The Infinite Bk. 05 Ch. 01

"Very well. Valia?"

"I got it."

With Noah locked in Elisandra's embrace, Valia reached over to the bedside table, smothering Noah's face with her breasts and tapping the screen as he had taught her. Now granted a few more minutes of serenity, she put her arm around Noah and pressed herself against his back, with Noah holding Elisandra close, sandwiched between the two elves. Immersed in each other's warmth, the three drifted in and out of consciousness as the sky brightened and the birds initiated their morning chorus.

When Noah's alarm went off a second time, Elisandra tried again to keep Noah pinned, but he and Valia, with much reluctance, managed to pull themselves from her bed. "I have lived for over a thousand years, and yet waiting for you two to return feels like an eternity," she sleepily mumbled, holding Noah's hand.

He leaned down and kissed hers. "But we will, soon enough."

After getting dressed and collecting their things, Noah and Valia left the palace. The castle consisted of two parts, with Elisandra living in the mansion above the canopy, and the supporting foundation, made of the ancient trees weaving together, serving as the fortress where the guards stayed. They patrolled at all hours of the day, even more fervently after the incident with the succubus. With their sharp hearing, even someone like Valia would struggle to sneak out, but fortunately, Noah was by her side.

After the trials and near-death experiences at Kisara Island, Noah's magical abilities had undergone a growth spurt. Initially, his invisibility spell could hide only his presence, and his mana slid off others like oil and water, but now, he could shield others simultaneously under certain conditions.

As they walked the corridors, Noah held Valia's hand, and his mana flowed from him and wrapped around her. Moving weakened the concealing effect, leaving them visible but silencing their footprints. When a guard approached, they'd remain perfectly still, allowing Noah's mana to deepen the illusion and hide them both from sight. The guard would walk by, unaware of their presence.

Once they slipped into the city below, Noah released the spell, and they walked carefree to their home. By now, early risers were beginning their morning chores and routines. Anyone who passed Noah and Valia would bow their heads and recite an elvish greeting, which they returned. For saving the queen and countless other elves, Noah had received the title of Lord, but more importantly, Noah's existence as an ancient being, something he had concealed for thousands of years, was now recognized. Though he still had the body of a human, the elves treated him as one of their own.

Upon reaching home, Noah and Valia retired to their bed to enjoy a few more hours of sleep. A morning nap was non-negotiable, considering their vigorous nighttime activities with the queen. They snoozed together like lazy cats, eventually getting up to start the day. After breakfast, they took time to exercise. Valia performed the Dance of the Ivunara, an elven ritual that loosened the muscles and focused the mind. Noah underwent his workout routine, combining yoga, calisthenics, weight-lifting, and several other techniques perfectly mixed and cultivated over centuries.

Once finished, Valia sighed and wiped the sweat from her brow. "That was nice. So, shall we head to the library?"

"We could, but how about a little more exercise?"

Valia giggled. "Do you mean bedroom exercise?"

"I was thinking a something less sensual, but just as intense." Noah held out his hand and conjured his sword. "Interested?"

"A little steel-on-steel? I like the sound of that. We haven't sparred since the academy." The two faced each other, gripping their swords, but Noah suddenly retrieved his phone and started tapping on the screen before they could begin. "And what are you doing now?"

"Just a little something to make it more interesting." Music began to play from his phone, a dramatic melody that heated the blood. "Now come at me."

Valia indulged him, rocketing forward with her sword, aiming straight for Noah's face. He parried the attack and went on the offense, but Valia spun around and blocked his counterattack. Noah disengaged and went in for an uppercut slash, yet Valia dodged the swing and aimed for his neck, only for Noah to duck under the blade and narrowly miss her with a kick. Valia jumped back, and Noah pursued her with a hurricane of slashes.

They went at it with full force, attacking and defending as though their lives were on the line. Their blades met several times each second, sounding like the chirping birds around them and catching the ears of every elf nearby. After fighting Valia multiple times, Noah had realized how incredible she was. She switched between styles effortlessly, lunging like a berserker, slashing like a samurai, thrusting like a fencer, and moving like a dancer.

