“Must be your first time through a teleportation portal, Cal?”

I paused before answering. The world around me still zagging back together, piece by piece. As my eyes swam, pulsing with a white veil. “Ugh. No,” I Managed, wincing. “My home had better portal. At least they don't leave you feeling like you’ve been turned inside out.” a groaned escaped my lips, as I strained myself upright, wavering for a moment.

Before I could fully steady myself, I felt Aelwyn’s arm slipped around my shoulder, her hold firm but gentle. I tried to shrug her off, but she waved off my protest with a beaming smile. “I am fine, Aelwyn.”

With my eyes, finally stable, I took in the surrounding—we were behind four walls, roof open to the clear sky above. The stone walls were blanketed in vines and clusters of tiny florae. Top of those walls, I felt a dozen of curious gaze peering over us—small creatures, standing on its hind legs, ear as big as their torso, scanning like a radar.

“They are called Ralph”, Aelwyn said, following my gaze. Her voice carried a childlike warmth. “They’re harmless…. Cute right!??”

I nodded. But if it had been El, she would have made a snide remark, like — ‘Roasting them might bring out that flavour.’ The thought clutched my heart. Stay focused Suwan. I told myself, and forced my mind to dart away from the bitterness.

Just then, my Aetheric field caught onto something, mana signature—three people, most probably elves—close by, approaching. I was considering whether to tell her or not. And I favoured the latter.

“Cal, lets—”

“Who goes there!?” a sharp female voice, cut Aelwyn off, causing her to flinch, nearly yelling out. we turned, coming face-to-face with three elves—two female and one male. Two women armed with bows and quivers, and a man gripping a dagger.

All three of them spared a hard glance to me before their eyes landed on Aelwyn, addressing. “Princess!!” they exclaimed in unison, brows hung upward in surprise. “Are you alright?”, the female elf who spoken before stepped forward, her voice shifting to concern.

“I am alright, Lyn.” Aelwyn reassured her with an easy smile, waving off their worry. “But. Where is father?”

The male elf, who hadn’t stopped staring at me, answered. “His Highness is in council with Princess Lirien. They’ll want to see you right away,” he said, dipping his head respectfully before gesturing for us to follow.

“But who’s this?”, the elf called Lyn finally asked, the wariness in her voice was visible, her finger poised near her bow.

“He is my saviour. Now we must go,”, Aelwyn replied without missing a beat, her childlike smile rhythming with her step, as she strode off. “Cal come on!”

I followed her, aware of the wary glances the three elves kept throwing my way. Impressive. I thought… I had my doubts, but Aelwyn handled the situation with ease.

I shifted my gaze towards the artistically crafted houses crafted from wood and stone that were entwined at the top of massive trees-trunks. Some had a circular shape while other an elongated horizontal rectangle.

The ground below was blanketed by soft grasses, not dry but moisten—a subtle cushion with each step. Following Aelwyn, we entered a bustling market. Voices—loud, soft, and sharp alike buzzed around, in a lively hum. I soon found eyes—curious, doubtful following our movements, whispers rising each passing steps. Some elves paused in their tasks to bow deeply to Aelwyn.

“Princess Aelwyn!”

“…. Are you alright?”

“I—We haven’t seen you for a while”

Aelwyn faced each of them, with her usual childish smile, she replied. “I’ve been away studying a ruin. Yes, what could ever happen to me, hehehe”.

The words of her had an automatic after effect, her words seemed to lift a weight from the air as the crowd’s eyes seem to lit up in unexplained joy.

Finally, Aelwyn met my gaze, giving a small, apologetic nod before addressing the crowd. “I’ll return soon, but for now, I must be going.”

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As if on cue, the onlookers respectfully parted, and we continued down the path, and the same bustling continued. Ignoring the curious gazes, I fell on her track, my eyes skating from one store to another that were lined on the street. Their stalls displayed everything from vibrant, spherical stones with price tags to an array of weapons—bows, daggers, and wands of different shapes and sizes.

It might be a good idea to buy a set of one of these. I told myself, making a mental note.

My line of sight then darted towards a colossal tree at the far edge of the square, towering over the houses below. Its massive branches wove together, reaching high into the sky like ancient, twisting tendrils. Resting upon them was a palace—a grand structure that seemed almost delicate atop the sturdy, interwoven limbs of the giant tree.

Aelwyn noticed me starring. “That’s where we’re headed. Father’s there.” She offered a faint smile, then added with a spark of pride, “Oh! And you’ll meet my sister. She’s really strong.”

Nodding, I return her smile, my tone light. “And how exactly do we climb this tree?”

