Without a moment of hesitation, Valurn revoked his [Hide Presence] and other cloaking abilities. His form materialized as he made himself visible. Immediately, his hands moved at lightning speed, drawing out a dozen knives with six per hand. All of them were pointed at the surrounding throng of hooded archers.

Afterwards, he activated his [Killing Intent] and [Intimidation]. Normally, logic said to keep oneself as defenseless as possible and surrender immediately in such a disadvantageous situation. However, given Valurn's high level of proficiency with assassination and escaping, his confidence overrode logic as he exerted his experience in the art of killing.

The hooded figures tensed up after feeling Valurn's aura. Originally, they were indifferent at seeing a bunch of lost demons in the forest. The aura-sensitive beings thought of their power as minute despite whatever invisibility/presence hiding tricks they had.

However, after feeling an explosion of [Killing Intent] and [Intimidation] that surpassed that of their past enemies, they hesitated. While instinct told them to shoot and get rid of the problem, the twelve knives that intimidating man held were enough to caution them. They felt a sickening feeling that if they were to do something now, that man can just as easily retaliate and send those knives flying through their hearts.

Meanwhile, Valurn was standing at the same spot without a hint of movement. His eyes continued to scan his opponents, watching for any possible movements or hints of an attack. After a long staring contest, he decided to speak up.

"I just wanted to let you know I'd rather solve this peacefully," he began with a resilient expression. "We three truly mean no harm. We're refugees from a village ransacked by a Hero."

The hooded figures didn't move nor speak. Their stern expressions sold the fact they weren't buying a single word of his story.

"With that kind of power, saying you're a refugee is like a dragon claiming to be a squirrel," one of the hooded figures scoffed. "What kind of bullshit is that excuse?"

"So, shall we continue with violence then?" Valurn retorted in annoyance. He further augmented his intimidating aura as he tensed his body up ready for action.

In reply, the hooded figures set themselves up, readying themselves for any possible sudden attack.

However, they wouldn't get the chance to clash as they were soon interrupted.

"Hey! Stop the fighting!"

Suddenly, a blonde-haired figure came running towards the two opposing sides. His pointed ears, emerald green eyes, and flawless handsome figure indicated his position as an Elf. His expression was frantic as he continued through the thickets of the forest.

When the hooded figures saw that man, they immediately put down their weapons and knelt down. Their expressions remained reverent with eyes closed as they recognized the blonde elf. As the man approached them, one of the hooded figures began to speak.

"Respects to our Chief," the hodded man began, " We have stumbled upon intruders near our territory and were ready to exterminate them until you came. I ask that you explain to us your decision on stopping the inevitable clashing."

The Chief breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the elf hunters of his village. If things had escalated, he truly was worried about the consequences for both sides.

"If you continued, all of you would have died," the Chief stated bluntly. "That man is someone none of you are a match for despite what his level and strength may say."

Valurn turned his head and looked at the Chief in curiousity. Suddenly, realization dawned upon him as he recognized just who exactly the blonde haired elf was.

"Is that you Herceran? From that one time in Alvinsteim? You're a chief now?

The Chief smiled and affirmed his deduction.

"Yep, it's me in the flesh," he laughed as he went to embrace Valurn. "I've moved on to another village and rose up as its Chief. Anyways, it's been forever man, how have you been."

"Well, things right now aren't the best honestly," Valurn replied with a wry smile. "As you can see, the two kids behind me as well as myself have been on the run."

Darian decided the situation de-escalated enough and came towards the two of them with Alicia sleeping on his back. He remained standing and observed the two's conversation.

Herceran looked at the three of them with an expression of shock.

"Hold on, didn't you tell me you retired? What's happening?"

With a sigh, Valurn told his old friend everything that had happened so far. From the day the [Hero of the Sword] demolished everything, to their days of escaping and hiding out in the woods.

Herceran looked at the three of them in sympathy after hearing about their rough journey. His face was especially enraged when he heard about the [Hero of the Sword]. Sadness overcame him as he gazed at Valurn and Darian's tired faces and Alicia's feeble and weakening condition.

"Damn, I can't believe that happened to you guys," he stated while his eyebrows frowned. "To think they'd go out of their way for a peaceful village like yours. Those humans from Alyastia truly are despicable monsters."

Valurn nodded in agreement. His face grew gloomy as he recalled their current situation.

"Now, I'm just working on trying to find a place to stay. We were trying to cut through this forest in hopes of arriving at my birthplace pretty soon, but I didn't realize you guys made yourselves home around here. I deeply apologize for our intrusion."

