New land
Taking a step forward, Kael walks through the gate. On the other side, the trees are unusual—black and twisted, but not in a rotten way. Instead, their dark, contorted shapes seem almost natural, as if they were always meant to look this way. The leaves rustle against the low breeze, their black surfaces contrasted by dark, glowing red veins. The ground is dry, the grass dead and brittle underfoot. Above, the sky is covered by thick, unyielding clouds, not a shred of light piercing through.
"Ugh, this place is fucking horrible," the prince exhales, scratching his head. "What the hell is wrong with these trees?" he continues, visibly annoyed.
Kael sighs and looks around. 'Ugh, this place certainly gives me the creeps,' he thinks, shivering. He begins scanning the area, increasing his viewing distance. 'Good, I don't hear any monsters. Now, where the hell is it?' he wonders, his eyes searching until— "Oh, there's a village there," Kael mumbles, pointing in a specific direction.
"Huh, what are you on?" the prince exhales, turning to Kael and then looking in the pointed direction. 'This kid can see all the way over there? Through this thick fog?' The prince raises an eyebrow and then coats his eyes with mana, enhancing his vision and slightly clearing the fog. 'Either I'm blind or this kid is a damn hawk,' the prince concludes, scratching his head. 'That village is at least five miles away.'
The village appears to be made entirely of stone, dark and foreboding with little light. It looks like something out of a nightmarish story. The houses are squat and sturdy, built from large, uneven stones that seem to absorb what little light there is. There are no trees near it, only small black flowers growing around the edges of the village, each with a small golden hue emitting from its center.
"Fuck, these stupid bitches want us to walk all the way over there?" the prince clicks his tongue in frustration. He turns to the gate, lifting his hand. As soon as his hand touches the space between the gateposts, his fingers leave a ripple, like a pebble dropped in a still pond. The gate then disintegrates into white dust, destroying their way back.
"You're stuck with me now, kid. I don't want to hear you crying like a bitch later," the prince mumbles, flicking Kael's forehead and making him step back.
"For a prince, you're a dick," Kael exhales, rubbing his forehead. 'Tsk, tall bastard,' Kael curses at him internally.
"Yeah, everyone fucking knows that. My retarded sister should've told you, so stop crying and get moving," the prince sighs and begins walking toward the town.
"I'm a student, you know," Kael says, walking next to him.
"And I don't care, you know," the prince responds.
"You need help," Kael mumbles.
"I'm past the point of no return," the prince says with a smirk.
Crunch, crunch - The sound of footsteps on the brittle ground echoes as they walk. Kael turns his eyes to the sides as critters run around from a bush. He sees rabbits with dirty, dark fur. One of them stops, twists its head, and twitches as it makes eye contact with Kael. Its glowing eyes stare before it starts running again. 'Shit, these things are creepy,' Kael shivers as he follows the prince, who simply yawns, ignoring the critters.
"Oou..uu..uorr," a sound can be heard as they arrive at the village. It's low and almost sounds like it's trying to make a growl.
SWOOSH! - The sound dives down with intense pressure and speed.
"Hmm?" The prince is the first to react, turning slowly with a yawn. Mid-dive, the dark creature the size of a horse flips, spreading its wings. Sharp feathers shoot out from it, resembling something similar to an owl, but it's bigger and appears mutated.
"Watch out!" A high-pitched voice yells out. Kael turns to the dark roof. 'When I made this arc, this place was a cutscene, so there isn't much I know about the people living here,' he thinks as he zooms in. The figure is petite and short, possibly 5'6", wearing a bright red shirt and black purplish pants. Her hair is short and fiery red, messy, and her eyes are a crimson red. A scar can be seen on her exposed shoulder.
Jumping up from the roof with a smile, she makes a backflip mid-air and out of nowhere—
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! - She shoots a set of arrows in an instant. The first three arrows intercept the feathers that were going to hit Kael and the prince, another arrow shoots at the owl, but it stops and barely avoids it.
