Tired, broken, and with her heart full of fear, the young woman ran through the dense Lughwood forest. For four days, she advanced slowly and carefully, making sure to leave no trace behind. She frequently stopped, scanning her surroundings to make sure no one was following her. Her lips, dry and cracked, were a testament to her dehydration, as she hadn't drunk water for two days after running out of supplies. Small scratches covered her skin, marks left by the wild nature of the forest, merciless to those foolish enough to challenge it without proper preparation.
The leather boots she wore, one of the few valuable possessions left to her by her parents, were in a pitiful state, worn from the long journey. But there was no time for lamenting; the situation she was in was a matter of life or death. Finally, after enduring days of exhausting effort, the young woman arrived at her destination.
Figures moved between the trees. They were elves, who, upon seeing her in her deplorable condition, assumed she would not pose a threat. They descended from their positions in the branches to intercept her.
Elf: Stop right there!
Mysterious Young Woman: Please, let me pass. I need to inform your leader of an imminent danger.
Elf 1: Where did this girl come from? Is she crazy?
Elf 2: She must be a slave who escaped from the humans. We'll just send her back.
Mysterious Young Woman: I'm not joking! I need to speak to your leader as soon as possible. Otherwise, we'll all die.
Elf 1: Enough with the jokes. First, tell us who you are and what business you have with our leader.
Mysterious Young Woman: I'm an elf... from the neighboring village that was recently attacked. Please, I need to speak to him!
Desperate, the girl tried to pass between the two elves blocking her way.
Elf 1: Stop right there, that's enough!
The elf pushed her, causing her to fall on her back. Her head hit the ground, leaving her even weaker. She now seemed like a shadow of what she once was, too exhausted to keep insisting.
Gater: Wait a moment!
A third elf, who had been watching the scene from a distance, approached the group.
Elf 1: Gater-senpai, this girl says she has business with the leader, but she's probably just an escaped slave trying to draw attention.
Gater knelt in front of the young woman, examining her face.
Gater: I knew it... You're Sylthas's fiancée.
Elf 2: What?! Sylthas-sama's fiancée?!
The surprise was understandable. If she truly was the fiancée of the chief's son from the village of Zhyrithia, treating her this way, especially pushing her, could cost them their lives. However, things weren't adding up. How could the fiancée of the village's heir be in such poor condition?
After closely examining her, she wasn't from this village. In his thirty years of living there, he had never seen or heard of this girl. But aside from the deplorable state she was in, he noticed that she had an attractive face and a remarkable presence. It wouldn't be strange for her to be Sylthas's fiancée or even the chief's.
He had heard that Sylthas had gone on a mission a few days ago. If he found out what had happened here, he would probably kill them, knowing his personality. The elf knew he had to apologize and make sure the others kept what happened a secret.
Elf 1: Gater-san, I...
Gater: It doesn't matter. This girl's situation is complicated, and few know about her.
Mysterious Young Woman: ...They were murdered...
The girl whispered those words softly, but Gater couldn't ignore them.
Gater: What did you say?
Mysterious Young Woman: T-the soldiers... that were sent to... the village... were all murdered.
With great difficulty, due to her dry throat and weakened condition, she managed to convey the message.
Gater's eyes widened when he heard what she had just said. This was no longer something to take lightly. Not only did he need to take her to the leader, but he also had to ensure this information didn't spread.
Gater: Can you stand up? This isn't a good place to discuss what happened. Follow me.
He turned to the two elves accompanying him.
Gater: Make sure no one else enters the village. Someone may have been following this girl.
Elves: Understood!
After giving her some water and allowing her to rest for a while, Gater guided the girl toward the center of the village. This place was similar to her previous village: a large tree cut in half served as the base. However, there were some notable differences. The buildings were closer to the ground, and to reach the higher areas, a series of stairs had been built around the trunk.
Finally, they reached the place where the village leader resided.
The chief's cabin was larger than the others, occupying a considerable amount of space on the limited surface of the central trunk. The room was decorated with imposing taxidermied beasts, probably hunting trophies. Shelves filled with books lined the walls, and as a central piece, a high-quality bow was displayed on a wooden stand. It was the only weapon in the room, as if to highlight the owner's confidence in his ability to use it.
At the back of the room, sitting on a carved wooden throne directly cut from the tree trunk, was Zitras Elentharion, the chief of the village of Zhyrithia. His throne, though not practical for movement, gave him an air of majesty. Beside him sat two of his five wives, both with a distinguished bearing. Although Zitras had an egocentric personality, he was known for treating his wives and those who served him well.
Zitras: It's fine, you can come in.
Zitras's voice exuded absolute confidence, the tone of someone accustomed to giving orders. It contrasted with the insecurity of the new young chief of her village, which sometimes betrayed her lack of experience.
Zitras: So, you're the girl from that village? Are you here to update me on what happened, or maybe you've come to announce a declaration of war? If so, I can only feel the cruelty of my old friend Fimas, sending a helpless girl to her death.
