I swear on my life—I am absolutely not the reincarnation of your beloved one.

"I am certain you are. Utterly certain." Bilodis’s enchanting eyes gazed tenderly at Dilin. "I have never seen two souls so alike in this world. The likelihood is overwhelming—you are my sister’s reincarnation."

Certainty or not… May I ask how to address you, Miss Elf?

"My apologies. I neglected to introduce myself. I am Bilodis Jialnuolin, Elven Empress, sovereign of Jialnuolin—the ancestral homeland of Elves—and descendant of the Elven Primordial God, Jialnuolin."

Miss Jialnuolin… May I use your surname? And if your certainty proves wrong—if I truly am not your kin’s reincarnation—what then?

"Your soul will scatter." Bilodis’s reply was crisp, unflinching.

So I’m just a stepping stone to resurrect your sister?!

Hearing this, Dilin’s composure shattered.

"Fear not. This is transcendence. You will come to no harm." Bilodis’s expression left no room for doubt—she had already cemented his identity as her sister’s reborn soul.

*So that’s why the Moon Elf addressed her that way earlier… But I’m not her sister! I was human in my past life on Blue Star—completely unrelated to her so-called sibling!*

"Besides… you came here not for yourself, but for the gravely ill abbot of the monastery, desperate for funds to save his life, correct?"

"............"

Dilin fell silent.

"That monastery will shut down soon due to financial strain. When it does, not only will the abbot go untreated—the human children it shelters will be left homeless."

"May they survive this winter," Bilodis murmured, her golden lashes fluttering shut like delicate fans.

"So… what is your answer, little sister?"

*……I’m not your sister! I’m male!*

"Souls bear no gender."

*……Then your word—is it binding?*

"I am the Elven Empress." Bilodis opened her eyes slowly. "To save lives—or how many to save—rests solely on my will."

*Meaning the reverse holds true too. How many must die also hinges on your whim. And I’m merely an ant beneath your heel.*

*To you and your kin, human lives are just cold numbers.*

Bilodis offered no rebuttal to this accusation.

"Do you recall… how many years I’ve lived?"

*How should I know? Don’t you even remember your own age?!*

"Too long. I’ve lost count. No one celebrates my birth anymore… so I forgot. Except you."

".............."

"You’re right. Human lives *are* just numbers to me. Even my own."

"I won’t deny my indifference—it’s truth. I no longer remember if I was ever different."

"I refuse to dwell on it. Living this long… I’m weary." Her voice carried bone-deep exhaustion. "Beyond the Primordial God’s mandate, the only thing that keeps me alive—the only thing I truly desire—is to resurrect my kin."

"Even if the chance is less than one percent, I would forsake everything to seize it. So yes—you’re right. Compared to restoring your memories and reviving her, human lives *are* mere numbers to me."

"If my kin returns to me, I’d welcome infamy. I’d wade through rivers of blood. I’ve long accepted this truth."

"Now, little sister… what is your choice?" Bilodis’s gaze held profound tenderness—as if beholding not a stranger, but a long-lost soul.

*I told you—I’m not your sister! My past life wasn’t even in this plane! Do you believe me?*

Bilodis smiled, silent.

The answer was clear: she did not.

*Then do I even have the right to refuse?!*

*……This is why I despise your arrogant kind.*

Compared to her kin, human lives were numbers. With Bilodis’s ultimatum hanging in the air, did his own will even matter?

*She offers refusal—but forbids it.*

*The weak are never heard by the strong.*

She was convinced he was her sister’s reincarnation. From this woman, Dilin sensed a frenzied, all-consuming obsession.

Elves lived millennia—a blessing that curdled into horror upon reflection.

Who knew what endless years had eroded in these pointy-eared beings? Could mortal minds still fathom them? Perhaps they merely *appeared* sane—while madness festered beneath.

*Maybe… she truly has lived too long.*

Soon, the powerless Dilin was stripped to the waist and seated in the central pool of the grand hall. A colossal star-shaped sigil encircled him.