"You missed the las—" the prince is interrupted as she grins and pulls what seems like a string connected to the arrow, sending her flying closer. Mid-air, she double jumps and appears above the owl, flipping her body in an instant. She wraps the owl with a chain and punches it down into the ground with a thud, landing softly next to it with one leg on it.
The prince yawns, uninterested. The figure smiles and extends her hand to him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Leena. I humbly welcome you to our village. Sorry about this," she says, stepping on the owl. "Spectral owls are extremely dangerous; their wings are coated with deadly poison. Thankfully, it's only a child. If it were an adult, it would be a nightmare." She sighs in relief, still holding her hand out. "I'm so happy you're here. All the other visitors are adults; we're the only young ones here."
The prince looks down, ignores her, and begins walking with another yawn. She tilts her head, confused. "If you're mad about this guy..." she gently kicks the owl, "I'm sorry..." she mumbles.
"Forget that guy, he's a dick, and he's an elf, so he's way older than us," Kael responds, giving her a handshake. "I'm V, and that moron over there is the elven prince."
She smiles, "Nice to meet you— Eh? Eh!? EHHH!? H-he's the elven prince? S-so he's royalty... I can't believe I angered a royal..." she groans, slouching her body.
"You said you're the only young adult here?" Kael asks, scratching his head. 'What the fuck... she's too strong for her age. I couldn't detect the owl; her speed and accuracy are no joke. She purposefully missed the last two shots, one to halt the owl and the other to approach it,' he thinks, looking back at the town. "Why didn't you kill it? You had the chance."
She smiles and points out and up. Although it's foggy, a shadow of a mountain can be seen. "Spectral owls live on Mount Rui. Young owls jump off to learn to fly. If they're down here for too long, they starve as they only eat plants from up there. If they get hungry enough, they attack us. They don't know any better." She smiles, patting its head as it struggles and growls on the ground. "Ouou...uiu...uorruuu," Kael shivers hearing it.
"So you feel bad for it?" he asks, crouching down to see it.
"Hmm," she taps her chin. "Kinda? I mean, I don't hate them, but the reason I don't kill it is because of Rui." She nods to herself.
"Rui? The mountain?" Kael responds, looking back at the shadow.
"No, not the mountain. Rui is the oldest Spectral owl. The mountain is named after him. As long as we help out his family, he protects us." She smiles, pointing at the prince who is a bit far ahead. "You should go catch up with the prince. I need to take this guy back as fast as possible," she smiles, dragging the owl away.
'Huh... this is some interesting info...' Kael pushes his hair back as he jogs up to the prince. 'I do recall mentioning the constant waves, a mythical creature keeps this village standing but I didn't think it would be a spectral owl... I don't even know what a spectral owl is.' he sighs.
"What the hell's your problem?" the prince asks, raising his eyebrow as he sees Kael deep in thought. "Hahahaha, don't tell me you fell in love with that girl already? Why are human boys so weak?" he scoffs, laughing at Kael.
Kael rolls his eyes. "Do you go a day without hating?"
The prince shrugs. "Hating is fun."
Kael tilts his head and nods in agreement, shrugging. 'Can't deny that,' he thinks.
As they walk into the village, it's eerily empty. There are no people outside, the streets are clean but dark, and all the windows are tinted black.
"We need to find the adventurers guild building... I'm surprised those greedy fucks built a place here. This is like their 600th location. The hell they need so many places for?" the prince mumbles, looking around.
"Oh geez, I don't know, maybe because they're an organization that's focused on hiring people all over the world," Kael mumbles under his breath.
"Fuck your sarcasm," the prince clicks his tongue, smacking the back of Kael's head.
They reach a building that's five stories tall with tables outside. A big sign reads [Adventurers Guild!]. The doors are made out of smooth, clean stone. Kael walks up to it. 'Interesting, so the whole town is doing its best to avoid wood. Hmm, I guess that makes sense,' he thinks, running his hand on the stone. He finds the rune and taps it. It shakes slightly before moving sideways, opening up.
