Chapter 24: A path in the darkness

I finally woke up from my slumber.

Hirillë was still beside me. I tried not to think about her presence when I fell asleep the day before, but it was difficult not feeling my heartbeat accelerate as I looked at her innocent face. Her breathing was regular as she was still peacefully sleeping.

I didn’t dare to move, fearing that I’d wake her up.

Therefore, I stayed in the bed, lying on my back with my eyes wide open. I stayed like that until I heard a little noise coming from her.

She was yawning and stretching.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me. She was still sleepy and her hair was messy, but even with that, her face was still incredibly alluring.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?"

I asked her with a worried voice, but she only shook her head slightly.

"No, don’t worry. I slept very well."

She smiled mischievously.

"It’s quite comfortable to sleep near someone else. Don’t you think, Sillath?"

I blushed a little after her sentence, in front of her inquisitive gaze.

I was quite shocked when she proposed to sleep in the same bed. According to her explanation, they never had any visitors so there wasn't any inn in the town. She didn't have any other bed either, which was surprising for a ruler. I also understood that it was for my protection, as a couple of old elves had enmities with humans.

Even with all those reasons, I still tried to decline when she proposed to sleep together and after that, I tried to occupy the least space possible in the bed.

In the end, I finally relaxed and end up sleeping near her without thinking.

It was still disturbing that she reads me like an open book.

We finally got out of the bed.

I quickly put on my shoes and jacket that I removed to sleep, but after I did that Hirillë made a complicated face.

"Is something wrong?"

She smiled wryly at my question.

"Look at yourself and tell me if you find that something is wrong."

Not understanding, I looked at myself and quickly discovered why she told me that.

The clothes I wore were basically unusable.

My once black trousers were full of holes and stained beyond salvation. The same could be said for my jacket and shirt. After one week in a forest, my clothes suffered quite a bit. Added to the fact that I had a fun little trip inside the mouth of a giant hamster, I didn’t look any different from a beggar.

I had too many things on my mind the day before so, I didn’t notice. However, after her remark, it became quite embarrassing to face her with this kind of clothing.  

I blushed a little under Hirillë's gaze, who clearly saw that I understood why she told me that.

"Hum… I’m sorry, but I don’t have anything else apart from that to put on."

"Don’t worry, I already asked someone to bring new clothes yesterday, but I totally forgot about it.

I couldn't blame her as we had other things on our minds at that time.

She made a small gesture with her hand and immediately, with a faint purple light, a set of clothes appeared in her hands.

I was taken aback by the sudden apparition.

Seeing my surprised face, Hirillë giggled a little and waved her right hand in front of me to show a purple ring on her index finger.

"It’s a gift from the Queen of the Ancient Forest when I met her. It allows me to transfer objects from a warehouse I have in this city to me directly. It’s quite handy, especially when I have to leave the forest."

I looked carefully at the beautiful ring on her slender finger before letting a small sigh escape from my lips.

"I would like one too."

Even if I was a little disappointed that this ring didn’t bring an object from a different dimension as I read in countless light novels in my old world, this ring was clearly first class.

"Unfortunately, I’m not able to replicate it. Sorry, Sillath."

I shook my head strongly after her apology.

"No, no, don’t be. Even if you had plenty, I wouldn’t dare to ask for something so precious."

I wasn’t shameless enough to ask for a precious ring like that to someone I met a couple of days ago, although I didn’t get this impression at all when I talked to her.

She had the mysterious power to draw people to her. It was probably her charisma and her charm or maybe just her gentle heart, but I knew she was fit to be a Queen.

"Now, why don’t you try your new clothes?"

I nodded gently. She was clearly trying to change the subject.

As I was beginning to undress, I noticed that she was still in the room.

I blushed a little before asking.

"Hum, excuse me, but can I change somewhere…. Well… more private?"

Her mouth made a round shape as she understood my reaction.

"Yes, of course."

