Two years had passed since the incident with the Prismatic Python colony. Wolf had already turned eight a couple of months ago and today, today was a monumental day for him and his father.

After two and a half years of skulking through Beast-lands and another couple of months navigating through the Empire of Elf, they were finally back.

Back at the Green Glen Hill that is. Archibald and Wolf still needed a couple of months before reaching the Empire of Human and Northshield duchy.

Now that he was standing before the giant tree once more, Wolf felt as if a lifetime had passed since he had last been here. To an eight-year-old, three and a half years was close to half a lifetime anyway…

As time went by the effects of Magma Marrow had set in. Wolf now weighed sixty-five kilos and stood one-fifteen meters tall. If the boy’s body was normal, he wouldn’t have been as lean as he was. He’d have the general shape of a ball. But that was just the start of Wolf’s problems. With each advancement of Star Body his mass would double. Sooner or later he would have to figure out a way not to sink into the ground.

But even without taking those future problems into account, Wolf was presently displeased with this new inconvenient body of his. He didn’t know whether he was imagining it, or whether it was real, but he had a feeling that his growth had slowed down to a crawl. It didn’t completely grind to a halt yet. It’s just that Wolf was growing less now than he was before. At least that’s what the boy believed.

Wolf was so concerned about the whole matter that he even had to ask his father whether he was imagining things. Multiple times.

While Wolf’s worries were futuristic, fictional or aesthetic in nature, Archibald’s problems were very much practical and down to earth. Due to that damned Body Refining art, his boy ate like a horse, maybe even a couple of them.

The big man had spent a couple of stressful months worrying about their supplies. He even went so far as to risk going hunting while they were in the depths of the Beast-lands. Fortunately, when Wolf was taking his trial, Archibald had some time to stealthily build up their supplies.

Then, the man was shocked to find that what he had hoarded wasn't enough. Luckily, once their supplies started running dangerously low, Wolf’s ravenous phase abruptly ended. After an eighteen month long rampage Wolf finally stopped eating enough to sustain four grown men.

Otherwise, Archibald wouldn’t have known what to do. He couldn’t just go and randomly wander in the middle of a Monster Beast’s domain just to hunt and forage!

The man now regretted not buying a magic item that generated trail rations on a daily basis back when he lived in the Northshield capital. But what kind of a crazy person would buy a bread making item when they lived in opulence?

Thankfully, father and son managed to overcome all adversities and safely returned to Green Glen Hill.

Just like Wolf, Archibald had conflicted feelings about this place.

Here his son had picked up the inheritance of their family’s greatest enemy. This felt wrong in and of itself. On one hand everything turned out fine. On the other, there were half a dozen close calls on their way back. Not to mention the torture Wolf had gone through and his current insecurity about his height and weight.

The boy had asked him about whether or not he was short for his age at least a dozen times in the last couple of months. The only thing Archibald could say was I think you’re just fine.

The man had never paid attention to how tall kids were at what age. Who even cared about that? Children grew in growth spurts, as for when those happened… How the hell was a man involved with much more important matters supposed to have such trivial information? You just ask a random mother or wet-nurse and bam you know! You get to know things you didn’t even ask about…

Each with their own deep thoughts, the pair passed the giant tree and continued heading straight south at an impressive pace.

Archibald had long since noticed that Wolf could walk as much as a grown man. If that was not the case, the return trip from the Beast-lands would’ve taken more than three years…

***

Two weeks that followed were practically a picnic when compared with trekking through the Beast-lands. Even when traveling through the Empire of Elf, Archibald was wary of accidentally running into the natives. But this part of the Empire of Elf was truly desolate and the big man could finally relax a bit.

Yet, in this desolate area, Archibald and Wolf somehow managed to run into somebody. To be more precise, they did not run into him. A man emerged out of a giant oak to greet them all on his own.

As soon as he saw an enemy, Archibald drew his dagger. The big man leapt, stabbing towards the humanoid creature shrouded in green that looked more like a walking bush than a man.

Archibald aimed to ram the dagger into the elf’s eye, but he was left hanging. Literally.

A mere glance from the humanoid shrub mobilized the surrounding branches and vines. They shot like serpents and wrapped themselves around Archibald’s limbs and torso.