To counter, Noah focused not on trying to inflict damage, but on breaking Valia's stance and rhythm. He darted back and forth around Valia to attack from all sides, each step a leap that allowed him to move like he was bouncing. Most of his attacks were feints, trying to cloud her reflexes with anticipation and doubt. Noah was good at hiding his tells and avoiding patterns, but that was against humans.

At one moment, he appeared behind her, and Valia's elf eyes scanned his intent. Though it looked like he was attacking, he was actually defending himself. If she counterattacked, he'd break her momentum and take advantage, and if she tried to circumvent his guard, he'd nullify her. His position was a trap, so rather than engage him, she focused on his next jump, and when he moved, she intercepted. A flurry of attacks rained down on Noah, but none of them managed to even scratch his clothing.

Valia had the natural grace and speed of the elves and centuries of training, but Noah had thousands of years of accumulated hand-eye coordination and no shortage of combat experience, letting him block and dodge her attacks with identical expertise. When they first fought, Noah's proficiency with the blade wowed Valia, and that was when his skills were considerably rusty. Now, after training under her and fighting numerous opponents in this world, he was an unquestionable sword master.

An audience soon began to form, with soldiers and citizens alike stopping what they were doing to observe the match from throughout the city. They perched like eagles on branches, walkways, and balconies and watched the fight with sharp eyes. Even among the mighty elf warriors, Valia was an unreachable existence, the best their race had to offer, but despite that, Noah was holding his own. The idea that a human could move the way he did left them awestruck.

Finally, the song ended, and Noah and Valia sheathed their swords.

"Ah, that was just what I needed. You've certainly improved from that first day at the academy," Valia said, barely out of breath.

"Thanks. It'll still be a while before I'm able to best you."

"Hmph, I'd say a little more than a while."

"Quite a while?"

"There you go."

Having nourished and strengthened their bodies, they now set out to sharpen their minds. They journeyed to the Sylphtorian library, where Noah once more buried himself in books. He and Valia had traveled to the realm of the elves, searching for more than just her brother. They also came here so Noah could try to break his reincarnation curse using elvish knowledge, and before they could move on to continue their search for Valon, Noah was going to use every scrap of information at his disposal. He was quickly mastering the elvish language, so while Valia helped where she could, translation was becoming less and less of an issue.

As a gift from the spirits, he had gained the ability to manifest his curse's magic circle and could now begin trying to write a counterspell. However, it was no easy task. Many of the runes were unidentified and interacted with each other like both language and mathematics. It required a lot of steps, and neither Noah nor Valia could cast runecraft spells. Noah could, however, use illusion magic to perform simulations.

Working in the library, Noah would sit before a pile of scrolls, surrounded by stacks of books, devouring knowledge and regurgitating it into scribbled rune sequences, writing code with parchment and ink. He was creating spells that could process patterns, act in response, and convey visual data, like programs on a screen, and he'd simply mimic them with illusions. It was a magical spellcheck, search function, and the foundations of a translator and calculator. Since he could not read his own curse, he had to create spells to do it for him.

It took a lot of willpower to pull himself away from the library each night, but patience was a skill he had learned long ago, and he wouldn't make the mistake of sacrificing his health. Besides, Valia gave him plenty of reason to return home, and every few days, they'd slip into the queen's bed for some fun.

When he wasn't in the library, he was busy creating magic tools and weapons. Valon had stolen numerous relics from the queen and lords of Sylphtoria, so Noah was compensating them with replicas and other pieces. There was no shortage of high-grade materials in the city, and he had the skills to put them to use. He used wyvern tissue, wood and sap from mythic trees, mystical alloys that had absorbed the ambient mana of Sylphtoria, and water and soil from holy sites. He'd craft and inscribe the pieces with the most powerful inks he could create.

The quality of the ingredients was surpassed only by the skill of his workmanship. Noah had a great affinity for runic math, and his skills from past lifetimes helped him process and shape leather, wood, metal, gems, bones, and other materials to create masterpieces. They were enchanted to resist damage and deterioration and, over the millennia, would develop rich histories and provenance to match their origin.

