Chapter Text
The moon peaks in the midnight sky above the magical SpiritWood in the vast kingdom of Adalwolf. The sky is alive with swirling colors of black, purple, navy, gold, and many more. The stars shine like bright pinpricks in the sky and the moon is full and glowing. The woods below are mystical and appear to be shining in the moonlight. Plants and flowers grow among the trees and moss eats at fallen trees. In the far distance, the trees appear to get greener and more lush. Glowing marbled flowers grow in small amounts along the banks of clear ponds and lakes. Woodland creatures wander among the trees and mysterious creatures wander through the deeper parts of the forest. A misty fog travels throughout the woods and misty figures swirl in the fog.
A tawny owl flies on a chilly winter wind above the trees towards the northern border of the forest. The owl has a pattern of golden feathers that sparkle in the moonlight with black and brown feathers to accent its body. Its face is made of tan feathers with feathers on the side of its face similar to ears. Its eyes, black with hints of green, look downwards at the trees below. It spots a cloaked figure running through the forest along a manmade path of weathered grass and shrubbery. The owl swoops down into the forest and follows the path above the figure. The figure looks up revealing their face covered with a mask shaped like a wolf's head. The mask covers the person's upper face leaving only their mouth visible. The eye holes are covered with a black fabric that allows the wearer to see through the mask but stops anyone else from seeing the wearer's eyes. The mask is made of dark wood with carvings to add detail. The mask's details are painted with gold, silver, and black. The person grins at the sight of the owl and looks ahead again. The figure's black cloak billows in the wind. The hood is lined with sheep's wool dyed brown, and the cloak has thorny vines on the sides. The path sharply turns around a tree ahead of the figure. The outside of the curve has a patch of displaced dirt. The figure shoots their hand towards the tree. A vine from their cloak flies towards the tree hooking itself around a very scratched part of the tree trunk. The figure grabs the end of the vine still attached to their cloak. Using a large rock placed next to the path the figure kicks off the rock and swings around the tree landing on the other side. The figure waves their hand causing the vine to shrink back into the cloak. The owl lands on a low tree branch nearby. After a deep breath, the figure jumps up excitedly. The owl also excitedly flaps their wings in a clapping motion.
"Yesss! I finally landed it!" The figure excitedly yells. "I've been trying for literally forever!" The figure removes its mask and hangs it from a loop on its wide leather belt embroidered with vibrant green thread in swirling shapes of trees and flowers. They also pull back their hood to reveal wavy strawberry-blond hair tied back in a cascading ponytail. Her eyes, the color of the day sky are full of wonder and excitement. She brushes her hands on her thick wool shirt dyed dark gray and covered in stains. She also wears a dark brown jacket with straps to close the jacket when the weather is frigid. Her dark brown trousers have loops and pockets holding various tools and medical equipment. She has a wide leather sheath hanging from her back with a leather-wrapped grip and crystal pommel. Behind her, she hears a whooshing sound and the sound of feet hitting the ground. Her face lights up with a wide smile. She turns around and where the owl once stood, an elf woman stands on the ground with dark brown knee-high boots.
The elf woman is mid-sized and stands with a sense of authority but has a comforting aura around her. Her straight hair is black as night and fades into gold. Half of her hair is pulled into a high pony, and the other half hangs to her chin. She wears a flowing black dress with gold accents and a corset around her waist. The sleeves are short, and the skirt has an angled cut. The top of the dress is a turtleneck with flowing gold fabric around it. She has silver pauldrons covering her shoulders and a headpiece made of silver branches. A brown belt wraps around her waist with a pouch on the side and a bronze bow hangs on her back. A black cape hangs behind her to protect her from the cold.
She is smiling and her swampy green eyes are full of pride.
“Elvina!” The figure excitedly yells. Elvina smiles and opens her arms gesturing for the figure to hug her. The figure runs into Elvina’s arms and they share a tight embrace. Elvina runs a comforting hand through the girl’s hair.
“Oh, I’ve missed you, my dear Rosaline,” Elvina says with a velvety voice, reminding those who hear it of chocolate. Her voice was known to bring those who heard it comfort. “I apologize for not being able to visit sooner my flower.” Elvina apologized in a soft tone. Rosaline looks up at her.
“I missed you too Elvina,” Rosaline says with a sweet tone. “Where have you been?” She asks, confusion noticeable in her tone. Elvina lets go of the hug releasing Rosaline from her tight grasp.
