Writer's Note

Before we start please keep in mind this is my first real attempt on writing and originally it's not even in English. I'm only translating this roughly for here so I'm open to any corrections and feedback on my part. Please enjoy! (Original was around 1400 words guess translating made it longer? haha!)

Prologue

I could see nothing but dazzling lights. Added to these bright lights was the crumbling of metal and loud sirens I heard. People were wailing. As my eyes slowly closed in the company of these, everything I heard faded away, as if it was getting further and further away. I opened my eyes to the dim light of a room as the light filtering through my eye curtains blurred. As my eyes adjusted to the room, I could see better this woman, staring at me overhead, her skin as bright as the moon during a full moon and eyes as yellow as the purest honey any bee ever produced. She looked... Disgusted. She muttered words that sounded like gibberish to me to a man of the same colours next to her. After that, the reality that I had just opened my eyes blurred and I couldn't hold on to my consciousness. The lights got blurry once again…

This is the story of after I was born a second time to Rhamise.

Chapter 1

It has been almost 9 years since I opened my eyes to this world. Almost from the moment I was born, my parents exiled me. Those who accepted and raised me were none other than exiled dark elves like me. We were not as delicate, beautiful, and pure as the elves. Unlike their smooth skin that shone like moonlight, we had an ashen-colored skin that was as if bathed in the starless night and full of wounds that never heal. Our hair was charcoal black, not silver or gold silk. Some of us had silver hair, but that didn't help being banished by the elves.

“Will these wounds never heal, Harim Pa?” Grandfather Harim was the chief of our little village, he had rescued many dark elves from the brink of death. Maybe no one would believe that this thin and dirty man was the chief of any place, but he had deserved this position with his ability to always think of others before himself and his skill in crisis management.

“Unfortunately they wont, my son. Do you want to know why?" I nodded in agreement, was curious.

"These wounds exist because when we were born, our body was strong enough to survive mana but too weak to recover without being scratched. Pure mana is so strong that it leaves such permanent scars on the body. But you can control mana-" Grandfather Harim was interrupted by someone else. It must have been something, because as soon as he saw me, the person who came started to whisper in Harim Pa's ear.

My interest in mana and magic had increased since I saw one of the village folk disappearing into the shadows last week. Ever since then, I've been pressing Harim Pa to tell me and it was very frustrating when he was interrupted when i finally succeeded.

"Okay, I get it, let's talk about it again at the meeting tonight." Grandpa Harim said and turned to me again.

"Where were we? That's right. Controlling mana. For this, you need to understand two very important concepts; self and earthly mana. Self mana is the mana in your body that left you with these scars when you were born. The stronger your self-mana is, the harder it is to control.” Pointed the scar on my face.

“So how do we control mana Harim Pa, will I be able to blend into the shadows too?” My curiosity overcame my patience.

“Hey! So you saw Eliir, that's why you're giving me a headache, huh? Just stop and don't interrupt it, we'll come there." Although Harim grandfather was smiling, he could not hide the gloom when he mentioned Uncle Eliir's name. Maybe they were at odds with each other? Or maybe the guy just brought bad news about Uncle Eliir.

“Before you can use your mana, you need to feel it. Suppose the mana in our world is a flowing river. Just as you can distinguish a flowing river from the humidity change in the air and the sound of running water without coming close, you can also sense mana. First you have to improve yourself in this, open your senses to yourself and your surroundings, clear your mind. As you improve, it will become a natural act for you, just like breathing.” Harim grandfather was in a good mood when he was explaining the intricacies of mana. his eyes seemed to have the determined radiance of a child chasing his dreams.

The words of grandfather Harim were interrupted by the bell announcing that it was dinner time. He had to leave now that he was on the delivery mission. Of course, I was walking right after him because I was hungry.

Harim grandfather always handed out the first bowls to the children. When we didn't have food shortages, he would stuff another small piece of bread into our bowls. Today we were drinking wheat soup, and they added a few berries that grown in the forest we were in. Generally, this would indicate that the supply situation was deteriorating. That there would most likely be a new raid. Outside our forest was a small town of people down the river. Even the wheat in the soup today was obtained from there. I always dreamed of growing up and participating in the raids. Maybe if I could learn to use my mana they would let me join?

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

With these thoughts in my mind, I finished my soup and started walking towards the makeshift shed where the children without families were staying. My days were spent in this shack with the dark elves my age. Maybe our families didn't accept us, but we had each other. Moreover, the whole village was taking very good care of us. I silently walked towards my corner and remembered what Harim Pa had told me. I started meditating to increase my senses and focus. Actually, there was something I've felt for years, a warmth. Could this be it? However, it felt somewhat independent of me. Trying to consolidate this feeling, to bring myself closer to its source, I fell asleep.

