I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

”Get lost.”

The Elven King uttered the single word coldly, his face expressionless.

The Dark God chuckled softly. He gazed at the Elven King with extraordinary tenderness, like a father indulging a child’s rudeness.

”When you were first born, you were such a tiny, adorable little thing. When I came to see you, you were curled up naked in a soft cradle, your little bottom bare, your entire body radiating pure light elements. Laiente proudly showed you off to me, boasting that you were a new life he had created, the one and only Son of Light.”

”I’ve never liked Laiente. Anything he treasures, I want to take for myself. I stood beside your cradle, looking you over, and you suddenly opened your eyes and reached both hands toward me, as though asking to be picked up.”

”The more I looked at you, the more I adored you. For the first time in my life, I bestowed a blessing.”

”My adorable Freyus, you’re the only little creature I’ve ever blessed. Why won’t you become my child?”

The Elven King remained unmoved by the Dark God’s words.

”A blessing?” he said mockingly. ”It was clearly a curse.”

The Dark God raised an eyebrow and released the Elven King’s chin. He rose unhurriedly to his feet, the tenderness vanishing from his eyes, replaced by cold indifference.

”All I did was plant a tiny seed of darkness inside you, giving you another choice.”

”A choice?” The Elven King’s voice was resolute. ”I am the Son of Light created by the Light God. I will never become the Son of Darkness.”

The Dark God’s lips curved upward, and his gaze shifted to the Fairy in the Elven King’s arms.

”Although you’ve sealed the seed of darkness within you using light elements, I’m afraid all it needs is the right opportunity to take root and sprout. And he is that opportunity.”

A crack appeared in the Elven King’s perfect composure. He stared fiercely at the Dark God.

The Dark God spoke with an air of pity.

”You see, life is terribly fragile. No matter how carefully you protect it, it will eventually perish. You’re immensely powerful, powerful enough to seal me away, yet you couldn’t even protect your own beloved.”

”He’s dead. I killed him. You’ve lost him forever.”

”Freyus, do you hate me?”

Noticing a flash of red in the Elven King’s eyes, the Dark God curled his lips into an eerie smile.

”Good. You should hate me. When hatred completely consumes your heart, the seal will break, and the seed of darkness will finally awaken.”

The red light in the Elven King’s eyes flickered once and vanished, leaving them a pure emerald green.

”I told you. I am the Son of Light created by the Light God. I will never become the Son of Darkness.”

The Dark God lowered his gaze.

A silver sword had pierced his chest.

Dark crimson blood seeped from the wound, flowing down the blade toward the hilt and staining the Elven King’s pale hand.

The Elven King thrust forward, driving the sword even deeper.

”Ah... the Sword of Carlos...”

The Dark God murmured the name, utterly unconcerned about having been stabbed. His unfathomable eyes remained fixed on the Elven King.

”Good child, you’ve stabbed me with this sword twice now. Last time, you successfully sealed me away. This time, I’m afraid it won’t be quite so easy.”

His body began dissolving into nothingness.

Starting at his feet, he slowly melted into the darkness until only his head remained.

His thin lips parted.

”Until next time, my Son of Darkness.”

When the Dark God disappeared, the Fairy’s corpse in the Elven King’s arms also transformed into countless specks of starlight and began to fade.

The Elven King stared blankly at the drifting lights.

He released the Sword of Carlos and reached out with both arms, trying to gather the starlight into his embrace.

But the lights dispersed too quickly.

His arms closed around nothing.

The Elven King remained in that position, his arms outstretched in an empty embrace.

For a long, long time.

Until the world around him began to collapse.

After an unknown length of time, the ruined palace disappeared, and the scenery changed.

In the courtyard of the Crystal Castle, the Mother Tree had shed all its leaves. Its bare branches presented a desolate sight.

But the most shocking thing was the golden-haired Fairy pinned to its trunk.

His wings were shattered, his head hung limply, and his face was deathly pale. A spear had pierced his heart, and torrents of bright red blood flowed down the Mother Tree’s trunk, staining a vast stretch of its roots crimson.

The Elven King stood before the tree, his body covered in wounds.

The pain of his injuries left him barely able to remain upright. Only by driving his sword into the ground and leaning on it could he keep himself standing.

His gaze never left the golden-haired Fairy pinned to the trunk.

