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2.8

He felt like a little kid being guided out of the market mania, the warm hand of Ardon sent shivers through his arm. They walked to the beginning of the forest and then he felt the hand leave his elbow.

Ardon walked a bit in front of Walwarin and when they couldn't hear anything but the sounds of the forest anymore, he turned around to face Wilwarin.

"So yesterday, does that happen a lot?" He looked curious, a smile still adorning his face. It looked good on him, his smile had a sunny and boyish feeling.

Wilwarin looks to the ground and then into the close formation of trees to his right, "Not exactly. First time I am threatened like that."

Ardon raised a brow, "First time? That wasn't the reaction of someone who had this happen to him for the first time."

Wilwarin furrowed his brows, but nonetheless had a glint of fear rush through his eyes. Acting was his strong suit, else he couldn't have lived and deceived his father for long. However, he didn't know what happened to his USB that he wanted to give his mother. His father had it, what happened to it afterward, his laptop was safe until his mother smashed it. How did his USB get taken while his laptop survived, up until the point his mother happened. His memories were still incomplete, thus he also wondered why they seemed to sometimes come back. Wilwarin was pulled into his own thoughts, not realizing that the little bit of fear that he acted upon soon vanished and a blank face was shown.

Ardon shook Wilwarin's shoulders, "Hello? What happened? Why are you thinking so hard."

Awoken by these words, and getting back into reality, Wilwarin couldn't even focus properly in the first few seconds. Only the blue in Ardon's eyes was important, it calmed him in more senses than one. He looked into these eyes and felt safe, he felt like all the problems with his parents were behind him.

'Right, when I am back Val wanted to take me far away from them. Away from everything. Our own island he said. But... My mother, I have to explain properly. She had to know he never killed anyone.'

"Sorry, what were we talking about?" Wilwarin asked confusion exuding over his whole body.

Ardon shook his head, "The threat, why you were almost killed? Don't think I just let that go."

"No, it's just it is so weird that this is happening to me," Wilwarin said and looked into the trees to his right. "Maybe I should go back to where I fell."

Ardon let go of his shoulders and looked in the same direction, he nodded, "Good, and on the way there you tell me everything you remember before being pushed off that cliff."

Wilwarin nodded and began walking in the direction, where he fell.

He didn't even know where to go, it was like his legs guided him there.

"So the beginning?" Ardon's deep voice came from behind him.

Wilwarin shrugged his shoulders, "Not like there is much to tell. One of my rival dancers, Vulen, was confessing her love for me and wanted to take me on a date. Of course, I said yes, have you seen her? Totally beautiful. Anyway, as we walked to the cliff, we were attacked by wolves."

Ardon intervened, "So she pushed you to them, then ran away. You were trying to outrun them and fell over the cliff?"

The grass had a soft feeling as they walked near the cliff, "No. I told her to run and lured them away from her. When I lost them I was by the cliffs and someone pushed me down."

"You didn't see them? Were they strong? Did it hurt when they shoved you? What height do you think they had?"

Wilwarin rolled his eyes and looked behind him at Ardon, "As if I'd know, I didn't see anything. I was preoccupied with trying to not die while falling?"

Ardon looked at him annoyed, "You should have been more on alert, what if a wolf had come back and shoved you down that cliff."

"I don't know, that's why we're here aren't we to find clues about my would-be murderer and now threatened."

Ardon nodded and walked next to Wilwarin, who noticed a sword on his hip.

Ardon noticed his gaze and smiled proudly, "Me and this baby are going to protect you. So no evil bastard can ever harm you again."

Wilwarin laughed as this scene overlapped with the one in his mind, 'A platin blond boy stood before him with a gun in his hand, "No one is gonna do anything. Do you know why? No one would ever come to me and not meet my best friend, 'Mercy'." Val's eyes glistened as he created this protective atmosphere.'

Ardon waved with his hand in front of Wilwarin's face, "I am going to take that personally if you keep dozing off like that."

Wilwarin smiled, which looked especially charming, "It's not like I am sleeping. Maybe I am thinking about you, shall I stop then?"

Ardon froze, like his brain was malfunctioning, "No, continue."

A loud laugh echoed through the forest, "I was only joking. Did it make you uncomfortable?"

"Uncomfortable? It was like my dream came true. The most gorgeous person I've met fun flirted with me. I think I can die happy now."

Wilwarin rolled his eyes and continued walking, ignoring that comment. He didn't even know why he did that, maybe part of the original rubbing off on him.

...

At the cliff, there was nothing out of the ordinary. A normal stone ground that crumbled into the abyss of the sea. The breeze of the sea, smelling like fish and salt water.

Ardon looked around, "So where did you fall?"

Wilwarin looked over the edge, a looming sense of death deep engraved in his bones. He could see the line of sand and stones, meeting the deep sea. He told his mothers before that he landed in the water so he had to slightly change his fall of doom.

Walwarin pointed to the cliffside that led to the water underneath, "Here."

Ardon looked to the left side he was pointing to, and crouched. He looked at the stone and tried to find a footprint of anything that could tell him someone was there the day before. He waddled around and looked at the grass, looking at the nearby trees. There was nothing, except a few scratches that were probably the wolves doing. He stood up and put his hands on his hips, looking around further.

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Wilwarin was also looking, but differently. Maybe it was because of his elf nature, but he felt the disruption of nature. Something here was out of order maybe not physically but spiritually.

