Chapter 149: Life Counting Down to Dawn

His forehead pressed directly against the turf. Once, and then once more.

Ian kowtowed repeatedly, slamming his head down hard enough that dull, hollow impacts echoed through the silent woods. Before long, blood began to seep from his forehead, trickling down the bridge of his nose to drip onto the earth.

He didn’t stop.

Kei remained motionless in his arms. The green glow upon the leaf had grown so faint it was practically on the verge of extinguishing.

"Please... save Kei."

Ian bowed his head to the earth once more, letting the blood blur his vision until everything was washed in a sea of crimson.

At long last, Eleanor let out a heavy sigh.

"Enough."

Ian froze, his forehead still pressed against the ground.

"I will save him."

He snapped his head upward. Blood trickled down to obscure one of his eyes, yet a blazing spark of hope ignited deep within his emerald gaze.

"Really?"

"Do not celebrate prematurely," Eleanor stated coldly. "You unauthorizedly smuggled a human into the Elven Forest, and even brought him close to the Tree of Life. Such a transgression cannot simply be overlooked."

Ian bowed his head again.

"I accept any punishment."

"You shall be confined within the Sacred Life Sanctuary for one hundred years."

Ian froze in place.

One hundred years.

To a child like him, that span of time was so incomprehensibly vast it was nearly impossible to fathom. Yet glancing down at Kei, who lay breathing his last in his arms, Ian realized that compared to the fleeting blip of an Elf’s long existence, Kei’s life mattered infinitely more!

"I agree."

"Do you comprehend the gravity of what that punishment entails?"

"I understand."

Ian pulled Kei tighter, terrified that if he relaxed his grip even an inch, the boy would vanish into thin air.

"So long as Kei is saved, I will enter the Sacred Life Sanctuary for a hundred years and never step foot outside."

Eleanor stared at him in silence for a long beat. Finally, he raised a hand. The emerald radiance of natural mana instantly converged around his fingertips.

"Lay him down."

Ian carefully deposited Kei onto the grassy turf.

He kept a firm hold on his friend’s icy, tiny hand, refusing to let go.

"Please, save Kei."

Eleanor offered no response. He knelt down, pressing his glowing palm flat against Kei’s chest.

Beneath the canopy of the colossal tree, the leaves shivered in unison despite the utter absence of a breeze. Green light cascaded down from the trunk in a steady stream, blanketing Kei’s tiny frame entirely.

Ian held his breath.

He could only grip Kei’s hand tighter, praying with every fiber of his being that his friend would open his eyes just one more time.

The raw power of nature continued to flood into Kei’s body.

A gentle emerald radiance enveloped the boy, filtering through his ashen skin and surging into his tiny chest. Kei’s breathing gradually steadied. The purple tint on his lips faded slightly, as well.

Yet his eyes remained tightly shut.

Kei did not wake up.

Eleanor furrowed his brow. Drawing his hand back, the green mana surrounding his palm vanished instantly.

"What’s wrong?" Ian asked in a panic. "Why hasn’t Kei woken up yet?"

Eleanor didn’t reply right away. He gazed down at the child resting upon the grass, his cold eyes lingering upon that small face.

The natural mana had stabilized Kei’s respiration, but it couldn’t excise the root cause, draining the boy’s vitality. Something abnormal lurked deep within this child.

It wasn’t a conventional illness. It was a congenital affliction that had anchored itself deep within Kei’s body ever since he drew his first breath, a condition that even the power of nature couldn’t cure.

Eleanor lowered his hand.

"I cannot save him."

Ian froze in place.

"That’s impossible..."

"This affliction has existed since birth. This child was never destined to survive into adulthood," Eleanor stated matter-of-factly. "My power can merely buy him a tiny bit more time."

Ian slumped down beside Kei.

"Impossible... Kei was completely fine just moments ago..."

He shook his head, as though simple denial would keep Eleanor’s words from becoming reality.

"He still smiles, he still plays with me. Kei doesn’t look like he’s about to die at all..."

With trembling fingers, Ian grasped Kei’s hand. The icy, tiny fingers remained motionless within his grip.

Then, a sudden thought struck Ian’s mind.

The Sacred Spring of Life.

That was a supreme treasure guarded across generations by the Elven race, bestowed solely upon warriors who rendered monumental achievements during the ancient inter-species wars. Legend had it that the spring water contained the purest vitality of the Elven Forest.

If it was that... it could undoubtedly save Kei!

Ian immediately dropped to his knees before Eleanor, clutching tightly at the hem of the Elf King’s robes.

"Please! I beg you to let Kei use the Sacred Spring of Life!"

Eleanor lowered his gaze to the hands gripping his garment.

"Negative."

"But the Sacred Spring of Life can save him!" Ian screamed.

"That is a sacred treasure of the Elven race, not something to be squandered on an ordinary human stranger." Eleanor brushed Ian’s hands aside coldly. "I will not waste it on such a minuscule, lowly life."

Ian collapsed back onto the turf.

Eleanor cast a fleeting glance at Kei, then pressed his hand against the boy’s chest once more. A fragile stream of green light flowed into Kei’s body, keeping that feeble heartbeat from sputtering out completely.

"I have channeled additional natural energy to extend his time," Eleanor stated as he rose to his feet. "He has roughly half a day left."

Ian snapped his head upward, staring at Eleanor with a trembling, disbelieving gaze.

"By the time tomorrow’s dawn breaks, he will pass away."

"No..."

"Cherish the final moments he has left."

Eleanor turned his back and walked away. Emerald light converged around him once more, gradually swallowing his tall, slender silhouette.

Ian could no longer command his own limbs.

He simply sat there, pulling Kei into his arms beneath the base of the Tree of Life. The boy in his grasp remained locked in an agonizing slumber, the jade-green leaf upon his neck glowing faintly like a dying lamp symbolizing his countdown to death.

Out in the distance, the colossal tree canopy swayed gently.

Ian bent down, pressing his cheek against Kei’s ice-cold hair.

"Kei..."

His voice broke, shattering amidst the silent woods.

"Don’t die... please, Kei..."