The weather was hazy, the smell of sulfur was strong, the sound of gasping was painful, the young man was standing, around him children were sitting on the ground, lying against the ground, tears in their eyes, they were struggling to breathe. These children had seen the end of their world, they were what remained, the young man looked at them, a feeling filled his heart, this feeling was warm, burning, but so good. The young man looked at the children around him, and he promised them, they would survive, if necessary he would carry them, the young man let this flame that awoke in his heart consume him, he would keep his promise.

Reminiscence

Leila did not like the way these people looked at her. They were full of such contempt and disgust that she shivered. The girl who had shot Aurora began to speak again and suddenly Leila heard a shrill, high-pitched buzzing sound that made her wince. Like what had happened just before the accident, she thought with horror. Expecting the worst, she was surprised when she heard a melodious and perfectly understandable voice say

"I said, how did you get so deep into our land, humans? What? What's wrong with them now?"

Leila realized that she was on the ground, screwed up against the humus of the forest, and painfully raised her head to see that her companions were in the same situation as her.

Getting up with difficulty she could see a puzzled look on their attackers' faces.

"Zarune," she heard one of them say. We should take them to the palace, the Queen needs to know the situation.

"What," she heard another say with rage and disgust, "humans in Irvanon? You're mad Dereur, it's already a shame that they have penetrated so deeply into the Emerald Kingdom."

Strangely, when she heard these names several meanings seemed to burst into her mind, when she heard the name Irvanon she heard it as a word with no particular meaning but also as the Gift of Life, and this Emerald Kingdom seemed to mean Tree Fence, Last Rescue and peaceful refuge. All these words were bouncing around in her head bringing a terrible headache to Leila. One word and many meanings.

As they argued Leila tried to steady herself and regain control of her body and just as she was about to give them a challenging look, the silver-haired girl shouted.

"Silence! We're taking them to the Palace. Dereur, Imoran go finish skinning the deer and join us afterward. We will not let humans make us abandon the fruit of our hunt. And you, humans, not a word, if I hear the slightest whimper from you, you will taste the arrows of Valar."

"Which is already too great an honor for them," muttered one of his companions, quickly silenced by a cold look from the silver-haired girl.

A few hours later, Leila was walking, watching her every step so as not to trip over a root buried in the humus, the remains of the fallen leaves of the giant trees.

Everything that had happened to her in the last day and a half seemed so unreal, first the accident, then the forest, and now this.

She didn't know what these creatures were but they weren't human. Oh, they looked like them, but there was something about them that set them apart from humans. What might seem most obvious would be their pointed, lobeless ears, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. There was a way of moving in them that was almost... No, she did not understand, she could not describe this particular sensation that their presence seemed to awaken in her.

She didn't understand what they wanted from them either, they had appeared as if by magic, seeming to spring from the trees themselves, had seemed to want to communicate with them and then had forced them to follow them.

Since their appearance they walked in silence, each lost in their thoughts, each reacting in their way to the strange events they were experiencing. Jonah led the way for their little group, his eyebrows furrowed like he used to do when he thought a lot. Behind him was Mat with a small smile on his face, with Lucas next to him who seemed to be lost with a blurry eye and holding his broken arm close. Next was her, walking beside Aurora who was wide-eyed and gaping at everything so that nothing could escape her gaze. Leila didn't know why, but she was a little annoyed by his behavior. For God's sake, this wasn't a tourist trap! Marie and Mustapha were the last, Marie as calm as ever seemed to be keeping an eye on Mustapha who was glancing around as if he was looking for a place to hide.

Which of course was unlikely, the beings who had found them did not seem to be about to let them go.

For what seemed like an interminable time they walked under the venerable trees which all too rarely let a ray of sunshine through. No one spoke, neither the strange beings who had taken them prisoner nor the young strangers they seemed to be in this world, the threat of their being a deterrent for the students to walk otherwise when in silence. And the cold leader of the creatures, preventing her companions from doing anything other than watching the forest.

