CHAPTER 16: MOVE OUT

I had learned so much, all thanks to Novalie. The books she provided opened my mind to the wonders of Terra, its history, its people, and its mysteries. Yet among all the races I read about, one captivated me beyond reason: the elves. There was something about them, their grace, wisdom, and deep connection to nature, that stirred something within me. Perhaps you could even call it love, I longed to meet one, to see if they were truly as remarkable as the pages described.

Days passed, and I remained within the confines of the cave. Novalie always arrived at dawn, her presence a fleeting but comforting constant, no matter how much I wished for her to stay, she always vanished with the setting sun, only to return the next morning. Sometimes, she bore fresh scars, faint cuts along her arms or bruises on her legs. When I asked about them, she only laughed, brushing it off with an airy excuse about falling. But I wasn't convinced, there was something she wasn't telling me.

Xanthe's bird, a magnificent phoenix, kept the cave illuminated and warm through even the coldest nights. It felt surreal, using a creature revered as a divine messenger as little more than a living torch. Phoenixes were rare, rarer even than dragons or angels, yet here one was, perched beside me like an ordinary bird. Its presence was both a blessing and a mystery, one I had yet to unravel.

With time, my wounds healed. The pain that once gripped me had faded, leaving behind only memories of suffering. But while my body recovered, my mind remained restless, filled with questions about Terra, about Novalie, and about the strange fate that had brought me here.

The next morning, Novalie strode into the cave, triumphantly holding up a rather unfortunate-looking hare.

"Look, Tiny! I brought you food!"

I forced a smile, suppressing a shudder. By now, I had either grown accustomed to the horrible cuisine of Terra or was it just the horrors of Novalie's cooking.

But before I could politely decline what was undoubtedly the world's deadliest meal, I noticed something behind her, a figure lingering at the cave's entrance, a shadowy silhouette of a woman.

"Who's that?" I asked, pointing.

Novalie spun around so fast she nearly dropped the hare. "What—?" Her eyes widened. "A-Aunt?!" She gasped as if she'd been caught in some grand criminal scheme. "How did you find my super-secret, completely-undetectable hideout?!"

The woman stepped into the light, giving Novalie a flat look. "I followed you."

Now that she was closer, I got a better look at her, tall, beautiful, middle-aged, with eyes as green as spring and brown hair that framed her face. Silver earrings jingled softly as she moved. She was no Colossal, that much was certain. Just a regular-sized adult human, but compared to Novalie and me, she might as well have been a giant.

Novalie groaned, puffing out her cheeks like a child whose favorite toy had just been taken away. "Ughhh! My secret hideout has been discovered!"

Her aunt smirked. Then, with the flair of someone making a grand royal proclamation, she cupped her hands around her mouth and declared, "People of Terra! Guess what? I have found Novalie's hideout!"

She then burst into laughter and ruffled Novalie's hair with the confidence of someone who had been annoying her for years. Clearly, these two were close.

Then her sharp green eyes landed on me.

"And who's this?" she asked, pointing. "Your boyfriend?"

Novalie recoiled as if she'd just been accused of high treason. "Wha—?! No! I found him injured and brought him here!"

Her aunt crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. And does he talk, or...?"

She turned to me. "You okay, kid? Where are you from?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could get a word out—

"He doesn't remember anything, Auntie," Novalie interrupted. "It's just him and his phoenix." She gestured toward Xanthe's bird, resting beside me.

"A phoenix, is it?" The woman eyed the creature skeptically. "That's…quite the unique pet."

Then, with a sigh, she straightened up. "Well, we can't have you staying in this cave forever, follow me, you too, Novalie."

We followed her through the forest until we arrived at a small homestead, a handful of houses surrounded by green land. The house she led us to wasn't as run-down as the cottage my mother and I had once stayed in, nor was it as grand as Titus's castle. It was something in between. Cozy. A perfect size for small Colossals like me.