"You look like you're having fun," Elena said with a smile on her face, noticing how excited her little nephew was while staring at the castle and the huge forest around it. "Do you like what you're seeing?"
"Yes, I do," Orion replied with a nod.
He turned around to see Elena dressed in a shimmering blue gown with a silver circlet gracing her forehead.
Elena smiled and the two continued to talk before Orion turned his attention back to the kingdom and the houses he could see within the kingdom.
'Based on the countless novels I've read concerning elves, I knew most elves lived within a forest.'
'However, this forest and the houses within it far exceeded my expectations.'
The elven kingdom was located within a vast, ancient forest, secluded by a misty valley and majestic mountains.
Crystal-clear rivers flowed through the forest, with wildflowers of every color blooming throughout the valley.
As the chariot moved along the kingdom, Orion could see the houses of the forest elves which were way below that of the royal family's castle.
'It's like a completely different world here.'
'The elven world and culture are on a whole different level.'
'Fantasy worlds are the best.'
The houses of the elves in the kingdom were like tree-houses and each of them looked similar to the other.
The houses resembled lantern-like structures suspended high above the forest floor, nestled on the crook of a tree branch.
The roofs were curved like a leaf, with moss-like materials which blended seamlessly into the surroundings.
Aside from the houses, Orion could also see a couple of male and female forest elves roaming around the streets.
Unlike the high elves who were known for their blonde hair, the forest elves had platinum blonde hair and each of them had a quiver full of arrows on their back with a longbow slung over their shoulders and a small pouch containing their hunting tools attached to their waist.
These were the common accessories among the forest elves in the kingdom.
The number of male elves in the kingdom was smaller than the females, meaning that the elves lived in a matriarchal society where females held the majority of the power while males were sought after for their rare perspective and skills.
And the male elves were relatively rare.
They made up about 30% of the elven population and this made them a valuable and cherished part of the society.
Due to their rarity, they were given important roles like high-ranking officials, and this would also explain why Evelyn and Elena welcomed the orcs into the forest.
The orcs didn't only provide more warriors to fight for the elves during the world war, but they also contributed their strength in building the elven army while helping to build the towns and houses within the kingdom.
Aside from the orcs having the roles of royal guards and knights, they also helped to lift heavy objects and carry out various tasks around the kingdom, allowing them to have jobs that helped to keep them busy within the kingdom.
With that out of the way, the royal chariot finally arrived at the sacred grove where Orion would be forming his mana core, but several elf men and women were already gathered to see the prince.
They heard of the rumors about the queen having an adorable little prince and everyone wanted to see him as well.
The flying golden chariot finally landed, causing everyone to scream loudly in excitement as they watched Elena and Orion step down from the chariot.
"Look, they're here."
"They're here?"
"Yes, look over there, it's Princess Elena and Prince Galdur."
"You're right, he's here."
"It's the prince."
"The prince is here!!"
"Prince Galdur!!! Over here!!"
"We love you, Prince Galdur!!" Rumors of the prince name had spread from the maids and knights of the queen who had overheard the queen mentioning her son's name during one of her conversations.
Of course, Evelyn wasn't annoyed by this.
In fact, she was glad to see that everyone knew of Orion's name.
She wasn't hiding him from the world, so she had no reason to hide Orion's name from his future elven subjects.
"You look amazing, Prince Galdur!!" The crowds continued to cheer their beloved prince.
"Good luck, your Highness. I hope you summon powerful spirit guardians just like Her Majesty and the princess!!"
Many male and female elves shouted out their wish for Orion's success in forming a mana core and summoning a spirit guardian.
Since most of them had formed a mana core already with a few of them having their own spirit guardian and elementals, everyone knew exactly what the prince came here for.
They continued to wish him good luck and of course, others noticed Elena as well and shared the same amount of love towards her as well.
"We love you, Princess Elena."
"You look beautiful as always!!!"
"You're the best!!!"
Elena had made a name for herself as the strongest knight within the kingdom. Her contribution to saving her kind and ending the war made everyone love her just as much as they loved Evelyn.
The elves of the Elven Kingdom were extremely glad to have both Evelyn and Elena because when the kingdom went through great peril and turmoil, it was Evelyn and Elena who fought and brought hope to the kingdom.
They gave the elves in the kingdom a reason to smile and a future to look forward to.
The elves in the kingdom were forever grateful to the queen and the princess and they would direct the same love and respect towards their prince for as long as they shall live.
======
With the knowledge of what the prince came to do today at the forefront of their minds, none of the cheering elves came to disturb him.
They knew how important it was to give him the space he would need to focus on today's ceremony.
Orion and Elena walked towards the sacred grove which was a bit far from where the chariot landed.
As they stepped deeper into the forest, the sounds of birds chirping vanished and everywhere became as silent as a graveyard, but still they continued to walk deeper into the forest, heading towards the sacred grove.
