1
Sapientia is standing beneath the gallows.
Prisoners will get their heads covered in a sack before the execution, but not for Sapientia. His sapphire eyes and pointy ears are conspicuous among the crowds.
Sapientia looks down at the mobs. The humans are cursing the creature from a different species in a loud voice, but with fear.
Among them, there is a skinny, quiet lady staring at Sapientia with great strain under her hoods. The girl, Veritas, has the same sapphire light in her eyes and pointy ears, just like Sapientia.
“We lost.” Sapientia thought to himself.
2
Sapientia can’t remember how many years he has disguised himself among humans.
Elves existed long before mankind started its civilization.
Fragile as they are, the elves live long – so long that they nearly reach immortality.
Over the long years they learn, they think, and they build logic to explain everything they see and hear.
And at last, they managed to find the last piece of the universe — some call it a “god”.
Civilization is all about finding the reason in the universe.
Ever since their “god” was found, the elves’ civilization grew weaker.
Parts of them proposed to “voluntarily embrace extinction” by refusing to produce offspring. “May we all live long and die out.” some say.
Maybe they are the last two elves remaining.
3
Humans are short-lived.
In Sapientia’s view of history, the way of using stone tools is passed on to mankind by elves, who expect manpower to be a good source of labor for their debilitating clan.
And humans, therefore, grew strong enough to develop their own civilization, leaving the number of elves to decrease. Eventually, elves became fairy tale creatures heard only in their stories.
Sapientia and Veritas will have to live under human’s roofs instead.
How ironic.
4
All civilizations have an end. Veritas hold this belief firmly.
Having experienced the pain of seeing massive elves pass away one after another as years went by, Sapientia and Veritas made a decision to boost the human birth rate when necessary.
Elves have magic, lots of magic, but none of them alter the birth rate in a trice.
Sapientia and Veritas have enough knowledge to work in the capital hospital while disguising themselves. They managed to promote the birth rate with medical science.
Sapientia discussed his plan of increasing the use of somatotropic hormones.
“For our next step, we can turn to the food industry. If we have an industry of a certain scale, we can not only change their diet but also spread our ideas, if we gain popularity. After all, we have been doing all the work secretly. Saying things out is harder than what we thought it would be.”
But the sensitive Veritas was worrying about something else.
“When it comes to spreading ideas, Sapientia, we always focus on the outside. But my worries come from the inside.”
“You mean voluntary extinction?”
“Yes. I was thinking about ‘mind’. In the past, people would show what was in their minds to priests or fortune tellers. Now psychology is the new trend, also a spot for us to start with.”
Sapientia is quite speechless.
“May I have the chance to know more about that trend you were speaking of?”
“Let’s head to that little town on the other side of the mountains, where psychology started. I read about the book by that gentleman. It’s interesting, good work to start a trend indeed. I heard a group of people was having studies on psychological treatment too, I want to see it for myself.”
“Then we shall see and make the decision.”
Sapientia agreed.
5
Veritas worries for a reason, it’s about their past.
Sapientia was born a poor boy in a rural area. Veritas, on the other hand, was the daughter and recognized heir of Curiosus, the Great Magician and teacher of Sapientia.
Veritas saw Sapientia as a less talkative junior among the many students. Sapientia knew Veritas as the beloved daughter of the teacher he looked up to.
None of them expected things to end up like this when they first met.
It was a time when the elf clan was rising as huge academic progresses were made. Scholars of diverse fields are aiming for a “theory of everything”. They managed to find logic, with their own knowledge, in all that is existing.
New theories came out and overturn the old ones. Elves were confident that their thoughts and wisdom would eventually enable them to understand everything.
Academically, they all have a final barrier to overcome.
Naturalists find the merging of micro and macro sciences hard, mathematicians are baffled by the paradox of set theories.
The last piece of the puzzle missing in Curiosus’s study of magic is “soul”.
Magic is what surpasses natural science and reconstructs matters with abstract logic.
Souls have no shape or form, theoretically they are not what can be interfered by magic.
Curiosus was known for being the first magician who interfered the existence of souls.