Though he could not make up for the emotional or historical value of the lost pieces, these magical tools, forged by an ancient being from another world, were received with appreciation. The elves, blessed with keen eyes and a well-cultivated appreciation for art, understood the true quality of Noah's crafts.

After months of study and work, the pair were summoned to the palace. They found Lour standing at Elisandra's side, each holding a scroll and flanked by guards.

"Your Majesty," Noah and Valia said with a nod for the sake of appearances.

"Thank you for coming. A squad of knights stand at our borders, delivering a message from Prince Lupin of Uther, asking me personally to locate you, Sir Noah."

"The prince knows I'm here?"

"Prince Lupin is a sharp one and has made sure to keep a close eye on Colbrand, even from a distance," said Valia. "He wanted to always be informed on everything going on back home. Leuca would have sent word to the king about your whereabouts, and if the king knows, then Lupin would know."

"I didn't think he'd be foolish enough to waste your time with an arrest warrant, Your Majesty."

"Fortunately for him, your original impression would be correct. It seems you've been pardoned."

She motioned to Lour, who handed his scroll to Noah. He unrolled it to find a notice of exoneration, signed and sealed by Prince Lupin himself. Elisandra opened her own scroll and began to read.

"To Elisandra Tu Kylateran, Queen of Sylphtoria,

I must apologize for not being able to meet you in person, but I am bound in place by the direness of my situation. I write to you from Welindar, a city besieged. It is not by an enemy nation we are attacked, but by an ancient evil. The beastmen of Handent are under the influence of the Profane, turning them into murderous abominations infesting the countryside. If these fiends have not infiltrated the Anorvan Forest already, they will soon, and they'll leave behind paths of blood leading to Sylphtoria.

I will not ask you to help me keep my conquered lands, but there is someone who I hope can prevent this mess from spreading further. A man named Noah has fled Uther and escaped into the Anorvan Forest. For your sake and mine, you must find him and let him know the situation. Tell him I need his help and will grant him a full pardon for his crimes in exchange for his expertise. Regardless of the past, it is not worth the future lost if the Profane should rise to power. If I fail in stopping them, I pray that the old alliances are honored. I warn you to be ready for war and beg you to fight alongside the races of man and dwarf again.

To the Wandering Spirit, if you are reading this, you once offered counsel on the night of my greatest triumph. I ask for your wisdom once more on the eve of my destruction. Help me, and all your transgressions against my family will be forgiven. To Lady Valia Zodiac, I extend the same offer and ask that you once more aid my country.

Signed, His Highness, First Prince Lupin Oxam Vilard Albion."

"So the situation in Handent has reached its breaking point," said Noah.

"Why would he go so far to ask for you specifically?" Lour asked.

"In the final battle of the Siege of Welindar, Prince Lupin's forces slew a basilisk, and when the skeleton was brought to Colbrand, I noticed numerous deformities, suggesting that the beast had been created artificially, rather than born or summoned. I have first-hand experience with the kind of methods and intent that could spawn such abominations, and I warned Lupin that it was a sign of something far worse on the horizon. He was wise for listening." Noah then skimmed his pardoning certificate. "This seems legit, but it only works under the condition that I remain in the prince's service. However, I can't help but wonder if this would detract someone like Gradius or any other knights under the king's direct order."

"I've known Lupin for years, and he's a man of his word," Valia said. "If you help him, I'm sure you'll be able to return to Colbrand without fear. I think we should go. We have no idea where to begin looking for Valon, and staying here hasn't changed that. If we keep moving, maybe fortune will smile upon us. Besides, a chance to get Uther off our backs is too good to pass up."

"I, too, believe you should assist the prince," Elisandra added. "This evil threatens the world, and the Anorvan Forest is already seeing the effects. The succubus was one of the Profane, and I doubt she was a lone aggressor. The forces of darkness are claiming dominion over Handent and have already struck a blow to Sylphtoria. Their ambitions will carry them farther, beyond all corners of the horizon, and soon, they will set their gaze upon this nation once more."

"While it pains me to put my research on hold, perhaps a reprieve will provide new insight. I might even find something useful in Welindar. I just need a couple days to prepare, and then we will set off."