She approached another corner of the room and, just like the time we went underground she muttered something to the wall made of wood. After a few seconds, the roots making this part of the room began to move, revealing another room.

"Thank you."

I quickly stepped inside.

It was a small room with some roots taking a shape similar to a small desk. There was a small hole above letting the sun bathe this room with its light.

After I stepped inside, a part of the wall began to move lightly to hide me from anyone in the previous room.

No matter how many time I saw this, it was still incredible. 

I put on the clothes she gave me.

After a few minutes, I was wearing dark-brown-trousers fitting me perfectly with a white belt, along with a white tee-shirt and a dark jacket with shades of green.

I moved a little in my new clothes and didn’t feel any discomfort. I also spent a few minutes examining the material it was made from. At first, I thought it was common leather, but I quickly realized that it wasn’t the case. The clothes seemed much more elastic but strangely harder than the clothes I wore before.

For a few seconds, I wondered if it was made from ‘Mithril’ like in the Lord of the Rings. 

I exited the room while continuing to wonder about this.

"Wow, it fits you."

Hirillë exclaimed as soon as she saw me.

"Look."

She made a small gesture and water began to appear between us. The water was gently moving, taking an oval shape. After a few seconds, I noticed that the small water form became thinner and clearer, allowing me to see myself just like in a mirror.

I was impressed by her prowess and looked at myself. I was never a narcissist, but I still thought that I was quite handsome in those clothes. I was slim and still quite short with my height only around four feet, but it was normal given the fact that I wasn’t ten years old yet. The new clothes, along with my brown and red hair, gave me a mysterious charm that my sky-blue eyes amplified.

I continued to look until I realized that admiring oneself in a mirror was exactly what a narcissist would do.

After this sudden realization, I quickly looked away from the mirror of water.

"Thank you for the beautiful clothes."

"You’re welcome Sillath. It’s made from leaves of the ‘Millennium Ancestor’ along with other materials. It’s quite solid and should give you some physical protection, but be careful, it’s not armor either."

No mithril then...

I repressed this sentence and simply nodded before looking at the clothes one more time.

I wasn't disappointed that it wasn't made from mithril, but having to wear leaves from the Millennium Ancestor made me feel quite conflicted. I wasn't sure if this guy would be very pleased if he knew I was the one using it. 

The memory of my encounter with the mighty tree was still fresh and displeasing.

With a wave of her hand, the mirror of water took the shape of a large ball before traveling slowly outside her house. This view helped me to change my mind.

I knew she was a Wise water mage, but I was still in awe with her display of skills. The tentacles made by Amanda during our fight were far from this. The control she had over her magic was clearly in another league.

I recalled the words she told me the day before.

Ranks are just illusions made by humans to classify their strength.

After watching this, I clearly understood what she meant by that. Even if two mages with the same rank in the same magic competed, they wouldn’t be necessary of the same strength because there was an infinite way to use magic. According to Hirillë, it was up to each of us to find our own way of training and the magic fitting us the best.

‘Barrier magic’ was invented by mages and was used to set a clear goal for the new mages. It was probably much easier this way and allowed many more mages to progress than on their own, but if you weren’t careful it could also limit your potential.

After talking with Hirillë, I understood that my thoughts about magic were really shallowed. It became clearer after I trained my earth magic exclusively. The method to accelerate a ball of water was different than with a ball made of earth. It was something evident when you knew it, but as I was always training the four elements together, I didn't really notice this fact.

I asked Hirillë about it and she explained to me that each element had its own feature. For example, changing the shape of earth magic was more difficult than with water, but it was more resilient and harder. As a result, it was difficult to create ‘tentacles’ moving like living things as Amanda did, but an earthball was much more destructive compared to a waterball at the same speed.

"Well, now that you’re presentable, let’s go eat something."

The voice of Hirillë cut my thoughts short.

We left the small house together and headed toward the river in the center of the town.

After refreshing ourselves in the river, we ate some fruits for breakfast. The day before, I chose to eat the rest of the provisions I gathered in the forest, but because they ran out, the Queen offered to show me some delicious fruits.

