- Ashur -

Arpaschad, Ashur, Aram, Elam, and Lud.

It was in this order that these elven siblings were born but except for the eldest, the latter four were born within a few decades of each other. This did not matter much because as long-lived as the elves were, a few decades equated to human perspective meant only a two or three-year difference in age between them.

Their eldest, however, was born with a significant gap in age with the second-born, Ashur. With almost a two-century difference, he was viewed upon by the other four in a light of seniority. So when the time came for the inevitable shuffling of positions within the elder council, all of them, including Ashur, thought it natural for Arpaschad to take the mantle of the high elder.

“Eldest brother, he—why me?” Ashur had been incredibly perplexed. His expectations along with many others were overturned when Arpaschad instead passed onto him the position.

At the time, the relations between pure-blooded elves, half-elves, and humans were delicate. Originally, elves that had formed relationships with humans were indisputably exiled from their forest-dwelling. They, who were cast out from the one place they called home, took refuge within the neighboring Daerin. In time, they formed their own community within the city and thrived.

When disaster struck and a choice had to be made, the younger generation of elves escaped from the forest and sought refuge with their kin whom they've once cast out. The elves entered Daerin humbled and distraught from losing their home to the mana beasts. In time, however, their repressed pride had once again resurfaced and while living amongst humans and half-elves, their traditional values and ways of thinking had caused unnecessary friction within the community.

Ashur found himself in the thick of it.

“Brother, why!? I don't want the authority!” he couldn't take it. He shouldn't. Ashur had fallen in love with a human, he would soon be cast out from their own circle.

“Younger brother, this is all for the best. Do you not trust my judgment?”

Ashur fell silent. Their eldest had answered him with conviction so he knew that there must've been an important reason behind his decision. He could not oppose.

“A—Alright eldest, I shall be the high elder, but if and when you decide to take back the position— you need but ask.” he declared.

There was no choice but to sever his ties with his beloved. If he were to be found out, he could care less. But his brother... Arpaschad's dignity would be put in question as the one who had chosen him for high elder. Ashur respected his brother dearly and could not bring himself to ruin his name.

So he took the position and performed his duties responsibly to stamp out the other's complaints. Soon enough, opinions of him slowly turned favorable. That is until a slight hitch appeared in front of the council a few years into his office. They were a pair of a boy and a girl, claiming to be his children.

“Children of the high elder!? Absurd!”

“Half-elves, no less! Get them out of here!”

Their pleas were ignored.

Ashur had a hint of doubt but was initially of the same mind as the other elders until Arpaschad had come and confronted him sometime after the spectacle, “Younger brother, Ashur. Are they not your children?” Arpaschad had spoken his name with a voice so stern that he felt that if he did not respond his brother would have renounced him.

“Eldest, you jest. I have no partner, how would I have children?” he had given the wrong answer.

It was the first he'd seen his older brother fly into a rage. His collar was held up and his feet lifted a few inches off the floor, “E—Eldest, why are you like this?” Ashur found it increasingly harder to breathe as his brother tightened his grip even further.

“Brother, are you still looking for the reason why you were made to be the high elder?” Arpaschad posed him a question.

Only able to let out a cough, Ashur wasn't given time to answer as his brother continued, “If we could find a way for our second brother, Ashur, to not be cast out from the elder council and at the same time, chip away at the nonsensical values that our predecessors have brought with them from the forest—“

“Eldest, you—you knew!?”

“There was opposition from the youngest, Lud, but I was eventually able to get all three of them to agree...”

Ashur had made a grave misunderstanding. The purpose with which he was given the position of high elder... His brother released his collar and he slumped onto the ground.

“Now think again, younger brother...” Arpaschad reached for his collar again, but for a purpose other than lifting him up in anger. He brought out the symbol of the high elder worn on Ashur's neck and this time he had asked calmly, “Are they your children?”

Ashur felt tears welling up in his eyes while staring at the hunter's medallion. It was an object that allowed him to freely go outside, safe from the creatures that lurked within the permeating darkness.

He didn't answer Arpaschad. Ashur did not know if they were his children but that didn't mean he couldn't make sure. Without looking back, he left the dwelling of the elves, and then... he regretted.

How could he have overlooked the goodwill of his brother? How could he have been such a fool? He had now lost his lover and was working hard to regain the trust of his children.

Ashur looked in front of him. He was in the forest within Erden's Tower. There were the members of the elven guard tied up and bound by vines controlled by magic. In the middle of them all was their youngest brother, Lud. He was the only one unbound but his complexion looked so weary that it appeared he could collapse from just a slight breeze.

“D-Do I regret?” Lud spoke, “We thought to find safe haven but only found more grief, hah... This may not be our home but at least we get to die in the embrace of the forest.”

“Youngest, it is not too late! Let us go back and figure out a way to help them!” Arpaschad pleaded. Both he and Ashur were pained by the sight happening in front of them.

Why had it come to this? It was neither him nor Arpaschad that was doing this. The elven guard had covered themselves in overgrowth, seemingly against their will. The only one left unaffected was kneeling on the ground in despair.

“Eldest!” Ashur shouted. His brother, Arpaschad who had tried to get closer to them stopped his approach and looked back at him with a sad smile. The same had begun to happen to him. Vines crawled up Arpaschad's body and was tightening around him to prevent him from moving while around his pupils emerged an eerie glow of mana.

Ashur ran towards him before he could become completely covered by overgrowth. There was a reason why only he and his brother, the Elven Guard captain, remained unaffected. Ashur took off his hunter's medallion and stuck it between the vines covering Arpaschad.

“Ashur!? What are you doing?”

“I owe so much to you brother. Allow me this one act to repay my debt.”

Arpaschad noticed his intentions and wanted to reject them, but bound by the plants he could not do so. The overgrowth around Arpaschad stayed but didn't continue to thicken. Ashur, however—shortly after he'd taken off the medallion, there was a feeling of madness that had overcome him. At the spot between his eyes was a heat that was prodding him to go into a frenzy.

He knew now why the others had chosen to bind themselves with plants. It was all they could do before they had lost sanity. Before he could lose his own, Ashur whispered to himself his only remaining regret,

“I... I only wish I had more time to spend with my family...”

***

- Urie Loeth -

“Celeste was here! No one else has hair like hers!”

If he hurried, he could catch up. He was just a fair bit of distance away from the exit even. Over aerial tree roots and through straying branches, sticks and twigs tore parts of his clothing and left scratches on his pale skin. Urie had already been running for so long that his body was demanding a moment of respite. Still, he kept running as neither exhaustion nor the increasing maddened howls of beasts around him could delay his rush to his destination.

“That ice spear couldn't be hers, could it? If it weren't, then I wonder which one of my older brothers...?”

He couldn't imagine that timid little girl going up against such a fierce-looking beast. So he assumed that one of his siblings might have been accompanying her. They would have only been here recently as well since the spear of ice had retained a sliver of mana and was yet to melt. He felt nervous and at the same time excited. He only had to endure, then he could see them again after all this time.

As he emerged from the thickets into a forest clearing, Urie stopped in his tracks as he had unluckily stumbled onto another magic creature. This time, it was one that he had recognized.

A magic creature on all fours, with sharp fangs, claws, a bushy tail, and jet-black fur. It was flailing about on the ground, seemingly in a great struggle with itself as its eyes shone with a glimmer of mana Urie also found greatly familiar.

“Shadow wolf...” he whispered, and unconsciously took in a mouthful of air.