It was my first week in this world, and it had been one hell of a ride, so far.

Each time I thought I'd get time to lay back and rest, I'd gotten surprised.

I was back in a gorgeous room with feather-stuffed pillows. Everything was luxurious, except no running water in medieval times, which sucked.

My window had a balcony with a view of a large rock boulder and leafy trees beneath me. And how to forget the view of the tapestry of stars above me. That was one of the things I liked the most about flying. I didn't get much of that from the cities, but flying at over thirty two thousand feet gave me vistas straight out of a dream: Stars above and stars below, below meaning the light of cities and towns during nighttime.

The stars above were the most magnificent. I could usually see thousands, and even specks of nebulae like the arms of the Milky Way that were seldom visible from below.

And how to forget the Northern Lights on polar routes. I got lucky one or two times.

And even with all of that, nothing could prepare me to the alien sky above me. No constellation matched what I'd seen in either the northern or southern hemisphere. This was another world. A completely different world in another side of the galaxy. Was it even the same galaxy? At night I saw the moon, something wrong with it. Similar in size, but the shadows in it were somehow off.

I was far from home. Really, really far.

And no discount tickets would get me out of there.

The door opened behind me and I felt a comforting presence approach me. Lariel placed a hand on my shoulder and leaned over. I looked at her.

Now she was a dream, wearing an adorable white shift that showed a lot of leg, and fit snugly around her neck.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she said, her eyes drifting over toward the nightsky.

"Gorgeous," I replied. "But something's off. I'm far. So far from any place I've ever been to."

Her lips curled into a small smile. "We are too. Well, obviously, not as far as you."

I chuckled softly. "How is your attitude always so good?"

Lariel tilted her head, her lashes fluttering as she grinned. "I was going to ask you the same thing. I love it."

Her warmth was infectious. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her gently. "I’m still in autopilot," I admitted.

"Auto-what?" she asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I mean... I’m not in control of what I’m doing. It’s like I’m just going through the motions. And I feel like I’ve put everyone in danger."

Lariel shook her head, her fingers brushing soothing circles against my back. "It’s you, Connor. You’re so stoic, so good at what you do, it’s like everything flows naturally from you. Even when you think you’ve lost control, things have gone magnificently."

Her words gave me a sliver of comfort, but I sighed. "That’s... reassuring, but I’ve still got to get used to this."

She let out a sigh, her touch steadying. "You know, Connor, when I was a child—about four hundred years ago—I used to feel alone. Uncared for. Back then, there were more of us than there are now, but still not many."

I turned to her and reached for her hand. "What happened then?"

Her expression grew distant. "I got a feeling... not just once, but over several times. A feeling that things were inevitably declining. Like our world was coming to a stop. It didn’t make sense, not back then. We were living endless lives of productivity, perfection. But slowly, we were becoming fewer. Some of our people grew too old and... died."

That part about a world declining hit too close to home.

In my life and the world that I once knew. Things seemed stable at times, just to come crashing down when I least expected.

Death of a loved one, problem at work. Divorce.

And to be fair, things sometimes got better out of crappy situations.

How would all this pan out?

"How old is too old for an elf?" I asked softly.

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"About a thousand years," she said, her voice quiet.

"Well, among your people… I’ve never seen anyone who looks particularly old. Father looks older, for sure, but not elderly."

"They don’t," Lariel said with a wistful smile. "But Father and the others were like that. Elves live for centuries, but we can only conceive once every ten years. It’s difficult. The energy it takes... it’s not just physical. Elven men have to concentrate to create life. Then they just fade away."

"Wait. Once every ten years?" I asked, incredulous. "That’s insane."

She nodded. "It is strange. We may look human, but creating new life for us is rare and... sacred. Marrying humans was once seen as taboo. But it happened a few times in history."

"Why was it taboo?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

Lariel hesitated. "Half-elves are... different. Powerful, but wild and unpredictable. They live longer than humans but die far sooner than elves. Some became kings and conquerors in human lands, but others—well, let’s just say they didn’t always bring peace. It caused friction, and so... the unions became frowned upon."

I frowned. "And you? Did you ever...?"

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she answered, "I’ve had elven lovers. Humans, though, never caught my interest. Until I dreamed about my human—about you."

My breath caught. "That’s... wild. Why haven’t I heard any of this before?"

"Some of us believe half-elves could strengthen our dwindling numbers. But there’s too much pride. Too much reluctance to mix. It’s a shame, really. Our people have been decreasing for centuries."

