"Finally awake?"

The first thing T'faide heard when he woke up was his mother's cranky voice. The sun was already rising, and she was packing away their camp.

The half elf sat up groggily and rubbed his head. "Didn't you say you would wake me up for the morning watch?"

"I tried to wake you, but you slept like the dead! Now get up and help me pack. I'll take a nap when we stop somewhere for lunch."

The boy scrambled to roll up the hide blanket he'd slept on, shaking off any bugs and leaves. His body was full of magic again, and he felt healthy and energetic. Did using magic make him sleep heavier? He wouldn't have noticed with his lifestyle back in the village. Or perhaps it was the stress from being attacked by demons and exiled that wore him out. Either way, T'faide apologized to his mother, and soon they were on their way.

"By the way," the boy asked, "where are we going? You look like you have some place in mind."

Niasha walked with a purpose, tired though she was. "I thought we would try our luck with your father's people."

"We're going to meet the elves?"

T'faide had only met his father on a few occasions. The elves had a glade they lived in and they rarely left it. Few humans lived there, since elves and humans had different lifespans and ideals.

"Won't they just kick us out when we mention the demons?" the boy worried.

"It's still better to try," Niasha replied. "We don't have a destination anyway. Who knows? Maybe they can tell us something useful about demons, like a way to hide from them."

They set their destination for the elves' glade, walking at a steady pace until lunch. Niasha took a nap in the shade while T'faide kept watch. He practiced some variations on the basic fire rune he'd discovered, sticking to small and simple things. Over the course of an hour, he figured out the rune for the origin of fire: a spark of energy just hot enough to set the whole process in motion. He practiced lighting the end of a dry twig with it and was satisfied to see the fire begin burning by natural processes after it sparked.

Arcane magic isn't restricted by natural laws, the boy thought, but I can still make use of them when it benefits me.

Soon, his mother woke from her nap, and the pair continued their trek.

Around sunset, they arrived at their destination. The forest looked very pleasant here. In T'faide's village, the druids chose not to manipulate the surrounding environment much, but here it had been reshaped for the health of the foliage and for aesthetic beauty. Because of the strangely perfect look of the trees and the unusually flat soil, which felt inviolable, there were birds and ground squirrels making their nests on the antlers of deer lazing about, instead of where they would usually be.

The human druids left nature alone so as not to favor any particular aspect of it, but the elves had an obvious preference for plants.

It was very pretty to look at, but T'faide knew it would be difficult to survive here. There were animals resting here, but they would travel elsewhere for food. If they dared to eat the local flora, they would find themselves on the elves' dinner table.

Elves adored plants, and so every meal for them was nothing but meat, fish, and fallen nuts and berries. There was no such thing as bread in an elf village, as they refused to manipulate the grasses by cultivating them for grain.

As the mother and son duo continued walking deeper into the unnaturally perfect glade, they came upon the first elf they'd seen so far. He was dressed in green silk robes, bent over tending to a patch of lemon-colored flowers. His long ears twitched when he heard footsteps, and he stood up to greet the guests.

"Welcome, humans, you came from a different direction than usual…"

The elf was a man prettier than any human woman, with pale, golden skin and sun-colored hair. He was tall and slim, and it was impossible to guess how old he was from his youthful, ageless face.

The elf's greeting trailed off when he noticed T'faide's lighter brown skin, green eyes, and short, pointed ears. He got down on one knee and peered at the boy, who awkwardly let himself be examined.

"You look like Arwinthall. Are you here to see him?"

"Yes," Niasha nodded. "We wanted to talk with him about some things."

The elf examined the large pack on Niasha's back and stood up again, gently dusting off his robes.

"It looks like personal business. My name is Yulius, I will guide you to where he is staying."

"Thank you."

They continued deeper into the glade, this time with a guide. More and more elves started to pop up the farther they went. Every single one of them had pale gold skin that shimmered where the light touched it—the more stunning elves seemed to even glow. Every individual was truly picturesque. It was thanks to that amazing bloodline that T'faide had such a good face.

Niasha was the best mother a boy could ask for, but she was homely and weather-worn. She had a square jaw, a slightly asymmetrical face typical of humans, and coarse, rough hair. T'faide loved his mother, and he thought she had her own natural charm, but his beauty came from his father.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They found Arwinthall in a house grown from a tree, using druidcraft to slowly chip away at a large block of stone. There were several stone statues in the room in various states of completion. The most finished one was an owl statue, painted to look utterly life-like.

Elves had a lot of time on their hands. Arwinthall wasn't the first elf they'd seen on the way here who was working on some form of art.

Yulius quietly left after he had finished guiding them; to give the three their privacy. Niasha thanked him with a nod and cleared her throat to get Arwinthall's attention.

"Hm? Yes, what can I…" the elf turned around to see his guests and his words trailed off. A sudden grin stretched his face.

"Niasha! And T'faide! Welcome! What brings you?"

T'faide watched his mother's stern expression soften as she accepted a warm hug from his father.

"How have you been, Arwin?" she asked.

"I've been well!" The elf released his lover and gestured to the series of unfinished stone animals.

"I thought I would do some sculpting while the weather was nice. I expect to put them up around the village in the late fall… Ah! This one is a gift."

He strode over to the lifelike stone owl and picked it up off the counter, passing it to T'faide's mother. It was lighter than she expected, and she turned it upside down to find a small hole where the center had likely been hollowed out.

