Into the forest

elora walked silently through a small forest, looking up at the tall proud trees and listening to the sounds of the forest. Elora had just finished shopping in the village and was heading back towards the orphanage, where she would then spend the rest of the day teaching the younger children how to plant the seeds that she had just bought. Mrs Penelope had asked specifically for sweet corn and potatoes, and so that's what elora got, as well as some other herbs And vegetables. The reason that elora had chosen to walk through the forest that day because the village was particularly crowded that day, and she liked how peaceful it was.

the forest never failed to sound, smell and look beautiful every time she walked through it, which is why she loved it. However today, something about the forest was completely different. This wasn't the forest that she had grown up with. This wasn't the forest that she knew so well. This one was somewhat chaotic, and loud. It wasn't nearly as peaceful as. Her forest.

The trees seemed at least ten times, if not bigger, than the ones in her forest. This forest was so much older, the trees here had witnessed so much more than the ones from her forest had.

it was as if her body had warped between two completely different places. Well, at least she still had all of the things that she had bought, including the spare gold and silver coins that she didn't spend in the market.

Despite this not being Elora's forest, she still seemed strangely at home. By the end of the year the orphanage would kick her out anyways so there was no point in going back now. Besides! She just got a bunch of free seeds all to herself!

elora continued to walk through the newfound forest, looking around and wondering if she was the only person here. If she wasn't, maybe she could trade her vegetables and herbs for tools and such… Elora grew exited from the thought. This was like camping, but it would last forever!…. Right?

"Hello?" Elora called out, trying to see if anyone was nearby.

A young boy asked himself, as he was alone in a lush, green forest with nothing but trees as far as the eye can see. However, this would not be for his case, being one of elven descent, his eyes can see far more than the human eye, one might even say he could see 'a whole new world beyond mortals' eyesight', and while this is partially true, it's not that big of a deal, for the people of his world, atleast.

[This is nothing like the forests in my home...yet, being on grounds untouched by human civilization, I could say...halfway there..."

His elven ears suddenly perked up when heard a call from somewhere not so far from where he's at. He'd put the hood of his rugged cloak over his head, effectively covering his ears and the majority of his face. Next things we'd know is that he's already sitting on a tall tree's branch, seemingly stalking the stranger whom called for anyone. He waited, seemingly expecting someone else to come over to the girl's aid, and to seemingly no avail.

Finally, after a while of waiting, he took a free fall from the branch, and sort of parkoured his way in front of the girl, with his bow in hand and three arrows with it, he stared her down for a moment, before opening his mouth to speak in impulse.

'What business has the human civilization brought you here, if you do so kind elaborate it yourself..."

Elora jumped at the sudden intrusion of space, eyes widening when she realised what the boy had said

"Wh- human civilisation? Uhm…" Eloras voice lowered as she continued to speak, eying the weapon in the boys hands. "I-I didn't know there were other civilisations here…"

when Elora called out to see if anyways nearby, she didn't actually expect anyone to answer, much less somebody who seemed this hostile.

Elora tightened her grip around the handle of the basket she was holding, wanting so desperately for the earth to swallow her for her mistake

[cis]"Ahhh crap, I forgot this ain't my forest. Not like it matters, because as an elf it's my duty to protect the forests..."

Having these thoughts said in his mind alone, and of course, a moment more to analyze this situation and assessing on how to make it better, he had first decided to return the three arrows in his quiver, and folding his bow back into...a short stick. It would seem that despite being elven, technology still progresses in the pacifist lands of enchanted forests.

"I see. Sorry for giving you a scare...force of habit, I guess...hehe~"

His voice slowly transcended from a serious monotone to a childish manner of speech. It would seem that despite being 50 years of age, he's still has a childish side on the inside, as his body is on the outside.

Elora's body almost immediately relaxed. The boys child like voice reminded her of the children from the orphanage, and made her feel more at ease, despite the fact that he had pulled a damn arrow on her. At least he put it away right? Despite her sudden ease, Eloras death grip on the basket never falters. Instead of speaking, she took a step back and pushed the basket behind her back, looking away sheepishly

'Aww crap, did I say something wrong? C'mon, Arkuno, think! What would a human child like?" He thought to himself.

Having anxiety settling in on him and is starting to get a bit clearer on his facial expressions, he thought of a way to get the child to be at complete ease, as he didn't want to leave a terrorized kid alone in the forest, not like he'd leave any kid in the forest anyways, as he'd always try his best to get them out of there without getting spotted. And of course, without spilling his identity.

