And so the group went back to their resting place as they introduced themselves including Yuna as to not cause him a heart attack if she appeared suddenly, and told their names to Theodore who was very happy to be in the middle of the group, after they seated themselves back where they were, they explained their need to get into the elven country, and how desperate Fae was to just obtain an audience with the Dryad, he was surprised at first but then expressed how fruitless of an endeavor it was

"Please child, the Dryad hasn't interacted with her people in what feels like millions of years, what makes you think she would allow a human into her dimension?" Theodore explained, Fae sighed as she looked down

"It doesn't matter, expectations for the future don't matter, I need to try, I don't have a choice" She then lifted her eyes to gaze upon the elder "I want to try, I need to"

Theodore sighed, he then looked aside

"I'm not even sure they would allow more than me in, but" He then looked back at Fae "You people saved me so the least I can do is try" A small smile formed on his face as he said that

"Thanks, that's all what I'm asking for" She replied, one reply that he could only respond with a slow smiling nod to

He looked at Avalynn struggling to bite on her piece of bread and chuckled "I've also been noticing that you youngsters have been having a bit of a difficulty with your food"

Avalynn grunted with her eyes narrowed as she looked at the bread in her hand with much anger "Tell me about it"

"Then allow me to prepare something for your stomachs" he said as he put his backpack on the ground "As an extra thank you to all of you" bringing out a pot that was much bigger than the own backpack it was in

"Oh, an enchanted backpack, what a novelty" Yulia seemed like the only one not impressed by his feat

"Haha, Yes it was a gift from an old friend, it is quite convenient dare I say" He then placed it and then looked at the group and before he could speak Thaddeus got up

"I'll set up a fire don't worry" He said, and he did just as he said while Theodore went on to gather some herbs and other things accompanied by Fae while Yulia and Sierra stood guard and patrolled around, leaving Avalynn to lazy around, much to her joy

Fae was quite fascinated with the amount of botanical knowledge Theodore possessed as the amount of names he uttered as he showed her the plants around was so much that it just made Fae remember not a single one, but at least they collected what they needed

Everybody was entranced by the manner at which Theodore cut the vegetables with his knife that he brought both from his special backpack, with not only speed but also precision as each cut was seemingly the same size and shape as the previous, it was quite obvious that he was used to living alone and in the wilderness, the smell that emanated from the pot as he was almost done felt like heaven compared to what they were eating previously, and it was quite proven by Yulia slapping Avalynn's hand as she tried to dip a piece of bread into the pot

The collect of herbs around seemed to have been very fruitful as he used them to add more taste to the final meal, and after a bit more, he finally was pleased enough with what he made to serve their parts in metal bowls that he kept in his backpack, Fae wanted to peek inside his backpack but she was too afraid to fall into yet another world by how many things he brought out of it

"I hope you enjoy it everyone" He said with a smile as he handed the last bowl to Fae, the last getting jealous looks from Thaddeus and surprisingly Yuna as well

"What?" She told the two that seemed to have banded against something seeing on how close they sat together

Yuna spoke first "It is truly a shame that I can feel the smell yet not have even the slightest of tastes"

"Aye, took the words right out of my mouth" Thaddeus added, Fae growled with the bowl in her hand as now she felt even bad for having a spoonful of the stew

"But please, go ahead, do not let us disturb you" Yuna then told Fae, the latter not sure whether that was sarcasm or not as the stares only intensified when she put the filled spoon within her mouth

"Mhm" Compared to what they were eating, this felt like something that would be served in the longhouse of valhalla to it's most honorable warriors, Fae even had a smile grown on her face subconsciously from how pleased her taste buds were

Yuna and Thaddeus suddenly looked at each other with wide eyes as the former put her hand on her own throat

"Wha-" The haunted knight let out a slow chilling answer to the feeling of his mouth filled with the warm and delicious stew

"No way" Fae spoke to them in a way that was barely comprehensible to the account of her mouth being already full, the group chuckled at the reactions the two ghosts of the group had

"Hah, if you wanted to hear how tasty your meal was, there you go old man" Avalynn spoke to Theodore "it was so good it gave them back their sense of taste" She exclaimed while laughing as for Theodore himself he let out a small chuckle and was filled with joy as he heard those words, even more at the sight of Thaddeus and Yuna pushing Fae to eat more and faster while she herself was getting quite irritated

After their meal the group decided to quickly pack up their belongings and carry on northwards, it was already getting late as orange light started to replace the blue sky, if it was for the group they would have camped for the night but Theodore insisted that they would reach the nearest town before dark

As they started to doubt his words, the group could finally catch in the distance trees that to Fae looked almost like skyscrapers, seemingly piercing the clouds like spears that erupted from the ground itself