It all started as a coincidence, as Sapientia could recall, Curiosus mentioned this to the students the day before elves’ destinies were changed.
Studying a new magic wasn’t as good and easy as most would expect. Most discoveries started from coincidences, followed by trials and errors related to the controlling of variables. Much similar to finding a path on dark, stormy nights, the process is lonely, tiring and eventually produces little gain.
An accidental discovery, some reasons for his determination, and the dignity of a great magician. All of these put Curiosus on a path of mixed feelings which consumed most of his life for finding the final answer.
He had been teaching his apprentices given knowledge, now it was up to them to dig deep into the unknown.
“Exploring the unknown is to answer a question that is not even clear itself, and you must have the courage to face incorrect answers.” the teacher said lightly.
6
Curiosus took some of his students to the church the other day. The moon was bright and so were the candles. They were there to test the new and improved magic.
They tested with animals at first, but there weren’t many changes. This time Curiosus decided to make himself the experimental subject so an intuitional result would be produced. This worried Veritas deep down.
“Risks are worthwhile.” Smiled Curiosus.
Sapientia was busy moving the candlesticks. Each student stood on one corner of the magic circle, holding candles. Curiosus looked around to confirm afterwards, he then closed his eyes to chant spells.
A strong wind intruded the church as the chanting continued, it weakened the fire. It was supposed to end by now, but it only gets stronger, Sapientia could not open his eyes. The wind blew down the candlestick behind Sapientia, he hurried to put it back but tripped. He fumbled around a few times before moving the candlestick back.
When Sapientia turned, everyone seemed strange. Veritas was supporting Curiosus, who fell down and looked miserable. Other students were muttering words Sapientia couldn’t understand with their heads down.
“So magician, what do you want?” Said a senior student, who was standing at the corner. He asked Curiosus in a slow and different tone.
“You are the first to call the souls of the dead.” A junior student continued.
“Souls are not immortal, I can’t help you with that, the one you were calling chose the vanish.”
The students followed one after another, Sapientia was in a state of confusion, but a fear of the unknown soon emerged.
With Veritas’s support, Curiosus stood up. “Souls do exist somewhere.” He said weakly, as if he was talking to himself.
Sapientia wanted to run to his teacher’s side, but soon as he stepped on the magic circle, a powerful aura flicked him.
“Yes, you want to get closer. I have a blueprint of this world, but souls — the images formed by the blueprint, don’t have that much space to be kept. But they will disappear after letting go of their longing for the world. You are late.” A voice came from afar.
“What do you mean… ‘kept?’”. Sapientia repeated the word primly.
“Well?” All students turned to stare at Sapientia, this frightened him. “Don’t you know anything about it? Then I might as well talk more, since this is the first time.”
Where shall I start?
As magicians, aren’t you using it the whole time? The logic of this world.
Someday they will reach here, mathematicians, physicists, magicians…
The logic of everything was there in the first place, those who toughly execute it will make mistakes, sooner or later.
“Where is ‘there’?” Sapientia kept asking.
“What a simple lad we’ve got here. It doesn’t matter where that is. Well then, where do you think it will be?”
One that has always existed for an undeniable reason, one that quietly watches over and accepts all things.The earth? Sky? Indeed, it doesn’t matter where it is.
“Mundus Arbor.” Veritas answered in a low voice.
Mundus Arbor, a sky-high tree in the very center of the world, records all souls of the living while accepting the ones that have existed – bodies are just temporary shells to store them.
It is the last piece of the puzzle.
Curiosus wrote this down himself, Sapientia had no idea what experiment he did after that. Curiosus went missing on a normal afternoon, after leaving a manuscript about “god”.
As the only one who witnessed what happened that night, Sapientia thought he could do something more or less. But there he silently stood in front of Veritas, only lowering his head. This is a guilt deep inside Sapientia.
7
Away from the capital city and over the mountains, the two have arrived at the town by sea.
To tackle the changeable climate in the mountains, professional trade caravans took experienced elephants with them as guides for road and weather.
Sapientia and Veritas headed for the sea with a caravan. Some of the elephants were pulling good-loaded carts, while others were carrying travelers.
