Chapter 3: The Elf

Chapter 3
The Elf

There is no such thing as a place that is always bright. In the lightest space, there is always a dark cavern. In the merriest crowds, there is always silence.
It was her job to know where that dark silence was. Find it, hide in it, and wait. Wait for your turn to do your job, and then retreat back into your place, never noticed, never found, never advancing into the light. She was the very best there was at what she did.
And yet she had failed.
Never before had a person turned to face her. Never before had she used 8 arrows to take someone down.
She held her hand in front of her face. It was shaking violently. She was hungry. She couldn't go back without the prize, or else she would be punished. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead as she recalled other times she had been put through the terrible pain just to learn what it would feel like if she failed.
“No,” she let out a soft whimper.
Her ears pricked as she heard someone stir below. She couldn't be found, not now, not after that. No more. Her brow furrowed. She clenched her fist and gritted her teeth.
Not like this.

* * *

Umio was standing on a boulder protruding from the edge of a cliff. It hung in midair, the end coming to a sharp tip. The sides had been weathered away by centuries of wind and rain. Umio stood on the very end, looking out into the sky. He couldn't look below him, because he knew what he would find.
Or what he wouldn't find.
He looked over his shoulder to find a timberline of pine and oak trees that could have been thousands of years old. Twenty men could embrace each trunk with their arms outstretched and still not have been able to reach around the whole thing. The canopy wasn't visible, disappearing into the clouds above. Hundreds of branches jutted out and intertwined, creating an entire network of life and strength.
Umio heard a sudden roar thundering deep within the forest. It shook the rock, and Umio was frightened it might fall. Fortunately, it held firm, and Umio relaxed. The roar came again, and Umio saw the leaves of the trees spray up in a cloud of green. A dark shape rose into the hair, pumping massive, feathered wings. As the rays of the sun caught the creature, Umio was frozen in both fear and admiration.
The golden flames rolled off the phoenix’s back, creating showers of sparks and red-hot ash. A silvery fire rose from it's head, bathing it's body in smoke. Brilliant flares soared off it, rivaling even the bright light the sun pouring through the clouds. It opened it's beak and sang, a different sound than before. It was a beautiful and eerie tune, drifting through Umio's ears. . .
Another rumbling came from the trees, and Umio was jerked back to the present. The vast trunks shook, and there was a crash as an old oak was ripped from the ground. Umio stared speechless as an enormous ape-creature emerged from the brush. With it's club-like arms, it could have easily lifted Umio's house clear off the ground. It now beat them against its chest and bellowed. The giant ape must have chased the phoenix to the skies. At first, Umio feared the ape might see him, but the beast's small, beady eyes drifted right over him, and it stomped, grumbling, back into it's domain.
Umio sank to his knees, overcome by all the power radiating off the creatures. There was no longer any question where he was. He turned, and stared off into the clouds. Behind him was a monstrous forest where giants dwelled. Above him was a clear expanse of air, wafting and dancing forever. Below him was limitless, the most vast amount of absolutely nothing.
Umio was standing on the Edge of the World, Land of the Gods. He had heard enough rumors from the old warriors, dwarven merchants, and wandering bards to know it. A region of monsters and grandfathers, those who gave birth to everything dwelling within the floating land of Awyr. The eternal utopia, where each and every creature is the very center of life itself. A terrain too colossal to be able to be described to someone who has never stood in awe of the magnificence himself.
“Infinite.”
Umio jumped. A moment ago, there had only been air and sky in front of him, but there now hovered a man. He had no wings, but seemed to float effortlessly on the wind. Despite this, the man was large, and wore heavy-looking armor. He had more scars than Umio could count winding over his face, and his nose looked as if it had been broken multiple times. One eye was glazed over, and the other was a vibrant green. What was most impressive about him, though, was his waist-length mane of golden-blonde hair. It was so thick that it piled on top of his head, then poured down his back in a wolf-like fashion. He looked strangely off into the distance, his eyes focused in something just behind Umio, somewhere in the forest.
“Infinite,” the man repeated, “is a very common word used for describing this place. It's beauty is infinite, it's magic is infinite, and it's power is infinite.” His one eye met with Umio's, grim wisdom shining through the vivid green. “Many souls are overwhelmed by the mere difference in the strength of pure life, and go mad. Only those of us with immense magical ability within us can withstand the force of it.” He smiled.
“Who are you?” Umio sputtered. He looked him over, not forgetting the fact that he was floating in midair. “What are you?”
“I dwell within you,” he answered, “with your power, my soul was able to become one with yours. Only you can endure the immense pressure of my existence. I was once called Lord Aelfric, King of the High Elves, a race that had been suppressed for ages by an evil lord named Raven. I tried to make a change, to save my people, but I was killed by his foul hand. My lover, Aelflaed, sacrificed herself to ensure that I could have my revenge.”
Umio gaped, speechless. The evil Lord Aelfric? The tyrant that had destroyed so many? An infamous villain, dwelling within his soul? Impossible. It couldn't be true. There was no way an ordinary blacksmith's son could be chosen for a such a horrible burden. He was just a boy, living in a town called Crow's Peak, hammering buckles and delivering equipment every day.
“You do not believe me,” Aelfric sighed. “I would show you my memories, but our time is running short. I think you will discover, in time, exactly who is the evil one. I have come to you for a specific reason.” Aelfric drifted closer and grabbed Umio by the shoulder with one hand. His eye burned with strength as he spoke the next words.
“You have allies you do not yet know of, Umio,” he urged. “Find them, and keep them close. Danger approaches faster than you could ever imagine. Raven is seeking to rule the world, but by doing that, he also seeks to destroy it.”
“W-wait!” Umio finally found his voice. “Our Lord Raven has ruled our land for over a century. He has kept it peaceful and quiet. Why should I believe he wants to take over all of Awyr?”
“You will know, in due time,” Aelfric assured him. “My power wanes, and I must leave you. My daughter will help you complete your quest. You may trust her.”
The vision was fading, and the last thing Umio saw was a dazzlingly beautiful girl wearing an elegant white dress, her luxurious golden hair falling around her shoulders, down her back, and sweeping her knees. She also had deep green eyes, and Umio noticed her pointed ears poking slightly out of her fair hair.
A white glow slowly blotted the girl out, and Umio could feel himself waking up.

