Life Before Becoming an Omniverse Entity

While those three people were making their own speculations about what happened there, Renan, who was now walking toward the Elf Empire with Elaris comfortably in his hand, looked beside him and asked casually, "Elaris, I think we should just teleport there instead of walking now," Renan suggested, clearly not in the mood to continue walking.

Elaris reluctantly nodded her head in agreement, although inwardly she was thinking, 'Huh, it's because of that disgusting lowlife—if not for him,' Elaris thought to herself, gritting her teeth before forcing herself to calm down. 'No, it's okay. After all, I have an eternity to spend with husband, so there's no need to get angry. If not now, then tomorrow—we can do it tomorrow,' she thought, finally relaxing. And just like that, both of them disappeared from their place with a soft ripple in the air.

*SWISH*

Just as they vanished from their previous location, they reappeared again at the outskirts of the Elf Empire, the tall, elegant trees swaying lightly in the breeze.

"So, are you going to transform, or do you want to go in human form?" Renan asked, turning to Elaris with a slight tilt of his head.

"No, I'll transform—it's just become a habit by now, and honestly, I really don't want to interact with them," Elaris said with a quiet sigh before she shook her head and transformed into a pair of earrings that automatically flew toward Renan's ear and hooked themselves gently in place.

"Okay," Renan said simply and began walking toward the grand gates of the Elf Empire.

It didn't take him long before he saw a massive line gathered at the gates. The crowd was a mix of humans and dwarves, with a few elves sprinkled throughout.

Some of the people standing sideways at the line caught sight of Renan walking toward them, and they couldn't help but react with surprise.

"Oya, do you see that human?" one female elf whispered excitedly, nudging her friend who stood beside her, initially facing forward.

The second elf, hearing her friend's excitement, turned around and asked, "What is it?" she said, curious.

Her friend didn't respond immediately—she just pointed in the direction of the forest. The second elf followed her line of sight and spotted a man, most likely around six foot two or three. His hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, his eyes mesmerizing with golden circles beneath blood-red pupils, and he wore black pants with a black haori—a striking contrast to his snow-white hair and pale, flawless face. She found herself dazed before finally speaking,

"Is he really human?" she questioned, her voice soft. As an elf who had lived her whole life in the Elf Empire, she had never seen a man so handsome—not even in the royal family. Elves were known for their beauty and high levels of mana from birth, far surpassing humans in both traits. Although some humans were indeed attractive, none had ever matched the natural allure of elves—until now. Renan's appearance, assuming he truly was human, shattered that long-held belief.

"Huh, what else would he be if he's not human?" her friend replied casually.

"Right..." the second elf nodded slowly, still staring at Renan as the conversation continued.

By then, Renan had walked up to them since they were standing at the end of the long line. When he reached them, he spoke with a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Hello."

The elves, captivated by his looks, couldn't tell the smile wasn't genuine. "Oh, hi—hello! What do you need? If there's anything, just tell me—I'll help you," one of them said quickly, nearly stumbling over her words in her excitement. She completely forgot that this was their first time meeting.

"Huh," Renan raised an eyebrow, surprised at her eagerness, thinking to himself, 'Girl, are you okay in the head? We just met, and you're acting like we've known each other for years and are reuniting after a long time apart,' he mused internally, though he didn't say anything out loud.

But as he was thinking this, Elaris's voice came into his mind, speaking one word, "Rejected." Renan immediately understood what she meant.

'It's okay, Elaris. I'm really not interested in finding any more partners for now and,' Renan paused for a moment, then glanced at the elf in front of him from head to toe and continued, 'and if I were to go for someone like her after having you, I'd be insulting you—which I absolutely do not want to do.'

Elaris, hearing his inner thoughts, couldn't help but puff her chest out with pride and let out a little 'Hmm,' of satisfaction, clearly pleased.

Renan chuckled inwardly at her reaction and then turned his attention back to the elf in front of him.

"No need for all that. I just have a few questions," Renan said, and the elf nodded eagerly.

"Go ahead!" she said.

"I see... then first, can you tell me why the line is moving so slowly? Why is it taking so long for people to be let through the gate?" Renan asked, frowning slightly.

"Oh! Didn't you feel the earthquake that happened not too long ago?" the elf asked him.

Renan nodded.

"I see. Well, let me tell you: the earthquake wasn't natural. It happened because some Ninth-stage warriors or mages fought somewhere nearby, and that's what caused the tremors. That's the only news I've heard from the guards—they said that's what the commanders discovered. But by the time they reached the location, the people who had been fighting were already gone," she explained.

"Hmm, I see," Renan said, holding his chin thoughtfully. 'So my last attack reached the scope of a Ninth-stage warrior... what a pleasant surprise,' Renan thought inwardly. At that moment, Elaris spoke again in his mind.

'Oh, Renan, I forgot to ask—what was that last attack? I could sense it was a merge of every element you possess, but it also felt... different. What exactly was it?' Elaris asked, her voice filled with curiosity as she recalled the sheer strength of the attack.

'I'll tell you once we get inside,' Renan replied.

'Okay,' she responded.

"And can you tell me a good inn where I can rent a room?" Renan asked the elf.

"Yeah, when you get in, just follow the main road straight, then turn left. After that, ask someone about the Sunshine Inn—it's pretty popular for being clean, having good service, and its food is top-notch," she said enthusiastically.

"I can show you around if you want," she added after a brief pause.

"No, it's okay—I can manage. I wouldn't want to trouble you that much," Renan said, rejecting her offer politely.

"I see..." she said, slightly disheartened. Then, after a brief silence, she asked another question.

"So, where are you from... oh! I didn't even ask your name!" she said suddenly, as if realizing her mistake.

Her friend shook her head from the side and muttered, "Idiot."

"My name is Renan," he replied simply.

"I see... Renan—it's a good name," she said with a soft smile. "And my name is Siara," she added.

"I see, Siara—nice to meet you," Renan said kindly.

After that, she continued to ask a few more questions—where he came from, what part of the human empire, and more. He, of course, said he was from the Human Empire.

And after all that talking, it finally came—Renan had reached the front of the line. It had taken nearly an hour to reach that point.

"Release your aura," the Elf guard at the gate said with a serious expression.