CINDERELLA VISITS THE ELF VILLAGE (2)

My head still spun from everything that had happened. One moment, I was… somewhere else. The next, I was here — in a place where trees bent and twisted at the command of a little girl, and glowing wisps floated like fireflies.

I still had no idea how I had landed in this bizarre place—whether I was stranded, kidnapped, or just thrown into some twisted dream.

All I knew was that the questions in my head were piling up—questions about magic, about spirits, and the superpower this little elf girl possessed.

The dull ache in my ribs from the earlier fight reminded me that my pain was very real. The bruises, the sting of torn skin—none of that felt like a dream.

For now, though, survival came first. Shelter, safety… then I could try to figure out where I was — and how to get home.

“Don’t worry!” The little elf girl skipped ahead, her voice brimming with cheer. “You can come to the elf village with us. My sister will definitely let you stay—especially after you saved me from those kidnappers! Oh, and you fought them sooo amazingly! You’re really strong!”

Her words made me chuckle despite myself. “Thanks, Eri,” I said, giving her a small smile.

We followed a winding trail, the magical trees shifting to clear a path ahead of us while the spirits shimmered in the corners of my vision. Eri assured me they were making sure we weren’t followed. I tried to take her word for it.

Every so often, a branch dipped low, offering small, plump berries that burst with sweet juice the moment I bit into them.

Eri’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “So that shiny little stone in your hand lets you talk to anyone you want? And everyone in your homeland has one? That’s amazing!”

I glanced down at my phone, its black screen reflecting my own tired face. “I guess you could put it like that,” I said.

I still held onto it, stubbornly hoping to find some way to bring it back to life—maybe charging it with solar light. But the cold, lifeless screen was a dead giveaway that it was well beyond broken.

So instead of dwelling on the sinking feeling in my gut, I joined Eri in conversation. She told me her village was hidden deep within the forest, reachable only through the guidance of spirits—a place outsiders could never find on their own.

“I just hope,” I murmured under my breath, “that your village has answers… and a way to find my way back to...”

“There it is—home!” Eri suddenly squealed, pointing ahead.

Two enormous trees stood side by side, their trunks arching toward each other like a natural gate. As we stepped closer, the air shimmered between them, rippling like a disturbed pond.

Eri bounded forward and passed through—and vanished.

“Wait—! Eri!” My voice cracked with alarm. I sprinted after her, heart pounding.

The moment I crossed the archway, something soft and cool brushed over my skin, like stepping through a thin veil. I spun around—the trees behind me were gone.

The forest disappeared.

“Over here!” Eri’s voice called.

I turned back, my breath catching. Before me, the world opened into something out of a dream: colossal trees stretching into the clouds, their trunks carved with spiraling stairways and bridges of woven vines. Lanterns glowed softly in the branches, illuminating tree-houses built high above the strong branches.

My lips parted in awe. “An elf village…” I whispered.

Eri darted ahead, her small feet barely making a sound on the mossy ground. As she reached the edge of the village’s inner boundary, figures began emerging from between the massive roots and hanging bridges.

At first glance, they looked human—tall, graceful, with delicate features that seemed sculpted by the gods themselves. But one detail set them apart: the long, elegant ears, pointed and regal, just like Eri’s.

The moment they spotted her, voices rose all around.

“Eri! We’ve been searching everywhere for you!”

“Are you hurt?”

“We thought we’d lost you forever!”

Their faces carried a mix of relief and worry as they crowded around her, hands reaching out to check if she was truly unharmed.

I was about to follow when the cold gleam of steel stopped me in my tracks.

Two tall elves stepped into my path, spears leveled at my chest. From the corner of my eye, I caught the faint glint of a drawn bow somewhere in the shadows. My body tensed instinctively—one wrong move and I’d be skewered.

A hard voice cut through the commotion, and others followed.

“Why is a human here?”

“Were you the one who took Eri?”

“How did you enter the village?”

I kept my hands visible but didn’t let my guard drop. “Why don’t you ask Eri herself?” I said evenly.

“Wait!” Eri’s small voice piped up from within the crowd. She wriggled free and ran toward me, ignoring the hands trying to hold her back.

“She’s my savior!” Eri declared, planting herself in front of me like a tiny shield. “She helped me escape from the kidnappers! She saved my life!”

But instead of gratitude, her words were met with suspicion.

“No, Eri—get away from her!”

“She’s human. She can’t be trusted.”

“It could all be a trick to get into the village!”

“—Don’t hurt her!” Eri cried, panic lacing her voice. “Big sister, help me!”

Gasps rippled through the gathered elves. A low, deep vibration began to hum through the earth beneath my feet, and the surrounding trees seemed to sway as if whispering. The crowd parted slowly, all eyes turning toward the figure approaching from behind them.

“It’s the village chief,” someone whispered.

From the opening stepped a tall elf girl, perhaps my age, yet carrying herself with the unshakable calm of authority. Her hair was a lustrous, deep shade of violet, short at the front but falling long in the back, and her amethyst eyes scanned the scene with sharp precision.

Her ears, longer than Eri’s, twitched slightly as she looked down at the girl.

“Big sister!” Eri cried, running to her.

The chief knelt, gathering Eri into her arms with surprising gentleness, and stood up. Her expression didn’t soften, but the protective way she held the girl spoke volumes.

So… Eri was the village chief’s sister.

Without a word to me or her elf people, the chief rose, turned on her heel, and began walking away,

“Village Chief, wait!” A sharp male voice spoke up first.

An elf stepped forward, his fine embroidered tunic marking him as someone of status. His frown was deep, his tone cold—utterly unmoved by the tender reunion between Eri and her sister.

“You must make a decision now. She’s human. We should drive her out—no, capture and execute her, to make an example to the humans who dared to kidnap Eri.”

Gasps and uneasy whispers spread like wildfire.

“Yes, Village Chief, please decide,” another elf urged, his grip tightening on his spear. “What should we do with her?”

The crowd’s unease swelled, voices layering over one another until the air buzzed with tension.

Then, the young elf chief—still walking away with Eri in her arms—stopped. She didn’t turn to face them. Instead, she lifted her hand, one finger raised, a silent command that stilled the crowd.

The forest fell silent. Not just the elves—everything. The rustle of leaves, the whisper of air, even the distant hum of insects—all vanished as though the world itself was holding its breath.

“If this human truly bore malicious intent,” she said, “the spirits would never have guided her here.”

Her gaze remained fixed ahead, her tone unyielding.

“She saved my little sister’s life. As Eri has said—treat her well.”

The village chief gave a single nod toward a nearby elf, a silent order passing between them. Then, without another word, she resumed walking, the crowd parting in reverent silence as she carried Eri toward the towering heart of the village.