As it was still before morning we immediatly went along our way. Alexstros was delighted and quite caught up in his euphoria of going through an adventure so he compleltly forgot to let go of her hand and kept draggin her along.

As they past the city gates he realized what his hand held as the guards flashed him a knowing smile. Only after a few paces his face became beet red , but hiding his embarrasment now took priority. With renewed vigour he doubled the dragging speed and held her hand even tighter.

The dragging and speedy jog he had taken on lasted until the poor girl behind him finally had enough of it.

" S-slow down! " She managed to say between large gulps of air.

During the time he kept dragging her the euphoria took on a whole nother level so his red face had completly disappeared again. As he turned around he looked at the girl being slouched over her hands keeping her steady on her own legs while she kept taking in large gulps of air.

" H-how are you able to r-run so fast? " She squezzed out between gulps.

Alexstros just shrugged and immediatly realized she couldnt see this answer , due to her staring at the ground to catch her breath , so he replied instead.

" Im an elf. "

Like a whip her posture and head snapped bolt upright and she looked him over. She started at his leather covered feet and wandered up his legs. Soon she arrived at his slender arms and the gleaming skin that stuck out under his short sleeved tunic.

As she looked into his face a shudder crept down her spine. Especially as she locked gazes with this little boy of 13 winters. The light blue , that occasionaly looked more white , was deep and she felt like he stared directly into her soul.

She came closer to him and pushed his mane of velvet like blue hair back. Now she understood , sure his skin and facial features had something elfish but now combined with the ears there was no chance for denial.

" Yes you are , but arent your people scholars and mages? " She asked quizzicly.

" You are thinking of High-elfs , my mother is a Kagonesti. Or wild elf in the human tongue. My kind doesnt tire easy when we are surrounded by nature. " He claimed.

Now the girl , as she caught her breath completly and was able to take a look around , finally noticed that they were completly surrounded by thick , century old , trees. Only shadows surrounded them as they were protected from the hot summer sun by the tight leaf roof they had over them.

Like one of the royal festivities the trees tried their hardest to reach above all others , dwarfing their competitors in the process. These trees fought for superiority in height to get more of the nourishing sun for themselves and outplaying their brothers in the process.

But since the girl had time to look now , she found something very odd. While she was dragged she couldnt remember ever tripping over a root or stepping on a twig. Now she looked at the ground and found it completly even with not even 1 leaf sticking out.

She was completly baffled and Alexstros saw it on her face. A small chuckle escaped his lips , which garnerd him a pair of squinched eyes from the girl.

" Okay okay. Dont look so mad. This forest was once the home of my mothers kin. A millenia or so ago. Not the trees but the forest as the forest is a single organism , coiv-erin. The living forest. No bad intentions are allowed in these lands due to its influence. "

Her eyes shined brightly , but what she thought was complelty hidden behind the joyous mask she wore. Somehow or another Alexstros felt uncomfortable at the strange glint in her eyes but he dismissed it ... for now.

After the short explanation they started to walk at a leisure pace. Alexstros was unbelievably happy as he was surrounded by the forest he had always loved and played in when he was smaller.

Sometimes he came across certain trees and he heard whispers in the air. He checked if the girl , that was a few paces behind him , heard any of this. Not to his surprise she seemed to be completly oblivious.

Spirits surrounded one of their far relatives in the form of Alexstros. Wild-elfs , legends had it they were spirits at the start of times and a god took them under their wing and gave them a physical body.

On other occasions a rabbit or deer came into view. He smiled at the creatures of the forest that were completly oblivious to both their presences. Alexstros saw a glint of light being reflected directly behind him and as he turned around he gasped in surprise.

The girl had pulled a bow and arrow from no where and aimed it at the poor critter. With amazing speed that was bound in his blood , he rushed over and sliced through the string that propelled the arrow forward with his herbalism knife.

" Are you mad? " He roared furiously and the deer only perked up its ears , knowing full well nothing could ever happen to it in this place.

" What is your problem? I just wanted to catch us dinner! " She shouted back.

Now the deer annoyed by the loud noises trodded off leisurly and the girl watched it. As she turned around she first held a angered glare ready to give the snobby kid infront of her a lecture on how to treat her , but she gulped hard at what stared back at her.

