Lim looked at the blade pointed in his direction, and on his face, contrary to Finn's expectations, there was not a trace of disappointment or anger. On the contrary, the elf's eyes shone with unconcealed delight, as if defeat was the greatest joy of his life.
"Why are you so happy?" asked Finn, slowly lowering his weapon.
"We have been waiting..." Lim's voice trembled with excitement, "we have been waiting for so long. And now, finally, you are the one who passed the trial. You truly are the heir."
"Heir?" Finn echoed, feeling a chill run down his spine.
"That tomb," Lim now spoke quickly, as if afraid he wouldn't have time to share what was important, "it was not created by humans, nor by elves, nor by any other mortal being. It was created by the higher ones, the deities."
Finn remembered his conversation with Eva, her story about the tomb. Back then, that information had seemed like just a part of history, but now... now everything was taking on a new meaning. Conflicting emotions overwhelmed him: on one hand, he was filled with pride – his efforts, his struggle, it had all been for a reason. But on the other... he looked at the elves surrounding him and tried to imagine what it was like – to live for centuries in anticipation, hoping that one day someone unknown would come and pass an ancient trial.
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts, the rest of the spectators surged onto the arena towards them. Their faces glowed with genuine joy, and Finn couldn't help but smile back. The air filled with excited voices:
"How did you learn to move like that?" "Why did you hide your abilities on the first day?" "Where did you master such swordsmanship?" "What did you feel in the tomb?" "What other trials have you passed?"
Questions poured in from all sides, overlapping each other. Finn looked around bewilderedly, shifting his gaze from one face to another, not knowing how to react to this barrage of attention. Fortunately, salvation came unexpectedly and silently – Eva, as if woven from air, appeared beside him.
"Enough questions for today," her calm voice cut through the crowd's noise like a sharp knife. The elves respectfully parted, and she turned to Finn: "Congratulations on your victory. Rest well – tomorrow another duel awaits you."
When Finn left the arena, the news of his victory over Lim spread through the underground city like wildfire through dry grass. What had begun as a quiet whisper in the corners of the training hall turned into a loud hum of discussion, echoing off the stone vaults of the cave.
"Hey, there's no need for that," Finn said, embarrassed, as another group of elves bowed to him. "You are true warriors, and I'm just... well, I'm your guest."
Hesitating for a moment, he dared to ask: "And you...have you seen other humans before?"
"We usually keep our distance from humans," answered an elf with silver hair. "We observe from afar. But there have been encounters, a very long time ago..."
"Really? Tell me!" Finn leaned forward, his eyes alight with curiosity.
"Many years ago, our research group encountered a human warrior in the mountains," an elven woman began the story. "He... he saw us and immediately attacked, screaming something about demons. We had to kill him."
"Were there... well, any good encounters?" asked Finn, fidgeting.
"Oh, there was one human," another elf perked up. "Very strange. A scholar. Instead of a sword, he carried a book. He lived with us for three years, writing everything down."
"And what happened to him?"
"He went back to the humans, wrote a book. Of course, no one believed him," the elf laughed softly.
"Oh, remember that merchant?" interjected a young elven smith. "That time when our masters showed him real elven smithing. They say he cried from admiration!"
"What else happened?" Finn pressed on. "Tell me more!"
"There was an incident with a group of hunters," another elf began. "They wandered too close to our lands. We could have killed them, but we decided to just scare them."
"How did you learn to move so silently?" asked Finn.
"It comes with time," the elf smiled. "In the process of observing humans, we lived among them, sneaked into their homes, we had to learn to be inconspicuous, to watch every step. Eventually, after a while, we got used to using this skill everywhere. I'm sure you can learn it too, Finn."
"And there was also the case with a human girl," the elven woman recalled. "She got lost in the forest. We led her back to the village, remaining unseen by her eyes. She decided that forest spirits had saved her."
"How long have you been watching humans?" Finn asked with interest.
"For as long as we can remember, I suppose," one of the elves answered. "We have seen them build cities, wage wars, how their customs change. But we have always remained in the shadows."
"Sometimes we helped them," another added. "Remember that same scholar; thanks to us, he discovered some laws and became famous, even though they considered him a mad genius."
Finn ran from group to group, greedily absorbing every story.
"But why me?" he asked one group of elves. "What does it mean to be this... well, heir?"
"We do not know," an elf shook his head. "We had a purpose: to wait for the one who would one day come and pass the trial of the tomb. We were meant to find him."
"And you just waited? All this time?"
"Yes," the elven woman answered simply. "We waited."
By the end of the day, Finn's head was spinning with so many stories that it began to buzz. But now he understood these strange creatures better. They were not just beautiful and mysterious – they were a people who had hidden from humans for centuries, observing from afar and holding their purpose close to their hearts.
When the glowing core of the great tree on the cave horizon began to slowly set, Finn trudged back to his dwelling. The day had been insane – the victory over Lim, the conversation about the tomb, all those stories... Falling asleep with the lamp in his arms, he thought about how strange it was to be the one they had waited for so long, without even knowing why.