The Quiet After The Storm

We kept running for hours. The forest never seemed to end, but eventually, we spotted smoke rising in the distance.

Estheria slowed down and looked back at us.

“Strixx, Luca—we’re almost at Elfairia’s barrier. Stay close to me.”

Up ahead, the path just looked like more forest. Nothing seemed different. But Estheria reached out and took Strixx’s hand, pulling him forward. As we moved behind her, we passed through what looked like a normal wall of trees.

Suddenly, everything changed.

The forest vanished behind us, and a hidden village appeared up ahead, tucked away beyond the barrier.

Estheria stopped and turned to us with a calm smile.

“Welcome to Elfairia,” she said. “This is the outskirts--where the lower elves live.”

By the time we reached the village, it was already morning.

Fighting the demon wasn’t easy. It dragged on longer than we expected and took almost the whole night. We were exhausted, and our bodies felt heavy with every step.

It really was a nightmare to deal with.

But even with everything we went through, I was just glad we made it out alive. All of us.

Strixx’s horn had been revealed during everything that happened last night. Estheria probably knew by now--Strixx was a demon.

When we arrived at the village, Strixx seemed a bit anxious, like usual.

Her hands were full carrying me, since I was still injured. So I reached up and gently pulled her cloak’s hood over her head--the one that looked like it had little cat ears. The same cloak she’d always worn since the day Miss Finecia gifted it to her.

Strixx looked down at me with a warm smile, but her eyes shimmered, as if holding back tears.

“Thank you, Luca,” she said softly.

She must still be hurting from everything that happened yesterday.

Meanwhile, Estheria looked around the village, still carrying the tied-up demon over her shoulder.

Without saying anything, she tossed the white-haired demon onto the ground. The demon gasped as she hit the dirt.

Estheria glanced back at us.

“It’s been weeks since I last came home,” she said. Then she looked at Strixx.

“Let’s go. We need to get Luca’s wounds treated--fast.”

She then turned to the demon on the ground.

“As for you… I’m going to be asking you a lot of questions.”

The demon looked up, scared, and quickly nodded.

“A-Alright, I’ll tell you everything! Just… just don’t kill me.”

As we were about to move deeper into the village, an old elf walking nearby spotted Estheria. His eyes lit up and he rushed toward her.

“Estheria! You’re back!”

“He stood where he was, calling out with joy, ‘Estheria’s back! She’s back!’ His voice carried through the village. At first, no one appeared, but slowly, people began to step out of their homes, drawn by the sound. One by one, they gathered around Estheria, their faces filled with curiosity and wonder.”

He grabbed her hands with joy.

“We were all so worried. We thought you’d vanished like the other higher elves who haven’t returned from excavations… but you came back.”

It was clear--everyone in the village truly cared about Estheria.

And I understood why.

She helped people. Even someone like Strixx, even someone like me. Outsiders. Strangers. She didn’t hesitate to help us when we needed it most.

From the crowd, a small elf girl suddenly ran out.

“Estheria! Big sister!”

Estheria turned, eyes wide. She knelt down and opened her arms, hugging the little girl tightly as tears fell from her eyes.

“Levia… I’m so glad you’re safe,” she whispered. “I’m so glad that girl wasn’t you after all…”

Levia hugged her back, confused.

“What are you talking about, big sister Estheria?”

Estheria smiled and wiped her tears.

“It’s nothing,” she said. “Big sister Estheria just had a bad dream last night.”

After the hug, Estheria gently held Levia’s hands.

At the moment another Two elf kids came running up, shouting with excitement.

“Big sister Estheria’s back!”

“We learned a new move while you were gone! We’ve been waiting so many days to show you!” they said, grabbing her hands and tugging her with pure excitement.

Before Estheria could answer, Levia stepped in, grabbing both of their ears.

“No! Can’t you tell? Big sister Estheria just got back. Let her rest first! You can show her later.”

She looked back at Estheria with a proud smile.

Estheria smiled warmly, gently patting their heads.

Estheria smiled warmly, glancing at Strixx and me.

“I’ll be looking forward to your trick. But for today, we need to let everyone rest, especially since one of my new friends is injured.

So, we’ll continue our practice tomorrow, okay? Wish, Hade, Levia.”

At that moment, the villagers who had been excited to see Estheria again turned their eyes toward the tied-up demon on the ground--and then to Strixx and me.