Completly red faced , anger boiling under his skin and a scowl that defied the 13 winter old face were looking at her like she was some sort of anooying fly ready to be squished.

" This forest ALLOWS no evil intentions. Dont kill , dont steal , dont forrage , dont anything. Look into a few trees when we pass , there might be a white shine reflecting through the otherwise dense roof of leafes. Guess what that would be?! " He screamed and turned around on his heels.

" Wha-what what i-i-is tha-that? " She stammerd and fell to completly leveld earthen ground.

Immediatly he walked back the few paces and stared into the tree she was staring at. A white glimmer shined through and revealed a complelty cleaned of human skull.

" That is something that broke the laws of this forest. " Alexstros told her while a devious smile appeared around his lips.

She looked at him terrified and he knew he was looking evil now at the moment , but he also knew that everything that ended this way deserved no better. His usual scowl returned and he reached a hand for her.

With a shaking grip she grabbed his hand as he pulled her to her feet. She dusted her backside off and the journey continued in silence. Only broken by the sound of wind rusteling the leaves or a sound of a deer or rabbit passing close by.

" Do you have anything to drink with you? You wouldnt let me fill up my canteen before we left. " She said and even Alexstros noticed the parched voice she asked with.

Without turning around or replying he turned behind the next tree and walked a even faster pace. His nose was guiding him. A vivid aroma filled the air , even before he could hear it. A few hundred paces after she had asked they arrived at a small creek.

The light , that came through a gap in the leaf crown , reflected back off the clear waters surface. He went to his knees and scooped out a handful of water. After saying a short prayer to the godess of the wilds he drank.

Even though he hadnt noticed it before his body held a little fatigue but this was complelty washed away due to the combination of this sacred like protected water and the short prayer.

The girl crouched down in the same position and drank in the same manner. Even though she most likely hadnt prayed the surprised face she had told Alexstros a little story. He just smiled before he began to speak.

" This water is ancient and holy. A gift from the forest. "

" We have 2 choices. My Father knows a good spot where the wisps may give up the grass without a fight. But around here is a large patch , somewhere over that direction. " He told her and pointed his finger across the little stream.

She furrowed her brows and seemed deep in thought so Alexstros stood up and gave her a little time to think. He placed his hands on a ancient tree and immediatly images flashed before his eyes as he touched the rough bark.

A time where thousands of elfs gathered around the creek was shown as they celebrated some kind of festival that had to do with the moons. Skanty clothed elfas danced around in the same rhytmn while the males did 4 different dances at the same time.

Sometimes a image of a absurdly large elfa with green hair flashed into view standing in the middle of the air over the pond. The godess of nature herself graced the humble elfs with her presence.

The images changed but instead of a new stream of information assaulting his inner eyes his shoulders were shook and that broke his trance like state.

" You have been out of it for quite some time. Everything all right? " The girl he had been travelling with asked.

He shook his head to clear it from the lingering emotions the trees spirits had conveyed to him. Everytime he had done this with his mother around she would scold him. The Spirits shouldnt be reminded of better times she always said.

But Alexstros was always to curious about everything he had no knowledge of and the glorious past of his blood kin was something he was heavily interested in.

" Yeah im fine. " He replied.

She couldnt believe him as she saw the sorrow in his eyes , but she had no intention to pry. Instead she answered a pressing question.

" Lets stay here and gather the ingredients. Not much use to walk even farther. " She told him.

Alexstros completly agreed with her on this point and pried his hands loose from the old bark. Alot of willpower had to be gathered in his mind to not delve deeper into the spirits past but he knew he couldnt loose himself in it.

" So where is the grass? " The girl asked.

" Its Moongrass. Same shape taste and appearance when the sun is out. When moonlight hits it it glimmers silver. Then we have to pick it. "

" I thought elfs could smell magic , doesnt have it a different smell then normal grass ? " She questionly implied.

A slight shake of his head and he continued to speak.

" I am trying but sometimes theres one small Moongrass surrounded by hundreds of normal grass , better just wait till the moons are out. "

She nodded as if she understood , but Alexstros highly doubted this. He looked up into the sky and saw the first orange lights that made it clear they wouldnt have to wait much longer.