"Before you leave, Lord Noah, there is something you should be aware of." Elisandra nervously smiled and put her hand on her belly. "You're going to be a father."

Her words hit everyone in the palace like a mighty gale, causing the posture of the strict and rigid guards to come undone, one of them even dropping his spear in shock. They glared at Noah angrily and enviously, shooting daggers from their eyes that stuck him like a pin cushion. Lour's eyes looked like they would pop out of their sockets while Valia had her hand over her face. This was far from Noah's first surprise pregnancy, but none had left him so stunned. Were Elisandra human, he would have at least noticed long before now, but elvish pregnancies were different from humans', and in more than one way.

"How is this possible? There have only been a few successful human-elf couplings in all of recorded history, and none of those cases involved a human father."

"I would like to know as well," said Lour, appearing ill.

Elisandra's smile lost is anxiety and she now glowed with pride. "Under normal circumstances it shouldn't have happened. An elf woman's cycle takes over a decade, and even then, the chances of impregnation are low. But our circumstances were far from normal, weren't they?"

"The spirits," Valia gasped.

"That's right. Our union was ordained by the spirits of nature at the Lunar Temple. It is by their will that this miracle has transpired. Not only did they wish for the turmoil in my heart to be mended, but they blessed Sylphtoria with an heir to the throne."

"I remember you saying that they wanted to witness an expression of life. I guess they meant that in two ways," said Noah with a chuckle.

"This... this is going to have massive repercussions," said Lour, pacing back and forth. "Forgive me, My Lady, this is indeed wonderful news, and I am happy for you, but these aren't exactly the best circumstances. Despite everything Lord Noah has done for this country, and his true identity as the Wandering Spirit, the fact remains that he is a human with a very... sordid reputation. I mean no offense, Lord Noah."

"It's fine, I'm of the same thought. I am not one to care for what others may think of me, but I fear for you, Elisandra. I don't want you to suffer even a single dirty look or word of ridicule on my account."

"Before I met you, Noah, I would have feared the same thing, but in my darkest hour, you gave me courage, and in my lonesome days, you've given me comfort and companionship. No matter what people may say or think about this child, there are two facts that will never change: their birth was decreed by the spirits of nature, and their father is the man I love. You and I have been blessed, and when you return, we will raise this child together."

Noah kneeled before the queen and placed his hand on her stomach, which would soon swell with the development of their unborn baby. "I gave Valia my word that I would help find her brother, and with or without his help, I will break my curse of reincarnation. This is something I have waited thousands of years for, and I can't walk away from it, for anything.

However, once I have succeeded, and I am free from the prison of eternity, I will come back for you and our baby. One way or another, this will be my last life, and I want to live it here in Sylphtoria. I want to spend my remaining years with you and this child. I want this to be the final place I call home."

Elisandra cupped his cheek. "That's all that I ask. Finish your quest, earn your peace. I'll be waiting."

They continued to speak about their plans for the future before Noah and Valia finally left the palace. There was much work for Elisandra and Lour to do, regarding not just the baby, but the return of the Profane. The elves of Sylphtoria would have to be ready for war. Outside, finally alone, Noah and Valia stood on a balcony and looked out over the city, though he was actually looking at her. She said nothing, but he could read her despondent mood.

"I guess this complicates things," said Noah.

"Yeah, it does," Valia mumbled.

"So what's on your mind? I haven't had the chance to hear your opinion."

"I don't even know, there is too much swirling around in my head to answer."

"Take your time. I'll listen to everything you have to say."

"My issues are my own. I won't burden you with them. We certainly have enough going on right now without my emotions get the better of me."

"Your issues deserve to be heard. This isn't a battlefield, you don't have to keep everything bottled up because you're afraid to lose focus. Whatever your feelings are, however petty, silly, or insignificant you think them to be, I want to hear them. Go ahead; be selfish, be dramatic, be honest."

Valia took a deep breath and waited for several moments before speaking. "Do you have any idea how many nobles have asked for my hand? How many have tried to pull me into their little harems to be their concubine? A dark elf, such an exotic prize! I always refused them, usually politely, sometimes with force, because I thought such a thing was beneath me. Now, here I am, suddenly becoming "the other woman." It's not fair.