BLAZING SHADOW

Shattered Dreams

As Elvira, Daria, and the other farmer elves retreated, their hearts heavy with disappointment and wounded pride, more knights arrived on the scene. Clad in gleaming armor, they formed a barrier between the common folk and the noble assembly, their stern gazes reinforcing the social divide that seemed insurmountable.

Elveria's heart ached as her gaze locked with Teon, the boy who had once been an orphan living with them at the church. They had shared many moments together, and she had always cared for him. She remembered how they had worked tirelessly to save money so he could go to school and pursue his dream of becoming a knight. They had believed in him and his promise to protect them all.

But now, as Teon stood before her, his eyes filled with indifference, Elveria's heart sank. The bond they had shared seemed forgotten, buried under the weight of time and distance. It pained her to see him walk past her without a second glance, as if their past meant nothing.

Yet, despite the hurt, Elveria refused to let their connection fade away. She vowed to find a way to rekindle their bond, to remind Teon of the love and support they had once shared. With determination burning in her eyes, she silently promised herself that she would not rest until she had reached the depths of his heart and resurrected the promise they had made so long ago.

With trembling lips, Elvira called out to him, her voice filled with a mix of longing and desperation. "Teon... It's me, Elvira. Don't you remember? We used to work in the fields together, sharing dreams of a future where we could be free. I still love you, and I would forgive you. Please, show me that you are still the boy I once knew."

Teon's eyes flickered, a fleeting recognition crossing his face. The weight of their shared past seemed to tug at his heart, momentarily breaking through the cold facade he had donned. But before he could respond, a strikingly beautiful noble elven woman with fiery red hair approached, her arm adorned with dazzling jewelry, entwining with Teon's.

The woman's voice dripped with arrogance, her words cutting through the air like a blade. "Teon, my love, do you know this peasant girl? She seems to have mistaken her place. Surely, you have no connection to such lowly beings."

Elvira's heart shattered as the woman's words echoed in her ears, the pain searing through her being. She watched, eyes filled with a mixture of hope and despair, as Teon's hand pushed her away, his touch devoid of the warmth she had once known. And then, in an act of cruel brutality, his hand struck her across the face, the force of the blow sending her reeling, her vision blurring as darkness descended.

As Elvira teetered on the edge of unconsciousness, a single tear traced a silent path down her bruised cheek. The world around her faded, and in that fragile moment, she clung to a sliver of hope-a hope that love could still triumph over indifference, and the depth of their shared history would eventually prevail.

In the depths of her unconsciousness, Elvira's last coherent thought was a whispered plea for a brighter future-a future where the wounds of betrayal would heal, and the tangled threads of their destinies would find a way to intertwine once more.