The Prophecy of Five

I: 21 :I

Callum

Why is it always me?

Anytime there was an accident of an injury, it always seemed to be Callum that was the one to get hurt. Using dark magic, running into the sunfire elves, now getting attacked by moonshadow elves. Every time something happened, it was him. He was starting to get sick of it. At least this time he wasn't unconscious and not randomly in the wilderness. The elven infirmary was way better than the dirt ground  he was used to. High ceilings, beautiful architecture, actually trained healers, it was a nice change of pace. He just wished Rayla was with him. His past experiences with elves have not exactly strengthened his trust towards them. Laying in bed, Callum was able to catch the attention of the elven guard who had brought him to the infirmary.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked.

"Ademar." said the elf.

"Hey Ademar, do you know where Rayla is?"

"She's probably talking to the Elven Council. They wanted to speak to the both of you, but you were in no shape to join her."

"Well I'm feeling much better now." Callum said. It was true. Whatever magic they had here worked really fast. His skin had returned to it's normal color and he no longer felt like he was going to throw up anytime soon. "Maybe I could join her now?"

The elf looked him over a few times before heading off to fetch a qualified healer. They gave Callum a final potion and told him that after a few minutes he would be clear to leave. Ademar would be waiting outside to escort him over to the Elven Council. Callum couldn't wait. This place was nice, but he felt so alien here, so out of place. He drank the potion and sat back down on his bed. It tasted like nothing at first, then changed between jelly tarts, smoked salmon, and moonberries. An add combination, but it tasted pretty good. After a few minutes, the taste subsided and he was allowed to leave. Callum met the elven guard outside of the infirmary and the two walked to the building in the center of the small cliff side village.

"So what was that potion I had back there?" Callum asked.

"It's supposed to make you feel better. Brings up good memories through familiar tastes." Ademar said, "It's better then human painkillers, no?"

It was. The taste of good food made Callum all warm and fuzzy inside. It had been so long since he'd had anything other than weird berries and whatever else Rayla could find. The jelly tarts reminded him of Ezran, the moonberries of Rayla, and the salmon from his mom. She used to cook all the time even though she didn't need to, and she was pretty good at it.

Walking through the small village, Callum noticed that a lot of the things he admired about the infirmary were also true for every other building. They had beautiful architecture with hand carved stone statues, excellently maintained floral decorations, and magical creatures everywhere you looked. It was amazing. He was so captivated by it all, that he was rather disappointed when the two reached the center building, the Elven Council presumably inside.

"Well, here we are." said Ademar.

"Huh, oh yeah. Thank you. Is there, uh, anything I should know before we go in?" Callum asked nervously.

The elf paused before opening the door. "Don't make direct eye contact and don't speak unless spoken too. Unless you want to end up as a pile of gray mush."

Callum gulped nervously, sweat starting to appear on his forehead.

The guard let out a small laugh at his expense. "Just kidding. Just don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine."