《The Legacy of Rose Fallenwoods》


 Meeting

    ¡°And that¡¯s why the land is free and not restricted,¡± a young wood elf said to her younger sister. ¡°Elves should live where they please and not be treated badly despite their race,¡± she said. The young wood elf, Rose, was reading a book called ¡°One Hundred Elf Tales for Young Elves¡±. Rose believed that the book had true information. Elves in Astellae had varied opinions about the book. Some elves believed in gods and legends, some elves didn¡¯t, and some elves were indifferent, believing whatever parts of the book they wanted.


    The two elves were sitting on blades of greenleaf, under an epple tree. The sky was clear and the sun was shining brilliantly. Even though the sky looked delightful, there were high temperatures. The ¡°lower¡± temperatures were typically 90 degrees or above, and the higher one''s 100 degrees or above, rarely hitting 115 degrees. The tree provided a brisk breeze and a nice shade to prevent them from being cooked alive.


    ¡°But Rose, I have a question,¡± the younger elf asked as she tilted her head sideways ¡°did that happen here? In the peaceful world of Astellae?¡± Astellae was always considered a lovely place to live in. This surprised the young elf. This story, ''The Founding of Astellae'', explained how the realms came to be. It was quite violent and featured a vicious ruler.


    ¡°Yes, it did,¡± Rose answered as she bit her lip. Her little sister always had questions, and Rose was happy to answer them. Most of the time, that is.


    ¡°But how do you know? What if it¡¯s just a made-up story to scare elves?¡± The young elf said as she tugged on a loose hair. The young elf felt a bit anxious. Her mother always told stories to get her to sleep or not sneak out at night to eat the fruit she liked. They used to work until she found out that they probably weren¡¯t real.


    ¡°If it didn¡¯t happen, we¡¯d still be forced into one realm. The realms themselves still exist, but there are little restrictions on leaving and returning, or permanently living in a different realm. Elves of different races couldn¡¯t be together, either¡± Rose answered with pride.


    ¡°Deities exist?¡± the whole story confused Rae. She saw no gods or goddesses in the sky. She was a firm believer of the ¡®see it to believe it¡¯ theory. If she didn¡¯t see something, it didn¡¯t exist and there were no other thoughts on it.


    ¡°Rae, I will not continue this discussion. You should go home. Mom¡¯s waiting for you,¡± Rose said as she crossed her arms. ¡°It¡¯s clear that you¡¯re not trying to simply listen and get it over it. And I don¡¯t like answering questions,¡± she teased.


    ¡°You should come too!¡± Rae exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s boring with you gone!¡± She jumped back-and-forth in the air to try to convince Rose, but she could not. Disappointed and out of breath, she sat back down. Maybe Rose would visit. Maybe someday, or on Sun¡¯s Day.


    ¡°But I¡¯m an adult now, Rae,¡± Rose said as she got up, ¡°Goodbye, see you soon,¡± she walked towards the road and waved. Today would be a new day. Perhaps it would be interesting.


    Rose Fallenwoods was a wood elf who lived in Woodburg, a city in Eartisae. She had medium brown skin, dark blond hair that stopped at her shoulders, and had green eyes. She wore a tunic-like outfit which revealed her cleavage and complemented her wide ribcage, wide shoulders, smaller waist, and medium-sized hips. She tried to look her best every day and typically wore things that were considered ¡°sultry¡± by other elves. Rose¡¯s mother criticized her for it.


    Today, Rose had to go to work. She left her family decades ago so she could move out. Her siblings annoyed her most of the time and her parent, while caring, could be very strict and controlling. She was glad to be free and live life on her own terms. Having to actually work wasn¡¯t smiles and rainbows, it was definitely hard. However, she needed the money and met plenty of friends, and that allowed her to formed a little friend group of her own.


    ***


    Rose walked to work. As a wood elf, it was second nature to her. She found it extremely calming and it was an effective way for her to de-stress. After walking for thirty minutes, she arrived at the forest she worked at. She was a fruit harvester. Her boss allowed her to bring some fruits home, and it made her happy to know that her hard work would feed hundreds, or even thousands, of hungry elves.


    ¡°Hey, Rose!¡± A water elf greeted. She had light blue skin and white, short, curly hair. Her eyes were a light cyan, her hips were wider than her waist, chest, and shoulders. She was short, no taller than five feet. The water elf had a bright, white smile. This water elf, Salina, was always happy here. No matter how hard to job was, it was extremely hard to get rid of her radiant happiness.


    ¡°Hello, Salina,¡± Rose said, waving. ¡°What are we picking today?¡±


    ¡°Aquafruit! It¡¯s very¡­ wet, so be sure to wear the red robes near the ladder,¡± Salina put her robe on. Rose followed. Although, she struggled at first. ¡°Put in on via your legs, not head,¡± Salina said, giggling.


    Aquafruit was a clear fruit that consisted of water. It was twice the size of a blueberry and grew on trees, in bundles, like grapes. It had a tart taste and took about ten days to expire. It was in season and its demand was at its highest. Especially with the heat waves nowadays. It was most common in Aquisae, but could grow anywhere.


    Spalt! An aquafruit fell off the tree and on the ground. It soaked rose from head to toe. ¡°Such a small fruit yet it has so much water,¡± Rose said, clenching her teeth in frustration. She climbed down the ladder and changed her robe. The robe was so wet that it no longer absorbed any water whatsoever. ¡°I¡¯m not looking forward to this Aquafruit picking, it seems annoying. These robes are useless,¡± Rose frowned, ¡°they need to get us better gear,¡± she said as she crossed her arms.


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re not supposed to make you immune to the water, Rose,¡± Salina commented. ¡°They keep you a little drier. Because the fruit itself is slippery, you¡¯re bound to get soaked, so it¡¯s just an unfortunate thing that happens,¡± Salina reminded. ¡°And to be honest, I agree about them getting us better gear, but most elves don¡¯t care. Despite giving food to so many elves, elves don¡¯t pay much attention to us unless it directly affects their food storage,¡± Salina stated.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t want to be an unsung hero,¡± Rose said, jokingly. She then set her mind to fruit-picking. She ignored everything else around her. It was working time.