“Calm down human. I mean you no harm.” The elf’s words were slow, but steady, like the flow of a great river in the plains.

“I was roused from my sleep when I felt a youngling of my race you’re traveling with. All I want is to share a few words with him.” As the man spoke, the plants tightly wrapped themselves around Archibald. They held him fast, but didn’t seem to cause the man any harm.

As for the elf, the old man sounded like he hadn’t spoken in decades. In contrast with his moss and lichen covered form, his eyes burned as brightly as a pair of azure stars. If not for that piercing gaze, the man could have passed for a part of the landscape.

He probably hadn’t moved for a long time.

At least that’s the impression Wolf got due to lichen flaking from the elf’s face as he spoke. Initially the boy wanted to move to save his father, feeling momentarily enraged. Then that calm river of words drowned his anger and made him realize that his father might really need to cool his head for a bit.

While Wolf was thinking this, Archibald briefly struggled. After a couple of moments the big man realized that his luck was plain rotten.

Out of the entire Empire of Elf, they had to run into an Archdruid, probably a True-Namer grade Druid.

Seeing that Archibald had ceased with his futile resistance, the tree-man turned his piercing sapphire eyes towards Wolf, smiling gently.

“Greetings young one. I have to apologize for binding your father like this. The man appears to be overly prone to violence.” The first words the man had for Wolf were an apology?

“I can see that you carry the heritage of my race, but even if you didn’t have our blood coursing through your veins, I would’ve loved to have a chat with someone as unique as you. Were you raised by your father?” The slow trickle of words continued in a kind tone. After a brief pause, Wolf nodded.

“He did a fine job of it. It’s good that you’re not a part of the so-called modern elven society. As one that had long since abandoned that aberrant civilization, it is my duty to tell you the history of our race that is covered up by the ones at the helm of this mockery of our ancestors’ beliefs. Do you have time to spare for my telling? I would like to host you for two days.” The old man’s words were erratic and all over the place. He had long since forgotten how to hold a proper conversation.

Hearing the question, Wolf nodded without thinking. Even though they had a deep, piercing quality that seemed to penetrate through one’s skin, the old man’s eyes showed nothing but kindness and good intentions. Besides, Wolf was as much an elf as he was a human. It was reasonable to spend two days to learn a bit about his ancestry.

The old elf’s smile deepened just a bit, causing even more green flakes to fall off his face. He was sincerely happy to have met this boy and that Wolf was willing to comply with his request.

“Thank you.” The elf said with the tranquility of an undisturbed lake.

“The history of our people, just like that of all other races, starts so long ago that nobody really remembers how we came to be. The priests all agree that no god had a hand in creating us. Gods merely tolerated our existence and worship, but that story is not related to our tribe’s history...”

“Since the dawn of time our kind has lived a nomadic life. Moving from place to place, eating plants and never tasting flesh or blood. This in turn allowed us to stay outside of the eternal conflict between the races of man and races of Monster Beast.”

“It was a truly carefree time. Predators avoided our helpless younglings, while even the most powerful members of our race turned a blind eye to them in turn. In that peaceful state unknown ages had passed. Then, at some point, our ancestors came across humans.”

“These decadent creatures were the exact opposite of us. They had a high mortality rate, but multiplied in ridiculous numbers to make up for that defect. Also, compared to our elven race, which at the time numbered several million at best, humans were beyond count. The number billion was added to our language for the sole purpose of describing the numbers of the human race.”

“The noble existences among our kind looked at them with pity. Even the greatest and most powerful experts amongst humans lived no longer than the frailest members of our race. Their entire lives were no different from flashes of fireflies in the night. As soon as they took their first breath they were already drawing their last. As I said, the nobles looked at them with pity, but the elven commoners noticed quite a few things they found useful.”

“Instead of living the humble lives of nomads and foragers they could live in one place. They could grow crops and raise cattle for food, making lives far easier and more stable. If the society were to be divided into layers then everything would become more organized. Easier. That word had fractured our great race. Easier…” The man muttered the word absentmindedly, before continuing.

