Whispers of the Moonlight

"Elf asmi, kim andhah asi, murkha!" The girl blurted out, her tone sharp with mockery and anger.

"..."

Wait... what did she say?

I looked at Alice for translation, confused and barely catching the meaning of the words she spoke. But there, I also realised, ever since I had come to this world, I had been naturally speaking the language without any difficulty. It was no different from English, a language widely spoken in my previous world.

"She said, 'Of course, I am an elf, fool!' in Elandric, the language of elves," Alice replied calmly, as if this were a simple fact she had explained countless times.

"Wait, you know how to speak their language?"

"Yes. It's part of the curriculum. Although our relationship with them may continue to be hostile, for political purposes, it still remains a compulsory subject we must learn in academia."

So it really was an elf. 

—Thank you, God! My dream had finally come true.

"How dare you call our dear Elias a fool!" Karen, still injured, raised a fist in sharp anger.

I waved off Karen, trying to calm her with gentle words. After all, the elf girl, despite her hostile demeanour and curt introduction, had saved our lives from the beast that nearly killed us. Despite her small figure, her archery skill was deadly: one shot, one kill.

It fascinated me.

I stepped forward and bowed, shouting, "Thank you very much, Miss Elf! Thank you for saving our lives, we truly appreciate it!"

I waited for her reaction. And it was… unexpectedly cute. She rolled her hair and looked away, her cheeks tinged with red.

"Maam na stuvaya, mudha! Hmmph!"

I turned to Alice for translation again. She sighed. "She replied, 'Stop flattering me, you fool!'" Then she looked at the elf girl. "You understand Manthir language, don't you, yet why do you still speak in Elandric, oh elf?"

"Na mam te manushyah priyah. Saralameva."

Alice, anticipating my next question, explained, "She doesn’t like our race, she says."

Her dislike was understandable. Humans and elves had fought countless wars, many of them instigated by humans against a relatively peaceful race. Still, I wanted to thank her properly and wave goodbye.

"Well, whether you hate us or not, thank you again for saving our lives, Miss Elf. I hope one day we can all live in harmony."

"Foolish human. Hmmph!" She finally spoke in human, or Manthir, language, as Alice had stated. She tossed a small pouch toward me, which I caught.

"Use it!" Then she hopped away from tree to tree, vanishing from sight.

"What did she throw you, Elias?" Karen asked curiously.

I opened the pouch. Inside were fresh-smelling herbs.

"Aren’t these Crimsonroot herbs?" Alice’s face lit up. "We can use these to clean your wounds and reduce swelling, Karen! Well done, Elias. Your polite demeanour managed to impress an elf."

"Of course! Our brother is the cutest and definitely not a fool!" Karen added, still holding a slight grudge against the elf girl who had given us the pouch.

"Yes…" I murmured, dreamily. "Elves are really beautiful."

"!"

"Ouch!" I screamed in sudden pain.

"Oh, is that so?" Alice and Karen pinched my back in jealousy. "You have such beautiful sisters, yet you’re swayed by some random elf?"

"I mean… of course, my sisters are the most beautiful ladies in the world!"

"Even more than that foolish elf?" Karen glared at me, eyes sharp with mock bloodlust.

"Yes! More than her!" I replied, panic rising in my voice.

"That’s our Elias, fufufu." Alice slapped my back a few times, laughing.

— Damn, jealousy is a scary thing, alright.

"..."

"Uhm, shall we head back? It seems dusk has already begun, and soon all remaining light will disappear. I think it would be better if we apply these herbs to Karen’s wounds at home." I offered my shoulder to Karen.

"Yes, good idea, Elias," Alice agreed.

I carefully closed the pouch of herbs and put it safely in my pocket. With Karen leaning on our shoulders, we used the lake as our guide and began the journey home.

"..."

Nearly an hour later, we finally reached Grandma’s house. Darkness had fully settled, fireflies dancing in the night, and owls calling from the forest. The scene was completely different from the day. Moonlight filtered through the trees, casting a silvery glow, but Grandma’s house remained dark. 

Father and Grandma still hadn’t returned.

Using the spare key Grandma had given us, we unlocked the door. Inside, the interior was mostly dark. Moonlight from a glass window above provided faint illumination. Without electricity, or even the discovery of it, candles sat unused, their wicks faintly gleaming in the dim light.

"I’ll get the matches; they should be in the kitchen," I said.

"Sure, thank you, Elias. We’ll wait in the living room," Alice replied.

"Okay."

I rushed to the kitchen. The moonlight helped me navigate, but shadows lurked in corners. I searched the dining table and counters, but they held no matches, though nearby drawers promised hope. I searched methodically, one by one, until I found a small box with rough edges and a pushable drawer front. I opened it, and inside were plenty of matchsticks.

I quickly ran toward the living room, where Alice and Karen said they were waiting. The room was dark, moonlight spilling faintly across the floor, casting long shadows. I was certain they would be there, yet the space felt empty.

“Alice? Karen? Where are you?” I called, my voice uneven.

I stepped further in, and then something strange caught my attention. The floor beneath my feet felt damp… and warm, thick and viscous. 

My heart skipped a beat.

Something had been spilled… but what?

The room was silent. Not a single reply, not even the soft whisper of movement. My stomach twisted. I took another step, and the liquid clung to my shoes. Something wasn’t right.

Could it be…?

Hands trembling, I struck a match. The tiny flame flickered and wavered, illuminating the space ahead.

"!"

My eyes widened.

Alice and Karen… they were there. Or at least, something that used to be them lay motionless before me. The moonlight revealed a shocking, impossible sight: their forms sprawled across the floor, silent. The thick liquid pooled around them, and… the edges of their faces seemed… wrong.

I froze, breath catching in my throat. My mind refused to form the image properly, denied it, twisted it.

Then it hit me. Not all at once, but in jagged, horrifying fragments. Something… was missing. Their necks… the way their bodies were positioned…

A cold wave of fear slammed into me. I wanted to scream, but my voice lodged in my throat. I could see the warmth of the liquid spreading, and a sick, metallic scent filled the air.

“!”

Before I could react further, the tiny flame of the match blew out, snuffed by a soft, sudden exhale. Someone... or something... was there. Watching. Waiting.

My head snapped up, drawn to a blur of movement, with red eyes cutting through the dim light. They were fast, almost impossibly fast, darting through the shadows.

“…”

My vision swirled, the world tilting upside down and back again. Each second felt slower, heavier, and my stomach turned.

And then… I saw myself.

Blood… spurting from my neck, my body crumpling under its own weight. The world slowed, twisted. A horrifying, impossible realisation settled in: I was looking at the aftermath. 

My head… was gone.