Strifeholm Shenanigans: A Journey of Surprises and Scarfed Secrets

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The village looked like a festival on overdrive, with everyone buzzing around like they'd just won the lottery. They were celebrating the king's arrival, and for that day, food was free! Naturally, I thought, "Why not?" and grabbed myself a plate of whatever smelled the best. Figuring out how I ended up in this bizarre place could wait until after I'd stuffed my face.

Time flew by like a kid on a sugar rush, and before I knew it, the sun was packing up for the day, and darkness was creeping in. I suddenly realized I'd spent an entire day in this village without even noticing. As the night settled in, the moon started to shine like it had something to prove, and then—boom!—a massive bonfire roared to life right in the middle of the village. It was huge, but instead of feeling like a medieval barbecue, it was warm and strangely calming, like a big fiery hug.

Then, the village elder shuffled her way over. She was either the oldest human I'd ever seen or an elf who forgot her skincare routine for a few centuries. She started talking in that mystical elder way, and soon, she was telling the tale of this place, which apparently goes by the name "Strifeholm." Yep, sounds exactly like a cozy vacation spot, right? Apparently, "Strifeholm" means "A stronghold or home built in a place of constant strife." Because why not build your home in the middle of endless chaos?

So, here's the kicker—500 years ago, there were constant wars among the lands. But when she said "lands," I realized she was talking about entire worlds! Six of them, to be precise. There was the land of Celestials (probably filled with glow-in-the-dark people), the land of Hypogeans (no clue what that is, but it sounds creepy), the land of Light Bearers (sounds like walking flashlights to me), the land of Maulers (yikes), the land of Wilders (hippies, maybe?), and finally, the land of Grave Born (nope, not creepy at all).

The elder went on to explain that our king, who happens to be from the Light Bearers (which means humans are called Light Bearers here), teamed up with the previous king, a dude from the Wilders, and the king of the Celestials to put an end to the war and separate the worlds forever. But the effort left the king so weakened that he died, passing the throne to this current guy. Because everyone was so loyal to the previous king, they just rolled with it and accepted this new king without a fuss. And that's why they were celebrating him today.

Oh, and here's the real mind-bender—time works differently here. It's slower compared to my world, which made me wonder how this king, who looks like a regular human, has managed to stick around for over 500 years. So many questions, and I was determined to find the answers on this bizarre journey.

After the elder finished her tale, the village erupted into dancing and laughter. Everyone was having the time of their lives, and I couldn't help but sit there and think, "Wouldn't it be nice if everyone in my world could be this happy?" The night wore on, and eventually, it was time for the king to head back to his castle. He packed up, and the village elder came to see him off, handing him some food for the journey. I was hanging out in the crowd when one of the elf guys called me over. He handed me something and told me to join the servants who were standing nearby. I couldn't believe it—did I really look like a servant? But I decided to play along, figuring it was my ticket to the castle.

The king and his crew rode off on their horses while the rest of us walked. All the servants were elves, so I asked one of them where the other Light Bearers were. He told me there were only a few hundred of them left in this world, and they all stayed behind when the worlds were separated, living in the castle as royals. I figured if I could get into the castle, I might be able to find another human, someone who wasn't royal, and get some answers.

Now, you're probably wondering how no one had figured out that I'm a human. Well, at the festival, some super-drunk guy had wrapped a scarf around my head as part of the village tradition, so no one could see my ears. As far as I could tell, elves and humans look pretty much the same, except for the ears. Who knows, maybe there's something else different under their clothes, but for now, I was blending in just fine. So there I was, in the middle of the crowd, heading to the castle, ready to see where this wild ride would take me next.

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