They played a game where they had to rhythmically clap each other’s hands. Many passersby watched them as it was an unusual sight. Grown man playing child games with someone half his size. Even the elven mage froze in place by the entrance, unable to think of a way to give them a sign that she was ready.

“Finally. Took you long enough… So which way are we going?” Sam asked as he stood up, not knowing that everyone was eyeing him this whole time.

“Ekhm… Right. The forest to the north. An hour of walking and then wandering around the forest for signs.” Celine walked past them showing with her hand to follow her.

“Signs of what?” Asked Sien, running up to the elf to be by her side.

“Presence of mana. If there is a large amount of it the forest can change and become a dangerous place. Of course, there is a chance that it can make the forest better and not dangerous at all but it is only a chance that the guild doesn’t like.” Celine lectured as she moved her index finger up and down as if she was lecturing someone.

“Why does mana change the forest? I know that mana is a source of magic but nothing else about it.” Asked the curious boy, trying to expand the limited knowledge he possessed.

“Over time, mana can force a change into plants of the forest making them much different than they are now. Mana also attracts certain creatures, the good and bad ones. A good creature would be a unicorn and a bad one for example a ghoul.” Celine continued to use her index finger like a pointing stick to show the things she imagined on the board of her mind.

“Wow. I would like to see a unicorn. And a ghoul too!” Sien’s excitement rose as he imagined those creatures in his head, unicorns more majestic and ghouls less horrifying.

“You don’t want to see a ghoul. Nasty creature. There are far worse monsters than them but by pure numbers, the ghouls are very common. All around the world.” Celine spun around, looking in each direction, and in all of them, she would eventually find a ghoul.

“You’ve been to other countries?” Asked Sien as it didn’t cross his mind that there aren’t many elves that live in his kingdom.

“Even to other continents. I’m not from Saradia Kingdom. My country is on another continent to the west of Saradia. It's called Parma. A nation where elves and humans live in harmony.” She said with a gasp as she imagined her homeland. “It’s a small but beautiful place.” Celine quickly added.

“How many other countries have you seen?” Asked Sien, getting all the information he could from the wise mage.

“Elven Republic of Kal’Tal, Kingdom of Fazim, Feline nation Katul, desert nation Fasfar, and of course Kingdom Of Saradia.” She counted on her fingers, almost forgetting to walk in a straight line.

Sien’s eyes lit up in awe of the travels the elf had. “You’ve been to so many countries!”

“Took me a few years but it was worth it.” She proudly said, putting both hands on her hips.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

“How long did it take?”

“Hmm… Around twenty years?” Celine answered with a light tone as if those twenty years were a few months for her.

“Twenty years?! You must have traveled since your birth!” Said surprised Sien as he tried to comprehend the time that extended his current lifetime.

“No. I began traveling once I turned eighteen.” Celine corrected the boy.

Sam finally got interested in the conversation and got closer to them. “Wait. Are you telling me you’re almost my age?” Sam asked, surprised by the elf’s age.

“I’m thirty-nine years old. We elves live two hundred years, three hundred if we take really good care. We reach adulthood at the same time as humans but we grow much slower. That’s why I’m slightly smaller than you, Sien. Once I turn seventy I’ll be as tall as Samuel.” Celine explained as Sien listened with interest.

“You’re my age… And you look so young…” Sam muttered under his nose, grabbing his face and feeling the rough skin and he could already feel wrinkles appearing on him from old age.

“Thank you.” Said Celine, taking Sam’s cry as praise.

Upon reaching the forest, Celine took out a book and glasses. It wasn’t because she had a bad sight. The glasses were magical. They allowed her to see more clearly the movement of mana. An item often used by researchers and magical engineers.

Without any warning she went into the forest, often changing her path on a whim. After a few minutes, Sam and Sien didn’t know where they were as they didn’t have time to pay attention to their surroundings as the elf rushed forward without looking back and ensuring that her companions were close.

“Miss Celine… Please… Wait!” Sien said, trying to grasp every bit of air he could as they marched through the forest. Unfortunately for the boy, the elf was focused on her task, unconsciously ignoring everything else.

They stopped once they reached some kind of pond. Sam and Sien sat on the ground, taking the rest that they desperately wanted since they entered the forest. Celine took out a vial and dipped it in the water. She sniffed the water, observed it under the light and shadow, and shook the vial. Lastly, she placed her hand above the vial and the water began to glow with a dim light.

“There is a lot of mana in the water. I’ll better take more samples for the research and better data.” Celine took out four more vials. She filled two of them with water and two with dirt close to the pond. “Let’s continue. We found one source but there might be more of them.” Informed the elf as she began moving on to another location.

They walked around the forest for another hour, finding two more pounds filled with mana. Some of the trees were resting in its presence and moved their roots toward the source, toward the pound filled with magic in it.

“That is a worrying amount of mana… Let’s head back.” The elf said being on a constant lookout, cautious but a little bit scared. “Guys. I have one warning for you. I’m not a battle mage so I’m not the best fit for fights but I will assist you however I can.” Celine warned her companions making them draw their weapons.

Sam remained vigilant, trying to find the thing that Celine was worried about. Sien stood right beside him, his hands shaking with fear of an unknown enemy lurking around. Celine chanted a spell in a language that they didn’t understand. A burst of wind spread around them, making the elf look up.

“They are above!” She shouted as she pointed her wand toward the trees. On them, there were thin creatures the size of a child with gray skin, their bones visible through the skin, arms longer than the rest of the body, and many sharp teeth placed randomly around the mouth. Their eyes had a red glow to them in the darkness.

“Ghouls!” Shouted Celine with a glimpse of fear in her eyes, but she hid it very well from her companions.