Out

The wagon swayed and rattled as it made its way down the narrow path of the elven forest. It is one of the few paths that existed within the forest, due to the ability of the elves to easily navigate the wilderness without them. Mainly, such roads were used as trading routes, or for foreign delegations to not get lost on their way to and from the kingdom. 

As we made our way down the path, we were surrounded by nothing but trees and wilderness. Just endless trees, bushes, and occasional streams of water passed us mile after mile. But surprisingly, it never got boring. 

The forest was beautiful, and no less enchanting than it was in the capital. It had the same giant Celestials covering the sky above, and letting golden rays of sunlight through. 

We passed by oak trees that hung their giant branches and thick crones of leaves above the path, making it almost like a tunnel.

As we made our way further, we drove alongside a river, on the banks of which willow trees grew, and it seemed as if they were covered in a golden mist, as the river burbled, with the occasional fish leaping out of the water to catch some airborne bug.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Loueras asked with a smirk as he saw the lot of us staring in awe at the sight.

I never got to travel anywhere in my life, and seeing such an enchanting river gave me a no less impactful impression than when I first saw the city.

"We will stop in a small town for the night, near the outskirts of the kingdom." Loueras announced, as the sun began setting down, and glowing orange in its afternoon fashion.

"Although, perhaps we won't be able to get there before sundown."

That makes it even better. I never got the opportunity to see what the real forest looks like at night. I was half expecting it to start glowing.

But I wasn't far from the truth. The rays of the sun were replaced with the glowing white rays of the full moon, so the forest did not get truly dark, but had an ominous atmosphere to it. To either side of the path, were groupings of fireflies, glowing in a bright lime color.

Some occasional shrubs, or moss that had grown on the bottom of tree trunks, glowed a shimmering green. The small streams, and crystal clear ponds we passed by here and there, glowed a faint light blue.

I was mesmerized at the view I only saw either in the illustrations of a novel, or on the screen of a TV when watching a movie.

The forest grew quiet, and so did our lighthearted chatter. The shuffling of the leaves above became much less frequent, and bird calls completely died out. The only sounds around us were the rattling of our wagon, and the occasional huffing sounds of the horses.

"Are we there yet?" Tariel asked.

"We should be there soon Tariel, just a little while longer." Loueras responded.

He wasn't wrong, after around ten minutes or so, we made it out of the forest, and came across a massive valley.

"This is a part of the great valley." Loueras began.

"These valleys surround the entire north side of the elven forest, situated as a border between the kingdoms, Elvedriel, and the human, Radiver."

Mountains on the left and right, stretching for as far as the eye could see, covered in trees. The mountains on either side grew either in slopes, which were covered in trees, or steep, rocky drops. In some parts, waterfalls came down their slopes, all going into the river down below.

The river moved in arches through the valley like a mini amazon, following the outline of the mountains. On its beaches, were either patches of gravel and rock, or clutches of forest.

In the flatter parts below the mountains of the ravine, was a semi rocky grassland. The green grass grew short, and in some parts was covered in small shrubs, or occasional, tiny, white or yellow flowers.

When we came out of the forest, we found ourselves standing on a hilly slope, leading down towards the river.

"The town is right over there." Loueras pointed.

Near one of the small waterfalls that cascaded down the mountains, situated on one of the slopes above a stream of water, was a small town, which glowed with the lights of lanterns under the moonlight that illuminated the entire ravine.

I could only spot a few buildings, probably around ten or so. Was this some kind of outpost?

"This is a border town, Aelinorien. Not a place to live in, but more-so as a rest stop for travelers coming and going from the kingdom. This is where we will stay the night." Loueras said as he gestured for us to climb back into the wagon.

We made our way down a quite dangerously narrow path towards the town. I was clutching the side of the wagon until my knuckles turned pale as I jumped at every sway of our wagon, thinking that this is it, this is where we will all tumble down into the ravine below. But everything went fine, and we found ourselves standing before a marble arch, at the entrance to the town.

Loueras hopped off, and made his way to a guard dressed in white battle robes and glistening silver armor, with an elven sword at his side.

They discussed something, and then Loueras walked back over to us.

"Someone will take care of our wagon, we will make our way on foot so grab all of your stuff."

We all grabbed our bags, sacks, and whatever else each of us was carrying, and followed Loueras, and a young woman who came to meet us and guide us in.

The town was small, so my first impression of it wasn't wrong. Only a few homes were situated on some kind of artificial platform, so we didn't need to maneuver ourselves on the steep slope of the mountain. Instead, we walked across some kind of polished decorative stone, out of which the platform was made of, which made up every street here.

Everything was neat and clean. A willow tree stood at the center of the town, which was a circular area around about thirty meters in diameter, the stone surrounding it was patterned in multiple circles, spreading outward from the tree like a diagram of sound waves, or ripples of water. 