He felt a gentle tug in a direction, he followed and let that tug pull him further.

Ardon saw Wilwarin walking away as if in a trance, he decided to follow him without a word. His gut told him it would be counterproductive if he were to even talk to Wilwarin right now.

Wilwarin felt the gentle tug, it felt so natural, like the wind or the soft plants around him. Being so enchanted by whatever was guiding him, made him feel at home. It made him feel safe, he walked by the scratched trees and boulders, he walked by a small stream that seemed to run down the cliff they came from. Rows of old willow trees were in front of him, as Wilwarin followed the gentle tug to go through them he was in a flower field.

They weren't normal flowers, like roses, daisies, or tulips. These were flowers he had never seen before, their leaves were multicolored, turquoise center with a purple tip.

Ardon frowned, he knew that whatever was guiding Wilwarin was friendly, but he couldn't help worrying. When he watched Wilwarin walk through the old willows, he felt complicated but all these feelings fell behind him when he saw the flowers. He was in awe, as he looked around and looked at the flowers he'd only ever seen in old magic books.

Every one of these flowers was full of mana, gentle and undisturbed. Although Ardon knew if he'd sell them he would never have to leave this continent, he couldn't. This formation, this grove of flowers are left behind untouched intentionally. He respects the will of nature.

Wilwarin lost the feeling that was guiding him as soon as he focused on the flowers, and then he saw something he never thought he'd ever witness. The flowers moved, they floated into the air and then there were pixies, flying around him. Some braiding his hair, some laughing, it was like the sound of fluttering leaves. Like the wind was rushing through trees, Wilwarin always thought pixies sounded like bells, it was apparent that it was not.

One of the pixies, kissed his forehead, the sound of whistling leaves vanished and he could hear the soft sound of laughter. He understood the pixies.

"Blessed by the mother, you've come here to help?" The pixie who kissed him asked, it was the pixie that came out of the turquoise and purple flower. The pixie had purple hair and a turquoise suit, he smelled the faint hint of flower.

"I don't know? I came here because something led me here," Wilwarin tried to explain the tug that guided him here.

Ardon was confused, these pixies were flying around him and tugging his hair, tugging his clothes. He was confused as to why Wilwarin was the only one welcome, but then again he was not an elf. So there is that.

The pixie laughed as they flew around Wilwarin's dark blond hair, "You are beautiful, mother did a wonderful job making you. As she does with every being of the forest. We need help, yesterday the force of the forest was disturbed. Something happened that was not supposed to. Since then we realized that some pixies went missing."

Wilwarin furrowed his eyebrows, he looked around the pixie grove and then at the gentle pixie in front of him, "Is that why I was led here? To help you? But the nature works in balance, what do I get if I help you?"

The pixie seemed to smile even wider, "Pixies can see what ordinary eyes can't. If you help us I will help you with whatever you were doing at the cliff."

Ardon looked alarmed at the reaction Wilwarin, as his eyes darkened, "What's wrong?"

Wilwarin just shook his head and returned to his unfazed appearance, "Nothing, it just seems that maybe it was a pixie illusion that led me here and not nature."

The pixie shrugged their shoulder, the pixies around him seemed to stop in their movement, staring at Wilwarin.

Wilwarin smiled kindly, "What do you need for protection?"

The pixie stopped smiling and thought, "Not much, just something that will keep unwanted people out of here. We have nothing against, the animals or the elves, but..."

They look at Ardon with scrutiny, "That one, and all their kind. Beings not created by the Allmother."

Wilwarin nodded, he looked at Ardon, "You think there is a magic item or spell that can keep everyone except beings blessed by nature out?"

Ardon bit his lips as he looked back through the willow trees, he felt more uncomfortable standing her by pixies by the second. He then looked back to Wilwarin, "Might have, maybe some of the merpeople also have something. They love to collect after all."

"I will look into it," Wilwarin told the pixie.

"If you bring it to us, I tell you everything that is found by pixie magic at the cliff," the pixie promised him.

They flew away and hid in the flowers again, the grove soon became silent. Ardon took Wilwarin's arm and dragged him outside the willow trees.

Outside he drew a big breath, "To think we are still alive after facing pixies. As soon as you see one, you're supposed to run. Lured by pixie magic and making a deal?"

Wilwarin looked up at the pale Ardon, and put his hand on his shoulder, "We'll find something. It can't be that hard to find a magical item that can reject everyone except beings blessed by nature right?"

Ardon glared at Wilwarin, "You know what you are never supposed to say if you are looking for something? That sentence, you just cursed us to find this item under the most cruel circumstances."

Wilwarin just shook his head and walked in front of Ardon, "That is just superstition."

"That is the next sentence you aren't supposed to say!"

"Let's just go, you said you knew a few merchants right?"

"Know, I am one! We can look into my shop first, maybe I have something that can help us. I am somewhat of a collector myself," Ardon said proudly out of his chest.

"Lead the way!"

Ardon caught up with Wilwarin, he slung an arm around Wilwarin and then took it back, "Sorry, touched you without permission. Can I?"

Wilwarin shrugged his shoulders, "Do what you want."

Ardon smirked and threw his arm back around his shoulders, "To think I was at your home yesterday and now we are going to mine. I have to warn you though, it could be a bit clattered. I set up shop yesterday."

"Why aren't you in your shop then?"

"Same reason I followed you through the willow trees, I want to spend more time with you."

Wilwarin just rolled his eyes, as they made their way back.