The salt and metallic taste lingered in her mouth, bitter and raw. She flew over the thick green canopy, her broom humming beneath her as it cut through the cold mountain air. The pain was constant, a throb in the back of her mind that she couldn’t afford to acknowledge, much less give in to. She could feel the blood dripping from the gash on her leg, the bruises darkening her ribs, and a wound on her shoulder that had gone numb some time ago. But she pushed forward, flying faster, hoping that speed would save her.
“Did I lose him?” she muttered under her breath, casting a glance back over her shoulder. Silence hung over the forest. For a brief moment, the world seemed still, and she allowed herself to hope. But just as her breath caught in a sigh of relief, a silhouette burst out from the canopy beneath her, racing toward her with terrifying speed.
Panic tightened her chest. She wanted to flee, to push her broom to its limit, but she was already at full speed. There was no more running. With no other choice, she tried to veer away, her heart hammering in her chest—but it was too late.
The only thing between her and her pursuer’s sword was her broom. She gripped the handle tightly, swinging it to intercept the blade. The impact rang through her bones. Her broom held, but the sheer force of the blow sent her spiraling down toward the trees.
Branches whipped past her as she crashed through the forest canopy, slamming into thick trunks, the world spinning around her as she tumbled to the ground. She hit hard, her body bouncing once before she finally skidded to a stop, coughing blood.
For a moment, everything went dark. The edges of her vision blurred with red, and she could barely feel her limbs. The damage she'd just taken would’ve killed any ordinary human ten times over—yet somehow, she was still in one piece. But even then, her HP was miserably low, and every breath came with immense agony..
She tried to move, pain shooting through her body. “Aaah!” she screamed, struggling to her feet.
Smoke filled the air as something crashed into the ground a dozen meters away, sending debris in all directions. Through the thinning smoke, the figure of her pursuer emerged—clear and menacing.
With a weak gesture, she summoned her broom back to her. It flew into her hand, and she clutched it tightly, more out of habit than hope.
The man took a step forward, his eyes glinting with malice. “Running again? Do you think you can get away from me?”
He stood tall, his presence commanding, the long dark hair falling over his shoulders like a veil of shadows. His sword glowed with elemental energy, the blade humming with a soft, eerie light as the air around him crackled with power.
Her heart raced as she stared at the man. He looked familiar, but not enough to make sense of why he was doing this. She wanted to flee—everything in her screamed to turn and fly as far away as she could. But there was no point. He’d chase her, again and again. No matter what she did, he’d keep coming.
“What have I done to you?” she spat out, her voice trembling with frustration. “Why are you after me? I’ve done nothing to deserve this.”
For the first time, the man hesitated. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, as though her question had amused him. “You don’t know?” he chuckled darkly. “After I introduced myself, I thought you’d understand.”
He took another step forward, and the light of his sword intensified. “I’m Alexander. The current holder of the Seventh King under the One and Only Emperor. King of Thaloria to Luthen. From Thovecia to Lisian. And you—princess—are the granddaughter of the previous holder of that title. Did you really think I’d let you live?”
Her heart twisted painfully in her chest at the word ‘princess.’ It was something only those dearest to her had ever called her that. Hearing it from this man, dripping with disdain, hurt more than any physical wound. She gritted her teeth, her grip on the broom tightening as she fought the surge of anger inside her.
None of it made sense. Her grandmother had raised her mother in secret, hiding her away from the world her grandmother came from. And in turn, she had lived a quiet life, far removed from the struggles for the title of king.
Years ago, at the urging of her parents and grandmother, she’d been sent to this distant corner of the world, where she abandoned her human side and chose to live among the elves, renouncing any claim to the titles her bloodline carried. She had no desire to stand in anyone’s way. And yet, here he was. After all the sacrifices her family had made, all they’d given up for her to live in peace, this man wanted to tear it all apart.
Anger surged through her like never before. She almost called forth her familiar but stopped, realizing she was about to throw the poor creature to a pointless death. Backtracking, she decided to face this without it. Standing tall and resolute, her knuckles turned white as she gripped the broom, her cold, determined eyes locking on Alexander. If he wanted to kill her, he might succeed—but she wouldn’t make it easy for him. Not after everything that had been sacrificed for her.
He smiled again, a sadistic curve to his lips. He saw her resolve, and it didn’t faze him. Instead, he welcomed it.
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As the figure took his first step toward her, his attention was suddenly drawn to his left. In a blur of motion, a bird-like form darted toward him, transforming into a fully humanoid silhouette mid-flight. The assailant struck at Alexander with blurring speed, giving him just enough time to raise his arms in defense.
Though he blocked the attack, he was still knocked back several dozen meters before rapidly recovering, his eyes focused on the incoming blades effortlessly hurled by the elf. With expert precision, he deflected each one, his defenses holding firm against the barrage.
