampire. But her acted to extermihe Brood Mother.

  Public Chapter: Chapter 22: Purpose. On Monday. Weekend stockpiling on patreon.

  30k words, let me know in a review/ratings/ents what you think so far ;)