World Awakening: The Legendary Player-Chapter 73: Village of Elves

They walked through the forest. The three dark elf sisters were in front, Mela in the lead, Liesa still looking annoyed, and Valeria silent as a shadow. Nox followed, his steps steady, with Serian on his back. Her arms were around his neck, just quiet.

After a while, she shifted a little, her voice a whisper right next to his ear.

"Nox?"

He grunted, a quiet sound to show he was listening.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Going with them so easily?"

He was quiet for a few steps, his boots crunching on dead leaves. He didn’t have a good answer, not really.

’She’s right,’ he thought. ’The old me would have just killed them. Or tried to. Would have been less complicated.’ He remembered the cold feeling from the fight with Liesa, the dark power. It was easy to fall into that. Too easy.

But then he thought about the girls, about Serian. It wasn’t the same.

’I’m tired of that,’ he thought. ’Tired of being alone all the time.’ He had pushed Kendra, Yeda, and Vasa away to keep them safe, but he had missed having them around. It was a stupid, weak feeling, but it was there. ’Maybe this is better. Seeing what it’s like to have... people. Not just enemies.’

"I don’t know," he said out loud, his voice low. He kept walking. "The me from a few days ago would have just tried to kill them and moved on." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

He felt her stiffen a little on his back.

"But I’m tired of that," he went on, his voice still quiet. "Tired of being alone." He paused, the words feeling strange in his mouth. "Just wanted to see what it’s like to have people around, I guess."

She was quiet for a second. Then her arms around his neck tightened. She rested her head against his back. It was a simple, solid feeling. He kept walking, trying to ignore the way his heart started beating a little faster.

"You know," she said, her voice still a whisper against his ear. "You’re growing on me, Nox."

His heart skipped a bit again. His face felt hot. ’What is this feeling? It’s the same as before.’

He didn’t know what to say to that, so he just kept walking, carrying her through the quiet, dark forest.

Mela glanced back over her shoulder. The human was still walking, his pace steady, with the Sun Elf princess on his back.

’He’s dangerous,’ she thought. She remembered how he’d caught her sister’s blade, how he had broken it with just his arm. She remembered the cold look in his eyes when he had her pinned.

But then she watched him now. He adjusted the princess on his back, a small, careful movement so she wouldn’t slip. The way he was with her... it was gentle. He hadn’t just left her behind, even though she was hurt and slowing him down.

’He’s dangerous, but he’s also... protective.’ She couldn’t figure him out. And she couldn’t help but notice the way his shoulders looked strong, the way he moved with that easy confidence. ’He’s kind of hot,’ she thought, her face feeling a little warm.

Just as she was thinking it, he looked up. His eyes met hers across the small distance between them.

She looked away fast, her head snapping forward to stare at the path ahead.

’Crap, he saw me.’

’Hm?’ he thought. ’What was that all about?’

He kept walking, Serian quiet on his back. A few hours later, Mela pointed ahead. "The village is just through these trees."

As they stepped past the last line of trees, Nox felt it. It was like walking into a wall of pure hate. Dozens of eyes were on him, hidden in the shadows of the massive tree-houses, from up on the high walkways. He could feel their hostility, sharp and cold.

’Damn, they really hate humans, huh.’

Mela led them down the main path. Dark elves started to come out of their homes, their faces hard. The whispers started first, a low hiss that spread through the crowd.

"A human..."

"What is that filth doing here?"

"And look... a Sun Elf. A traitor."

Serian tensed up on his back. Her arms, which had been resting loosely around his neck, tightened their grip. She pressed her face against his shoulder, trying to hide from the glares. He could feel her trembling, just a little.

’This is getting annoying,’ he thought, but he just kept his pace steady, his eyes scanning the crowd. He didn’t look scared. He just looked bored.

An older elf with a long, gray braid and a scarred face stepped out in front of Mela, blocking their path.

"What is the meaning of this?" he snarled, pointing a finger at Nox. "You bring this... thing into our home?"

"The Elder wishes to see them," Mela said, her voice firm. "Step aside, Jor."

"The Elder has lost her mind if she is inviting our enemies to her hearth," the old elf shot back. More elves gathered behind him, their hands on their weapons. A few had bows, arrows already nocked.

"That’s a Sun Elf traitor on his back!" someone yelled from the crowd. "They let our lands burn!"

"Kill the human! He taints our soil with his presence!"

The noise got louder, the anger swelling. Liesa, who had been quiet, now had a smug smirk on her face. She liked the chaos. Valeria stood behind Mela, her face thee same as always, but her hand was on the hilt of a dagger at her belt.

"This was a mistake," Serian whispered, her voice shaking right next to his ear.

"Too late now," he whispered back, not moving a muscle. He met the stare of the old elf. He didn’t back down by looking away, he stared right into his eyes.

"I will not allow it," Jor said, drawing a wicked-looking curved knife. "The human dies here." He took a step forward. The other elves behind him raised their bows.

Nox let out a quiet sigh. He carefully shifted Serian’s weight, getting a better grip on her legs. He was about to put her down and just end this, but Mela moved first.

She stepped right in front of Jor, her own hand on her weapon. "You will stand down," she said, her voice ringing with an authority that surprised him. "This is a direct command from my mother. You will defy the Elder of this village?"

Jor froze, his knife half-raised. The other elves hesitated, their bows still aimed but their fingers not on the strings anymore.

"She is a Sun Elf!" He spat on the ground. "Have you forgotten our history? Have you forgotten what they did?"

"I have forgotten nothing," she said, her voice cold. "But I obey my Elder. And so will you." She stared him down, her gaze unwavering.

The old elf’s face was twisted with anger, but after a long, tense moment, he lowered his knife. He shot one last look of pure hatred at Nox and Serian, then stepped back into the crowd, muttering curses.

Mela turned back to Nox. "Follow me," she said. "And do not stop."

She led them through the parting crowd. The elves still glared, their hatred a physical thing in the air, but they let them pass. They spat on the ground where he walked. He just ignored it. It was pointless to get angry, its not like their hatred is not justified.

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