    Rose picked about three-hundred fifty Aquafruit in five hours. Her arms were sore and cramped. She had a moderate headache and was quite tired. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave now, see you Salina,¡± Rose said as she waved goodbye to Salina and the rest if her co-workers. Tomorrow would be the same. She couldn¡¯t wait until the ice season. Aquafruit couldn¡¯t grow when it was too cold, and just the thought of that lifted Rose¡¯s awful mood.


    ***


    After an hour of walking, Rose finally arrived home. She lived in Woodburg, a city in Eartisae. To her enjoyment, her house was in a more rural area. She did not like interacting with elves outside her social circle. It was exhausting and annoying.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Welcome back, Rose!¡± her pixie companion greeted. The pixie looked rather childlike and had long blonde hair. Her eyes were green, and she was a female. Rose did not yet give her a name. It was a difficult process, but she promised herself to name the pixie soon.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Rose said, her voice dull. ¡°I¡¯m going to check the mailbox,¡± she said as she walked towards the door.


    ¡°Be safe! It can be dangerous at night!¡± The pixie warned. No recent events have happened, but the pixie took the ''be safe'' advice to heart. When she was just a little pixie, her caretakers always warned her of danger. She wanted Rose to stay safe, too.


    ¡°I can take care of myself,¡± Rose said. ¡°Thanks for looking out for me, though,¡±


    She opened the door and closed it quickly. She put her hand inside the wooden mailbox and felt a smooth material. It was a letter, from Salina. Salina always sent Rose silver letters decorated with permafrost and ice colored jewelry. They usually contained highlights and news and were sent to Salina¡¯s friends. Sometimes, the letters were sent to Rose personally and contained more secretive content. Rose took the letter into the house.


    ¡°Can I see the letter?¡± The pixie asked. ¡°She sent this one to you, Rose! I want to see the juicy secrets too!¡± The pixie then twirled in the air, full of excitement.


    ¡°No,¡± Rose said. ¡°Anyway , we¡¯re getting aquafruit and redleaf with toasted aquafruit seeds. And two ounces of toothbeast meat. Obviously, you¡¯ll get much less. Oh, and honey water. I don¡¯t feel like cooking much,¡± she began to walk towards the center of her house. It had a very small area that was filled with dirt. Rose used it to cook food.


    Redleaf was a red, spicy leaf. It was red and grew on the ground. Toothbeast were animals that looked like green deer with sharp fangs. They looked scary but were harmless and easy to hunt. It rarely used its fangs against elves and cooking it neutralized the poisons inside it. Wood elves were immune to the poisons, and eating raw toothbeast did not affect them. It did affect the taste, though.


    Rose set up a fire. She cooked the meat for half an hour, toasted the seeds for fifteen minutes, and heated up the redleaf for five minutes. She already had stocked up on honey water due to the sting insects being active this season. Finally, when everything was finished, Rose served the food on cleaned bark, topped with a few sprinkles of various spices from her spices cabinet. The aroma of the freshly-cooked food filled the air. ¡°Here¡¯s your plate,¡± she said to her pixie. As she sat down to eat, she noticed that the redleaf was not yet ripe. Instead of being savory, it was very bitter. Rose scratched her head in frustration, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this,¡± she said to her pixie. That¡¯s nice, Rose thought to herself. Why wasn¡¯t I paying attention?


    Unsurprisingly, the pixie had eaten everything. She didn¡¯t seem to care about the unripe, bitter redleaf. She eat nearly anything if it was edible and never refused any edible food. Rose thought she was just a greedy pixie. At least she¡¯s not wasting anything, I guess? Rose thought.


    ¡°Can I read the letter?¡± Her pixie asked again. She was very interested. Rose only let her read the boring, general letters. Never the personal ones.


    ¡°No, sorry. Salina trusts me, if I showed you a letter sent personally, I don¡¯t think she¡¯d like that, ¡± Rose stared at the pixie, ¡°I¡¯d feel bad, too, I hate feeling guilty.¡± Rose turned around, took the letter upstairs and walked into the spare room she had. It had a brown table & chair, desk, and a few candles of various scents. Rose had no idea what she¡¯d use the spare room for, so she used it to read letters and write in her journal.


    Rose sat on the chair and read the letter in her head. Dear Rose, I¡¯ve been wondering if you wanted to visit my house. It¡¯s been a long time since you last visited. I want to talk to you in person, not via letter or when we talk at work for five minutes, say goodbye, and then leave. I feel you¡¯re ignoring me, Rose. I might not know much about your current situation and what you¡¯re going through, but I want you to visit.


    This letter wasn¡¯t a happy heart-filled letter. It was serious and made Rose feel guilty. She hasn¡¯t been visiting Salina as actively as she used to. Rose had found joy in other hobbies and was less worried about visiting Salina. This also affected Salina. Salina herself had other friends, but Rose was her friend for the longest time. When Salina became a fruit harvester, Rose was the first to teach her about certain fruits, and reminded Rose herself about which fruits were which. To Rose, Salina definitely made working as a fruit harvester more lively and interesting. She would explain that to Salina. It would be hard to put that into words and stop Salina from getting upset. Maybe she would understand.


    Rose looked at the window to daydream, but instead of staring into blank space, she saw a green object. The green object was nearly transparent, was shapeless, like steam, and disappeared within seconds. She rubbed her eyes. I am tired. I should go to sleep. This is what happens when I stay up for too long. Rose opened the door slowly.


    As she walked out of the spare room, she heard her pixie scream. ¡°ROSE!¡± The pixie sounded like she was in some sort of pain. It was a very unpleasant sound and caused Rose to panic. Maybe her pixie made a silly mistake? Did she break something. It didn¡¯t seem like it. Rose ran downstairs and brought her light green bow and arrows enhanced with nature magic. To her surprise, there it was, the green object. It took the shape of her elf and stared into Rose¡¯s eyes. ¡°Where is she?¡¯ Rose said, aiming her bow and arrow at the object.