As she sank deeper and deeper into these dark thoughts Leila could not help but notice the subtle differences in the environment that made this forest different from home. Although the thick cloak of trees meant that the sun shone very little on the forest floor, there are indications of a strong vitality that could be felt in the air. It was as if the forest was breathing, the moisture in the air, its pressure was more intense than she had ever felt.

The air seemed to be trying to suffocate her, not in a negative way, she felt no threat in the pressure of the air, but rather as if she was in a place where life itself was more powerful, stronger. Now that she was paying attention, after each breath she felt as if she was gaining strength, she felt alive as she had never felt before, and the further she went towards the mysterious destination they were being taken to, the more intense this feeling became.

All absorbed by the change she felt deep inside, she did not realize that they had stopped. She looked up and was overwhelmed by what she saw. All around her a city was erected, a sylvan and aerial city that seemed to have grown out of the ground and looked so natural as if it were part of the forest itself that it was only distinguished from the rest of it by the colors that adorned it.

Each dwelling seemed to exist only because of the living trees of which they were made. Trees with colors are bark or leave unlikely, but far from being flashy, all these colors seemed to blend in such natural ways that the city looked as if it had sprung from the imagination of an art master. It was undoubtedly a masterpiece, precious and shimmering.

Only the pressure of an arrow in her back could bring her out of the wonderment from which she had fallen. Seeing her companions advance she followed them toward the center of the marvelous city. The city was designed in such a way as to allow its inhabitants to live close to the ground or not, different floors existed which were based on the size of the different trees, some as tall as the forest itself, and which were linked together by the branches which formed a platform to move between them. From one floor to another or from one tree to another. It was a veritable labyrinth of branches and multi-colored foliage, but so perfectly realized that its splendor awakened in Leila the wonder of a child becoming aware of the grandeur of the world.

As they walked through the trees she saw its inhabitants staring at them in disbelief. On closer inspection Leila realized that most of them were young children or teenagers, the older ones seemed to be the same age as her companions, herself, and their jailer. The few adults she saw frowned uncomfortably and grabbed the children as they reached them to keep them away. Soon, however, a veritable parade accompanied them, and the spectators seemed to want to ask many questions, but the uncomfortable gaze of the silver hair and eyes girl dissuaded them.

Silence fell on their passage for almost half an hour, and they advanced with only the excited murmurs of the children who followed them and the hiccups of surprise from the inhabitants who saw them for the first time. In the distance, beyond her perception, Leila heard the sounds of a city in full swing.

At one point in their journey, Leila realized that what she had taken to be low walls or sculptures cleverly placed near the tree houses turned out to be the ruins of an ancient building long gone. The entire sylvan city seemed to have taken root on the remains of a much older city.

One would think that after being overwhelmed by so many strange things in just a few hours apathy would have won them over, but as they approached their final destination muffled exclamations escaped them. They found themselves in front of the largest tree that could exist, a tree so large that those in the forest looked like small shrubs in comparison. The tree was so large that it could easily have encompassed several palaces. A ramp that was one of the roots of the tree itself seemed to lead them to a platform that was far too high to distinguish from where they were, and which gave onto a kind of palace that was attached to the trunk of the tree.

But before they had even reached the beginning of the ramp a delegation interrupted their walk. It was the first time they had seen what appeared to be adults responsible for the smooth running of the city. The leader of their group disengaged herself from her companions and trotted off to join these adults. The rest of their jailer stopped, forcing Leila and her companions to do the same. These adults were all clad in uniform-like armor and had a cold air of professionalism about them that made Leila uneasy.

An intense conversation then began between the young woman and a tall man covered in much more imposing armor, a sort of spear in his hand.

Their conversation was inaudible but it did not seem to be a pleasant one if one took into account the aggressive gestures of the younger woman against whom the older man was content with a cold silence but with a certain posture and air of authority that showed their disagreement.