Herceran processed Valurn's words and thought up of something. He knew he had to do something for his friend after all he's done for him.

"Don't worry about traveling all the way there," the Chief stated in thought. "We can certainly house you for as long as needed. After all, our village has maintained a policy of tolerance and have a few demons alongside our dwarve and fairy population."

"No wait seriously it's okay," Valurn tried to interject. "We can still trek through the forest for a few more weeks. You don't have to do so much for us."

"I won't accept that," Herceran sternly stated while shaking his head. "You never know when a bigger monster you can't handle will pop up. Sure, you may be able to take down most of the four intelligent species with your assassination skills, but they are minute against any monster worth a shit."

"But..."

"Nope. You'll be coming with us to my village and living together. And don't act like your homeland would accept you back anyways if all that you've told me in the past is true."

Defeated, Valurn gratefully accepted Herceran's proposal.

"Thank you so very much. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Don't sweat it," Herceran laughed as his expression lit up. "I'm glad I'm able to repay you after what you did for me that day."

Valurn smiled in gratitude. He called over Darian and told him to follow the Elves to their village. Herceran called out the Elven Hunters to help guard them as they returned.

After resolving misunderstandings and meeting old friends, the group of Elves and Demons began to walk towards Herceran's village.

When they arrived at Herceran's village at night, Darian couldn't believe his eyes.

The scenery changed from a bland forest to one of vibrant color as they stepped through a magical barrier. The area was filled with giant, sturdy trees splashed with alluring brown and shiny emerald leaves. An artwork of flowers danced among the groundworks surrounding the trees in an array of beautiful colors and tones.

The houses were scattered in various places, whether it be on the trees or on ground. Their shapes were unique, almost mushroom like, with tall, clear windows on the sides and a very clean looking interior. Magic symbols glowed as they powered various appliances, conveniences, and defensive mechanisms on these buildings. Sidewalks, walkways, and bridges dotted the landscape and accented its natural look with nature inspired designs.

As for the population, many beautiful elven men and women were in their houses readying themselves for bed. Fairies were floating around and sleeping peacefully, while a few dwarves hit some of the late-night bars still open.

Under the starry nighttime sky, it was truly a surreal scene.

"Wow. This place is so amazing." Darian muttered while gaping in awe. While Tanquai had its own special atmosphere not a place on Elys could ever replace, this place would be really close to such from an unbiased perspective.

"I know right," Herceran smiled after overhearing Darian. "It's been several years in the making but this Dwelfheim is growing tighter than ever with about a thousand citizens as of now."

"Wow. That's awesome."

The group continued to walk on as they neared the Chief's residence. Many of the village citizen's waved and bowed at the group with smiles.

"I'm honestly surprised at how diverse this place is," Darian commented towards Herceran. "How were you able to make a community like this?"

"Well, it certainly took a while for Dwelfheim to get to where it is now," Herceran smiled as he recalled. "About eight years ago, I stumbled across this village after my old one was done in for. I noticed that it had plenty of room for growth and presented plenty of my ideas for scenery improvement and promoting a harmonious atmosphere. Now, it's arguably one of the most beautiful and harmonious areas in the Elven lands."

Darian nodded in interest. Continuing on, he asked some more questions.

"How is this place maintained economically and defensively? By some national government for the Elven folk?"

"No, Elves don't have a national government," Herceran replied. "All villages are self-governed and autonomous. Well, there are the High Elves at the World Tree who help sustain the magic and protective barrier for our villages, but otherwise we're on our own."

Darian smiled in amazement. He really was digging the vibe this Elven village brought forth and wanted to learn even more. However, they found themselves at the Chief's mansion in front of a very tall tree.

"Well this here is my residence," Herceran boasted with pride. "Fitted with heating and cooling, running water and lights from our magic seals created by the magical guild. I'm planning on making it standard with every house here soon."

"Wow, that's really nice." Valurn nodded with interest. He had no idea what or how some of these things worked, but he certainly would love to experience it.

However, what really popped out was how the huge building looked to be made of emerald. At the very least, it was very luxurious in appearance.

"Is that emerald I'm seeing?" Darian suddenly asked what Valurn was just about to.

"Yep, indeed it is," Herceran nodded. "It's one of my favorite gemstones. Plus, it looks real nice and natural. The mansion's got around 50 different areas and rooms and a staff of a hundred maids. Although it seems excessive, I'm actually more toned down in comparison to other Chief's and their wealth."

