The journey back to the village was anything but boring. Luca, curious as ever, found himself constantly distracted by every plant, vine, and glowing flower they passed.
Every few minutes, he'd slow down to crouch beside some unfamiliar flower or strange moss-covered root, tilting his head with genuine intrigue.
"What's this one called?" He asked for the tenth time, touching a vine that shimmered faintly under the dappled sunlight.
Luna, ever eager to prove herself useful and maybe just a little bit impressive in his eyes was quick to answer.
"That's Virelia herb." She said proudly, brushing her hand gently over the leaves. "It grows where mana used to flow most abundantly. Even now, it absorbs faint remnants from the soil. It's...quite rare."
"Oh?" Luca smiled faintly. "So you do still have traces of mana here."
"Yes!" Luna nodded quickly, clearly pleased that he seemed interested. "Though very faint, it still lingers. The forest holds memory of what once was. Many plants still thrive because of that residual energy."
She gestured to a cluster of faintly glowing mushrooms nearby.
"Those are called Luma caps. We use them for light during the night. Their glow lasts almost all evening if handled properly."
"Handled properly?" Luca raised an eyebrow, smirking a little. "Sounds like a warning label."
She gave a small, nervous laugh, brushing her hair aside.
"Well, if you squeeze them too hard, they release spores that make you dizzy for hours, so…"
"Noted." He said with seriousness. "No mushroom-squeezing. Got it."
Luna smiled faintly, a little flustered by how easily he listened to her explanations as if he really valued every word.
She found herself talking more than she expected, describing every plant, every tree, every little thing they passed, each time hoping to sound just a bit more intelligent, a bit more refined like a proper elf should in front of a human.
Meanwhile, Lulu was doing the complete opposite.
She had her hands over Luca's eyes, giggling uncontrollably as she 'guided' him down the forest path.
"Alright, human, go left—no, no, not that much! A little right! Wait—no! Full left! FULL LEFT!"
"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" Luca stumbled slightly, snickering.
"Of course not! Trust me!" Lulu said cheerfully. "Now jump!"
"Oh, sure, why not?"
He leapt forward and landed cleanly over a small bush, grinning as Lulu clapped from his shoulders.
"See! Perfect! You did it!"
Luna sighed, exasperated.
"Lulu, stop playing around! You're going to make him trip over something or worse, hit your head on a rock! Mother's already going to be furious after hearing about the arrow incident. I don't need to deal with you breaking your head as well!"
"You're no fun, Luna! You always suck the joy out of everything." Lulu stuck out her tongue.
Then she looked down at Luca with pride.
"See, human? My directions are flawless. You didn't fall even once! You can 'see' through my voice alone, can't you?"
Luca grinned.
"Oh, absolutely. Even without my eyesight, I can see everything perfectly."
"Ha! Told you!" Lulu said, puffing her chest in triumph.
But then Luca added slyly,
"And even if I did fall down, I'd just make sure to land on my back...so you could cushion the fall."
Lulu blinked. "Huh?"
He smirked. "You know, since you've got such a soft, pillow-like body. I doubt I'd feel a thing."
Lulu's face turned red. "That's not fair! You can't say things like that!"
"Why not? Seems like a good survival plan to me."
You—!
To 'get back at him' Lulu dropped her hands from his eyes and immediately tried to put him in a playful chokehold from behind.
"Take it back! Take it back, you pervert!" She giggled, tightening her arms around his neck as Luca wheezed dramatically in response.
Luna looked like she was about to scold them both again when suddenly her expression changed completely. Her eyes widened and her tone shifted from irritation to awe.
"Wait..." She whispered. "We're here. We're finally home."
Hearing that, Luca stopped, gently pulling Lulu's hands off his shoulders and looking up and what he saw made him stutter.
The forest ahead opened up into a breathtaking expanse and the trees that had already been massive on their path were nothing compared to what stood before him now.
Towering giants of nature, so large and ancient that it would probably take twenty people hand in hand to wrap around one trunk.
Their canopies reached over 150 meters high, the tops brushing against the sunlight like emerald mountains.
But what truly took his breath away were the homes.
