AWAKENED IN ANOTHER WORLD AS AN HIGH ELF

Chapter 8: The Grand Operation (Part 1)

“God, please help me today,” Ethan muttered under his breath, forcing himself to take a slow breath and relax his shoulders.

He gave the room one final glance, making sure he had not forgotten anything, then adjusted his jacket one more time before stepping through the door.

The moment he entered the hallway, the atmosphere changed.

The corridor stretched far ahead of him, wide enough for several people to walk side by side, while its polished stone floor reflected the warm sunlight pouring through the tall windows along the walls.

Several magical lanterns floated beneath the high ceiling, each one carrying a small white flame that burned steadily without producing smoke. They drifted gently in the air, rising and falling by the smallest amount, almost as if they were breathing.

Ethan slowed as he looked around.

Everything about the place was elegant.

Too elegant.

At the far end of the hallway, the corridor opened into a massive circular staircase. The staircase spiraled downward around a wide open center, giving Ethan a clear view of several floors beneath them.

He stepped closer to the railing and looked down.

His eyes widened slightly.

Hanging in the enormous open space was a magnificent chandelier unlike anything he had ever seen.

Hundreds of crystal pieces floated in the air without chains, ropes, or any visible support, slowly rotating around one another as though an invisible force was holding them together. Every movement caught the sunlight differently, sending colorful reflections across the surrounding walls and polished floors.

For a moment, Ethan simply stared.

Despite himself, he paused to admire it.

“This place is ridiculous,” he muttered under his breath, shaking his head slightly.

Lyra, who had already started down the stairs, glanced back at him.

“What was that?” she asked, narrowing her eyes with mild suspicion.

Ethan immediately straightened.

“Nothing,” he replied quickly, forcing a casual smile as he followed her. “I didn’t say anything.”

Lyra continued watching him for another second, clearly unconvinced, before she finally turned away and continued down the staircase.

Ethan followed close behind.

As they descended, the peaceful silence of the upper hallway slowly faded. At first, the sounds were barely noticeable, nothing more than distant murmurs rising from somewhere below. However, with every step they took, the voices became clearer, until Ethan could finally make out individual conversations.

Someone was speaking loudly.

Another voice interrupted.

A moment later, a burst of laughter echoed through the staircase.

Ethan slowed slightly as the sound reached him.

There was something strangely comforting about it.

The voices were relaxed, natural, and familiar, carrying the easy warmth of people who had spent enough time together to laugh without worrying about who was listening.

Ethan's expression became more serious as he continued down the stairs behind Lyra, keeping his face calm even while his senses remained alert.

They continued downward until the staircase finally opened into a large living room.

Ethan stepped onto the floor and immediately took in the room.

It was warm and spacious, but unlike the grand halls he had seen earlier, this room did not feel cold or formal.

It felt lived in.

A large fireplace occupied one entire wall, its flames burning with an unusual blue light. The fire gave off a gentle, steady heat that filled the room without making it uncomfortable.

Deep, cushioned chairs were arranged around a long couch, all facing a low wooden table in the center.

Bookshelves covered several sections of the walls. They were packed with old books, rolled-up scrolls, strange little objects, and several glass jars containing things Ethan decided he did not want to identify.

Near one of the windows stood a large corkboard covered with maps and rough sketches.

Lines had been drawn across the maps in red ink, connecting different locations and marking several areas with circles.

It looked like a place where plans were made.

Adrian was pacing in front of the fireplace.

The vampire moved back and forth across the room with restless energy, his long black coat swishing softly around his legs with every turn. His hands remained clasped behind his back, but the tightness in his shoulders made it obvious that he was struggling to remain patient.

Every few seconds, he stopped and looked down at the silver watch strapped around his wrist.

Then he would look toward the staircase.

When he saw nothing, his jaw tightened.

A few more seconds passed before he started pacing again.

Mira sat comfortably in a large armchair near the window, one leg crossed over the other while a thick leather-bound book rested open across her lap. Unlike Adrian, she looked completely relaxed. She turned the pages slowly, her eyes moving across the words as though they had nowhere else to be.

Every now and then, however, she glanced over the top of the book at Adrian.

A faint, amused smile appeared on her lips.

