The ruins of Elmswood

We arrived at Elmswood just past noon, following a road so clean and smooth it looked like a god had personally laid it out with tweezers.

We descended into the clearing, the wheels of our cart crunching over scattered debris—splintered wood, broken stone, shattered glass.

But it wasn’t the architecture that made my stomach twist.

It was the bodies.

Charred skeletons lay slumped against walls, some still gripping rusted weapons. Others were huddled together in corners—mothers shielding children, guards collapsed in defensive stances. Their armor had melted into their skin.

Naomi covered her mouth. “What… what happened here?”

“I thought this place was supposed to be protected,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Lyssa knelt near a burned elf soldier, his fingers frozen mid-gesture—like he’d been casting a spell when he died. “These are not natural burns. This wasn’t a fire. It was… magic. Corrupted, twisted.”

I looked around.

Dozens of them.

Entire families. Vaporized. Left to rot in the ruins of a city that was supposed to be untouchable.

Luffy whimpered beside me. His usual playfulness was gone. His body was tense, fur bristling like static.

Naomi wiped her eyes. “This wasn’t just an attack. It was a massacre.”

Lyssa stood slowly, her expression unreadable. “This was done recently. Within the month.”

That meant someone—or something—was strong enough to break through an ancient elven barrier. And either no one survived… or whoever did was hiding.

Hiding from what, though?

The wind blew through the ruined village like a ghostly whisper, carrying the scent of ash and blood.

I tightened my grip on the scroll.

If this was the job they gave us as compensation, I was starting to think Elira had no idea what she’d sent us into.

Or maybe she did.

The enchanted barrier had held true. The journey had been silent—peaceful even. Birds chirped in the trees, Luffy had napped in the back without a care in the world, and Lyssa hadn’t summoned a single cursed object all morning. It was… suspiciously perfect.

And that was the problem.

Not white-and-gold towers glinting in the sunlight.

Not elegant elven guards welcoming us at the gates.

But ruins.

Broken columns. Collapsed rooftops. Weeds growing through stone pathways. A once-beautiful statue of an elven priestess now headless and covered in moss.

Naomi leaned forward. “Uhh… are we in the wrong place?”

“No,” Lyssa said, eyes narrowed. “This is Elmswood. Or what’s left of it.”

I felt my heart sink.

“Elira said this place hadn’t been attacked in over 200 years. That the barrier was—”

“Still active,” Lyssa interrupted. “But barriers can be tricked. Or broken from the inside.”

I stopped the cart near a shattered gate. Luffy hopped out and immediately sniffed the air, fur bristling.

Naomi looked around nervously. “Soo… new plan?”

I stood up slowly, scroll case in hand. “We complete the mission. Deliver the scroll. Ask what the hell happened. And then leave.”

“That’s assuming there’s anyone to deliver it to,” Lyssa muttered.

We dismounted and cautiously entered the ruins.

The silence was… wrong. Not just quiet. Oppressive. Like the entire forest was holding its breath.

A fallen banner flapped gently from a broken spire. It bore the sigil of Elmswood—a silver tree wrapped in golden vines.

We passed what might’ve once been a marketplace, its stalls torn apart by time—or claws. Smashed glass. Bloodstains.

Naomi whispered, “I thought elves were supposed to be clean freaks.”

“They are,” Lyssa replied. “This place wasn’t abandoned. It was attacked.”

“But by who? The barrier should’ve—”

Suddenly, Luffy let out a sharp bark and darted left, vanishing behind a pile of rubble.

“Luffy!” I called, running after him.

We followed through a crumbled archway and found him barking at a ruined library, vines creeping up its marble columns.

And then…

We heard it.

A soft voice, barely audible through the broken windows.

“…two times four is eight. Three times four is… uhh…”

I glanced at Lyssa. “Is someone… doing math?”

We approached slowly.

Inside, amidst the dust and shadows, knelt a young elf girl. Small. Barely older than Naomi. Dressed in tattered robes way too big for her. She had a crooked witch’s hat that kept falling over her eyes, and a giant staff twice her size strapped to her back.

She was scribbling into a half-burned book with a broken quill.

“Three times four is… meh, close enough.”

I cleared my throat. “Umm… excuse me?”

She gasped and spun around, tripping on her robe and falling flat on her face.

Lyssa sighed. “She’s definitely still alive, at least.”

The elf girl popped back up, cheeks bright red. Her eyes were a brilliant violet, wide and startled.

“Don’t eat me!” she shouted.

“Eat—what? We’re not monsters!”

“Oh…” She blinked. “Oh. Ohhhhhhh. You’re real people? Like, not illusions sent to test me?”

Naomi leaned in. “Are you okay?”

“Define okay,” the girl said, dusting off her hat and posing like she meant to fall on purpose. “I’m Emilia! Apprentice to the Great Sage of Elmswood! …Well. Former apprentice. Probably. She exploded.”

There was a pause.

“…What?”

“Yeah,” Emilia nodded seriously. “Boom. Whole tower gone. That was about three weeks ago. Maybe two. I lost count after the talking mushrooms kicked me out of their cave.”

I turned to Lyssa. “So, uh… do we still get paid if the village is dust and this is the only survivor?”

“Ask Elira,” she muttered, rubbing her temples.

Emilia skipped forward. “Wait, wait! Are you adventurers? Real ones? With weapons and tragic backstories and trauma you refuse to talk about?”

“…Unfortunately, yes,” I muttered.

Her eyes sparkled. “Then take me with you!”

“No,” Lyssa said immediately.

“Yes!” Emilia said immediately.

Naomi clapped. “I vote yes. She’s adorable.”

“She’s a kid!” Lyssa hissed.

“I’m not a kid!” Emilia stomped. “I’m a legal elf! In elf years!”

“…How old are you?”

“…Twelve.”

“In elf years?”

“Also twelve.”

Another pause.

Luffy licked her face.

Emilia giggled. “See? Your guardian beast likes me.”

“His name’s Luffy,” I said. “And he usually only licks people when—”

Emilia dropped to her knees and clung to him. “Let me join your party! I’ll cook, I’ll clean, I’ll destroy your enemies with mildly unstable magic!”

Lyssa groaned. “This is a bad idea.”

“She’s already here,” Naomi pointed out.

“And she’s obviously powerful,” I added.

“And she’s small,” Luffy barked.

We all looked at him.

“…Did he just say she’s small?”

“I choose to interpret that as emotional support,” Emilia said, hugging him tighter.

I looked at the others, then at the ruined city around us.

If this place had fallen with no survivors, she might’ve been the last living witness. Maybe even the last elf of Elmswood.

I couldn’t leave her here.

“Alright,” I said. “You’re in.”

Emilia cheered—and immediately tripped over her staff again.

Lyssa sighed.

Naomi laughed.

Luffy barked.

And somewhere in the distance…

Something ancient… growled