The sun slowly rises above the horizon, a sweet scent wafts through the air, carried by a gentle breeze, and in the distance, the chirping of birds can be heard.

"Sylleth, wake up," Shalyn says, leaning over Sylleth's head.

Sylleth slowly opens his eyes and sits up.

"Hmmm... something smells nice," he says in a sleepy voice, rubbing his eyes.

"That's because we're in a peach forest... we must have ended up here while walking in the middle of the night..." Shalyn says, while looking around.

Shalyn stands up and stretches, a gentle breeze rustling the branches of trees adorned with yellow and orange leaves.

"The peaches here are incredibly sweet," she says, plucking one from a tree.

Sylleth rises from the ground and stretches as well.

"Do you know how far we are from the nearest village?" he asks, slowly walking to the edge of the nearby lake.

"I have no idea, there's not a soul in sight," Shalyn replies, biting into the juicy peach.

Sylleth washes his face with water from the lake, then stands up. After a moment, his face visibly saddens.

"I've never been this far from home..." he says, looking down.

Shalyn walks up to him and gently pats him on the back.

"Don't worry, you're not alone," she says with a slight smile. "We'll get through this together."

"T-Thanks, Shalyn..." Sylleth says, wiping his face.

"Have a peach, it'll lift your spirits," Shalyn suggests, approaching one of the trees.

Sylleth walked up to Shalyn, picked a peach, and took a bite.

"So sweet~" he said with his mouth full.

"Right?" Shalyn replied, a slight smile on her face.

Sylleth looked at his companion and after a moment said,

"My aunt also really liked peaches..."

Shalyn was slightly surprised by his words, and after a moment, she asked,

"Did she... also get kidnapped?"

Sylleth's expression changed, looking as if he had an idea.

"She left for work a few days ago..." Sylleth grabbed Shalyn by the shoulders. "She can help us! We just need to find her!" A wide smile appeared on his face.

Shalyn looked at his smiling face for a moment, trying to process what he had just said.

"T-That's great! Why didn't you mention this earlier!?" A wide smile also appeared on Shalyn's face.

"I completely forgot, probably because I was in shock," Sylleth removed his hands from Shalyn's shoulders.

"Do you know which city she went to? And can she really help us?" Shalyn asked, hoping that Sylleth's aunt could save their loved ones.

"We'd have to go all the way to Naso... But I'm sure she will help," Sylleth said, smiling.

"Naso, huh? That will probably be a few days' journey east, near the capital... but we can make it," Shalyn said, gathering a few peaches. "So let's go! Let's find your aunt!"

Our duo set off towards the city of Naso to find Sylleth's aunt, Saelwen. After traveling for several minutes through the peach forest, dark clouds became visible in the distance, the wind began to blow stronger, and the animals fell silent.

"Looks like a storm is coming," Shalyn remarked, looking at the clouds in the distance.

"Yeah, we need to find a proper cave or something similar to wait it out..." Sylleth said, glancing around for any sign of shelter.

"On the way, I saw a small one, if we turn back now we should make it in time," she said, grabbing Sylleth's hand and leading him back.

During their return, rain began to fall, prompting the two to quicken their pace. Eventually, they reached a small cave where they managed to find shelter. They sat down next to each other.

"Looks like we'll be here for a while..." Sylleth said, watching the rain falling outside the cave.

"Yeah..." Shalyn replied.

Suddenly, a fox-like creature approached Sylleth and sat on his lap.

"Is this... a fox?" Sylleth asked, surprised, as he looked at the animal resting on his lap; it looked familiar, but it was so dark that he couldn't even see the color of its fur.

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Shalyn looked at the creature and then said.

"Seems like it..."

The storm outside was growing more intense, with the wind so strong that some trees bent to touch the ground. Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck one of the trees, startling the fox lying on Sylleth's lap.

"Where did it come from?" asked Shalyn, looking at the animal, slightly frightened by the raging storm outside the cave.

"I have no idea, it must have been here before we arrived. But it looks very scared." Sylleth gently touched the fox's back.

The animal was slightly startled, but after a moment, it approached Sylleth's hand on its own.

"He's so sweet." said Sylleth, gently stroking the fox, which began to purr softly.

"Maybe so, but more importantly, don't you think it's a bit cold here?" Shalyn asked, looking around.

"Well, perhaps a bit... but considering the storm, it's not surprising," replied Sylleth, still stroking the fox at the same time.

Shalyn stood up, trying to look around the cave for something useful. After a while, she returned to Sylleth and threw some twigs and leaves beside him.

"Leave that fox alone and start a fire for us," she said, searching for some stones and flint.

"Alright," he said, gently removing the fox from his lap and then standing up.

Sylleth arranged the sticks, branches, and leaves gathered by Shalyn into a pile against the wall, and then tried to light it up. Throughout, the fox didn't leave him for a moment.

"I think he really likes you," Shalyn said, sitting against the wall, waiting for Sylleth to light the fire.

"I guess so." Sylleth replied, looking at the fox for a moment before continuing to try to start the fire.

After a while, the boy managed to light the fire, and the warm light illuminated the cave. Sylleth lay down against the wall next to Shalyn.

"And? How's that?" he asked. The fox lay down on his stomach.

"Much better." Shalyn said with a slight smile on her face.

Sylleth looked at his companion and then asked in a slightly tired voice,

"How long do you think this storm will last?"

"Hopefully not too long... it would be great to start moving soon," Shalyn replied.

After a few minutes of silence, interrupted only by loud thunder, the sounds of rain, and wind caused by a strong storm, Shalyn asked,

"Hey... would you like to tell me something about yourself?"

Sylleth looked at her, slightly surprised.

"Where did that question come from?"

"Well, you know... we don't really know each other that well, and we still have a really long journey ahead of us." She thought for a moment and then said, "I'd like to get to know you better."

After a brief pause, Sylleth responded,

"Well, I'm not sure what I could tell you... you already know that, I have a brother, Nieven... as a child, I wasn't very sociable, and in a way, I still am not." He paused for a minute. "Oh, I'm 13, totally forgot about that."

"So I'm older than you..." said Shalyn, laying on the side. "Keep going."

For a while, the boy pondered what more he could share and then said,

"And...I don't know if you noticed, but I'm..." Sylleth pushed his light brown hair behind, showing his ear. "...an elf, not a human."

"Yeah, I know, and that's why I trust you," the girl said, pointing at her gills, her voice sounding a bit sleepy.

"What about you? Do you have any siblings?" asked Sylleth, then began to gently stroke the creature lying on his stomach.

Sylleth looked at Shalyn, who... seemed to be asleep.

"Is she really..." Irritation appeared on Sylleth's face.

The fox lying on the boy's stomach moved closer to his face and looked at the boy with his now clearly visible two-colored eyes.

Sylleth's eyes widened in shock, but before he could say anything, his consciousness unexpectedly began to slowly fade away.