The early morning in the small Eldham Village was always painted in nascent light. To those accustomed to the pace of city life, it was early, but for the elves, it was the perfect hour for industry.
A small elf girl with white hair fluttered her eyes open after a rhythmic croaking from her frog-shaped alarm pricked her awareness.
The small child pushed herself up and slid from her simple blue bed. Her bare feet touched the wooden floor tiles and a shiver of anticipation took over. Though her one-piece pajamas were almost too big for her tiny frame, she didn't mind. The adventures that awaited her that day were too exciting to actually care.
"Big brother!" she exclaimed and moved to another bed in the small room, "Wake up! Vulen!"
A male elf rested there in a languid sprawl.
"5 more minutes Charlotte…" he mumbled.
"Come on, big brother! Today we can play at the edge of the village!"
With a dramatic sigh, the boy grabbed his soft wool blanket and pulled it over his entire face.
"Hm!" Charlotte huffed.
She scrambled onto his bed and prepared to jump with a mischievous grin.
"You asked for it!"
The girl fell right on top of him and the sudden impact jolted him awake.
"AH!" Vulen gasped.
Charlotte then scrambled off the bed and ran away, laughing.
"HEY! COME BACK HERE, CHARLOTTE! YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT!"
"I told you to get up!"
Outside their wooden house, the village buzzed with the industry of early morning. People worked hard. Some headed toward rice fields around the village's periphery, others settled into the bustling market, selling crafted goods.
The village was renowned for its abundant production of rice and beans, and they were vital foodstuffs that were regularly transported to Efea cities like O'Clock or Halin Cove.
Its remote location made its inhabitants completely dependent on their own self-sustaining economy, even if the village was small. People would essentially describe it as a self-contained world embraced by the expanse of the large Kenia Forest.
Back in the small room where the two elves had woken up, Charlotte hummed and waited for her brother to change into play clothes. It wasn't always possible for them to wander at the edges of the village, today was an exception. Their parents granted them permission.
"There. How do I look?" Vulen asked after emerging from the bathroom.
He was wearing a plain brownish t-shirt and some worn out brown shorts. Nothing spectacular at all, though it would work for their planned day.
"Mother is gonna be mad," the small girl responded.
"Not if I hide the torn part."
They quickly moved to the rustic wooden stairs, and as they neared the first floor, the laughter faltered. Their parents' voices were locked in a verbal fight that caused their pointy ears to stretch.
"How much longer are we gonna have to hold up here, Harold? You said that we would be out of this life 3 months ago!" a woman's voice exclaimed.
"I told you, it's not in my power to force the relocation! If I could, I would have done it 5 months ago! This takes time, so you gotta be more patient!" a male voice replied.
They were fighting again… A familiar refrain that became a constant undercurrent in their young lives. Charlotte's seven-year-old eyes etched with sadness, and compelled Vulen's ten-year-old mind to prepare. Both slowly walked down the stairs, greeted their parents with hesitant voices, and quietly slipped out of the house, seeking solace in the bird-covered sky.
"Charlotte!" a cheerful voice called from beside her.
It was one of her many friends. A small elf girl with a bright face and two bouncy pigtails. She was wearing a plain t-shirt and a practical playing skirt, clothing pretty similar to Vulen's.
"Let's go play!"
"Yeah!"
Seeing the children of the town playing freely around the sun-drenched streets was a routine sight. Charlotte, Vulen, and a scattering of other youngsters always were down to play games in the town plaza while they greeted folk who were working.
"Hello, children! Be careful when you run in the tall grass fields!" a kind lady called out from her wooden work station, filled with apples and magical artifacts.
"Don't wander too far!" another older elf with ancient eyes advised, carrying some merchandise with his polished wooden wand, "Though, always remember to have fun."
They played and moved from the plaza to the market, then to the outer sectors, and finally, into the emerald area of rice fields.
The day had become a blur of hide and seek, tag, and bouncing balls. Hours melted away in a seamless flow of happiness, and finally, it became sunset.
The sky was a canvas of deepening colors and illuminated stars now, lighting the dirt road they walked.
Some of the children yawned and their small bodies slumped with tiredness, but Charlotte was not having it. She knew that only at night could they truly witness the breathtaking wonders of the magical protection barrier at the very edges of the village.
"Come on! We're almost there!" she insisted.
"Charlotte, maybe we shouldn't," Vulen's voice shook with a tremor of fear, "Mother and father told us that there are bad monsters outside."
"I just wanna see, nothing else," she pleaded softly, "Please, please, please, pleas-"
"Okay, okay… just a few minutes…"
Walking a little more, the children emerged from the rice fields into the far edge of the protected area. They drew closer to some ancient looking wooden fences that marked the boundary of the dark forest.
The structure itself was simple: Its rough wooden body was held together by old rope and crude tape, yet… its true purpose lay not in its form. It laid in the shimmering crystal nestled at its very center.
