Chapter 3
The removal ceremony was held on the sacred altar, beneath the towering Sacred Tree.
This was the harshest punishment in elven law. It was usually reserved for the worst traitors.
I was chained to the cold altar with thick mana-suppressing shackles.
Elves gathered around, watching like it was some cheap entertainment.
Leonard walked up the altar holding Elena's hand.
She wore a gorgeous High Priestess dress. It was the same one that used to belong to me.
She looked at me with barely concealed greed and triumph.
"Just bear with it. His Majesty said it'll be over soon," she said sweetly.
I closed my eyes. I didn't even have the energy to hate her anymore.
Leonard drew the King's Blade from his waist. I'd tempered with that sword my own heart's blood for him. The silver blade glittered coldly.
"Apologize now, and I'll consider a gentler method," he said, pressing the blade tip against my wrist. "Vow your undying fealty to Elena. If you do, I shall consider a more lenient method of removing the sigil."
"Go ahead," I spat out the words, cold as ice.
His eyes turned vicious. "Fine. You want to die? I'll help you."
He drove the blade into my wrist.
The pain exploded.
This wasn't just a cut. Removing the sigil meant tearing my soul apart.
I bit my lip so hard I tasted blood. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction of hearing me scream.
Blood ran down the altar's grooves, staining the white jade steps red.
Leonard's hand trembled slightly. He hadn't expected me to be so stubborn. No begging. No tears.
"Stop fighting it!" he roared. "Let go of your mana!"
I wasn't fighting. The Priestess Sigil was fighting for itself. It was rooted deep in my soul. Every pull felt like ripping out bone.
"Your Majesty, let me help," Elena offered.
Elena eagerly stepped forward. She placed her hand over Leonard's. Suddenly, a sickening suction pulled at my remaining life force.
She wasn't helping him. She was draining me.
My eyes snapped open. I glared at her. "You parasite!"
"Shut up!" Elena barked.
Leonard thought I was cursing Elena. He poured more mana into the blade.
A sound like tearing flesh and bone echoed across the altar.
The golden Priestess Sigil was ripped from my wrist.
In that instant, I heard my soul crack.
The pain surpassed everything my body could handle. Blood sprayed from my mouth. My vision went dark.
Leonard held up the bloody sigil and turned to Elena. "Elena. From this day forward, you are the sole High Priestess of the Elven Court."
Elena reached for the sigil, her fingers trembling with excitement.
But the instant her fingertips touched the sigil, a sudden, violent change erupted.
The sigil, which had been blazing with golden light, instantly faded into a dead, shadowy gray.
The sigil exploded in her hands, black shards stabbing into her palms.
She screamed and collapsed.
The entire altar started shaking. The Sacred Tree above us let out a deafening wail. Its green leaves turned brown and rained down like ash.
"What's happening? The Sacred Tree is dying!" the Grand Seer shouted in terror.
Leonard whipped his head toward me, disbelief in his eyes.
The mana-suppressing shackles shattered.
My body was losing weight, dissolving into glowing green light, floating upward.
This was true elf death. My soul was returning to nature.
"No! What are you doing? Stop!" Leonard lunged for me like a madman.
His hands grabbed only light.
His face was twisted with fear. With my last bit of strength, I smiled.
"Leonard. You're free now," I whispered. "The Elven Court ends with me."
My consciousness drowned in darkness. His screams echoed across the altar behind me.