The soft rustling of leaves accompanied the flickering firelight, casting elongated shadows around the camp. Elara sat a little apart from the group, her silver-white hair catching the glow, while her blue eyes reflected the vast sky above. She had been listening intently to the stories, each tale weighing on her thoughts. Now, the others turned toward her expectantly, waiting for her to speak.
"Elara," Aurelia began, her warm voice filling the silence. "We've all shared pieces of ourselves. You've been quiet so far. When did it happen for you? When did you become immortal?"
Elara's eyes shifted slightly, a brief hesitation flickering in them. She sighed, then spoke, her voice steady yet distant. "I was 24. Too young to know what I was getting into. But that was over a thousand years ago."
Thalos, with his deep, gravelly voice, leaned forward. "24… and you've lived with it all this time? What happened after?"
Elara's lips curved into a slight, wry smile. "What didn't happen?"
The group settled in, sensing the weight of her words.
"After it happened," Elara began, "I was lost. Not just in the world, but inside myself. You see, immortality didn't come with guidance, or clarity. I was cursed, yes, but the curse didn't just stop at never aging. It brought... other consequences. I could no longer feel the passage of time the way I once did. Weeks blended into months, months into years, until entire decades passed without me noticing. I wandered, as we all did, I suppose."
Aurelia's golden eyes softened as she listened. "It sounds like you were adrift."
"I was," Elara replied. "I sought answers, tried to undo what had been done. I met witches, wizards, anyone who claimed to have knowledge of curses or time. But every lead fell apart, every promise of salvation was false. The longer I lived, the more detached I became. I no longer felt part of the world around me."
Lucius spoke next, his voice sharp but thoughtful. "Detachment—interesting. So, you never tried to build a life somewhere? To use your gift?"
Elara chuckled bitterly. "It didn't feel like a gift. And building a life... for what? To watch everyone I care about grow old and die? To see the world shift and change, leaving me behind, unchanged?" She paused, her gaze distant again. "I stayed in the shadows. I watched empires rise and fall. Cities were built and razed, yet I remained. I became a ghost, in a sense. Immortality made me invisible, not invincible."
Kael tilted his head slightly. "You talk about watching, but did you ever feel a pull to step back in? To connect with people again?"
Elara's eyes hardened, though her voice stayed soft. "I tried. Once. It didn't end well."
The group fell quiet, sensing a deeper story there, but Elara offered no further details. Instead, she continued. "There came a time when I grew tired of watching. Of being a shadow in the world of the living. I found a secluded forest, much like this one, and stayed there. I didn't want to be found. I didn't want to exist anymore."
"Yet, you're here with us now," Eirik remarked. "Something must have pulled you back."
Elara nodded. "Yes. That's where the forest comes in. This one—Evergreen. It was different. I was drawn here, but not by choice. It was as though the forest itself called to me. And when I arrived, it felt like... a sanctuary. Not just a place to hide, but a place that understood my curse. I still don't know why, but here, the weight of immortality seemed... less."
"Less?" Zahara asked, intrigued. "How?"
"I don't know," Elara replied, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Maybe it's the forest's magic, or something older than any of us. But here, the endless years don't stretch ahead of me like an empty road. Time feels... slower, softer."
Aurelia, always the optimist, smiled gently. "Perhaps this is where you were meant to be all along."
Elara didn't respond immediately, but her gaze softened. "Maybe. But even in this forest, the shadows still follow me. You can't outrun who you are, or what you've become."
Eirik, who had been listening closely, nodded. "We all carry our shadows, Elara. The forest may provide refuge, but it doesn't erase what we've been through."
Thalos, his deep voice resonant, spoke up. "Perhaps the forest didn't call you to escape your past. Maybe it called you to confront it."
Elara's eyes met his, and for a moment, something passed between them—a recognition of shared burden. "Perhaps," she admitted quietly.
The group fell silent for a time, reflecting on Elara's words. Each of them understood, in their own way, the weight of immortality. But her story—of isolation, of choosing to become a ghost—struck a chord.
"So what now?" Kael asked, his voice gentle. "Do you still want to hide from the world, or... are you ready to face it again?"
Elara's lips twitched, almost into a smile. "I don't know. But here, in this place, I feel... less alone. That's a start, I suppose."
Lucius, ever the pragmatist, leaned back. "None of us are alone here. We may have been, once. But Evergreen has brought us together for a reason. Maybe it's time we stop running from it."
Elara gave a slow nod, her gaze drifting once more to the trees, their ancient branches stretching far above them. "Maybe."
As the fire crackled and the night deepened, the group fell into a quieter conversation, sharing their thoughts on Elara's journey, the meaning of immortality, and the strange magic of the forest that now held them together.
The shadows were still there, lingering at the edges of their hearts, but for the first time in a long while, Elara felt something she hadn't in centuries—hope.
After Elara tells her story, the group discusses the nature of isolation and detachment.
They reflect on the peculiar draw of Evergreen Forest and whether it provides solace or forces them to confront their burdens.