Charlotte was always mesmerized by its beauty, and it didn't take long for a bluish light to glow from the wooden fences. It rapidly intensified and spread a barrier of light barely visible against the deepening twilight.
The children gasped in amazement and their faces lit with wonder. Even Vulen was caught off guard by its otherworldly glow. Unlike him, Charlotte stared with a large and radiant smile on her face. This was what she had waited for the entire day, and it didn't disappoint.
Before long, a subtle movement caught her eye beyond the protective fence and behind some dense bushes. She saw fur… A mane so incredibly white it could only be described as the color of pure snow.
The animal moved into full view, revealing its face to her. A white wolf… A beautiful wolf that now stared at her with its piercing blue eyes.
This simple moment captivated the small girl and pulled her into its untamed world. Though, when she was about to take a hesitant step forward, the familiar sound of footsteps stopped her.
"Oi, and what may you buggers be doing here?" a tall, muscular man's gruff voice cut through the quiet.
"Guardian Ascal!" Vulen said, running towards the bald man and jumping.
Ascal's strong arms caught him effortlessly and swung him playfully in the air.
"Young Vulen!" the man warmly responded.
A few seconds passed and he gently put Vulen down.
Ascal was an ancient and wise elf, close to four hundred years of age. He was wearing rough warrior's clothes that were complemented by armor pieces on his shoulders and knees. And even if the man showcased a wild and barbaric vibe, his underlying goodness did not scare the children at all.
"We were just watching the barrier, sir," Vulen explained.
His words caused Ascal to look at the young elf with a kind gaze. Then, he turned to the children behind the boy, knelt, and brought his face to their eye level.
"I see," the man said in a subtle Welsh accent, "If that's the case, let me give you a little insight. This right here is a rare "Absorbdust Crystal", do you know how it works?"
The children moved their heads from left to right in a synchronized signal.
"Well, I don't blame ya. You're all too young to be worrying about such things."
"Please tell us how it works! That crystal is so pretty!" another child pleaded and pointed at the softly glowing wooden structure.
"Well, like I said, that is an Absorbdust Crystal," Ascal's mysterious voice drew them in, "Do you know why we don't see monsters in the light of day?"
"Nuh-uh," Charlotte responded.
"Monsters in this forest sleep by day and hunt by night, looking for unsuspecting prey. We don't really know why, maybe the magic in the area affected them, but the monsters here have consciousness. They can think and coordinate. In the beginning of this very village, I used to fend them off when there was no magical barrier, and after a few years, we managed to secure some of these crystals from O'Clock City at a pretty high price."
"How much did it cost?" another child asked.
"Well, with inflation, it would be… the price of all the toys you play with put together," Ascal chuckled.
All the children gasped in disbelief, not expecting it to be such a high price… at least to them.
"Well, anyway. This Absorbdust Crystal gathers mana from the forest in the daylight and at night creates this barrier that scares the monsters away. You could say that it's my little warrior friend."
"Woah," the children said in wonder, "Nice to meet you, warrior friend."
After a comfortable silence, Vulen furrowed his brow and asked another question.
"Is there a need for more than 1 crystal? Or why do we have more than 1?"
"You are a perceptive cookie, small Vulen."
"I'm not a cookie… and I am not small… I'm 10 already," the elf boy responded while puffing his chest out.
"That you are not, Vulen," Ascal chuckled, "Even if the crystal is powerful, it can only cover a limited area. We use the fences to guide the barrier, and even still, we need 4 crystals in total to protect the whole village. If the barrier were to fail, I would need all your help to fend off the monsters from the forest."
"We'll help you, Ascal!" one of the children declared enthusiastically.
"Yeah!" another joined in.
"We'll use giant swords to help!"
The warrior smiled just before pushing himself up.
"I'll be counting on you if that ever happens. But right now, it's getting pretty late, children. You better head back home to your families. Vulen, guide them back, will you?"
"Awww," some of the children exclaimed.
"Come on. Let's go back," the young elf boy said with responsible firmness.
He gently guided the smaller elves back towards the sprawling rice crops.
As they walked, Charlotte turned her head towards the barrier again and focused on the figure beyond the fence. The white wolf was back… and it stood still, looking directly at her with its blue eyes.
The fact it came back just for her made the girl smile. She believed with the unquestioning faith of a child that if they came back tomorrow, the beautiful wolf would be there for her… like a wild companion.
Ascal watched the children move, and once they were gone, he looked back to the barrier. His usually calm gaze sharpened when seeing the blue crystal up close.
It was slightly shaking… Just a subtle, almost imperceptible tremor that spoke of an unseen strain. Then he saw them: a few delicate, hairline cracks that were visible in its once-pristine center.
"I guess we are gonna have to replace you…" he murmured with an unsettling premonition of danger, "And I better be on guard for a few days."