His handsome face showed neither grief nor joy.

Yet two streams of bloody tears ran from his eyes.

The Dark God emerged gracefully from behind the Mother Tree.

He seemed thoroughly satisfied with the effect he had achieved, and a dazzlingly cruel smile adorned his delicate features.

”Freyus, do you like the present I prepared for you?” he asked.

The Elven King appeared not to hear him.

Stepping through the golden-haired Fairy’s blood, the Dark God approached the Elven King and stopped directly in front of him, blocking his view.

”Sometimes I really don’t understand Laiente. He’d already created the Elves, so why did he feel the need to create the Fairies as well?”

He sighed.

”Little Fairies are simply too fragile. I barely did anything, and he died.”

The Elven King’s emerald-green eyes shifted toward him.

”You killed him,” he said hoarsely.

The Dark God smiled.

”Yes, I killed him. So, do you hate me?”

The Elven King’s eyes instantly turned bloodred.

Delight spread across the Dark God’s face.

”At last, you’ve—”

The next instant, the Sword of Carlos pierced his heart.

The bloodred color vanished from the Elven King’s eyes.

Once the Dark God’s body had disintegrated, he turned his gaze tenderly toward the golden-haired Fairy pinned to the tree.

”Next time, I won’t lose you again...”

The world collapsed once more.

Everything dissolved into nothingness.

The Elven King stood alone in the darkness, watching the fragments of the shattered world disperse and then assemble themselves again.

The third time, he found himself facing the golden-haired Fairy’s corpse, listening numbly to the Dark God’s merciless words.

The fourth time.

The fifth.

The sixth...

At last, something inside the Elven King snapped.

Something seemed to shatter in the void.

Endless darkness surged toward him from every direction, pouring into the space between his brows.

As more and more dark power entered his body, his waist-length golden hair gradually turned black, from roots to tips.

His eyes, overflowing with hatred, became entirely bloodred.

The Dark God watched the transformation with a triumphant smile.

”Ah, my adorable Freyus. You’ve finally become the Son of Darkness.”

The Elven King instantly teleported in front of him.

He raised a hand, seized the Dark God by the throat, and spoke coldly.

”No. I told you. I will never become the Son of Darkness.”

His fingers tightened.

The Dark God’s body dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and scattered into the air.

As the world collapsed around him, dazzling light erupted from the Elven King’s body.

The radiance drove back the darkness, revealing a passage of light ahead.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Elven King stepped into it.

As he walked deeper into the passage, his jet-black hair gradually regained its brilliant golden color.

Inside a villa, a formally dressed teenage boy was dragging a little boy of five or six along by the hand, urging him forward impatiently.

”Shu Li, hurry up!”

The little boy blinked his beautiful eyes, looking around with curiosity.

”Where are we?”

”My secret hideout, obviously!” the teenager declared smugly. ”As long as you hide there, I guarantee Shu Wang won’t find you.”

”Really?” little Shu Li asked innocently. ”Does that mean if Shu Wangwang can’t find me, I win?”

”Exactly.”

The teenager pursed his lips, his eyes full of disdain.

”Come on. We’re almost at the little house.”

”Okay.”

Little Shu Li hurried after him on his short legs.

”Li Dada, why aren’t you hiding yourself?”

The teenager addressed as Li Dada frowned.

”How many times have I told you? My name is Li Yueda!”

Little Shu Li wrinkled his nose and obediently nodded.

”Okay, Li Dada.”

Li Yueda ground his teeth.

”You’re so stupid! How can you not even remember someone’s name?”

Little Shu Li immediately protested.

”That’s not true! I remember that my eldest brother is Shu Hao, my second brother is Shu He, and my third brother is Shu Yi.”

”All right, all right! We’re here,” Li Yueda interrupted impatiently.

The two boys stood before an abandoned attic building.

Little Shu Li craned his neck, staring up at the dilapidated structure with wide, sparkling eyes.

”Li Dada, is this your secret hideout?” he asked quietly.

”Yeah. Hurry up and get inside.”

Li Yueda gave him a push.

”But...”

Fear crept into little Shu Li’s heart, and he couldn’t bring himself to move.

Li Yueda had no patience for his hesitation.

He stepped forward and pushed open the door himself. Ignoring little Shu Li’s struggles, he picked him up and carried him through the dusty building to a room on the second floor.

