I held back a gasp. Just five seconds ago, the tropical, exotic woman stood before me. But now, she had transformed into a stunning Elvian. Her hands moved gracefully, her beautiful face beaming with a smile. It was rare to encounter a woman as beautiful as her. Shella was indeed stunning, like a model, but this woman—she seemed angelic.
Were all Elvians this beautiful? I had never been close enough to observe an Elvian up close. My habit when hunting in the forest was to flee the moment I saw even the slightest shadow of an Elvian. This was the first time I had seen one so closely. Truly enchanting.
My awareness returned, and my mind began to race. How could a human transform into an Elvian? But wait! I must have missed something earlier. Oh yes! Didn't she say she was a former scout? That meant she had been part of the Elvian patrol. Was she here to capture me for hunting repeatedly in their territory?
Suddenly, I became extremely alert. My hand tightened on the armrest of the sofa beside me. My eyes never left her, afraid she might make a sudden move. I considered fleeing, but how could I escape if she chased after me again?
Thoughts of uncertainty and worry flooded my mind. A bead of sweat formed on my brow. Just as I was counting down to make a run for it, she chuckled softly.
"I told you, didn't I? You don't need to be afraid. No one will harm you here. I invited you to talk." She took a sip of her tea leisurely. But I, still not trusting her, kept my body in a state of readiness. "I already introduced myself. Now, it's your turn."
"Huh, me?"
She nodded, signaling for me to introduce myself, her eyes fixed on me with a penetrating gaze. For some reason, her stare felt as warm as sunlight, comforting.
"My name is Anggi Widya Damayanti. I'm a hunter of mythical creatures."
A moment later, I slapped my hand over my mouth. How careless and foolish of me to claim to be a hunter in front of an Elvian? It was that woman's intelligence that eased the atmosphere, lowering my guard.
She immediately fixed me with a sharp gaze. "So, you hunt creatures in our territory often?"
I shuddered. I couldn't speak, only sitting silently like a pebble on the roadside. Her stare was so menacing that I couldn't bring myself to look down at the floor. I hoped my stiff legs would loosen, allowing me to escape from this place.
"It's fine, child! I don't mind that at all." Her friendly tone made me lift my head in surprise. "You're quite lucky. If we had met when I was still serving as an Elvian scout, I would have immobilized every hunter like you. Captured you, and thrown you in jail for life." She laughed loudly.
It was actually a bit funny. If the situation weren't so tense, I might have laughed along with her.
"You were an Elvian soldier?" I asked cautiously.
She nodded. "But I left the army a few years ago. I have a human husband and a son in this town. So, inevitably, I followed them."
Ah, that explains it! It answered the question that had been echoing in my head: 'What is an Elvian soldier doing in a human town?' It seemed her words were true. As I looked around this house, I saw long sofas for multiple people in the living room, four chairs at the dining table, stacked dishes in the kitchen, and a fairly large bedroom. All of these things wouldn't be necessary if living alone, right?
Hearing that an Elvian was living in a human town was surprising, especially a marriage between the two races. I had heard before that cross-racial marriages were prohibited between the two warring races.
"Wait a minute, didn't your family oppose your marriage?" I asked, leaning in closer to her.
"Of course. Many families and colleagues disapproved and forbade me. But it's true what humans say. Love is beautiful, but also blind. In the end, I ran away and married my husband." Her voice softened, and her eyes grew distant as she looked down. "Can we change the topic? I'm a bit sensitive about this."
"Oh, no! I'm sorry! It's my fault for asking such personal questions."
There was a brief silence. I pretended to sip my nearly empty tea cup, while she sat silently, her face clouded with sadness. It seemed there was an unpleasant memory in her past. I had unknowingly stepped into a place I shouldn't have. For some reason, I began to feel guilty.
"This tea is delicious!" I said, trying to break the silence.
"Of course. This isn't just ordinary green tea. It's picked directly from the best tea leaves in the northern mountains. I really like it. It gives a calming, soothing feeling." She reached for her cup and drank it all. She paused for a moment, then glanced at me. "How about you? Do you have any little secrets in this town? Or perhaps, have you fallen in love with a human and came to this city?"
