Lia gave no more words that night, and after hours of agonizing over it, Naya had drifted to a dreamless slumber.
She awoke the following day when the sun's rays hit her face. She gently opened her eyes and stretched her arms.
Naya briefly forgot where they were and what had happened. When she did, her face flushed, and her ears twitched wildly.
[I cried?! ME? And a human saw it! ]
She covered her reddened face.
It wasn't just her emotional state last night being embarrassing; she had let a human see her like that. She recalled the gate guard; he may not be aware, but whoever that woman was definitely seemed to notice.
However, her agonizing over the embarrassment was cut short; the child's face flashed in her mind again, and her mood sombered.
Her thoughts returned to last night when she had to flee the village in shame when she barely held back the tears that threatened to spill.
It didn't cross her mind that the village chief was relied on by that village, and Mora, as presumptuous as she was, was that village's only guard.
She didn't even consider for a second what would have happened had she walked out of that house with the Chief's and Mora's heads in tow.
She'd never thought a no-name village in some human forest would be the place where she had to face her own hypocrisy.
In her mind, these situations had been straightforward.
The village chief and Mora were both Flameclaws, and those were violent monsters that needed to be killed.
But the world wasn't such a simple thing.
When Naya thought about it, it wasn't like she couldn't ignore one or two scornful gazes, but to be looked at like she was a monster wasn't something she could bear, especially with the returned images of her hand through Soralan's chest fresh in her head.
No matter how hard she considered it, she couldn't reach a conclusion.
Lia had been silent since Naya cursed at her.
--I firmly believe it needed to happen. --
Naya was still upset at Lia; she took advantage of Naya's turmoil to deliver a lecture right when it hurt the most.
--I'll concede that my timing was off, but you know what I said was right.--
Of course, she did.
Her dilemma was born from the understanding that she couldn't keep seeing the world as black and white as she had been.
But it stung deeply to have it rubbed in her face.
--I'm... I'm sorry, Nayalisia... My goal is only for you to grow, and in doing so, I may sometimes forget to consider your emotional struggles.--
[I don't know what to do now. The way she looked at me...]
Naya gripped the sheets tightly, the same way she had held the ill-gotten talon.
--In killing one, you anger another. That cycle is as natural as the air you breathe. I didn't have a problem with you killing them; my problem was that you would have killed them without knowing the consequences of it. --
[Why did I need to know? What do I do now? ]Naya felt lost; she never thought she would have to deal with these emotions. She never would have thought a mortal race could affect her so much.
She tucked her knees in and put her head down.
That stare, the horrified stare of a child, would haunt her for a long time.
She shook her head rapidly as if to forcefully empty her mind.
--I don't want you to become a monster. Furthermore, Nayalisia, I mentioned this before, but you pretty much represent the Elves now. An unforeseen consequence of your banishing.--
[Maybe... I was wrong. ]
--You said then that they should revere the Elves; you believed that with your race's guidance, the mortal lands would see prosperity.--
Naya remembered. She had gotten annoyed then because the village chief in Rella had gotten upset at her intervention. Lia asked her what place the Elves had, and Naya had given a thoughtless answer.
--I won't say you were wrong; the Elves could do a lot of good for the world. They have before.--
Before the isolation.
Naya knew very little about the time prior, and only a few Elders and Acclaimed remained from that period. Her mother was one, and so was Soranulum. The only thing taught to her was that a lot of people died facing an enemy that could have destroyed the world. Only a few survived, and Aleria isolated itself shortly after by order of the Tribunal.
--Sort of correct. The Elves did fight a deadly battle, one that altered the course of Toral. Even the other races have scant history remaining from that time; your people did a fantastic job wiping it from the world. --
[Why? ]Naya welcomed the subject change.
--The events after the battle are unknown to me, and it's not my place to inform you of your history.--
[Of course.] Naya was disappointed, but she wasn't in the mood to press.
--I will repeat this, Nayalisia. Whether by design or accidental, you are the representative of your race. It might have been a long while before you made a real impact, but with you now part of the Adventurer's Guild, your name will spread far and wide within the next few years. --
--Even now, you'll likely return to Rozen with no small amount of fanfare just because you're an Elf, and that news spread.--
[I never asked for this. ]
--Well, how your people are viewed is up to you. For now, people only have fictional tales; you are the only one who can create the reality. Nayarali knew this, and she trusted you.--
[Mother... I miss her... I miss her so much.]