He was bored and the girl also seemed to be as she was playing with her clothes. Even though normally he wasnt interested in anybody else he wanted to know something of the girl.

" You are an adventurer right? " He stated more then he asked.

She had a suprised look about her and even without speaking Alexstros knew her next question.

" Your demanor didnt tell me about it. It is more the way you smell to me. I heard about Gods children trying to cover themselves in a normal persons guise and act like us , but i havent heard some truly accomplish this. " He replied to her unasked question.

" So what do i smell like to a trained wild elfish nose? " She asked while she leaned her head to one side and placing a finger her cheek.

Rather a cute gesture in Alexstros book , but that didnt off put him in the slightest. Afterall his baby sister hardend his senses when it came to cuteness levels.

" You smell like books. A mixture of a warm fireplace and the glue books are kept together with. Never smelled a magical aura like this before. A normal smell sure , can find that in most libraries but on a magical level , no. " He told her honestly.

She seemed baffled at this , which Alexstros couldnt understand in the slightest. Now she burrowed her brows even deeper into her face and her eyes seemed vacant for a while. Her body completly limp.

For a few seconds she even seemed to stop breathing so the boy came over. He pulled her hand up and felt her pulse. Her arteries were still reveberating with blood being pushed through them but even to his touch she didnt snap out of it.

He stared at her for a few minutes and noticed her ribcage expanding and retracting , shallow but rhytmically.

Soon her eyes seemed to flash in a white light and her gaze focused. Immediatly she noticed him and jumped away.

" Wow , that surprised me. Dont touch my body when im logged out... " She said more to herself then to him.

Now it was Alexstros turn to be surprised.

" What is logged out? " He asked curiously.

She stuttered for a few minutes but during this time the moons had set overhead and small patches of silver appeared between the normal grass.

" Listen now. Hide behind a tree , the wisps dont like humans and my father just gets tolerated because of my mothers aura sticking to him. Ill talk to them maybe we can take a little bit. " He told her.

She did as she was told without raising any fuss , Alexstros on the other hand had a hunch that she was more then happy to hide until he had forgotten the buisness with the unusual word.

A few minutes later the silver light intensified and smoke like things appeared above those patches. Alexstros strode confidently to those patches and stared in the silver mist.

The smoke began to twirl condense and then expand to a almost human shape in the girls eyes , but to Alexstros the form looked like a elfa around the same age as himself.

Wisps spirits of deceased elfs , murdered in a brutal way. When their blood was spilled till the last drop their spirit ancestory became evident. Every elf had a little bit of silver divine blood in him.

While the spirits were made of 100% of this silver liquid. If a elf gets murdered and his blood soaks the earth long enough this liquid appears and soils the earth leaving a vengeful spirit behind. The soul of the elf that got killed.

" Greetings , oh ancestor. " Alexstros told the wisp in the elfish of the wild forests.

" Ah one of our decendands , have you come to listen to my sad tale? " The girl said in a ghostly voice that made Alexstros shiver.

" Sadly no , but some other time i would love to hear your story. Today i wanted to know if you could spare some of your grass for me. "

Alexstros knew that giving ones grass , was something to these spectres as giving their own life. Some wanted this to find peace. Others wanted to remain in this world and grieve for eternity.

A half an hour passed while the boy looked at the naked elfa spectre both not ushering any tone. Normally she would either send him away now or allow him to end her eternal damnation.

But instead she swung her arm at his head. Thanks to his quick reflexes he barely managed to jump out of the direct line of her punch , but nonetheless blood started pouring out a slice on his cheek.

" You damn blob of smoke! " The girl shouted and came running towards him.

But somehow she had changed in apperance. Instead of the common shirt and pants she wore a tight fitting leather armor now. Her hands were covered in a thin leather glove and both her arm and shins were protected by hardend leather armor.

She held a dagger and a shortsword in her hands and made a mad dash for him. But even though her original clothes had disappeared what surprised Alexstros was the golden colored aura she was pulling along behind her.

Not that he could see it , Dwarfs had the ability to see mana manifest around the people while humans felt the flow of mana , but he smelled the rich and golden color that reminded him of honey.

