"Libera, come back!" A voice called out from the village.

The elf girl giggled as she continued to scavenge around the base of trees for mushrooms. She was only 17 years old, meaning she looked about 5 years old to humanoids, but faster than any other kid she'd raced. Even the older kids in their 40s and 50s couldn't keep up with her.

"Nata?" A woman's voice asked the forest, much close than before.

The elf had wanted to play a little longer, but her mother came all the way out to fetch her. That meant something important was happening, maybe dinner?

"There you are, Nata," the adult elf woman said, picking up her child. "Didn't I say not to run off before dinner?"

The child giggled, "sorry, Mama!"

The woman smiled back at her and set her down, grabbing her hand. She gently tugged on the child's hand, letting her know it was time to go. The child groaned under her breath in protest.

"But Mama--"

"Tomorrow you can go out with your brother and explore, alright?"

"Okay..."

The pair walked back through the forest, purposefully making their way down what would've looked like a dense maze to untrained eyes. As they pushed through the foliage, the girl watched her mother. She wanted to be like her someday, when she grew up and got her own name, her own staff, her own soul stone... she was still a long ways away, but dreams never hurt anyone she knew.

The two pushed through what looked to be a dense mesh of interlocking vines and branches, but it peeled way as they approached. Suddenly, the dense tree coverage cleared and they were on the edge of a clearing that enclosed the small village of Martuck in the far west lands of the spirit kingdom.

Martuck was an elven village populated by light elves. Their pale white skin glistened in the sunlight and they truly were creatures of legend, living upwards of a millennium. The light elves in the village of Martuck had lived there as long as he forest had risen, a powerful barrier protecting them from being found by any outsiders. The forest itself wouldn't allow entry to those not from the village.

The girl and her mother followed the dirt path back into town. The sun was starting to set, so not many of the townsfolk were outside. The girl greeted those that were as they past, her mother having to pull her along before the girl became enraptured in conversation. They approached a large wooden house with a boy waiting out front, a little older than the girl.

"Soror, Mama!" He yelped as he ran towards the pair.

"Soror!" The girl yelled back, grinning.

Their mother smiled. Children in their village weren't given true names until their 25th birthday, only referred to as "Libera" or "Libero" by their elders, "Nata" or "Nato" by their parents, and "Soror" by peers until them. It was a custom of their people for as old as the village itself, as one had to wait to receive their true name when their magic awakened. The spirits were fickle, so it was best to not upset the order as it had been established.

The boy tackled the girl, and the two began wrestling in the dirt. Their mother sighed, still smiling, and went inside.

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"So, Nato, you'll join your sister tomorrow in the forest," their mother said as she picked at her dinner of Yvellen salad, a mix of fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

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The boy groaned, "do I have to? I want to keep training with the bow."

"Then you can bring it with you," their mother said. "It could be good practice if you run into any beasts, just don't go too deep."

The girl was beaming with excitement, careful enough not to get involved when her mother was on her side. With her brother there, she'd be able to go further, down to the river where her dad used to take her.

"Fine," the boy said flimsily. "But we're not staying out too long."

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The water felt good beneath the girl's feet. She was standing in the riverbed, looking down at the flowing water. She could feel its power rushing beneath her, the earth itself singing.

"How much longer do we need to stay here, Soror?" Her brother asked from atop a nearby boulder, impatience making his words harsher than he usually spoke. "I'm hungry."

"Catch a fish!" The girl offered, delighted with her ingenuity as she stared into the crystal clear river. It was beautiful, just like she remembered.

From the other side of the river, a branch snapped loudly. The girl's ears perked up as the boy tensed and readied his bow.

"Soror, come back here. Now," he said in a hushed tone.

The girl turned toward the boulder and started walking to her brother as a group of winged creatures appeared on the other side of the river, weapons in hand.

The Fae, the girl thought to herself as her walk turned into a sprint.

"Hey, boss, I see someone!" One of the creatures called out, as the elf children ran back into the forest.

"Soror, what--" the girl started.

"Don't. Just run," the boy said, grabbing her hand and leading her back as fast as he could manage.

The sound of voices and branches breaking grew closer as the elves approached their village.

"Just a little further," the boy encouraged, picking up the pace.

As he started to run, the girl tripped, knocking into her brother, sending them both tumbling on the ground. The girl felt a sharp point against her neck, and looked up to see a fae with green wings and a hungry expression painted across his face holding a sword to her throat.

"Caught ya!" He exclaimed, licking his lips in anticipation.

"Daldrus, no," another one that the girl couldn't see said. "We need them alive."

The fae with green wings, Daldrus, sighed. "I know, I just wanted to have a little fun, you know?"

The other fae scowled as Daldrus hauled the girl to her feet. Her brother was a few feet away, dagger to his neck by a pink-winged fae that looked like an assassin. The girl looked around: there was five fae with them, and she could hear a much larger group approaching. They all seemed to be fae, but were talking in elvish for some reason.

"Do we need both?" Daldrus asked.

"No," the other one who had spoken before, a tall fae with milky white wings said as he looked between the girl and the boy. "Just the girl."

The girl looked to her brother just in time to see blood begin to pour from his throat. He stared back at her in shock, choking and clutching at his neck.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!" The girl screamed as the hilt of a sword slammed into the back of her head.

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Charcoal... ash... the smell of wood burning filled the girl's nostrils. She gasped and startled herself, as if waking up from a bad dream.

"Soror?" She asked the world.

Her head ached. She sat up, rubbing the spot where she'd been hit. When she opened her eyes, she saw Martuck burning away. Through the bars of the prison cart, the girl saw her entire village enveloped in flames. The bodies of her neighbors lay on the ground, slashed open and burned by the fire. It was a bloodbath.

"Nata!"

The girl turned around to see her mother clinging onto the bars of the prison cart.

"Mama!" The girl cried, wrapping her hands around her mother's fingers.

"Stay calm, Libera," her mother said as she frantically gathered mana into her hands. "We need to--"

She was interrupted by a kick to the face from the green-winged fae, Daldrus.

"Hey boss," he called out as he grabbed her mother by the back of her neck. "You think he'll want this one?"

The fae with milky white wings walked over and examined her mother as she struggled. He motioned for Daldrus to put her down, and he dropped her to the ground.

"Yes, bring her back yourself. Make sure she stays in good condition."

"You got it, boss," Daldrus replied as he gagged her mother and bound her hands.

"Mama, no!" The girl cried out, ignored by the fae.

The girl's mother tried to say something to her, no more than muffled screaming as she was dragged away, tears streaming down her face. The elf girl was alone.

Mama, Soror... the elf girl thought to herself as she sobbed, watching her life burn away before her eyes.