It's been over a year now since her mother hugged her goodbye and promised she would return.
Her eyes threatened to spill again.
She longed to be told in that gentle voice what to do next, where she should go from here.
--What do you think the next steps are, Nayalisia?--
[I... I don't... I don't want to be hated. ]Naya admitted. It felt natural for her to say it, and it nearly made her tear up again when she finished.
When she was at the academy, people looked up to her. She was the perfect student who mingled with her juniors, guided them, and listened to her teachers. She enjoyed the respect and admiration from the cheers whenever she fought and won a battle. Aside from childish pranks, Naya had never been hated by her peers.
--There you go. That's it. If you had continued how you have been, you would quickly become precisely that: hated and feared. The village chief annoyed you? Beat him up. A human made an unsavory comment? Kill them. --
[I get it.]
--Remember the hall? The cheers when you hit Rick, you enjoyed those cheers just as much as when they came from your Elven peers. Because it reminded you of the academy? Trash. You liked the positive spotlight; you know you did. You just didn't want to acknowledge the other races.--
[I get it already! I... will think about this.]
--I know. I also know something great will be born from it.--
Naya sat in silence.
She didn't want to be hated, but she also didn't want to pretend to be something she wasn't. She wasn't sure how she would be able to move forward with that line of thought, so she moved to something greater.
Naya remembered her words at Rella, how the Elves should be revered, and they can adequately guide the world. How can she expect that to pass if the only thing the people know is a violent Elf? That made sense to her; it was reasonable.
--You're... still a child. You shouldn't have this burden placed on you, but alas...--
Naya raised her head and stared toward the window; the sun had risen fully to signify the morning.
However, it was not Aleria; the scenery outside that window was a forest far, far away from her home.
Naya threw off the blanket and walked over to it, her fists clenched. I[ will show the world the true honor of the Elves. I won't allow my... childish nature to ruin our image.]
She reached a conclusion, one so small she barely considered it acceptable. But she didn't know what else to say to represent her mood.
A desire was born in her mind. She didn't understand before and couldn't believe she didn't realize how great it was for an Elf to be outside Aleria. But Sal said it best: the last time an Elf was present, a powerful country was born.
It was a small desire, but Naya resolved not to let what happened last night happen ever again. She would not let her arrogance lead to hateful tales of her people spread throughout Toral.
Importantly, she would ensure she was no longer looked at as a monster. Deep down, though, she feared it was unavoidable. Her conversations about witches' natures and the Flameclaw conquests were recent examples.
Luckily, she hadn't done anything too bad, but she knew she was tempted into action multiple times.
--Good. It's not exactly what I want, but the idea is there. I believe you'll come to love the other races eventually, just as the Elves of old did, Nayalisia.--
Lia was right, and Naya wasn't sure her conclusion was correct, but it was all she could think of.
Naya stared at the distant trees for a while longer.
--Speak with Rula. Yesterday hit her hard; she's younger than you, Naya.--
Naya's eyes widened.
That's right, she had forgotten.
Rula was a halfling child and was given the same hatred Naya was, only it was unfamiliar to her, and she wept the entire night.
Naya ran straight out of the room, pushing open her door and moving to the next room, where she knew Rula was.
"And that's how you draw wings! Pretty cool, right?"
"You're exceptionally talented, Rula. Thanks for teaching this old woman your skills."
"Hehe~ Anytime!"
She halted in front of the door, hearing Rula's normal excitable tone and the voice of an older woman happily chatting.
It froze her.
Was Rula mad at her? Did she even want to speak with Naya after last night?
The door swung open, and Rula ran through it and tightly embraced Naya. "Naya! You're awake!"
Naya held back a tear and released a breath of relief.
She placed her hands on Rula's shoulders. "Rula, I... am sorry about what happened."
Rula giggled. "No biggie~" she let go of Naya and moved from the doorway to show the older woman in her room. "This is Sarah! She's the mother of the village chief, and she's been really nice!"
"Hello, Naya." The old woman had white hair in a ponytail and graceful wrinkles on her face. Yet, she still stood tall, as tall as Naya. Her blue eyes radiated strength, something Naya thought mortal people lost with age.
