It was almost seven hundred years later when I laid Maylia to rest. She had grown old over the last hundred years of her life. Her skin wrinkled and her hair turned grey, and I loved her just as much as I had when she was just barely a hundred years old. I stood above her grave and my heart and mind grieved for her as my tears flowed unhindered.

Beside and behind me, were our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, and so on and so forth. It was a family gathering unlike any other to have ever appeared on any planet. It worked out to be six generations of elves with the seventh generation just about to be born, and over forty generations of humans and mixed heritages. Males and females alike wore the looted weapons and armor that I never sold off and were magically maintained to never wear out.

With the spells gained from the elves, we had even founded our own city and had grown our own buildings. As each new person was added to both friends and family, either being married in or were born in, the family grew almost exponentially and word of us had spread. The whole planet knew of us and some people came to see us and spend time with us. A few of them stayed and lived with us and others married and became part of the family. The world became a smaller place as each new person from other lands came and integrated into our way of life.

“Don't worry, great-granddad.” Yamila said and rubbed my back. “We'll protect this world, just like you and great-grandma taught us.”

“You know, you look a lot like her.” I said, and she laughed at the old joke, as did nearly everyone there. Most of the elves looked alike and they had all inherited our slightly odd sense of humour.

“Father. It's time.” A stern voice said and I turned away to look at my son. He was exactly my height and had my hair and slightly longer pointy ears, which were halfway between his mother's elf ears and my shorter elf-like ears. His eyes were emerald green and his face was handsome, even as he tried to hide his anger.

“It's all right, Malik.” I said and wiped my tears away. “I promised your mother that I would only stay here for as long as she lived. She wanted me to leave centuries ago, as you well know.”

“Yes, father.” Malik said and held his tongue.

“You know I keep my word, so I need to go.” I said and took him into a hug. He resisted at first, then he relented and put his arms around me. He let out a single snuffle and wiped his tear away before anyone else noticed, then I let him go. “Everyone will look to you, now.”

“I'll do my best, father.”

I smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. “That's all anyone can ever ask of you, my son.”

“Poppy! Poppy!” One of the young children yelled and I bent down on a knee to catch her as she jumped. “Take me with you!”

“I'm so sorry, Casila.” I said and hugged her, then I kissed her cheek. She was so much like Afyne that it hurt my heart to hold her and not exclaim my love for her, even though she wasn't the young woman I had loved so dearly. “Where I'm going is not somewhere I can take a child.”

“Aww!” Casila pouted and gave me an almost perfect copy of Afyne's puppy-dog eyes.

“Don't worry. I'm sure Malik will take you out on one of his hunts soon.”

“YAY!” Casila yelled and hopped down and ran away.

“Father.” Malik almost cursed my name and I laughed.

“I told you that it's all on you now.” I said and stood. “Good luck.”

Malik took a breath and let it out, then nodded.

I stepped by him and into the prepared ritual circle. “You do know I could do this by myself.”

“Why waste your energy if we're here to do it for you this first time?” One of the women asked.

I turned and looked at her. “I think I'm going to miss seeing your beautiful face the most, Jasina.”

“Just look in a mirror, dad.” Jasina said and laughed. “Do you have everything packed?”

“I hope so.” I said and pat the various bags of holding I had around my belt. “I can't come back if I forgot anything.”

“Don't be so silly. You can always come back.” Jasina said.

“No.” I said and reached out and caressed her face. “This is your world and your life. I need to get back to my own.”

“Daaaad.” Jasina complained at the tender touch; but, she didn't push my hand away or move her face back. We had all said our tearful goodbyes the night before and no words were left to be said, except one.

“Goodbye.” I said and let her face go.

A few moments later, the ritual circle underneath me lit up. I turned and looked at all of the faces around me and the weight of what Maylia, Afyne, and I had built eased from my shoulders. I was leaving this world in good hands. I nodded to everyone and the ritual finished powering up.

*

There was an immediate outcry of sorrow as the man who had built everything left them in a flash of bright light.

Malik held in his own anguish, like his father wanted him to, and floated up into the air to get everyone's attention. “Everyone, he's depending on us, just like we depended on him.” He said. “It's up to us now.”

“Are you going to take his place?” Someone asked.

Malik knew this was coming, so he laughed. It surprised a few of them. “Me? Replace father? You're joking!” He looked at their faces. “No, I can't ever be like him. I won't be him. He was one of a kind and no one will ever replace him.”

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

“All I can do is try my best to lead us where I believe he would want us to go.” Malik said. “With all of us working together, there's nothing in this world that can stand against what he built.”

Everyone nodded their heads again and this time there were sporadic shouts of encouragement.

“I'd like a meeting with the family heads to discuss the orck menace and what we can do to head off their latest attempt to gain a foothold against the population.”

“Stupid orcks!” Someone shouted. “If it wasn't for them, we could have declared peace already!”

Malik laughed. “If you think it's the orcks stopping that, you need to visit Third Nogam Kingdom. The king there is a right bastard and rules with an iron thumb.”

“Perhaps we can help.” A woman's voice said.

The crowd parted to reveal a small party of people with a woman in the lead.

“I'm sorry we just missed Hunter leaving.” Allirynn's mother said. “I've always meant to repay him for what he asked me to do centuries ago.”

Allirynn laughed beside her. “You've said that every time we came to see him.”

She shrugged and looked back at Malik. “Hunter has always said that we didn't need to help and we should live our lives as normally as possible. Well, now that he's left, it's time my family and I help his family.”

Malik floated down and landed in front of her, then bowed to her. “I believe this is what he meant when he told me to do the best that I could.”

“No, it's when he told you 'good luck'.” Imiryl said from beside her husband. “He knew us well.”

That made a few people laugh and Malik smiled.

“Please, join us as we discuss things.” Malik said and waved at the nearby building.

“Thank you.” Allirynn's mother said and they all walked over to the building. “I have a descendant that you may take an interest in.”

“By the heavens, mother.” Allirynn sighed. “At least wait until we are behind closed doors before you try to marry off my granddaughter.”

His mother laughed the laugh of a woman who always gets her way.