Chapter Text
The life of an elf is a solitary one. They age slowly, for thousands of years. They are also few and far between, an almost extinct species. They live far longer than any other mortal. A species that lives for thousands of years cannot live with species that live for a mere eighty, surely?
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The leaves of the trees were slowly turning yellow and orange. Their fruits and berries grew ripe and fell to the forest floor. In the center of the woods, an elf named Yuu picked up a large berry, and the leaves beneath them shifted a bit.
“It must be autumn. The fruits seem ripe for picking,” Yuu spoke aloud, “looks like I’m having berries for dinner.” Around the elf laid many large berries, perfectly juicy and ripe. They squeezed the berry in their hand a bit before picking up the rest. The elf moved over to a nearby tree and picked up a staff. It was a rustic shepherd’s crook made of oak wood bark, adorned with vines and encrusted with runic letters. The crook curved and twisted more than a normal staff, spiraling into itself. A lantern with a floating, slightly glowing mana crystal inside hung from the crook.
With a small swing of the crook, the mana crystal and runic letters glowed. The berries around Yuu began to float above their head. They followed the elf as they walked towards their small home.
There was no path to their home, for they did not want anyone to find them. The elf didn’t need a path, as the magic in the air was familiar enough for them to know the way. They made their way into a small clearing and saw as their home made itself visible.
Yuu’s home was a small wooden cottage made entirely of logs. The windows were open, letting the brisk autumn air into the tiny lodge. A rustic kitchen could be seen from a few windows, complete with a stone oven, a few countertops, and several other appliances. Herbs hung from the rafters and windows, proving the home with subtle floral and herbal scents while also being useful as ingredients. As the elf stepped into the clearing, the blue skies of the brisk afternoon turned black. The sun fell fast to the west and the moon took over the sky. A group of ravens gathered above the clearing, some landing on the roof of the cottage. Despite the open windows, none of them entered the lodge.
They tightened their grip on their staff and widened their stance. Their eyes narrowed, glaring at the ravens gathering around their home. Yuu could sense a presence of mana in the air, thick and heavy like humid fog.
Something was wrong, something was terribly wrong.
The sound of horses and wheels racing along the bumpy forest floor resonated in the elf’s ears. It was difficult to tell where it was coming from due to the thick mana in the air concealing the direction of the noises. The sound of horses neighing and wheels turning got louder and seemingly closer. Yuu didn’t notice until it was too late. A large carriage driven by devilish horses burst from the dark forest. The elf reflexively called out a spell, but it failed to form as the carriage collided with them before they finished. They fell to the floor, staff still gripped tightly in their hand. They closed their eyes in a bout of light-headedness and passed out. The doors to the carriage opened and a gate to a new world took them in. As they were taken into the carriage, a foreign voice echoed in Yuu’s unconscious mind.
“What a beautiful flower of evil… this year is sure to be interesting.”