The road was long, Veritas whispered to an elephant they were assigned to.
“Miss, can you communicate with us?” the elephant was surprised.
“Naturally, but please keep this a secret.” Veritas glanced at Sapientia, “Have you ever heard about elves?”
“Of course!” Replied the elephant, “There were legends about elves. They say that you use the magic of all kinds, and you have seen the world’s end. It’s not surprising that you can talk to us. But out of curiosity, if I may ask, is this magic as well?”
“Not quite.” Answered Sapientia, “Information is the essence of language, and language is the product of information encrypted in grammar. But we have connected to the god – the center of all the data in this world. Things get simple when we skip the encryption and go straight to the meaning, and thanks to such ability, we get to live among humans. ”
“That’s amazing, sir, you truly are an elf.” The elephant was glad, “So you have really seen the god.”
“Seeing the god is not necessarily a good thing.” Veritas said in a low voice.
“I’m sorry, miss. I shall apologize if this question reminds you of anything uncomfortable.” After a short silence, the elephant changed the topic, “I wonder if you know a legend in our clan.”
“What is it?”
“It is said that a long, long time ago, an elf stood before humans and elephants. He promised them wisdom, and in exchange, they must work for the elves. Elephants and humans were invited to the elves’ tribes. Mankind saw the convenience and future civilization could bring, while elephants grieved at the sacrifice and destruction beneath it. Humans accepted the offer in the end, but elephants refused, returning to their stable life.”
“But I have never believed in the legend so firmly until I saw two true elves today.” Added the elephant.
“Well, this legend is fresh to me…”
“Are you having a hard time working for the caravans?” Asked Sapientia.
“If the legend is real, then I guess these are all consequences.” Sighed the elephant, “Some of us live with humans, and therefore don’t have to worry about food. The rest went north, to the forests where no humans would go. Human civilization is interesting indeed, those of us remaining will probably be its successor.”
“Just try to get along.” The elephant smiled.
When they were out of the mountains, Sapientia and Veritas thanked the elephant and bid farewell.
“Sapientia, humans are doing the same thing to elephants as what we did to them. ”
“Yes.”
Sapientia tried to stir up some memories, the good old days when he was still a learner, the joyful times when they started to interact with humans.
“Will they really get along with elephants?”
8
They were going to a college.
Sapientia and Veritas met the book publishing scholar as doctors.
Sapientia stated his opinion that Somatotropic Hormone does affect people’s minds. He then proposed to carry out a research combining Biology and Psychology.
The scholar welcomed them with great enthusiasm and asked them to stay in the college for a few months to improve their theories.
Things were progressing well.
After getting a place to live, they visited the organization to do psychological therapy.
It was set in a small church, where the moonlight shone through the patterns on colorful glass windows, leaving a sign like a magic circle on the floor.
A man in his suit, the organizer, broke the silence and began his speech.
“Thank you all for coming tonight. As new academic reports are carried out, we realize the power of the mind and how important it is to be true to ourselves. Eventually, we shall unravel our brand-new selves. During our session, I will say instructions such as ‘close your eyes’ or ‘take a deep breath’, and I hope you will follow me, as these are all psychological cues used for treatment.”
“They still keep their religions and divination tricks.”Veritas said jokingly.
But soon as the organizer began, Sapientia and Veritas’ faces immediately clouded.
Magic circle, church, psychological cues…
This was not therapy, but magic to communicate with Mundus Arbor.
Bad news.
9
And soon more bad news came one by one.
There were strange rumors in town. Shadows of magic were lurking in the dark.
After putting their plan to investigate human magic on the schedule, Sapientia and Veritas decided to act separately so they could collect as much information as possible.
Sapientia stayed in the college for further research and Veritas went back to the capital to register a chamber of commerce.
Or so they planned.
Sapientia saw Veritas knocking at his door– she was supposed to be back four months later. Veritas was crying, tears welled up in her swollen eyes. Sapientia dragged her inside at once.
“Something happened to the elephants.”
That’s all Veritas could say after muttering and choking for quite a while.
10
Veritas headed back to the capital city in the same way she came. To express her gratitude, she prepared fruits for the elephants she met.
