章節 1: The Wind of Night
(Varis Hakonen)
"Is it about elements, your Honor?" The voice came from the hallway and sounded like Mom.
"You know it already." From the voice, Varis didn't know who, but it was a female.
The conversation woke him from slumber as he squinted, peeking outside the dark chamber without leaving his bed.
By the half-light of a suspense lamp, dimmed and hanging near the floor, the awakened boy could see three hooded figures in shape at his door, standing one step ahead of his mother.
The figure wore oversize dark long robes that showed nothing of face, skin, and hair. It swept the floor. Two of them were tall and slim, dwarfing the last.
"Your child?" The hooded woman asked.
"Yes, your Honor." His mother bent slightly and dared not see directly at the figure next to her, the act she never did as a Lady of the Mansion. "Varis Hakonen. Our third son. He is seventeen."
"Such a young age." One of the visitors pulled her hood and showed fair, long silver hair and pointy ears. The girl with white skin gazed directly into his eyes.
'An Elf Girl?' Varis almost jolted from bed but kept still and heard the conversation.
As far as he knew, the Elf loved their forest and protected it from outsiders they perceived as impured, tainted, and dirtied. It was rare for an Elf to venture from their forest. There must be something urgent, or those three were after something big.
"He looks small in his seventeen." The elf girl commented.
Mom nodded slightly and twisted toward her third son. "Many Hakonen were slow-grown."
"Do you feed him well?"
"Your Honour," Mom explained. "We never differentiate our children."
"Well, he's looking good for me and in nice shape. Perhaps the one who you would send to us later?" She opened the hood and chuckled while the white skin elf removed the cloak. Different from the other, she had a slim hip with fair brown skin covered with a leaf tunic.
"He's brave," The white elf said. "Too brave to sleep with ears and eyes open."
"And sly," said the brown elf lady.
"He's? N-no, your Honor. He is sleeping. He can't be." In a panic, Mom almost caught Varis's slit eyes. She hovered and tried to close the room door, but the last petite figure tugged Mom's gown and held her before stepping further.
"Uhm, should we see him?" The petite red-eyed girl asked while hugging her book. "Perhaps he is the one we are looking for."
"No!" Mom raised her voice a little and blocked the door. "For-forgive me, but he is the weakness of Hakonen. He even doesn't have an element and is bad at magic. He's just a brute."
"But he's one of Hakonen." The brown elf girl stepped inside the bedroom. If not for the petite one holding her hand, she probably would pull Varis out of the bed. "Normally, people would promote their son. You are doing the opposite."
"Y—yes, your Honor, I-I mean no." Mom shook her head. "I tell the truth. He is a useless boy, not worth your power and time. Please let him alone. He is not capable of doing anything."
"You hiding something from us, do you?" asked the brown elf girl, sliding her stare on Mom. "I can smell it."
"N-no, of course not, your Honour."
"Alice." The white-skin elf ordered the petite one, "Let him sleep after you erase his memory from everything he saw and heard from us."
'What the heck? Erase everything? Why are they erasing people's minds?!'
Pulling his blanket, Varis trying hid in it. Too late. The girl with red eyes was already beside him and used some kind of magic that made him limp. He lost control of his body and couldn't talk anymore.
The girl craned her palm, which glew white and warm. It moved closer against his forehead. "Uhm, please, don't sweat it. Ahm, I-I promise I wouldnonlyberasing small amount of your memory, just a couple minutes of it."
Varis struggled and pushed her hand out. "Let me go!"
She gasped, and her eyes rounded, widened open. "H—how could you break my spell?!"
Varis struggled and caught fire. "Mom, help me!" He glimpsed at the empty hallway. His mom was already gone with the rest of the elves.
"Let me go!" The girl struggled and bit his arm.
"No, you're going to erase my memory!" Varis pushed her onto the bed and kept struggling, he ended up on her, and their eyes met for a second.
He couldn't deny she was beautiful with almond-shaped eyes, a lovely nose bridge, and a sweet cheekbone. Strangely, she stopped struggling as well while she gazed directly into his eyes.
Varis sniffed. The elderflower scent came from her—the bittersweet, with a strange musty-spicy note that can initially seem unpleasant. Yet, he inhaled more profoundly, and he noticed hints of hay, sweet acacia and honey. Wait a little longer and take another inhale, and he can smell the green sap of spring buds and lemon peel. Such a lovely fragrant and pure.
It soothes an alluring smell that danced on his nostril, heart, and mind. "You are the most adorable creature that came into my room," Varis said.
His world broke the spell that happened between them.
Her diamond face reddened as she continued struggling. "Let me go, Human! What are you going to do!"
Varis rose from the bed, veered and tried to run toward the door, but the girl kicked his bum, and he fell on the floor.
His body was floated by some kind of magic and dropped like meat. The girl wrapped him using magic while she sat on his abdomen and put her palm almost on Varis' forehead.
The warm light swallowed him, and everything went white. His body became like a feather, and the soothing voice rang inside his head.
"It done. What a strange human."
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