Chapter 331

We turned Oakfall upside down looking for Nyra. Tirnicia pitched in despite her injuries and formed search parties. She only told her people that a little demon child had disappeared, not Nyra's real identity. Mio and I flew everywhere, circled the town multiple times, but still nothing turned up.

Elendir, Shayle, and Erma went around asking the townsfolk if they had seen anything, or anyone of Nyra's description running off while we were dealing with Servus. After a few hours , we reconvened at Tirnicia's inn to go over what we found… which was not much.

"I searched the room we were staying in. All I really found is that she took the cat plushie with her," Kana said.

"Man…" Mio chewed on her thumbnail. She had given Nyra that toy after all.

"Please, tell me you guys had more luck?" I turned to the three who talked to the residents of Oakfall.

They shook their heads unanimously.

"No one seems to know a thing. I tried asking those who lived at the edge of town. Figured at least one of them saw Nyra passing by. They didn't." Shayle frowned.

"I don't get it. How does a little kid just vanish? I don't even recall Nyra ever using magic." I sighed.

"I'm sorry, Saeko. This is my fault. I pressed the both of you into diving into her dreams. She must have seen something that terrified her." Elendir fiddled her thumbs underneath the table.

"None of us are at fault. If anyone's at fault, it's me. Let's just focus on the information we have and start from scratch," I suggested.

The inn doors burst open. Tirnicia and a few members of her search party entered. They were drenched in sweat from scouring the forest, and the looks on their faces didn't inspire any confidence.

"No luck?" Erma asked.

"No. But when I came back, a good samaritan had reached out." Tirnicia stepped aside to let a gentle elderly dark elf in.

Everyone recognized her. She was the same one we had accepted the rougan meat quest from. When she lifted her gaze at us, there was a glint of recognition, too.

"Hello, again!" The elderly elf smiled.

"You're acquainted with each other?" Tirnicia swapped glances between us.

"Well, not by name. We picked up her rougan quest. Remember when you ran into us in the forest?" I reminded her.

"Oh…" She coughed to the side. "At any rate, allow me to introduce the Matron Elder of Oakfall, Maenyssa. The only reason I permitted you to enter Oakfall to begin with is because she insisted to me that you were of no danger."

Elendir recoiled. It looked like she didn't expect Maeynssa.

"What's a Matron Elder?" I leaned over to her and asked.

Elendir rose to her feet. "Matron Elders are elven women who have lived to their fifth millennium. Not many make it to that age. Their very existence is a trove of knowledge and wisdom, capable of moving our entire people by word alone. We hold them to the highest regard. I've actually known Maenyssa for centuries. I can't believe I let the years shave away how you looked like in my memories."

"Age catches up with us all, some faster than others." Maenyssa walked up to me and grabbed my hands in her own fragile fingers. "I believe I have you to thank for returning us dark elves to the Everlight's illuminating grace. When I eventually pass, I go with the comfort that my soul will be held in her embrace. Thank you. For the rougan meat as well, thank you."

"It's nothing! We were glad to have helped," I said.

"Now, about the child. I do remember her being among your party. A few hours after you left, I saw her heading south into the forest and tried to follow. Unfortunately, these legs of mine aren't as sprightly as they used to be. By the time I reached the treeline, she was already gone. I'm sorry I couldn't help catch her." The Matron Elder bowed apologetically.

However, I gently grabbed her shoulders and shook my head.

"There's no need to apologize. You said Nyra went south? Thank you so much! We'll go look for her now!" I was about to leave until she pressed a hand to my chest.

"You're mistaken if you believe the girl had simply run away. The others must have already told you. These forests are teeming with magic. Power exists in the very trees and soil. Elendir may have chosen to make Oakfall a refuge for veterans of the war, but we became custodians of this forest by our own volition. To repel those ravenous to covet what lies within," Maenyssa explained.

"Oh, god… My head is spinning trying to make heads or tails over what you said. Can't you give it to us straight?" Mio asked.

