As Viessa stated, the Eternal Oasis was the heart of the Elven Race. It was where the Great Elven Clan was located as well as the Emplenan Abode.
If the Elven Race were to face invasion, the Eternal Oasis served as their final sanctuary where their most powerful tools of defense reside.
Thus, although Venali hated the fact a human was being introduced to this place, he understood a sole human could cause no trouble within that space.
Meanwhile, upon laying eyes upon the scene before his eyes, Kieran stood with his mouth agape. 'I've yet to enter the Eternal Oasis, but this energy I'm feeling… it's remarkable.'
Out of pure instinct, Kieran extended his hand to pass through the threshold of the gateway Viessa prepared. Due to the strange laws that governed the Eternal Oasis, upon drawing near the gateway, Kieran realized that everything beyond the threshold appeared inverted.
Kieran's abrupt pause was noted by the others but Paeris addressed the matter first. "Don't worry. Once you pass through, you'll be fine. Consider the inversion a visual distortion."
"Visual distortion," Kieran parroted, his mind traveling elsewhere. This wasn't his first encounter with an area that seemed inverted. The only difference, however, was that Kieran's former encounter involved an actual inverted plane.
'Now that I remember it… finding the entrance to that place would be quite beneficial in training Bastion and the others. It's one of those special trials designed to promote mastery of one's techniques.'
Though Kieran considered his subordinates at all times, certain opportunities eluded his thoughts simply because of his current State of Being. Many of the opportunities Kieran recalled could only be tackled with power on par with an Awakened Being.
This was understandable considering that Kieran spent the greatest amount of time as an Awakened Being. After reaching that level, advancing further became difficult.
Unless one was willing to brave grave challenges, it wouldn't be odd for one level up to take several days of effort.
A few seconds later, Kieran turned back to Agatha, who continued her duties uninterruptedly. His expression grew complex because while he would prefer to continue deepening his understanding of the Supreme Ciphers, his completion of Isadora's Request took precedence.
'If there's an opportunity to continue once I return then I'll take advantage of it at that time. If not… then so be it,' Kieran thought.
Coming to terms with his situation, Kieran returned his attention to the gateway and walked through it.
…
After stepping through the gateway Viessa created, Kieran found that his world was momentarily inverted. But, just as Paeris said, the inversion of his perception didn't last long. In fact, it was even shorter thanks to his robust mental state.
Still, Kieran remained amazed by what he experienced. 'This…'
Mystified, Kieran could only glance around, looking at the path of green stones that led toward an expansive bubble in the distance.
"I wouldn't advise that you step off these stones. Due to the strange nature of the Eternal Oasis, it has robbed all external vitality from the air, resulting in a place devoid of life. But… more than that, it'll sap your vitality should you step off these sacred stones," Viessa cautioned.
As Kieran listened to her warning, his expression changed slightly. The conditions of this Eternal Oasis were quite unthinkable. With a mere mention of its effect, Kieran could imagine many ways this area could be weaponed.
In a sense, the Eternal Oasis was the perfect sanctuary, capable of defending and sustaining itself.
Before deciding to take a step, Kieran gazed at Venali before gradually shifting to Viessa. "If this place is truly as dangerous as you say, then I'd like it if the most hostile of you all remained as far away from me as possible—this is naturally to avoid any accidents."
Venali's expression darkened upon hearing Kieran's request. Though his name wasn't mentioned explicitly, Kieran's prolonged gaze and the tone of his words were clearly aimed at Venali.
Noticing that Venali felt disrespected, Viessa raised her hand. "Your request is not unfounded, so I'll allow it. Venali, please refrain from causing any mishaps. You're free to lead us."
Despite having a few words that threatened to jump off of his tongue, Venali could only swallow his grievance and oblige to Viessa's direct request. "Understood."
A light breeze blew past Kieran as Venali appeared a few steps ahead. Aside from some brief side eye, Venali didn't engage in any additional exchanges with Kieran.
Following his request, the atmosphere grew quiet as Kieran followed behind everyone without uttering a word. Instead, he used this time to contemplate the best attitude to adopt while in the presence of the Elven Queen.
Could the queen be more reasonable than her subjects?
If his experience was anything like his visit to his Wykins, Kieran figured it'd be best to give the queen the benefit of the doubt. After all, Viessa's comment about the queen painted her in an inquisitive light.