"That’s... heartbreaking," I said quietly, thinking of how agile, smart and downright amazing her people were.

Lariel’s head tilted slightly, her golden hair shimmering in the moonlight as her gaze softened. "That’s enough about me," she said gently. That voice was like a melody. “I want to hear about my beloved Connor. About his dreams... the things he’s wished for."

I hesitated, the weight of her question settling over me. Memories of my old life flickered in my mind, sharp and bittersweet. “Dreams, huh?" I sighed, staring up at the alien stars. "I used to have a lot of them. But life has a way of... dulling things down. And to be fair, I’ve had a good life so far. Yes, some things sucked, some things were stressful as hell. But I’m grateful to whatever power in the universe’s out there."

Lariel didn’t say anything at first, just waited patiently. Her hand rested on mine, steady and warm, urging me to go on.

"I was married once, you know.mm" I said finally, my voice quieter than I intended. "Her name was Cassey. I loved her... more than anything, really. But things didn’t turn out the way I hoped."

Lariel’s eyes searched mine, her expression unreadable but full of empathy. "What happened?" she asked softly.

I let out a soft sigh. "Life happened. We got married young. We were too damn excited. I thought it was perfect—not really. I honestly don’t want to blame her. To be fair, we’d discussed some things before, but things didn’t work out as we expected. We drifted apart, argued more often, and eventually... we called quits."

Lariel’s fingers tightened on mine. "I’m sorry," she said, her voice a whisper. "That must have been so hard for you."

"It was," I admitted. "It was hell for some time. But after… It got emotionally easier to handle, but financially it was all a mess."

There was a pause, and Lariel looked thoughtful, her eyes flickering to the stars again. "But you’re here now, with me! Those things are far behind.”

“I honestly still feel like I should deal with them once I go back.”

It felt so natural in my mind that I’d go back. As if my brain thought I could, again, just book a discount flight to any part of the world. Hello. Universe to Connor. You are not even in the same world anymore.

But could Aria open a portal for me one day?

“And your dreams?" she prompted. "What about when you were younger? Before Cassey? Could it be that… You, ever saw me in your dreams?"

I laughed, this time a bit more genuinely. "Well. This… honestly is gonna sound really corny. I haven't told anyone. When I was a kid, I had the wildest imagination. I used to fantasize about... well, about meeting someone like you." I glanced at her sheepishly. "I’d picture myself with an elf girlfriend, you know? Someone magical and wise, with those pointed ears and this whole... mystical aura. It was my escape during the boring hours of school."

Lariel’s lips curved into a playful smile. "Really? You dreamed of having an elf girlfriend?" she teased, leaning closer. "I’m flattered."

"Hey, don’t laugh," I said, a grin tugging at my lips despite myself. "I even tried to write a comic about it. My main character was this human guy who stumbles into an enchanted forest and ends up meeting this beautiful elf warrior. They’d go on adventures together, saving the world and all that cliché stuff. I spent hours sketching the characters in my notebook."

Her eyes lit up with genuine interest. "What happened to it? Did you ever finish the story?"

I shook my head, laughing softly. "Nah, I never finished it. I got too busy with school, and then life took over. But for a while, it was my favorite thing to think about. That, and wondering what it’d be like to visit an elf city or see magic up close." I paused, gesturing around us. "I grew over it, I thought, I got good at sports and got the attention of real girls. Funny how life works. Now I’m here, living that fantasy—though I could’ve done without the whole 'alien world, life-and-death stakes' part."

Lariel giggled, the sound light and musical. "Connor, I think your younger self would be thrilled to see you now. You’re practically a hero straight out of one of your own stories."

Her hand moved to my cheek, her touch gentle. "You belong, here, Connor," she said firmly. "You’ve done more than you realize. And your story is just beginning. It's gonna be great! Greater than Arthamium's."

I reached up to cover her hand with mine, holding it there as I smiled faintly. "But the best thing about this world is having you."

She smiled back, her fingers brushing against my cheek. "I’m just glad you’re here... with me."

That night, we made magic again.

We enjoyed our time together, with intimacy and love, i.e. a lot of sex, but spent hours sharing our experiences and view of the world.

And our conversation drifted toward our common future.

Prophecies... They were very important in the religion of the elves. And at the end, she said, we might lose some of our best. Elves would suffer much and almost die off, but we'd prevail.

I just hoped it wasn't my fault.

I hoped I wasn't the one who'd let them down. Life was hard, and I was sure I'd make some mistakes along the way, but I'd be ready to face them. They had placed their trust in me and I'll deliver.