"As majestic as I remember" Theodore gently spoke, his eyes gazing unto the literal flora with a soft almost nostalgic gaze

"Been here a lot it seems" Fae said as she walked beside him, he gave her a slow, smiling nod

"Yes, back when I was in my prime I was very much interested in the elves and their lives, took a while to get them to warm up to me" He then chuckled "I've even lived here for a while if you can believe that"

Fae would think of that fact as an astounding one considering how xenophobic the elven race seemed to be "Really now? I'm surprised they allowed that to happen" She told him with widened eyes

He chuckled for a bit and then replied "Yes, It took a lot from me but I eventually won their trust"

She looked at him for a bit before wondering for what reason he has put so much effort, a thought she decided ultimately to keep to herself as they soon were getting in the shadows of the mighty trees

And as they entered it, the path in the dirt suddenly started getting fainter and fainter to the point of where if left alone the group would've no idea where to go nor where they were even coming from, luckily however "Just follow my footsteps and it'll be fine" they had a guide

The air suddenly started to get heavier, Fae gave her comrades some quick glances and she could also tell that they were quite uneasy as well, she looked around her but she couldn't see much from how dense the vegetation was, it was a completely different kind of forest than the ones she has been experiencing back in the human realm, the foliage dense and of a greener shade, while roots were protruding from the ground itself, often causing them to almost trip, they were like fish out of water, all except their guide

"I assume you realize we've been watched?" Yuna spoke inside of Fae's mind, the latter having her eyes dart around and yet she could not see a single silhouette

"How many?" Fae asked

"Not many" And Yuna replied "But they are around us, leaving us only the path ahead to follow, almost as if they don't want us to stray away"

To those words, Fae almost had the desire to stray away from said path just to see what would really happen but alas her intrusive thought had to be declined for now, she had to keep things as diplomatic with the elves as she could

"You realized they are around us haven't you?" Theodore suddenly spoke to Fae with a hint of pride in his tone, she slowly nodded

"Yeah, I assume they want us on a short leash?" She asked as she then received a slow nod as a reply

"Elves do not hurt needlessly, unless they feel threatened by our presence we will be alright" He responded, Fae looked behind as she made contact with the intimidating Thaddeus who gave her a friendly wave as the other hand held his spiked war hammer, she chuckled nervously as she then looked back forward, there was no way they were not threatening

"They want us to go somewhere don't they" Fae muttered while her brown sharp eyes darted from left to right, discerning the difference in forms, and yet nothing that was out of place

"Most likely funneling us to their nearest military base" Theodore responded "It's their first line of defense in case they were to get invaded, so naturally it is best suited to deal with people outside of their race" He then gave Fae a glance "They would've already appeared if they thought we couldn't hold a fight"

Fae rubber her chin "Right, so they're sending us to where they can fight at an advantage if we were aggressive"

Theodore slowly nodded "Yes, Elves are not many so they value each other's lives much more than other races do"

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Suddenly however Fae could finally see a silhouette in the distance leaning against one the many trees, said silhouette seemed to put Theodore unto much discomfort

"Be wary of her, don't say anything that might pose a threat" He said, a message that was meant for the whole group

As they got closer and closer, Fae could see that it indeed was a female elf, wearing a long military coat of a dark blue color with gold buttons and stripes around the wrists of the same shade of gold, the coat open to show a white loose blouse, black pants with boots that were of the same color, her hair was of a blonde color and her skin of a pure white while her eyes were closed as she was taking a bite of an apple, she took that one bite and then tossed it in the air and as the apple reached the peak of its height, an arrow suddenly went loose as it pierced the apple to then hit the tree that was right next to Fae, the latter keeping a stoic face even with a small cut appearing on her cheek with a blood droplet gently sliding down

It was a show of force, one that Fae would not allow

Without shifting her gaze from the elf's green hunting eyes, she slid the apple off the arrow and then took a bite herself out of it, giving the elf a nod of gratitude, but in reality it was more of a former retaliation

The elf pushed herself off the tree she leaned against and walked closer to the group, she didn't seem armed and that was one thing that was not reassuring

As she stopped her walk when she got close enough, Fae noticed her long elven ears piercing her long golden hair, her eyes were not laid off of Fae seen on how she was the one that replied to the elven way of intimidation, Fae merely took another bite of the red apple, it was both juicy and delicious

"It's really good" Fae said while chewing, The elf blinked slowly while her narrowed eyes continued to stare at the human in a cold gaze

"Do not speak to me with your mouth full, human" Her voice was soft yet commanding "Have some sense of decorum when you are in my presence" She said with her chin lifted in pride, looking down on Fae who swallowed and then replied