Finally, with a sharp breath, he turned his attention to his mysterious attacker. The assailant was an elf, with long silver hair, nearly identical to the elven girl, but it was the elongated, elegant ears that revealed the truth of his heritage.
Her thoughts raced as she took in the sight of him. An Argyrian, she mumbled, the name slipping from her lips almost subconsciously. He was an Argyrian like her. But most importantly, she knew this elf. Not personally but she knew him, for he’d seen him before.
Alexander’s expression twisted in confusion. “Who the fuck are you?!” he barked, but the elf offered no answer. Instead, he let out a soft, disappointed tsk, his eyes narrowing with an emotion too complex to read. Slowly, without breaking eye contact, the elf began to back away, leaving Alexander even more perplexed.
“What the—? I asked you a—” Alexander's voice was abruptly cut off by a deafening explosion. The force of the blast sent a powerful shockwave through the clearing, knocking her off balance. Her legs buckled as she barely managed to remain upright, her heart pounding.
What was that? Her gaze darted to Alexander, who now knelt in the center of a circular crater that had formed around him. The earth looked as if it had been pressed downward by an immense weight, the ground sunken in a perfect circle. Alexander's face was pale, his body struggling under the force of something unseen.
"What just happened?" she whispered to herself. From the shape of the declivity, she deduced it was a gravity-based attack, but by whom? Her eyes instinctively shifted to the elf who stood mere feet from where the attack had ended, watching calmly. Strangely, it didn't seem like he was the source.
As Alexander fought to stand, he was suddenly yanked by an invisible force, dragged violently to the side. Trees splintered and shattered as his body was dragged through the forest, the same unseen force pulling him deeper into the woods, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Now, the room fell into an eerie silence. She found herself alone, standing face-to-face with the silver-haired elf. Realizing the gravity of the moment, her legs gave out, and she collapsed to her knees. He stood just meters away, his gaze cold and unforgiving, filled with a hatred that contrasted sharply with his earlier actions—actions that had saved her. It was then and only then that she finally got to recognize the expression in his eyes—animosity, on a different level than that of Alexander.
Without a word, the elf retrieved a small gourd from his side and tossed it toward her. She caught it instinctively, recognizing it instantly—a healing gourd, a rare one-use item capable of instant recovery.
"Heal yourself, then return to where you came from," the elf said flatly, his tone devoid of emotion.
There was so much she wanted to say—questions she needed answers to, comments she wanted to make. But only one question managed to escape her lips.
"What about him?"
The elf's expression hardened, though it was difficult to tell whether he was angry or merely annoyed. "He is of no concern to you anymore," he replied coldly. "Heal yourself, and return to your little home."
Without giving her time to respond, he turned his back and, with the same ease as before, morphed back into a bird-like silhouette, disappearing into the sky as quickly as he had come, leaving her alone with her unanswered questions.
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Healing herself with the gourd, she rose to her feet and took to the skies on her broom. She considered his words—to return to her home, to leave this strange and terrifying confrontation behind. But her curiosity gnawed at her, refusing to let her rest. The distant sound of battle still echoed in the distance, a deep rumbling in the earth that persisted for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, it subsided, and she found herself debating whether to follow.
I should leave, she thought. But... what if he comes back? What if he attacks me again? The weight of that uncertainty pressed on her mind like a sword dangling over her head. She couldn’t live in peace without knowing how this all ended.
With that resolution, she flew over the destruction left in the wake of their battle. The chaos was utter and complete—uprooted trees, shattered earth, and scorched land stretched out beneath her. After a while, she reached the epicenter of the devastation—a massive crater, easily over 300 meters in diameter, the kind of scar one would expect from an asteroid’s impact.
Hovering above the crater, she quickly noticed she wasn’t alone. Circling high above the devastation on a large crow was a humanoid silhouette. Despite a silver visor hiding her eyes, the crow-riding silhouette frowned intensely at the sight of her. The figure held a strange staff, no calling that a staff was wrong it looked more like a cane. She had golden hair, dressed so elegantly it seemed out of place amidst the ruins. But what struck her most was that this woman, riding atop her crow, was human.
Like a bird of prey circling its target, the blonde woman made no move to attack. Her demeanor suggested she wasn’t hostile, or at least had no intention of engaging her.
Deciding to leave the enigmatic figure be, she turned her attention back to the crater’s center. There, she spotted three figures—Alexander laying bloodied on the ground while two figures stood above him.
One of the two was the elf. And the other was a human by the looks of it. Fast to notice her presence, they both glared up at her. Their combined glares made one thing clear: she wasn’t welcome here.
Taking a deep breath, she made a quick decision to retreat, hoping they would let her go. To her surprise, they didn’t give chase, simply watching her leave.
Only when she reached a safe distance did she finally exhale in relief, the tension draining from her body. As she soared away, her mind raced, trying to make sense of everything that had happened today.
"Who were those people?" she murmured to herself, the question echoing in her thoughts long after the encounter had ended.