“The way elves lived up to that point was simple. Everyone had the right to do whatever they wanted, as long as the few simple taboos we had weren’t broken. However those taboos ran counter with this new comfortable way of life. Staying in one spot would strain nature. Eating flesh would cause strife with Monster Beasts. Copulating more often and having more descendants would cause overpopulation. Yet, to live safely in one place, a large population was needed…”

“After a great deal of arguing the majority of the youngest generation separated from their elders. They settled near the lands where humans lived and started their project of establishing the Empire of Elf.”

“That was when our ancestors declared themselves High Elves, while the majority that went on their way were dubbed Wood Elves. A large portion of High Elves were women, with a number of misguided males among them…”

The story went on and on. About how normally flat-toothed former herbivores sharpened their teeth and made this their rite of passage. Sullying their bodies to make sure that their future generations wouldn’t walk the orthodox path of their ancestors.

The man spoke of the difficult early times when the elves had a mortality rate as high as humans. All of this happened because Monster Beasts started treating High Elves the same way they treated other manlings. Meaning as enemies.

“Because we had started hunting animals and Monster Beasts, they started hunting us in turn. The High Elves were slowly walking down the path of another race as those that were mediocre sought power…”

Strangely enough, Archibald listened to the story with as much attention as Wolf, maybe even more. His academic mind appreciated the chance of hearing something humans had either long forgotten or had never even known. At some point the branches and vines grasping him transformed into a chair, freeing the man.

***

*Growl*

As the evening drew near the old elf suddenly chuckled.

“Where are my manners, please eat something.” He had been talking for hours.

While he didn’t require such base sustenance, the elf was reminded of this need by a loud complaint from Wolf’s stomach.

An abundance of food materialized before the boy. It was an offering of fresh fruits and nuts and berries. Very simple, yet tasty and enough to fill a man’s stomach. Even Wolf, who ate as much as a grown man, could have his fill.

While his boy started stuffing himself, Archibald observed the old man with some hesitance. As far as he could tell, this elf really didn’t hate him for being a human, nor was he disgusted with Wolf for being a mix-blood.

“Do you plan on raising him in the human lands?” The Druid asked suddenly.

Archibald nodded after a momentary hesitation. Once again he and Wolf were at mercy of someone much stronger than they were.

“Humans are very xenophobic. Then again, my people aren’t much better. The boy has canines… His teeth take after your kind, but even if they were all flat nobody would associate that with the sharp-toothed elves.”

“His eyes are a tad bigger than average for your kind, but that doesn’t mean anything. There are humans with big eyes and big ears… Unfortunately, his ears will never pass for those of a human. You either have to cut and sculpt them or hide them with magic.” The old man went on to talk about other various minor differences in anatomy that were signs of Wolf not being completely human. Finally his comments ended with an unexpected twist.

“If you want, I can take him in. Raise him as a Druid. Trust me, I won’t mistreat him. Finding someone with such great potential is incredibly rare and precious.”

The old elf wasn’t exactly sure what was so special about Wolf. He just had a hunch that laws of nature somehow flowed differently around him. Even this little hint was something he was aware of because of spending centuries in a state of one with the oak he had just exited.

He could also tell that Archibald wasn’t doing well. The signs of a damaged soul might be difficult to perceive for others, but this old Druid was more powerful than Archibald was at his prime. The big man’s state was as plain to see as seeing someone missing a limb was to regular people.

Archibald was about to say something, when Wolf abruptly stopped eating. The boy shook his head, rejecting the old elf’s offer.

From the way this man had phrased it, it was obvious that Archibald had no place here and Wolf didn’t want to separate from his father. Not having a mother was bad enough.

*Sigh*

“A pity. If that’s the case, at least allow me to make a talisman for you once I’m done telling my story. It will keep Monster Beasts and animals away from you. We share a bit of fate and I wish to do something for you. Just promise me that the history of our people will live on and that if you find someone worthy you will pass it to them.”

After Wolf nodded his agreement, the Druid continued narrating the history of elves, while father and son ate. The telling went on for a day. After that the old elf made good on his promise. He took another day to craft a talisman that would hide Wolf and Archibald from the senses of animals and Monster Beasts whose Order was lower than the Druid’s. The only issue was that the ward would wear off after six weeks or as soon as they willingly struck an animal.

Archibald's lessons:

I don't believe there's a record of the schism that happened amongst the elves. The Empire of Elf has stood proudly for tens of millennia, if not longer...