Trey's eyelids, with their strangely white lashes, fluttered open slowly. He woke up, once again, with the same disorientation.
"The same ceiling?" he muttered, staring at the familiar wooden beams above while lying flat on his back.
He turned his head to the right and saw an unexpected figure sitting in a chair beside the bed.
The figure had brilliant, emerald-green eyes, straight, light brown hair, thick lashes, and pointed ears. Their long hair was tied in a medium-length ponytail at the back, with a neat center-part fringe framing their face. They wore a white collared shirt open at the neck, a black choker, long slack pants, and a black blazer over the white shirt.
"You're awake? Are you okay? Does anything hurt? My name's Elfa. If you're in pain, tell me. I'll help you," the figure—Elfa—said, placing a hand on their chest in introduction.
Trey's eyes narrowed slightly as he studied Elfa, then he slowly pushed himself up in bed.
"Something wrong?" Elfa asked.
"Dunno. I just feel tired," Trey said, blinking his eyes fully open. "Whoa! An angel! I must be in heaven. Thank goodness I'm finally out of there. I'm gonna enjoy my death by sleeping. Now shoo!" Trey said, waving a hand dismissively as if swatting away a fly. He grabbed the blanket covering half his body, pulled it over his head, and tried to go back to sleep.
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Elfa asked, perplexed.
"Elfa! Breakfast is ready! Bring the kid down quick! The food's getting cold!" came a voice that was all too familiar to Trey.
Elfa stood up and approached the bed.
"Alright," Elfa called back.
"Kid, be a good boy and come eat with us. I have work to do later. Don't waste my time," Elfa said firmly.
"Don't bother me! Do you know how mentally exhausted I am? Can't even get peace in heaven," Trey grumbled from under the blanket.
"This isn't heaven, genius," Elfa retorted.
"It's not?" Trey's voice was muffled.
"Nope."
Suddenly, Trey yanked the blanket off and threw it at Elfa's face, pushing them off balance. He scrambled out of bed and bolted out of the room, clattering down the stairs in a panic.
"My, my! In such a hurry? Where are you going, kid? How about we have breakfast together, hmm?" came that familiar, sweetly menacing voice.
Trey's whole body trembled. He slowly turned his head to see who had spoken.
The words came from a beautiful woman with sleek black hair. Her eyes reflected the yellow light like polished citrine, gleaming even in the morning sun. Her fringe was swept to the left, swaying with the high side ponytail on her head with every movement. She had smooth, fair skin, large round eyes, a delicate nose, glossy lips, and a slender figure. She wore a grey long-sleeved sweater, black pants, and an apron. In her gloved hands, she carried a steaming pot.
"You should have listened to me. I promised I wouldn't hurt you, didn't I? Besides, you want your bag back, right? If you eat with us, I'll give it to you. Understand?" she asked.
She leaned in, her lips close to Trey's ear.
"You wouldn't want the contents of that bag revealed, would you?" she whispered.
Elfa gently stepped between them, pushing them apart.
"Let's just eat first. The food's getting cold," Elfa suggested.
"You'll join us, right kid?" Elfa asked.
Trey glanced warily at the suspicious woman. She just gave him a sweet smile, but it made his body tense up.
"Oh! Yeah. I'll eat," Trey said, startled by the question.
They went to the dining table and sat somewhat apart. Elfa sat across from Trey, while the woman sat beside him.
Trey avoided looking at the woman, focusing intently on the food laid out on the table. His mouth watered at the sight.
"Does my cooking look that good to you?" the woman asked.
Trey saw only one main dish, but it made his stomach growl. It was fried rice, draped with a perfectly fried egg and drizzled with chili sauce.
The woman served the fried rice onto their plates and poured water into their glasses.
As the other two began eating, Trey just sat silently, staring at his food.
"Hmm? Not eating? If you don't eat, I won't give you your bag, you know," the woman said.
"Don't worry. There's no poison in it," Elfa added.
But Elfa averted their gaze.
"Probably," Elfa mumbled, less convincingly.
'Probably, you say! It's my life on the line, not yours!' Trey screamed internally, though outwardly he just forced a smile, his brow furrowed.
"Eat up. My cooking won't taste good if it gets cold," the woman coaxed.
She picked up Trey's spoon, scooped some rice from his plate, and held it up to his lips.
"Say 'Ahh!'" she said.
Trey's head was stiff, but his eyes darted around frantically. They landed on the woman's own plate. In a flash, Trey grabbed her wrist, pushed the spoon she was holding into her mouth instead, and swiftly swapped their plates. He began eating from hers.
"Oh! You thought the food I gave you was poisoned? How mean! It's not good to be so distrustful, or..." The woman leaned close to his ear again, her voice playful.
"...do you just want to share my germs?"
Trey took a bite. The warm, spicy flavor bloomed on his tongue—a taste he had forgotten long ago. His hand froze, the spoon hovering. His lips quivered slightly. His breathing hitched, and before he knew it, something warm dripped onto his chin.