This quickly silenced the young woman, who after a last glance of defiance turned her eyes towards her prisoners, whom she looked at angrily, then contented herself with looking up with a distant air. Under the gaze of these adults, the other young people who accompanied her looked at each other uncertainly, clearly uneasy.

Then finally the adult turned their eyes toward them. The man who was undoubtedly the leader observed them, he seemed to be particularly interested in their clothes which he looked at with a certain curiosity, then in their tired, dirty, and not a little worried faces.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Then suddenly his expression hardened and he motioned for them to follow.

Leila looked at her companions until she met Jonah's gaze, who shrugged his shoulders before trying to give her a reassuring smile. Then he moved along the ramp to the palace above, following the guard. The other guards quickly replaced their previous jailer, who quickly fled like pigeons to make way for a hungry wolf. Only the silver-haired girl remained an annoyed look still on her face.

Leila would not have believed that she would miss their previous guard, but the presence of these cold, hard men awakened a sense of insecurity she had never experienced. Since the accident, she had experienced many unpleasant feelings, she thought bitterly.

She didn't realize it, but her gaze became more assertive, a hard glare coming from it. Whatever happened, she swore to herself that she would never again allow herself to be in the pathetic state she had been in at the beginning of their terrible adventure.

*

Jonah took a determined step forward, his shoulders tense but his gaze clear, while trembling inside.

The last few hours weighed heavily on his mind but he did not intend to flinch in the face of adversity. He had always been a strong-willed person full of curiosity, and it was not an unexpected situation, no matter how incredible, that would make him break down. So he took great care to absorb all the majesty of this sylvan city, from the beauty of their buildings curved.

When he reached the top of the road, a sigh of wonder passed between his otherwise closed lips. If from a distance it had seemed imposing, from this distance the palace seemed strangely airy.

Built of pure white marble and black material that Jonah didn't recognize. These two colors managed to blend naturally. The palace stood against the giant tree that served as its base. Four towers composed it at each end, the first two directly facing each end of the ramp, the other two against the trunk of the tree from which they were directly fused and which formed half their structure. These four towers were linked together by walkways that hung from a central dome in the center of the palace. And if from where he was Jonah could not see it well, this dome had a surface that was protected by a dome made of a material that was probably glass or crystal. Open to the wind all around, Jonah didn't know how it could hold up. And last but not least aspect of this palace was an immense tower behind the dome which was an integral part of the tree.

On the front of the palace, as well as on each tower, were built huge statues that looked dignified and seemed to look down on Jonah and his companions. As they advanced, they approached a huge door guarded by the same soldiers who had accompanied them. As they entered the palace they could see the immense wealth it contained. If the hall that welcomed them was immense and empty, the walls, the vault, and the ceiling reminded Jonah of the immense cathedrals of Europe that he had visited. Several doors were present but the soldiers who accompanied them after having summarily greeted the guards present along the way directed them towards the door directly opposite the entrance. Once past the entrance hall, Jonah and his companions found themselves in the corridors of the palace which were covered with sculptures, priceless-looking objects, sumptuous tapestries, and too many other things for Jonah's already overloaded mind to take in.

But that didn't stop him from running into some of its inhabitants, probably servants who were watching them with wide, shocked eyes. One of them was standing with one foot in the air, mouth open, eyes bulging.

For an indefinite time, they moved forward in heavy silence. Then they came to a huge hall full of people who were absorbed in the conversation that was taking place on a dais at the back of the hall where a woman of cooly appearance, but indescribable beauty, was sitting on a huge throne made of crystal or some similar material, so much like the first young lady elve, as Mustapha called them, that Jonah was convinced that they were related.

The room must have been designed in such a way that everything that was said on this platform was easily heard because despite the distance Jonah could easily understand the meaning of the conversation. And it was not a happy one.

"Now that His Highness Daelmar has made his pilgrimage to Tyrlaon and the gods have responded, we might as well use it. It's a blessing in disguise."

