Chapter 3

Mouth agape, Kane stood there. What was an elf doing looking for him? No one had seen an elf in over 50 years. All the magical creatures had left the humans to fight the Void's armies in the North by themselves. Additionally, Kane had been certain he had erased all traces of his presence from the world when he fled south. Apparently, he had left his past, unsuccessfully.

"You've got the wrong guy." He sheathed his sword, and carrying it his left hand, began heading back towards the inn.

"Are you not Kane Soulbourne?" She grabbed his arm, soft hands full of power only an elf would possess.

"No." He replied curtly, trying to pull free. She hung tight, and her uttering his name brought back painful memories.

"You cannot deny who you are. I saw you wield the light." He tried to break free, but she stubbornly held on, even as he started dragging her through the snow. "The way you fight, your appearance. It betrays who you are.

"I told you, I'm not the man you are looking for." He yanked, hard, and with a surprised scream the elf was sent sprawling into the snow, next to a mutilated guard. Red and white snow filled the air.

"Why..." She sat there, her eyes filling with tears. Kane couldn't stare into her eyes, for they were still pure and innocent. She made no effort to rise from the ground as she stared at him. It was as if Kane's continual denials had sapped her of her remaining strength.

"Look-" He paused, not knowing her name.

"-Holly."

"Holly. I don't know why you came here, or how you found me. I can tell you, it will be for the best if you just forget you ever ran into me." He easily lifted her back to her feet. Even covered in snow and filth, she was undeniably beautiful to Kane.

"My father sent me to find you. An old elf-friend tipped us off to your presence." Her emerald eyes were filled with determination now.

"That innkeeper?" Elf-friends were rare, and he couldn't believe his bad luck.

"Yes. The moment you stepped into his inn, he sent a message to my father. We have been searching for you for some time."

"That bastard." Kane cursed benath his breath. "Let's go pay that very innkeeper a visit, shall we?" The storm wasn't letting up, and now that the fight had ended, Kane was becoming painfully aware of the bitter cold. He was also concerned about further encounters with shadowkin. He didn't want to stick around and see if any others were in the area. Without waiting for a response, he continued walking, Holly in tow.

"Let me guess, your father is Elm Strongbow, Prince of the elves?" It was a hunch, but that was the only elf he could imagine was looking for him.

"King of the elves." Holly paused, new tears filling her eyes. "Grandfather has left the world of the living." Judging from the way she spoke, and an elf's natural longevity, Kane could guess the previous king did not die a natural death.

"My condolences...your grandfather was a great leader." It sounded wrong coming from Kane. He wasn't the emotional type, and he never knew how to respond to these situations. He had buried his emotions a long time ago, to try and fight the voices and memories that haunted him. "So tell me, what does Elm want?"

Holly stopped moving, her body shaking, and Kane wasn't certain if it was from the cold. She looked at him, her eyes serious. "The Void has attacked the elves."

"How..." The elves had fled the human realm along with the other races, the void wasn't supposed to be able to reach them. "How could the void attack the elves, if it is busy fighting the humans to the North?"

"An ancient ice dragon has aligned itself with the Void. It has followed us to our realm, and even now, attacks our borders. Our mightiest warriors failed to stop it, and we are...being overrun." Kane was pretty sure he now knew how her grandfather had died. In elven culture, the king was the strongest, and the first line of defense. It was hard to believe he had fallen to the enemy.

"Elm sent you to find me, figuring I would rush to his aid and help save your kingdom?" He started walking, turning his back on Holly. He was certain her pleading eyes could melt the ice in his heart, and right now, he wanted to let his anger boil. The reason he had left Elm and the others, was to keep them safe.

"He said you wouldn't. Told me I was chasing a myth. But I refused to listen, and so he told me to pass on a single warning if I did find you." Kane turned, even as the light of the inn was in his vision, to look at Holly. "The void is closer to victory than ever before." Her words caused him to shiver. His destiny was to stand against the void, to defeat it. But all that had brought him was pain.

"He was right. I won't come...I am no longer Kane Solbourne." He pushed open the door to the inn, the light washing over him, though the warmth inside did little to warm his heart. "Barkeep, you got my meal-"

"-ello Kane." A dark clad figure sat at the bar, drinking from the innkeeper's mug. Kane saw no sign of the innkeeper, though the walls inside seemed coated in fresh blood.

"Run!" Kane called out to Holly, panic in his voice as he drew his sword. His power rushed to his call, even as shadows shot from the dark clad man. These were the shadows that haunted Kane's dreams. They rushed past him, straight towards Holly, faster than even an elf could react. He knew she was doomed, he had seen this scene before. A name sprung to his mind, an image rushing through his despair.

Anna. The world stopped.