"My apologies, ma'am...?" The elf looked at Fae with a tilted head, former's eyes blinked gently in a manner that felt like she was very much unpleased at being forced to be the one talking with the group of humans, the golden bangs of her hair almost overshadowing her eyes

"My name is of no importance, nor do I care about who you are" The elf responded, giving quick glances to the rest as she spoke "What I wish to know is what you are doing in our lands, we do not allow for your kind here as I think that fact is quite known" She then gave a sharp gaze at Theodore "And most importantly why you brought them with you"

He took a deep breath before he answered her inquiry "They saved my life, they only wished for me to guide them here" He said, looking at her in the eyes as the tall elf could be seen twitch at those words

"Please do tell me how worth your life is, Theodore" Her voice filled with malice while her words dipped in poison, and even then his face softened into a sad state as he slowly lowered his head, something must have happened that Fae was unaware of

"What's her problem?" Avalynn murmured behind as she crossed her arms, Yulia looked at her and gave the devil an unknowing shrug

"Hey listen" Fae interjected between the elder and the elf as both looked at her "We just want to-"

"No" She interjected her "We do not negotiate with the blight of this world, for we have suffered enough by being tolerant to your kind" She then looked at Theodore "You can stay, for you have a use, as for the rest" Her piercing gaze switched to look at Fae and her friends behind "Disappear" With her arms by her side, she clenched one fist and furrowed her brow "Or else"

Fae locked eyes with the elf as her mind ran on overtime, retreat was not an option, not after all the pain and effort she has went through, she has only one lead, she will not lose it

On the other hand she had no idea what the elf in front of her was capable of, and with them being surrounded it would be a hard fight, and even if they would win, it would be turn them into criminals in this realm of verdure

"Are your tiny ears clogged or do you wish to test the little pity I have for your race?" Her green eyes were stuck in contact with Fae's brown pupils, and suddenly as the latter opened her mouth to speak

"Auriel!" A voice called behind the elf, it seemed to be another one of her kin, a young blonde male wearing brown leather arm with a bow hung over his shoulder, the voice was quite clearly calling out for the elf that was giving so much trouble for Fae, the latter thinking that maybe knowing her name could reduce the rift between the two

"What are you doing here?!" She exclaimed at her kindred, eyes and tone dipped in a mixture of both anger and worry

"It's the-" His eyes then darted at the humans behind Auriel, making him catch his words as he then looked back at her "It's the thing, its coming here" He said

Auriel let out a sigh in annoyance as she then looked at Fae and her group over her shoulder "This is why I told you to leave"

Then suddenly, they all could hear a furious animalistic growl, almost one a jaguar would let out in a fierce fight, making the humans and elves turn to face it

"Everyone left to help the nearest village, I stayed behind in case you needed help" He spoke to Auriel who looked at him and gave him a short stare

"I appreciate it but I am certain the village needs it more, you go ahead and I will make sure the short-lives behind us don't perish here" And even though she spoke with certainty the male still looked at her with slight worry, before giving her a nod and making his way elsewhere

Auriel was left alone with the humans, sighing as she turned to face them "Come, follow me" She then started walking, the group looked at each other before doing as she said

The elf walked at a slow pace to allow the humans to keep up with her, her hands were in the pockets of her dark blue coat while her green eyes were barely open, looking around for traces of danger

"Hey" Fae caught up to her as she walked by her side, her eyes were more focused on the obstacles in her path to make sure she would not trip, much in contrast to the elf who seemed to know the path by heart "I heard what the guy said to you, is there a problem?" She inquired, Auriel's expression could be read like a book

"None of your business, focus on staying alive so you do not stain our flora with your blighted blood" She spoke with a firm tone and a stern voice, one that made Fae sigh

"Seriously, we could help if there's anything wrong" She said

Auriel frowned "Seriously" She repeated Fae's words in a mocking tone "You can't" going then to hand her a forced smile plastered on her face "So please quiet down as my patience is not endless"

Fae however wanted to know more as she could perhaps use the problem they have as an opportunity to make them warm up to her, behind the two however, Avalynn spoke with a quite tired tone

"Is she and her people always like this?" She said, aiming her words at Theodore who then gave a weary smile

"Unfortunately yes, it is understandable in a way" He explained to Avalynn who raised an eyebrow "Think of them as a tiny animal who has been abused most of it's life, when it will grow up it will have little to no trust to give to people, it is more of a layer of defense for one's self than anything" Even though he spoke his words with what he thought was much truth, he still could see the devil not quite believe his words as she crossed her arms

"Well, see it this way" He then added "Back in the demon war, they wanted to be neutral, and that only caused humans to attack them, with the guidance of the Dryad they could defend their home but at the cost of nearly going extinct, such a cost that it made their god isolate herself and never come out of her bubble again" His eyes held tiny sorrow within them "In a sense, they blame the humans for the disappearance of who they worship"