"I think Maenyssa means that Nyra might have gone into the forest to claim its power. But that would mean…" I held my tongue from answering.

"Nyra could have regained some of her past memories as the Demon King," Erma whispered exactly what I was worried about.

I walked past Maenyssa and headed for the door.

"Tell me, Queen Saeko. What will you do if it turns out that the girl intends to retrace her path of destruction?" Maenyssa asked and gave me pause.

"I'll figure it out when I find her, not one second before. Thank you for the hospitality you and Oakfall have shown us." I left the inn as the others followed behind me.

This time, the entire group followed along. Erma, Elendir, Mio, Kana, and Shayle. The danger with Servus and the demon menace had ended. Tirnicia and her most capable elves had thrown the Houndmaster into a makeshift prison. Whatever they planned to do with him didn't concern me one bit. Only Nyra did.

The six of us left Oakfall from the south, past Maenyssa's home where Nyra was last seen. As we neared the treeline, the forests shimmered a little in a way it didn't do before.

"Wait." Tirnicia's voice reached us from behind.

When we turned around, she was accompanied by several elves.

"I hope you're not coming to stop us. We've already decided to look for Nyra," I said.

"That's not it. They will accompany you." Tirnicia ushered three dark elves forward, two of which were somewhat familiar. "They are the scouts who had gone with us to search for Servus before. Make use of their talents. I'm afraid I cannot help you any further. Not in this condition at least." She wiggled the makeshift leg prosthetic made from a stool.

"Thank you, Tirnicia. Truly." Elendir smiled.

Tirnicia turned the other cheek, blushing.

Our guides introduced themselves as Darrah, Lane, and Celes. Darrah had her black hair tied in a ponytail, and she boasted an old scar that diagonally bisected her lips. Lane possessed a fierce demeanor and short dark brown hair. Genes blessed her eyebrows to form a sharp arch that unfortunately accentuated a permanent angry look. Celes was the youngest of the bunch going off her complexion and offered a friendly smile, unlike her peers. Her head was clean shaven with the exception of a fishtail pigtail down the back.

We got the introductions out of the way and ventured into the magic-rich forest together. The scouts led the way, fanning out within eyesight to scope as much of the area as possible. They were incredibly diligent. I didn't realize it was possible for them to communicate so far from each other, but they did so through animal calls and tongue clicks. It seemed to be enough for them to convey information to each other.

Half an hour into the journey, Darrah, who was traveling along the canopy, clicked her tongue three times in increasing volume. Celes closed ranks and informed us that her upperclassman found a thin pillar of smoke. She understood that just from a series of tongue clicks!

Mio and I flew up to meet Darrah, and sure enough, there was smoke in the distance. We hurried to what I hoped was Nyra starting a campfire, or at least the first signs of her. When we arrived, however, she wasn't there. Only a fire and kindling haphazardly gathered left to smolder.

"Still warm." Lane had a hand pressed near the ashes. "Is the girl capable of starting fires? She would have great survival instincts for someone so young."

"I don't actually know. What are the chances this fire belonged to someone else?" I asked.

Darrah stared particularly hard at the now snuffed out campfire. She absentmindedly traced the lip scar with her tongue.

"Dar, you good?" Celes asked.

"I'm fine. Let's be on the lookout for more signs," Darrah said.

And we did find more. Three more small campfires, in fact. All barely smoldering when we found them.

Nothing about them seemed notable at first glance, but of the three scouts, Darrah studied each the hardest. When we came upon the fourth, her surveilling eyes scanned our surroundings like a predator scoping out something to hunt.

"These aren't from the child. It's from someone else, and they are trying to throw us off the trail," Darrah concluded.

"What?" Erma squinted dubiously. "How were you able to discern that?"

The eldest scout flashed a taunting grin. "Because we dark elves have used this tactic many times during the war. Against light elves, actually. Plant decoy campfires to mislead movement and steer pursuers elsewhere. The question is why? Do they believe we're hunting them? The demon threat is over, and the only other dark elves around are from Oakfall. Unless…"

"Unless what?" I hesitated to ask.