Their expressions shifted, a hint of worry spreading across their faces.

One of the elf villagers spoke up hesitantly,

“E-Estheria… is that white-haired person lying there a demon?”

Estheria nodded.

“Yes, it is. Everyone, I have something important to tell you. But first, I need to help my injured friend, Luca.”

The old elf from earlier stepped forward, frowning slightly.

“We trust you, Estheria. But… these outsiders… can we trust them? Can we—?”

The villagers’ eyes turned toward Strixx and me, their gazes heavy with concern.

Estheria straightened up and spoke firmly,

“You’re right. They are outsiders.

But they’re also the ones who saved me.

If I hadn’t met them… I might not be standing here in front of you all today.”

She looked around at everyone, her voice strong but kind.

“They are my friends. You can trust them.

“As for this demon… there are many questions we need to ask him.

He might hold the answers to many of the strange things that have been happening around ElFairia these past few months.”

The old elf gave an approving nod.

“If that’s what you say, we believe in you, Estheria.”

At his words, smiles spread among the villagers.

One of the younger elves spoke up, excitement in his voice,

“If the one lying tied up on the ground is a demon… then that must mean our Estheria defeated a demon!

The natural enemy of us elves!”

A cheer erupted from the crowd, loud and full of pride for Estheria.

Strixx and I simply stood there, feeling slightly out of place among the celebration.

Estheria glanced over at us with a gentle smile and spoke clearly,

“Not just me. We--the three of us--defeated the demon.

More than that… it was the two of them who saved me.”

She stepped forward, her voice warm and strong,

“For now, we need to head to Elder Eldwin. Luca’s wounds must be treated quickly.”

One by one, the elves around them began murmuring to each other.

“They saved Estheria…”

“Two outsiders saved her from a demon…”

Slowly, they all turned their eyes to Strixx and me, their expressions softening with gratitude.

Then, without hesitation, they bowed deeply toward us.

The old elf stepped up, facing us directly.

Strixx, still carefully holding me in his arms, gently lowered me to the ground.

As he did, he noticed the injuries scattered across my body, signs of the brutal encounter with the demon beasts.

The old elf spoke sincerely,

“Thank you for helping Estheria.”

I smiled softly and answered,

“It was only natural to help her.

After all, she was the first one to help us.”

I bowed my head slightly.

“We’re grateful to have met her… and thank you for trusting us.”

Warm smiles broke across the villagers’ faces, their earlier suspicion fully gone.

“Welcome to our village,” one of the old elf says.

“To the home of us lower elves.”

With that, the villagers parted, clearing a path for us.

Just as the villagers began clearing the path, one of them hesitated, glancing nervously at the demon lying tied up on the ground.

“Um… Estheria… what should we do about him?” the elf asked carefully.

Estheria turned toward them and spoke gently,

“For now, I’d like to kindly ask all of you to keep watch over him until I return after treating Luca.”

A ripple of unease spread among the villagers.

After all, this was a village of lower elves -- most of them had little to no magic ability.

Facing a real demon, even one tied up, stirred fear among them.

Noticing their worried faces, Estheria gave a warm smile and spoke gently,

“We’re all protected inside the ElFairia barrier--no outsider can cross it without the help of one of us.

We’ve lived safely under it for so long, haven’t we?”

She glanced toward the tied-up demon and continued in a calm voice,

“And besides, he seems to be a beast tamer. Without his summoned beasts, he’s powerless.

He can’t cause any harm here.”

Estheria bowed her head slightly, her voice full of trust and gratitude.

“So please, I ask you… just watch over him for a little while longer, until I return.”

Her voice was calm but firm, offering the villagers a sense of security.

The villagers exchanged glances, their fear easing slightly at her words.

Finally, the old elf stepped forward, giving a slow nod.

“When you return, what will happen to him?” he asked.

Estheria’s expression grew a little more serious.

“When I come back after treating Luca, we’ll question him.

If needed, we’ll report everything to the Higher Elves -- to the ElFairia Council.”

Hearing her firm decision, the villagers seemed relieved.

One by one, they nodded in agreement.

“We’ll guard him until you return, Estheria.”

Satisfied, Estheria gave them a grateful smile, and with that, Strixx and Estheria moved to either side of me, supporting me as we walked through the village, step by step.

We walked through the village, Estheria and Strixx helping me .