It’s always a pleasant experience to discover something new, therefore this breakfast was probably the best I ever had. I tasted at least ten different fruits. I saw some of them while I was wandering alone in the forest, but didn’t dare to eat them. It would have been no joke if I ate a poisonous fruit.

First, she gave me a grass-like type of fruit called ‘Pabamel’ that you must suck dry in order to eat. It gave an extremely sweet flavor, very similar to a candy. After that, I continued to discover new kinds of food. Each fruit surprised me. The ‘Nihel’ that was a blue orange-like fruit with a strong taste between a banana and an orange, and the red ‘Ovel’ that had a triangle shape with a sweet flavor mixed with a crunching sensation. Those two were my favorites.

I wanted to eat more of those but, in front of Hirillë’s beaming smile, I tried every other kind of fruit she gave me. I even ate a ‘Sichel’ entirely, despite disliking it. It was very much like a grape, but blue in color. When I ate it, I was surprised to discover a totally different taste from what I expected. Without any juice, the dry fruit had a little salty flavor.

I ate every single fruit she presented in front of me. Each time I made a surprised face after eating one, she giggled a little. She was clearly having fun just by watching me discover the taste of those fruits.

Several other elves joined us in our joyous breakfast. As I thought, she was quite close to her people. It was really surprising if you knew she was a Queen. She couldn’t be further from the idea of a ruler Humans have.

The little breakfast transformed into a farewell party without me noticing.

I talked to many elves. Contrary to what Gandalf told us, they weren’t arrogant even if it was true that they were all beautiful.

Woman elves all had beautiful faces with silver hair and alluring figures, while the men weren’t strong looking but fit, with defined muscles. They also wore a bow on their back.

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I spent a few hours with them under the watch of Hirillë. I even talked to the elf who wanted to shoot me in front of the ‘Millennium Ancestor’. He apologized for his reaction before leaving quickly. We wouldn’t become the best friends in the world, but at least he didn’t want to turn me into a porcupine anymore.

I also spoke to Hiraliel after that. As I thought, she was nice and gentle but had quite a proud side. She was truly an elf just like humans described, except for the dark old bow she was wearing on her back like the male elves.

When the sun was at its peak, the party died down a little. Several elves left for patrolling while the youngest had magical classes.

I wanted to attend one lesson, but I couldn’t afford to waste more time.

I stepped on a flat rock to gain some height before speaking with a voice loud enough so that the elves could hear me clearly.

"Thank you, everyone for saving me and for your hospitality. I would like to stay longer in your fabulous city, but unfortunately, I don’t have enough time for that. I must leave soon so I wanted to say this to you."

I bowed my head to them as a sign of respect.

"Thank you very much."

I saw some elves smiling while others were clapping their hands.

Hirillë came near me. Even on the rock, I was smaller than her by a few inches.

"The situation is just like Sillath explained. He must leave quickly for personal reasons."

A small woman elf with silver hair and brown drills raised her hand to ask for permission to speak. Hirillë smiled and made a gesture toward her.

"Excuse me, but who will go with him?"

Hirillë instantly lost her smile. She looked worryingly at me before answering.

"Hiraliel will lead him out of the forest, but after that, he will be on his own."

After her sentence, many elves began to whisper among themselves. Some of them had looks of pity while others looked at me as if I was crazy.

'Don’t look at me as if I was sentenced to death!' I silently thought in my head.

The small elf woman raised her voice again hesitantly.

"Isn’t it too dangerous for a child like him to cross the wilderness alone? If a party of at least five of us came with him then his trip would be safer. I can be one of them."

Several other elves raised their hand to offer their help.

I was surprised to hear they were willing to put their lives in danger for a stranger like me. I felt moved by this scene, but when I looked at Hirillë, I only saw her sad face.

"Unfortunately, it’s impossible."

