I waited in the howling silence, tensing my body in preparation for the arrows to pierce through. I could already imagine the pain. But… it never came. Instead, I felt a burst of scathing heat barely pass my back, along with shocks of force so potent they almost knocked me over.

My eyes which had been previously squeezed shut cracked open to see dancing blue flames hungry swallowing the ground in front of me. I was deaf to the sound of it but I imagined the roar they kicked up must’ve been majestic. For a moment, I was stuck in awe wondering if I ever might cast a spell like this, knowing just touching this storm of fire would kill me as the ravenous flames swallowed me whole.

And then it ended, snuffed out entirely in an instant as if it had never been there.

The scene returned of a grove I knew now it much further disarray. People I didn’t recognise coated in the same Zelkren emblem, had entered the fray and begun to counter attack the elven forces.

Hopefully those two are okay.

I trusted that the two elves would be fine, after all this was their forest and I found it far more likely that the Zelkren party would retreat the moment the chance arose. Luckily for me, one now very dead cultist had given me a free way out, which I was more than inclined to take. My fuzzy vision switched briefly the ripple and Zena who still laid in a somewhat horrifying state. She’d be fine.

Dropping any obligation I had to her I limped over to the portal as swiftly as possible. The clashes of the two people shook my bones even from a distance and I wanted no part of it. Instead, I fell through the ripple in space.

It’s edges broke against my skin like the surface of water, swallowing me into a moment of pure weightlessness. Like the sound that had already ceased so did motion, vision, feeling, smell, even my blood lost its sense mumbling incoherently at the back of my mind. For a mere moment it felt like existence itself had ended.

All gone to emptiness, then like the flicker of the spark that ignited life itself everything came rocketing back so quickly I dropped to the ground immediately, feeling as if my entire body had been twisted before being rung back out into shape. Nausea like I had never felt engulfed me along.

It was strange to say but it felt like the very world itself was foreign to me. As if getting used to that brief instance of nothingness made everything else so unbearably overwhelming. In spite of the panic quickly setting in, I didn’t let it take hold.

Instead, I simply laid still on the cold and soft surface below.

…I wonder if Daniel’s alright.

Laying still without any prompt to focus on my senses knowing that my blood would flare if I was in danger allowed tranquility, and with it came a worry that felt far more reassuring to think about in comparison. From last I remembered, my brother Daniel was due to get married at the start of spring when the snow settled and the sun broke through its misty grasp. In accordance with how political marriages were he’d been arranged to marry her since a young age but that never stopped my brother from acting assertive and a little rude to others around her, as if to impress her.

While at a first glance some might find it annoying, to me it was honestly quite endearing. To see him so blantenty smitten with a girl who had been chosen for him; well I couldn’t see how that wouldn’t bring a smile to my face. Not to mention the woman herself was wonderful company the few times I had met her. Lucky bastard.

Just thinking about it made the creaking headache more tolerable.

They probably think I’m dead… better have a niece or nephew named after me when I get back.

Get back. Yes, I was going back. But thinking about that more was for later, as was continuing to ponder my brother's well-being. He was clever, far more so than I. I’m sure he was happily getting ready for his big day… well maybe not happily but beggars can’t be choosers.

When I tried to open my eyes I was met with pure white that greedily swallowed everything but the large and thin tree trunks, contrasting in an oakish luster that smelled enough like home to almost make me shed a tear.

The endless roof above stole my focus for a moment, gazing upon the oblivion circlet encrusted with shining gems of star light that only served to embolden the silver moon.

Trying to get up proved to be a challenge as only wobbled on multiple attempts before tripping face first into the ground. I learnt very quickly that while thick, snow could only soften the fall so much.

Then again that didn’t mean it hurt, more a hindrance than anything else.

Eventually I stumbled to my fear, finding a steady footing to move with slow and methodical steps. Every few moments steps I would check behind me paranoid something might have followed, then take a painful heave and continue on.

I wasn’t hungry anymore, which was a plus, just tired. So very tired. If not for my fear that the sun would make me cinders in my sleep I might’ve just collapsed where I landed. The snow was still falling gently against a calm breeze but it didn’t bother me much considering my skin was as cold if not more so then the tiny white flakes.

Before long I started to worry the forest might not offer a spot for me to rest. I found trees, rocks, streams and even rivers along with rock formations but nothing that would block out the sun. The reality of having to avoid something that shined over almost all the world for half the day was starting to hit me harder with each step I took.

Oh thank Sol!