"For me?" she asked, stroking the minutely detailed stone feathers.

"Owls suit you," Arwinthall said with a sunny look.

Niasha smiled, patting the owl's head. "I like it. But I don't think I can keep it."

"Why not?" At last, the carefree elf noticed the serious atmosphere and quieted down. "Is something wrong?"

"What can you tell us about demons," Niasha asked him.

Arwinthall grimaced. "They're stone-like creatures that feed on magic. They can't cross water or stand in direct sunlight, but they never rest. Some say they're the remains of people, plants, and animals that died during a terrible event a long time ago. Think of them as walking corpses. Did they wander by your village?"

"Yes," Niasha nodded.

"Was anybody hurt?"

"There were people injured, but no one died."

"I see…" The elf clasped his hands and forced a smile back on. "Well, no need to worry. Demons aren't very smart; they just mindlessly chase magic. Your druids are more conservative with their magic than we are, so any nearby demons are more likely to come here. You probably won't see them again near your village."

Niasha sighed. "Have you heard of other kinds of magic besides nature magic?"

"Well, yes." Arwinthall held a finger to his cheek. "They're not common in these woods, but they exist."

"I'm not a Druid," T'faide spoke up. "My magic is different, so the demons can probably sense it through the trees."

Arwinthall blinked and knelt down to look at his son. "Are you a cleric?"

"A what?"

"Someone who uses religious magic based on worshipping a higher power."

"No, I'm not."

"Then…" the elf's eyes sparkled hopefully. "Are you a bard?"

"And what is a bard?" the boy frowned.

"A musician who borrows the powers of spirits and fey by mesmerizing them with magical song."

"No, my magic doesn't require music."

Arwinthall hung his head. "That's a shame. Elves are close to fey. We have little power to offer, but the mesmerization still works on us. I've heard you'll never encounter anything as beautiful as a bard's music."

The elf shook his head and smiled apologetically to his son. "I don't know any other kinds of magic, sorry."

"I call my magic arcane magic."

"Arcane? Meaning, a new, secret magic that few people understand… Not a bad name." He spread his arms wide and stood up. "Then we should call a practitioner of arcane magic a wizard!"

"From wys, meaning wise?" the boy asked.

"Because they understand the arcane," Arwinthall confirmed proudly.

T'faide blushed and lowered his head. "It's not bad. I'd like to be a wizard, but even I don't understand much about arcane magic yet."

"Can we get back to the matter at hand?" Niasha cut in, tapping her foot impatiently. "How can we handle the demons that will come after him?"

Arwinthall tilted his head. "Build a moat around a home in a sunny field?"

The mother and son both blinked and spoke at the same time: "Just that?"

"Like I said," the elf fingered the tip of his long ear awkwardly, "demons can't cross water or stand in direct sunlight. The moat will keep them away at night and on cloudy days. They can use magic a little, so you should add some kind of wall to block fireballs, and you'll need to cull them every so often as more gather, but that should be enough to live well. Clerics and bards usually live in big cities surrounded by walls and moats."

"Adl'gar made it sound like the end of the world," T'faide muttered in shock. "He could've told me I just needed to go live in a city on the plains when he exiled me."

"Exile?" Arwinthall tipped his head like the airhead he was.

Niasha stepped up and embraced him. "Thank you. You know a lot, and now we know where we can go to be safe."

"Huh? O-of course! I'm happy to help." He accepted and returned the hug, and a slightly melancholy look crossed his face. "But, the nearest city is far from here. It'll be harder to see each other."

"I haven't seen you for about three years anyway, dad. Did you notice I grew taller?"

"What? Well, the others told me humans grow fast… Should I have complimented you? I'm sorry. You're much taller now, T'faide."

"He means that the time and distance between us probably won't bother you," Niasha said, cupping her lover gently on the cheek. "I'm sure you'll hardly notice it."

Arwinthall frowned and took her hand in his, pressing his forehead to the back of it.

"Don't say that. It makes me sad. But what I mean is: I won't be able to come to you quickly if you live so far away. What if something happens and you need help?" He raised his head again to look Niasha in the eyes. "I should go with you."

"You want to come with us to live in a city?"

Arwinthall nodded seriously, and Niasha stared at him like he'd grown a second head.

"Why? Don't you want me to come?"

The elf peered at the human with puppy dog eyes, and she awkwardly averted her gaze.

"I… think… you'll suffocate in a place like that," she mumbled.

The elf's long ears twitched and drooped and he visibly sagged. "You think I shouldn't come?"

"Um, it's just—!" Niasha fumbled with her words, waving her hands and hoping to salvage her beloved's feelings. "—There might not be many trees, and meat might be scarce. It will be noisy and crowded as well."

"I know. Neither of us has ever been to a city, so I probably know more than you do. For example, I know that they don't barter goods in cities. Instead, they trade with metal coins. I happen to have some."

Niasha sighed. "I'm not against you coming, Arwin. Having another person for the journey would be of great help. I'm just worried because you're a delicate person."

The elf put his hands on his slender hips. "I'm an adult and I can make decisions for myself. I'm coming with you."

Niasha smiled. "Alright. We'll try to leave within three days, so pack everything you need."

T'faide could hardly believe it. He and his parents were actually going to live together under one roof? He was unsure how well it would actually work out… but he hoped it would.