But she sensed something wrong when she saw the caravan.
All the elephants there were numb and lifeless. Veritas wanted to talk to them, but it was not easy when many people were passing by.
After requesting some time with the elephant that guided her, she asked about its condition with great concern.
The elephant looked straight at her, as if it was staring somewhere far away behind her.
Time to go. People at the caravan yelled, calling animals to hit the road.
The elephant finally said something, but it wasn’t in the leisure voice she was familiar with. The broken words that were squeezed out of its mouth couldn’t even form a sentence. But Veritas understood what the elephant said.
It was using a human language,
Now she was sure that elephants’ souls were changed.
11
Veritas pressed her forehead to the elephant and used her magic to discern the shape of the elephant’s soul.
This was very different from the soul-changing magic Veritas knew. Humans created new souls instead of changing them.
A sense of horror went up Veritas’ spine.
Humans have possessed soul magic, and elephants were their first victims.
How convenient it is to erase their self-awareness, leaving only the basic skills and instinct to reproduce.
12
Veritas took the hot cocoa Sapientia offered her, but had no appetite for drinking it.
She solemnly requested Sapientia to use her body as a container of soul-changing so she could talk to the elephant.
If Veritas’ deduction was correct, the elephant was supposed to be in the Mundus Arbor by now.
The shape of that elephant’s soul was still clear in her mind. If so, she could still find it.
Sapientia didn’t know what to say.
The consequences for everything were more serious than they thought.
If the soul-changing magic works, what next?
We have to put plans aside first. We need to know more, for example… the details of their magic, or how many elephants’ souls were changed, or what kind of dangerous situation they are in now!
Please!
Veritas is about to cry again.
Sapientia wants to regret, for all they have done along the way. But Veritas, now standing in front of him, needs his help.
So he made up his mind to leave regrets behind and give Veritas a hand. They decided to cast a soul-changing spell tonight in the church they went to.
13
Casting a soul-changing spell itself is nothing difficult for the two elves. Location, rune, magic circle… They are just theoretical formulas written down to help minds process faster.
However, this was the first time they managed to swap a soul from Mundus Arbor.
The shadows of the two covered the empty church,
Sapientia asked Veritas once again, whose face was extremely pale under the moonlight, if she wanted to carry on.
“I have made up my mind.” She looked into Sapientia’s eyes firmly.
Sapientia lit the candle, the crimson light shone over them. Sapientia chanted in the familiar language, his voice echoed around the church.
The candlelight faded away when the ritual was over.
Under the moon, Veritas looked the same as before, but the first thing she said after slowly opening her eyes was…
“Stop your friend from doing this at once.”
14
All of a sudden, loud noises came in from the outside, like raging floods.
Veritas lost all her strength and fell to the ground. Sapientia was frozen with shock.
The raspy, sharp sounds were like sirens, pouring into every cell of his body. They were so loud that his heart was shaken.
He needed to run, he didn’t know what had happened but he must run away now.
He held Veritas and rushed outside. They were town citizens heading for the church. Sapientia sensed something wrong. He hid Veritas in the prayer room and rushed on with all his might.
But where could he go? Everyone was going for him, even the ones in the buildings he ran past.
They were all shouting in the same language.
That was the elves’ language!
Why could they speak the elves’ language?!
It couldn’t be, that was not from the humans. Were those words spoken through their lips like that time…
The will of Mundus Arbor?!
Soon Sapientia was pressed to the ground. With all the punching and kicking from the mobs, he couldn’t move an inch.
“You really shouldn’t offend our taboo.”
15
Elves were long-lived, so long that they nearly reached immortality. Sapientia was not aware of the taboo that prohibited him from turning the dead alive.
Maybe Mundus Arbor judged Sapientia according to human morals.
Why did Mundus Arbor choose humans?
Sapientia, now standing beneath the gallows, has an answer.
If the Mundus Arbor is a collection of all data, then after all these years, the number of human souls is far beyond that of the elves’.
Is it time for elves to leave the stage?
The board he steps on drops, it’s all over now.