The woman led us towards one of the bigger buildings near the center of the town. It was a wooden house, with a big balcony protruding from the second floor, stretching throughout the entire front of the building.

Of course the pillars supporting it, and the house itself was engraved in carvings, and the wood was polished.

The woman led us exactly to the second floor of the building, up an elegant semi-spiral staircase.

The second floor was just a massive single room, separated by a large curtain for the boys and girls which was open right now, with a row of beds outlining the back side of the room, and the entrance to the balcony on the front side. On the floor was a soft carpet. It had no glass windows. Instead, the opening outlining the entire perimeter of the room was a glassless, elegant railing, carved from some kind of stone, letting in a warm breeze and constant fresh air into the room.

"Please make yourself comfortable." The woman began with a gentle smile.

"The bathroom is downstairs, along with a shower. We also prepared your meals, which are located on the first floor."

Loueras thanked the woman, and handed her a couple of marks before she departed.

"Alright, all of you find a bed, settle your belongings, and make your way downstairs."

We did as we were told.

I placed my backpack full of essentials my mom packed for me by my bed.

"This is a nice place." Faelar commented.

"Sure, the fairy is right."

"Galen, seriously?"

"This place is wonderful!" Tariel exclaimed as she clung to the railings on the windows and stared outside.

"The ravine is absolutely astonishing! I have never seen anything like it in my life! This was such a great decision to come along, I don't know what I would have done if my parents did not allow me. All thanks to Loueras coming along that they agreed!" 

She began to chatter away at a million words per minute as she was bouncing on the balls of her feet.

Lyra went up to Tariel, and tapped her on the head.

"Calm down a little, Tary." She said with a chuckle.

"Alright, I will make my way downstairs. I'm starving." Galen announced.

"I'm with Galen." I said, following him down.

"Hey Ard." He said with a grin while wrapping his left arm over my shoulder.

"If you would have gone and left us behind, I would have beaten you to the ground!"

"Give it a rest." I said jokingly while ripping myself free of his embrace.

"Hey! I'm serious."

"Well I did call you along didn't I?"

He shrugged.

"Well, I am just letting you know what could've happened."

"Was it necessary?"

"Hmm. I guess I just wanted to get you riled up so I can spar you some time again." He said while slamming his right first into his left palm.

I let out a sigh.

"You could have just asked me to spar, not play out this whole charade." I told him as we neared the dinner table, on top of which were some kind of sandwiches wrapped in leaves.

"But that won't be as fun, won't it?"

'Jesus, this meathead.'

I and Galen sat ourselves at the table, where Loueras was already sitting and eating his food. A short while later, the rest of the group pulled up and dug into their own sandwiches.

I noticed that although elven food was almost always vegetarian, and meat was a rare occurrence, it was always very filling. Even a small portion was enough to make you feel like you ate an entire twelve ounce steak. I still do not know exactly how they make it that way, but it could be the specificity of the food; the fruits, vegetables, and the grain that grows in the forest that makes it that way.

Barely finishing my sandwich, the last few bites I forced myself to not leave any leftovers, I made my way back into the bedroom and flopped down on my bed.

Before anyone else came back, I probed my mind for Vie.

'I think I will think of this as more of a holiday than anything else, Vie.'

'The first impression is frequently deceiving. You just have not made it out into the world yet, Ardiel. Enjoy these days while you still can.'

'That sounded like a threat.' I thought back to her with an amused smile.

'It was a warning. The world is a much more terrible place. Perhaps the elven kingdom is a safe haven of sorts, but do not let that deceive you regarding the reality of the world you live in.'

'Tell me about it. I don't need lectures on how shit the world can be.'

'I know, given your reincarnation, your previous world probably wasn't smooth sailing as well?'

I gave it a little thought before responding.

'Why am I not surprised that you know that I reincarnated?'

'Because I am in your head?'

'You know Vie. You're already freaky and secretive enough, can you please not read my mind as well without permission?'

'Hahahaha, freaky? Is that what you think of me?'

'What else can I think of you at this moment in time? You can summon me, communicate telepathically, read my mind, and I have no idea who or what you are, and know nothing about you besides your name and the fact that your mana power is godly or something.'

There was a momentary pause. The lightheartedness of the conversation in which we began faded away.

'You will know who I am, but…'

'But not now. Yes, I get it.' I interrupted.

'I am sorry. I will make sure to tell you all about me.'

'Right.'

'Let's end this now, your friends are coming soon.'

The moment she said that, they went in, chatting with each other. The girls made their way over to their side of the room, and Lyra closed the curtains with a glare at us to not dare peek.

Galen grinned mischievously, while Faelar and I gave it no thought, and changing into our nightwear, settled ourselves into bed.