“I had to help prepare for the Coming of Age Ceremony. Allow me to check your knowledge of the SpiritWood, why does the Elf Capital of Elvindale have such a large ceremony?” Elvina asks. Rosaline thinks for a second to try and remember her mentor’s past teachings.
“This is because the capitol is the location of the Spirit Council which includes the centaur, sea people, fairy, and other hybrid territories. So their people are included in the ceremony as well. They are included because since they are hybrids they can also get a tattoo and can turn into an animal. They are slightly different though because they can only turn into certain animals. The sea people can only turn into sea creatures, and the centaurs can only turn into horse-based animals like horses, deer, etc. So the ceremony there is quite large to include all the people.” Rosaline confidently answers.
“Very good. I see you have been paying attention to my teachings.” Elvina proudly said.
“Of course! I do hope to one day explore the SpiritWood and study magic and sociology under your mentorship.” Rosaline responds. Elvina looked very proud. “When do I get to see Elvindale and more of the deep parts of the SpiritWood with you?” Rosaline asks. Elvina sighs and seems to be pitiful towards her but masks the emotion.
“I’ve told you before dear, as much as I love you and how eager you are,” Elvina gently pulls Rosaline’s shoulder to make her walk with her. “You are not eighteen yet, so you do not have your animal and cannot reach your full potential yet. Furthermore, the war is still raging strong and I do not feel safe having you in the Spiritwood while the war is still going on.” Elvina calmly explains as they walk through the wood with the night noises surrounding them.
“But what does the war have to do with it? The SpiritWoods natural magic keeps out all people with bad intentions!”Rosaline angrily responds. “If anything I’d be more safe in the SpiritWood!” Elvina sighs and turns to Rosaline.
“Let me try and explain using a different example. All of the Guardian Spirits have a job. They have to fulfill. What if, one day the Spirit of Winter decides they want to do something else besides create snow and ice. But, Galaxia, the Spirit of Prophecies warns them that they shouldn't do that because it will change the timeline and change events. They cannot say why because they are unable to explicitly say what their prophecies hold. But the Spirit of Winter does it anyway and causes all the snow and ice to disappear. Should they have listened to Galaxia?” Elvina asks.
“Of course, Galaxia wanted them not to because it would affect the timeline and change things. They should have listened.” Rosaline says.
“Do you understand why I told you this?” Elvina asks.
“Kind of,” Rosaline responds with a tone of confusion.
“As much as I would love for you to live in Elvindale with me, there are things I cannot share that prevent me from doing so yet. However, trust me, one day you will be able to come live with me. You trust me right?” Elvina asks. Rosaline sighs.
“Yeah.” Rosaline sighs. Elvina hugs her.
“I love you so much. You are going to do great things.” Elvina calmly says. They let go of the hug. Elvina looks up seeing the moon is about three-quarters across the night sky.
“You should begin heading back so you have ample time to walk back before morning,” Elvina explains.
“You're right. I love you.” Rosline says as she hugs Elvina. Elvina seems to hug her a bit tighter than usual and she frowns but Rosaline doesn't notice. Rosaline lets go and begins walking away.
“Goodbye Elvina! See you soon!” Rosaline says as she waves to Elvina. Once Rosaline is a distance away Elvina sighs.
“Unfortunately sooner than you know my dear. I am so sorry for what's about to begin. For I would prevent it if I was allowed.” Elvina whispers to herself. She sighs, wiping a stray tear from her face. An abnormally large wolf sits beside her. Its fur is in colors of gray, pinkish purple, and glowing streaks of gold. It appears to glow in the dark of the night. Its eyes are blue and glowing. Elvina turns to the creature.
“I will be sending them your way. Please lead them to her and keep Rosaline and them safe please.” The creature nods and walks in the direction that Rosaline went. Elvina sighs.
“It has to be this way.” She said sorrowfully. She does a little spin with her cape turning back into an owl. In this form, she flies away into the distance.
Somewhere else otherworldly, a powerful being watches all of this through a strange device similar to a book but metal and sideways. Their attire is strange and dark. I sit upon a strange chair covered in leather-like fabric. The screen of the device has a bunch of strange symbols along the bottom and the majority of the screen has writing on it with a small portal-like sphere showing the scenes that have transpired. The otherworldly being smirks and clicks some buttons on the device causing more words to appear.
“Let the angsty fun begin,” I say as I continue pressing buttons making more words appear. I look to a dark corner of the room. Nothing and everything is there at the same time. “Don’t mind me. As important as I am, I am not what you would find important in this context. See ya during some later pages!” I say.