They were looking over to me with apprehensive faces, sharing glances with each other, they huddled around in a closed circle and started muttering things to each other.

‘Oh… Oh great. That suuure is reassuring.’

After what looked like some back and forth bickering, they reached a pause in the discussion and all turned towards me… And gave me a long look.

“...W-what?” ‘Why are you looking at me like that? Is something wrong? What is going to happen?’ The budding trepidation is making me anxious.

…And then they went right back to hushed whispers in a circle again. All the hush hush didn’t really matter since I could hear them, although that also didn’t really matter because I couldn’t understand them. Their gesture was lost on me.

This went on for a while until they finally reached a conclusion, a row of nods and affirmation sounding words indicating the conclusion of the debate.

I see the shorter one of the trio split off from the group with a smile, and say something in a slightly infuriating tone, that sideways pitched tone when someone talks down to a child about something they think they are too dumb to understand “?Θ??Δ∰ ????₳?????? ???@$!”

I frown. I'm sure he’s just trying to help… but for some reason my opinion of him just dropped right now. Something about what he said just irks me in a way I can’t explain, even though I do not know the meaning behind them.

Before I could get any understanding of what is happening, Uncle Elf calmly comes up behind him, places a hand on his shoulder and–

*B O N K* Gives him a magnificent smack on the side of the head.

I flinch. Wincing at the way the other elf almost fell to the ground. The strike sent him stumbling disoriented.

I see the other two avert their eyes, something about the way they did it and hid their faces tells me this is a common occurrence…

…And this led off to another round of bickering between the two.

。。。

We started moving again. Though this time around I was being piggybacked instead of walking. Whomever carried me changed every once in a while with the others to not strain themselves.

The more than generous quantity of belts they wore around their weird uniform made for some handy places I could comfortably hold while being carried around, I wonder if they are by design or just a coincidence?

Now that we didn’t need to slow our speed because of my… small stature, I think nearly thrice the usual distance was crossed compared to before in the same timeframe I had walking alongside them.

‘It’s weird.’

I’m sure that I can be quite fast when running, with an enormous endurance compared to… before…

‘This new body is weird.’

…And yet I get tired easily, even with Uncle Elf slowing his pace for me, he can stride around unimpeded for insane amounts of time, his speed while power walking is my speed when jogging. We only stopped when either night came or when I was on the verge of collapsing, not being able to walk anymore.

‘*sigh* I… I don’t know what is normal anymore.’

For the most part we walked on the forest floor, weaving around everything as always. Sometimes one of them split off from the group to do what I assume is forward scouting. And then, depending on the news, we climbed the trees and traveled there instead, in order to avoid… something. I didn’t know what exactly, but surely they have their own good reasons.

They made climbing those massive walls of wood so easy, granted they had tools for the job and could somehow jump 5 times their height. The speed and the way they did it was astonishing, not only that but some amazing strength to carry me along while doing vertical parkour…

I mean, these elfs are jumping, from one of these giant trees to another and that is, give or take, 2 or 5 meters per jump, with all the clutter and weight of gear, camping equipment and the bow and arrows they are carrying, not only that, but carrying me too… I don’t know how tall I am nor how much I weigh now, but I assume that it’s at least, give or take, 20 or 30 kilos.

And, considering that the “branches” were the thickness of a small car, that criss crossed and interconnected with each other, making a network of natural roads far above ground, we only needed to jump from one tree to another sometimes and had more than enough space to build a camp whenever with more than enough room to spare. And compared to the rocky and dirty terrain full of obstacles, it was so much easier to walk on the relatively smooth bark, and comfortable, too, since I was barefoot and I doubted these guys had spare footwear, not for lack of trying to ask either.

‘I’m a tough lady.’ I thought. And it wasn’t all that urgent so I didn’t think of complaining.

。。。

For the same reasons I'm not privy to, we dropped down to the forest floor as often as we climbed up to the wooden roads, it actually is a little fun moment amidst the monotonous marching we are doing.

When we have to drop back down to ground level, depending on what is found, There is a path to safely slide down a tilted tree, to fall down on top of these giant, floppy leaves that can cushion the fall like a net, or to rappel down the unusually thick vines like some sort of firefighter.

