Yarra's Adventure Notes-Chapter 1308 - 94: I Clearly Appeared First

The Life Sharing Ceremony was a unique skill of the Elves, and it was a compensation from Yuktiraxil, the lord of the jungle, for the long and lonely lives of these children. On this earth, besides the forever slumbering Guardians, the Elves had the longest lifespan. For millions of years, they had stood in the midst of the jungles, silently watching the world change, observing the rise and fall of other races generation after generation. The long life that the short-lived races longed for was, for the Elves, a sort of shackle in disguise, forcing them into solitude, watching the outside world like a bystander, afraid to invest any emotions.

The Life Sharing Ceremony was the only light in the world of loneliness for the Elves. In their extended lifespans, once they reached the strength of demigods and could activate the ceremony, they had a single opportunity to choose a partner from another race and link their lives together beneath the Companion Tree, sharing the long two thousand years of life equally. For the Elves, conducting the Life Sharing Ceremony was an act more sacred than birth, death, or marriage. Every elf with the ability to perform the ceremony was extraordinarily cautious. In over seven thousand years since the birth of Elves, although more than a hundred Elves were capable of performing the ceremony, it’s estimated that less than ten actually carried out this ritual. This indicates just how cautious the Elves were regarding the Life Sharing Ceremony.

For this reason, Pannis had not expected that Flare, the queen of their race, would actually complete in this unnamed valley a ritual that should have shocked their entire race or even the whole world, which was equivalent to, or even surpassed, a queen’s wedding. If he had been able to foresee this, he would probably have fled far away, never to come within a hundred kilometers of this valley for the rest of his life.

"Hasty? Hehe, I don’t think so," Her Majesty’s mood was exceptionally good, and her smile never faded from her face, "What makes you think the Life Sharing Ceremony should be so formal?"

"Shouldn’t it be?" Pannis, like a loser, hung his head and asked despairingly, "This is a once-in-a-lifetime ceremony, and it involves half of your lifespan, shouldn’t it be treated seriously?"

"Don’t be silly, Kyle. Think about it yourself." Flare played with her hair leisurely, shaking her head mischievously, "I am the eighth elf recorded to have held the Life Sharing Ceremony. Before me, there were seven, but if every ceremony were as formal as you say, then the number of those who could perform it would never exceed three, could only be less, never more. I think you understand why."

Pannis closed his mouth, indeed, he was very clear about why Flare said this. Elves were not fools. Unless they truly loved each other to a fervent degree, they would not be willing to share their life with someone else. For Elves, creatures inclined towards calmness, such profound affection was unlikely to be one-sided. That is to say, both parties would have already entered each other’s hearts. However, a paradox then emerges: if an Elf, out of affection, was willing to share half of their lifespan with the other, spending a thousand years together, what about the other party? If the other party truly felt the same towards the Elf, would they have the heart to let their loved one lose half of their lifespan?

What choice others would make, Pannis was not sure, but he knew his own. Before meeting Nellie, Pannis and Flare had formed a temporary adventure team and spent several years together. Everything should have continued beautifully, but sadly, the two discovered the affection that had gradually arisen between them. At that time, the vast difference in their lifespans inevitably became an insurmountable barrier. Apart from the Life Sharing Ceremony, there was no other solution. But perfect Kyle couldn’t watch a girl he loved, who loved him in return, make such a huge sacrifice for him, and proud Kyle likewise couldn’t allow himself to gain a prolonged life because of her sacrifice. Therefore, facing this unsolvable problem, Kyle chose to withdraw, leaving Flare, wandering alone in the Yarran World, until he met Nellie. As for Flare’s side, the Elves’ indifferent conception of time and their nature of passive calmness led her not to take the actions she should have, and thus, Her Majesty lost the best opportunity, leaving a deep regret.

It was because of this reasoning that, over a hundred years ago in this valley, the two of them came to the bittersweet conclusion that everything had already changed.

From his own experience, it was not difficult for Pannis to infer the thoughts of others. To love someone was to consider and care for them, and to do so, one would refuse the ceremony. To refuse the ceremony was to leave the other person and cut off the relationship, thus engendering the paradox. In other words, the greatest obstacle to the Life Sharing Ceremony was not the sacrificing Elves themselves, but the benefiting other half. Therefore, to complete the ceremony, there was only one way out.

"I think I’ve inadvertently stumbled upon the greatest secret of the Elves. Now I’m beginning to wonder, is the Life Sharing Ceremony really a blessing from Yuktiraxil, or is it actually her malicious joke?" Pannis scratched his head in distress and muttered, "Could it be that creating a fait accompli in secret and then forcing the other party to reluctantly accept is the correct way to use the Life Sharing Ceremony?"

"You guessed it, hahaha." Flare covered her mouth, laughing so hard that she doubled over. In her memory, since Kyle left, she had not laughed as freely and joyfully as she did now. After laughing for a long while, Her Majesty finally stopped and spoke between breaths, "In our records, the previous seven predecessors used similar methods to successfully complete the ceremony."

"You Elves," Pannis couldn’t find the right words to express his feelings and ended up just pressing his forehead and saying, "can really give someone a headache."

"No choice, have you considered my feelings?" Flare said seriously, "Do you know what I regret most?"

"I probably... know," Pannis lowered his head and spoke softly, "I think so."

"That’s right, what I regret most is that I was a hundred and twenty years too late in holding this ceremony. If I had had the courage back then as I have now, I would never have given you the chance to leave me, to sever our feelings. Then, everything wouldn’t be like it is now, everything would have been different," Flare suddenly said loudly, "Do you know how resentful I feel? Despite knowing it was my own fault that led to this outcome, when I think of her spending every day with you, of how you’ve thought of her every day for over a hundred years, I just can’t control the jealousy inside me. Why? I appeared first after all."