'O-ohhh! How stupid of me, I forgot to introduce myself, hehe! My name's Arkuno. How about you?"

Not being the best at conversations, let alone to a human, he did struggle to formulate thoughts in his mind. He could try being imaginative, but for some reason, he's being really practical about this.

Elora looked at the boy, taking in his nervous features. "Oh… he's just as nervous as I am" Elora thought gratefully, glad that's he wasn't the only one feeling awkward.

"Elora" she mumbles, offering a tiny smile

'Is she easing up a bit? Thank the spirits she is...ohh my lord I thought I'm gonna have to big brain my way out of this again..."

He gave out a sigh of relief on impulse, noticed it, and got a little bit flustered. He decided to try and ignore it, and cleared his voice to completely erase his thoughts being the result of him overthinking the whole situation.

'Uhhhmmm, so uhh, my camp is nearby! You can come with me and rest for a bit! And maybe play a little? I don't know... something like that?"

He is starting to show his childish side a little bit more as this went on. And leaving this side unchecked, he continued, thinking he's starting to get the hang of this as a result of his analysis, when in truth, he unconsciously let out his more childish self, bit by bit.

Eloras eyes widened just a little, after hearing about a "camp" her smile widened a little bit, before Elora nodded in return.

"So Uhm.. arkuno? Why are you alone out here? Where are we?" She asked quietly.

He paused for a moment, rethought the whole situation through, and after a few seconds, his mind did a "oh snap!" moment. He realizes the entire situation and what he's lacking, how unprepared he is and how he might compromise his identity. He started to overthink the whole situation again, and finally, a thread snapped in his head, and literally said in his mind words he thought he'd never say in his lifetime:

'You know what? Screw it! Surely she knows what elves are and surely she has seen one. Surely she wouldn't mind and surely some things can go wrong, but, I know I'm smart enough how to slip through them. So. Screw. It."

And just like that, the dutiful keeper of the forest finally decided to give in to his childishness for once. He had been keeping this at bay for 40 years now. He just wants his childish self to have a little bit of sun every once in a while from now on, and so, decided to do exactly just that.

'Well, to tell you the truth, I have no one else here! I thought I was alone as well, until I heard your call. And, honestly, I don't have a camp either, nor I like human made settlements. Why? Because I'm an elf!"

He unraveled the hood that was almost covering his entire face, revealing his elven ears and his child like face to finally complete his childish build. Although something is a bit off. His left eye had an eyepatch, partially covered by his blonde hair, which is also so long behind him he had it ponytailed, reaching unto his waistline. His right blue green eye revealing a shimmering spark of youth, followed by his innocent smile, seemingly happy to finally let loose a side he had hidden for some time now...

Elora listened to his words, becoming more and more confused with each and every word he spoke. An elf? Don't those only exist in fairy tales? Arkuno then proceeded to remove his hood and exposed his face. Now if I said that Elora was shook, that would be an understatement. Just where on earth was she? Wow could she even say where on "earth" anymore? She just stood there, looking at the boy, almost unable to process anything at all. Oh! Maybe this is what he meant by play? Well, then it shouldn't be too hard to play along. "An elf? What kind?" Elora asks

'What kind of elf? Uhmm, I guess, the one you'd rarely see roaming in the forest one day then suddenly disappear because we don't often get along with humans kind of elf? Oh! But don't worry, that's just a rule for us, we don't really dislike humans. In fact, I'm a bit curious to your behaviors! I wanna know how similar and different we are from each other...ahh, so much things I wanna know as well..."

He is just living his life in the moment, a bit too happy to be free for a change, when he gotten back a bit of his senses, and decided that he was going too fast, and just like that, his overthinking habit and his childish mind collaborated for the first time. He had assessed that she might had come from a world where elves don't exist, which made him even more curious. He had thought that he was in his own world still. Could it be that he's been isekai'd? (Transported to another world) Or is he simply somewhere else uncharted in his world, along with the sudden appearance of the girl. Too many circumstances at once, and so, he decided to cut them off into bite sized information.

'Umm, may I ask you something. Do elves even exist in your world?"

