The party walked on foot through the great forest of Etheria, their boots pressing into the soft underbrush with the quiet familiarity of returning home. The sun filtered through high branches in golden shafts, dancing across mossy roots and glistening dew. Birds flitted between canopy layers, chirping in spirals of sound. The deeper they went, the older the trees became, massive, ancient trunks wrapped in vines, their bark etched with memory.
This was the heart of the elven forest, the center of their birthplace, and it had changed.
The path widened. A gentle breeze carried the scent of lavender moss and mana-imbued flowers. On the left, a clearing revealed elves training archery, arrows whistling as they struck rotating targets shaped like wooden wolves. On the right, others practiced ice spear spells, streams of elemental energy slicing through the air with sharp, crystalline precision. Small sparks of mana drifted like fireflies in daylight.
Ahead, the architecture of the village emerged, graceful elven homes crafted of shaped wood and living branches, their walls breathing with enchantment. Mana lights glowed faintly under arching doorways. The central plaza had grown larger, cleaner, with paths winding toward new buildings. What was once a hidden sanctuary had expanded into a quiet, vibrant stronghold.
---
The forest is their home: dew on moss, ancient bark, and the occasional scent of wild mushrooms that reminded Fahleena of lunches gone by. Trees towered around them, ancient and wide like the arms of sleeping giants. Ferns brushed their legs. Birds chirped, probably gossiping about the return of "the twelve".
In the distance, familiar shapes came into view, training grounds, the faint glint of practice arrows flying, and the shimmer of mana from a half-formed ice spear spell.
Jessica squinted. "It's all… bigger?"
"No," Yuuna said without blinking, "we've been gone too long. We've shrunk in society's standards."
"I vote we reverse-grow," Kyle muttered.
Wildan stood near the training area, his black wings tucked behind his back. He hadn't aged a day, the same dark hair and serious expression as always. Around him, young elf kids fumbled with fireballs.
He spotted them and froze mid-demonstration.
"Oh no," he whispered to himself. "The disaster dozen is back."
Fuhiken approached first, calm and respectable, producing a neatly folded dwarf-made cloak from his magic bag.
"A souvenir. We thought of you," he said with a proud smile.
Wildan blinked. "You remembered me?" He accepted the gift with a cautious smile, then whispered, "Are they still dangerous?"
"Incredibly," Fuhiken replied.
Wildan looked at Kyle, who waved innocently, and at Orchid, who was busy trying to poke a tree with her sword to see if it was edible. Adiw was already scanning the training dummies like they were issuing a personal challenge. Sinryo whispered something to Kyle and both snorted in sync, definitely plotting. Gigih accidentally bumped into a mana lamp, muttered an apology to it, and continued walking. Sakura was nibbling a biscuit she somehow pulled from her sleeve. Yetsan walked stiffly, as if every step risked getting dust on his polished greaves. Jessica stayed close to Fahleena, glancing between buildings like trying to memorize every change. Gabyola trailed near the rear, keeping graceful posture despite stepping on a pinecone. Yuuna didn't look at anything, she was already evaluating mana signatures, mentally filing every improvement into an invisible database.
"So nothing's changed," Wildan sighed.
They made their way through the expanded village. Cobblestone paths had replaced dirt trails. More buildings, more elves. The place had grown, civilization wrapped in vines and carved wood, decorated with glowing orbs of soft blue mana light.
"Where's Mother?" Fahleena asked.
Wildan pointed. "She's in the main office. Don't get lost. The layout changed. Also, don't let Kyle and Orchid wander off."
Fuhiken took the lead, navigating toward the administrative building. On the way, Kyle tugged at his arm.
"Hey, when did you get that cloak?"
"When you were tied to a wall."
Kyle blinked, then muttered, "Ah… right. a wall and carriage Incident. Tied up like a carrot-hating scrollworm next to Orchid. Thanks, Gabyola."
---
The office was surprisingly modern by elf standards, wooden walls infused with mana lines, shelves with labeled documents, and a giant map of Etheria covering one side. Lucretia sat behind a large desk, silver hair a bit frazzled, golden eyes dull with sleep deprivation. She was surrounded by paper piles, quills, and at least three empty cups of mana tea.
Fahleena knocked dramatically before bursting in. "Mother!!"
Lucretia looked up. "Children?"
Fahleena didn't wait. She ran, flung herself into her mother's arms, nearly knocking her off her chair. "I missed you!"
Lucretia caught her with a smile. "I missed you, too. And please, stop hitting the walls with your 'keyblade of destiny'. I found holes."
Gabyola stepped in, elegant and composed, her every movement like a page from a posture manual. With a small flourish, she reached into her magic bag and retrieved a velvet-wrapped bundle. Carefully unrolling it, she revealed a polished necklace, its pendant a fusion of ogre-carved minerals, smoothed to a glossy sheen but still holding the raw, wild beauty of its origin. The stones shimmered faintly under the room's mana lights, catching hints of deep green and volcanic red.
"A souvenir," she said. "From the ogre lands. Don't ask how long it took to get a fair price.", she had spent three hours negotiating with a female ogre clerk who thought the price should be some puddings.
Lucretia chuckled. "You girls always find the most surprising souvenirs."
---
The main house had changed, too. What was once a simple split, one room for the boys, one for the girls, had transformed into a proper home, with individual rooms for each of them. No more shared corners, no more blanket border disputes. They now had their own spaces, though Fahleena had already dragged a pillow into Jessica's room "just in case of midnight keyblade emergencies."
Yetsan, upon seeing the upgraded bath, muttered "finally" like a war veteran returning to his homeland, then disappeared inside with the solemnity of a man reclaiming a sacred temple.
After ten minutes, Kyle asked, "Is he... still alive?"
Sinryo shrugged. "Maybe he fell asleep. Or got possessed by a dirt-hating bath ghost."
Jessica giggled. "Should we check?"
"No," Yuuna said. "He deserves this."
Meanwhile, Fuhiken prepared dinner alongside Lucretia. The smells from the kitchen were nostalgic, herbs, grilled vegetables, mana-spiced stew.
Orchid peeked in. "Can I help cook?"
Everyone froze. A collective memory swept through the room, of Orchid's last attempt at dessert: her experimental "lava chocolate surprise" that detonated mid-bake and turned half the kitchen into a sticky, cursed battlefield. The scent of scorched cocoa and confusion still haunted their senses. Plates paused mid-air. Even the fireplace crackled a little quieter, as if bracing for impact.
Lucretia smiled gently. "No, dear."
"But I can, "
"We value our health, Orchid." Fuhiken said without looking up from the stew.
Gabyola entered with a length of rope, already sighing. Orchid saw it and tried to bolt, only to be intercepted mid-step by Fuhiken, who blocked her with a calm smile and a single hand on her head. "No," he said firmly.
"I protest this treatment!" Orchid cried as she flailed, dramatically but harmlessly.
She was no match for the coordination of Fuhiken and Gabyola. Ten seconds later, she was tied securely to a chair at the dining table, arms tucked, legs restrained.
Dinner was loud, cheerful, and slightly chaotic. Plates clinked, laughter echoed. Stories poured in, of dwarf city, beastfolk village. Astoria, a city in human kingdom. Goblin village and giant ancient crocodile. not forgot a big jelly king with cherry crown on top of its head.
Lucretia listened patiently, spoon in hand, face smiling.
Jessica poked Fahleena mid-meal. "You're not… doing your usual thing."
"What thing?"
"You know," Jessica whispered. "Chuunibyou."
"Oh." Fahleena looked thoughtful. "I turned it off. Saving mana."
Jessica narrowed her eyes. Dinner ended with everyone full and Orchid trying to nibble her own rope.
As the stars rose above Etheria and the fireflies blinked to life, the house quieted. At least, relatively. Somewhere upstairs, someone was arguing over pillow territory.
Lucretia sat near the fireplace, finally breathing out. The flames crackled softly. She touched the necklace from Gabyola and closed her eyes, letting the warmth and peace of home finally settle in.
At least for one night, the twelve were back where they belonged. And no one exploded yet.
---