"I think I'll have to stay in Lothlórien a little while to heal. I'll decide what's next once I've recovered."
It wasn't a lie. It was honestly a miracle I was still standing. According to my system interface, I had about two-thirds of my life left — and that was after Elvish healing. So imagine the state I was in before.
Oh, and I had three broken ribs. Three. I didn't even know you could break one from the inside. Thanks, Azog. Really classy touch.
I'd taken a hammer blow so hard that if I hadn't activated my mental barrier at the last second, I'd have made a fine punching bag for Sauron. I had literally coughed up my lungs. And I'm not exaggerating. Three liters of blood, roughly. Lovely atmosphere.
Galadriel approached. With a gentle gesture, she placed her hand on my chest. Even injured, a shiver ran through me. This woman was like a living candle flame: soft, radiant… but you knew if you got too close, you'd end up scorched.
"You cannot stay in Lothlórien," she said, with the gentleness of a judge handing down a life sentence.
I was about to protest, like "You literally just said the opposite!" but she cut me off:
"…But you may remain as long as you need to recover."
Ah. Wordplay. Well played, Your Majesty.
Then her gaze shifted. Heavier. More… imperial.
"Now, Edward Highland… tell me what you saw in the Black Forest. It has been long since the orcs dared to leave their dens. That is not a trivial matter."
And that's when I got it. This wasn't just some cozy heart-to-heart with Grandma Elf. No. She had summoned me for something else.
I forced myself to think. And the more pieces I put together, the colder my spine grew.
In The Lord of the Rings, the orcs didn't start crawling out of their holes until much later. This was before all that. Way before. It was like evil had awakened ahead of schedule.
And what if it was because of me?
"Edward… you are different. I cannot read you. But please… try to remember. What did you see there?"
Her voice was gentle. Hypnotic. Not intrusive. She couldn't enter my mind — my system's defenses were doing a fantastic job — but she could still guide me through my memories.
And that's what she did.
I saw myself again, in the Black Forest.
The damp air. The smell of rot. The muffled green light. The sticky ground.
Then the black tower. The kneeling orcs. And most of all… him.
A rider. A shadowy figure. Cloaked in black robes that didn't even flutter in the wind.
And that… silence. That void. As if reality itself had held its breath.
A Nazgûl.
I froze, right there in Galadriel's hall, short of breath.
It wasn't a metaphor. I had seen that thing. And it had probably seen me too. It didn't need to speak to make it clear that I was prey.
"I feel fear in you, Edward… what frightened you so much?"
I blinked. Get a grip, Highland.
I looked up at Galadriel.
She was literally glowing. Telperion's light or Elven beauty? A bit of both. I could've stood there forever.
But I had a job to do.
"I saw… a figure. A being of shadow, wrapped in darkness. It radiated pure hatred. A cold and relentless power. I only saw its back. But in that moment, I thought… I had seen death itself."
I didn't say Nazgûl. Too risky. Better to stay vague.
Galadriel took a step back, visibly shaken.
"Angmar…"
She had whispered it. As if it were a cruel joke she didn't want to believe.
Then she added, almost to herself:
"He should have been sealed beneath the Mountains of Angmar… in a tomb so deep not even the moon could reach it… bound by ancient enchantments. Those tombs cannot be opened."
Spoiler: they can.
I didn't say anything. But we both knew what it meant — Sauron was moving.
Again.
And me, some poor guy hurled here with powers stolen from an American movie, was smack in the middle of it.
"That's why the orcs came out of hiding," Galadriel whispered. "They were chasing a witness."
Me.
Great. I had become evil's secondary target. Just after the One Ring, probably.
"Who is Angmar?" I asked, playing the clueless fool.
She raised her head, eyes filled with sorrow and anger mixed.
"The Witch-King. The most powerful of the Nazgûl. Once a man. Corrupted by one of the nine Rings of Power Sauron gave them. His body became shadow. His will, that of the Dark Lord."
She raised her hand. On her finger shimmered a silver ring, adorned with a sapphire so pure it looked like blue ice.
Nenya.
I nearly passed out. Seeing an actual Elven Ring was like stumbling across a divine relic still in its original packaging.
"Edward Highland… I believe one of my allies will be very interested in what you've seen."
She approached. Slowly. Deliberately. She lifted a finger, raised my chin. I was two centimeters from her face. Let's just say my brain was melting like snow in the sun.
"Even Arwen's father might reconsider his opinion of you."
She knew. She had seen it all. My glance at Arwen. My thoughts, even if she hadn't read them. She knew.
"Arwen was meant to leave for Rivendell. Your situation delayed her. I will escort her personally… and you as well."
I blinked.
Me. Going to Rivendell. With Arwen. And Galadriel. To attend the White Council.
That was like someone saying, "We're grabbing drinks with the Greek Pantheon. Bring your sword."
"I doubt you'd refuse such an opportunity to prove yourself, would you?"
She was close. Too close. I could feel her breath. And her gaze…
I cracked.
"No one can resist your charm, Lady Galadriel. Your beauty is unmatched. Even the Sacred Trees are mere lampposts next to you."
A smile. Subtle. But real.
Bullseye.
She stepped back. The meeting was over.
The young Elf who had brought me here appeared as if by magic (of course), guided me to my room, and brought an Elven meal. Soft bread, fresh fruit, glowing things that thankfully weren't radioactive. Delicious.
I wasn't hungry. I wasn't sleepy. I lay on the bed, eyes wide open, head burning.
I opened my system interface.
---
Name: Edward Highland
EXP: 200
Skills:
• Psychokinesis Lv1 (75/400)
➤ Manipulate objects up to 3000 kg within a 150-meter radius. (Unlocks mental energy gauge.)
• Mental Fortification Lv1 (590/1000)
➤ Reinforces the mind. Partial resistance to mental attacks.
Worlds Crossed: Chronicle
Current World Mission: Awaiting contact with main storyline. Will unlock once the plot engages.
---
I had seen a Nazgûl. I had spoken with Galadriel. I had made Arwen laugh.
And now, I was caught up in one of the greatest stories ever told.
And honestly?
I was both terrified… and completely thrilled.