After a while, we reached the edge of the village, where the trees grew thicker around the path.

It almost felt like we had walked back into the forest, but we were still inside the village.

There, settled quietly against the trees, was a cozy home built into a stone cave.

Moss and green plants grew over it, making it look like a part of nature itself.

When we arrived, Estheria smiled softly and said,

“Here we are.”

She called out, her voice warm,

“Grampa! I’m back!”

From behind us, an old elf appeared -- white hair, long beard, and eyebrows so thick they almost covered his eyes.

He was holding a watering can, looking like he had just been taking care of the nearby plants.

When he saw Estheria, his face lit up with relief.

“You’re back…” he said gently.

Then his eyes shifted to Strixx and me, standing close to Estheria.

He looked at us kindly, with curiosity.

A soft smile formed on his face as he said,

“Estheria, it looks like you’ve made some new friends.”

Estheria smiled at him, then her face grew a little serious.

“Grampa… can you--”

Before she could finish, the old elf stepped closer and looked at me carefully.

“The wounds aren’t deep. No vital spots hit… but they must hurt a lot,” he said, nodding with understanding.

Strixx, still holding onto me, looked up at him with wide, worried eyes.

“Please treat Luca wounds… Luca is hurt everywhere…” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

The old man smiled kindly and gently spoke,

“Don’t worry, little girl. I’ll take good care of him.”

He put down the watering can beside the door and motioned for us to come inside.

The moment we entered, a soft warmth wrapped around us.

The inside of the cave was simple and cozy, with candles and small torches lighting up the walls.

There were herbs and small bottles lined up neatly on shelves, filling the air with a calming smell.

It reminded me a little of Ms. Finecia and Mr. Vec’s home...

We followed the old elf deeper inside to a small room with a bed.

He signaled for me to lie down.

Strixx and Estheria gently lowered me onto the bed, being careful not to hurt me more.

I let out a shaky breath as I lay back, feeling heavy and tired.

The old man brought out a small bottle filled with a dark-colored medicine.

He opened it and carefully applied the liquid to my wounds.

The medicine burned sharply, and I flinched without meaning to.

Seeing my pain, Strixx gasped softly and pressed her hands together, almost like she was about to cry.

Estheria reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Strixx. Luca will be okay. Just stay by his side and watch.”

After applying the medicine, the old man placed his hand over the wounds.

A gentle green light started to shine from his palm, spreading a soft warmth through my skin.

It wasn’t just warm -- it felt safe, like being wrapped in a soft blanket.

The pain slowly faded away.

One by one, the wounds closed up, until there was no trace left of them.

The aches all over my body disappeared too, like they had never been there.

Strixx wiped her eyes quickly, smiling through her tears.

Estheria stood beside her, smiling too, her eyes full of quiet relief.

After the healing was finally done, the old man smiled.

“Young boy, try standing.”

I slowly got down from the bed and stood up.

He looked at me with kind eyes.

“Now, try moving your body.”

I moved my arms and legs — I could move freely, as if I had never been injured.

Relief flooded me.

Suddenly, Strixx came rushing at me and threw her arms around me in a tight hug.

She hugged me so tightly I almost lost my balance.

“Luca… Strixx is so happy… Luca is healed!”

She turned quickly to the old elf, bowing her head deeply.

“Thank you so much for healing Luca!”

The old man chuckled gently.

“That’s just my duty as a healer.”

He patted Strixx’s head softly, then said with a warm smile,

“I hope you both keep being kind to my little Estheria.”

Hearing that, Estheria’s cheeks turned red.

“Grandpaaa! I told you, you have to stop treating me like a little kid already!”

The old man laughed slowly, his voice full of affection.

“No matter how much you grow up, you’ll always be my little Estheria.”

I bowed politely to him.

“Thank you so much for helping me… Gramps.”

Strixx, following me, also bowed and said,

“Thank you, Grampa!”

The old man gave us a pleased smile.

“Alright then, you three continue talking or do whatever you like.

I’ll get back to tending my plants.”

He slowly walked away, humming to himself.

After everything had settled, Estheria looked at us with a serious expression.

“Strixx, Luca… I told you before, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”

I already had a good idea what she was going to ask.

I nodded.

“I’ll answer anything you ask, Estheria. It’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for us.”

She took a breath, then looked at Strixx, standing close to me.

“Strixx… she’s a demon, right, Luca?”