Reincarnated Into A World Of Elves As The Only Man-Chapter 51: Earth element

Dawn broke over Thornvale Palace, bathing the spires and gardens in soft golden light. Lyra stood on a high balcony, her hands resting on the ornate stone railing as she gazed out at the sprawling city below. The sight before her was nothing like the Thornvale described in tales throughout the Seven Kingdoms.

Instead of the rumored thorny fortifications and austere architecture, the city was a cascade of elegant towers and hanging gardens. Waterways threaded between gleaming buildings of white stone and glass, reflecting the morning light like ribbons of liquid gold. Trees with silver-blue leaves lined wide boulevards, their branches swaying gently in the breeze.

But what truly took Lyra’s breath away was the city’s transportation system. Small earthen platforms floated gently above the streets, each one a smooth stone disc guided by women in earth-marked robes who stood at their centers. With subtle gestures of their hands, these earth-wielders commanded the stone to rise and fall, glide forward or turn. Upon these platforms, women of all ages traveled across the city, some standing gracefully, others seated on simple stone benches that emerged from the platforms themselves. Occasionally, faint shimmer would pass through the air around them—signs of illusion magic providing directions visible only to those trained in the art.

"Beautiful, isn’t it?"

Lyra tensed at the familiar voice. Commander Maria stood several paces away, her posture relaxed yet commanding, her red uniform immaculate in the morning light. She approached with measured steps to stand beside Lyra at the railing.

"I never expected Thornvale to look like this," Lyra admitted, keeping her tone neutral despite the tension between them. "The stories we hear in the outer kingdoms paint a very different picture."

Maria’s lips curved into a slight smile, though her eyes remained fixed on the horizon. "That’s how the other kingdoms prefer to think of us. Intimidating. Unwelcoming." She gestured toward a distant section of the city where crystal domes caught the sunlight. "Those are our healing sanctuaries. They’ve saved thousands of lives, even those from kingdoms that would call us enemies."

Lyra studied the commander’s profile, searching for traces of the cold-blooded killer she’d believed her to be for so long. Her hand unconsciously moved to the scar on her shoulder—a reminder of their brief encounter on the battlefield before Lyra’s mother had forcibly withdrawn her from the fight. That day, she had watched helplessly from afar as Maria had faced Lady Aria in single combat.

"I should apologize for yesterday," Lyra said, her voice steady and direct. "My attack was impulsive."

"Understandable," Maria replied without turning. She lifted a hand to her neck, fingers tracing a thin white scar that disappeared beneath her collar. "If not for your mother pulling you away that day, you might have succeeded in killing me." Her tone held no accusation, merely stating a fact. "You were always skilled with a blade, Just what I’d expect from a commander, though."

Lyra’s eyes widened slightly at the admission. "I was angry and reckless," she said quietly. "But I meant what I tried to do." She paused, then added with unexpected honesty, "I still might have failed. Your reputation wasn’t built on exaggeration."

Maria nodded once, her expression unchanged. "Vengeance is a heavy burden to carry for so long."

"It was all I had," Lyra stated simply.

She turned to face the commander directly, meeting her gaze with unwavering eyes. "But I’ve seen how Eren looks at you. How she trusts you. Thank you for taking care of her when we couldn’t."

Something flickered in Maria’s eyes—surprise, perhaps, or a deeper emotion Lyra couldn’t identify. The commander straightened, adjusting her gloves with practiced precision.

"Eren has grown into someone extraordinary," Maria said. She began to turn away, then paused. "Before I forget—inform Eren that I demand a fight until surrender for my TUNA."

Lyra’s brow furrowed. "Your... what? I don’t understand."

But Maria was already walking away, her boots clicking against the stone floor. She glanced back over her shoulder. "Don’t worry. Eren understands."

And then she was gone, leaving Lyra alone with her bewilderment and the gradually warming morning air.