Dozens and dozens of intricately built wooden structures lined the colossal trunks and branches.
Small treehouses were carved into the wood itself, their windows glowing with the faint, warm light of magic.
Rope bridges and vine-laced walkways stretched between trees, connecting homes, shops, and platforms, a sprawling, vertical village suspended in nature's heart.
Streams of water trickled down the bark in glowing threads of blue light, feeding moss gardens that shimmered softly. And above them, the faint hum of mana pulsed in the air, weak, but still alive.
Luna turned toward him, pride and nostalgia blending in her voice.
"This is our home...the Silver Leaf Village."
"And these trees are called Eryndals. They've stood for thousands of years. Their bark is stronger than stone, yet they bend with the wind—no storm can tear them down. They're sacred to us, the guardians of our home."
She gestured upward.
"We build our homes among the branches for two reasons: protection and wisdom. The higher we live, the closer we are to the sky, to the spirits who once blessed us. It also keeps us safe from floods, wild beasts, and unwanted intruders."
Her gaze softened as she smiled faintly.
"Our ancestors always said that the elves move best where the trees breathe and so, we made the trees our home."
Lulu, however, had already perked up with childlike excitement, pointing energetically in every direction.
"That's my friend Felmi's house over there!"
She said, pointing at a smaller house shaped like a mushroom pod built into a branch.
"She makes the best sweets! Oh, and that one there—that's Auntie Lindor's house! She's a weaver! And that big one on top? That's Elder Serin's place! She's super boring but makes really cool potions!"
She kept pointing and babbling, grinning from ear to ear as if she was showing off a treasure trove.
Luna couldn't help but smile at her sister's excitement before turning back to see Luca's reaction and—she wasn't disappointed.
His eyes were glowing with wonder, his face practically twitching in awe.
He slowly turned in a circle, taking in every bridge, every glowing window, every vine-lit pathway.
"Finally..." He breathed, almost to himself. "Finally, some actual fantasy-world energy."
"Actual what?" Luna tilted her head, confused.
"When I first saw you two, I thought I'd been scammed." He laughed. "Elves are supposed to be elegant archers—graceful, refined, poised!"
"But you two? One's a little trying to be adult who panics over a neck string, and the other's a hyperactive gremlin trying to strangle me mid-walk!"
Luna's face went bright red.
"W-What did you just—?"
Before she could finish, Lulu smacked him lightly on the head.
"Hey! Don't insult us, human! We're way better than those boring elves in stories!"
Luca rubbed his head and chuckled.
"Maybe. But this..." He gestured at the breathtaking forest village before them. "...this is exactly what I came for. This is the kind of world I wanted to see."
He grinned wide, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Now this...this is what I call fantasy immersion."
He admired the breathtaking village in silence for a moment longer—until his eyes narrowed slightly.
Something didn't sit right.
He glanced around, scanning the bridges, the vines one swing on, the terraces. But there wasn't a single sound, not even the rustle of someone shifting inside a treehouse.
It was...too quiet.
He frowned.
"Wait a second." His voice broke the tranquil stillness. "The village...yeah, it's gorgeous, no doubt about that."
"But, uh...where are the actual elves?"
"What do you mean?" Luna blinked, taken off guard.
"I mean." He said, looking around again. "I see houses, I see bridges, I see all this architecture—beautiful stuff, really. But where are the beautiful elves that should go along with it?"
"...Don't tell me they're playing hide-and-seek or something?"
Luna looked around as well, and for the first time she noticed it too—the eerie emptiness of the place.
The usual distant laughter, the soft singing that always echoed through the village, the faint hum of activity...all of it was gone.
"That's strange." She murmured, her brows furrowing. "Normally, by now, you'd see people walking across talking, carrying baskets...but there's no one. Not even a single soul."
Lulu tilted her head from his back, unbothered as always.
"Maybe they all went to the bathroom at the same time." She said matter-of-factly. "That feast we had two days ago wasn't the best, you know. My tummy hurt all night after that."
"Lulu." Luna groaned, rubbing her temple. "Please. Be serious for once."
