Precise.
All they are blades were accurate.
One wrong breath.
Dead.
Kalmen growled. "Human."
Arwen's smile vanished. "Step away from the princess."
Alith's blade pressed closer.
Amreth tilted his head."you're brave standing still, insect."
Markil slowly raised his hands.
"Okay... This escalated fast."
Melian panicked. "Stop! Please!"
Elrond turned sharply.
"Put your blades down."
No one moved.
"I said," Elrond roared,Mana surging, "PUT YOUR BLADES DOWN!"
The ground traveller because of his presence.
SILENCE
Slowly.
One by one.
Blades lowered.
Shock spread across their faces.
Arwen stared. "Elrond...?"
"He is under my protection," Elrond said firmly.
Kalmen's eyes Burned. "He is a human you know that."
"Yes I know it."
Amreth frowned. "Sir... This doesn't makes sense."
Melian stepped beside Markil.
"He saved me," She said clearly. "From bandits."
The elites froze.
"Saved you?" Arwen whispered.
Alith finally spoke.voice flat. "Impossible."
Markil sighed. "I mean... I just couldn't let anything happen to her."
Four pairs of elven eyes looked towards him.
"This human doesn't even realize what he is doing."
Kalmen crossed his arms."if he is lying."
"He dodged my strike." Elrond interrupted.
SILENCE
Arwen's eyeswidened. "Your strike...?"
Alith's pupils shrank.
Amreth laughed nervously. "That's a joke.right...?"
Elrond didn't smile for a while.
"He dodged without intent."
Markil scratched his cheek. "I really didn't mean to."
"What? Who is this man?" Arwen thought.
Arwen stepped closer, eyes glowing faintly.
"Human. Look at me."
Markil met her gaze.
For a split second.
Her breath caught.
"No Mana signature... Yet the pressure..."
She stepped back.
"He's empty."
Kalmen frowned. "Empty?!"
Alith whispered. "Or sealed."
Melian's heart raced.
"Markil what are you?" She thought.
Amreth laughed again, but softer. "This is getting fun."
Elrond spoke slowly.
"Until get him to working them... No one will touch. In my presence."
Aura serged from the Elrond.
Kalmen exhaled sharply. "As you command captain."
Markil thought quietly.
"Every blade here could kill me. Yet none of them feel dangerous..."
He smiled faintly.
The elite noticed.
And for the first time.
They felt unease.
Alith thought.
"This human... Is not afraid."
Arwen thought.
"He shouldn't exist."
Kalmen thought.
"What is this creature doing? Smiling on what?"
Amreth thought.
"I like these kind of persons."
Melian looked at Markil.
"...When we reach the kingdom," she thought. "Everything will changed..."
The forest was silent. Nobody was able to speak anything at the moment.
Five Elite elves.
One human.
And a future that had already begin to crack.
Markil walked slightly behind Melian.His hands in his pockets.
"Why...?" Markil thought."do they hate humans this much?"
He glanced at their backs.
Their posture was rigid.Alert.Ready.
"I get it," he continued inwardly. "Humans hurt them. Slavery. Killing.Rape. that kind of hartred doesn't vanish." Markil thought.
His jaw tightened.
"But this...this feels deeper.hatred passed down,not learned." He thought.
Melian slowed her steps until she walked beside him.
She noticed his silence.
"You are thinking too loudly," Melian said softly.
Markil blinked "was i making noise?" He thought.
She smiled faintly,and reached out, gently grabbing his hand.
Her fingers were warm.
"Don't worry," Melian said."It will be alright.Okay."
Markil looked at her,surprised.
"They just... Don't like humans," Melian continued. "Not because of you. They can't tell the difference between a right human and the wrong one."
Markil stared.
"... really?"
She nodded seriously.
He made a ridiculous face. "Wow. Racism with extra step."
Melian snorted before she could stop herself.
Elrond glanced back. "Human."
"Yes,sir?" Markil reply instantly.
"Stop calling it racism."
"Species-ism...?"
"I swear I will kill him."
Markil whispered to Melian. "See? The love me."
She smiled despite herself.
Elrond exhaled sharply. "Arwen. Search the area. There could be more bandits."
Arwen didn't even turn around.
"I already did it."
Elrond paused. "Searched...?"
"Yes."
"How far?"
"Ten kilometres."
Markil stopped walking.
"What?"
He turned toward her slowly.
"Wait. You searched ten kilometres?"
Arwen glanced at him like he was dirt.