    ¡°Tell me or I¡¯ll release the arrow!¡± The object didn¡¯t talk and instead made a grumbled sound, like it was somehow being suffocated. Within a few seconds, it took the shape of an elf. It had Rose¡¯s pixie in its hand and squeezed it tightly. The object smiled. Rose was scared of it, especially its mouth. Its teeth were yellow and blood-stained with many missing, and its gums were pale. Without hesitation, Rose released her arrow, pointed at the object¡¯s neck. She used as much force as possible. She wanted this thing dead, and she wanted her pixie back. Unfortunately, Rose missed. The green object bit her leg and left a deep mark. Rose thought she would cry. It turned back into a shapeless object and aimed at Rose¡¯s head. She dodged it and crouched, allowing the creature to lose it¡¯s sight.


    She used her nature magic to camouflage with a potted plant she had. She aimed at the neck again and hit it. It was still alive and pulled the arrow from its neck. No, No, she thought. Her heart began to race even faster. Rose would die here, wouldn¡¯t she? Rose would never see her sister or the rest of her family again. Relax. I need to pay attention. The object tossed a table at Rose, once again, Rose dodged it. Rose released arrows again and again, all of them missed. She wasn¡¯t a precise as she wanted because her hands were shaking. As she went to attack again, she was out of arrows. Maybe this is the end. I¡¯m sorry Salina, I won¡¯t be able to meet you. I¡¯m sorry everyone. I am really sorry. I¡¯m sorry. The object lifted Rose up and began to choke her. Her vision was blurry and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. She had to do something, quickly.


    With her last remaining bit of strength, she used her Nature magic to create a redleaf plant and stabbed the object. Rose stabbed it again and again. Maybe the poison would have an effect. The creature made a grumbled sound and let go of Rose. It tossed her against the wall, worsening her leg injury. It opened its mouth the reveal its jaw in all their glory. Within a few seconds, it collapsed and faded to nothingness after making another grumbled sound. It left a bit of blood on the ground, but that also faded. Did the redleaf really have an effect?


    Rose cleared away rubbish and ran to the pixie. Rose carefully examined her Pixie¡¯s body. The pixie¡¯s clothing was torn in a few places and her entire body was bruised. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Rose said dropping a few tears. ¡°You won¡¯t hear me, but I¡¯m glad you aren¡¯t dead. That thing nearly killed me,¡± Rose said. ¡°Why did this happen? How?¡± Her pixie was breathing and had a pulse, but was unconscious. Rose herself was moderately injured. Her leg had a deep wound, she had a couple bruises, and scratches, especially on her head. She wrapped her leg with a healing vera plant, a special plant with healing properties. But it was no miracle plant. Rose began to cry and fainted.


    What was that thing?

 Sudden

    The last thing Rose saw before she collapsed was darkness. It only lasted a few seconds before she felt like she died and no longer existed. After she awoke, she was on a bed, and it felt like no time had passed. "Rose? Rose? Rose, can you hear me?" A voice asked. Rose did not recognize the voice.


    "Who?" Rose asked. She looked around and saw an old, brown table next to her. It had a piece of tan colored paper. A silver tray of small plants, herbs, and bottles. She was too from the papers and bottles, so she could not read them.. Everything felt blurry and her senses seemed dull. However, she recognized that this place was a healing center.


    "It¡¯s Salina. Rose, Are you okay?" Salina said with a worried expression. She wondered if the blood loss and lack of oxygen may have affected Rose''s brain. Or something like that. I don''t work as a healing elf. "What happened to you? What the hell were you doing?" She said sternly.


    "Yes, I''m definitely okay!" Rose replied, sarcastically. "I don''t remember what happened! I only remember seeing a green thing. I might recall more information later, " Rose said, angrily. She thought Salina was being too aggressive. Rose knew it was likely because Salina cared about her. Nonetheless, it was still aggressive and Salina should be a bit nicer.


    "The inside of your house was destroyed, and your pixie was also injured," Salina sat on Rose''s bed and stared at her, "but her injuries weren''t as bad as yours. Whatever happened, it had to be severe." Suddenly, she heard footsteps and turned towards the door. Someone was approaching.


    A male wood elf walked into Rose''s room. This wood elf was tall, had light-brown skin, long, straight hair, and wore a plain white tunic that had a red colored heart symbol on it. He was a doctor, or rather, an elf that practiced the art of healing magic, a type of nature magic. In Astellae, the doctors slowly healed patients with their magic (along with natural healing) and because the process took a while, the patients had to rest and take special medicine (aka antibiotics) and herbs. He put his right hand on his glasses and began to speak. "I have some important updates about Rose¡¯s conditi-"


    Salina interrupted  the doctor. "Will Rose die?" She didn''t want that to happen. All she wanted was an improved relationship with Rose. If she died, Salina wouldn''t know what to do. Salina''s mind wandered and she imagined a life without Rose. Going to work without her, no longer seeing her because, well, Rose was gone. Rose wouldn''t come back. She tried to stay professional, but that was very hard to do when she was scared. Salina stood up, and began to pace and bite her nails.


    The elf cleared his throat. "No, but it''ll take her a while to recover. We did not have to amputate her leg, but it still has to heal, and she has stitches," the doctor said. "I''m Acer, and I''ll be Rose''s doctor for now," he reminded.


    "And how long it take for her to recover, sir?" Salina said as she bit her lip. She sat back down on Rose''s bed. She relaxed a bit knowing that Rose wouldn''t die. A bit. She shortly resumed her nervous nail biting.


    "Four months minimum," the elf said, adjusting his glasses. "The scratches on her head are healing the fastest, and should be healed in three, maybe six weeks. Her leg is another story, sadly. Rose should be able to use it, though, assuming it heals correctly and if she goes through sufficient rehabilitation," the elf said as he sat down on a chair next to Rose''s bed. "Also, water elf, I have a request," Acer asked.


    "I am Salina," she said matter-of-factly. She wondered why Acer had the audacity to call get ''water elf''. Salina crossed her arms for a few seconds.