Despite the calmness with which he spoke these words, he knew they weren't far from the truth. She needed to respond correctly if she didn't want to lose her life.
Mysterious Young Woman: It's the first one.
Zitras: I see. We sent scouts to find out what happened in that place, and all we saw were those elves trying to rebuild their village after the fire. We suspect the humans were the first to betray us, but it wouldn't make sense for their village to come out unscathed. We haven't contacted them just in case. So tell me, what exactly happened there, Clara?
Clara was the girl that Sylthas Elentharion had met by chance during one of his expeditions. Thanks to her, he learned about the existence of the elf village of his father's old rival in the vast forest. Clara was a particularly beautiful and intelligent elf compared to others in her village, but what stood out most about her was her ambition to leave and explore the world beyond her village. This desire came from reading books that told the stories of adventurers and princess tales, promising a life filled with joy and luxury, different from what life in the village could offer. She longed for riches, romances, and knowledge to live her life to the fullest; staying in the village meant living a life of daily routine, which bored her. It could be said that her patience was more comparable to that of a human than an elf.
For this, she accepted the deal offered by Sylthas: if she betrayed her village, she would become his wife and travel the world with all the luxuries promised by the stories she had read.
But all that was over. After witnessing the devastation of her village twice, the death of her friends, and the stain on her memories, all because of her own selfishness, Clara reflected on what she had done. If the price for her happiness was the happiness of others, it should at least be equivalent. But she hadn't only made one person suffer; she had made dozens suffer. Just when guilt was consuming her, that girl appeared, ruining everything. First, she stopped the slave traders from taking her friends, whom she had tricked into staying longer in her old village before moving. It was agreed that after this, they would set her free, and Sylthas would take her as his wife.
However, that didn't happen. That girl appeared out of nowhere and killed both traffickers. Her beauty and strength were incomparable, but because of her, they had to make a second attack on the village, where not only members of her village died, but also the elves of Zhyrithia, and with them, her future husband Sylthas, ruining the future she had longed for. It was even ironic how she, who had decided to sacrifice the happiness of others for her own, ended up suffering the same fate. But that wasn't the end; after the attack on the village, that girl decided to commit the madness of encouraging the other elves to take arms against the human empire, a battle that from the beginning could already be considered lost.
She admired the girl's recklessness and character to some extent, along with her imposing strength and beauty, which gave her the air of being one of those princesses from the tales she had read. But, since she was a realist, she knew that what this girl was doing would soon reach its limit. Not only the elves of the village, but also those of Zhyrithia, along with the humans, would meet a bad end due to this girl's recklessness and selfishness. No one would have a happy ending because of her actions. She didn't know what was right or wrong anymore; honestly, she was tired. She just wanted to finish what she had started and not let everything be in vain. That's why she ran here.
After explaining everything in detail to Zitras, she felt as though she had dropped a great weight off her shoulders. Looking at Zitras out of the corner of her eye, it seemed like he no longer doubted her reasons for being here, but now he seemed more concerned about the situation.
Zitras: A southern elf, you say?
He murmured a few words quietly.
Zitras: Could it be her? No, impossible, that woman died long ago... or maybe... It could be a daughter between Fimas and that woman, in that case, it would make some sense. If she inherited the same talents as her mother, that elf might have the ability to repel the attack on the village, but there's still something that doesn't add up.
Zitras: You say Fimas was killed the day after the attack, right? Do you have any idea who did it?
Clara: It's most likely that girl. She wanted to usurp the leadership of the village the moment she entered, and Fimas was in her way.
Zitras: I see...
If it were Fimas's illegitimate daughter, it would make a little sense. After all, her mother had died, and the life of an orphan was tough, even in the Elf Kingdom. After learning that her biological father lived carefree in the Lughwood Forest, never caring for her, it was likely she wanted revenge.
Zitras: So, this girl now plans to attack us and destroy the human city? Also, they're still in the same village, of which we know the location. I thought our enemy would at least be someone more brilliant. No matter how good a leader she is, I don't think she can carry out any decent attack in three months with the state of that village. It'll be ashes by then. Do you know anything else about what she was planning?
Clara: Yes... I managed to escape from the village without her noticing, thanks to the fact that she went to investigate the human city in person. I think I heard she wanted to gather information. Also, before I left the village, I managed to sneak into her office and stole some documents that were on the desk. I can't read any of it; it's probably in the southern elf language.
Stealing the documents wasn't easy. She had to prepare to leave the village as soon as possible, before dawn, since she didn't know when that girl would return. Her biggest obstacle was Elendor, who had stayed in Runa's office late into the night, holding his head while reading the documents left on the desk. She didn't even want to imagine what kind of madness she had written on those sheets to make the impassive Elendor look so disturbed.
Handing the papers to Zitras, he looked at the contents and frowned before handing them to one of his wives standing next to him.
Miranla Fleuxelia was his second wife. She was the only one of his five wives who was the same age as Zitras, making her the smartest woman in the village. Not only was she in charge of the medicines, but she also had extensive knowledge of administration, history, and culture. She was known for her ability to understand multiple languages, so she could correctly understand both the human language and the southern elf language. She also knew a little of the druid language spoken near the Eastern Human Kingdom.
