Darkness of the Woods

Chapter 5

Elfrida

Following the letter, Elfrida decided the best thing to do to pass the time was exploring. It was honestly all she could do while she awaited the arrival of the students later today, of whom were to go to the main Student Common Room on the third floor for a little meet and greet. Walking around the quiet school was peaceful, making it a perfect opportunity to think and relax a bit before school starts and all the trouble that would come with it. She just hoped she'd be ready for it...for when it starts there was no turning back and there was no telling what could happen. No amount of planning could stop the unthinkable from happening. If she fails in this mission, it could lead to the end of their world.

Walking through several different hallways, Elfrida found that all of them were the same as the last, but found that all the dorms were on the second to fifth and the classrooms only on the first. But when she looked out the window she could see three other smaller buildings. The grounds were simply enormous with a lake she would be able to view when she looks out her bedroom window, and completely surrounding the school was a forest. This was a large isolated campus perfect for the two species.

Continuing her walk through the halls, she had eventually come upon something interesting. A large door, bigger than that of the other doors but still with the medieval look to it, located on the second floor. This door was almost as big as the door to the dining hall. But unlike that one, this one had carvings in its wood. She had a suspicion where this door would lead her, but first before temptation could push her through the door she examined the carvings.

It was imperative for all rooms or houses of knowledge to have history caved into their doors. Many, such as this one, choose to have their creation story carved into the wood. The story for their creation was the same, more or less. It all started the same: at first there was only one species, the Fey, that the Welentan gods made as demonstrated in the first panel. They were the favored children, the ones the gods had given every advantage they could, whatever gift they could bestow on their children they did.

They made these Fey so powerful that when they showed their first sign of disobedience, the gods feared.

They feared their own children, they feared their children's power, power they had given to them. Their greatest fear was that the Fey would get rid of their gods and take over all the eight nations that were guarded by other, foreign gods. But of course, like any parent threatened by their child's power, this was not acceptable. Elfrida moved her gaze to the middle panel, the second painted carving showed exactly what had befallen the first children of the gods. The eyes of horror and fear was obvious in the Fey's faces and motions as a tornado sucked them into a box, a box called Pandora. This box had been created long ago with the combined power of all the gods' in the Supernatural World. It seemed almost impossible that they would all fit in it, but who was she to decide what the god's power could and could not do?

These Fey were still feared even now. There were legends surrounding them, traveling from mouth to mouth. The most notable, and terrible, one was present in the carving. There was one small group of Fey separate from all the others. Unlike the rest of the Fey, these ones were only ones not being pulled by the tornado's powerful pull, instead they were hiding a little ways away watching as their brothers and sisters were taken away. On some of their faces was a look of pure hatred, on the others betrayal, as they looked up at the gods watching their children's fall from atop a hill. This warning of some Fey not being captured by the tornado, was a great one in dead. If it were true, it was said they would do whatever they could to destroy their parents' other children, to destroy everything their gods had created. Except many believed this was only told to scare children into obedience. Elfrida hopes that this was true. If it wasn't, she fears for her world. Luckily this box was said to have been buried by the gods, somewhere. No one knows where, and no one wants too.

Shaking herself from this line of thought, she moved over to the final panel, the one of the gods creating the first few of the Weletans. First, the fairies, who were created to replace the Fey, second were the pixies who were to be cousins to the fairies and Fey, but still both far less powerful than the Fey. Then came the mer and eventually the sirens, the five lunnakas and there are only five known lunnakas. Next were the vampires, elves, witches, werewolves, shapeshifters, and finally the casters. Each one of their new children were made distinctly different and similar, and yet still not as powerful as the Fey were. The gods had learned from their last mistake to never give their creations power that could match their own. The only reason this was known was because the first prophet reveled what the gods had told her.

Okay now I am getting off track. Shaking her head once more, Elfrida turned the nob of the door and went in. She was standing on a platform acting as the second floor of the library. Looking over the railing, she could see the floor below, confirming that Elfrida was in fact on the second floor. Her eyes found her sisters seated at one of the work tables in the center of the room, already piles of books were surrounding them. She turned her gaze back to examining the room. There were dozens upon dozens of books covering the wall, but books were not the only prominate object occupying the room. There were also paintings separating the shelves from time to time showing a signifigent moment of their history. The library brought out the feel of the past being held back, just barely, waiting to break loose.

These two floors were not the only floors of the library.

Elfrida's eyes followed one of the two metal spiral staircases as it led to two more floors above the second. But it did not seem to end even there. There appeared to be one other circular staircase going into the ceiling. Curious, Elfrida made her way to this questionable staircase, allowing her to pass her sisters without their knowing. Elfrida looked around once more before she went up, not wanting to risk them seeing her even if it was nothing.

Once she climbed to the top, she found a small landing with a door. Of course she walked over to it and tried to open the damn door, but it was locked. Elfrida jiggled the door knob a bit more, then kicked it in her frustration. It wasn't like she could just rip the door off its hinges, whoever had locked the door would know someone had been here. Dammit. She had no choice but to come back later, with a lock pick.

Elfrida glared at the door and went back downstairs, but once there she was bored once more. So she did the only other thing that could possible help her in her mission, she looked for books on the history and layouts of the academy.