A man sits alone by a round wooden table, his arms folded and eyes closed. Lost deep in thought, waiting with a worried look on his face. The room was small, with a wooden interior, the only furniture being the table surrounded by chairs. Its main purpose being private discussions and planning as it was a smaller room in the town hall. The door to the room opens, and a smaller woman enters. The man looks up at her, the movement causing his dark brown hair to shift, revealing his long pointed ears. The woman walks up to the elf with conviction, but doesn’t sit.

“I’m going to be frank, it’s a mess, Kiiro. It was unexpected for them to attack so soon into spring, but even worse, their attacks have gotten stronger. We thought for sure you would have arrived before they started again, but at least you’re here now.”

She takes a deep breath, struggling to keep composed. She felt quite ashamed that they’d not seen this coming, normally they were always a step ahead of the humans, but this time had been different. She refocuses herself on Kiiro as she continues.

“We managed to contain the worst of the fire thanks to Virion, but we lost a lot. They’re edging dangerously close to our outposts and we need to contain this as soon as possible.”

Kiiro’s brows furrow as he lets out a heavy sigh. He didn’t want to waste any time on getting this back under control, even if he had just arrived in town. He had been instructed to go to their town hall and wait to be greeted. Truthfully he had expected someone else to meet him, but he knew he’d see her soon enough. He looks at the woman as he speaks.

“Do we have any idea where they are coming from next? I don’t see why you would have called me here if we didn’t.”

“Our scouts have good information on the next attack, we need intel on whoever is causing this before they burn down the whole forest.”

The woman clenched her teeth as she spoke, seeming distressed. Kiiro slowly stands from his seat and walks up to her.

“I’ll put an end to this Wildfire spirit, whatever the cost.”

“Amara will give you further instructions. She’s waiting for you outside.”

With that, Kiiro gives her a small bow and leaves the room. Worry hung over him as he ventured outside, the way the humans had been starting fires was new, unknown. He hated how he’d been away when it started and how long it had taken him to get back to the town.

As he exited the building, he assessed his surroundings. The clearing the town was settled in allowed the sun to slip through the otherwise dense canopy. His eyes took a second to adjust to the daylight. There weren’t many elves who lived here, but it was important for them to hold their ground. They wouldn’t let the humans take more of the land. Although it had been a few years since he was last here, he still remembered his home town well. He took in the familiar scents and scenes, feeling the fresh spring breeze. He would protect this place, no matter what. I will put out this Wildfire spirit. Kiiro thought to himself, determined. He quickly spotted who he was looking for and approached a tall woman, her long brown hair tied in a bun kept up by a long pin. The familiarity of seeing her delighted him even if it was under these conditions, although he shook the feeling. He wanted to stay focused on the task at hand. As she spotted him she smiled and yelled out.

“Kiiro!”

“Amara.”

His voice was strict as he greeted her, maintaining a serious expression.

“Tense as ever I see.”

He gave her a disapproving look. This wasn’t a time for pleasantries, at least not in his eyes. However much he had missed having her around there were more urgent things at hand.

“It’s currently warranted.”

“True, what’s your excuse for all the other times then?”

Amara chuckles at him, before her expression goes serious and she speaks again.

“We have good insight, you’ll be guarding the outer east watchtower. They’ll strike again in the next few days, all we need from you is information, you’re the only one who can safely get out if things go south.”

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She places a hand on Kiiro’s shoulder, and looks intently in his eyes. She knew him, and she knew he wouldn’t easily just settle for information on this. Keeping her eyes locked on his, she speaks again.

“We all want this wildfire spirit gone, but don't be reckless. You’re one of our strongest and our only Shadowwalker. We need to know what we’re up against so we can make a plan, got it? That’s an order.”

Kiiro stays quiet, meeting her gaze. Neither moved nor spoke. He knew she was right, but if he had the chance he also knew he wouldn’t back down. He wanted to rid them of this threat as soon as possible. After a while he breaks the silence.

“Understood.”