There, he opened a wardrobe.

”Hide in here.”

He stuffed little Shu Li inside and instructed him sternly.

”Remember, you’re not allowed to come out until someone comes looking for you.”

Little Shu Li sat curled up inside the wardrobe, his knees drawn close to his chest.

”What if it gets dark?”

”If it gets dark and Shu Wang still hasn’t found you, that means you’ve won. I’ll come back and take you home.”

Little Shu Li bit his lip and nodded vigorously.

”Okay. I won’t come out.”

A satisfied smile appeared on Li Yueda’s face.

He repeated his instructions.

”Remember, don’t leave unless I come back. Once you win this game of hide-and-seek, Shu Wang will have to give you the newest Gundam model he bought.”

”Okay!”

At the mention of the Gundam model, little Shu Li’s eyes lit up.

”I want to win!”

”That’s more like it.”

Li Yueda closed the wardrobe door, left the room, and hurried downstairs, muttering to himself.

”Kids are so easy to fool... His three older brothers are all cleverer than the last. How did the youngest turn out to be such an idiot...?”

Little Shu Li sat quietly inside the dark wardrobe, hugging his knees as he waited.

But after a while, he grew restless.

He released his knees, placed both hands against the wardrobe door, and tried to push it open.

Halfway through, he stopped.

He gave up and sat back down.

No. I can’t leave.

Li Dada had said that if he won this game of hide-and-seek, Shu Wangwang would have to give him the Gundam model.

It was such a beautiful Gundam model!

He liked it so much.

But he’d only just asked his mother to buy him a rocket model last week. He was too embarrassed to ask for another toy this week.

Today was his older cousin’s wedding.

The adults were all busy with the celebration, so the children had gathered to play games.

Shu Wangwang had been showing off his new toy when he suggested a game of hide-and-seek. Whoever won would get to keep the toy.

Little Shu Li was actually too young to participate, but he wanted the Gundam model so badly that he insisted on joining.

Shu Wangwang had been torn over whether to let him play when Li Yueda suddenly spoke up and said he could join.

After that, Li Yueda brought little Shu Li to this abandoned attic.

For the sake of the Gundam model, little Shu Li forced himself to endure.

He took his hands away from the wardrobe door and settled back down.

It was terribly dark inside the wardrobe, and everything outside was silent.

To keep himself from getting scared, he began counting silently.

One, two, three, four...

He counted from one to one hundred.

Since he didn’t know how to count any higher, he started over.

And so he counted again and again.

He had no idea how many times he repeated the numbers before exhaustion began to creep over him.

He couldn’t stop yawning.

He rubbed his eyes, stretched his stiff arms and legs, and cautiously pushed the wardrobe door open a tiny crack.

Outside, everything was pitch-black.

He quickly retreated into the wardrobe and hugged himself tightly.

It’s dark already. Why hasn’t Li Dada come to get me?

An overwhelming sense of fear rose in little Shu Li’s heart.

He squeezed his eyes shut.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The wind was rattling the windows.

Rumble...

Thunder crashed, accompanied by flashes of lightning.

Little Shu Li curled into a tight ball, his forehead drenched in sweat. All the color had drained from his round, chubby face.

So scary! So scary! So scary!

Why hasn’t anyone come to find me?

Why did they leave me here all alone?

Why didn’t I come out sooner?

”Waaah...”

Soft sobs escaped his lips, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

As rain poured outside and thunder continued to crash, his terror reached its peak.

”Daddy... Mommy... Brothers... I’m scared...”

Just as his nerves reached their breaking point, the wardrobe door suddenly opened.

Little Shu Li jerked his head up in terror and stared straight ahead.

Light.

He saw a warm, glowing light.

Within that radiance, a golden-haired, green-eyed Elf was crouching before him.

The Elf gazed at him tenderly and extended a hand.

”Come.”

Little Shu Li stared at him in a daze.

Gradually, his fear began to fade.

”G-go where?”

The Elven King answered gently.

”To kill a demon.”

Little Shu Li’s mouth trembled.

Pearl-like tears spilled down his cheeks as he threw himself into the Elven King’s arms, overcome with relief and hurt.

And the moment he entered the Elven King’s embrace, his body transformed.

The little black-haired, black-eyed Shu Li became a golden-haired Little Fairy, with pointed ears and wings growing from his back.