She did not look at Naya with fear or any sort of emotion other than that of natural gentleness that came with age and wisdom.
Naya remembered her earlier decision. "H- Hello." She pretended the person before her was an Elder and bowed her head slightly.
It felt unnatural and forced.
The woman chuckled. "No need to force yourself, Naya. Most humans don't expect the same respect Elves have for their leaders."
"Have you-" Naya looked up in shock. [There's no way another-]
"Heavens, no." She quickly interrupted. "I'm old, but not that old. As for how I know Elven etiquette... well, I have a book about it." She smiled.
"A... book?" Naya's eyes widened. Lia had just told her that nothing had survived the pre-isolation era.
--I said almost nothing; even then, it would be impossible to erase everything. I'm sure some records exist somewhere.--
"Enough of that!" Rula jumped between them. "Sarah, tell Naya what you told me!"
"Ah~ The impatience of youth." Sarah ruffled Rula's hair.
Rula laughed and jumped away to take a seat on her bed.
--She seems... okay? It's rather odd.--
"Well, we can get right to it." Sarah took a seat on the only chair in the small room. "Rula informed me of what occurred last night at the Flameclaw village."
She looked at Naya with pity. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." She gently shook her head and sighed. "The average citizen can love even the darkest of conquerors. You two are far too young to have to deal with what comes from fighting a war."
Naya wanted to tell her not to look at her like that but bit her tongue. The woman was just being caring; she was trying to soothe her.
It felt odd, but Naya wasn't angry about it.
"War?" Naya asked instead.
"Yes. We are the only bastion preventing them from attacking further into the forest. A wall, you could say."
"I thought they had already burned down many of the villages out here?"
Sarah shook her head. "Only one, and that was when we were not prepared for their attacks."
Naya wasn't sure how to feel. How should she feel about the Flameclaws?
As if sensing her plight, Sarah stood and walked over. "Naya, I understand exactly what you're feeling." She placed her hand softly on Naya's shoulder. "To save one life by killing another; it's not a decision you should hastily make."
That made Naya's ears droop a little.
The problem was that she would have killed that life not to save another.
Sarah moved her other hand to the top of Naya's head and gave it a light rub.
Naya's ears twitched, and she shook.
This is what her mother used to do all the time whenever she was comforting Naya.
"You may feel like you have to make a decision, Naya, but you do not." Sarah smiled at her. "Nobody has the right to ask that of you."
"But Sarah, the Flameclaw's are evil! You said so!" Rula's voice tinged with anxiety and desperation.
Sarah let go of Naya and walked back to her seat.
Naya raised her hand to touch where Sarah had placed her hand.
"To us and the other Soren Forest villages, they are. But to their own people, as you have experienced, they are not."
"So then what do we do?" Rula mumbled.
"Nothing. This is not your battle, Rula, Naya. This is a battle for our lands, and therefore, we should be the ones fighting it."
"But, why do we have a quest if it wasn't meant to be our battle?" Rula asked.
"There are thousands in this forest; anyone could have informed the guild of a Flameclaw."
Naya finally removed her hand and looked at Sarah. "I understand now the repercussions of my actions. I..." The child flashed in her mind again. She released a shaky breath. "I wasn't prepared to deal with it, but I will finish our quest."
She decided on the spot, but Naya knew she needed to face it.
"But I don't wanna be looked at like that again!" Rula shouted; she threw her sketchbook to the bed and jumped up before Naya.
"Rula..." Naya looked at her.
"Are you sure, Naya?" Sarah stood, and her face was grave.
Naya looked at Rula's anxious expression and then back up to Sarah. "No... but I have to see this through."
Sarah stared at Naya's resolute face for a moment, then patted Rula's head again. "Rula, you needn't worry."
She walked toward the door and opened it. "For us, those Flameclaws have to die... To them, you'd be a villain, but to us, you'd be a hero. Aid in our defense, and at least we can spare you the venom of the defeated."
Naya stared, shocked. "They're going to attack?"
"Of course, and not just with two like what Rula reported you fought. They are a large family, and my scouts tell me the rest have only just returned." Sarah's tone was dark and foreboding.
--I knew it. An old man and a single daughter? Yeah right.--
Rula looked dejected.
"But know this: the Flameclaws started this war unprovoked."