Elora's blank face began to drain of colour, realising that she had just treated this kid like he was stupid.~ "ehm, yes that's right- this kind of thing would be known as a fantasy. I don't know how I get here but I guess I don't mind. I didn't really have a life in the other world since I'm an orphan" Elora said quickly, desperately trying to explain herself.

His smile kind of shattered, knowing that he might have hit a spot too far and too bad. He kinda panicked for a bit, guess he still has to learn to control his childish side before he decides to go full ham with it. He took a few moments to think about this calmly, and when finally ready, he began:

'Ahh... I'm sorry to hear that, really am."

He took a few more moments for a breather, and continued.

''We can set camp near the river, if you'd like. I'd honestly like to hear more from you, and maybe, I could give you a simple rundown about myself as well!"

Trying his best to ease the situation, he decided it'd be best if they could both have a bit of a breather on a nearby river, maybe set up a temporary shelter and continue their conversation there.

''I know of a river nearby, wanna set camp there?"

"Mhm! I was going to look for a river or a creek but then I decided to see if there were people first. I guess that was the right idea huh?" Elora states, easing her body posture into a more casual stance.

"Well then, follow me, if you may. I know the fastest way there on foot..."

"...and by on foot I mean by on ground."

Kinda feeling bad about that thought since he thought it's most likely an indirect insult towards the human girl, he decided to shake it off his head, all the while heading for the nearby river in a pace a bit slower than average, which he eventually decided to step up.

"Here we are! A river, a source of freshwater, and as my 'intuition' suggests, it's safe to drink! Well, of course, unless you decided to take a bath on it."

Nodding to himself as he is inspecting a possible camping spot, he grabbed a pebble from a pocket of his hidden under his cloak, which he still wears. The whispers something on it and tossed it on the ground, and within a few moments time, an earthen, dome shaped hut is built magically from that single pebble. (Think of the hobbit house but smaller and way less decorations)

"Done with the hut. Well, if you'd like it, you can have this for yourself, if you don't feel comfortable resting up with someone else..."

He got a little bit more flustered as he said that, now his cheeks grew a bit peachy along with the tip of each ears, he tried to hide it by putting on his hood again for a moment, muffling words as he did so...

Elora giggles, thinking of his accidental insult as a joke. The river was somewhat calm, and she could see a few freshwater fish swimming down stream. She turned back to arkuno and gasped when she saw a dome that wasn't there before. "Where did that come from!?" She almost yelps, stepping away from it and not even hearing arkunos last words

''Ohhh...sorry, that was probably too sudden of me. It's called magic, and it's kind of complicated to simplify, but, basically, it is what it implies it to be."

He says to the startled Elora, extending out a hand for her as his right eye seemingly shone from the darkness of his hood he forgot to unveil, along with the same warm smile he would usually give tp his closest friends.

''Hehe~ You ok? You'd look like you could use a hand..."

Elora slowly tore her gaze off of the structure, and looked at arkuno questioningly. "M-magic exists here as well?" She asks, baffled. She relaxed a little bit and eyes arkunos hand, before linking her pinkie finger with his

"Yup! It sure does! But...does that mean that your world doesn't have magic? Hmmm, interesting..."

He wasn really paying attention to Elora's actions until she linked her pinkie finger with his, as which he felt a sudden jolt run through him and back. He immediately became very flustered because of this, and he doesn't know why. He never had been this flustered before, so he's currently soo confused.

This went on for a little while until he shook most of it off, to which, he'd take the rest of her extended arm to help her up. Still a bit flustered but is fine now, he decided to continue explaining what he did.

"These are called 'creation pebbles'. I know, not the most appealing name, but, could be worse to be frankly honest."

Elora mentally slapped herself for not grabbing his hand instead, she had just made it harder for him to help her. When she looked up to apologise she paused, taken aback by his expression. Did he really get that way from such a small touch? No way- he's a kid…. Oh no- She hoped he hadn't seen something inappropriate when she had fallen over. She shook it off, slapping the subject out of her mind and searching for a less embarrassing one. "Creation pebbles? How do they work? Can anyone use them? Ooh do they last for very long?-" Elora stopped herself short, realising that she was speaking really fast, and arkuno probably couldn't even understand her

"Haha, I see you're a curious one yourself. Well then, I'll explain..."

