Chara found himself in front of the city gate decides to enter and go and report the incident to the guild to warn the adventurers.
The first thing he noticed was how silent it was, no one was walking around or talking. It was like everyone had just vanished into thin air. The second thing he noticed was that the streets were empty as well, not a single person on them. He could hear footsteps coming from behind him, so he turned around to see a woman approaching him with a smile on her face. She looked familiar somehow, but he couldn't quite place where he'd seen her before.
"Good day!" she said cheerfully, "I'm sure you're wondering why there are no people here today."
He shook his head. "No," he replied, "but I am curious about what happened."
She nodded and then smiled again. "Well, I suppose we should start by introducing ourselves. My name is Leliana, I am the mayor of this town."
Chara nodded politely. "And I'm Chara, a wandering magician"
Leliana laughed heartily at that. "A wandering magician? That's such an interesting way to put it! You must be quite the talented one if you've managed to travel all over the world without being caught!"
Chara asked the reason for this statement. "Why would you say something like that?"
"Oh, it's just that I saw your magic aura when you entered the city, and it seemed quite powerful indeed."
Chara blinked and took a closer look at her. Her eyes glowed a faint green color, and he could see tiny sparks of light dancing around her body. "You can see my aura?" he asked.
Leliana nodded. "Yes, I can see it. Not every mage has one, though. In fact, only a few do."
Chara didn't know what to say, so he just nodded.
"I also sense that you have some kind of magical item on you. Is that true?"
Chara took off his cloak and showed her the amulet. "This is it," he said.
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Leliana stared at the amulet for a moment and then smiled. "It's beautiful. Where did you get it?"
Chara shrugged. "I made it myself."
"How wonderful! And how long ago was that?"
Chara thought back to the time when he had crafted the amulet. "About six years ago."
Leliana nodded. "Six years... That means that you were born somewhere else, right? Or perhaps you traveled here recently?"
Chara hesitated. "I came here two months ago."
Leliana frowned and shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense. If you were born in another country, then you wouldn't be able to use magic yet."
Chara was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Don't you know anything about the prophecy?" Leliana asked.
Chara shook his head. "Not really. All I know is that there's going to be a great war between the elves and humans, and that I need to stop it."
Leliana sighed. "It's a very sad story. A few hundred years ago, the elves lived peacefully in their forest kingdom, until the humans invaded and started attacking them. The elves tried to defend themselves, but they were outnumbered. Many died during the battle, including the king, and the rest retreated deeper into the forest. They swore never to return to the outside world, because they believed that the humans would come after them once more."
"So why did they leave?"
"They were afraid that the humans would find out that they still live, and attack them again. So they built a barrier around the forest, sealing themselves inside. No human has ever been able to break through the barrier, and the elves have lived there safely ever since."
Chara was surprised. "But why haven't the humans attacked them again?"
Leliana sighed. "Because the elves don't want the humans to find them. They've sworn never to tell anyone about their existence, and if the humans knew about the barrier, they might try to destroy it. That's why the elves are so scared of the humans."
Chara asked how she got all that information. "Did someone tell you that?"
"No, I read about it in a book."
"Really?"
"Yes, I have a library at home, and I always keep reading up on things.
At one point there is a roar as if someone had made a hole in the wall, and several people rush out of the room. "We're under attack!"
"Who is it?" Leliana asks.
One of the men points towards the city gates and shouts "The orcs!"