Elf Village

'Alaric is crazy in the head.'

Combining his knowledge and observation led Ian to a pretty analytical conclusion. That man has gone nuts. He was in no way a regressor like him or someone with a strange power and authority. He was crazy.

-I don't think that's the case...

Lior, sprawled atop Ian's head like jelly, pointed at the nobleman with a paw. 

-Doesn't he just want to befriend master?

-Absolutely not!

-But I think that's the case. Master keeps being mean to Alaric. Don't be mean to him, Weird Alaric is a softie!

-A demon, I'd say.

-...Master-

-Mischievous fox, skilled in acting nice and fooling people.

-Master.....

Ian ignored the child and focused more on the task at hand. The trees had gotten much denser as they were nearly at the center of the forest, and rain kept pouring nonstop. In addition to that, the number and strength of the monsters increased as they proceeded forward.

As if that wasn't enough, new guests welcomed them once they sat foot at the core of the jungle. Lurking around the woods, numerous elementals of various types watched the group as they passed by, barely stopping themselves from jumping on the humans and feeding on them. Exposed to a sudden unfriendly atmosphere and probable danger, the group was deeply confused. They had to go through Claus' explanation regarding the life of elementals and how they'd suddenly turned abnormal and hostile since a few months ago.

The humans didn't know whether to attack them or not. Claus was the one restraining them from striking the enemy, saying it was a sin to harm an elemental. They were the ones targeting the humans, why was it a sin? The elf bit down on his lips, unable to respond. 

Still, after some long discussion, it was decided to ignore them since the elementals were holding back from ambushing them.

The elf was the most curious. Keeping a grim face, he would walk around the woods under the hostile gazes, pondering about the cause of their abnormal behavior. He appeared used to the eerie atmosphere deep in the jungle, and more so to the unkind treatment of the elementals. Seeing them calm made him more anxious than battling monsters. Once, he pulled up his shirt to show numerous scars on his body, saying they were marks left behind by these creatures. The question of if the humans had anything to do with this change was always answered by a 'no'.

No one knew why would they refrain from harassing this traveling group. 

Ian took in a deep, refreshing breath. His mood kept elevating, soaring up.

Unbeknown to them, a trail of Aether was left behind wherever the group passed, surrounding it in a circle from all sides. The Aether, so weak and faint that it couldn't be seen or felt by humans, was a clear enough sign to ward off the vicious elementals. At least for the time being. 

They were about to arrive at their destination and according to Ian's memory, they wouldn't get much time to rest. He couldn't allow the group to tire themselves out just yet. They needed their strength saved.

-Don't overdo it, master. 

-Of course, I won't.

Ian was brimming with Aether these days so much that he felt he'd never run out of it no matter how much he overused the power. Even though he knew that this feeling was only a side effect of Aether, giving him unreal confidence and calm, Ian enjoyed this sentiment quite a lot. 

"Hmm, today is a nice day, it seems."

Eleen was smiling more than usual. 

"Everything is quiet... I wonder why they don't approach us..."

The only person capable of seeing all of the elementals, Claus, didn't seem as relaxed as the others, yet he was calmer than the previous days. Even when Doris burned a few branches by mistake, he didn't get too worked up.

'It's not just the elementals who can be affected by Aether.'

There were reasons other than its unique appearance why this power was called sacred and holy. Aether was, in essence, capable of impacting human emotions and minds. Soothing the pain, calming the fear, settling down the discomfort; all were the influences of Aether on humans. It was, of course, not easy for every saint to manipulate others' emotions. Only those of the highest levels could achieve such a feat and by using massive amounts of Aether, at that. 

In this case, too, Ian could be considered an exception. He, who was always filled to the brim with this power, could also be considered to always be under Aether's calming and soothing effect. This caused Ian to sometimes label himself as addicted to Aether, which was true in many ways.

"Are you guys okay with having lunch a bit later? We're about to arrive at the village, so we can eat there."

After a brief enhance of glances, everyone nodded their heads. There was no way they could camp out in this weather anyway. 

Alaric approached Ian, not wearing the same grim expression he had had for the last few days. He peeked at Ian a few times before finally speaking his mind. 

"Hey, Ian, what do you think of novels?"

Novels? What a strange question all of a sudden.

"I don't enjoy them."

Despite his blunt answer, Ian's tone wasn't as cold and indifferent as before. He too, was under the influence of the calming Aether after all.

"Eh? Why?"

Ian liked Aether more than anything else. 

"They're too unreal."

He never enjoyed reading such fake scenarios. It was clear how all the stories were written to satisfy their author's and readers' unmet expectations and desires. Ian felt no joy in consuming such tales. 

"I see..." Alaric shielded his eyes from the rain using the back of his hand, gaping at how the trees seemed to part ways and open up a spacious empty area as they walked. "What about living in a novel?" he asked. 

"Living in a novel?"

"To be a character, I mean."