    "Well, Salina, I''d appreciate it if you sat on one of the chairs available. Rose does not need any additional pressure on her leg, and it could help cause infection, you know, by cutting off circulation." Acer said as he shook his fingers.


    "I''m sorry Rose," she responded in a calm matter. Although, she did not feel like that inside. Salina understood why she had to get up, but felt insulted. She sat on a wooden chair next to the doctor.


    "I''ll be checking up on you in a little while, Rose," Acer said as he left walked out the door and into the hallway.


    "It''s fine, Salina. But tell me," Rose sat up. "What happened?" She asked curiously.


    "You were lying on the floor unconscious and your house was destroyed from the inside. The area was awfully bloody," Salina did not want to remember what happened. Thinking about filled her with the same amount of dread she got from walking into Rose''s home. Salina face became very distraught, symbolizing how upset she was.


    "That''s all?" Rose said as she scratched the back of her head. "You can calm down, It''s not that major!" Although, to be honest she had mixed feelings about this. Rose hated when people tried to make things seem more serious than they actually are. She was glad that Salina cared about her, but she found the behavior annoying.


    "Not major? You nearly died. You barely remember what happened!" Salina''s eyes began to water and her voice became hoarse, but she did not cry. "I don''t want to remember what happened! And even if I forget, I''ll still remember that you''re hospitalized!" Salina felt a surge of relief, and seconds later, began to frown. She was still sad, but she was a bit happier because she got to discuss what was bothering her. Salina no longer had a heavy burden to carry. It was much


    "Didn''t you write me an a formal letter just last night? Why are you acting like this now? You were calm and understanding in that letter. You don''t have to be upset with me. It''s not your fault," Rose said with a raised voice. Salina was often hard to persuade. Rose was in an okay condition. She was still alive and had a good chance of recovery. Her hopes were high and she didn''t need Salina to make her sad. She wanted to get over it.


    "Because it scared me, Rose. I didn''t like seeing you, your house, your pixie, all like that. Do you know how terrifying that is? Have you ever seen someone like that? What If I looked like that, Rose? Wouldn''t you be upset? Would you purposely try to remember a real threat that terrifies you? I''m allowed to show emotion, it''s not my fault you hate normal elves!" Salina shouted as her cheeks began to redden with pure anger.


    Rose took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. "I never claimed you weren''t normal, Salina. And you''re too loud. You''re being too dramatic. I think I understand that you''re upset, but how do you think I feel?" Rose said, also beginning to frown.


    "Okay, fine. It''s fine Rose. I can go if you want me to. I¡¯m done talking to you. I¡¯ve got more important things to do. I-"


    Rose interrupted her, "but you don''t have to go, Salina. For the eightieth time, you have to calm down and stop making everything about you. You''re acting like an elfling."


    "You can stop insulting me, Rose," Salina said as put her hand on her face. She wondered if they''d keep going back and forth.


    "But i''m just trying to get the point across," and it seemed like Salina didn''t get that. Rose shrugged her shoulders.


    "That I''m being immature? I know that, but I explained why. Actually, forget this. I''ll simply leave." Salina said as she headed towards the room door. She didn''t like these long talks and found them irritating.


    "I said you don''t have to go, Salina," Rose said with a frown. Rose''s pixie did not recover enough, so she was lonely, and Salina was keeping her company. Acer wasn''t a fun person to talk to. Always serious. It was a hospital


    "Stay and do what? Make you more upset?" Salina said as she smirked. You know, this is real damn funny. I want to leave, but she won''t let me! Do you want me to go or not? I''m annoying you, right?She thought.


    "Go ahead. You want to. You don''t want us to talk properly, right? Like Adult elves?" Rose pointed at the door and promptly laid down on her bed. "See you. I won''t be reading your pathetic letters anytime soon."


    This comment hurt Salina, but she tried to ignore it. Upset, she opened the door to Rose''s room and ran out.


    ***


    Salina was still upset due to the incident this morning. She wanted it off her mind. She walked towards the town of Woodburg. Nothing unusual. The bakery, the general shop, the pet shop, the community center, other buildings and the notice board. She stopped and decided to take a good lookat the notice board. Woodburg''s notice board contained news about Woodburg and sometimes news about other cities/towns in other realms of Astellae. Elves could advertise their services for a fee. Elves could pin any community events on the notice board. The mayor of Woodburg was the overseer of the board, so you have to ask her for permission to pin anything. In addition, it had elfwheel and other public transportation schedules.


    This time, Salina wanted to take a special route, and decided to ride an elfwheel. Elfwheels were round  automobiles that carried elves. They came in nearly every color and looked similar to round cakes in terms of shape. An elf had to pay twenty-five Lae if they wanted to ride on one. Salina went on one before, but that was a while ago. So she didn''t remember much about them. Most people said you could see extravagant views and scenery. But I''m going to my own house. It''s not like I''m going somewhere special, she thought. One of the elfwheels would arrive in twenty minutes.


    Salina usually rode ellulaes'' home. Ellulae are a species of animals that are a little taller than elves, silver-colored, and have silky, blue manes. They are similar to horses. Ellulae are domesticated by elves and are fairly popular. They are ellulae racing tournaments and even businesses dedicated to ellulae care. Salina was very fond of them herself and planned on getting her own. One day. The one she owned now was borrowed from Salina''s other friend, Liliana. Liliana''s ellulae was a female, and her name was Pixie. Pixie was twenty years old. They generally lived to be a hundred years old, so Pixie was quite young. In Salina''s opinion, she thought it was an awful, unoriginal name. She remembers arguing with Liliana over it. She tried to convince her to change the name time and time again with minimal luck. Additionally, pixies all around disliked Liliana. The fact that she named her pet pixie, when they were pixies themselves, angered them immensely. Liliana paid them no mind.


