The Potion of Life

Vilijn

Vilijn stares at the waves lapping against the ship. They've been sailing to Bitgorn-Vil for thirteen days. They're heading there to engage in trade with humans. He's been doing this for five years now, and every two months, it's the same routine. A fifteen-day journey to Bitgorn-Vil, followed by a week of boredom. The captain and leader of this group, Sjavu Sytranië, seems to find much more pleasure in this than Vilijn. He doesn't understand why; he'd much prefer to snap Sjavu's neck and kill all the other old elves on this ship. For that, he needs patience, as he knows that day will eventually come. First, they'll have to become a myth.

According to Vilijn, that has practically already happened. No living being on Mysterix believes the dark elves still exist, and they're partly right. His race is no longer comparable to the dark elves of old. They don't even call themselves dark elves anymore; they call themselves drows. The name "drow" originated from humans and elves who encountered a dark elf and lived to tell the tale over the ages. Due to the long absence of dark elves, there was no longer a name for the creature they had seen. So, they began referring to them as drows. Drows were used in stories to frighten children. One day, they'll realize that those fictional stories weren't entirely fictional.

However, today is not that day. Today is the same as the last five years. Observing the old elves, of course, Vilijn doesn't look like a drow on this ship. He has transformed into an old elf named Drago Alvaro using the Transmutabel Imago spell. He has been living this way for five years. He does miss his old life; in the past, when he had fewer responsibilities, life was much simpler. His days were about lounging around in the palace and going hunting with his friends in the evenings. Miranox Clurichaun had always been the best hunter of the group, but he would always let Vilijn catch the most because he was the prince.

Vilijn knew it wasn't out of charity but a way to advance his family's standing at the court. Despite realizing this, it worked because over the years, the Clurichaun family became increasingly influential at court. As Vilijn grew older, life became more serious for him. He often visited the other drow cities, Abburth and Ungethal, with his mother Nedrill Dahvar. 

They did this using the doom stones, but sometimes they traveled to the cities in the usual way. In the drow cities, his mother's sisters, Zelress and Zilvra Dahvar, reside. As three sisters, they rule over the shadow world. Technically, his mother holds a slightly higher position as she governs Vrammahath. When she visits her sisters, his father, Xaro, takes charge of Vrammahath.

Seeing his father on the throne makes him feel so powerless. Vilijn can't imagine himself succeeding Xaro. His father is stronger than him in every aspect. When he was younger, his father couldn't stop talking about the prophecy that the dying Remiro told his son, Ezarius. His father believed in this prophecy wholeheartedly. Xaro believed the prophecy spoke of the resurrection of the dark elves. How can one dark elf on a boat to Bitgorn-Vil lead to the resurgence of the banished dark elves? 

Vilijn couldn't grasp that logic. He spent the past five years mingling with old elves. These old elves travel to Bitgorn-Vil every two months to trade with humans. Yet, that's not the only reason they go to Bitgorn-Vil. Clearly, the humans and old elves are quite fond of each other there. Lately, there are more and more half-elves in Bitgorn-Vil. There are even old elves who never return to Kongorn. Some even take humans with them to Kongorn.

In the end, they can all do as they please, Vilijn thinks to himself. It's not his problem. He just needs to study the old elves and discover their weaknesses. At first, he considered it an honor that his father had chosen him for this task. Five years later, he feels differently. Vilijn misses hunting in the Kalta forest with his friends. He and Miranox used to spend days hunting, returning to the palace with so much game that it was almost incomprehensible.