Darian and Valurn both nodded in amazement.

"Anyways, it is late now, so we should start heading to bed. I do have a guest mansion nearby that I'll make sure to get ready by tomorrow. However, for now, I think it would be best for Darian and Alicia to go over to that single house unit nearby while Valurn stays with me for the night."

"Yeah I agree," Valurn said with a yawn. "Darian, make sure to tuck Alicia in bed and monitor her for a bit. [Force Sleep] should still be in effect until morning, but it never hurts to be careful."

"Alright, I understand." Darian said. "I'll take care of her."

"Sorry for not being able to answer you guys questions about the village that much," Herceran stated apologetically. "I'll be sure to answer more tomorrow after some rest."

"Don't worry about it." Valurn waved off the Chief's worries with his hand. "We understand."

"Thank you," Herceren smiled. "Anyways, good night Darian!

"Night Darian." Valurn added in as well.

"Good night!" Darian replied and headed off to the single-unit house with Alicia in tow.

A few hours after he parted with Valurn and the Chief, Darian stood next to Alicia while she slept on the bed. He stroked her hair in worrry.

It's been a long time since he last saw her sane, joyful self. Ever since the reality of Tanquai sunk in, she broke off in insanity-laced rants and mutterings while acting crazy. They've had to calm her down constantly by forcing her to sleep via [Force Sleep].

It was saddening to witness. Considering she was only 13 years old, she should instead be having fun and dreaming of the future while growing up. Heck, at this point he even would love to see her act like a Princess once more.

In his eyes, she was like a sister to him. She was his only family left after losing his own Father and having no clue where his Mother may be. The last thing he wanted was to see her forevef gone as well.

Suddenly, Alicia's eyes fluttered open as she awoke. Her face remained expressionless for a few moments before contorting to one of absolute panic.

"W-w-where am I? Why am I in some bed? WHY DID THEY DIE?!" She immediately started to spout out rapidly, her expression changing to one of that all-too familiar insanity plagued face Darian feared.

"Calm down Alicia. It's all fine. We're safe now. We're at Valurn's friend's house right now. We're no longer on the run." Darian said calmly as he tried to suppress her anxiety.

"WHY ARE YOU ACCEPTING THIS," Alicia wailed as she flailed around in the bed. "EVERYONE DIED. OUR FRIENDS FUCKING DIED! MY MAMA AND PAPA ARE GONE! WHY WHY WHY??!!"

Darian's face scrunched in pain as he tried to hold down the struggling Alicia down. He really wished Valurn was here to cast [Force Sleep] right now. His eyes teared up as he saw his once innocent and sweet friend once more turn into a psychological nightmare.

"Please calm down Alicia," he begged and looked straight at her crazed eyes. "I'm not accepting it. No one is. But right now you have to focus on turning back to normal and going back to who you once were."

"TURNING BACK TO NORMAL?" Alicia yelled out as she furthered her thrashing in rage. "NOTHING'S NORMAL ANYMORE! TANQUAI'S GONE AND EVERYONE WITH IT!"

Darian tried his best to keep Alicia down, but it proved to be futile. She soon managed to escape his grasp and stand a bit away. Her crazy expression was laced with flowing tears as she started to shakily point her finger at him.

"Y-Y-OU DON'T CARE!" She accused Darian in rage and insane-laced anger. "TRYING TO SIT HERE AND WORRY ABOUT US WHILE EVERYONE'S GONE! WHAT KIND OF ASSHOLE ARE YOU TO ACT THIS WAY AND LIVE IN COMFORT WHILE EVERYONE ELSE IN TANQUAI DIED HORRIBLY?!!"

Even more tears streamed down her face as she turned around and started running for the door.

"Wait Alicia! I don't---"

"SHUT UP! " She yelled in complete rage. "YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE OR ANYTHING AND ONLY ABOUT YOURSELF! YOU'VE TREATED ME LIKE SHIT WHEN I YEARNED FOR YOU TO TREAT ME LIKE A PRINCESS. NOW THAT EVERYONE'S DEAD YOU NOW WANT TO ACT LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT ME AND WANT ME TO TURN BACK TO NORMAL WHEN YOU'VE ALWAYS HATED THAT? BULLSHIT!"

Darian stood there shell-shocked as she continued screaming and running away. Suddenly, she screamed out one more sentence that tore his heart to pieces.

"I WISH I NEVER KNEW OR MET YOU! I HATE YOU!"

She ran off away from the house in tears as Darian stood back there in sorrow.