Historias' POV
The gentle rustling of leaves stirred me from my slumber. A cool breeze carried the scent of the forest, crisp and alive, brushing against my skin as I exhaled slowly. I had fallen asleep beneath this tree, lulled by the serenity of the day, and I had no immediate intention of moving.
Then I heard them.
Footsteps. Uneven, hurried, and uncoordinated. A sharp intake of breath, a suppressed whimper. The scent of blood tainted the air, faint but undeniable.
I opened my eyes.
A group of children stood before me—bruised, battered, and wide-eyed with shock. Their clothes were torn, their faces painted with exhaustion and dried streaks of sweat. I regarded them in silence for a moment, watching their chests rise and fall rapidly. Clearly, they had been running from something.
"…Who are you?" I finally asked, my voice even and unhurried.
They flinched.
The smallest among them, a human boy, stepped forward hesitantly. He swallowed hard before speaking. "W-We got lost in the forest," he stammered. "We were attacked by monsters and had no choice but to run."
Monsters? Here? I frowned slightly.
The Everglen Forest was vast and unpredictable, but I had ensured that no creatures strong enough to be a threat lingered near this area. More importantly… how did children make it this deep inside? It should have taken days to reach this place, yet their injuries were fresh. A disturbing possibility crossed my mind.
"…How exactly did you arrive here?"
The children exchanged glances, confused by my question.
Elias' POV (One of the children, a young elf)
I didn't know how to answer him. My legs felt like lead, my arms ached, and my head was spinning from exhaustion.
We had been running for what felt like hours. Days? I wasn't sure anymore. The goblins had chased us relentlessly, and all we could do was run deeper and deeper into the forest. I thought we were going to die. And then… somehow, we ended up here.
This man—this elf—looked nothing like the ones I knew. His long white hair framed an almost ethereal face, his golden eyes gleaming with an intelligence that sent a chill down my spine. There was something unnerving about him, yet… he didn't seem hostile. Just curious.
I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the sting of the wounds on my arm. "W-We were heading to Castellas Academy," I explained. "We decided to meet at the outskirts of the forest before traveling together. But then… we heard something."
Seren's POV (A young human girl)
I still felt the panic in my chest when I thought about it. The rustling. The monstrous growl. The way the goblins had leaped out from the underbrush, their eyes gleaming with hunger.
I clenched my fists. "They weren't normal," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "It wasn't just one or two. There were so many… and they were being led by a hobgoblin. It gave them orders, and they listened."
Historias narrowed his eyes slightly, but he said nothing.
"We couldn't fight," I continued. "There were too many of them. So we ran deeper into the forest, trying to lose them." I bit my lip. "But the deeper we ran, the stranger it felt. Like we were walking in circles but still moving forward at the same time. Then suddenly, we were here."
Historias' POV
A warp space, then.
That explained it. Extremely rare, but not impossible. These anomalies formed when mana flux shifted unpredictably, creating temporary distortions in space. To end up here so quickly… they must have stumbled upon one without realizing it.
Interesting.
I leaned back against the tree, folding my arms. "I see."
The children watched me anxiously, waiting for my reaction.
Then I asked, "Why were you near the forest in the first place?"
Elias was the one who answered this time. "We were on our way to Castellas Academy," he said. "We were supposed to enroll this year."
Castellas…
I hadn't heard that name in a long time.
I closed my eyes briefly, a ghost of a smile touching my lips. "It's been quite a while."
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[Historias' POV]
I let out a quiet sigh as I studied the group of children standing before me. They were in rough shape—clothes torn, scratches lining their arms and legs, some of them even bleeding. A few of them looked ready to collapse from exhaustion.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. How did they even get here? The heart of Everglen Forest was no place for lost students, especially not ones chased by goblins. My thoughts lingered on the strange circumstances before I let them go. For now, treating their wounds comes first.
I raised a hand, letting golden light pool in my palm before it swept over them in soft waves. One by one, their injuries mended—cuts sealed, bruises faded, and energy seemed to return to their exhausted limbs.
A collective gasp rose from them.
"Whoa," the pink-haired girl murmured, flexing her fingers. "That felt… amazing."
The others exchanged glances, awe and relief washing over their tired faces.
Then, the girl's gaze flickered downward, her expression shifting slightly.
I followed her line of sight.
Oh.
I had completely forgotten to cast illusion magic.
Faintly glowing runes traced along my forearms, pulsing softly as the remnants of my spell faded. Their golden inscriptions shimmered under the dimming light. Ancient, unmistakable, the mark of a High Elf.
For a second, the girl simply stared. A spark of recognition lit up her expression, her pink eyes narrowing slightly. She's seen them before.
I could already hear the question forming on her lips.
"Wait a second… are those—"
"You're seeing things," I interrupted swiftly, keeping my voice casual. Too casual.
I gave a lazy wave of my hand, immediately casting an illusion over my skin. The runes vanished.
She blinked. Her brows furrowed in confusion. "... Huh." She shook her head as if trying to recall something.
I held my breath.
"Maybe I'm just tired," she finally said, shrugging.
Phew.
The others, either too drained or too relieved to notice, simply bowed their heads in gratitude.
"Thank you," the green-haired elf boy said sincerely.
I nodded. "Come." I turned, gesturing toward the massive stone towers looming beyond the clearing. "We'll talk once you're somewhere safe."
They followed my gaze.
And then they finally noticed it.
The towering castle stood against the evening sky, its spires brushing the clouds. A relic of the past, untouched by time.
Their breath hitched.
"That's… a castle?" one of them whispered.
I fought the urge to smirk at their expressions. Welcome to my home, kids.
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