From what Kieran gathered, the Elven Queen seemed like a knowledge seeker. Whether or not this was true… Kieran would have to find out.
Roughly ten minutes later, Kieran was met with a notification, alerting him of his current situation.
〈System: You have entered the «Eternal Oasis: Home of the Everlasting Vivacity Tree».〉
'Everlasting Vivacity Tree? Sounds like something that is intrinsically linked to nature. Considering the circumstances, that'd be understandable. It'd also explain the phenomenon that surrounds this place.'
After learning of the Eternal Oasis' full name, Kieran felt even more inclined to learn of its mysteries and explore the purpose of the Elven Race.
One reason Kieran felt that humans were foolish was the fact every race served a purpose.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be present within Xenith. Of course, there were some matters that Kieran wasn't privy to so he couldn't speak on what these "purposes" were.
Seconds after entering this small bubble known as the Eternal Oasis, Kieran felt overwhelmed by an abundance of energy that seemed to transcend Mana in terms of vitality.
But upon closer inspection, Kieran found that it was in fact the very Mana that flowed in the world outside.
The only difference was the purity.
While this Mana didn't possess an element, it did possess an attribute of boundless vitality. And because of this attribute, Kieran felt drawn to this area.
'If I could train my abilities in this place, perhaps I could mature my Blood Mania Source Rune without needing to come in contact with actual blood. It's a long shot but maybe I can forge a unique path with the opportunities granted.'
Unlike Scar and Agrianos, who couldn't enter the Eternal Oasis and gain access to this incredible supply of vitality, Kieran's situation was different. And because his situation was different, Kieran began to suspect that Hekaina envisioned this scenario.
The more he considered it, the more seemed that Hekaina placing the seal on Argexes' Blood was a preemptive move for meeting with the elves.
'If my speculations are true… then Hekaina's foresight is frightening. I can see why she holds the position as the Enchantress.'
Unfortunately, Kieran couldn't act upon his interests at the moment.
For one, he couldn't influence the Mana here while moving the way he did. He could do so with mystic energy thanks to his training in the Ancient Rune Oasis, but he couldn't do it with the Mana present.
Due to this Mana's attribute of boundless vitality, it was incomparably heavy and required a level of focus that Kieran admittedly couldn't spare. All other bodily functions would escape his grasp if he did.
Noticing Kieran's marvel, Paeris revealed a proud smirk. "This is the beauty of the Elven Race. Even if you're a human, I'm sure you can appreciate its genius."
"I more than appreciate it—I'm attracted to it. Quite literally, in fact," Kieran remarked.
Paeris immediately misconstrued Kieran's words and looked at him with a strange grin. "I'd suggest you not use those words after entering the Temple of Al'khira. Most of my people will view your words as a threat. After all, this Mana is precisely why we were targeted in the past. It's a mere byproduct."
"Byproduct?" Kieran's gaze glinted with intrigue. "If they're reviled by my words, is it same to assume that this Eternal Oasis is a factor in gauging the strength of your "blessing" that Vasati mentioned?"
"Correct. All elves are evaluated, but they need not be brought here to be evaluated. The High Court conducts the matter. All Highborn, however, gather in this place, learning to wield the elven arts ranging from Sacred Nature Swordplay to the Grand Nature Magics," Paeris replied.
The more Kieran learned about the elves' structured lives, the more fascinated he became. While it was lamentable that there was so much segregation amongst the availability of power and guidance, it wasn't Kieran's place to speak on it.
"You sure have taken a liking to this human, haven't you? To go so far as to clue him into the structure of the elves… how have you grown this cordial already?" Viessa voiced, glancing at Paeris with a meaningful smile.
"I wouldn't say that I've befriended the human. But I have come to terms with the fact that he is abnormal," Paeris responded.
"Understandable. For some reason, I don't detest him as I do other humans. Perhaps it's because he has performed a partial evolution. But that's unimportant. We're here."
As Viessa wrapped up her words, she lifted her gaze to an exquisite castle-like structure that also resembled an ancient temple.
A sharp verdant green energy suddenly encased Viessa's hand as she stepped forth and slid it down the space before her.
Like a zipper on a jacket, a seam formed in space, gradually opening up.
Once that happened, Kieran received another notification.
〈System: You have entered the «Sacred Temple of Al'khira».〉
