Lucius and the dark elf woman remain locked in a tense silence, their eyes meeting with intensity. The dark elf, her gaze piercing and suspicious, finally breaks the silence.
"Do you truly expect me to believe that you're merely a tourist wandering these forest grounds?" Her tone drips with skepticism, clearly not convinced by Lucius's earlier response.
Lucius, unfazed, offers a faint smirk. "Believe what you will," he replies, his voice calm and cryptic. "Perhaps I am merely passing through… or perhaps not."
The dark elf's eyes narrow, irritation flickering across her face. Just as she's about to press him further, Lucius shifts the conversation abruptly.
"Are you aware," he begins, his gaze turning toward the shimmering green lake behind her, "that something strange is happening to your lake?"
She scoffs at his statement, crossing her arms in defiance. "My lake? There's nothing wrong with it," she snaps, casting a dismissive glance at the crystal-clear waters. But Lucius notices the brief flicker of uncertainty in her gaze as she looks back at him.
Lucius raises an eyebrow, his expression one of mild amusement as he shifts his eyes back to the lake. Then, with a slow and calculated movement, he raises his handgun, aiming it directly at the lake's surface.
The dark elf reacts instantly. Her hand rises, dark markings swirling around her palm as an aura forms like a second layer of shadowed skin. Her eyes flare with anger, and her voice carries a dangerous edge as she warns him, "Don't move a muscle."
But before she can say more, Lucius cuts her off with a tone so calm it's almost unsettling. "Just watch."
With that, he pulls the trigger, firing a single round into the lake. The shot echoes through the forest, and the dark elf's eyes widen as a look of rage crosses her face. She opens her mouth to shout in protest, but a sudden rumble beneath them throws her off balance.
Regaining her footing, she whirls around to face the lake, her eyes widening in shock as the surface of the green water begins to bubble and steam. Small waves ripple across the lake, and the water grows murky as the once-calm surface seethes with an unnatural energy.
Her voice trembles as she demands, "What… what did you do?" Her earlier confidence is replaced by genuine panic as she watches her cherished lake behave in a way it never has before.
Lucius, still composed, keeps his gaze on the lake before finally looking back at her. He calls her by her name, letting it roll off his tongue with a slow, almost reverent cadence. "Elandrialith," he says, savoring each syllable.
Elandrialith, the dark elf woman, visibly stiffens, the anger in her eyes mingling with confusion. She hadn't introduced herself, yet this human knew her name.
His voice takes on a quiet, almost haunting tone as he adds, "It's not just your lake. Your entire forest is dying."
....
The scene shifts to another part of the forest, where dense shadows seem to gather, coalescing into a malevolent aura that radiates from a darkened cave. The energy seeping from within pulses with an ominous power, faint whispers seeming to echo through the trees, their origin unknown.
A group of students, wandering through this eerie part of the forest, stumble upon the cave. They hesitate at the entrance, exchanging nervous glances as they stare into the darkness within. One of them speaks up, voice shaking slightly. "What… what is that aura?"
Another student, trying to sound brave but failing to hide the quiver in their tone, responds, "I don't know… but it feels… wrong."