As the shadows created by the woods receded, an open area came into the group's view. The scene appeared sudden and without any prior signs, leaving the group baffled. There was a huge empty space in between the woods, filled with houses of all sizes. A thick tree root circled here and there, holding some houses on under it. Various flowers were blooming all over, and a pleasant scent came from all directions.

"We've arrived."

The elf village.

"...Big brother Claus?"

As soon as they set foot inside, a little girl's voice drew everyone's attention to the group. 

"And... humans?"

The elves in the village, busy moving around and working, stopped in their tracks. They, who seemed ready to rush at Claus, lost all the glow in their pupils upon noticing some humans tagging along. They watched in silence how five humans followed Claus from behind like ducklings.

"Uh... This..." Alaric mouth gaped as he scanned the area. Houses, either built on the ground or atop the thick branches of a tree, were all in shambles. Some of the ground was charred black, tattered, and cracked. The elves, staring at them with not-so-good gazes, appeared pale and thin. Sick.

The elf resident? More like a village awaiting death. 

"Brother... Who are they?"

The little girl approached them, hesitant over whether to come closer or stay away from the strangers. Everyone's eyes were glued on the group, the village shrouded in a heavy silence.

"Uh... I..." Claus's eyes wandered around as if searching for someone. "I brought some help."

Just as the little girl tilted her head, a deep voice rang out loud, "Claus!!"

Someone jumped down from the balcony of a house, causing dust to scatter around. The individual, a middle-aged elf with a ton of beard and buffed body stumped towards the group.

"Why are you back so early? What about your mission? Who are they? Humans? You brought humans to the village?"

Seeing the man storming towards him, Claus's face paled. He took tiny steps back and his muscles tensed up. 

"I brought help, uncle! I brought help!"

"Help?" The elf roared, "You call these pesky humans 'help'??"

By now, the group of humans had already shifted their position, all stepping back and hiding behind the sole black-haired youth, peeking at the adult elf with wary gazes. The glares they received from the elves got even sharper after the 'Uncle' showed up, making them feel extremely uncomfortable. 

"One of them is a doctor and the others are warriors."

"Calus!"

"We need a doctor. Amelia needs a doctor."

"What did we send you out for?"

The enraged man rushed forward, grabbing the young elf by the collar. He shook the boy up, yelling at his face. The area was as silent as dead, with only the man's voice resounding around.

"We sent you out to search for the cause of this matter. You promised to venture deep inside the forest and seek the prophecy. We sent you to the world tree. Where did you go? Claus, you ran away? Out the village?"

Being scolded and shouted at, Claus kept his eyes shut, hands clenched to fists. His pressing lips showed how much he was holding back from retorting at the man's words.

"We didn't give you our last food supplies and weapons for you to come back empty-handed, with some humans tagged along!" The man's voice echoed in the greenery, scaring the birds away. The 'Uncle' didn't care about the gazes he was receiving nor about the little girl pulling his clothes. He tightened his grip over the young elf's collar. "I told you, didn't I? To find us a savior! You're the strongest left, so seek The World Tree's help! Don't come back unless you find the Divine Bird!"

"There is no such thing as a divine bird!" Claus finally exploded, "Ain't no way I'm gonna throw away my life because of some nonexisting sacred bird!" First pushing the elf aside and then pointing at the humans, Claus shouted at the bystanders, "I've brought help. There is a doctor, and there is a warrior. Have you cast her completely aside after she gave her all for the village? Amelia needs a doctor, not a sacred bird. Is it so hard to understand?"

The already silent village seemed to get even quieter. The elves were holding back their breaths. Tension danced among them. Whoever Claus lay his eyes on shrank back, avoiding eye contact. 

"Ahem ahem. Calm down, the two of you."

The one broking the silent standstill was an old man, walking to them with short and slow steps from the distance. The old elf attempted to straighten his back upon meeting the humans, but his aged body didn't obey his will. Chuckling helplessly, the elf leaned on his cane to walk faster. 

"Elder!"

"Ah, the elder!"

As he approached, all the elves made way for him, each showing their respect to the old man. Even the 'uncle' stopped yapping upon seeing the old face, though the sound of his grinding teeth was audible still. 

"Claus, you're back." The old elf's lips curled up to a smile. "And these people are?"

"These are... Uh..." Claus had his pupils glued to the ground, lips pressed to two lines. "Human warriors and a doctor..."

"A doctor?" The Elder's gaze shifted to the person Calus was pointing at and scanned Eleen with an interesting gaze. The woman slightly curled her back. "Can a human doctor find a cure for the elves' sickness?"

Elves' sickness? With her eyes narrowed, Eleen took a look at the Elder and then at the elves. An illness among the elves? She had absolutely no idea about such a disease. 

"Young miss..." Once Eleen looked back at the elder, she found him very closer to her. The man's wrinkled fingers soon touched her arms, grasping them in a weak grip. "Can you treat my daughter?

The village elder's daughter?

"Please, examine my Amelia first."