After a few more minutes, Orion finally saw Evelyn with a couple of elders, waiting for them.
Evelyn wore a shimmering gold and silver gown. The dress hugged her slender body, showcasing her explicit beauty, and behind her were the elder elves.
Although they were called elder elves, all of them had the appearance of a human in their late forties, with pointy ears.
The elders were bowing in front of Elena and Orion when Evelyn walked towards her son.
She stroked Orion's cheeks before asking. "Are you ready, sweetie?"
"Yes," Orion replied and everyone walked towards the spot where Orion would form his mana core.
While walking towards the place, Orion looked around to see what the sacred grove was all about, and to his surprise, it was actually a breathtaking and beautiful place.
It was a circular clearing, surrounded by towering trees that seemed to stretch up to the sky.
Their trunks shimmered and glowed, allowing everyone to feel the strong magic within the grove.
The air was also filled with the sweet scent of a blooming wildflower, filling everyone with a sense of calm and relaxation.
At the center of the grove was a huge magic circle glowing on the ground and covered with a soft, velvety moss that looked as soft as silk.
Standing on the magic circle, was Hilda, dressed in a beautiful green dress that touched the ground.
Unlike the usual platinum blonde hair of the forest elves in the kingdom, Hilda's hair was different.
She had green hair and a similar color of eyes.
She wasn't a forest elf like most elves, instead, she was a nature elf with a strong affinity towards nature magic.
She was also the elf who was with Evelyn the night Orion arrived in this world.
"Please, your Highness, step forward," Hilda beckoned to Orion and he did as he was instructed.
He was the only one walking towards the magic circle, while Evelyn, Elena, and the elders stood behind and watched him from a distance.
While Orion walked towards the magic circle, the tall towering trees surrounding the magic circle seemed like they were leaning towards it, almost as though they wanted to witness what was about to happen.
The moment one of his feet stepped on the magic circle, it glowed even brighter than before, and a huge gust of wind blew into the forest.
Orion and Hilda sat down on the magic circle and crossed their feet, assuming the lotus position.
"Your Highness, please close your eyes and calm your nerves," Hilda instructed him on what to do.
Orion closed his eyes and carried out her instructions.
Although Evelyn had taught him everything he needed to know about forming a mana core, Orion decided to listen closely to everything Hilda had to say.
The fact that he had an idea of what to do made it easier for Orion to remain calm while he listened attentively to Hilda's instructions.
After noticing that Orion was relaxed, Hilda then began to guide him further. "Close out the sounds around you and try to feel the magical energy flowing within your body."
Orion followed her instructions and slowly, he began to feel the magical energies within his body.
It took him a few minutes but Orion was able to visualize the tiny magical particles that filled up his entire body.
'This must be what mama meant by my body reaching a threshold,' He thought to himself then he began to slowly pull the magical energies towards his navel where they were slowly compressed to form a mana core.
Orion could now visualize the mana core within his body. The mana core was like a crystal with multiple facets.
Each facet signified the different aspects of the mana core available to him.
However, the mana core looked like a dark crystal in a dark hollow space within his body.
The moment he was done compressing the last bit of mana in his body, he could feel one of the facets in the mana core slowly glowing brightly until a prompt suddenly appeared in his mind.
[Congratulations to the host, you have successfully awakened the first aspect of your mana core 'Elemental energy'.]
Orion read the words displayed on the screen and his lips widened in a smile but he wasn't done just yet and this was merely just the beginning.
He knew he had to awaken the second aspect of his mana core as well if he wanted to achieve his goal and to do that, he had to fully comprehend what the first aspect of his mana core was all about.
Orion calmed his mind even further by breathing steadily before returning his focus to his newly awakened mana core.
Mana networks suddenly began to sprout from the mana core, spreading across his body to ensure a uniform flow of mana within it.
The mana networks were like veins and now that Orion had awoken the first aspect of his mana core, he could willingly draw mana directly from his surroundings and he could also control and manipulate mana.
This was all thanks to his mother's teachings.
Last night, Evelyn had carefully explained the steps he needed to take and the first step was to compress the impure mana in his body to form a mana core which would then be refined in the mana core.
Once the impure mana was refined, the pure mana began to circulate his body through his mana veins, strengthening his bones and muscles which surprised Hilda who was seated in front of him.
She knew Orion would be equally as talented as his mother and aunt, but Hilda hadn't expected Orion to understand the intricacies of mana compression at a ridiculously fast rate.
Normally, it took most elves at least six hours to unlock their mana core.
Be it a high elf or a forest elf, it took everyone at least six hours to awaken a mana core. However, right now, it wasn't even half an hour yet, and Orion had successfully awakened his mana core.
Hilda's lips instinctively stretched into a smile.
She never imagined the prince would do something as remarkable as this, but her eyes suddenly widened once again when she noticed what Orion did next.
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