[Taken from the book 'History of Species Civilization']
The classification of Mana species is not based on appearance or body shape. Nor is it based on how the organs of the body or the culture they have. The classification of mana species is only based on how they approach mana.
In the previous chapter, we discussed how humans get closer to mana. The concept of turning mana flow into a constellation has been used by humans for centuries. Although the first record found regarding this refers to the era of The Mana Gods, it is possible that different mana usage existed before that time.
Even though it has a different way, in essence, the way of the elf species gets closer to mana is almost the same as humans. Namely by changing the mana flow in their bodies into constellations or what they are more familiar with, The Roots.
But elves didn't use outside aids like potions to stimulate their bodies to sense mana. The elves have their own way of feeling mana, which, although they have different forms, all agree to call The Rituals.
The Rituals are certain processes or activities carried out by an elven species to push their consciousness deeper to the point where they find The Roots inside their bodies.
The form of The Rituals is different for each elven race. This was because the elven species considered mana to be a divine entity that watched over them like a god. Depending on the form of god they worship, the way an elf searches for The Roots varies.
The physical record of the first ritual they performed has been lost to time. Even so, the elven species which has the second longest lifespan after the demon species preserved their knowledge through word of mouth passed on each generation.
The legend about the first mage of the elven species starts from the very beginning of the world. At that time there was only land, trees, and animals. The world reaches its peak of calm where the cycle of life is not disturbed by greed.
Everything is organized and governed by a single entity named Mana. There are no errors in their calculations and all balances out. However, balance cannot make the world more advanced, there is no progress until the end of time
Until one day Mana decided to divide themselves into seven parts. The Earth, The Sky, The Sea, The Tree, The Animal, The Sun, and The River. The seven separate divisions had their own consciousness, they then went to their respective places.
The Earth likes dry and hot places, so she prefers to live in deserts and volcanoes.
The Sky likes high and cold places, therefore he chooses to live on the highest cliffs and the highest mountains.
The Sea likes the wide and watery place, therefore he chooses to live in the ocean and by the beach.
The Tree likes shady and damp places, so it chooses to live in the shadows of tall trees.
The Animal likes places full of life and the cycle of life, so he chooses to live in the plateau and meadow.
The Sun likes places that are hot and close to sunlight, so he chooses a place to live at the equator.
The River likes warm and humid places, so she prefers to live near rivers and lakes.
For the sake of ease of writing and explanation, the writer chooses to dare himself to give the term for these seven great entities with The Elves' Gods.
The seven Elves' Gods lived in their respective places for millions of years. Based on the information obtained through Nezena the Holy Queen's story, the duration of this phase is described as when the air in the world is still morning to when the air in the world is already dusk.
The writer contemplates what is meant by "when the air in the world is still morning" to show if the oxygen level in the world is still at its highest level. Namely, before the world froze, during this time, the earth's climate repeatedly changed between very cold periods, during which glaciers covered large parts of the world, and very warm periods during which many of the glaciers melted.
Or better known as the Ice Age.
Then the phrase "when the air in the world is already dusk" refers to oxygen levels having returned to normal or at the levels felt in the world at this time. So the length of time The Elves' Gods lived alone in their respective places began 2.6 million years ago and lasted until roughly 11,000 years ago.
In this phase that we can call the Ice Age, The seven Elves' Gods, who already have their own consciousness and thoughts, begin to think about the reasons for their creation in this world. They begin to realize that they are a unique entity, but their uniqueness must be accompanied by loneliness.
They realized that other beings who were much weaker than them did not have loneliness like themselves. The seven Elves' Gods began to feel a new emotion that had never existed before, envy.
They envy the birds that fly in the sky hand in hand and migrate together to warmer places. They envied how the mother bison warmed her cubs by licking them. They envy the fish swimming in the water chasing each other.
The feeling of envy in their hearts creates a new feeling, namely desire.
The desire that grows quickly is like a bamboo shoot. The seven Elves' Gods decided to create. They share their own power and give it shape. Together with this shape, a new form of life emerged that had never existed before.
The Elves.
There is also ambiguity in this section and many passages are impossible to ascertain. The reason is that each of the elf races has a different version of the story. But these differences refer to one thing; which race was first created by their respective Elves' Gods.
For example, the mountain elves (mountain dwarfs) said that they were created by The Earth God (Terra) because they were closer to the ground. Meanwhile, the volcano elf (volcano dwarf) said that they were first created by The Earth God (Gaia) because they were closer to heat.
But another opinion that is not very popular (because there are fewer elves in this race) is the mole elf (underground dwarf), who says that The Earth God (Geb) created them first because their location is deeper into the ground than others.
The most famous debate on this issue is between the Wood Elves and the Night Elves. It is not known exactly how the two elf races started but until the beginning of the first war between mana species, the two elf races were still killing each other at first sight.
The war that resulted because of the debate over the most important part of the tree. Wood elves feel that the top of the tree (leaves, flowers, and fruit) is the most important part of the tree, while the night elves think that the root of the tree is the most important part of the tree.
Indeed, the reason for this war sounds very ridiculous to other species, but for the elf species, this is very important. Who was born first by The Elves' God shows if they have more purity than the others. Or if they are formed from the body parts of The Elves' Gods which are the most important then they have powers that are also more important.
Another difference that can be found in the elven species compared to any other species is the absence of mixed marriages between two different worshipers of The Elves' God. Even though love can still grow, they are still unable to produce offspring even though they have been in a relationship for hundreds of years.
The most famous example is the relationship between Irvin the Iron Hand (Volcano Elf) and Ursella the Wave Trident (Deep-Sea Elf). Although this couple is very famous and has been in a relationship from the beginning of The Demon War until when they were killed in the middle of the Demon War, no offspring has been produced.
Meanwhile, another famous pair of elves namely Iron Darius and Lily Ariel. The couple's relationship started from the beginning of the first war between mana species until the middle of the Demon War. From this relationship was born a boy who is also one of the four heroes of dawn, Lutfi.
So that biologically and genetically, the elf race that originates from and worships the same The Elves' God has the same affinity as compared to the elven race that originates and worships a different The Elves' God. However, based on the records that the author has and the records in the Mind Realm, there has never been a war between the two elf races that originate from and worship the different Elves' God.
Because of that the wars that occur within the elf species are not due to differences in appearance but are really caused by small things such as which part of the tree's body is more important or which part of the seawater is saltier.
To the elf species, The Elves' God is Mana and Mana is The Elves' God. So this problem that we think is ridiculous stems from the one thing that matters most to mana species, namely their closeness to mana.
The writer himself does not want to research this problem and seek the truth. Whether it's because of the writer's love for the existence of an extinct elven species civilization or because of the top officials of R 18 who are trying to cover it up even by destroying the record in the Mind Realm.
So even though it is very unfortunate, the author prefers to let the truth of this problem disappear to be swallowed up by time. Although this is very contrary to the thirst of an archaeologist, sometimes respect for history is far more important than the truth itself.