    As she waited for the elfwheel to arrive, Salina laid on the green, bright greenleaf, and began to reminisce about her friendships. Salina tried to avoid memories of Rose, but could not. It was impossible. Rose was Salina''s oldest friend, after she had lost her old friends. They did not die, and instead didn''t move with her. They decided to stay at Salina''s hometown. Salina had moved to Woodburg, and left her old town due to lack of Lae. Her old town, located in Aquisae, Isla, did not offer many job opportunities, and when jobs were offered, they were very labor-intensive and had low wages. It was a very poor town, and Salina ignored her urge to move for so long because it was where she grew up. She spent decades there, and despite her fond memories, she grew up poor. When she moved to Woodburg, she entered a new life. She earned so much more Lae, could eat everyday and have varied foods. She could afford a good house. She could spend her money on¡­leisure. Salina became much happier, and enjoyed everyday to the fullest. Both her physical and mental health improved.


    Suddenly, an elfwheel approached the other side of the grass. Salina ran as fast as she could but failed to enter in time. Her heart pounded and sweat began to cover her face. She felt that her effort was a waste and began to feel a bit of guilt. Another female elf was in the elfwheel. As she backed up and turned around, she heard a familiar voice. "Salina? What are you doing here?" The female elf said as she turned her head.


    "Liliana? What are you doing here?" Salina said as she turned back around and walked towards the elfwheel. Liliana was a sun elf. Her skin was a light orange and her lips were a bright, bold red. Her eyes looked rather catlike and were the same color as her lips. Her stature was tall. Her hair was medium-sized, stopping at the top of her arm, and featured curled bangs. She had a boyish figure and was svelte. Salina found her rather attractive.


    "Oh? I''m riding home! What are you doing?" Liliana said, a bit startled at the sudden meeting.


    "I''m doing the same thing!" Salina replied, also startled. This was a strange coincidence. Maybe the gods and goddesses planned the meeting? What if they were fated to meet?" Salina was a believer of the elf gods. They definitely existed in her opinion


    "But don''t you usually ride Pixie home? This is rather unusual!" Liliana said as she put her finger on her chin.


    Salina stated at her and sighed, "I''m upset about something and I need to relax at bit. That''s all," Salina said as she entered the elfwheel. The seats were a soft purple color, like a light lavender. They were extremely comfy and the entire elf wheel smelled like freshly cut wood. It made the elfwheel feel somewhat homely.


    "Well, how are you?" Liliana asked, smiling. She crossed her legs and leaned back.


    "Okay? Better than earlier, could be better," Salina said as she looked at Liliana''s body. She quickly moved her head and continued looking at her eyes. Salina didn''t want to be seen as a pervert, and she wasn''t.


    "My day has been awesome so far!" Liliana replied, "my flirting skills are fine tuned! I already have a date despite breaking up only a few days prior."


    Salina didn''t know how to reply. Salina was the exact opposite. She had absolutely no flirting skills. "I assume that''s a useful¡­skill? In the dating world? I assume male elves give you drinks?"


    "I don''t want attention from male elves," Liliana said, frowning. "I know that''s expected of me, and I feel bad about it sometimes. But I can''t control my attraction. Don''t you understand, Salina?"


    "Yeah," Salina said with disinterest. She didn''t care about all this. She was happy single and wasn''t dating. "By the way, this conversation''s getting a bit dull. What book are you reading?" She said in an attempt to change the subject. Salina enjoyed reading but didn''t really self-identify as a bookworm. Liliana did.


    "Twisted Tales," Liliana said as she took a small, dark red book from her pocket. The letters looked rather calligraphic and were a gold color. There was an image of some spirit on it. "Here it is. A bloody, gory, dark fantasy horror. Just how I like them," Liliana said, opening the book. She then began to read, ignoring all her surroundings.


    Salina herself decided to relax a bit. This little elfwheel was very calming, and the sun began to set. Additionally, Liliana was in her own little world. Why couldn''t Salina herself do the same? After a few minutes, she yawned and rubbed her eyes.


    "Tired? What a cute elfling," Liliana said jokingly, laughing a bit after.


    "Shut up," Salina replied, laughing. "Weren''t you transported into that book a second ago?" Salina said as she pointed to Twisted Tales.


    "Yeah. But I want to save some of the story for later," Liliana said as she put the book back. "I have more books at home." Salina didn''t reply. She had already fallen asleep, just like a tired elfling.


    ***


    "Hey Rose! Have you recovered? That was fast!" Salina exclaimed as she hugged Rose. "I''m glad to have you back!"


    Rose''s ears began to turn a dark green and her pupils dilated unnaturally. They became bloodshot. All within a matter of seconds. "Hey Salina!" Rose said with an eerie voice. She then smiled and adjusted her flowing, dark red dress.


    Terrified, Salina backed up and warned Rose. "Who are you? Don''t come any closer!" For some reason, they were in the middle of a field. The field itself was mysterious and had a scary vibe to it. The sky was a dusty yellow and the sun orange.


    There were white, broken fences and some wilted sunlion flowers scattered across it. The sunlions were normally a bright, yellow weed. They looked better this way. However Salina did not have her trusty throwing knives. She could use water & ice magic pretty well, but she felt, and was, stronger when she enchanted her knives with that magic.


    "I''m Rose, of course! Wanna pick fruit? We have elves to feed," Rose said as she ran towards Salina and jumped onto her.


    "Rose? Get off!" Salina said as she pushed Rose with all her strength with no avail. The fit rose did not weigh this much. "Why are you so heavy?"A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    Rose ripped her normal skin off to reveal a red, thick skin. "I''m Rose!" She revealed a set of bloody, tiger-like teeth and her hands revealed sharp claws.


    Salina nearly fainted and adrenaline began to surge into her body. She no longer felt connected to the world. She felt like a robot watching a movie and breaking down every single second of it. Salina began to sweat profusely. "What? Please, Rose," she was puzzled and that was the only word she could get out. What happened to Rose?


    After a few seconds, Rose got off Salina and put her hands on Salina''s neck. She then twisted her neck completely, breaking it. "Aggggggg" was all Salina could mutter before her vision went black. Salina felt an extreme amount of pain which nearly brought her to tears. It felt like¡­the world was ending. Rose tossed her around, as if she was playing with Salina. Salina was close to death until she heard a voice.