He explained that these 'creation pebbles' are actually just regular pebbles imbued with a very specific element of magic depending on the nature of the construct and what the pebble lands on. For this, he explained that he had imbued the pebble with earthen magic and therefore, was able to terraform the ground in a most desirable manner. He also explained (and boaster a bit, as a child would) that not everyone can use these pebbles and immediately expect satisfactory results, rather, one must have adavnced, deep knowledge about magic in order for this to work (although in truth, only basic magic, good mana control and a vivid imagination is truly what one needs to get the same result as he did).

"I'll explain magic to you next, well, if you're willing to listen that is...hehe~"

"Uwahh! That's so cool! So you can make anything you want? Ohh how big can it get!? Ee this is so cool!" She said enthusiastically, almost forgetting the boy was there and going into excitement overload, dashing over to the structure, and examining the hell out of it.

He blushed a bit from what she had said, enough to make him put back his hood right back, too bad his ears were too perked up it was showing on the hood. If you'd look super closely you might see a bit of steam coming out from his head. Or is it just an illusion? Meh, who'd know anyways?

"Ehem...well, it's only natural for an elf to have sympathy over the forest."

He would then try to think of a way to diffuse this strange, newfound feeling he's feeling, when he suddenly remembers another thing he had kept in his possession. He's really pulling all the cards this time.

"Hey, uhm, I do have something else to show you, if you don't mind..."

He started reaching out something from his pocket, all the while proceeding into the forest, thinking that Elora would be following him...

"Hmm? Ok" she hummed, following close behind him and fighting the urge to link her pinkie with his. She couldn't help but giggle at the sight of his ears turning pink

With the blushing gone down a notch, he proceed to lower his pace and take a deep breath. He had surely never felt this feeling before, and is obviously unsure what to think of it. He would then start to overthink it a bit, and by a bit, I mean literally suspect her of sorcery. But he decided to give himself a good, two handed slap on both cheeks.

He kept walking until he had reached a clearing, though some conditions are a bit unfavourable, this should be an easy fix for him. He took out what appears to be a couple of simple, peach colored seeds, and implant them deep upon the earth. Then, he proceeds to whisper upon the trees nearby, and, strangely enough, their branches up the canopy made way for sunlight to shine upon the dug patch of soil. Finally, he called upon the power of rain by a chant:

"Ohhh, heaven-sent tides, I humbly ask for you to bestow your gentle touch and befall upon the earth. May you nourish the seeds that were planted today with your blessed coming, and may your coming bless the lands you touch..."

Suddenly, a light drizzle began to fall, all the while the sun still shining, thus, resulting upon a rainbow. The drizzle would soon subside, and when it did, the seeds sprout, and burst forth from the ground, immediately growing into what it appears to be an enchanted tree. Wisp of different colors seemed to have suddenly flock this tree as well. It's leaves made sure little sunlight would get through it, leaving the feeling of an enchanted meadow in its wake...

Elora stood in front of the tree, her jaw dropping at the sight. She stared at it, her lips agape and her fingers shaking, a glimmer in her eyes and her cheeks growing a little pink from the excitement. She stepped towards the tree, gently placing her palm on it, feeling the cool temperature of the wood sent a shiver up her spine. Had arkuno grown this tree for her? She wondered, feeling her eyes well up and her heart swell. "Thankyou arkuno" she mumbled, refusing to show him her face.

He smiled at the sight of Elora and the tree all together in a picture perfect sight, with the wisps dancing around the tree and around her, he saw her in a different light. He felt his heart start to fire up as if it were to stop any second now. His right eye sparkled at the sight before finally getting a gist of whatever's happening, to which his face immediately became a red tomato for a few second.

Then, he heard her words, he snapped back immediately. Hearing how happy her voice seemed to be, he smiled a genuine smile at her.

"It's not a big deal. You could come here anytime and this would be here, until the end of time that is..."

Elora rubbed her eyes, and turned to face him, giving him a loving smile, unsure of what to say or do next. In the mean time, she simply fiddled with the basket in her hands, only now remembering that it was there. The looked down and peered into it, remembering how heavy the potatoes were. "Hey can we co back now? I would like to put this down somewhere safe" she said, looking back at the tree longingly.

He decided it would indeed be time to return, after all, the tree wouldn't go anywhere now, would it?

"Ahh yeah, let's go. Also, can I carry that if you may?"

As he waited for her response, he felt as if time slowed down, like he was about to be hit with something. And sure enough, memories did, and each one of his good memories played before his eyes...all the while having the sight of her as a reminder of them. He had let this feeling well up for a bit, but decided to come back into his senses immediately, although he did felt it lasted a few hours.