At first, the sheer height of the fall made me dizzy and reluctant to do it, but after experiencing having to climb up and down again and again I can bear the chilling sensation of falling… just a little bit.

I definitely did not cry when the short one picked me up and threw me off the ledge.

After that one experience I don't let any of them anywhere close when near the ledges… except for Elf Uncle, he’s nice.

Although… There was this one time when I went ahead of the group to try doing it myself, I picked up a bit too much speed when sliding down and there was some… collateral damage.

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…They didn’t let me descend by myself anymore after that.

。。。

*sigh*... This sucks… I mean–The company is great don’t get me wrong.

But… Now that there’s more of them. It's way more comfortable for them to mingle with each other, compared to the foreign girl that they can’t communicate with, not that I could hold a conversation anyways… but I feel a little left out… I guess.

Seeing them all interacting with each other while I patiently observe from the sidelines, the good mornings and greetings, the occasional laughter, even the simplest of interchanges… I understand the dissuasion, and I don't want to seem selfish, but this lonely feeling…

I want to talk to someone, and I mean really… truly talk… With anyone.

At most I was able to scrape the bare surface of a reciprocal understanding with Mr. Elf… But it was too one-sided, nothing being completely understood aside from what we could infer from each other…

…I want– I need to know, to talk, to ask: Where are we? Who are you? What am I? What is your name? Can you help me? Can I help you? Can I go back home? Is that magic? Can I do that? Help. It hurts. Who are these people? Where are we heading? What is this and that? Why? Who? What? Where? When?...

I quietly stifle a sob, hiding my trembling hands.

So many questions… unspoken thoughts… repressed emotions…

Not now, (’then when?’).

*Clap!* I slap my cheeks. ‘Enough moping around.’ I tell myself.

‘We both know that there isn’t anything you can do, that there is no other choice, you can’t do anything by yourself, it’s already a miracle these people found you, don’t complain…’

Keep it for later, (‘then what?’).

‘...don’t falter. There will be time for rest, and for answers, but that time is not now….’

This place isn’t safe, (‘then where?’).

‘...MAN UP! the world isn’t–’ There’s a gut wrenching sensation spilling inside me, an unwitting scream swelling up my throat.

I take a deep breath, quivering. It will be alright, (‘...’).

‘…our world may have ended… but this one isn’t.’ I wrestle the overflow back into place. Hold the falling pieces tightly. This is not the place for this.

A deep breath.

I wish I could lay down and sleep forever, let the stream of problems flow away… but not yet, not now. My determination wavers… but the promise I made to myself keeps me going, to keep living and to fight on… and if not for my own sake, then for the sake of the memories I carry.

Another deep breath. I steady myself, focus on the sounds around me. Calm.

I keep myself busy with anything I find. A shiny rock, insects, tracing the patterns in the wood…

The elves' presence, being my sole peace of mind. At least, even if disconnected, close but far, I was not alone.

。。。

‘Finally… Are we there yet? I can’t see anything in this fog.’

Me and the group of elves stopped by a veritable wall of wood, after we criss-crossed under and over a buffer zone of tightly packed trees, bamboo and all sorts of plants, we stopped by what I can only describe as a nature-borne fortress.

A colossal wall, made of hundreds if not thousands of individual trees, packed so tightly together that there isn’t even a seam in between, looking like a masterfully woven tapestry of wood carefully crafted from plants into a venerable impregnable boundary that stretched far into the sky.

‘I can’t even see the end of it while looking up. How the hell did I miss this?’. I think back to that time I saw the horizons and the sky atop a tree to determine a direction to walk towards.

While we were making our way over to… whatever this place is. Instead of the usual lugging me around like a backpack that I was just starting to get used to, much to my chagrin.

They, for some reason, opted to lead me by hand instead. Going through a thin path hidden amidst the tall mass of grass and bushes, walking in a line, measuring every single step we took. They were very clear on that part.

“” I asked, sure that I slurred the words but at least getting the meaning across.

My prodding for answers went unanswered. During which, they adopted solemn faces? I couldn't tell.