    "Salina! Wake up!" Liliana shouted.


    Salina rubbed her eyes and yawned. The dream terrified her and her whole body began to shake.. Her palms were sweaty and she was breathing heavily. "I''m not dead?" It took Salina few seconds to realize that she was still in the elfwheel.


    "What the hell are you talking about? Calm down," Liliana said, completely confused. "We''re home, so it''s time to get off. The driver''s waiting," she opened the door and exited the elfwheel. Salina followed quickly.


    As they began to walk, Salina asked a question. "By the way¡­can I come over?"


    "Oh? For what? Is it that? No problem," Liliana said in a sultry voice. She then put her hands on Salina''s shoulders.


    "No. It''s absolutely not that. I''m scared, okay?" Salina said in embarrassment. Telling people about her dreams made her feel like an elfling. She was an adult elf. There was also Liliana''s request. That also made her feel awfully strange.


    "Nightmare?" Liliana answered in a comforting voice. She didn''t want to sound too abrasive. Liliana had her fair share of nightmares and worse, sleep paralysis.


    "Yes," Salina replied anxiously. "I just can''t sleep alone. I don''t want to. I really don''t." It was rather dark, and Salina disliked the dark. She was also quite shaken by the nightmare, and in need of rest. Salina didn''t want to walk home, even if it was only a few miles away. She moved Liliana''s hands from her shoulders.


    "Okay, fine, but only this once," Liliana wasn''t a fan of having other elves in her house. She''d make an exception for a terrified friend, though.


    "Cool," Salina said in a monotonous voice. She felt a bit safer, even though it was only a nightmare. It had no relation to reality. Salina would be sure to remind herself of that.


    After an hour of walking, the two elves arrived at Liliana''s house. "Come on," Liliana said as she opened the bright, brown, wooden door.


    Salina plopped onto the couch, and quickly stood up again. Her legs were a bit sore. She began to regret not walking to her own house. Salina also wondered why Liliana would purposely want to walk this far instead of talking a different elfwheel route. Despite her confusion, she was blown away by how elegant and somewhat old fashioned Liliana''s home was. It was many shades of brown, and there were plenty of framed art on the wall. It looked very expensive, but the price was well worth it. There were also a few full bookshelves. Salina wanted to explore the other rooms, but didn''t want to wander too far. She felt it was disrespectful.


    "How tired are you, Salina?" Liliana asked quietly.


    "Tired enough. It''s a bit late, isn''t?" Salina said as she moved Liliana''s curtain out of the way. The moonlight glittered softly. Salina felt like she''d melt away if she kept looking. Soon, she stopped and turned towards Liliana, "why do you ask?"


    "You fell asleep in the elfwheel you damn idiot." Liliana began to laugh. "Also, as you know, I''m a seasoned chef. I could teach you some stuff. Wanna cook?"


    "At least I don''t name my pets Pixie¡­" Salina rebutted. Salina had been using that name as a counterpoint for the longest time. It definitely worked.


    "This nonsense, again?" Liliana said as she face-palmed. "Are you gonna answer my question or not?"


    "Perhaps I could try. I rarely cook meals as extravagant as yours." Even though Salina had easy access to a variety of ingredients, she didn''t feel like making any meal that required more than twenty total minutes of work. She was quite lazy when it came to cooking.


    "Okay, this way." Liliana said as she led Salina towards the hallway. It was just as elegant as the living room. It included even more bookshelves. The floor was covered in soft, lavender, comforting carpet. In time, they''d reached the kitchen. Salina wondered about the amount of time that had passed.


    ***


    The kitchen looked dull compared to the hallway. Additionally, it was very similar to the living room, without the bookshelves, colors, and with different paintings. The paintings were pictures of skies. Lovely, lovely skies. Salina wondered why she didn''t decorate her home like this.


    "Okay, I''ll start the fire," Liliana said as she chanted a spell in front of a table. "Flamma burst!" Flames began to engulf the little, burgundy table she had. The flames lasted a little longer than they should have. Unfortunately within five seconds, the entire table had turned into ash. The kitchen smelled like burnt wood instead of fresh forest. The smoke irritated Salina''s eyes. It had no effect on Liliana, though. "Well! That did not go¡­go as planned. Guess I''ll try again." Liliana tried again, and again, and again. Every table turned into complete ash and made Liliana angrier with each failed attempt.


    "What did you think would happen? You said I was the idiot. I''m starting to doubt that now," Salina said as she shrugged her shoulders. "Can''t you just start a small fire? And stop wasting tables? You''ll make all of Woodburg panic with this smoke!" She said as she coughed.


    "Sorry! You''re making me nervous! Wait in the halls!" Liliana exclaimed as she pointed towards the hallway. She tugged on her hair lightly and cracked her knuckles after.


    Salina obediently walked into the hallway and began to pace. This better be good, she thought.


    "Viola!" Liliana said as she ran into the hallway. "I''ve made the perfect fire! We can cook now!" She then began to do her victory dance that looked like a woodworm having a seizure. Erratic, messy movements. How awful. Liliana pulled Salina into the kitchen once more. "Can you clear this smoke for me, please?"


    "Fine. But we better cook right after," Salina said, and after she began to chant a spell. "Icy Wind!" The wind blew the smoke away from the concoction of large fires. It was much easier to breathe and see. However, the spell also had the side effect of weakening Liliana''s fire. She quickly put a branch in it to add a little spark of fuel. Maybe she''d avoid another fire fiasco.


    Liliana ignored it. The fire was strong enough to cook with. "Okay. Get me a few herbs and spices from the cabinet, and sit down,"


    "Do what now? On the burning table? I don''t think so." Salina objected. That seemed like a bad idea.


    "I won''t let the fire go to the seats!" I swear¡­" Liliana said as she cupped her hands together.


    "If I get burned, I will attack you," Salina said sternly as she sat down on one of the table''s picnic-style seats. She then got up from the chair and got the herbs and spices. She forgot to get them.


    "You serious?" Liliana said, irritated.


    "Half-joking, okay?" Salina replied. "Still! Don''t burn me!"