Taking the paper, she had the same reaction as Zitras.
Miranla: I'm sorry, I can't read what's written on this paper. It's neither southern elf nor any language I know.
Zitras: As I suspected, these texts are encrypted. It seems she already realized there was a spy in her village.
Zitras took the papers, gave them one last glance, and threw them on the table with a gesture of frustration.
Clara: How is that possible? I promise I didn't do anything that would draw attention.
Zitras: It was probably not something you did, but a series of events that surpassed mere coincidence. That must have put her on alert. It seems our enemy isn't as naïve as we thought.
Zitras paused and then continued:
Zitras: Still, this doesn't change the fact that she made a strategic mistake. We'll contact the humans and handle the situation. I'll go personally.
Clara let out a sigh of relief. She had finally delivered the message successfully. With this resolved, she thought she could live peacefully in the village. Maybe not as Sylthas's wife, but it seemed Zitras wouldn't hold a grudge against her.
Avaris: Wait... you still haven't told us the most important thing. What happened to Sylthas?
Avaris, Zitras's first wife, had an expression of worry and resentment. She had stayed silent throughout the conversation, but now the question that had been bothering her came out.
Clara: That's... I'm sorry, but as I said, everyone in the attack died, including Sylthas. I was able to confirm his body personally.
Avaris: That can't be...
Avaris collapsed to the ground, as if a piece of her soul had been ripped out at that moment.
Zitras: Don't make a scene, Avaris. Sylthas was a warrior and knew what he was getting into. As a father and clan leader, the only thing I can do to honor his death is to eliminate the enemies who took his life.
Although Zitras's words were calm, his clenched fist betrayed his fury. It was clear that the death of his heir, and one as talented as Sylthas, had affected him deeply.
Zitras (muttering): Damn you, Fimas... You were a plague until the end.
Zitras: You said that girl showed tremendous physical abilities during your first encounter with her, right? What about magic?
Clara: Yes. The first time I saw her physical abilities, they were definitely not normal. I wasn't present during the second attack to see exactly what happened, but I heard she was the one who extinguished the fire caused by your warriors.
Zitras: I see... water magic.
It was rare to find someone skilled both as a warrior and in the use of magic. Moreover, the fact that she used water magic meant that she could complement her physical abilities. However, this could also indicate that she had limited her learning to a single magical element, as she likely didn't have enough time to master all of them. Also Magical contamination made the mastery of multiple elements inefficient.
Among humans, this versatility was even less likely, but elves, with their longer lives, could eventually master several elements. However, if she really was Fimas' illegitimate daughter, this elf would be around 65 years old, which wasn't enough time to achieve such mastery.
Zitras: Alright. So we will face a warrior who is also a water mage. It will be difficult, but manageable. If she were skilled in another type of magic, the situation would be much more complicated if she attacked this village.
Just as he finished speaking, someone burst into Zitras' cabin. Normally, one would knock out of respect, especially when entering the chief's residence in Zhyrithia. However, the urgency with which the person entered indicated that the lack of manners wasn't deliberate, but a result of an imminent emergency.
Gater: This is terrible, Zitras-sama! The humans...
Gater paused for a moment to catch his breath, clearly exhausted from running to the cabin.
Zitras: What happened? Tell me!
Gater: The humans are attacking the village!
Zitras, in disbelief, immediately stood up and hurried out of the cabin.
Zitras: What are you saying?
He quickly stepped outside to confirm Gater's words. The first thing he saw was the trees beginning to burn, as the humans advanced on their Olux and Ferixes, wearing the war armor that the Human Empire used to enhance their military strength.
Ferixes were wolf-like creatures, large enough to be ridden, and trained to attack alongside their riders. They would bite their enemies as they attacked, and while they were more versatile than Olux, they weren't fit for carrying heavy loads and were harder to train due to their ferocity.
Unlike the attack on the other village, this one seemed more balanced, as Zhyrithia was a village of warriors. As the humans advanced, some were struck down by arrows shot from the trees by the elf warriors stationed there.
Up ahead, Zitras could see a human woman leading the attack. She was surrounded by a guard of warriors, and her presence was marked by her white hair and yellow eyes, reflecting a fierce determination. The woman cast fire magic, setting everything she touched ablaze. If this continued, the village would be destroyed entirely.
Zitras glanced threateningly at Clara, as if blaming her for something.
Clara: I promise you! I told the truth! It must have been that girl! She did something on her trip to the human city that caused us to be attacked.
Zitras: We will talk to you later. First, we need to stop that human as soon as possible. Gater, bring me my bow! You two, get ready to fight!
Although they were his wives, Zitras knew that both Avaris and Miranla were powerful assets in the Zhyrithian army, and he recognized them as valuable warriors.
Thus began the first stage of the bloody war that would forever change the fate of the Lughwood Forest.
End of Part 7.