I was confused by her answer. Sure, it would be too shameful for me to ask for a party of elves to accompany me on my trip, but it was a different matter if they offered their help willingly.

"Why is it impossible?"

I asked with my little kid’s voice.

Time for the puppy act. 

I wasn’t confident in my strength or stupid enough to declare boldly that I would be fine alone. I had to put every chance on my side.

The Queen looked at my innocent blue eyes. As soon as our eyes crossed, I remembered she knew I was an adult in a child’s body and that, as a consequence, my cute little face was useless.

"I was going to announce this later when everyone gathers but…"

She took a deep breath before continuing her sentence.

"The ‘Wild Wave’ is coming."

Her words didn’t make any sense to me, but as soon as those words left her mouth, the elves became agitated and talked among themselves with faces full of worries.

"Uh… What is that ‘Wild Wave’ thing?" I asked her to understand what was happening.

She looked at me with a serious expression. Her usual smile wasn’t on her lips this time.

"It’s the moment when the deviants from the Great Desert in the South gather to attack this forest."

I gasped after her sentence.

I didn’t spend much time in school, but I still learned a couple of things with Gandalf.

One of them was geography.

The Eastern continent had two Great forests with elves living inside, a single Human kingdom, and several beast tribes wandering without any country of their own. The dwarves mostly lived in the mountains of the Western continent, though it was possible to find strong Dwarf clans in the Red Mountains.

Deviants appeared near places where mana was strong, meaning where the influence of nature was the strongest. As a result, they appeared mostly in forests, mountains and places where the climate was harsh. It was rare for a deviant to survive long enough to become strong in lands filled with different races hostile to their existence. For example, my father's job as a guard was also partly to kill newly awaken deviants so that they couldn't harm anyone, but also to avoid the birth of a strong magical beast.

However, this rule didn’t apply in the Great Desert.

The ‘Red Mountain’ in the South crossed nearly the entire East continent from East to West. Beyond those mountains, in the southernmost part of the continent, was the Great Desert. A savage place far from the influence of any other race. In this harsh environment, only the strongest animals survived and, by natural selection, most of them were deviants.

The interesting thing about the ‘Red Mountain’ range was that it stopped only in the western part of the continent, near the ‘Great Forest of the West’. As a result, this forest was also called the ‘Gate of the Burning Hell’ because it was the only place where you could easily join the desert without crossing directly the 'Red Mountain'. 

"The ‘Wild Wave’ is coming. We need to stay in the forest to prepare for the wave of Deviants from the Great Desert in the South."

The woman elf who proposed her help hung her head depressed, not talking anymore. The elves around were the same, their pale faces betraying their fear.

It was easy to tell that it was a serious matter just by looking at their faces.

I turned my head to look at Hirillë.

Her eyes were serious when she looked at me.

"The ‘Wild Wave’ happens when the population of deviant in the desert becomes too important. The last wave was five years ago. It was a small one, so we repressed it easily, but there is no way to know how many deviants will attack this time. If we’re not careful and ready when they come, the entire forest will be destroyed."

I nodded, understanding what she was telling me. She couldn’t allow a party of elves to come with me. It was her responsibility as the Queen to protect them and the forest. Even if she wanted to help me, there was no way for her to do it. She couldn’t endanger them for personal reasons.

"Sillath."

The soft voice of Hirillë brought me back to reality.

"If you still want to leave, then Hiraliel will accompany you to the end of the forest, but after that, you will be on your own."

"I know. Thank you very much."

I bowed my head to her and bowed one more time to the crowd of elves who weren’t making any noise since the announcement of their Queen.

A couple of hours later, I was alone with Hirillë and Hiraliel in front of the entrance of the town.

The trees surrounding the town were already on the side, revealing the dark forest beyond.

"This is for you Sillath."

Hirillë handed me a green and brown backpack. According to her, it was made from fallen leaves and herbs collected inside the forest. It was quite supple and robust, making me wonder how they made it from those materials.