She tilted her head, eyes gleaming with excitement to explain. “hehe, we have another teleportation rune there!” she declared, puffing her chest.

I hadn’t expected the elves here to possess such advanced teleportation. For a moment, I wondered—If the humans have it too? or those dwarves?... But it’s not that important. For now, at least and I let that thought pass.

I’ve got to talk with Lirien, alone.

More pressing was a nagging question—had Lirien mentioned anything about me? The idea scratched at the back of my mind, gnawing like an itch that wouldn’t go away, unless I see to it myself. I released a sigh, feeling the weight of it settle as we continue forward.

Pushing back the question, I increased my pace. The three guards were silently on our heels, their eyes boring like needle on my back. And I supressed a scowl as annoyance bubbled up for a moment, before my cold logic took over.

Our walk fell into silence, broken only by Aelwyn pausing to show me various stores. She even tried to buy me some clothes, but I refused, eager to meet with Lirien without further delay.

Soon, we reached our destination. I had to crane my neck to take in the ancient tree towering before us. Apparently, it has a name—the great tree Asmolisven, as Aelwyn called it. it was a centuries-old symbol of nourishment for the elven people, spanning millennia. And high above, nestled among the dense canopy, was the palace.

The palace from far looks certainly magnanimous. Guarding the base of a platform below it stood four armoured soldiers: one with a massive lance, another with two daggers, a third with a long rapier, and a female archer with an unstrung bow.

The four bowed to Aelwyn, saluting in unison. The archer stepped forward, her voice warm but firm. “Princess! Welcome back.”

“Ayla!” Aelwyn’s voice rocked with contagious jollity as she quickly embraced her in a hug, her earlier regal like demeanour melting into childlike excitement. “I missed you terribly. By the way, Is my sister still there??”

“I missed you too Princess,” Ayla returned the hug, a small smile softening her expression. “I believe yes. She was worried about you. perhaps you should get going with your friend.” Ayla standing tall over Aelwyn, shot me a quick, assessing glance before turning her attention back to Aelwyn.

“Sifeyi, get the portal running.” Ayla ordered, her earlier soft voice replacing with a stern, haste carrying her words.

The one with the lance stepped forward, giving a firm nod to Ayla before regarding us. “Princess,” Sifeyi inclined his head respectfully, then moved toward a nearby raised deck adjacent to the platform and began channelling mana into the runes carved along its edge.

“Let’s get going, Cal” Aelwyn walked in rear, and I followed suit. The platform wasn’t that big but enough to space six people. The runes glowed with a soft green hue, encircling us in a gentle, radiant light. A pulse of energy spread outward, forming a translucent barrier around the platform.

As the barrier took shape, I felt an almost irresistible urge to touch it. Suppressing the impulse, I refocused. The ground below my foot began to tremble just slightly. My body grew weightless, and for a moment, it felt as if I were dissolving, atoms slipping away like sand through fingers—though without pain. In a blink, we were high above, standing in the palace, the entire process completed in seconds.

“That was smooth, right?” Aelwyn’s eyes sparkled with pride and a hint of nervousness as she waited for my reaction.

Knowing that she wanted to hear it from my mouth instead of plain nod, I tagged along. “It was. Smoother than the earlier one.” I allowed a small smile to tug at my lips, watching her eyes light up at my response.

Aelwyn giggled, her laughter bouncing off the marble wall, and her gaze met mine, brimming with mischief. “Sorry... I didn’t mean to laugh”, She said Sobering up, her voice filled with a humorously exaggerated apology, yet a hint of sarcastic faded out from her words.

She folded her hands, giving me another apologetic look before turning to face the three soldiers who were silently watching the drama unfold. “Thank you, but I would like to go alone from here on.”, she said, offering them a pleasant smile.

The guards exchanged hesitant glances. Finally, Ayla stepped forward, her gaze respectful but reluctant. “If that’s what you wish, Princess. We’ll take our leave.” She gave a slight, formal bow before they departed, each vanishing in turn through the portal as we had come.

I was honestly surprised by the confidence Aelwyn eluded. But deep down a doubt began to gnaw at my throat about her and Elsiya —one which I didn’t wanted to acknowledge.

A gentle tug at my arm snapped me from my reverie, Aelwyn’s face lit up with her trademark bright smile, her eyes crinkling. “Come on. It’s not far. Once we’re done, I’ll take you to the nicest restaurant in the kingdom. Deal?”

I smiled back, a mere imitation of Elsiya’s expression as her face surfaced in my mind. “Of course, Aelwyn. Let’s go meet your father quickly, then.”