Adrian noticed it on the third glance.

“You know, Mira, if you have something to say, you can just say it,” he muttered as he stopped beside the fireplace, his crimson eyes narrowing slightly in her direction.

Mira did not even bother looking up. She calmly turned another page of her book, the faintest hint of amusement touching her lips.

“I don’t have anything to say,” she replied, her voice deliberately innocent. “I’m simply enjoying the rare opportunity to watch you lose your patience.”

Adrian’s expression tightened. “I’m not losing my patience,” he said firmly, although the sharpness in his voice suggested otherwise.

Mira slowly raised her eyes from the book and studied him for a moment. “You have checked that watch at least twenty times in the last ten minutes,” she pointed out, her tone calm but clearly entertained.

“Twenty-three,” Adrian corrected automatically.

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.

Mira’s smile widened.

Adrian stared at her for a second before his expression darkened.

“Don’t,” he warned quietly, his voice carrying the kind of irritation that made the single word sound more serious than it needed to be.

Mira simply lowered her eyes back to the book. “I didn’t say anything,” she replied innocently, although the amusement in her voice betrayed her.

“You didn’t need to,” Adrian muttered, turning his attention toward the fireplace as he folded his arms across his chest.

The room fell quiet again.

For several seconds, the only sound was the soft crackling of the fire and the occasional rustle of pages as Mira continued reading.

Adrian glanced at his watch again.

Mira noticed.

She did not look up this time, but the corner of her mouth lifted.

Adrian caught the movement from the corner of his eye. “If you laugh, I swear I’m assigning you to carry Gruk’s axe for the rest of the mission,” he said, his voice low and threatening despite the absurdity of the punishment.

Mira finally looked at him properly. “You wouldn’t dare,” she replied, raising one eyebrow.

“I would.”

“You know I can barely lift that thing.”

“That sounds like a personal problem,” Adrian answered coldly.

Mira stared at him for a moment before shaking her head. “You really are getting impatient.”

Adrian opened his mouth to respond, but a deep metallic rasp suddenly cut through the room.

Both of them turned.

Across the room, Gruk sat in the far corner on a reinforced wooden bench that creaked beneath his enormous weight.

His massive battle axe rested across his knees, and the weapon looked almost ridiculous in its size. The double-headed blade was so wide that an average man would have struggled to wrap both arms around it, while its thick handle was nearly as tall as a grown person.

Gruk dragged a whetstone slowly along one edge of the blade.

The sharp scrape of stone against metal filled the room.

He moved with deliberate patience, running the whetstone along the weapon again and again while occasionally inspecting the edge beneath the firelight.

His enormous hands handled the axe with surprising care, as though he were polishing an expensive piece of jewelry rather than maintaining a weapon capable of splitting a man in half.

After another slow stroke, Gruk glanced toward Adrian.

“You should take a seat, Adrian,” he advised in his deep voice, his expression remaining completely serious. “The ceremony has not even started yet, and you already look like you are preparing to murder the clock.”

Adrian opened his mouth to respond, but footsteps suddenly sounded from the staircase.

A moment later, Ethan stepped off the final stair.

The instant his shoes touched the floor, every pair of eyes in the room settled on him.

Adrian stopped completely.

Mira lowered her book.

Gruk slowly lifted his head.

For one long moment, nobody spoke.

Ethan felt the weight of their attention settle over him.

He had faced armed enemies without hesitation. He had walked into dangerous situations knowing that one mistake could cost him his life.

Yet standing in the middle of that room somehow made him feel more uncomfortable than any of those situations.

He was surrounded by people who knew Logan.

People who had spent years with him.

People who could notice even the smallest difference.

Ethan resisted the urge to adjust his clothes or look away.

Adrian glanced at his watch one final time before releasing a long, frustrated sigh.

"Finally," he said, his irritation impossible to hide. "I was beginning to wonder if you had decided to sleep through the entire ceremony."

Ethan gave no response.

Adrian took his gaze away from him and walked toward the large table in the center of the room.

"Everyone, come over here," he said, his voice becoming more serious as he placed both hands against the edge of the table. "We don't have enough time to waste, so let's go through the plan one more time before we leave."

Ethan followed the others toward the table.

