A kind voice in the void

There was nothing but total darkness and in it, Finrod felt that he was trapped and getting absorbed into the mass of blackness. He felt his body sink into the void with no one, nothing to help him.

He thrust up his hand hoping for a hand from the glorious heavens to come down and take his but alas, the gods care note for a mere mortal.

He couldn't breathe and he suffocated, getting absorbed into the darkness and melting into it.

It was over, no more struggle, no more fight, just darkness and maybe rest. Finrod felt that he was due for rest, after all this while. If the void was willing to give him that then perhaps becoming part of it was worth it.

He was still trapped in his terrible nightmares when his nose caught a whiff of something burning, of smoke. His nose twitched and he felt himself break out from the void at that moment, first came his hands tearing through the black veil that held him down.

His face then resurfaced and then all of his body.

'What's burning? It mustn't be me. What happened? The demon!' Finrod's eyes suddenly came open.

He turned to the sides fearful of the prospect of the demon hitting him and granting him death this time around.

He saw not the gnarly monster but a beautiful lake and most importantly…

"The suns of Melos." He uttered in astonishment.

He gazed into the little dimmed balls of light fixed at opposite sides in the sky, their brilliance, their light had greatly reduced but seeing them again moved him.

"The suns still rise." He spoke with tears pouring from his eyes. He was overwhelmed with hope and happiness just at the sight of the suns.

"The last elf of Mire Woods" said a person from the right.

Finrod turned once he heard the name of his abode, although it was called a different name by the elf community, the cleric with the study over elven history learnt that the woods was called 'Mire woods' by outsiders.

"You, you were that voice."

"Yes, yes I am."

Finrod's eyes slowly went up appraising them and then they stopped at their shoulder where he saw a large bug with the scariest eyes. His body tensed and his system identified it immediately.

[Red-eye Marsh Fly(Transformed)- lvl 14]

Finrod tried to move back with his hands but he couldn't, he then felt a large rock behind him.

He suddenly stood up, his body was still pained although greatly reduced. He stood and channeled mana on his fist and sent forward a punch.

The blow was caught by no other than the bug's owner.

"I might have saved you but I'll kill you again if you try to hurt Bru." Finrod looked down at the short yet powerful woman in front of him.

[Tamer- lvl 19]

'Tamer?'

He slowly withdrew his fist looking to the side and spotting the large beast of black and red.

"You." He realized.

"I saw you when I was on the trees."

[Graimpuf- lvl 21]

"Graimpuf?" he looked at it confused a little about its existence, it wasn't a transformed and yet it was this large.

"You've seen him before." The tiny beautiful voice came from below.

"Yes, it was just a flicker. He moved so fast that I didn't see much of him but I recognize the fur."

"Ohh, well I might have sent Pouka to spy on you."

"Spy?!" he uttered and he got a full look of her body with his mind cleared.

The woman before him was pale just like the elves, she had milky white skin and two large horns with little horn branches jutted from her head. She was small and beautiful, her lips were the color of peaches and she was crowned with short brown hair.

"You, you are."

"A Funari, we are called Lerians by outsiders."

"You saved me and you took that skull."

"Yes, I did those."

"A Funari, I have never heard of those."

She chuckled hearing that, "You elves are the most ignorant pious bunch in all of Melos, it's no surprise that you have no knowledge of us."

Finrod cringed in embarrassment and looked away.

She simply ignored his reaction and continued, "I was sent to scout for surviving elves after a number of us stormed in to save your people, our chief insisted that we did. We got there and saw that it was plundered beyond recognition. I'm afraid you might be the only one alive."

"Shut up." Finrod said with a low voice.

"I said shut up!" He yelled at her and then sat.

The Funari simply walked away to her cooking and focused her attention on it.

Finrod's face was crumpled in rage, he hated the fact that he didn't think to look for survivors but a couple of outsiders did, he felt like a traitor to his people and that feeling of shame bothered him.

His stomach then grumbled and then he noticed, he was extremely hungry, he could feel the pangs bore down his stomach.

He couldn't help but notice the large snake being cooked on fire, his eyes were glued to it.

The Funari chuckled, "Do you want some?" She asked with the kindest voice.

Finrod couldn't answer, he was too ashamed.

After a few minutes of nursing his empty stomach and sore body, he spoke:

"How long was I out?"

"A day and a half." she answered and then cut a chunk of the thick large smoke snake and threw it into her mouth.

"Did you kill the demon?"

"Of course I did, I wouldn't let one that I can kill ever get away. I would never."

"I see…" He said then paused.

"Thank you, thank you for saving me."

"Ahh!" She blurted, spitting out a piece of the snake meat, Finrod looked at her in surprise.

"I thought you would be too proud to say that. You're welcome…"

"Finrod."

"Elessar"