"With my eyes."
Markil's mouth opened.
Then closed.
Then opened again.
"Excuse me...,What?"
Kalmen sighed. "Here we go."
Markil pointed at her face. "Hey.Hey. how do you do that?"
Weapons shifted.
Eyes sharpened.
Markil froze.
"Ah..."
He raised his hands in surrender."Sorry,Sorry.I forgot... that you guys hate questions."
Elrond rubbed between his eyes, clearly stained.
"Tenmogan," Elrond said flatly.
Markil blinked. "Ten...Mongo?"
Arwen's eyestwitched.
Elrond continued, ignoring him. "A special ocular ability. Only bestowed upon three elves in history."
Markil leaned forward. "Wait...Three? That's it."
"Yes."
Elrond sighed. "Vaelis Frostwind.Elown Moonpetal. And this bastard."
He gestured at Arwen.
Shesmirked."I prefer, chosen."
Elrond continued, "Tenmogan allows vision across a ten kilometres radius.Terrain. Mana. Movement."
Markil's eyes sparkled.
"That's insane."
"But," Elrond added coldly, "it comes with price."
Arwen's smirk faded slightly.
"Five uses," Elrond said."After that..."
"Bleeding," Kalmen added.
"Blindness," Elrond finished. "Permenent."
Markil fell silent.
"Power... with risk," He thought. "This world doesn't give anything for free." Markil thought.
He glanced at Arwen.
"...That's really terrifying"
Melian shrugged for a second. "Worth it."
Markil noddedslowly. "Yeah.Worth it...if you are protecting something."
Melian smiles faintly.
Markil suddenly turned to Elrond.
"Hey."
Elrond looked annoyed. "What now?"
"Can you...do magic?"
SILENCE
Absolute silence.
Arwen stared at him like he insulted herancestors.
Kalmen snapped,"What the hell is he talking about?"
Melian covered her face. "Markil..."
Alith tiltedher head. "Human or livestock?"
Elrond sighed deeply.
"You're exhausting."
"So that's yes?" Markil asked hopefully.
Elrond's eye twitched. "Yes. I can use magic."
"Oh thank God."
"I can use fire, water, Earth, and wind."
Markil nodded rapidly. "Classic set."
"But not dark,Nor thunder."
Markil blinked. "Why?"
Elrond's expression darkened.
"Those elements were mastered by only one being."
The forest felt heavier.
"A human," Elrond said. "Eight centuries ago."
Markil leaned in. "Oh."
"He fought the entire world."
"Oh."
"He wielded all elements."
"Oh.No."
"He combined dark and thunder."
"Then he created his own element."
"What?"
"Dragons couldn't defeat him."
Markil screamed,"Dragons exist?"
Elrond snapped. "Of course they do!"
Alith calmly added, "Captain. Language."
Elrond inhaled. Exhaled.
"Listen boy," Elrond said. "These are things five-year-old knows."
Markil made a tiny embarrassed face. "I skipped... Few classes."
"Who was he?" Markil said quietly.
Elrond stopped walking.
"The strongest being to ever exist in this world."
He turned.
"Regis Alaric."
The name echoed.
"A human," Elrond continued."defeated only by another human. Cyrus Scepter."
Markil nodded slowly. "So... Humans really messed up everything."
"Yes," Elrond said. "After that, Elves were betrayed. Separated. Enslaved."
Markil clenched his fists.
Before he could speak.
The world froze.
No sound.
No wind.
No movement.
Purple energy spread like glass cracking reality.
Markil blinked.
"... what the fuck?"
He turned to Melian.
"Hey.Melian?"
She didn't move.
He touched her shoulder.
Nothing happened.
"Elrond?"
Leaves Hovered in mid air.
Time had stopped.
Markil's breath shook.
"Am I... The only one moving?"
A portal opened.
Dark energy. Purple lightning.
Markil's heart pounded.
"No..."
He backed away.
"Stop...! Don't do it."
Then a memory surfaced.
His mother.
Her smile.
Her voice.
"What if...? What if this is my old world's gate? Everything could happen right? I have seen things that, I never expected, Could this be?"
His chest Tightened.
"I was dead," he whispered voice trembling. "Wasn't I!?"
He released his Aura.
Nothing changed.
"So... I have to go."
He compressed it back.
Looked at the portal.
"Fuck it!"
Markil ran.
Straight into the unknown portal.
The world shattered and swallowed him whole.
(Chapter 11 Finished)