Broken Worlds

Chapter 7: The Stranger In The Shadows

Elena's heart raced as she stared at the figure standing before her, cloaked in shadows and mystery. He was tall, his silhouette sharp against the fading light of the forest, and as he stepped closer, she could see the glint of something metallic at his side. His features were obscured by the hood of his cloak, but the air around him felt charged with an energy that made her skin prickle.

"Is this all that Wilder Main has to offer? I'm disappointed," he remarked, his voice low and smooth, tinged with a hint of disdain.

Elena blinked in surprise. A foreigner? The realization sent a jolt of confusion through her. What did he want? She was still trying to process his presence, her mind racing with questions. "Who are you, and what do you want with me?" she squeaked, her voice barely above a whisper, yet laced with a newfound courage.

He grunted, his expression unreadable beneath the shadow of his hood. "Don't flatter yourself. You're just in my way."

Relief washed over her like a cool breeze, but it was quickly followed by curiosity. He wasn't here to harm her? The tension that had coiled tightly in her chest began to loosen, replaced by a flicker of intrigue. "But anyway..." he said, his tone dismissive as he turned to walk away.

"Wait!" Elena yelped, her voice rising in urgency. "Who are you? Where are you from?"

"Nosy much," he replied, a hint of amusement threading through his words as he glanced back at her, his eyes glimmering with... something form under the hood.

"You do look suspicious," she shot back, crossing her arms defiantly.

The boy let out a sigh, exasperation evident in his demeanor. "I'm just here looking for two idiots, nothing more." His gaze shifted to the broken sword lying on the ground and the scratches on the rock nearby, his green fingertips brushing his bottom lip and chin as he studied the scene before him.

Elena's heart raced again, a mixture of anxiety and excitement bubbling within her. "Two idiots?" she echoed, her mind racing. "What do you mean? Who are they?"

The boy turned to face her fully, the hood of his cloak slipping back slightly to reveal a shock of unruly white hair that resembles dandelion pappus, angular features. His eyes two different shades, a striking shade of green on the right, and a dark shade of blue on the left, skin as pale white and shimmery as snow, radiating confidence and something else—perhaps a hint of danger. "You wouldn't know if I told you" he said.

Distracted by his beauty,Elena forgot the next question she would ask next. She has never seen a creature like him before.

Elenas broken sword caught his eye, along with the scratches on the rock and her bruised body. now tinged with a strange sense of vulnerability and embarrassment Elena blushed.

"What?" She breathes.

As if he had seen her for the first time, he unapologetically says with meaning. "You're pathetic."

Which catches Elena by surprise, "And YOU sir, are rude!" She musters up the strength to shout.

Without warning his hand comes up, a dandelion pappus appears and quicker than a bullet. It flies and shatters the rock behind Elena. Leaving her stunned.

He walks past Elena, with nothing but the sound of his boots to be heard.

"Hey!" Elena shouted only to turn and find that he is gone. And Elena was alone again.

"Pathetic," he had called her, a word that echoed in her mind like a haunting refrain. It was a word she had heard before in the last 24 hours, a word that had stung then but had never felt quite so true like now. The boy, with his effortless display of power, had stripped away the layers of her bravado, leaving her raw and exposed.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she glanced back at the shattered rock, its fragments glimmering in the sunlight. The audacity of the boy's dismissal ignited a fire within her, but it was a fire that needed focus, direction. She turned away from the clearing, knowing she had to find him—had to confront the source of her anger and confusion.

As she navigated through the thick underbrush, her mind raced. He headed in the direction to Fungaloria? Why had he been so dismissive and mean? Was it really just arrogance, or was there something deeper that she had yet to uncover? She felt a mix of frustration and intrigue, each step pulling her closer to answers she desperately sought.

The forest was alive around her, the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves creating a symphony that both comforted and unsettled her. She could feel the weight of the earth beneath her feet, she ignored her aches and pangs. So that she could catch up.

As she walked, she found herself recalling snippets of her past—her father's stories of bravery, her mother's gentle encouragement, the friends who had always believed in her. They had instilled in her a sense of strength, a belief that she was capable of more than what others saw. But now, standing in the shadow of the boy's power, those beliefs felt fragile, like glass teetering on the edge of a precipice.

"Why do you care so much?" she whispered to herself, her voice barely audible over the sounds of the forest. "Why does it matter what he thinks?"

But deep down, she knew the answer. It mattered because she was tired of being underestimated. Tired of being seen as just another fairy flitting through life, a creature of whimsy with no real impact. She wanted to be more than that. She wanted to forge her own destiny, to fight for the things that mattered to her.

Suddenly, she heard a rustle in the bushes ahead. Her heart quickened as she approached cautiously, her senses heightened. Was it him? Or perhaps something more dangerous lurking in the shadows?

As she pushed aside a low-hanging branch, screams filled the air.
Elena's heart beating like a drum out of her chest, as she looks down onto three little faces. It was just some shroom children.
They look at her face in terror, "I want my mommy" the little one says.