Faelan woke from the calling of his name. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked around him.

Through the distortion of the Concealment Weave, he could see the figure of one of the elven guards, looking around, quietly calling out.

It was Nym, he realised, smiling to himself. She is probably wondering where I'm hiding.

Looking around, he saw a thin morning mist covering the area. It was just before sunrise.

Quietly, he packed up his bedroll, dusted himself off, and dismissed the Weaves.

"I'm over here," he announced himself, leading over his horse to where Nym was standing.

She turned around with a look of confusion on her face, but she didn't comment. Instead, she asked, "Are you ready to leave? It's a week and a half till the other side of the border, and I'd rather be back as quickly as possible."

Faelan gave her a charming smile. "I was born ready. But are you sure you can stand a full week and a half travelling with filth like me?"

The last part had been meant as a joke, but Nym didn't catch on.

After retrieving her horse, she shifted uncomfortably. "I'm sorry about that. I should have warned you. Our Kapitan has some strong opinions, especially about the Fae."

Reaching the giant stone gates, Nym stepped forward, placed her free hand on the rough stone, and said something in Elven.

Curious, Fealan lowered his sight into the Veil. He could see a net of teyun twist around the place where Nym had placed her hand, spreading through the entire gate.

With a loud grinding sound, the colossal doors slowly opened, the ground slightly tremoring as it did.

Faelan recoiled, pulling his sight from the Veil, blinded by the overwhelming amount of ambient teyun that filled the land beyond.

Blinking a few times, he took in his new surroundings as the gates closed behind them.

He stood in a vast forest, giant trees lining the carefully paved road, their canopy almost entirely covering the sky.

There was a pleasant warmth despite it being mid-winter and early in the morning.

All the plants around him had a vibrant, lush, green colour-more vibrant than he had ever seen.

It was as if he had entered a completely different world.

The surprise must have been visible on his face as Nym chuckled.

Faelan's mind raced to recall everything he knew about Terr'Alveran.

He knew the elven ground was more fertile than any other nation, but this went way beyond that.

They travelled the first few hours in silence, with Faelan mostly taking in his surroundings.

They passed through a settlement almost entirely housed in the trees. Here, they stopped to buy some supplies. During their short time in the village, Falean kept his hood up at all times despite the odd looks he got.

After they had been on the road again for a good amount of time, he turned to Nym. "Why does it feel like it's spring? It is towards the end of winter, yet all the leaves are green."

Nym turned to him. "How much do you know about the arrival of the first elves and the creation of Terr'Alveran?"

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Faelan shrugged. "Not much. Like I said, it's not my field of study."

Nym looked puzzled for a second, but then her face cleared. "Okay... then let's take it back a bit. Do you know of the other realms?"

Faelan nodded. "You mean Faery and places like that, right? Aren't the Faewilds gateways to Faery?"

Nym's eyes lit up. She genuinely seemed to enjoy talking about this subject.

"Not exactly, but close enough. I'm glad you brought up Faery. You see, Faery is a parasitic realm—meaning that it feeds on other realms, slowly turning them into the same thing as itself. This is why nature around the places where the human and Fae realms meet is so warped.

Luckily for you, the teyun levels of Tertra and Faery are almost the same, so Faery can't expand any further than it has."

"And this has to do with the arrival of the first Elves because...?" Faelan waved his hand, indicating her to elaborate.

Nym snickered. "I'm getting there. Alveran, the realm, not the country, is very much like Faery—it's also parasitic. But unlike Faery, the natural teyun levels of Alveran are vastly higher than those of Tertra. Alveran began to expand and consume your realm rapidly once the gate between our realms was created. The Elders created the wall to stop the expansion.

Of the original ten Elders that arrived, only four survived—one of which went on to rule over Terr'Grenn."

"Avery Fanor."

Nym nodded. "Exactly. But let's stay on topic. Because of the vast amounts of passive teyun in Alveran, we constantly have a spring climate. When the first elves arrived, they were baffled by the concept of winter and cold."

She snickered. "You should have seen me when I saw snow for the first time. I had been a gatekeeper for only a month or two. When I woke up and found our entire surroundings were covered in strange white powder, I thought the world had ended."

Faelan chuckled. "That must have been quite a shock."

"Aye. My fellow guards couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the day." Nym smiled. "By the Elders, that was a long time ago—How time flies."

Faelan raised an eyebrow. "Can I ask you a question?"

Nym shrugged. "Sure, go ahead."

"How old are you?"

She looked puzzled as she answered. "A hundred-forty-six. Why?"

Faelan let the answer sink in for a second. His mind started to race, recognising the implications.

She was still young when she started training as a guard, so she has over a century of experience in combat. There is no way I'm beating her in a one-on-one.

His eyes quickly ran over her figure. She has honed her body to her maximum capacity. He concluded as he noticed her trained muscles.

But experience doesn't mean skill. If it actually comes to a—no. I can't underestimate her.

Nym eyed him curiously. "You good? You seem tense." She asked.

"Wha- Oh. No, I'm fine. It's just a new environment and all. It's a lot to take in."

Nym chuckled. "That's okay. It happens to quite a few people who visit Terr'Alveran for the first time.

Faelan looked at the sky.

"We should probably start looking for a place to camp for the night.

Nym also looked up through the canopy. "Aye, you're right."

As she studied their surroundings, she pointed further down the road. "There should be a wanderer's den a little ahead. With a little luck, it's unoccupied."

==================

The pair was in luck as they reached the giant hollow tree. Inside, there was enough room to accommodate at least three people.

As Nym made a small fire inside, Faelan started preparing his usual weaves.

Looking outside, Nym saw him—sitting in front of the opening, his back facing her, his hands moving as if grabbing things and twisting them together.

What in the name of Arolin is he doing? She thought.

Then, he suddenly pushed his arms outward and got up.

Nym shivered as a tingling sensation spread over her body.

Before she could ask what that had been all about, Faelan had rolled out his bedroll and laid down, pulling his blanket up.

She raised an eyebrow and pulled a piece of bread out of her travel bag.

"You're not going to eat?"

All she got as an answer was a grunt.

"I'm not hungry," Faelan grumbled.

Nym shrugged. "Whatever. Should I wake you halfway so you can take watch?"

"Don't bother. We should be good. Keep watch if you want, but it's not necessary."

"Why?" she asked.

Faelan didn't answer. Instead, he pulled up his blanket a bit further and closed his eyes, quickly drifting into a sleep filled with the dreams he had grown used to by now.