The God of Elements

“What? You want me to enroll in Apocalypse Academy?”

Selina’s eyes widened, staring at the Elven Ancestor God, as if she’d heard something utterly unbelievable.

“What’s the issue? It’s just an academy. Is there a problem?”

Themis easily noticed the evasion in Selina’s eyes, sensing her inner panic.

“Nothing… Can’t we pick a different academy?”

Selina scratched her head, her tone unusually tinged with a rare hint of submission.

“Apocalypse Academy sits at the heart of the Seraris Continent. Nominally, it’s just an academy, but its functions and scale rival any empire or race. I’m sending you there not only to learn and grow but also for a specific purpose.”

Themis’s voice was calm, her golden hair surrounded by the birth and decay of ethereal flora and fauna, her emerald eyes shimmering with countless starry glints.

“Something hidden in Apocalypse Academy? That’s no ordinary item, is it? Is there a sketch of its appearance? If not, describe it in detail. Are there guards around it? Are there magical barriers in the area? Do we know the owner’s details?”

Upon hearing about retrieving an item, Selina instinctively launched into a practiced thief’s inquiry, rattling off questions until the last word. The divine realm fell silent. Feeling Themis’s odd stare, she realized her mistake.

Damn! She’d spoken without thinking, triggered by her professional habits. Only after finishing her spiel did she remember she was no longer a thief but an elven princess.

What a blunder—her instincts had kicked in at the mention of her expertise.

A wave of embarrassment hit, her cheeks burning. She wanted to dig a hole and hide.

“Seeing you so serious, I know professionals should handle professional tasks.”

Though Themis’s voice held no overt emotion, Selina felt the subtle mockery.

“Heh, uh… don’t mind the details.”

Fortunately, Selina wasn’t a naive five-year-old. Her fifty-year-old soul, weathered by experience, had cultivated a thick skin. The embarrassment faded quickly.

Embarrassment aside, business was business. Knowing Themis, a god, had personally requested this item, Selina knew it was extraordinary.

“So, what exactly do you want me to retrieve?”

Selina maintained her professionalism. They’d made a deal: Themis granted her a new life as an elf in exchange for serving as the elves’ enforcer. Though Themis had pulled some tricks, the deal held. She’d gotten what she wanted—now it was time to deliver.

“The Genesis Crystal…”

Themis paused before uttering a term Selina had never heard.

“Genesis Crystal?”

Selina murmured the unfamiliar phrase, her delicate brows furrowing in thought.

Some items’ value was clear without details. On Seraris, anything tied to “god” was significant. For Themis, the Elven Ancestor God, to personally request the Genesis Crystal, it was undoubtedly unique.

“Where is this Genesis Crystal kept?”

Selina asked casually, assuming Themis sent her to Apocalypse Academy to investigate over time. If she knew its exact location, the job would be quicker, avoiding the hassle of enrolling to blend in.

Reality slapped her hard. Themis knew exactly where it was.

“The Babel Tower, at its summit.”

Selina froze, her eyelids twitching violently.

You’re kidding, right? That place is for normal people?

Her reaction was understandable. The Babel Tower was legendary across Seraris, a structure built by humans to bridge earth and sky, imbued with awe-inspiring divinity.

Whether Apocalypse Academy’s Babel Tower was the same as the legend was unclear, but like the myth, it didn’t connect earth to heaven. Its summit was visible, just impossibly high, accessible only by climbing…

“No way. That tower’s impossible to climb!”

As a former top thief, Selina was honest about her limits. The tower wasn’t for ordinary people. Beyond its intricate traps, the final guardian’s shadow at the summit was terrifying just by name.

The Ascendant, Hermes.

True to his name, he was Seraris’s first mortal to achieve godhood, the founder of Apocalypse Academy. The guardian shadow at the tower’s peak was a fragment of his power left before his ascension.

Hearing she had to reach the top, Selina gave up immediately. It wasn’t a lack of confidence—she knew her limits. This was nearly impossible.

Even her cheap mentor wouldn’t dare guarantee success on such a mad task.

Selina grumbled inwardly, but Themis, as if expecting this, extended her left hand. Hopeful light gathered, compressing pure elements into a tangible object.

“I know this is challenging, so I’ll provide aid.”

As she spoke, both god and elf were drawn to the item in her hand.

“This is…?”

Selina’s voice held hesitation and shock, recognizing the item.

“You know the elves call me the Ancestor God, but what do others call me?”

“Uh, Elven God? Nature God?”

Selina pondered, offering two uncertain titles.

“No, those are secondary names. My true title is the God of Elements, master of the world’s natural elements.”

Themis’s divine voice resonated, her radiant aura weaving elements into a sacred cycle of creation and decay.