"They should know," Lane, the silent one of the trio, said and nodded for her to continue.

"There exists a sect of dark elves calling themselves Shades, who are hellbent on the revival of the Demon King. They were very active at the start, but went quiet over the years. Only, a few weeks ago, intel suggested they had begun to act again. If the girl really is who Tirnicia says she is, then… it reasons they might be involved," she explained.

"Revive? Ugh. Why do people want him back so much?" Mio sighed.

"I'm starting to think this might be out of my depth. Is it too late to go back?" Kana asked.

"I can send you back with— huh?" Shayle tried to activate the mirror artifact, but a burst of magical energy erupted outwards and sent her flying into a tree.

We raced over to check on her. She was fine and intact, as was the artifact, but otherwise a bit dazed.

"What was that?!" Shayle groaned, rubbing the back of her head.

"It's the forest. There's no rhyme or reason to the magic here other than pure chaos. I'd recommend against using enchanted items," Lane implored

Instead of following the smoke columns, we retraced our steps back to the first and looked for clues there. Darrah reasoned that if the Shades were trying to throw us off, they must have discovered Nyra already. The repeated decoys implied they wanted to keep throwing us off, but haven't caught her. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been a need to.

A smidge of hope washed over me when Lane found tracks belonging to that of a small child. They were fresh. Someone naively tried to cover them with fallen leaves, but that only made it more obvious.

Eventually, we came to a boulder half buried in the soil. Mio saw something that made her expression light up.

"Look, it's the toy I got for Nyra!" Mio flew ahead and picked up a cat plush lying near the rock.

It had seen better days. The plush was covered in dirt, had twigs sticking out of it, and insects crawling all over the felt. Mio gave the toy a soft puff of magic and blew off the filth before handing it to me.

"Nyra… Maybe you guys can glean something from this?" I asked the scouts Tirnicia made to join us.

"Let's see." Lane grabbed it, only to gasp a split second later.

"Is something wrong?" Elendir's brows furrowed.

"These are fire ants." She pinched a particularly large fire ant soldier off the toy.

"That supposed to be special or what?" Mio scratched her head.

"I know these lands well," Darrah continued in Lane's place, "and these fire ants aren't found here in this forest. They are native to behind the southern mountain ranges which serves as their natural barrier."

"Huh? So, how did the ants get on this? Unless Nyra traveled there… and then back… to drop the toy and leave?" Kana clutched his head, expressing all our confusion for us.

Celes shook her head and said, "The answer's more simple than that. This forest has the magic to shift people with an affinity to magic from place to place. She might've been teleported around, which disoriented her. Whenever we decide to venture deep, the rule of thumb is to go in groups and pack enough food for a few days just in case."

I pressed a hand to my face. That meant Nyra could be anywhere. Not just that, we might get lost, too. But as I was losing hope, Mio squeezed my shoulder.

"We're gonna find her. I have to give her a piece of my mind for losing the toy I gave her, after all!" Mio exclaimed.

"You're right. Thanks, Mio." I smiled.

"Good on you to hold out hope, because the toy does contain traces of a mint scent I'm familiar with. There's a chance Nyra had gone there," Lane explained.

"Alright, let's—" Before I finished my sentence, I turned around to find that half our party had disappeared.

Only Elendir, Kana, and Celes were present. The three of them followed my gaze and were taken aback, too. Mio, Erma, Darrah, Lane, and Shayle were nowhere to be seen. Even more disorienting, the big rock landmark was also gone. We weren't in the same section of the forest anymore, but somewhere else.

"What happened?!" I threw my hands up. "Don't tell me it's the forest again."

Celes nodded. "I'm afraid so. Don't worry! I'm just as good as Darrah and Lane. Everyone's headed to Sahiri grove where mint grows the thickest. We should run into 'em eventually. Looking at the surroundings, we're actually pretty close. Come on, let's beat them to it!"

The scout took off in a sprint, and we chased after her close behind. But in Celes' excitement, she didn't see what we noticed first. Something was coming at us from a distance, and the brushes rustled with their approach.

