The midday sun beat down on the trees, casting long shadows through the canopy. On the outskirts of the village, nestled amongst the gnarled roots of a colossal oak, stood a small, unassuming cabin. Built from rough-hewn logs and topped with a roof woven from fragrant pine needles, it exuded a sense of rustic charm.
Inside, sweat beaded on the sun-kissed brow of Silax, a young elf with hair the color of spun gold. Unlike his kin who spent their days immersed in the intricacies of the sorcery of runes or the graceful art of archery, Silax was devoted to strengthening his physical prowess.
The air hung heavy with the scent of pine resin and exertion. Sunbeams streamed through gaps in the roof, illuminating a makeshift training area. A series of polished logs served as makeshift weights; their surfaces worn smooth by countless repetitions. A thick rope, coiled like a slumbering serpent, lay beside a rough stone slab that doubled as a bench.
Silax, clad in supple leather breeches and a form-fitting tunic that did little to hide his defined musculature, was mid-set. His movements were a blur of controlled power and fluid grace. He lifted the log weights, a low growl escaping his lips with each repetition. His muscles, honed by years of dedicated training, strained and rippled beneath his skin.
Sweat dripped from his chin as he lowered the logs, his breaths coming in short, rhythmic gasps. Yet, his golden eyes, usually sparkling with a cheer that drew people in, held a steely focus.
Suddenly, a twig snapped outside, the sound cutting through the rhythmic grunts emanating from the cabin. Silax's head snapped up, his smile replaced with a flash of alertness. He snatched the hefty rope, his fingers flying as he deftly fashioned it into a loop with one end secured to a sturdy beam overhead. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he tossed the loop over a thick branch extending from the window, creating a makeshift swinging rope.
A moment later, a young boy with a tall frame and unruly mop of brown hair burst through the doorway, he looked like a regular farmhand's son. Yet, his eyes held a mischievous glint, his face was flushed with excitement.
"Silax! There's news from the Jack!"
Silax chuckled, a warm, melodious sound.
"Hold your horses, Callon. Let me finish my workout, then we'll hear this news."
He swung the rope a few times, testing its stability.
"Unless you want to help me with those weights?"
Callon's smile faltered slightly. He had always been a big lad, but Silax workout routine was on another level.
"Perhaps another time, Silax. I wouldn't want to slow you down."
He watched with a grin as Silax launched into another set of lifts, the clanging of logs against stone echoing through the tiny cabin.
The sun continued its descent, casting the forest floor in an orange glow. By the time Silax finished his workout, wiping sweat from his brow with a worn cloth, the excitement in Callon's eyes hadn't dimmed.
"It amazes me how no matter intensity of your workout, you don't get all muscly and bulked up."
Silax used the cloth to wipe off the sweat from his body and his equipment.
"I'm an elf after all, all elves are generally ectomorphs. I also have no other choice than to keep on working on my body, it's the only way to increase my power."
Callon raised a brow and repeated.
"Ectomorph?"
Silax looked at the boy then sighed.
"Never mind. Alright let's hear this news you've got."
Callon excitement seemed to increase, he was almost bouncing on his feet.
"I was at The Dusty Tome, listening to some of the patrons tell tales of the different adventures they'd been on, when one of Jack's men came to find me. He asked me to inform you that Jack wants to meet tomorrow, first thing in the morning, and that you should be prepared to leave Scola tomorrow."
Silax threw the damp cloth on the bench and looked at the boy, the glint that was usually in his eyes missing, his eyes at this moment looked more like those of someone calculative and shrewd.
"First of all, I was expecting something more, due to the level of your excitement. Secondly, that's a little abrupt, I haven't heard from him in over a month and then suddenly, I'm supposed to be heading somewhere with him."
Callon looked at him, not surprised by his lack of understanding.
"All you know about Jack is that he his good at what he does, but I worked for him for over two years. I can assure you that he is quite reliable, just a little creepy. If he sent for you, that means he has gotten all that you requested, and a certain element of it must be time sensitive."
Silax walked out of the cabin, Callon followed him out.
"That's much sooner than I expected, but I'm not complaining. I've been preparing for years, I just don't like the sudden nature of it."
He began to clear the leaves that had fallen on one of the two chairs that were in front of his cabin.
'There's no use stressing over it, I'm still not sure exactly why he's called for me. I just have to make sure I'm prepared for any eventuality. Callon might trust him, or his faithfulness to his commission, but that doesn't mean I should, experience has taught me better than to.'
He sat on one of the chairs outside the cabin, Callon sat next to him.
"I guess you'll soon get the answers you've been searching for."
Callon began to fidget with a gold coin that hung from his neck on a piece of twine, this coin was all that he had from his mother. Calling it a coin was a stretch, it was just a flat disk of gold without any markings or stamp.
"Well, you said if you could get those things, then you'd explain the origins of this coin, and the possibility of me finding her."
Silax looked up, looking at the rays of sunlight as they cut through the canopy of leaves.
"The keyword being possibility, I can't say if she's alive or not. The fact that you have that coin makes the chances slimmer, but yes, I'll tell you things about yourself that you've always questioned once I have the items."
Callon had a pensive look on his face, with longing reflected in his eyes.
He understood some of Callon's feelings, because he could relate a little, all he did was to find a way home. Home was something he had always kept close to his heart, but for last ten years, all his thoughts and actions have been towards returning.
Silax kept on looking up, peering through the canopy, he could just barely make out one of the moons of Artiyaem. Artiyaem was a plane that the elves called their homeworld, it was one of the few celestial bodies that weren't spherical that could support life. It had two moons, Mawu that came out every night to light the darkness, and Aethel which was always in the sky, barely visible.
Once a month the path of Mawu and Aethel crossed, on that night Aethel is the only visible thing in the sky, the light of Mawu shines through Aethel, bathing the world in a red glow. Another time when Aethel dominates the sky was on a particular day in the month of Orin, all through the day and night, Aethel shines as bright as the sun, that's one day when the sun and the other moon don't show up in the sky.
Silax stood up and beckoned to him.
"Come on, let's go get something to eat, I'm starving."
Together they walked towards the village of Scola. The small, unassuming cabin stood silent, a testament to the dedication of the golden-haired elf who called it home. But within its walls, a quiet power hummed, waiting for the next challenge, the next opportunity to test the limits of his extraordinary strength.