16
As he goes down, Sapientia loses his balance and falls on the ground.
Shouting bursts from the crowd. He looks up and sees his body hanging.
He is dead indeed.
Terror strikes him. What happened?
He sees the flower near his shoes. It is Veritas’ headwear.
A strong sense of dizziness occupies him, he can’t help throwing up.
This is Veritas’ body, he is having Veritas’ body.
He stands up and keeps running, using all his power.
Eventually, he squeezes through the people and escapes.
17
Dear Veritas,
I am writing this letter to you.
But every time I pick up the pen, I don’t know where to start. Forgive me for my clumsiness.
The spell at the church succeeded, I saw the elephant indeed. The world, however, is not the one we knew anymore. It was I who failed to recognize it, please don’t blame yourself.
After changing the soul, Mundus Arbor warned me. I was found and executed as a heathen who started all the strange things in town. Now I realize that their magic affects more than the elephant clan, but I had no time to care about that anymore.
You may have been waiting for me to escape, but I did nothing, so you planned to swap my soul.
I’m sorry for giving you bad memories, it must have hurt.
It’s not your fault that I am executed.
Maybe I could run, but I didn’t. Why not?
I was thinking of ending the chaos with my death, but that’s not the only reason.
I am regretting it.
Every time I see humans, I think about the pros and cons of civilization. I thought the pros were greater than the cons, so I chose to protect and idealize it.
But that probably wasn’t the right answer.
I am not regretting what we had done for humanity, but I regret not seeing through everything about “civilization” itself.
It took me some time to prepare for the soul-changing magic while going around the taboos. I am sorry.
I decided to bring you back.
You may want to argue with me about who deserves to live, but that’s not the point for me.
I can say that you are more gentle and emotional than me, but that won’t convince you.
You know things will be the same no matter who lives.
There’s no turning back to the world that once belonged to elves.
I must say this.
This is your body, I wish to give it back to you.
Just take it as my capricious behavior.
During the time you were away, I set up a small chamber of commerce. The books are ready to be published as well. I have done some background investigation on the accountants and scholars of the commerce chamber, they are trustworthy people. For more information, please check the files in my bedside drawer. The key is at where it used to be.
My plan may lead to more soul-swapping cases for the dead. If everything goes on well, you will not be found on a lonely island. But great changes will happen out there, please be more careful.
This is not the right way to save the elephants, I apologize.
Will you keep answering the questions I got wrong?
I hope that even within the bleak cracks, the wisdom of elves will still be examined by time, as we always did.
Yours sincerely,
Sapientia
18
The drumming in Sapientia’s ears gradually fades. Standing in a carriage of a moving train, he comes to himself. He looks out of the window, all he can see is the pitch-black universe and dazzling galaxy.
“So you made it.”
Sapientia has heard about the voice, he follows it, and sees the elephant Veritas met.
“Veritas said you might come.”The sitting elephant smiles at him.
Sapientia finds themselves in the Mundus Arbor.
“You are here too.” Sapientia is a bit sad.
“Indeed, sir.” Continues the elephant, “I believe in consequences. Maybe the peaceful life our clan has faith in is just a way to escape things.”
“However…”
“Yes?”
“However, sir, do you believe this world will become a better place?”
The universe outside is changing rapidly, stars appear, die out and explode at an incredible speed.
“What a tough question.” Sapientia closes his eyes, and eventually he replies. “Leave this to time. The universe creates civilization, and so it will choose its own path.”
“How lonely… that would be,” The elephant says to himself, “I am truly glad to see you.” He salutes, “But I have to leave now.”
“Where are you going?” Asks Sapientia.
“To the members of my clan, sir, they have been waiting for me.” The elephant turns, “ And when are you going to get off?”
“It’s time to say goodbye”, Sapientia stands up, saluting back in the elves’ way, “I am not going anywhere, I will be waiting here for Veritas.”
“If so,” Smiles the elephant again, “good luck, sir.”
After bidding farewell to the elephant, Sapientia returns to his seat.
Sapientia sees passengers come and go, he can feel the days he spent with Veritas.
Outside the train, things remain ever-changing and infinite.