---

Lyra made her way through the labyrinthine palace corridors, still puzzling over Maria’s cryptic message. The palace interior was as surprising as the city itself—instead of the expected dark stone and imposing statuary, the halls were lined with living plants that seemed to glow with inner light. The floors were inlaid with patterns that revealed the palace’s history, and the air carried the scent of unfamiliar flowers.

As she rounded a corner, she spotted a familiar figure standing hesitantly at a junction of three corridors. Naia’s posture betrayed her uncertainty, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.

"Naia!" Lyra called out, quickening her pace.

Naia turned, relief washing over her features. "Oh, Lyra. I’m glad to see you."

"Are you lost?" frёewebηovel.cѳm

"I can’t find Eren," Naia admitted, frustration evident in her voice. "She wasn’t in her chambers when I woke. I’ve been wandering these halls for what feels like hours." She gestured helplessly at the identical corridors branching in different directions. "This place is so vast."

Lyra frowned. "Let’s ask someone," she suggested, spotting a palace guard standing at attention near an archway.

The guard bowed slightly as they approached. Her armor was unlike any Lyra had seen before—sections seemed to flow like liquid metal when she moved, yet hardened into impenetrable plates when still.

"We’re looking for Eren," Lyra said.

"You mean the Veilwalker?" the guard asked respectfully.

Lyra blinked, trying to process the unfamiliar title. "Yes," she replied after a moment’s hesitation. "The Veilwalker."

The guard’s expression remained impassive. "The Veilwalker spends most mornings at the training grounds. Follow the leftmost corridor until you reach the silver archway, then descend the spiral staircase. The training grounds lie beneath the eastern gardens."

Naia thanked her, and they set off following her directions. As they walked, Lyra relayed her strange encounter with Commander Maria.

"She said she demands a fight until surrender for her ’TUNA’? And Eren would understand this?" Naia shook her head in bewilderment. "None of this makes any sense. Eren was always skilled with a blade, but she was never a fighter by nature."

"The Eren we knew seems to have changed considerably," Lyra said carefully, watching Naia’s face. "Her power yesterday... I’ve never seen anything like it."

Naia’s expression grew distant. "When she shattered your blade—" She stopped, unable to find words to describe what they’d witnessed.

They found the silver archway just as the guard had described. The spiral staircase beyond it descended in a perfect helix, each step seemingly suspended in air without visible support. As they descended, the temperature cooled noticeably, and a strange vibration hummed through the stone.

"Do you feel that?" Naia whispered.

Lyra nodded. "It’s like the air itself is trembling."

The staircase opened onto a vast underground chamber. Natural light filtered down through crystal apertures in the ceiling, illuminating an expansive training arena. The floor was covered in what appeared to be sand, but it shimmered with an unnatural iridescence.

And there, in the center of the arena, stood Eren.

Both women froze, stunned by the sight before them. Eren stood barefoot on the shimmering sand, his eyes closed in concentration. His hands moved in fluid patterns through the air, and with each movement, the earth around him responded. Columns of stone rose and fell at his command, forming intricate structures before dissolving back into the ground.

The air around him distorted with waves of power, and the sand beneath his feet shifted into complex geometric patterns that spread outward like ripples in water. Some patterns solidified into stone before crumbling back to sand, while others flowed like liquid metal.

What shocked Lyra most wasn’t just the display of earth elemental magic—but the fact that Eren was wielding it at all. In their homeland, women were born with affinities for water and air elements only. Earth manipulation was the domain of kingdoms like Thornvale. Yet here was Eren, commanding earth with the precision and power of a master born to it.

Naia’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with wonder and disbelief. "Eren," she whispered, the single word carrying a thousand questions.

The earth around Eren stilled as his concentration broke. He opened his eyes and turned toward them, the last of the stone formations crumbling gently back into sand. His expression was calm and composed, showing no surprise at being discovered.

As Eren straightened his shoulders and stepped toward them, the aura of power around him remained unmistakable. He had changed in ways that went far beyond his physical appearance. Whatever had happened during his absence had transformed him into something they were only beginning to comprehend.