A large map had already been spread across its surface.

It showed the entire capital city in remarkable detail. The main roads were marked clearly, along with the different districts, the outer walls, several important buildings, and the massive royal castle that stood at the heart of the city.

The castle occupied a large portion of the map.

Several markings had already been drawn across it.

Red circles marked important locations.

Blue lines represented possible routes.

Small symbols indicated guards, entrances, restricted areas, and hidden passages.

Ethan leaned closer and began studying every mark carefully, trying to memorize the layout.

Adrian noticed his expression and gave a small nod. “Pay attention,” he said, tapping the map with one finger. “Once we enter the castle, we won't have much room for mistakes.”

Ethan nodded.

The others gathered around the table.

Adrian looked toward Lyra.

“Before we begin,” he said, his voice low and calm, “seal the room.”

Lyra immediately closed her eyes.

"Alright," she replied quietly.

She raised one hand, and a soft blue light appeared around her fingers.

Ethan watched closely as she whispered several words in a language he did not recognize. The words were quiet and strangely rhythmic, almost like a song spoken under one's breath.

The blue light around her hand grew brighter.

Then the air changed.

A faint ripple spread outward from Lyra's body, passing through the floor, walls, and ceiling before expanding throughout the entire room.

For a brief moment, Ethan could see a thin layer of blue energy covering everything around them. Then it vanished, and the whole room fell into a very strange silence.

Lyra slowly lowered her hand, and the faint shimmer that had spread across the walls disappeared as the magical barrier settled into place.

For a moment, the room seemed unnaturally quiet. Even the distant sounds of movement from nearby houses had vanished, leaving only the soft ticking of the clock mounted above the fireplace.

She glanced around the room to make sure the spell had taken hold before speaking.

“We’re sealed,” Lyra said calmly, her voice carrying the confidence of someone who had used the spell many times before. “Nothing we say in here will be heard outside, and no sound from outside will reach us.”

Adrian nodded with satisfaction as he leaned over the large map spread across the table.

“Good,” he said, his attention returning to the markings covering the parchment. “The ceremony has already started, and under normal circumstances, we should already be inside the castle.”

He paused, then slowly lifted his eyes from the map and looked directly at Ethan.

“But someone decided that today was an excellent day to wake up late.”

Ethan met his stare without saying a word.

He knew exactly who Adrian was talking about.

There was no point arguing with him, especially when the accusation was true.

Ethan simply folded his arms and looked back at the map, refusing to give Adrian the satisfaction of a response.

Adrian stared at him for another second before releasing a quiet sigh.

“Fortunately, we’re not completely ruined yet,” he continued, his tone becoming more serious as he returned to the plan. “The main part of the ceremony hasn’t begun, which means we still have enough time to reach our positions.”

His index finger moved across the map, tracing the winding road leading from the outer grounds toward the massive castle at the center.

“Our objective hasn’t changed,” Adrian said, his voice steady. “The first stage of the plan is to enter the castle, blend in with the guests, separate from the main gathering when the opportunity appears, and reach the inner section without drawing attention.”

His finger continued across the parchment until it stopped at the center of the castle.

“The king’s chamber is here.”

Ethan leaned slightly closer, his eyes following the exact location Adrian had marked.

The castle had been drawn in remarkable detail. Several layers of walls surrounded the central structure, while different passages and corridors connected the outer sections to the royal wing. Even without knowing the castle personally, Ethan could see that reaching the king’s chamber would not be simple.

Adrian’s expression gradually hardened.

“The king is one of the Seven Dark Emperors,” he said quietly, his voice losing its earlier casualness. “That means we cannot treat him like an ordinary target. If we confront him directly, we are putting our lives at risk.”

He lifted his eyes from the map and looked at each person around the table.

“Even if all five of us attack him together, there is a very good chance we will lose.”

Silence immediately settled over the room.

Nobody laughed.

Nobody challenged him.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he studied the map again.

Five against one.

And Adrian, despite being confident enough to lead the operation, was not even certain that five of them could defeat the king.

That single statement told Ethan more about the king’s strength than any long explanation could have.

If Adrian was warning them this seriously, then the man waiting inside that castle was far more dangerous than Ethan had imagined.