Child of Fate

Chapter 1

Calamus sat quietly in a bush, his gaze watching the road nearby. Humans used it a lot and, whenever he felt like it, he'd come there, hide in the very bush he was in at the time, and just watch the road. Though possibly devoid of interest to the people who crossed it on a daily basis, he typically enjoyed seeing families take a walk together, merchants transport their goods to sell elsewhere and guards patrol the path for hostiles.

As of then, nothing much had happened. He'd seen the regular patrol once or twice and one carriage had passed, but other than that the road had been quite empty that day. This also meant the wildlife would show up more around the path, though they were of less interest to him due to their primitive nature. This lack of activity did not bother him, however, as even just a few passings were worth his time.

He found humans fascinating. They were similar, yet he and they were unalike. Unlike him, they'd only live up to sixty, maybe seventy years, while he, at seventy-eight years old, had yet to reach even puberty, being only a young boy. This shorter lifespan made them much different from him, as it forced them to live out their ambitions sooner rather than later and make the most out of their lives. (The only exception to this rule he knew was his father, though the reason for his long -in human terms- life was unclear to him.)

Not only did they live much, much shorter, humans were also, in comparison, quite powerless in nature. They possessed little magic affinity and exceptions to this were often even shorter lived due to magical complications and infighting with regular men. Not only that, but what they lacked in magical power, they did not make up for in physical strength. He considered it strange how such a race could survive, but he knew not to underestimate human ingenuity.

And whereas elves lived mostly in harmony, with all social classes accepting their role in society and destiny, humans were not all too eager with accepting Fate. For example, if a powerful human ruler were to know his Fate was to lose power, he would not accept his Fate and, instead, attempt to avoid the inevitable to no avail, causing conflict and waging war.

This lack of harmony and stability caused emotions which elves were exposed to in much lesser degree. Strong feelings of sadness, anger or even happiness weren't very common in his homeland, though humans were exposed to it on a daily basis. This added depth to the people, making it so there was always more to be found in them. Behind each and every face, multiple strong emotions could be hidden, thoughts flowing through their minds which no elf could ever think, be they happy, angry or sad.

These emotions were also the cause of bad, however, as fear of losing power had led many rulers to put a ban on magic, hunting any who are proficient with it. Through clever tactics and superior technology, they were sought out and executed for merely existing, with only healers and artificers being allowed to work their magic under heavy regulations.

This was the reason he hid in the bushes. If any person were to find him, they'd surely take him away and it wouldn't be long before they'd figure out his abilities. Were that to happen, that would be the end of him. No more Calamus Roran. He'd be thrown among the countless other victims and no one would ever hear of him again.

He let out a sigh and glanced left and right once. "I wonder if human kids ever think of things like these," He muttered to himself. He slowly retreated from the path. He'd watched long enough for the day, he'd be going home. His mother would miss him if he stayed away too long.

He lifted himself from his crouched position and stretched, closing an eye and taking in the surroundings with his other. There was a small clearing behind his observation spot. The bushes on the road side were thick enough to hide the clearing from passers-by, making it an excellent spot for him to rest after watching the road a while, given he didn't need to start heading back home.