Riku woke to the soft, graceful tones of a flute. He rolled to his side, disorientated. He was lying in a tent, on a cot with blankets draped over him, his sword and clothes were nearby.

"Where am I?” Riku wondered out loud.

The music stopped. Riku heard footsteps heading in his direction. Alarmed, he reached for his sword. Just as his fingers touched the hilt, the tent flap opened and the prettiest girl he had ever seen poked her head in.

“Ah, you’re finally awake. We found you in a clearing three days ago. You were delirious and had a high fever. I was worried you would never wake up.”

Riku attempted to sit up; however, upon seeing him move, the girl rushed over and restrained him.

Her eyes flashed bright blue as she scanned Riku’s body for any lingering ailments. Squirming beneath her piercing gaze, Riku felt exposed—like all his secrets were visible to her discerning eyes.

“Sorry for examining you so abruptly. I wanted to know whether or not you have fully recovered from whatever caused you to faint. My name is Sylvia.”

“Mine’s Riku. I’m curious, why did you save me?”

“When I first saw your face, I had this feeling that we met somewhere before. Be it a past life or even a passing glance in a village square, I knew no matter what the others said, I had to save you.”

“Thanks.”

“Wait here, don’t move. I’m going to get some food for you.”

Sylvia returned in a few minutes holding a bowl of soup and a small loaf of bread.

“It isn’t a feast, but I hope you enjoy,” Sylvia said.

The moment Riku laid his eyes on the food, his stomach rumbled and he scarfed down the meal with gusto.

“This is delicious,” Riku said with a mouthful of bread.

Sylvia laughed and reached into her pocket, grabbed a cloth, and wiped Riku’s mouth. Embarrassed, Riku blushed and attempted to wipe his mouth and slowed down finishing what was left of his meal. When Riku was done, Sylvia took the empty bowl away.

Seeing Riku open his mouth to object, she said, “You’re still recovering. Don’t worry about it. Go back to sleep, you look like you need it.”

Nightfall came and Riku woke feeling refreshed. He made up his mind to leave the camp, feeling he had intruded on Sylvia’s hospitality for too long. He grabbed his things and tiptoed out of the campsite. Riku chose a random direction to jog in and heard the joyful notes of a flute being played somewhere in the distance. Curious, Riku stopped, changed direction, and eventually came across a circular clearing.

Sylvia sat in the middle of the clearing, playing the flute. She had a carefree expression on her face, as if nothing in the world mattered. Riku was mesmerized by the beautiful melody. Entranced by the music, he drew his sword and began to dance. Every movement Riku made was beautiful yet deadly. It seemed the music had heightened his battle sense and improved his agility. They stayed like that for hours—dancing and playing—engrossed by their craft. When the first rays of sunlight kissed their faces, the music accelerated making its way to a grand finale. Riku’s movements became sharper and sharper as well, fluidly moving from one position to another, not wasting a single step. The music ended on a lovely note, waking Riku and Sylvia up from their individual trances.

Sylvia opened her eyes and said, “No one has ever been able to keep up with my tempo so effortlessly. Perhaps this is fate…”

Riku said, “I have so many questions: Who are you? What are you talking about? What magic did you use?”

“All your questions will be answered in time. But for starters, I am a dark elf. What you just heard was my one of my many magics. I specialize in healing but I can also improve my allies’ strength through music. We need to head back to camp; the others should be looking for us by now. I will find you later today.”

“…”

Sylvia uttered a spell and vanished. Riku stared stupidly at the spot Sylvia had occupied, hoping she would return and transport him back. When he realized that she wasn’t going to, he sighed; he had to make his own way back.