Chapter 1

In an elven family, when a child is born, the elders take a silver leaf from the ancestral tree and hide it in the family shrine. When the child turns fifty and comes of age, the leaf is brought out, engraved with their name, and given to them to keep.

When my grandmother was alive, she took me to the shrine every autumn. She would wipe the dust from the leaf, run her fingers along its veins, and place it back in the box. She always said: "This leaf grows up with you. No matter which forest you walk to in the future, the family tree will remember you."

My coming-of-age ceremony was in three days. But tonight, when my family brought out the silver leaf, the name engraved on it was Lirien's.

Strings of firefly lamps hung in the center of the banquet hall. My mother, Sylvia, pinned the leaf onto Lirien herself. My father, Aslan, raised his glass. My brother, Kaelan, draped the ceremonial robe for the Royal Court Academy over her shoulders. My fiancé, Elian, stood behind her, shielding her from the crowd, as if he were the one—

"The youngest painter in our family is going to the Royal Court," Kaelan raised his communication crystal and photographed the silver leaf on Lirien's chest. "This leaf waited a whole year for her."

The edge of the appointment scroll in my hand was crumpled from my grip. The Royal Court Ley Line Bureau had accepted me into the ancient tree plague zone survey team. They desperately needed engineers who could read old water channels and root patterns. The assignment lasted seven years, crossing several sealed border woodlands. When I finished, I could join the northern reconstruction and earn the qualification to oversee a ley line independently.

No one asked what I had received.

I walked to my mother and pointed at the leaf on Lirien's chest. "That's the silver leaf Grandmother left for my coming-of-age."

My mother's smile paused. Her hand didn't stop adjusting the leaf on Lirien. "Aelira, Lirien has no blood token of her own in this family. You have Grandmother's silver rings, and you have the Ley Line Bureau appointment. She needs something to prove she belongs here more than you do."

"Grandmother chose it for me."

My father set his glass back on the table, his voice dropping. "Your father's companion Daren was gravely injured in the workshop accident. Lirien lost her father. We brought her home because we promised Daren we'd take care of her. Tonight is her good day. Don't make everyone uncomfortable over a small thing."

"It's not a small thing."

Kaelan immediately stepped between us. "You can fight for everything yourself. Lirien only has us. You already have a future. Do you really have to compete with her over a leaf?"

Only then did Elian glance at me. There was no surprise in his eyes. Only impatience. "Aelira, don't force her to give it back. She's always felt like an outsider."

In that moment, I finally understood. My family had spent years using my things to pay off a debt for Lirien. She lost her father, so I lost my bed. She was afraid of being alone, so my time had to go to her. She felt she didn't belong, so even the silver leaf Grandmother left me had to be hers.

I walked to the end of the banquet hall, unrolled the appointment scroll, and pressed my thumbprint on the confirmation line. The scroll glowed silver-blue. The assignment slot was officially locked. Departure date: twenty days. The border outpost would be sealed for seven years. No unauthorized leave during the assignment.

Behind me, my mother had Lirien raise her glass. My father smiled, a rare sight. My brother took more photos. My appointment scroll was pressed under the corner of the table. No one noticed it had already emitted the light of confirmation.

I closed the scroll and stood in the shadow by the window. Everyone in the hall was celebrating my sister's new life. I had already chosen the day I would leave.