    "Okay, yeah yeah. Now don''t tell anyone about this recipe. It''s special. I got it from my late grandmother. And if you tell anyone I''ll burn you to ash, got it?" Liliana warned. She was also joking, but this recipe meant a lot to her.


    "Got it," Salina said as she nodded her head in agreement.


    "You see this ground redleaf powder? I add it the these crushed sunlions. I add some greenleaf blades, and then I add two tablespoons of pixie dust. Then I add a little bit of honey and mashed moonfruit. After mixing everything, you have a sweet & spicy paste with a soft, creamy consistency! You can add sunlion oil if you want a thinner paste. Any questions so far?" Liliana asked Salina.


    "Yes, actually. Pixie dust? And don''t you think the moonfruit is a bit too sweet?" Moonfruit was a dark blue fruit that was moon shaped. It sparkled in the light and had a very sweet taste. It is a popular cake ingredient in Lunisae.


    "The moonfruit is very sweet, and the sweetness will be tuned down with the spiciness of the redleaf! I love redleaf¡­" Liliana said, trailing off.


    "Yeah, yeah." Salina paused for a few seconds. "What in the world is pixie dust? I''ve never heard of it!"


    "You''ve never heard of it? What?" Liliana said with shock. Her face looked like she had witnessed a murder.


    "Seriously¡­can you not? Please just tell me what it is!" Salina said, slightly annoyed.


    "Fine. I was playing," Liliana walked into the hallway and turned towards Salina, " Don''t go anywhere. I have the origin of Pixie Dust in my room closet."


    "Okay." Salina said nervously. She got up from the table and walked around. Normally she''d write Rose a letter, but she forgot her pen and paper. She could ask Liliana. Except that she''d never shut up about it. Liliana was her friend, but she gossiped too much for her own good. She''d tell everyone what was in the letter by getting a sneak peak. It''s happened before and it''ll happen again. She just knew it.


    Salina heard loud footsteps and an out of breath Liliana. "I got it!" Liliana said as she held up a glimmering, yellow fruit. "This is gleamshine fruit. It comes from Lunisae. I brought it days ago, it''s pretty expensive. When it''s grounded elves call it ''Pixie Dust''. It has a bitter taste and can tone down the sweetness as well."


    "Interesting. Why does it seem like Lunisae always has the prettiest fruits and vegetables? And plants in general,"


    "Hm, I guess. But I heard it''s pretty corrupt over there. Eartisae''s pretty unique too!" Liliana sat down on the table. "Now to continue," She got up again and walked towards her freezer. She scanned the meats labeled and wrapped with paper. Liliana would choose the Woodhare meat. It was savory, thick, and tender. A perfect combination.


    "Ah. Woodhare?" Salina asked. Woodhare meat wasn''t Salina''s favorite meat, but she recognized it with little difficulty,


    "Yup, it''s cooked." Liliana said as she smiled.


    "Then why put it in the freezer? Are you supposed to do that?" Salina asked again.


    "Probably not, but it won''t kill anybody. Am I supposed to? No. But what''s stopping me? Nothing."


    "Liliana, you really do confuse me sometimes." Salina replied.


    Ignoring her, Liliana sat down on the table. "Now I''ll rub the paste over the Woodhare. Copious amounts of it. More is better here. Some of it will soak into the meat. Next, I''ll put the entire hare in the fire. Wait five seconds."


    Five seconds later, Liliana split the Woodhare in half with her bare hands. "The insides have been removed," she said. She then put the pieces on a large leaf that was resistant to the heat. Liliana served the Woodhare with the fried rice she cooked earlier. She handed Salina her meal. "If you want a drink, get water or get gleamshine wine from the fridge." Liliana put her meal down and the fire out.


    "I thought you asked me to cook? What did I do?" Salina asked as she scratched her neck, filled with confusion.


    "You gave me the spices." Liliana said nonchalantly. She began eating her meal as if she had to go somewhere important.


    "Forget it." Salina took a large bite of her Woodhare. It tasted like¡­something else. The aroma was a mix of delicious things blended together. She felt her nose dance with pure joy. The taste transported her into another world. It was unreal. She could barely control the urge to wolf down everything on her plate.


    "Good huh?" Liliana said with pride. To Salina''s surprise, she had eaten her entire meal.


    "Now I see why you''re so heavy." Salina said jokingly. It was easy to overeat delicious food that was made regularly. She ate the rest of her meal. She wasn''t thirsty and wanted a second, but she wanted to display some degree of self control. She didn''t like being overfull. "Can we sleep now please," she said impatiently.


    "Fine. Upstairs." Liliana replied.


    ***


    Upstairs was plain. No paintings. Just brown carpet floors and old sticky notes that Liliana had posted. There was a door on the corner. Liliana opened it and let Salina in. "This is my bedroom,"


    Dull curtains and a plain wooden floor. Both a light brown in color. There were two dressers and a large closet, presumably Liliana''s wardrobe. There was a large bed on a velvet foundation. It had Moonfruit designs on it. This was probably the most beautiful part of Liliana''s bedroom. There was also a small guest bed. It was also velvet and had Aquafruit designs.


    Salina pointed at this guest bed. "This is mine, right?" She said excitedly as she fell onto the bed. How soft. It felt as wonderful as it looked. Salina wondered what type of high grade materials were in the mattress and foundation. How wealthy was Liliana?


    "Yup!" Liliana said. She walked towards the door and closed it. She blew out every candle. Except for the one she had on her desk. She had to finish a book. There were only twenty-two pages left. This should be easy, she thought.


    Salina was almost asleep, but she heard a strange noise. It sounded awfully familiar. "Liliana? Do you hear that?"


    "What are you talk-" Liliana heard it, too. It sounded like wet paper began squished together. There was heavy breathing with little shrieks between them.


    "Oh my God."


    "Relax. It''s probably nothing. I''ll go into the hallway and turn on the lamp. Things aren''t always what they seem." Liliana put her hand out, towards Salina. "Let''s go girl." She said with pride.


