The next morning, I woke up feeling calmer. This time, the nightmares hadn’t chased me, and I was grateful for the rest. Outside, the cold morning air seeped through the folds of the tent. I stretched slowly, feeling the relief of a good sleep after several rough days.

When I stepped outside, as usual, I saw Eldrek and Aelira already awake, sharing the warmth of a small fire they had started. I approached them, trying to shake off the last traces of sleep.

“Good morning,” I said, adjusting my belt as I joined them.

“Good morning,” Eldrek replied, offering me a cup of herbal tea. I accepted it gladly, and the warmth of the drink helped me fight off the chilly morning breeze.

Aelira greeted me with a concerned look. “Are you okay? Yesterday was intense; I hope it wasn’t too awful for you,” she said as she sipped her tea.

“Ehm, well, honestly, aside from being a bit disappointed for losing control, my body’s just a little sore—nothing serious.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It was expected that you wouldn’t master it right away. Persistence will be your ally in this.” Aelira’s advice, though simple, was exactly what I needed to hear.

Gradually, the others began to join us. Nymira appeared with her usual enthusiasm, settling beside Aelira with a playful smile, while Lyris, more reserved, sat on the other side, greeting us with a slight nod.

Zhavros, as was his habit, was still in his tent, probably trying to avoid the morning chill. While we shared tea and a light breakfast, Eldrek spoke up:

“We’ve been here two days now. Tomorrow, we need to head out to meet Vaelor at the agreed place. From there… we’ll march into battle.”

His words brought us back to the reality of what lay ahead. I shifted in my seat, placing the cup aside, and commented:

“That’s right, the days have gone by fast, but I feel they’ve been productive. Do you think this battle will be different from the last one?”

There was an uncomfortable silence. No one answered immediately, and glances were exchanged briefly. I took a breath and spoke again:

“I have faith in this group… but it’s a small group, especially compared to the last battle where Aelira was involved. This time, we’re not an army like that.”

Aelira, in her calm tone, began to respond, “But this time, we’ll go in better prepared and more organized in terms of strategy.”

Before she could finish, Zhavros appeared out of nowhere, interrupting with his arrogant, relaxed voice, “And this time, you’ll have me.”

He joined the group, sitting down shamelessly beside Lyris, taking up the last available spot. Aelira addressed him directly, showing her interest without hiding it:

“Zhavros, if you’re so sure of yourself, tell us why you didn’t participate in the previous battle.”

Then she turned her head towards Eldrek, adding, “And why you were only observers.”

Eldrek calmly met Aelira’s gaze and replied, “The one best suited to answer those questions is Zhavros, if he feels like doing so.”

For the first time in a long while, Zhavros was silent and serious. The atmosphere became tense for him, with everyone looking at him, awaiting his response.

Unable to contain her excitement, Nymira chimed in with an animated tone:

“Come on, grumpy! Tell us why you didn’t join the fight!”

Lyris, for her part, intervened with a more understanding tone, “If it’s hard for you to speak freely, it must mean you have something personal to hide from us. Or am I wrong, Zhavros?”

He was silent for a few seconds, clearly considering whether he should speak or not. Finally, he let out a sigh and said with resignation:

“Very observant, Lyris. You’re right about that.”

“We’re not going to force you to tell us, but I think it’s time you start feeling comfortable with us. We don’t know if we’ll make it out of the battle unscathed, and there’s no better time than now to talk about it,” Lyris replied with empathy.

Zhavros took a breath, visibly resigned. “Alright, alright, no need to get dramatic.” And he began his tale. I could see in his eyes that this wasn’t something he enjoyed sharing.

Nymira clapped her hands like a little girl: “Yay!”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

----------------------------------------

Several years ago…

“Mother, there’s something I don’t fully understand. Why has Father always had to hide us from the shadow elementals? After all, I’m partly one of them, aren’t I?”

My mother continued with her tasks but stopped for a moment and looked at me, as she always did when it came to a difficult question.

“That’s because of me, son. Your human half comes from me, and those beings don’t see humans as worthy. And you, being a hybrid, they don’t see you as one of them either, even though you have their abilities.”

“Ugh! Those damn shadows can kiss my dark side if they want. Damn them!”

She gave me one of those looks only a mother can give, and with that firm but calm tone, she said:

“You know I don’t like it when you talk like that.”

“Blame it on my human side, Mother,” I replied with a more playful tone this time. She smiled as she approached and took my hands.

“You don’t need them, Zhavros. You’re capable of achieving many things without their approval. Don’t waste your time thinking about what they believe and their rules.”

My mother always knew how to calm me. Although I spent more time by her side than with my father, he was always there, protecting us in his own way. Always concerned that those beings would never discover our existence, shielding us from the shadows.