The sudden heavy laughter inside halts, turning to the door. It's bright inside, more like a restaurant than a guild. There are all sorts of people inside, from big buff men with huge axes to two petite twins sitting at the bar. Everyone glares at the prince and Kael.
"Just how badly do they hate you?" Kael whispers.
Ignoring him, the prince yawns and walks towards the front where the bar is. "Oi oi oi, it's prince charming over here. Oi, did you bring your moisturizer, long ears?"
"Hahaha, look at this asshole, always thinking he's special," another man jeers.
The prince stops and turns to one of them who's laughing. "If you got a problem with me, say it," he mocks the man, pulling his mustache and sticking his finger up his nose, flicking him backward.
"Why you little—!" the man growls, gritting his teeth.
"Wut? Huh?" the prince grins maliciously. "Are you scared?"
"I'm going to rip you—" the man is interrupted.
"Tsk, it's not worth it. This is the guild master's pet," another man grunts, spitting on the prince's shoes.
"Ah! Look at you, acting all tough, yet you lack the balls to fight me! Hahahahahaha, how pathetic," the prince scoffs, turning in a circle to address all the members. They all glare at him, clenching their fists. Some clutch the metallic tables so hard the area shakes, and the stone starts to crack. 'Shit, everyone in this building is an S rank or higher. This operation is not simple; everyone here was chosen for specific abilities,' Kael sighs.
Suddenly, they all turn to Kael. "Oi, oi, oi, what do we have here?" one of them smirks, a bald man with a tattoo on his head, wearing a simple black shirt and jeans. He stands up and walks over to Kael, looking down at him. "Looks like he brought a friend, eh." Bulging his muscles, he smirks maliciously.
"What the hell, I'm not his damn friend. You think I'd be friends with a soft-handed, pale-looking ass eater?" Kael snaps back.
The room goes quiet and cold. Then, "Pfffhahahahaha!" they all laugh in unison, banging the tables and drinking alcohol. "Fucking ass eater!" one laughs, throwing beer at the prince, who raises a finger to create a barrier, avoiding contact with it.
"How dare this bastard bring a friend along," the man says coldly, staring at Kael.
"For fuck's sake, I'm not his friend. I'm a student from Equinox Academy," Kael responds calmly. 'Even adventurers are unwilling to deal with the Academy's legal staff,' he thinks.
The man takes a step back but another man stands up. "Equinox Academy?" He shakes his head and steps forward again. "Did you think a lie like that would work, huh? Do you think I'm stupid? Someone like you can't be from there. Ugly people don't go there," he says, pointing at Kael's face.
'Damn...' Kael cries mentally.
Before the man can do anything else, the room falls silent as a cold breeze fills the room, freezing the area. "Stop, are you trying to cause me problems, Itto? Do you know how difficult it is to deal with 'that' legal team?" A cold voice pierces the air. Her eyes are a cold light blue, almost white, and her hair is a frosty white. Her skin is as pale as ice, and she wears a white cloak, a black shirt, and white pants.
"H-hey, why is the leader of the HR department here?" Itto stutters, turning to the others, only to see them whistling and looking away. 'You traitors!' he yells at them internally.
She walks closer and says, "What was that?"
He smiles and steps back. "N-nothing! I was just wondering why you're here, Miss Yula," he stutters, clearly afraid.
She walks past him. "This operation is important. Do you think I'd miss out?" she says coldly, her presence commanding the room.
Itto begins to sweat. "D-don't let him fool you, Miss Yula. There's no way he's from that academy. I mean, we're at the edge of the elven kingdom. Why would a student be here? And look!" He points at Kael. "He's ugly."
Hearing this, Kael blinks in place. 'I don't know what to do...' he thinks blankly.
"You are blind," Yula says calmly.
"Y-yes ma'am!" Itto says instantly.
