I Refused To Be Reincarnated

"They refused to intervene in a civil conflict, promising to monitor the situation and show up only if the royal family faced extermination without regard for their lineage. Thus, Sylvaria welcomed its darkest age. Fueled by revenge as burning as the sun, Selene vaporised every outpost, every royal mage and noble he suspected to be collaborators until he reached Silvamir's gates in a short week."

"Bring the royals before me!" The grand uncle roared, trying to wear Selene's skin and imitate his words, making Elysia's hair bristle, shivers running down her skin as the engaging narration fascinated her. Never had she thought her ancestor was so formidable. She wondered how the royals survived his siege.

Thankfully, the old elf didn't let curiosity gnaw at her for too long as he continued, his solemn voice reverberating in the secret passage, stifling the noise of their steps under its gravitas.

"Walking on melting earth, yet encased in a blinding halo, Selene's white hairs danced as an insufferable heat assaulted the capital citizen. Some believed he was an otherworldly entity. Others thought he was the elf primogenitor, returning to deliver judgment upon them after seeing how disappointing they were. The thing of note is that a deadly silence engulfed the boisterous city.

Not a single soul dared to breathe in his presence before he reiterated his demand."

"Upon hearing his burning voice echo like an archmage's mandate, the entire population kneeled. The mages threw their wands and staffs to the ground, giving up on this impossible fight."

"The path open, he walked, illuminating the earth like the personification of the sun. Unfortunately, the archmages kept their promise. With no chance to fight back, they knew the bizarre elf would vaporise the royals in his vengeful quest. Thus, they appeared, halting Selene on his steps," he said before exploding into contagious laughter.

"They could have never imagined Selene didn't care about tiers," he added, smirking from ear to ear before continuing.

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"A catastrophic fight ensued, almost obliterating a quarter of the continent. Yet, Selene unrelentingly attacked, uncaring about his accumulating wounds. All because of his secrets. He could cast the most potent spells in the blink of an eye.

His physique was also on par with a tier-six body cultivator's thanks to his affinity's nourishment, making him the most versatile arcanist the world had ever seen."

"I'll summarise the rest because our ancestors didn't share the details. But know that the magus in person intervened to end the battle and negotiate to find a compromise. Even the strongest and oldest individual on our planet recognised our ancestor!" He exclaimed, his pride and emotions flaring so much that wisps of green mana filtered through his old eyes.

"In the end, the royals were forced to kneel in apology and recognise Selene and the village they destroyed as an independent duchy. You know the rest of the official story. Whether it is true or not, we have no idea."

"Perhaps he truly went mad and created abominations, infuriating the magus who offered a mythical artifact to the royals to stop him. Or he became too threatening, menacing to claim his throne. But what we are sure of is every limitation and rule imposed on arcanists followed those events," he concluded his story, exhaling loudly to calm his emotions.

Meanwhile, Elysia trembled, torn between awe and suspicion. As incredible as his ancestor may have been, she had trouble believing he fought three archmages to a standstill. After all, the tier division was too absolute. "Are you sure the story wasn't embellished?" She asked, sharing her doubts.

The old elves burst into laughter in response, ready to give her another fright. "My dear, that epoch didn't count only three archmages but six. So, he single-handedly conquered a country and repelled the strongest people alive," her aunt said, patting her on the shoulder.

Then, she added, her voice firm and convincing, "The story is not exaggerated or fake. Only the Academy of Light Magic and the School of Dark Magic and Necromancy existed seven thousand years ago. The official paths were in their early days, making mages much weaker compared to now."

"I believe it even less now," Elysia muttered, a deep frown covering her forehead. She couldn't believe an arcanist could be this strong. However, echoes and whispers she heard but dismissed during the past months resurfaced in her mind.

'According to Vikram, the ghost resisted his pressure when he was an acolyte,' she thought, her eyes narrowing in concentration. 'He also boasted they fought a tier four mutant knight in Avaloria and a dullahan in Belloria. He wasn't lying?!' She continued, disbelief veiling her features, prompting her to acknowledge something absurd.

"That's his secret to reach the fifth tier!" She suddenly yelled in realisation. The only difference between tiers was the mana quantity and potency on paper. But what if someone's mana control surpassed his adversaries by miles? Wouldn't that allow him to fight back?

Under the elders' astonished eyes, conjectures flooded the teacher's mind until she finally exclaimed, "Tiers are irrelevant in the higher strata. What matters the most is control!"

After all, everyone knew mana control helped tremendously to form circles, reducing the requirements. But was it truly everything? 'Of course not,' she thought, remembering the shocking construct Adam showed the class to force the kids not to mock Julius in their first lesson.

"Selene's mana control surpassed that of the archmages. With his affinity, it is possible," she acknowledged, assembling the sparse pieces of information she had like a puzzle.

"Maybe," her granduncle answered, smiling in happiness. Not only was Elysia good-natured, but she also possessed a bright mind. If they could escape their predicaments, he had no doubts she would lead the family better than his father.

"Look. We already reached the treasury," he added, pointing his finger at an intricately carved door. With its sumptuous golden Elven inscription, it screamed history.

A loud clicking noise echoed after the five elders used their mana. The sturdy door rumbled to life, recognising their signatures as the inscriptions shook. Then, instead of opening, it suddenly folded on itself, gradually reducing its size until it plopped to the ground heavily.

Picking up the smooth golden ball lying in a small crater, the aunt chuckled. "The door is a legendary artifact. It would be a pity to leave it behind."

Next, Elysia's eyes widened in shock. They didn't enter the treasury she knew. No. They arrived in its forbidden section directly, where the most crucial magic tools, materials and artefacts were stored. Not even Eldarion could retrieve them without the approval of three elders!