CHAPTER 380: THE CAGED BIRD

The hem of the robe, with its many-layered garments and ornate details, spread out in the water like a blooming flower. Long gold hair flowed freely, shimmering with light, as though countless stars were dancing upon each strand.

That person stood in the water, their slender body light and graceful, one hand holding a harp, eyes slightly lowered, lips gently parting to sing. The birds had gathered from everywhere, flapping excitedly before—like they had been trained—opening their beaks and singing in unison.

The unmistakable voice blended with the sounds of nature, and the harp’s notes echoed. Silvanus could almost see tiny specks of green light rise whenever the strings were plucked, illuminating the exquisitely beautiful face.

She is wonderful... Silvanus thought to himself.

Right then, a white blur suddenly shot out.

Vivian leapt from Silvanus’s shoulder, hopping about joyfully, her body swaying through the air as if dancing along with the music.

The sound pierced the gentle atmosphere like a massive needle.

Hearing the wind, the person standing in the water raised their head almost instantly, meeting Silvanus’s gaze directly.

Silvanus couldn’t help but freeze for a moment. He quickly caught Vivian as fast as he could, looking a bit embarrassed.

The other seemed just as surprised to discover someone watching them, with evident astonishment and hesitation appearing on their face. But once they got a clearer look at Silvanus, their green eyes filled even more with curiosity.

Our hair and eye colors are precisely the same, Silvanus thought.

Right after, a pair of wings suddenly unfurled from the person’s back. They were translucent primarily, yet their green-tinted lines were clearly visible. The wings looked like a thin layer of glass, glowing under the sunlight, dotted with countless stars.

Silvanus watched the figure fly toward him, kept a calm smile on his lips, and quickly said, "Hello, I truly didn’t mean to spy. I got lost and was guided here by the birds..."

Before Silvanus could finish, the other had already reached him, stopping just a meter away. At this distance, Silvanus could clearly see the warm, gentle eyes that resembled a spring lake.

"How rare..."

The person suddenly spoke. Silvanus couldn’t help pausing a little at that voice... it was pure, clear, and melodious, but without a doubt, it was the voice of a man.

Looking again, the face wasn’t overly feminine either, just very young, not yet fully matured. Combined with that long, shimmering hair, Silvanus had made the wrong assumption.

Silvanus silently apologized, grateful he hadn’t said anything with the wrong form of address.

At that moment, the elf was also looking at him, smiling as he said, "Many people get lost in this forest, but I have never seen someone manage to get lost all the way here."

He looked at Silvanus, then at the birds, and said softly, "If they brought you here, they must like you very much."

Saying so, he lifted his hand toward Silvanus.

Silvanus pressed his lips together, then directly took the elf’s hand.

Right after, the elf beat his wings, tiny specks of dust falling from them, and at the same time, Silvanus felt his body lift gently into the air, as if gravity no longer existed. He saw countless tiny motes of light surrounding him.

The elf brought him down to the lakeside. The clear water reflected their figures. Only at this distance did Silvanus realize just how large the fruits on the trees truly were, as if they could hold a fully grown adult inside...

"I am Dorian."

The other suddenly spoke. Silvanus instinctively turned to look and saw Dorian watching him, his smile gentle.

Silvanus smiled immediately as well and said in a bright voice, "I’m Silvanus, it’s very nice to meet you."

Then his eyes lit up a little. "You’re an elf, right? This is my first time ever seeing an elf. And you sing beautifully."

Dorian smiled, the tips of his ears turning a bit red. He lowered his gaze, his fingers lightly tapping the harp in his hands, as though not used to receiving such praise.

Seeing Dorian like this, Silvanus felt only fondness.

Elder Nicole said elves were all arrogant, but clearly not all of them were like that. Dorian was even quite easily embarrassed, and his smile was so gentle.

Dorian looked at Silvanus and asked, "Do people out there not sing?"

Silvanus thought for a moment. "Of course, people sing, but there are also some who can’t, like me, for example."

He patted his chest as he said it.

Dorian couldn’t help but laugh a little, saying softly, "Your voice is very nice too."

It was the first time Silvanus had ever been praised like that. At that moment, Vivian suddenly jumped in front of him again, waving her arms and legs at Dorian, opening her beak to cry out nonstop as if ranting about something.

Hearing the car-horn-like screech of Vivian, Silvanus could only force a smile as he pulled her back, gently saying, "Sorry..."

But Dorian simply stared at Vivian and nodded thoughtfully.

Silvanus: "..." Could he actually speak with animals?

Dorian’s following words confirmed Silvanus’s suspicion.

He lifted his gaze toward Silvanus and said softly, "Your little fox is quite special."

As he spoke, he raised his hand. Vivian immediately flailed her way forward, precisely pressing her forehead against the tip of Dorian’s finger.

A green glow lit up from Dorian’s fingertip, shining onto Vivian’s body.

Silvanus felt as though he heard the sound of something unlocking. Right after, Vivian’s eyes snapped open. She turned her head to glare at Silvanus, opened her mouth, and actually spoke human language.

"Stupid Silvanus! I’m brilliant, I just couldn’t speak, but you keep calling me stupid every day. You don’t even understand what I’m saying. At least I understand what you say, you’re the real idiot idiot!"

Hearing a girl’s voice coming from Vivian’s mouth, Silvanus’s lips twitched.

He had tried to teach Vivian for so long, yet she never bothered to say a single word, even though she could articulate sounds perfectly fine. One day, he accidentally flicked her forehead and called her stupid, and she’d held the grudge all the way to now.

After yelling, Vivian blinked, then immediately flew back to lie on Silvanus’s shoulder, her voice soft and childish. "Even so, I still like Silvanus the most."

Silvanus: "..."

Silvanus didn’t react right away. He looked at Dorian and asked in a quiet voice, "Did you make Vivian able to talk?"

Dorian shook his head. "I don’t know either. I’ve never made any animal speak before. Maybe Vivian is special."

Hearing that, Silvanus fell silent.

Of course, she’s special. There’s no other creature that can turn into a human like Vivian can.

Silvanus looked at his reflection in the water, then toward Dorian. He was just about to ask for directions when Dorian suddenly said, "Silvanus, do you have friends?"

Silvanus paused for a moment and nodded. "Of course I do."

Who doesn’t have friends? Ah, right, Nana doesn’t have friends.

Silvanus thought with a bit of amusement.

Then Dorian asked, "So what do people usually play?"

Silvanus felt Dorian was truly naive. Not exactly foolish, but strangely innocent. He tried to act shy and reserved, yet every word he said revealed nothing but curiosity. Like a bit of bird, curious about the world outside, but too timid to fly out of the nest.