"I am serious!" Lulu said with offense. "You weren't the one who ate those spicy mushroom rolls. I almost died."
Luna sighed deeply, deciding it was pointless to argue.
"Let's just keep moving." She said, glancing around nervously. "Maybe everyone's gathered deeper inside the village. It's unusual, but...there must be some reason."
So they continued walking, the only sounds being their footsteps on the paths below.
But the deeper they went, the stranger it became—still no one.
No movement. No laughter. No life.
"Okay." Luna finally said, her tone uneasy. "This is really strange. We should've seen someone by now. There's always someone around."
"Maybe Auntie Nyx and Mother went on vacation and took everyone with them!"
Lulu said suddenly, clutching at Luca's shoulders dramatically.
"If that happened, I swear I'll cry!"
Luca chuckled despite the tension before asking,
"Auntie Nyx? Who's that? I don't think you mentioned her before."
Lulu's face brightened immediately.
"Auntie Nyx is our aunt! Well, technically Mother's younger sister. But she's amazing! She's super fun and always lets me do things Mother doesn't. Like sneaking out of the village at night or climbing the upper branches!"
Luna shot her a warning look, but Lulu continued excitedly.
"She's really pretty too—just as beautiful as Mother, maybe even more! She has that cool, mysterious aura, you know? The kind that makes men's hearts go boom!"
"Oh?" Luca raised a brow, amused. "Sounds like quite the character."
"She really is." Luna nodded, smiling softly. "Auntie Nyx is also my mother's royal advisor. She helps manage everything in the village."
"And even though she acts carefree, she's incredibly intelligent and dedicated. She's also extremely sharp, someone I've always looked up to."
Her tone then dimmed a little, like she was like was mentioning a difficult topic as she continued.
"She's also the one who raised us most of our lives. Mother...didn't spend much time with us. Auntie Nyx was there for everything—our first lessons, our first hunt, even when we were sick."
That made Luca pause. He turned to her, his expression thoughtful.
"Wait...What do you mean by that? It sounds like your mother didn't raise you properly. Do you two...not get along? Or do you hate her or something?"
Luna immediately panicked, and she quickly shook her head.
"No, no, not at all! I don't hate her." She said earnestly. "I love her. Truly. It's just that...Mother is very distant."
She struggled for the right words, her voice quieter now.
"She doesn't talk much, even to us. She keeps everyone at a distance—me, Lulu, even Auntie Nyx."
"It's like...she's here, but never really with us."
Lulu sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Luna, you're sugarcoating it again. Just say it how it is."
Luna frowned. "Lulu, don't—"
But Lulu crossed her arms stubbornly.
"Mother's cold, okay? Like a block of ice. She barely smiles, barely talks, always has that frown on her face. Sometimes I wonder if she even loves us at all."
"Lulu!" Luna snapped, glaring at her. "Don't say that! Don't speak about Mother that way!"
"Why not?" Lulu shot back, her eyes sharp with defiance. "It's true. Everyone in the village knows it too. She's more queen than mother...and sometimes I think she forgets she is one."
The air grew heavy for a moment. Luna's anger faded into silence, her gaze falling to the ground.
"She's...She's still our mother." She murmured softly, though her tone lacked conviction.
Luca watched them quietly, his expression unreadable before a faint, intrigued smile curved his lips.
"Well..." He said under his breath. "Looks like the village isn't the only thing with problems. Family drama too, huh?"
He adjusted his satchel with a half-grin.
"Fantastic. I didn't sign up for domestic counseling, but sure—why not? Let's add it to the list."
But just as he was thinking that, a sharp sound sliced through the air—
TWANG!
SWOOSH!
—the distinct twang of a bowstring.
Instinct kicked in before thought and he looked up just in time to see a blur.
An arrow slicing through the air straight toward him.
And this wasn't like the arrows Luna and Lulu had shot before...clumsy, slow, almost playful.
This one was precise. Fast. Lethal. The air itself whistled around its trajectory.
In that split second, Luca's mind registered the truth.
Whoever had fired that arrow wasn't aiming to warn him.
They were aiming to kill.
—
Illustration of the Elf Village in the comments and discord.