Remember. Me. Remember. Your purpose.

Chapter 1.2

The air prevailed, as if it was foreshadowing disasters to come upon the dark elf camp. The dense fog due to the approaching cold made these desolate parts of the forest look even more terrifying.

Along the uncharted paths of the camp, several elves moved towards a tent that didn't look too dilapidated in the rest of the settlement. The wises of the camp and the camp chief Harim would gather in this tent every week or when there was an important event. Priority issues for the camp were discussed and the supply situation was measured.

“We have at most four days' supplies at the last chek-up, it takes more than a day to even get to the nearest village. We don't have enough food for everyone unless we make quick decisions. We have to raid,” said one of the wises, his voice broke the silence in the tent.

“We can't, I got a message from Eliir tonight. He said that the knights of the kingdom had stationed a company in the village. We can't raid anywhere with them there." Harim calmly objected.

“Recently the Rhuksa kingdom has increased their military activity in the west, they are probably staying to rest before going to the border. We have no choice but to wait or head to another village. If they notice us, it will be our last day.”

“After Varmik, the nearest village is north of the river. You know how difficult it is to cross the river with supplies, Harim. Especially when there is no one who can cast a spell to help us carry it between us.” Other elves were beginning to join the discussion.

“Maybe it would work better if you got your asses out of the tents and worked on your magic, what do you say Karmin? I guess you don't have time to it, making out with Verenica." A not-so-large but well-built figure emerged from the shadows. It was none other than Eliir.

The atmosphere got more tense as Eliir joined. It was obvious that some elves were uneasy of him, while some were openly afraid. After all, he was the strongest member of the camp. He could hide his mana and himself in the shadows and move very fast. Even though he wasn't very good at hiding his mana, it was hardly possible to sense Eliir's presence when someone wasn't specifically looking for it.

Thanks to the magic he could cast, Eliir could travel long distances faster than others and could easily enter hard-to-reach places. Although he couldn't carry much with him, sometimes would break into houses and steal toys for the children of the camp.

“You'll have a happier life if you don't comment on matters that don't concern you, Eliir. Not everyone can be a master at casting spells. You know how painful our wounds are." Karmin became restless, thinking, 'How does this man know what happened between me and Verenica?'

“Besides, can't you get the supplies across with your magic? All we have to do is create a shade for you.”

“You know I can't carry much with me when using shadows. Getting supplies across the fifty-meter river, maybe ten times at the most. If I try after that, I will most likely drown at the bottom of the river from the pain of my wounds and lack of mana. I have no problem, of course, if that's what you want." Although Eliir was joking, his voice had a serious tone.

“Can't we use the bridge? Maybe if we're quick, we can get back to camp before it's too late." One of the elves, waiting to speak, got into an argument.

"That would extend the six-day route to eight days. Which is only by using the bridge on the way back. We can't starve the camp for days.” Said Harim, although he was worried about the camp, he knew that both options had their downsides.

“What if we hunt in the woods? Wild boars has to be nearby this season. If we can hunt down a few, there will be enough supplies for the village by the time we cross the river and return.” Everyone was starting to voice their opinion.

“This requires us to leave our best warriors behind.” Said an elf standing quietly in the corner.

“Hunting wild boar is not an easy task, and because they are large predators, the number of animals we can easily hunt in the environment is low. What will we do if something goes wrong with the raid?”

“Baru is right, if anything goes wrong, the raiders are in danger. Moreover, more people staying in the camp means that the remaining supplies are divided into more people. Wouldn't that put the camp in more trouble?" Karim looked around him for confirmation. Luckily enough, it was Eliir who got him covered.

“I can stay behind. I guess I could hunt one alone on my own. I feel i got stronger. Moreover, I have stolen this knife from the knights passing by. Extremely high quality and as sharp as a basilisk tooth. Maybe it's actually made of basilisk tooth, I don't know." He looked towards Harim. Both knew the importance of meeting at a common point.

“Then if there is no objection, we will set off to raid Vharak first thing tomorrow. Karim and Eliir are staying at the camp. We can now carry 8 people instead of 10 because one of our horses has run into the wild. The supplies we can bring with us will be comparatively less. At least 2 more people need to stay in the camp and maintain order. Be as thrifty as possible.” After saying that, Harim waited to see if anyone would object. When no one objected to the decision, some more decisions were made on several logistics. And with the meeting being relatively short, the elves left the tent, lost in the fog as they had come.