She laughed softly. I couldn't understand what was so funny about it.
I shook my head. "I've been an orphan since I was five years old. My parents died in a shipwreck. I was raised by my aunt. But six years later, she kicked me out because I was a burden. I wandered the streets until someone took me in. Old Man Grussel. He's the one who took me in to his hunter group, and I've been with them ever since."
A wry smile crossed my face. It was impossible for me to directly say that I had gotten lost from another world. People here, like those in my world, treated parallel worlds as mere myths. They wouldn't believe me and would laugh if I told them the truth.
It disgusted me a little. Because I was forced to make the Old Bastard seem like a good person. But in reality, he wasn't. He was rude and liked to resort to violence. Though I had to admit, sometimes he was understanding and caring, but those moments were rare. I had only seen them once. Most of the time, what I remembered about him was his harshness.
For some reason, the woman was suddenly sitting beside me. She took my hands in hers. Her eyes glistened.
"My goodness! I didn't know anyone could have such a miserable life as you. It must be so hard being born an Elvian in a human city."
Seeing her sad face, I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth that I was lying. I couldn't betray her sympathy for me.
Besides, there was one important piece of information I wanted to uncover. The meaning of my existence as a Haier-Elvian. I had asked and searched for information at the library, but found nothing. Even Grussel, despite his vast network, couldn't find an answer. That's why I thought maybe this Elvian woman knew something.
"Don't worry! That's old news. Now, I'm happy living with my friends," I said, scratching my head. "Maybe this is just how life is for someone half-Elvian and half-human like me."
Suddenly, the woman froze. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. She remained still for a moment, before gripping my shoulders tightly, shaking me with force.
"What did you just say? Half-human and half-Elvian? You mean you're Haier-Elvian?" She stared at me in disbelief.
"Uhm, that's what Grussel told me. I only found out a few months ago." I scratched my cheek, though it wasn't itchy. I tried to force a smile to deceive her. "No wonder I was always confused about having these long ears, even though my hair isn't golden and my skin isn't pale. Turns out, I'm neither human nor Elvian."
A small laugh escaped from my lips. Almira gazed at me intently. "May I examine you for a moment?"
I was a bit confused, but I nodded, agreeing to her request.
She asked me to place both my hands in hers. I followed her instructions without hesitation. Honestly, I was curious about this 'examination' she had mentioned earlier, as I wanted to hear her thoughts on me.
She closed her eyes and muttered something under her breath. Then, a green light radiated from her palms, giving off a warmth that spread to my hands. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, and the green glow vanished. Her piercing gaze was now fixed on me, and a sense of unease began to swell in my chest.
"Hello?" I called out, trying to rouse her from her trance. "How is it?"
"I can't believe this! You are truly Haier-Elvian. The Esze structure you possess is very different from that of Elvians. It looks more complex, larger, and stronger. I didn't detect any camouflage technique you're using, which means your appearance right now is genuine. I thought you were trying to disguise yourself as human, but didn't succeed with the ears," she said, still holding my head and ears.
"Camouflage technique? You mean the one you used earlier?"
She nodded.
"How many people know you're Haier-Elvian, Anggi?"
"All the hunters and a few of my close friends."
"But if no trouble has come up by now, it means they can be trusted." She murmured, then turned to me. "Listen to this, Anggi! Never tell this to anyone too easily."
"Why?"
She didn't answer. She merely stared at me intensely, then stood up from the sofa and walked over to a small bookshelf in the corner of the room. After some time, she pulled one book from the dusty stack. Blowing the dust off and tapping it, she brought it back to me.
Gracefully, she returned to the sofa in front of me, not touching her half-finished tea. Her hands were busy flipping through the pages of the book.
"You really don't know anything about yourself, do you?"
I nodded. After a few moments, her hands stopped on one of the pages. She scanned it from top to bottom. Once she was sure the page contained the information she was looking for, she handed the book to me. I didn't know what it meant, but the way she glanced at me and nodded her head seemed to silently urge me to read it.