As the girl was about to reach the spectre her dagger gleamed golden , and for the first time Alexstros SAW the manifestation of mana infront of his own eyes. This girl was more then meets the eye Alexstros was definetly impressed.

She drew those pretty golden arcs as she used a series of attacks on the spectre. A thrust started the sequence then she used her forward momentum and pierced the ghost. But the golden glow didnt disappear instead it increased in intensity as the dagger was ripped out of the spectres side.

The girl performed a piroutte while standing on the ground and the dagger seemed to fly towards the spectres neck. But as her moment of surprise had vanished the wisp turned completly back into smoke and materialized as the dagger left where her neck was seconds before.

With the momentum and missing her opponent the girl tumbled away. But the spectre immediatly went after her. With the slightest of motions the girl was deflecting the razor sharp limbs of the spectre with her weapons.

The first aimed at her chest but with a simple flick of the dagger in her right she changed the limbs trajectory off to her side , mere inches away from the sides of her ribcage. If that was luck or skill Alexstros had no idea.

With the spectres next attack the girl instead turned her body away and in one fluid motion circled her whole body around the wisp. Immediatly the dagger followed aiming in on the unproteced spine. But much to the girls dismay she disappeared into the smokey form once again.

The golden light that followed the girl seemed to become clearer and clearer in Alexstros side , besides the smell he registered in his nose. Like a gallant dancer the girl kept sidestepping or deflecting the attacks with ease and a golden warm flow followed her every move.

When she attacked , futile as the last 10 times , the golden aura became sharp as a spear and held determination. Like in one of Alexstros storys she became a hero in this second. Everything fit perfectly the warriors that used mana while attacking with the strong auras the even lead dragons to fear them.

She was the embodiment of them and now something to idolize in Alexstros heart. Forever this small girl the same age as him had left a mark upon his little world , maybe changing its course forever.

" What can i do about her ability to turn back into smoke? " She pleadingly asked Alexstros.

Immediatly he snapped out of his stuppor and grabbed a dagger from his bag that was slung around his shoulders. The grass patch where the wisp had appeared was targeted and immediatly harvested.

Lucky for them the wisp had attacked first , or else the forest wouldnt have let this happen. With a loud pooff , the spectre disappeared and a silent thank you reached Alexstros ears.

Alexstros breathed a heavy sigh and then he finally realized he had been holding his breath during the fight. The girl on the other hand collapsed as she wheezed for every gulp of air.

As both locked their gazes smiles spread across their faces and they began to laugh. Even though it was late at night , and they saw a few more specs of silver misma , they travelled fast towards the city.

The first lights of day broke through the dark skys as they reached Alexstros home. His father was still up and waited for them eagerly to return.

Carefully he studied the moongrass they brought him. It took him quite some time and both youths held their breaths as the father inspected it twice or even thrice over.

" Perfect specimin good job you 2. " He concluded simply.

As both youths broke out in cheers , Alexstros father had already returned to the workshop and was preparing to start the potion he was about to create.

" Son , close the shop i wont be available for 24 hours. " A voice reached the shop.

" Well i guess im off to the next Inn then , i need some quality time of shut-eye. " The girl told Alexstros.

" What is shut-eye? " Alexstros asked curiously.

At first the girl stuttered but then a gear seamed to have clicked inside her head.

" We Adventurers say that sometimes when we need to get a good nights rest. Closing ones eyes , shut-eye. Get it? Pretty clever , eh? "

For some reason Alexstros had no intention of letting her go so his brain worked overtime , even though he was tired. A solution came quickly.

" You are a guest of our house , i must insist. " He added.

Immediatly he ran upstairs and told his mother about everything she definetly needed to know to be confinced of letting the girl stay.

" Sure , she can stay. Afterall she has brought back your fathers recipie and my son in good health! " She screamed down the stairs so even the girl could hear it.

Alexstros rushed back downstairs and dragged the girl along her hand , once again , up the stairs into one of their guests rooms.

A few minutes later Alexstros was done with the bedding and preparations so he left her to her own devices. He was completly out of energy as he stumbled along the corridor and closed the door to his room.

His mother smiled all the while.

" They sure age fast ... yesterday he was just a child and today he brings the first girl home... " She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.