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Chapter 23 — The Elf of Time
Silence fell like a heavy veil.
Not the peaceful kind—this silence pressed against the air, thick and watchful, as though the world itself had drawn a breath and refused to release it. The clearing where they stood seemed frozen in anticipation. Even the wind, which moments earlier had danced freely around them, now hovered motionless, suspended in invisible strands.
Lee Kung swallowed.
The glowing figure before them—small, radiant, impossibly ancient—floated just above the stone where she had first appeared. Her wings shimmered with a soft golden hue, each beat sending ripples through the air that only now they could see.
"So…" Lee Kung finally said, breaking the stillness, his voice quieter than he intended. "Who are you?"
The elf blinked, clearly surprised.
"Oh!" she said lightly, covering her mouth with one hand. "Sorry. Where are my manners?"
She lowered herself gently until her feet touched the stone, her glow dimming just enough for her features to become clearer—sharp eyes filled with wisdom, hair flowing like silver threads caught in time itself.
"My name is Okachu," she said with a small bow. "I am an elf. The Elf of Time, to be precise."
Mia stepped forward immediately, arms crossing over her chest. Her eyes narrowed—not in suspicion, but realization.
"Hmmm…"
The air around them pulsed once.
"You're the third key," Mia suddenly shouted, her voice sharp with certainty. "Time! Spirit, Knowledge… Time. That completes everything!"
She turned to Lee Kung, excitement and unease flickering across her face at once.
Lee Kung stared at Okachu, his mind racing.
"You said you've been with us for some time now," he said slowly. "So why… why can we only see you now?"
Okachu's smile faded, replaced by something heavier.
"I couldn't show myself," she admitted. "Not yet. You see… I needed to be sure."
She drifted closer, her glow illuminating their faces.
"Sure that I made the right choice."
Sio Jun felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"The elves," Okachu continued, "were once participants in this world. Guardians. Witnesses. But that changed… the day someone came to our land seeking our help."
Her eyes darkened.
The world around them dissolved.
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The Elf Realm — Then
The air shimmered with raw energy.
Towering trees of crystalline bark stretched endlessly into glowing skies, their leaves humming softly like living instruments. Rivers of light flowed between floating islands, weaving through the realm like veins of pure magic. Every breath carried power. Every step echoed with ancient harmony.
Okachu stood in the center of a wide clearing, sweat glistening on her brow.
She moved with precision—graceful yet fierce—her hands slicing through the air as temporal sigils flared briefly around her. Time bent with her movements, slowing, accelerating, folding upon itself in small controlled bursts.
Across from her stood her twin brother.
Pikachu.
Lightning crackled around him, sparks dancing along his arms as he struggled to maintain control. Each strike of energy exploded outward, wild and unfocused.
"There you go again," Pikachu groaned, lowering his hands. "I'm never going to be good with my powers like you."
Okachu frowned, stepping closer.
"Don't say that," she said firmly. "You're stronger than you think."
Lightning fizzled weakly around Pikachu's fingers.
"Easy for you to say," he muttered. "You bend time like it listens to you."
Okachu smiled softly. "It doesn't listen. I just learned how to speak to it."
Before Pikachu could respond, a familiar voice echoed across the clearing.
"Okachu."
She turned.
Her mother stood at the edge of the field, staff in hand, her expression unreadable.
"The king calls for your presence," her mother said. "Now."
Okachu's heart skipped.
"The king?" Pikachu asked, eyes widening.
Okachu hesitated, then nodded. "I'll be right back."
She turned to leave, then paused.
"I promise," she said, facing her brother. "I'll come back before you know it. And when I do, we'll train together until you get it right. Okay?"
Pikachu smiled, forcing confidence into his voice. "Okay."
Lightning sparked brighter for a moment as Okachu turned and walked away—toward the king's palace.
She didn't know it then.
That promise would be tested by time itself.
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Back to the Present
The vision faded.
The clearing returned, but the weight of the past lingered heavily in the air.
Okachu hovered again, her glow dimmer now, burdened by memory.
"That day," she said softly, "changed everything."
Mia clenched her fists. "Someone came to your realm."
"Yes," Okachu replied. "A being who understood time… but sought to break it."
Lee Kung felt a familiar dread coil in his chest.
"Dehaska," he whispered.
Okachu met his gaze.
"He knows of us," she said. "And now… he knows of you."
Far away, unseen by any of them, a dark throne creaked as its master leaned forward.
The bridge of time grew thinner.