* * *

The first thing Umio felt was a dull throbbing in his right shoulder. He was lying down, but not on the ground. He shifted around, and felt a soft pillow underneath his head, and a thick blanket wrapped around him. He could feel an unpleasant warmth in his forehead, and his mouth was dry.
His hearing was restored next. There was a soft snoring in the room Umio lay in, different than his own irregular wheezing. There was the creak of a chair being rocked on loose wood flooring, and this told Umio that he was not in his own home, which only had the ground as a floor.
The sunlight streamed through the open window, making it very bright in the room, but Umio's eyes eventually got accustomed to it and he could carefully open his lids. He blinked a few times and looked around. His vision was blurry and out of focus, but he could make out some shelves filled with medicines, salves, herbs, creams, and powders on the far side of the room. A man slept in a chair beside the bed, his head drooped and arms crossed. The chair gently rocked back and forth, creaking as it did so. After a few more blinks, Umio found it was his father.
Umio tried to speak, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. His throat felt crusted over and dry, and his tongue seemed swollen. He tried lifting his head, but a spark of pain shot through his spine, and he gasped.
His father stirred from the noise, and sat up. He was rubbing his nose when he realized Umio was awake.
In that moment, a thousand emotions cluttered up Aerghuif's aged face. Sadness, happiness, relief, anger, concern, surprise. . .
“How am I supposed to get all dat work done when yer here takin' naps?” he demanded, scowling, and left the room.
A few moments later, the doctor entered.
“Finally awake, eh? Old Aerghuif came running to me.”
Umio coughed.
“You've lost a lot of blood,” the doctor went on. “With our special remedy, you'll be right as rain in no time, but you had us worried. You had a high fever the first few nights.”
He poured some water into a small bowl and tipped it carefully into Umio's mouth. The coolness spread over Umio's lips, tongue and throat, and soothed the pain.
“H-how long have I been asleep?” he asked.
“Five days and five nights. Today is the sixth day, early afternoon.”