In an overgrown forest, two figures are plodding along an animal trail. One casting a warm light while floating, and the other limping in an awkward manner

...

‘’Do you know where we are?’’ The elf questions while floating silently

“F-forward? Yes. we are forward” side reaffirms with only slight doubt in her tone

“B-by the way. What do I call you again? You never said it in Common Tongue”

“Nate, just call me Nate” Nate states while blinking his fluorescent body in a set pattern, indicating his name in light elvish

“N-Nate, huh…” side ponders, folding her hand to scratch her nonexistent chin

“S-so what brought you to come adventuring with us? I-I mean, me, I mean-” side stammers

“uh, you were there when I joined.” Nate rolls to his back, arms behind his head in a relaxed manner

“you don’t have to worry about me, you guys seemed lost so I had to help out. Plus it seemed interesting and I’ve never left the city before” the elf chuckled

“Now how did you meet that clueless cat?”

“C-cat? Oh su! I found him wandering around a human city four days away from the elven capital. He sticks out like a goblin in a bathhouse! It’s simply illogical for a being like him to exist completely void of mana, the very fabric of our world! I just wanted to follow and moni-” side machine gun talks with such enthusiasm you would have thought she was someone else

“hold up hold up! slow down for a sec” Nate interrupts

“What did you mean he looks weird? Sure his outfit stands out but I didn’t think its to that extent.” the elf reasons, his glow dimming white in confusion

‘’Huh? You don’t see it? O-oh right I forgot fleshies can’t see like we can.”

“Fleshies?”

“Golems, undead, spirits and the like don’t have eyes so instead we see pure mana on a much deeper level” side enters her academic mode and pushes up metaphorical glasses

“The world around us is made out of mana, the magic we cast is made out of mana, the ground we walk on is mana and our bodies are made of mana. Everything in the universe has mana by simply existing, from the smallest microbe to the biggest titan! So what does it mean for something that doesn’t have a speck of mana to be walking around?”

“That… he doesn’t come from the universe?” Nate wavers, glow shifting from white to grey

“Wrong. Even the heroes from old that got sent here were still made out of mana despite not being able to use it. I read it in the records of your library and there were no accounts of heroes with this phenomenon!” side jumps excitedly, barely containing herself

“This. doesn’t make sense. Then what is he?” Nate shivers, hue now a shade of brown

“I don’t know! But don’t you want to follow him and find out?” side giggles, waving her cardboard arms in an exaggerated motion, only for research purposes of course

“Wait wait. How do you know all this? What did you do before meeting him?” Nate floats backwards slowly

Side snaps out of her nerd mode, returning to how she normally speaks “I-i… was on a journey, for… self-discovery. Yes.”

“I-i see”

----

…

“Hey side, you know where we’re meant to go again?” The elf sighs while looking at his cardboard companion

“I-I recall su muttering something about the dwarven capital” side replies back with her characteristic deadpan gaze

“S-so Nate, how did you get your previous occupation?” Side stutters, attempting to start a conversation

“Hm? Oh, that was one of the standard jobs light elves can do: Guideposts, messengers, ceiling lamps, telecommunications, and the like” Nate flops over with a bored expression

“It’s a pretty sweet job, just float on the roof and guide anyone that looks lost or needs help. I get to meet a lot of interesting people that way~” the elf shrugs, shifting to light green.

“T-that’s quite weird, reducing a whole race to guides and lamps”

“Race? Every subspecies of elf is born as a normal elf and evolves after fulfilling certain conditions. In my case, it was after I accidentally ate a firefly while trying to be a wind elf. But my mom said it’s because of my lighthearted personality~”

“E-elves can evolve that easily?? Normally you would have to undertake a magical procedure or alchemic ritual to race change! Then what were those satellite cities around the capital?”

“Ah, those cities are closer to gathering clubs for like-minded elves than actual settlements. The kids are all raised communally at the top of the tree. If you’ve seen that popular documentary, about migratory elves going on some pilgrimage, all the way back to the holy tree to spawn and raise their young.

Though it’s just tradition and not some ironclad rule we must obey. Half-elves raised outside are fairly common”

“S-so that’s why no one has seen any child elves… but what about combat jobs and adventuring?” Side says with understanding

“Light elves generally act as rangers or mages. We lack the weight for any melee classes and stealth is pointless. Our magic generally plays with light or illusions with wind as a sub type. In the army, we act as beacons to transmit intel from vast distances”

“I-is it ok for you to tell me all this?"

“Meh~ it’s an open secret. I was a guide after all so of course I know a lot about my kind and what I shouldn’t say”

“A-alright. What combat skills do you have?”

“Uhh, I can do some magic tricks? I don’t really know any combat skills… but I can learn! All elves have some affinity with magic!”

“R-right…” side continues rightward along the animal trail only half awkwardly this time.