Grey had heard similar whispers in ancient times, echoes of words blurred by the passage of centuries. However, he never gave them more than a brief thought, not out of neglect or ignorance, but because his mind, trained in the heat of battle, was always fixed on a single purpose, like an arrow drawn back in a bow.
He advanced with a steady step, the weight of years and memories upon his shoulders, when the magical path came to an abrupt end. Grey stopped. His eyes scanned the surroundings in all directions, bewildered. An absolute silence enveloped him, oppressive, as if nature itself held its breath. Even the crickets and the whisper of the wind had ceased, and an unsettling feeling began to wrap around him like a lurking shadow. His hand tightened around the hilt of his sword, a reflex learned from countless battles. He knew something was wrong, though he could not discern what.
Then it happened. The world before him seemed to break apart, like a mirror whose cracks revealed another reality behind it. The very void tore open, and the veil of a powerful spell unraveled, revealing a village suspended in the heights. The houses, built with sublime artistry, hung from the trees like fruits of an eternal forest. Finely crafted bridges, elevated and majestic, connected the dwellings, shining with an ethereal glow that spoke of elven mastery. The inhabitants, elves with bright eyes and graceful movements, crossed the bridges carrying baskets filled with fruits, fabrics, and spices while children, with a supernatural lightness, leaped from branch to branch, immersed in their games.
But the peace of the moment shattered instantly as the elves' gazes fell upon Grey.
—Stop! Do not take another step! —several guards shouted, raising their spears in a circle that surrounded him with threatening precision.
Grey took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and slowly and deliberately sheathed his sword.
—Identify yourself! —demanded the one who appeared to be the leader, with a gaze as sharp as the blade he bore.
Grey knew that the situation was delicate. If he revealed his true name, he would likely be taken directly before Eleanor, and the weight of that encounter was not something he was prepared to face yet. Calmly, he chose a simple lie.
—I am Nico. Nico Kourest.
The guards exchanged looks of distrust. Although their eyes remained fixed on him, Grey sensed doubt in their posture. With a determined push from the spears at his back, they forced him to walk. "This wasn't part of my plans," he thought. But going voluntarily was better than facing them or being discovered under the protection of a spell that could reveal his true identity at any moment.
The interior of the great tree to which he was led was dimly lit, illuminated only by the flickering light of worn candles and a floating spell that held a lazy flame. There, in a room of stone and wood, awaited a weary-looking guard with a furrowed brow as if he were tired of dealing with intruders.
—Where do you come from? —the guard asked sharply—. You do not look like someone from here. You are skin and bones. Did you just come out of a cave? Are you a miner?
Grey pondered his response for a moment. He knew that every word could seal his fate. Finally, he looked up and smiled faintly as he spoke.
—I am human. Yes, I just came out of a cave. But no, I am not a miner. I am an explorer; my job is to investigate caves, forests and...
—I know perfectly well what an explorer is —interrupted the guard, squinting—. How did you find this place? Are you alone? If not, give me the names of your companions. If you lie, you will regret it.
Grey sighed. "Inquisitive." That word crossed his mind as he listened to the barrage of questions. Straightening up, he replied calmly.
—I don't know. I simply found it. At first I was as lost as I am now. But it seems that even confusion is not enough to avoid an interrogation. I am alone. There is no one with me except my sword and my shadow.
The guard looked at him suspiciously. He whispered something to another guard who left the room silently. Time passed with suffocating heaviness until the second guard returned and nodded.
—We will let you go free but you will be watched. Watch your every move, outsider. You seem young so stay out of trouble.
Grey nodded in gratitude and exited the trunk. The word "young" resonated in his mind with a hint of irony—a surprising compliment for someone who bore two millennia of existence. "Even with this emaciated body, my face remains the same as it once was," he thought with a faint smile.
He walked across the hanging bridges, his gaze absorbed by the architecture and faces surrounding him while his mind remained fixed on one goal: to find Eleanor.
However, when their paths finally crossed it was not a warm or simple reunion but rather a clash of wills as cold and sharp as a newly forged sword.