I thought to myself stumbling upon a small lake surrounded by steep land that made up a small hill, of which the rock face cracked slightly near the bottom to form a small cavern entrance. It looked peaceful… a little barbaric for a home, but slap a cottage by the rivers edge, line some flowers around it’s perimeter and build a small rock path to the cavern and…

Getting ahead of yourself, Vannis. Shelter takes priority.

The frost of late winter kept the small lake frozen which made it painfully hard to traverse but I managed to stow away into the cave before any shine of dawn made it over the horizon. It wasn’t a welcoming sight inside the cave, cold stone with moss and the scent of moisture above that probably would drip down on me in my sleep.

That said, I had neither the will nor the desire to make the cave more comfortable. My eyes were so heavy I could barely manage to keep them open as I shifted into the deepest and most secure part of the small cave and then laid flat against the stone.

Ella, Delphine and Kell… should be… fine…zzzz.

*********

The Gwendra was often depicted in scripture and outsider understanding as a calm yet treacherous place to visit, let alone live. If it wasn’t the forest itself or any of its wildlife that got you, then you’d likely be done in by the Spirits that called the central depths of the forest their home, guardians of Terilis, the third largest Seam to ever exist.

That said, there was one humanoid race renowned for their covenant with the wilds of Gwendra. A species of uniquely reclusive people that from the initial glance, seemed to be at harmony with the very land they lived on or rather lived with. To most, they were idealized as the calm, gentle nomad that settled beneath the raging winds of an ever shifting world; finding peace in themselves and in that very same storm they watched over.

But.

“I want you to repeat to me what you just said very slowly.”

Like all things in the world, the truth and the idea of the truth were not the same thing.

Beneath radiant ambre rays of light that descended from bud spreading out of the vines that coursed through the ivory brick walls, an Elven man wearing white robes with the slight hint of lavender peeking beneath requested in a voice that was neither calm nor at piece for his butler to relay the message. He stood at roughly five foot nine, decently tall for an elf with short well groomed teal hair.

Yet his elegant appearance was betrayed by his seething demeanour.

“The personal guards you dispatched along with some governmental forces tracked and retrieved both master Ferian and mistress Celina are in good health. Unfortunately the culprits were found either dead or presumably escaped, perhaps due to the Bloodwalkers that are forces encountered.” The butler rounded off, recounting and summarising what had been communicated to him. “I believe we should give thanks to Lady Gwendra that both of them are still breathing, such a thing isn’t usual for the Night Guard.”

The Elven father stared quietly across the room towards his employee before sighing in frustration and slumping into his delicately crafted white chair. He rested his hands on the curved desk in front of him, rather chaotic with the contents that sat on it in comparison to normal. “Of course I’m grateful… it just wish I could throw those fucking bastards to the Spirits myself.”

“That would be appropriate, master Igran.” The butler agreed, smoothing back his chaotic black hair that never seemed to sit still anymore. In spite of appearances, none in the room had an easy day. “On a lighter note,I’m told they’ll be arriving home soon.”

“How soon?” Igran asked.

“Within the hour.”

“Good, good… any advice on how I should break the news to Sarina,” Igran asked with a look of desperation.

“I believe the lady of the house would appreciate hearing it as soon as possible.” The butler replied. “On another note though, you should know that there was a certain… oddity, reported by those of your guard that are currently escorting the master Ferian and Mistress Celina.”

“And that oddity would be?” Igran grunted, securing a small bottle of wine from the cabinet underneath his desk strong enough to make telling his wife bearable.

“We’ve received, no I should say our house has received a request.”

It spoke volumes to the nature of the request that the previously steadfast butler found it hard to articulate or even wrap his head around it. His shaky hands pulled out a letter with a crimson seal waxed upon it. Igran received it from his servant, inspecting the front that in so neatly inked crimson stated that only the head of the Dethre house should review its contents. Opening he skimmed over the contents once… then twice and then again for a third time before realising the words had not been misread.

“This… certainly is odd.” Igran spoke, far too stuck in disbelief to be angry. “Did we happen to capture or kill any of the Bloodwalkers?”

“Not that I know of, the only bodies recovered were either human or elven, garbed in cultist attire.”

“Well then this request makes even less sense.”

“Why so sir?” the butler questioned, confused by what exactly could perplex his master so.

“Because the Zelkren clan has requested we release one of their members, a fledgling named “Vannis”. Are you sure we don’t have anyone in custody?” Igran asked again.

“Positive.”

“Then it appears like this Zelkren clan has a deserter.”