Avalynn switched her gaze elsewhere, she still didn't think it was justifiable to punish the descendants of a race for the crimes of their ancestors, but she could very much sympathize with their generational pain and loneliness, those thoughts being blown away as Thaddeus rushed past her, an action that made her look at him with wide eyes as he then speared an object that was flying towards Fae and Auriel with much murderous intent as depicted with its fierce roar, the haunted knight slammed the beast on the ground and held it down with its weight

All rushed towards Fae and the elf

"Are you okay?" Sierra asked Fae who had her eyes slightly widened as she gave a quick nod, both her and Auriel gazing down at the beast that was almost suffocated by the weight of Thaddeus' arms and knee, frothing as it kept fighting against the knight on top of it

The beast, much to Fae's and everyone's shock, was seemingly not even an actual animal, it was one made of what looked like darkened wood, it's murderous eyes were completely red while the empty spaces between it's wooden body allowed for a rotting smell to come out visualized as a faint purple smoke

"What the hell is this?" Fae said as she looked at what she would call a wooden tiger

Auriel crouched down, gazing down at the beast with a look mixed between pity and sorrow

"This" She said, lifting her hand as she rested it on the beast's head "Is the cancer of our forest" the beast's skull suddenly started vibrating before it imploded within itself, immediately putting it out of its misery, Auriel's soft white hand slowly retracted itself as she then stood up with Thaddeus doing the same

"If you wish to know more, please" Auriel's eyes did not shelter away from the corpse of the wooden animal, and yet her hand gestured towards the direction it came from "Feast your eyes"

The group looked at the direction the beast came from, their eyes widening as they could see the devastation that was left behind, the trees lost their greenery as they all seem to have withered away and died, even the soil looked as if it was burnt black, all signs of life were completely extinguished

The elf took a deep breath as it then continued its words to the speechless humans "Do not touch that corruption, it is an illness that even we can not cure" She told them "One that spreads and devours everything in it's path"

And her words were true as the group saw the border between literal life and death get thinner and thinner, the corrupted soil and flora infecting its neighbors filled with life and seemingly spreading the plague that they carry onto them, onto them and towards the group

"Can you do anything?" Fae asked, Auriel with much sorrow, shook her head

"The Dryad could, but she has abandoned us" The elf spoke, her head lowered as she gazed at the corrupted soil, her eyes narrowed and her gaze gloomy

"The elders once spoke of a person our neglectful goddess has blessed, giving her a part of her own power, but that was generations ago, neither them or the Dryad will come to our help" She added, lifting her gaze to then look at Fae "We are alone"

Auriel then sighed and looked back at the incoming ruin "This once happened long ago and both of them took care of it, but how are we supposed to it without her guidance" She clenched her fists ever so tightly "It makes me want to break that mirror and see with my own very eyes what is more important than her own people" Her words were ones of fury, Fae kept her gaze lowered for a bit, she could understand her pain, taking a deep breath she looked at the elf again

"What if I try to help?" Fae told her, a growing smile appeared on Auriel's face as she lifted it to make eye contact with the human

"Prithee thee, enlighten me on how you could ever be of help" She said sarcastically, Fae pursed her lips as she glanced at the festering corruption, she had an idea in her head

If she could absorb magick, could she also absorb this elven nightmare into her body, if she could just prove herself, then maybe

"Hey, what are you doing?!" Auriel exclaimed loudly at Fae alongside the rest of her group, she seemed to be walking towards the elven form of death, even crouching down at the border and examining a tiny white flower that had half of its petals corrupted and withering away, the human took a deep breath as she had no idea what would happen to her if she would absorb something that is killing an ancestral forest

With a heavy heart, Fae narrowed her eyes in anticipation of the worst as her index finger gently got closer to the dying flower

But it was with great surprise that her eyes could see that she didn't even need to touch the flower for her to absorb that corruption, although in reality, she didn't even feel like she absorbed anything because that wasn't really the case

In truth, the corruption itself hid away from Fae, retreating away from her as the flower that was under her gaze seemingly regained all of it's life within her, the petals glowing with a pure white, and yet not only that but the soil itself gained its natural shade of brown

Fae got up with widened eyes as she could see the entire border of corruption move away from her, as if to it, Fae was the Dryad herself

"What..." Auriel walked beside Fae, looking at her with wide eyes and a shocked face "Did you just do?"

"I..." Fae looked down at her hand in fear that it might actually been corrupted, but no, it was not "I'm not sure myself" she spoke with much uncertainty as she rubbed her hand

Auriel grabbed Fae's arm, prompting the latter to look at the elf who had an ever so serious gaze, "You need to come see the elders"

A gaze that others might call hopeful