The Magic Within (Harem)

Chapter Two ~ The Girl In White

Busy chit-chat. Fresh baked goods aromas. Foods from the streets. It was a beautiful day. Four boys, each with their own distinct personality, sat together atop a grassy hill overlooking the small village.

“Wow, can you believe tomorrow night is the summer festival? I've been eagerly awaiting it for an entire year!" As he bit into his jelly-filled bread, a white-haired boy bounced excitedly.

“Miro is going to end up with all the girls yet again,” A blonde-haired man scoffed, his arms crossed.

“Unfortunately, Helios, you have a bad reputation. If you could master your fire skills, you might be able to impress the ladies,” A supple voice spoke. It originated with a silver-haired boy dressed in blue.

“Quiet, Aalto.” Helios snapped back, his hands erupting in flames. Aalto shook his head, chuckling.

“Always so tenacious,” Aalto observed.
Miro, a black-haired teen, kept a silent watch over the bustling village. “It's getting dark,” he says, crossing his hands and resting his chin on them.

"Hmm? Oh, no! Indeed, it is! We should be returning shortly. Every so often, the little goblins are a pain to combat.” The white-haired boy rose to his feet and brushed his white clothing clean.

“Geez, Notus, do you despise conflict so much?” Helios rose to his feet, imitating Notus's act of dusting himself off, "I, for one, enjoy kicking asses!"

Aalto shook his head disapprovingly, "Helios, your fighting only adds to the chaos. Perhaps if you didn't miss so many Fire Academy classes, you'd be a lot better at your skills.”

Helios scoffed, "I, too, am capable of combat, you know?  You are not needed to spew such horseshit simply because you are at the top of your classes.”

“No, Helios, Aalto has a point,” Miro also stands up, towering over the other three boys. He stood approximately 6'2" tall. The tallest of the bunch, but earth elves are typically taller than the other elves.

"Oy!" Miro, you're supposed to be on my side!" Helios frowned as he crossed his arms. Aalto rises to his feet, towering over the flamboyant blonde.

“There is no reason to take sides, Helios.” Aalto pats Helios on the shoulder, which Helios immediately shakes off. The fiery boy began his descent down the hill, followed by the three other elves. The boys conversed as they made their way to the village via an ancient path. Notus, being slothful, used his magic to summon a fluffy cloud to accompany him.

“Let me get on, Notus. My feet are sore.” Helios demanded, unable to walk the lengthy distance to the village. Notus laughs as he shakes his head at Helio's attempts to climb onto the small cloud.

“Certainly not, Helios! You're going to ruin my spell!" The young boy raised his cloud higher, out of reach of Helios.
Helios sighed, "C'monnnn!" Do you remember when I helped you with your house heater?”

“Yes, but I'm not obligated to give you a lift,” Notus responds as he realigns himself in the cloud.

As the boys continued their walk, an older elven woman exclaimed, "Young boys!" as she ran up to them out of breath. She is gasping for air. She comes to a halt and hunches over to regain her breath.

"Ma'am?" Is there a problem?” Aalto inquires of her, his head cocked. She was one of the village ladies who went into the Fortryllet Forest to collect herbs.

“I have discovered a strange girl in the forest!” she nods, still out of breath. I drew her from the Isoleret Pond... She is accompanied by a strange creature and is dressed in such strange clothing!"

Miro raised an eyebrow, "The Isoleret Pond is sacred. Are you certain this is not a goblin deception?”

The woman shook her head, "I believe it is an ihmisen girl!"

“An ihimisen girl?” All of the boys inquired simultaneously.

“Wasn't it true they weren't real?” Helios pondered, his brow furrowed in perplexity.

“There have been legends that we once coexisted peacefully with ihmisille,” Aalto explains. “Can you take us to this ihmisen girl?” he asks as he takes a step towards the woman.

“I can,” the woman nods.

The four boys pursue the woman who escorted them into the woods. She carries them to the pond, where she gasps.

"Where has the girl gone?" Notus inquires, still perched on his cloud.
“I-I'm not sure! She was present when I left to seek assistance!” The woman became terrified, "Oh dear... This is not acceptable! If anyone discovers her, she could be brutally killed...!”

Aalto placed his hands on the woman, attempting to reassure her. " We will locate her. We will locate her and return her to her family.”

“She will be unable to return home,” the woman shakes her head.

"How come?" Helios inquires.

“The Isoleret Pond serves as a gateway to other worlds. It randomly opens to a specific world. If we coerce her into the pond, she could end up in an entirely different world. It is possible to deduce this pattern, but it is quite difficult.” The woman sighs.

“Then we will track her down. And we will devise a solution.” As Aalto puts it, “Do you have any recollection of what she was wearing, Ma'am?”

“She wore an odd hat and a white gown. The creature she possessed was quite small and quite fluffy. That is all I recall about her. I admit she was quite lovely. It shouldn't be difficult to locate her," the woman states.

Aalto nods and expresses gratitude. He turns to the three boys and says, "All right, we're on a mission. Bring the ihmisen girl home before anyone notices she is not one of us.”

"How come it is our responsibility?" Helios inquires, "So what if she perishes? Didn't their people murder us without being held accountable?"

“If she is killed, there may be a war, idiot!” Notus smacks Helio's back of the head.

Miro shakes his head, "If she is assassinated, her world may be unaware."

"Perfect! They won't even know she's dead!” Helios exclaims, rubbing the back of his head.

“Shut it, Helios,” Aalto glares at Helios. “This is what we're going to do. We cannot be so callous about another person's life.”

Without them knowing, they were in for a lot of trouble and a long journey ahead of them.