    ***


    "No. I hear it still. My god. What is that? I don''t know what the hell that is!" Salina''s heart began to beat faster and her knees began to wobble. She was sweating again. Her light blue complexion turned a pale white, patterned with red.


    "I¡­don''t know. I don''t feel like dealing with this bullshit. I''m damn tired." Liliana pulled Salina and ran back into her bedroom. "Get your weapons, Salina. I don''t know what that is. I can''t see it either." Liliana warned.


    As they walked out of Liliana''s bedroom, all was well. They didn''t see any odd objects nor creatures. It might of been Liliana''s old papers that flew into the pond. Nothing less, nothing more.


    The duo turned around and was face to face with a large, red, monstrous spirit. It''s irises were severely dilated and the eyes were red and bloodshot. It had the teeth sharper than any needle and it''s claws were just as sharp, if not sharper. It was taller than Salina, strong, and extremely muscular. It flashed a smile but did not attack the two for a bit.


    "This is¡­this is the thing from my dream. Am I dreaming? Please tell me this isn''t real. Please!" Salina shouted as she sobbed. She turned around to run but was stopped dead in her tracks. She felt severe pain, but did not know where it came from. It forced her to sit down for a few seconds.


    The sound of ripped flesh spread throughout the room. Salina stopped crying for a second. She looked at her shoulder. It was bloody and had a medium sized, superficial wound. "Agh!" Salina groaned in pain. She tried to touch the wound but the pain simply increased. The wound began to glow and revealed a glowing, although disappearing, bite mark.


    Liliana, shocked by the wound, became nauseous. She became disoriented by quickly snapped out of it. With no time to spare, she took out her gold-colored, molten bow and enchanted molten arrows. With Salina distracting it, she pulled the bow, added an arrow, and aimed it at the red spirit. Liliana targeted the back of it''s neck, hoping to cut some type of artery. It was a spirit, right? Didn''t it have organs?


    "I can move my shoulder. Painfully, though. " Salina said, still full of fear. "But I can''t. I can''t face this thing." Her weapons, blue throwing knives that were enchanted with ice magic, were in her pockets. She made an attempt to throw a knife, but simply dropped it. The fear consumed her, and her sweaty, shaking hands didn''t help either. This strange spirit was her very nightmare. Her viscous, living nightmare. It was like it simply came from her dream and decided to wreak havoc.


    Liliana continued to aim arrows, as if she was ignoring Salina, and it still did not die. It didn''t even seem like it was a bit injured. It showed no signs of pain. "God Dammit!" She put her arrows back and tried to think. Why did this not die? What was stopping it? What if I aimed at the heart? She thought. So she aimed at the perfect center of it''s chest, and waited for the results. Liliana didn''t want to waste additional arrows.


    Surprisingly, It bellowed loudly, like it was in some sort of pain and fell on the ground. Liliana smiled proudly until she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. The pain was bad enough to make standing painful. became bloody and had a small, lightly bleeding wound. "What? Why you littl-"


    She was bit again. It made the wound deeper and had a slight effect on bleeding. "Ahhh! I don''t know what¡­you get from this!"


    "Telekinesis?" Salina thought as she watched.


    "You¡­think?" Liliana said between gasps of pain "Attack it''s heart. "


    "But I can''t. I can''t." Salina said as she looked away and began to cry again


    "Why not? It''ll kill me. I can only use arrows for so long. It''ll keep attacking my stomach. Please. I need you to help me!" Like a pet promptly accepting a command, Liliana''s face was lightly bitten. "Ahhhhhhh!" It didn''t matter. She could run, but as long as the spirit was within a thirty feet radius, it would still be able to attack.


    Salina felt her vision blur. She was consumed by fear again. She felt like she was floating and felt disconnected from the world. Her hearing muffled. Her crying intensified. She took out a throwing knife and ran towards the spirit. She used as much force as she did in her nightmare. Salina jumped and stabbed the spirit and the heart, still full of fear. She felt it''s blood splatter out, but it was still living. With her legs undamaged, she could still find good positions to aim knives from.


    Liliana stood up, shaking with each step due to the pain in her stomach. "Take this!" She said as she aimed another arrow at the spirit''s heart. With her heart pounding, she jumped and aimed as many arrows as possible.


    "You okay?" Salina said as she threw dozens of knives at the spirit. She jumped across walls and hung onto multiple pieces of furniture.


    "Gah," the spirit said as it pulled out the knives and arrows, with each one being more painful than the next. More blood spurted out, to Salina''s displeasure.


    Before Salina could throw another knives, the spirit was on top of her. She did not cry nor run in fear. She had attacked the spirit already. There was nothing to fear. Salina would endure the pain and fight back if she had to.


    There was nothing to fear until it looked her dead in the eye and put it''s muscular hand on her neck. The spirit began to twist it''s hand. Salina kicked it over and over, but its grip did not loosen.


    Liliana looked at the creature for a fraction of a second, and seemingly unconsciously, used something. It felt instinctual. "Flamma burst!" She aimed her fire energy at the red spirit. The spirit bellowed in pain again, much louder, and turned into nothingness.


    "Oh my god!" Salina said between gasps of air. "Did you see that? What in the world?" She stood up, disoriented. Her normally smooth hair was completely out of shape. She had plenty of bruises.


    "A spirit. They don''t normally attack." Liliana replied. She held her stomach in pain, "Let''s sleep. I''m so tired." Liliana bandaged her wounds and shakily climbed up her bed. After a few minutes, she had fallen asleep.


    Salina checked to see if she was unconscious. No, she thought. Even if they were injured, they were tired. The battle had lasted over an hour. They planned to go to a healing center, but they were both tired. And at this time, it was closed. It would open in a  few hours.


    Salina looked at her and Liliana''s bite marks. They looked similar. Like she''d seen them somewhere. "Hey Liliana," she said as she tried to wake up Liliana. She was completely asleep.


    Salina laid on her bed and closed her eyes. She tried to go to sleep, but was far too anxious. That leap of bravery was temporary. Salina did not want to deal with another spirit. What else could be there? She thought.