Elora smiles at him, but shakes her head slowly. "I'm fine" she says, "after all, what kind of a person would I be if I let a child carry my things for me?" She giggled, finally taking the chance to link her pinkie with his once again.

"Ahahaha... I see..."

He gave a little chuckle at the sounds of her words. He forgot that she doesn't have elves in her world, so she'd probably won't know that he is much older than he appears to be. He had a lot of these remarks which he found annoying at first, but got used at it eventually. Besides, he really does have a childish side in him...

"Well, I'll have you know that I'm probably much, much older than you, though it may not look like it."

"Ah? Wait really? Wait so are you like three hundred years old or something? I always thought that was something silly, since it was just in anime and stuff but I didn't think it was true! Uwahh you're so cool arkuno" Elora said, but then quickly grew sad. "I guess that means I'll die before you huh?" She says slowly.

"Hahaha, no, that would imply that I'm an adult, or in an adult body. In human years, I'm already 50 years old, though my body would stay like this until I'm 120, then the it finally changes to 'teenager', then a few more decades and 'adult' form comes along...

He had a short pause, thinking of all the humans he had seen past before him because he outlived them. He had heard each of their last words and had fulfilled every dying wish he came across, except one, which he had kept dearly in his heart, swearing that he'd fulfill these last words one day.

"We usually just live around 500 years, then finally rest amongst the wind and trees. We never get to the 'elder' state, we just stay in 'adult'form until we pass."

"Mmh" Elora murmured in response as they neared the dome. "I wish I was an elf. That way we would be able to live alongside each other for so much longer" she mumbled, her pinkie finger seeming to hold arkunos tighter as she thought of how sad he would be when she died. He would be all alone again…

I'd actually wish for you to stay human...we elves are oftentimes considered cursed by humans...and for good reason."

His pace lowered, obviously about to tell something pretty dark. He lowered his face. He seemingly not be able to eye her when talking about this. He gulped silently and decided to go on...

"We elves are very prone to sudden changes, due to how our bodies are made up with much more mana than humans are. Whenever something tragic happens to something or someone acquainted to an elf, there's a very high chance that if they don't get over it, they'll slowly undergo primal reversion...and the end result is a dark elf..."

He breathed in deeper and decided to continue...

"...a dark elf is where we elves supposedly evolved from. These elves are very instinct oriented and will defend Mother Nature at all costs, even if they end up massacring an entire village..."

Eloras heart stopped, and she stood there frozen. "But arkuno that's exactly why I want to be an elf" she said, her voice trembling. "That way, we could get through things like that together." She said, her eyes tearing up again. "I don't want you to feel alone again" she whimpered, mentally cursing herself for getting this attached to somebody after less than a single day.

Elora... I've already beared the burden of loneliness. It wouldn't be new to me to bear it again...ya know?"

He said, wiping away a tear from her cheek. His eyes showed sadness and grief, and yet he stuffs them under a smile. Probably one of the reasons he never bothers to converse with humans, let alone make friends with them. However, it seems fate has always found a way to get around him, and he had lost 6 humans whom he had been acquainted with, all loses had a severe impact on him, and yet, here he is... resisting primal reversion.

"I'll never let you bear the burden of losing an acquaintance...never."

Elora closed her eyes, leaning into arkunos touch. "Teach me how to use magic sometime" she said suddenly, obviously hoping to find a way to make herself live longer.

longer.

"...sure thing."

He said as he stared right into the water, reflecting the image of his blank face. His thoughts were blank. He felt nothing but nothingness. He knew he might not be able to bear this burden for long, for he knows how close he is to the edge. There's a reason why his left eye is patched, one he made sure never to be spoken of.

After a while of gazing into seemingly nothing, he proceeds to go inside the dirt shack and sleep it off. Probably be haunted by nightmares again, but he just wants to have it off, atleast for a while. And so, sleep he did.

Elora watched as he walked into the shack, feeling bad for bringing up such a terrible thing. She sat down next to the water, placing the basket beside herself, and wondering what to do. During that night, she decided to go back to the tree, and began to meditate there. On earth, some people believed that meditating could improve their spirituality, and so with that thought, that's what she did, and she did so for hours, getting so lost that she didn't even know that she had gained a new ability.