“<...home.> ⨝⨸⫒⫒⫈⫲” One of them answered, though he didn’t sound very sure?

‘Home?... Ah! Is that so, I guess it makes sense, where else could we be going? Though…’ I look around me, the place filled with a thick, almost nauseating dense layer of mist that drowned any light, adding another veil of darkness on top of the canopy that already made the forest dark.

‘Are we going to a village… Or some weird shady base?’ At first I thought nothing of it, but now I’m starting to feel how surreal and unnatural this place is, despite all the nature.

I feel the weirdly thick mist cling to my skin, subtly pushing me here and there when I'm not paying attention, more and more as we keep walking down the narrow path, it pokes and prods the fringes of my perception, my sense of direction.

It’s a feeling indescribable to anything I have ever felt, and knowing that something is messing with me is unnerving and nauseating, sometimes left becomes right, and even though we are walking in a straight line, my sense of balance intermittently shifts around.

The elfs seem to be doing fine and dandy despite the paranormal phenomena.

‘I’m sure it must be some magic thing, even though I have yet to see the usual “fantasy magic”, everything in this place is unusually big after all, and the obviously unnatural quantity of plants around this area, not accounting for the supernatural feats that aren’t biologically possible that I’ve witnessed during my time here.’

——— –– –– -- - -

Finally leaving the weird ‘get constant motion sickness’ magic zone we arrived right outside the borders of the barrier, more specifically, on a spot where the interweaving wall made a complex pattern that opened up like a budding flower, showing a glowing path with a translucent veil with a smoky sheen.

‘I guess this is the entrance, almost there.’ We stopped just a few steps away from passing the ethereal boundary.

Before I could enter, I felt a gloved hand stop me, gripping my shoulders. I look behind me and see the man whom I started to refer as “Uncle”, or a variation of the name, because he never properly introduced himself.

‘Now that I think about it… Huh. I didn’t introduce myself either, actually, I don’t think any of us did.’

I see him with a closed eye frown, he purses his lips, thinking. A moment passes, and he looks like he resolves himself.

He says something to the other three and nods, the short one didn’t even pay attention since he was already waltzing inside, the other two gave us a concerned look before nodding back, and headed through the passage, the magic barrier letting them in, flowing around them like a bubble.

I watch as they walk away from us and into the opening, the opaque tint of the barrier obfuscating their silhouettes as they disappear further inside.

He takes my hand, takes a step, and leads me.

Stepping inside the barrier, it envelops him delicately, wrapping around his clothes and across his tied hair, but he stops. One hand extended outside the boundary, holding my small hand, a firm and warm grip, and yet, also an unsteady grip with a tint of doubt? uncertainty? hesitation.

He stands there, paused in between the borders of a choice, a distant look in his eyes marred by a worried face.

Since the start of this little trip I felt there was something wrong, I was wholly confused at all the times he gave me that fake smile and the ways he became so accommodating to a stranger, I didn’t knew– still don’t know the customs, or the culture this world revolves around, much less his’.

I could not assume anything, about this place, about the people, even with all the similarities and fantasy things that can be linked to the works and dreamers of Earth, to do so would lead to precocious decisions, so I went with him, despite my reassessed and the doubts I developed along the way.

It’s starting to get awkward, so if he won’t do it, I will.

I take a step forward. Into the barrier.

At first it felt like putting my foot into mud, there was some sort of force repelling, pushing back, prickling my skin and dragging needles across them, prodding, measuring.

Somehow, I felt watched, I felt the ways the magic ebbed and flowed with intent and ancient laws, a gut feeling that assured me of its nature, despite my ignorance and lack of information.

The force relented, the difference like night and day as the resistance vanished, the thick and oppressing feeling turning into a light stream of welcoming wind that wrapped me for a moment as I pierced the boundary.

I took a second step. Into a new place.

…And Uncle Elf crouched in the ground and left a long sigh of relief, running his hands through his hairline.

I don’t have a clue about what all that was about but I'm happy nothing bad happened…. I’ll make sure to interrogate him once I manage to learn their language.

——— –– –– -- - -