Walking closer to Kael, she runs her hand on his cheek. "How can this adorable boy not be from there? And even if he's not, he's just a boy. There's no need to scare him," she says the last part coldly, looking around the room while pinching Kael's cheek. 'There she goes again,' everyone thinks, slapping their heads internally. 'Why does everyone under 20 look like a baby to her?' the adventurers think, exhaling heavily.
"Oi, stupid pathetic useless elf," she says with such a cold tone that her words freeze the prince.
"Ouch, do you have to be so cold?" he responds, scratching his head.
"Shut the fuck up, don't interrupt me," she says coldly, walking towards him. "How do you want to die?" She starts popping her knuckles. "Kidnapping kids is a federal offense," she states.
"He didn't kidnap me," Kael mumbles, extending his hands out.
She turns to see him and then turns back to the prince, grabbing him by the throat. "You disgust me. You're mind-controlling this poor kid. I'm going to castrate you," she mutters, making every man in the room shiver.
"He really didn't kidnap or mind control me..." Kael says, taking a step forward. 'I need to stop her, or she might actually kill him,' he thinks.
The prince exhales deeply, rolling his eyes. "Why the fuck would I kidnap him? He's an ugly piece of shit."
Midstep, Kael trips. 'You know what, this is what I deserve for nearly helping him,' he thinks, closing his eyes and giving in to his falling fate. However, Yula catches him.
"Oh, you poor soul, don't listen to him. You're adorable," she says, squeezing Kael's cheek before glaring at the prince. She grabs his arm and gives it a tight squeeze until she breaks it in half.
"W-what the fuck, Yula!" the prince pushes her away.
"If you get near this boy, I'll kill you," she says in her cold, calm tone, kidnapping Kael and leading him away.
'What the hell is going on...' Kael wonders.
"Young boy, what's your name?" Yula asks calmly as she leads Kael into a room upstairs. The room has a couple of couches and a work table, looking like someone's personal office. She sits down and makes Kael's head lay on her lap, treating him like a baby.
"My name is V..." Kael mumbles. 'She's applying pressure... she knows I'm struggling...' he thinks, unable to break free from her grip.
"V? What an interesting name," she smiles, playing with his hair. "Now, little boy V, you said you're from Equinox Academy. Do you have any way to prove that?" she asks calmly, as if talking to a five-year-old.
"I have my documentation in my pouch," Kael mumbles. 'Got it!' he manages to reach into his pouch and take out the documentation proving he's a student.
"Oh~" She takes the pages and reads through them, still forcing Kael to lay on her lap the entire time. "I see~ I see~ You are a student. Aw, this little boy is growing up nice and strong," she says, squeezing Kael's nose. 'I feel like this is worse than being violated...' he cries internally.
"Oh, you're from class A? That means you're quite a special boy," she continues, squeezing his cheeks.
Someone knocks before opening the door. "What... what are you doing, Yula?" Bein says, slapping his face. His green wavy hair is styled sideways, and his green-blue eyes behind his glasses attract all the attention. 'Finally, someone that can save me,' Kael thinks.
"H-hey, I'm V. Can you...?" Kael points at Yula.
Walking up to Yula, Bein takes the sheets of papers. "A student from the great empire?" He sits down. "Let him go," he says calmly, yet with authority.
"No," Yula refuses to back down.
"It's an order," Bein says, but she shrugs.
"I don't care. Are you going to send me to HR? Because I can go there myself," she retorts.
Bein and Yula stare at each other coldly before he exhales, closing his eyes. Kael's eyes shiver as he reads the vice guild master's lips: 'I. Can't. Help. You. She's. Crazy.' Kael tears up. 'Why am I being treated like this?' he thinks as Yula squeezes his cheek.
"I'm just trying to protect him," Yula says, her tone softening for a moment as she looks at Bein. "You know how dangerous this place can be."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
QTV
QTV I tried writting as much as possible.
Fun Fact: Yula treats anyone under 22 as a child regardless or race, looks and gender
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