Amara lets go of him and looks towards the sky, a wry smile forming on her face.

“You’re a terrible liar”

He lets out a small exhale, closing his eyes. She did have her way of seeing through him, not that he was lying. He did fully understand her order, even if he wasn’t sure he would comply.

“I will make it back, I always do. But I also won’t let them set the forest ablaze, not if I can stop it.”

“And if you can’t?”

She looked back at him, peering at his closed eyes. Feeling her gaze he opens them, meeting her eyes with an earnest expression.

“Then I will retreat, I promise.”

Not fully convinced, she let out a long sigh, emptying out her lungs.

“It can’t be helped I guess.”

The two of them share a knowing look, both understanding the other's conviction. Amara knew better than to keep trying, at the end of the day she did trust his abilities. She looks away from him, observing the town, her voice soft as she speaks.

“Virion has been keeping the fires at bay very well, we are lucky we got a break during winter. But as skilled as he is, he is this town's only aeromancer and he can’t just keep doing damage control. The fires are getting stronger, which is why we needed you back.”

“You know I will always protect this town. I just wish I’d stayed stationed here and could have helped when it started.”

He spoke with a pained expression. It troubled him that such a thing would start so soon after he left and even more so that he had been forced to stay until now. He had felt quite helpless while he was away, but he was here now. He could get them the intel they needed and hopefully stop whatever or whoever was causing this. Amara interrupts his train of thought as she speaks up, breaking the temporary silence that had occurred between them.

“You’re here now. You should head to the watchtower before the sun sets, although I can’t tell you how long the wait will be, we need to stay on guard.”

Kiiro bows his head, but Amara interrupts his movement by lightly flicking his forehead. She instead gives him a quick hug, shooting him a smirk as she stands back.

“Don’t be so formal! As soon as this is dealt with I see I’ll have to try and teach you to relax more. Again.”

For the first time since his arrival his serious expression cracks as he lets out a small chuckle. He had missed her antics. Amara looks pleased with herself as she waves him off and he starts wandering towards the outpost.

It was a longer journey through the dense forest. The air was cooler here, the many trees shielding most of the ground from the sunlight. As Kiiro walked along a small dirt path, he felt tense. He didn’t know when they would strike, but he was prepared to wait however long it would take. How did they manage to get someone who could start fires, especially at this scale? He pondered as he kept a steady pace. He’d seen the scene of the last attack on his way to the town and everything about it felt off to him. Fire was not one of the gifts people could be born with and something about these fires was different. It was like the very ground and surrounding foliage had combusted all at once. Little was known of this Wildfire spirit. They only knew it was a person who somehow could start the fires, something that they had never experienced before. If it was a known gift that had worked out a way to do it or if it was a new one was unclear. Although it was highly unlikely to be new as the known powers had remained the same for as long as anyone had kept track. As far as any knowledge the elves had, it should be impossible for there to suddenly be something new. Thinking about it made him uneasy. He tried to focus on just getting to the tower, but he couldn’t shake his worry. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something about this was off.

It took him a while, but eventually he had reached his destination. The watchtower was within sight. The wooden structure was positioned between three taller trees, allowing it to remain relatively hidden to anyone who didn’t know what they were looking for. It was constructed of raw wood, making it easily blend in with the surrounding vegetation. It had a good vantage point looking out to the less dense forest that rested closer to the human town, without the tower itself being visible, as it remained beneath the treetops. It would provide him the opportunity to spot the intruder as they entered, preferably before the fires began.

The vivid greens of the forest slowly dimmed as the sun set in the distance, a few rays piercing between the leaves. The now orange sky, barely visible between the foliage that swayed gently in the wind. The calming scent of various flowers and trees filled the air.

He approached the tower and slowly climbed up the ladder. As he reached the top of the tower he sat down, legs crossed, keeping his gaze focused. Paying close attention to any movements, to ensure he had the first move when the Wildfire spirit arrived. Putting all his energy towards the task at hand in an attempt to stop his mind from speculating too hard on what exactly he would face.

And so, his watch began.