Tales of the Uncrowned #2

Elves, the Invaders of the Kingdom of Aldrein

The Elven Invasion of Rinea

The land of the elves had become uninhabitable after a catastrophic magical war of their own making.

Corrupted by the abyss, the soil turned hostile, no longer able to cradle its masters. The elves crossed the sea in search of a land untainted by the aftermath of war—a land teeming with aether. Rinea was the new continent they had long desired.

The fact that the Kingdom of Aldrein had already been established on this land meant nothing to them. Infatuated by the sight of a continent clean of abyssal rot, the elves launched their onslaught without hesitation.

However, the Kingdom of Aldrein was no easy foe. Realizing their mistake in regarding their enemies as magic-deprived barbarians, the elves feigned a retreat, donning the mask of a peace treaty. Of course, retreat was never their true intent.

To eradicate the Kingdom of Aldrein's resistance in one fell swoop, the elves attempted to rally their forces and quell their internal strife.

Three years passed, yet the elven factions remained divided. In the end, a faction broke ranks. The Velseize elf lord, driven by the greatest urgency, chose to strike the Kingdom of Aldrein first — and Bella began to make her move.

The Slaughter at Daybreak

Bella made landfall at the Red Anchor Harbor in Towerstead.

In the predawn hours, while the world was still asleep, she stalked through the quiet streets, staining her hands with the lifeblood of the slumbering. Twisted Corpse Flowers bloomed across the entire town, and silver blood flowed like a river through the streets.

By the time Valdemar Harborwell, Grand Lord of Goldenhaven, arrived with his knights, the massacre was already nearing its end. He offered her a peace treaty, but her only response was a burst of laughter. When the rain halted mid-air and droplets began to rise upward, Valdemar realized something was terribly wrong. But it was already too late.

With a casual flick of her wrist, the soldiers were lifted into the air. Their screams mingled with Bella's laughter as they were torn apart limb from limb.

Valdemar Harborwell, the Grand Lord who ruled Goldenhaven, suffered a death so gruesome that not even a fragment of his body remained to be buried.

Bloodied Succession Ceremony

Bella had already planted her spies within Goldenhaven. At the height of the succession ceremony, they flung the gates wide open for her.

She stepped proudly into the heart of Goldenhaven, making her presence known to all. It only took seconds for the halls to be filled with blood and screams instead of cheers. Leopold's head fell, and tidal waves conjured by elven magic devoured the Goldenhaven fortress.

With the coveted Book of Rites in hand, Bella vanished in thin air.

What remained was total desolation. With Goldenhaven fallen, there remained nothing to halt the elven advance. The relentless march of the elves began, sweeping through the entire Kingdom of Aldrein.

Elves - Blackmist Elves, the Invaders of Rinea

The elves abandoned their abyss-tainted continent and crossed the sea. Having experienced the fear of death and the loss of their bodies, the first thing they did upon reaching Rinea was absorb human aether to restore their damaged bodies. From the moment they regained their beautiful, resilient forms, they viewed humanity as nothing more than prey—mere livestock.

Elven society is a hierarchy governed solely by the law of power, where the weak must succumb to the strong. The powerful rise as lords, while the weak serve them and survive on the life ampoules they are given. There is no morality here—no mercy.

The only thing of value to the elves is how long and how beautifully one can exist. Among them, the forces that follow the Velseize elf lord are known to humans as the Blackmist.

Clad in dark armor, they move in absolute silence before descending like a sudden, violent storm, leaving behind only ruins and corpses.

Elven Commander, Bella

A blood-crazed warrior.

As a Velseize elf, she can manipulate liquids, but the substance she loves most is blood. With the cold indifference typical of her kind, she views most things with detached boredom; but when she sees blood, madness slowly creeps across her impassive face.

She savors human suffering and blood as though they were works of art, soaking herself in blood and drawing ecstasy from absorbing the fading life of her victims.

Wherever the elves struck across Rinea, especially at the sites of the most horrific massacres, Bella was there. As she prowled the battlefields between elves and humans, Bella naturally became to be known as the vanguard of the Velseize elves.

Blackmist Elf: Blockader

Once the gatekeepers and guardians of elven society, these warriors are specialists in defense. Possessing immense restraining power, they lack the typical elven penchant for destruction. Instead, they quietly carry out only the duties assigned to them.

Even without shields, they act as living ramparts, crushing enemies beneath the weight of their massive hammers to halt any advance.

Rather than leading the charge, they are primarily stationed in the rear, serving as an immovable wall to protect the Archers and Screamers.

Blackmist Elf: Destroyer

Lower-class elvesknown as the "Distorters."

Though known as the assault troopers of the Blackmist elf unit, they are in truth little more than an expendable force, hurled onto the front lines. Lacking the ability to retain the life force they absorb, they cannot stop throwing themselves onto the battlefield.

Driven by ceaseless hunger and insatiable need for life energy, they thrash through the carnage in a desperate struggle to survive.

Blackmist Elf: Archer

The elven archers who provide long-range support for the Blackmist elf units.

They are harbingers of despair, striking down fleeing humans to instill the chilling realization that there is no escape. Appointed by the ruling class as executioners of the human livestock pens, they wield the bows bestowed upon them.

Like a relentless downpour of black rain, they saturate the battlefield with arrows, acting as wardens who surround and suppress the enemy until they are utterly trapped.

• All system names are temporary and subject to change.