Though I was hesitant, I began to read the book. It was written in Elvian, but I could still read it. According to this book, Haier-Elvian is an incredibly rare race. The result of a mixed marriage between an Elvian and a human, the birth rate of this race is extremely low—one in a hundred thousand. Normally, when an Elvian and a human marry, there are only two possibilities for their child: they will either be born as a human or as an Elvian. It's possible for an older sibling to be human and a younger sibling to be an Elvian from a marriage between these two races. Even twins can be of different races.
Finding a Haier-Elvian birth is rare. The long history of the Elvian race only records 32 Haier-Elvian births—this so-called Mixed Race—over tens of thousands of years. The last recorded birth was around two thousand years ago. That's a long time compared to the Elvian life span, which averages around five hundred years. There was something that particularly caught my attention. It was said that not all Haier-Elvians live to adulthood. Most male Haier-Elvians die before they reach the age of five due to the unstable structure of their Esze.
I paused for a moment, swallowing hard, before continuing to read the next section. Haier-Elvians are born as a fusion of two races. They inherit the intelligence and social skills of humans, as well as the wisdom and mastery over Esze of the Elvians. Their senses and instincts are sharp, but their lifespan is almost as short as that of humans. They share physical traits and growth patterns with humans.
There were only a
few records about the Haier-Elvian race. The next chapter in the book was about the different kinds of mythical creatures. Normally, I would have read it eagerly. But not this time, because something else caught my attention.
Looking back, I realized I became a Haier-Elvian because of a mysterious pin. However, the book didn't mention any connection between the Haier-Elvian race and this object. That left me curious. But what I couldn't understand was, why did I have to be born as a Haier-Elvian? Why not just remain human, Elvian, or stay as Anggi 'Boncel,' the timid one? And what could have caused us to shift into this world?
Though I had found some clarity about my existence, I still couldn't get the answers I was searching for. It seemed this race held a great mystery. I closed the book and placed it on the table, casting a glance at the woman who had been watching me intently.
"Are there any other books about Haier-Elvian?"
She shook her head. "Records on Haier-Elvians aren't as extensive as you might think, dear! Ah, but you might find more in the Viar City Library, the capital of the Western Elvian Kingdom. But it won't be easy, dear! They won't allow other races to roam around their city."
"I see. I was hoping to learn more."
"There's one thing you should know, Anggi!" she exclaimed.
"What is it?"
"If your existence as a Haier-Elvian is known to many, your fate will be grim." She made a serious face, her gaze sharp as she stared at me. "Maybe you're still weak now, but your natural talent for controlling Esze needs to be watched. One day, you might become the strongest among the Elvian Elders. Because of that, many will covet your power. Many nations will want you on their side. Some may even try to kill you, seeing you as a threat. That's why, dear, never let your secret be known to too many."
I swallowed hard and nodded slightly. Then I hesitantly raised my hand.
"What is Esze?"
She slapped her forehead. Without much comment, she reached into her boot and pulled something out. It was a thirty-centimeter-long staff. She pointed it at me. I tilted my head. What would she do with this old wooden staff?
A moment later, she whispered something softly. "Vitr Ans!"
Suddenly, the sofa beneath me started to rock. It swayed uncontrollably, as though it didn't want me sitting on it. But I was wrong. The sofa was trying to float. Yes, with a little help from a small whirlpool of wind beneath it. I and the sofa rose a few centimeters off the floor. The wind wasn't strong, but it was enough to lift lightweight objects like paper, plastic, and carpets into the air.
I stared in disbelief. This was magic. It was truly incredible! I thought things like this only existed in fantasies. But now I was witnessing it! I could feel it!
After floating for a while, she lowered the staff. At the same time, the sofa gently returned to its original position with a soft thud.
"Now, do you understand what Esze is?"
I nodded enthusiastically.
"Do you want me to teach you about Esze?"
I nodded eagerly. "Yes, I want to learn. No, please ... teach me, Almira!"
This was the first time I met Almira. I thought I was incredibly lucky to meet someone as amazing as her. In the future, she would be the one person who would become my friend, my ally, and always stand by my side, even if I were wrong. She would protect me and love me like family. A woman who could make a huge difference in the world.
Someone who... would not hesitate to face tens of thousands of soldiers in the midst of a great war.