A Dangerous Mission

After a year of training, we were now grouped into teams for our practical assignments. Of all the possible combinations, I found myself paired with Magnus and Elara, the top 2 in our batch. Three very different people, yet somehow, it seemed fitting.

It was under the jurisdiction of Hecate, the witch queen herself, who had taken it upon herself to guide us through this next stage of training. The thought of working directly under her was both thrilling and intimidating. She was a legend, after all. If anyone could teach us how to survive the dangers of the Enchanted Forest, it was her.

Magnus, always the one to keep to himself, was already prepared for the task. He had mastered his lightning and storm magic, and his stoic demeanor didn’t reveal a hint of anxiety, even though we’d be facing some of the forest’s most dangerous creatures. Elara, on the other hand, was far more vocal. Her fiery red hair was a sharp contrast to her calm, celestial magic, but she had a quiet intensity to her that I admired.

We met at the designated meeting spot in the heart of the Enchanted Forest, a clearing surrounded by towering trees. Their gnarled branches twisted into the sky, creating an almost unnatural canopy above us. Hecate stood there, waiting with an air of quiet authority. Her black robes fluttered lightly in the breeze, the faint shimmer of the purest mana rippling from her form.

“You’re here,” she said, her voice like a soft wind through the trees. “Today’s task will test not just your abilities but your teamwork.”

I could feel my heart quicken at her words. This was no simple exercise.

“Elara, Valkyrie, Magnus,” Hecate continued, her sharp gaze moving between us. “I specifically chose the three of you for this mission because I know you were the best among your peers. There has been a disturbance in the Enchanted Forest. Elves and fairies have gone missing, even the Dyads are going restless. Your mission is to investigate their whereabouts, locate them, and determine who or what is responsible for their disappearance. But be warned, this is no ordinary mission.”

I exchanged glances with Elara and Magnus, each of us silently acknowledging the gravity of the task.

“How did they vanish?” I asked, my curiosity piqued. I couldn’t help but wonder how so many beings could just disappear without a trace.

“We’re not sure,” Hecate replied, her voice serious. “There are no clear signs of struggle, but they have vanished without a trace. We suspect someone or something is targeting the elves and fairies.”

I glanced at Elara and Magnus, who were deep in thought. We still had many questions, but it was clear that we needed to move fast.

“Remember, the forest itself is unpredictable,” Hecate added, her tone turning more serious. “You must rely on each other. If one of you falters, the mission will fail.”

With that, we were off, heading deeper into the Enchanted Forest, each step taken with purpose. The weight of Hecate’s words lingered in the air, pushing us forward as much as it made us wary.

As we walked, the atmosphere shifted. The trees grew denser, their bark twisted with ancient runes, and the air thickened with magic. Elara moved ahead slightly, her celestial energy glowing softly like a guiding light. Magnus, as always, was a few steps behind, his silver hair almost blending into the shadows.

I focused on the subtle shifts in the ground, my senses expanding outward like tendrils beneath the surface. If someone—or something—was moving through the forest, I would feel it through the vibrations in the earth. Even if they tried to mask their presence, the ground would betray them.

“You feel that?” Elara asked quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

I nodded. “There’s something… unnatural about this place.”

Magnus grunted, his eyes scanning the trees around us. “Do you think the elves and fairies just vanished, or is someone else involved?”

Elara’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t know. But we need to be cautious.”

We moved forward cautiously, the sound of our footsteps muffled by the thick forest floor. After what felt like hours of careful progress, we came across the first sign of trouble: goblins. They were clustered around a clearing, but they didn’t seem to be looking for a fight. The area they guarded seemed unremarkable at first, but as we moved closer, I saw strange markings etched into the bark of a nearby tree.

“They’re guarding something,” Magnus said, his voice low.

We pushed forward carefully, trying not to alert the goblins. But as we neared the tree, I felt something off. My gaze shifted to the clearing beyond, and I noticed something strange—a trail of broken branches leading deeper into the forest.

“That’s odd,” I said, motioning for the others to follow. “This doesn’t feel like it’s the work of beasts.”

Elara’s celestial magic flickered faintly in the dim light, casting brief glimmers of illumination as she watched me carefully. “Do you think it’s someone else?”

I hesitated for a moment. There was a heaviness in the earth that suggested a more deliberate force at work. A ripple of unease ran through me, but I trusted my affinity to guide me. This trail, however faint, led deeper into the forest, and I was certain it was no animal. The ground was telling me that something—someone—was leaving their mark.

As we moved deeper, I felt the vibrations shift beneath my feet, clearer now, as though the forest itself was urging us forward. We followed the trail for what seemed like hours until we arrived at another clearing. The air was thick with a strange stillness, and as my earth affinity pulsed again, I felt a deep, unsettling connection to the land.

The ground was soft, and footprints marred the dirt—humans. Not goblins, not creatures of the forest. The vibrations in the earth confirmed it. The captors weren’t supernatural creatures. They were human.

I knelt down, my hand brushing the dirt, feeling the indentations in the earth where the captives had been dragged. Broken magical wards lay scattered across the clearing, their glow now dim and broken. My earth affinity thrummed with anger, a deep, resonant vibration, as if the land itself was rebelling against the intrusion.

“Humans,” I muttered in disbelief, the weight of the discovery settling over me. “It’s humans who captured them.”

Elara’s eyes widened in shock, while Magnus remained quiet, processing the revelation.

“Are you sure?” Elara asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

I nodded, my gaze narrowing as I examined the scene. “I’m certain. These aren’t creatures from the forest. Whoever did this is hiding in plain sight.”

Magnus’s expression darkened. “We need to report this back to Hecate. But it’s not going to be easy.”

I stood, my mind racing. The earth beneath me seemed to pulse with urgency, as if urging us to find the truth. “Let’s head back. We have to figure out who’s behind this.”

I felt sick to my stomach as the truth sank in—humans were behind the capture of the elves and fairies. It was hard to comprehend how anyone could do something so cruel. No wonder the Enchanted Forest hated humans. The land itself seemed to recoil at the thought of us, and in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel that the forest was right. What humans had done was unforgivable, and I knew we had to stop it.