The one who spoke these words was very tall, had white hair, and held in his hand a long staff carefully worked in pure white, a true masterpiece of craftsmanship, and though he looked as young as all the others he had a certain weariness in his features and certain wisdom in his eyes that made him seem much older.

"But Humans?" replied another, with dark green hair, sharp eyes, and a hard face. "The gods could not send us humans."

"And who are you to explain the thought of the god's purpose, Veridian ?" a lavender-haired woman with a scepter in her hand cut him off coldly.

"I look forward to Daelmar's return when he finds out," said another, dark-haired, with a mocking look and lips. "Perhaps the next time he calls upon powers beyond himself he will let us intervene."

The lavender-haired woman bristled as she turned to the woman who with her hand over her mouth did not hide her amusement.

"The Void Mirrors have no idea of the powers at play in this matter, their intervention would be a disaster, Daelmar was right to refuse to let you accompany him Cassiope. Though I would never have allowed it," she added coldly.

All amusement vanished from Cassiope's face, and with a wicked look, she opened her mouth. But before she could answer she was interrupted by the Queen, who in a soft but unobjectionable voice said.

"Enough. Our guests have arrived."

At her words, the already icy atmosphere lost a few more degrees. And as one the whole assembly turned to the newcomers who had stopped at the entrance of the hall.

Their guards then broke out of their immobility and began to move forward, having no other choice their young prisoners followed them. The walk to the foot of the throne seemed like an eternity to Jonah, and not just because the whole assembly was hostile to them. As if all the recent events had finally reached a destination Jonah began to feel a kind of distance building up inside him.

Once they reached the feet of the dais their guards bowed their heads in silence, left knee down, left arm in a closed fist behind their backs and right arm stretched forward presenting their spear swords horizontally. Jonah watched them do this until he noticed the outraged looks of their guards and the assembly. Epiphanically, he gave his companions a warning look before awkwardly copying the guards' posture, placing just his right hand in a fist over his heart.

Hoping that he had not done anything stupid and praying that his comrades would do the same he waited. Then in heavy silence, he heard a grunt of pain. Looking discreetly behind him he noticed that his comrades, white with terror, had copied his movement. Only at the back was Mat, who was giving an outraged look to the one called Zarune, rubbing the left knee she had probably hit. She was giving him a mocking but also warning smile.

Then Mat noticed that Jonah was looking at him and he also sent him a warning look. At first furious, he finally lost all expression and simply lowered his eyes, his back straight, his head slightly bowed and his hands at his sides.

Jonah swore to himself that if he got out of this story alive he would have a little chat with the man with the dark look. Hoping that this would be enough, Jonah waited. A short time later he heard the Queen say.

"Tell me Lenaël, are they the ones who will spare us from an exhausting war with the Rhogars, do they have the prism?"

At his words the throne room held its breath, then a man, the one with a pure white staff stepped forward. Jonah, a little worried, raised his head a little to meet his eyes. He saw in this one, unlike all the others he had met, neither disgust nor hatred, he saw rather a certain kindness in his eyes, wrinkles dug by smiles at the corners of his eyes. When he saw this Jonah knew inexplicably that he could trust him and that he meant them no harm.

Then Lenaël raised his staff and something extraordinary happened. Behind him, he heard Aurora exclaim in surprise and wonder. And if like him, she saw what he saw, then he understood its brilliance.

In front of him was a sumptuous tapestry of ever-changing but also strangely constant symbols, he didn't understand how these two contradictory words could fit but he was. These symbols if they changed always had the same meaning, Jonah understood this instinctively. As if there were a definite number of meanings but an infinite number of forms. But that was not the most remarkable thing, for if one symbol, one meaning, seemed to carry a power of its own linked to others it formed a tapestry creating an image of such complexity and beauty that Jonah had no words to describe it. He was also sure that he could only see part of it himself. Those fingers were waving unconsciously, he wanted, he needed to touch those symbols, to form them, to understand them. And as he began to reach out, they disappeared from his sight, and yet to his senses they were still there, present around him, ready to answer his call, if only he knew how.