Trey's body trembled. His head bowed, hiding his face. The sound of tears hitting the tablecloth was soft but distinct. Droplets rolled down his chin.
"Whoa! Light, you made the kid cry! How evil!" Elfa said, pointing an accusatory finger at the woman—Light.
"How was I supposed to know he'd cry! Ugh! Elfa, you handle this!" Light said, flustered.
"Me? You caused it, you deal with it!" Elfa shot back.
Trey slid off his chair, walked over to the pot on the table, and scooped more fried rice onto the plate he was holding.
Elfa and Light stared, stunned by his actions.
"Kid? What are you doing?" Elfa asked.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm getting seconds. This 'Light' person promised to give my bag back if I ate," Trey said, still not looking at them.
"Pfft. Ahahaha! You had me worried there," Light laughed, her tension melting. "But don't call me 'that woman.' Call me Light, Elfa's friend. If you don't mind, why don't we chat while we eat?"
"Sure," Trey replied with a nod.
They returned to their seats and ate the meal Light had prepared.
"Can you introduce yourself?" Light asked Trey.
"Just call me Trey," he said in a low voice.
"Can I ask why you cried?" Light asked gently.
"Because... I rarely get to eat food this good," Trey admitted.
"Yes!" Light exclaimed, pumping a fist with her left hand while holding her spoon in the right.
"What did you usually eat before this?" Elfa asked, refilling their water glass.
"At best, instant noodles. At worst... roasted rat," Trey said casually.
Clink! Elfa's spoon fell to the floor.
"Seriously? Didn't your family feed you properly?" Elfa asked, their grip tightening on their glass until it threatened to crack.
"Family? I was separated from them 17 years ago. I've had to survive on my own since then," Trey answered calmly.
"Wait. 17 years? Hold on, how old are you?" Elfa asked, rubbing their temples.
"I'm 27. You probably don't believe it, looking at me now. I hardly believe it myself," Trey said.
"So you're a Dwarf?" Elfa asked, puzzled.
'Dwarf? Does he mean a person with dwarfism?' Trey thought.
"No. I was... taller before. About 165 cm," Trey explained.
"Then what are you?" Elfa pressed.
"I'm human," Trey stated, then took a sip of water.
"What you're saying doesn't make any sense!" Elfa exclaimed.
"But that's what happened. So you'll have to accept it," Trey said, pouring more water.
As he lifted his cup, Trey stared intently at Elfa's pointed ears and brilliant emerald-green eyes, so similar to his own now.
"This might be rude, but... why are your ears pointed and your eyes green?" Trey asked before taking another drink.
Elfa pinched and tugged at the pointed tip of their own ear.
"Huh? It's obvious. I'm an Elf," Elfa stated plainly.
Trey's cup wobbled in his hand, spilling a little water and dampening his shirt.
"An Elf? You're not joking, are you?" Trey asked, voice strained.
"Why would I joke about that?"
Trey put his cup down and pointed at his own ears.
"Can you pull on your own ears?" he asked.
Elfa sighed in exasperation and gave their pointed ear a firm, demonstrative tug.
"Believe me now?"
"You mean Elves have always existed?" Trey asked, his world tilting.
"What kind of question is that? Elves have always existed. We're all over the world," Elfa said.
"All over the world? Wait a minute! Where am I, and what year is it?"
"It's the late 18th century, in the country of Midlandia," Elfa answered.
Just then, a breeze blew through the window, carrying with it the sight of countless stars and strange, tiny lights in the distance, their reflections shimmering on what looked like water below. Trey's eyes widened. He sat frozen for several seconds.
He put his spoon down and slid off his chair again.
"I need to go outside for a moment. I have to check something. I promise I'll come back," Trey said.
"Hey! Wait..." Elfa started to rise, but Light's hand stopped them.
"It's fine. He'll come back. Besides, I want to see his reaction when he sees the outside world," Light said.
Light's smile stretched wide, nearly reaching her ears, and her fangs peeked out.
Bang! The sound of the front door being flung open echoed.
Trey ran out of the house, the door swinging shut behind him.
The cold air hit him, making his small body shiver for a moment. He took a deep breath. Before him was a night scene in a dense, evergreen forest blanketed in snow. He exhaled, watching his breath fog in the air. He took his first step, hearing the crunch of snow underfoot. He kept running, past the thick, green foliage dusted with white, until he reached a sloping ridge.
And there, he saw it.
His eyes widened impossibly, his gaze darting everywhere, trying to take it all in.
Below lay an island—no, a landmass—so vast it could be a country, dotted with countless tiny lights like lamps from cities and towns. It was surrounded by a river archipelago that perfectly mirrored the starry sky above, all nestled within a ring of towering, snow-capped mountains.
"A giant archipelago... Walled in by mountains... Where am I? Don't tell me... I'm in another world. But I never imagined... it could be this beautiful," Trey whispered to himself, sinking to his knees in awe, completely immobilized by the breathtaking vista before him.