I knew where they came from. The shadow elementals resided in the ruins of ancient civilizations, abandoned places they had claimed as their own. They were ethereal beings, like dense smoke that could take human form if they wished.

Sometimes, I wondered what it would be like to learn from them, to master that ability to move within shadows or adopt another appearance. But my father had been clear: I was not to approach their domains or attempt to cross the boundaries he had imposed himself.

Maybe if they’d known about me, they would’ve reconsidered their ridiculous rules about humans. But that wasn’t the case.

One day, my father arrived out of nowhere, more agitated than I’d ever seen him. My mother and I tensed up instantly.

“We need to leave immediately,” he said, barely crossing the door. The panic in his voice was unmistakable. “The high-ranking elementals found out I have a family… and when they learned it was with a human, they took action.”

“What kind of action?” I asked, feeling my stomach twist.

“They’ve decided to eliminate us. All of us.”

“What the hell, Father?! This is your fault. You never should have had me with Mother! Now you’ve put her life in danger.”

“There’s no time to argue, Zhavros!” Without wasting a second, my father ordered us to take what we needed and flee as quickly as possible. I did, though I was furious. My mother too, although the fear in her eyes was undeniable.

We left home, and my father took the reins of our cart. We escaped the village as fast as the horse could carry us. I looked back at what we were leaving behind; though the village wasn’t large, it was known for its tranquility, and the people were kind, mostly dedicated to farming and selling their produce to other villages.

We didn’t take long to reach a secluded area, looking for a place to hide. That’s when everything went to hell.

Without warning, five shadow elementals appeared before us, halting the cart abruptly. I barely had time to react before they attacked us with magic from both sides, destroying the cart and throwing the three of us far apart. My instinct was to protect my mother, while my father took his ethereal form and launched himself into battle.

He was powerful; I had always known that. But there were five of them, and though he managed to hold them off for a while, he gradually began to falter.

“Don’t do it, Zhavros! Please, don’t!” my mother held onto me, begging me not to jump into the fight.

Doubt consumed me. Watching my father being overpowered, not knowing if I should obey or fight… Until I made a choice. I took her in my arms and flew far from the battle, seeking to get her out of harm’s way.

But more were waiting for us. Three elementals appeared out of nowhere, forcing me to land. I set my mother down as I tried to protect her.

“Damn cowards! I’m warning you,” I said, fury boiling within me, “if you take one more step, you’ll regret it.”

They didn’t listen. They never did. They were in their ethereal form, determined to eliminate us.

They lunged at me, but this time I rose into the air, creating a shield around my mother. From within, she screamed desperately.

“Zhavros, run! Please, run!”

I couldn’t. I knew what it meant. If I left, she would die.

I concentrated all my power on defense. One by one, I managed to bring those three down. But just when I thought I could protect her, I saw four more approaching… they were the ones who had been fighting my father. And the fifth had him trapped in a magical shield, looking exhausted and wounded.

They took me by surprise, but I wasn’t about to sit back. I had to act. My father had always made sure to train me; he shared all the knowledge he had. Though I hadn’t yet mastered my abilities, those shadows didn’t know that, so I would use that to my advantage.

I attacked furiously, without restraint. This time, I didn’t just want to knock them down—I wanted to eliminate them, and I began to do so. When I took down the first one, the rest shifted; they took on a more terrifying, more violent form. They didn’t care about holding back.

No matter how hard I tried afterward, I was outnumbered. It was no longer just the three who had initially intercepted us—it was seven. Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t defeat them. After a while of attacking and defending against their massive attacks, I was overwhelmed.

They left me kneeling in the center, unable to continue. Suddenly, one of them grabbed me forcefully by the hair from behind, pulling me down, and whispered in my ear:

“You’re the one who will regret this.”

He threw me to the ground violently, forcing me to look at where my mother and father were. She was holding him in her arms, crying. The other six combined their powers, unleashing a dark energy beam toward them.

The last thing I saw was my mother’s smile as she looked into my eyes… And then, they disappeared. Without a trace.

I felt the rage consume me, felt something dark within me, something I didn’t recognize, beginning to awaken. But before I could do anything, the seven elementals surrounded me again. They didn’t eliminate me… no, they chose to do something worse.

They pointed their hands at me, and I began to feel my mana, my elemental side, being ripped away. The pain… it was beyond measure. I felt myself losing that part of me, the very thing that made me who I was.

Just at that moment, when I thought everything was over, I heard heavy footsteps. Someone was running toward us. And suddenly, a beam of light illuminated the night, causing the shadows to fall unconscious, just like me.

I don’t know what happened next. When I opened my eyes, I was lying inside a cave. And in front of me… a giant. He introduced himself as Eldrek.