I found a small knife and food for several days inside. It wouldn’t be enough until the next town, so I would have no other choice than to hunt when this food runs out. The knife was to remove the fur of my prey. It wasn’t really fit for fighting.

I also found several vials containing potions able to cure wounds. Potions like those were apparently really valuable, especially in Human Kingdoms where the techniques required to make it was unknown. Even after decades of research, humans were only able to make a ‘lesser potion’ with an effect several times less potent than those created by the elves.

"This is also for you."

She took my hand and put a small object inside.

It was a small white ring with complicated patterns around. I examined it closely. It was, without any doubt, a fine piece of jewelry, but I didn’t know why she gave it to me.

As if to answer my internal question, Hiraliel opened her mouth.

"No need to look so surprised, this is an artefact."

"Artefact?"

Hirillë nodded.

"You know what an artefact is?"

"Yes, but it’s the first time I see this one."

Gandalf and Amanda talked to me about those artefacts.

Special objects with magic patterns on it guiding the mana to produce a single type of magic. Even someone who wasn’t talented in magic was able to use it as long as he was able to pour some mana inside the artefact. After talking with Hirillë, I understood that it was very similar to Lost magic, except that the magic was destined to an object instead of a person. To support the magic, the artefact needed to be made with a particular material depending on the kind of magic you wanted to produce. This white ring seemed to be made from a peculiar type of mineral I didn’t know.

"It’s a ring of calamity."

My face stiffened when I heard the name of this beautiful ring.

"Why is it called that way?" I asked nervously.

She giggled a little while Hiraliel also gave a small smile.

"Don’t worry, it’s nothing dangerous. The magic of this ring is really handy. This ring is able to detect the presence of deviants. Trust me, it will be a necessity during your journey across the wilderness."

Hearing the explanation from Hirillë, I relaxed a little, knowing it was just a detection type of artefact.

"This ring is different from other artefacts. You don’t need to pour mana to activate it."

I was surprised by her explanation.

"This ring doesn’t need mana to work, then how…"

"Of course it needs mana silly."

Hiraliel cut me off before I could finish my sentence.

"The mineral from this ring accumulate mana by itself. When a deviant is near, the mana will be released on its own and the ring will glow. If a deviant is really close, it will burn a little."

"This ring will act on its own. Therefore, even if you’re not on your guard, the ring will still react."

Hiraliel added that to complete the Queen’s explanation. I looked at this little ring with a newfound respect. It would clearly become really useful, although I hoped that I wouldn’t encounter any deviants.

"Thank you very much, I will treasure it."

Hirillë made one of her dazzling smiles.

"I’m sure you will."

She took a step forward toward me and, without giving me time to react, pulled me toward her to embrace me closely.

The softness of her body was directly transmitted to mine. I felt my head becoming hotter, but her sweet fragrance calmed my mind almost instantly. I stayed in her embrace without moving. It was so comfortable that I wanted to stay like this forever.

However, everything ends at some point. I reluctantly parted from her.

"Be careful Sillath. I hope we will be able to see each other again."

"Me too. Thank you for everything."

Hiraliel patted my shoulder from behind before telling me that it was time to go.

I turned to exit the beautiful elven city. I was cautious when I entered, but as I was leaving, I felt a warm feeling in my heart. I turned my head one more time to look at the magnificent and captivating view.

The sun illuminated the river, giving it a magical appearance, but my gaze wasn’t attracted toward this. I couldn’t help but steal a last glance at Hirillë who was standing a few feet away bathing in the sunlight. At this moment, everything I went through didn’t matter. The only thing I could think of was that I wanted to survive to be able to come back one day.

As I continued to walk, the radiance gradually faded. I finally turned my head to look ahead. The darkness of the forest made the previous view almost surreal.

I walked with steady steps toward the darkness with a smile on my face.

I didn’t know what the future held for me, but for the first time, I wasn’t afraid.

Because even if I walked a path in the darkness, I knew the light wasn’t far away.