Jonah took a breath, and the world returned to its normal colors, and yet he knew he had been profoundly changed. Something had awakened in him and the world would be different forever.

*

Mat was boiling with rage, rage at the situation he found himself in, rage at the old terror he felt was ready to swallow him up and that he thought he had parted with long ago. Being subjected to the will of somebody was a horror for him. When he had to be subjected to this hilarious show of respect he refused to bend again. When the girl forced him to bend his knee he was so surprised that he didn't even have time to resent her. And it wasn't because she had a beautiful smile, no. But now that he had recovered the rage had returned, his vision was turning into a tunnel, his mind was itching, he needed to move, he needed to act he knew. If he didn't, he would sink, and he would die.

And it wasn't his companions who were going to help him out of this situation, already those two idiots, Jonah and Aurora were staring into the void, their eyes wide, their gaping mouths, not looking very reliable. The others were looking at them with puzzled and lost looks. Only Leila looked ready to act if necessary, but Mat wasn't sure he could trust her. She was the kind of person who only relied on herself, well, he could respect that, but if they were stuck in a situation, she'd be ready to abandon him he was sure, well especially him he thought. He knew how to notice the people he was bothering, not just making them uncomfortable but who was on guard with him. They were the most instinctive, the most dangerous. No, it was certain he couldn't trust him.

Mat took a breath. He needed to calm his rage, rushing wouldn't help, and he needed to be cool, logical, and ready to make rational decisions, yes. Mat felt the calm return, the amusement blossom, he could almost smile. And as Jonah reached out to grasp the void Mat discreetly laughed at his strange behavior.

Then he noticed that the old man with the young man's face was looking at Jonah and Aurora with wonder, as was the black-haired woman with the mocking look, the lavender-haired woman looked shocked and looked as if she had seen her worst nightmare come true. Now that he was paying attention, many in the crowd seemed surprised.

Lenaël then spoke cheerfully.

"My Queen, all of them have a prism, and as you have no doubt seen, two of them are born weavers, they can see the weaving instinctively."

As Lenaël was ready to continue, the Queen interrupted him.

"Yes, you have awakened two of them my good Lenael, we all seen it. And although it is great, it is not the role that is due to them. For the moment," she added after a moment of silence in which Lenaël showed his disappointment.

"Forgive me, my Queen, but humans naturally gifted in weaving are unheard of," Cassiope said, turning to the lavender-haired woman. "It calls into question everything that has ever been said among the priests," she added with unhealthy glee. "Karrus represents his title well."

"Later Cassiope, you too Lysande," the Queen intervened, as the lavender-haired woman with her mouth agape was about to reply. "For now, it is time to deal with why the humans are here and what we expect of them. You may rise."

At these words, realizing he was still on one knee, Mat stood up with a frown, not appreciating the Queen's words.

Jonah, who had taken the lead of their group for some reason, spoke up.

"What you want from us, Madam? We already don't know how we got here or where we are."

"Your lack of understanding is quite normal, but it doesn't matter at the moment," the queen replied calmly, despite the frowns and outraged twinges that appeared in the assembly following Jonah's speech. "You are faced with a choice today, a difficult choice I agree, but a necessary one."

"A choice, Madam? What choice?"

"Our Kingdom, our shattered Empire, was built based on a first law born of a terrible history but necessary to protect what remains," she said with a serious tone.

An oppressive silence spread through the room, each person presents reacting differently to these words. Some with rage, others with sadness, dazed, staring into the distance, or with pity and despair. Each reacted in their way, but it all came from the same feeling, that of an immense loss, of past glory that would never be reborn.

After this moment of contemplation that made the young humans uncomfortable, the Queen spoke again.

"Yes, a divine law. Every human being who enters our lands must die."