"Hey, watch out!" I zoomed ahead and pushed Celes down.

Two-inch spines fired through the air and barely missed them, plunging into a tree trunk instead. Giant rainbow chameleons crawled into view from a far tree. They had spikes similar to the ones shot earlier that grew on their rattling tails, which were pointed right at us. 

"Demons?!" I gasped.

"Not demons. Phasegalls! They typically reside in mana-rich environments. Their magic comes from the quills on their bodies and is very spontaneous and impulsive. Be careful!" Elendir warned.

"S-So how do we deal with them?" Kana asked nervously.

Before Elendir could answer, a phasegall fired a volley of quills. She erected a barrier, but not fast enough. A single quill slipped through and plunged into Kana's chest.

"Kana!" I cried.

"Uhh… I feel fine?" Kana spoke too soon and transformed into a small bunny.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry! This is my fault! I should've paid more attention to my surroundings!" Celes bowed repeatedly in apology as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"What the— How do we fix this?" I picked up my boyfriend-turned critter and cradled him.

"Phasegall magic can last seconds to minutes. For now, we should deal with the beasts before us. Saeko, I'll create a hole in the barrier behind us. Take them out!" Elendir instructed.

An opening unzipped in the magical barrier. I handed rabbit-Kana to Celes and flew out. Phasegall quills flew all over the place, bursting with all sorts of magic on impact. A fireblast, arcane fireworks, cloning a tree that got hit, and more. I veered hard to avoid many of them. One cut my cheek and drew a little blood, but nothing happened to me. It seemed like the spines had to actually hit something.

I got up to the three that were shooting at us and unleashed a large fireball. Their charred bodies fell limp to the ground, smelling like burnt chicken. With the danger over, Elendir dropped the barrier, and I returned to them. The magic on Kana faded. His rabbit form turned back to human.

"Thank goodness. I was fighting the sudden craving to eat grass and poop a lot." Kana breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know we're in a hurry, but perhaps it would also do us good to travel more cautiously," Elendir suggested.

"Yes, Queen Elendir…" Celes hung her head.

We weren't bolting it but maintained a brisk pace towards Sahiri. The forests gave way to an enormous clearing covered and overgrown with wild mint. Above us, the sun beamed brightly. There was a group of people farther into the field, with several lying on the ground around them.

"Is that…?" Elendir gasped.

The five of us hurried over and found the rest of our group beaten to a pulp on the ground. Mio, Erma, Shayle, and both scouts were groaning in pain. Dark elves donning spiked skull masks loomed over them, and one that wore dark ritualistic robes held the mirror artifact. Another elf carried an unconscious Nyra.

"Shades!" Celes growled.

"Give Nyra back!" I glared, inching forward slowly.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Oh, what a fine serendipitous moment this has been. The saying goes, luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Thank you for being our rabbit's paw," the robed figure expressed her gratitude in a familiar manner.

"That voice. Are you… the Matron Elder?" I asked.

The dark elf took off her mask, revealing herself to be none other than Maenyssa.

"How cruel… You could have told us nothing, and we would be none the wiser. Was Tirnicia in on this, too?" Elendir brandished her magic staff.

"Tirnicia? Hah! That idiot almost foiled our plans by taking it upon herself to ambush you. I spent years taking a hands off approach and finally threw her scent off me. And telling you was necessary. How else could I have gotten my hands on this lovely artifact?" She looked at herself in the hand mirror. "Goodbye, Queen Saeko. You, as well, Queen Elendir. The next time we see each other, the Demon King will be ruling all of Elza." Maenyssa used the artifact to carve open a portal, and she and her Shades quickly poured through.

"No! Nyra!" I shot forward to catch up.

The dark elf holding her was the last to enter. Nyra's eyes opened just a little. Her small hands stretched forward to me, eyes squeezing out a tear as she struggled.

"Sae… ko… Saeko!" Nyra cried, vanishing into the portal.

It closed shut. I swiped the empty air and tumbled to the ground.