"Don’t worry. Don’t tense up…" A soft splash sounded behind him. Bilodis’s bare foot dipped into the water. Then, slender arms wrapped around his waist from behind.

Golden runes flared on her hands—a sun-and-harp emblem weaving a mesmerizing glow.

"Child… you will be reborn soon…"

A fragrant lock of golden hair brushed his shoulder. Behind him lingered the gentle warmth unique to an Elven maiden.

Cotton-candy softness pressed against his back. Dilin’s spine stiffened.

*How could this inexperienced boy endure such intimacy?* The thought struck him: *Even if my soul scatters… this moment alone makes life worth living.*

Once his panic subsided under her soothing touch, violent currents erupted.

Dilin gasped. Blood gushed from deep gashes across his torso as shattered veins spilled crimson into the pool. One of the eight star-lamps flared to life.

The Soul Sacrifice Ritual had begun.

First, drain the offering’s blood. Then, rebuild her body with the blood of kin.

Watching his own reflection—blood streaming from eyes, nose, mouth—Dilin felt every cut as conscious, excruciating dismemberment.

"Ghhk!!"

"Relax. It will end soon. Very soon… you will be reborn…" Bilodis’s murmur stilled his thrashing.

Her voice held a bewitching pull, melting resistance until he surrendered completely.

*She wants my blood to run dry… yet I obey her willingly. How strange.*

Miraculously, Dilin’s blood vanished upon touching the water—no stain marred the crystal pool.

Human blood could never taint the Elven Sacred Spring.

Rapidly, Dilin’s body withered. But it wasn’t over.

Bilodis knew it wasn’t enough. She cradled his chest and pressed a golden butterfly hairpin into his limp hand.

"Hold this."

Barely conscious, Dilin clutched the artifact instinctively.

When he jerked, Bilodis locked her snow-pale legs around his waist.

*The ritual forbids movement. I must hold him still.*

"Are you afraid? Does it hurt?" Bilodis whispered against his shoulder.

Her soothing scent drained his strength. His struggles faded.

His blood ran dry.

Bilodis glanced at the sigil. Six lamps blazed. Only two remained dark.

*Now.*

She rose, slashed her wrist with her scepter, and let azure blood spill into the spring.

The crimson tide surged toward Dilin’s desiccated form—a hollow shell of skin and bone.

*Please…*

Bilodis watched the churning waters, grief etching her face.

*This is my last chance… It must succeed.*

The seventh lamp ignited! The eighth flickered wildly—

*Light up… light up…*

The final lamp guttered like a torch in a storm.

For a millennium, Bilodis’s heart had known no turbulence. Today, hope made it race like a runaway steed.

At the spring’s heart, a silhouette emerged—a maiden with white-gold hair and breathtaking features, eyes closed.

*She was right. This human boy truly is her sister’s reincarnation!*

*After all these years… I’ve found her…*

"Sister…" Bilodis gritted her teeth, pouring out her divine essence.

She didn’t know how much blood it would take. But stopping was no longer an option.

Seeing that longed-for face unleashed a frenzy within her.

Centuries of obsession erupted.

*Even if I fall from demi-godhood… even if I die… I will wrench her from Death’s scythe!*

At last, the eighth lamp flared to life in Bilodis’s fading vision.

Before relief could bloom, a gale snuffed out all eight flames.

"?!" Bilodis paled, collapsing into the bloodied water.

*How…?*

*Could it truly not be her?!*

*But I saw her… I—*

The mixed waters soaked her naked form. Unseeing, she reached out—fingers grasping only vanishing mist.

All for naught.

——————

"Your Majesty?" The Moon Elf pushed open the temple doors after repeated unanswered calls.

In the dim hall, she surveyed the ruined star-sigil. Silently, she began cleaning the wreckage.

No words were needed.

It had failed.

She didn’t search for Bilodis. She knew—the Empress would lock herself away for a very long time.