26. Serena

Breathing a sigh of relief, I take a few steps back, linking with the love of my life as we gaze upon our newly refurbished home. I wipe a forearm across my damp forehead, smiling delightfully that our vision has come true.

"A job well done," I remark. "What do you think, Cinis? Are you happy with it?"

My love tilts his head, his eyes running studiously over the interior of the hovel. He smiles.

"The concept of a dwelling, a space to call your own to reside in permanently, is so strange to me." He turns to face me, pulling my body by the waist. "But it seems so right, Serena. I just wish I could think of how to explain it."

I laugh and stroke his hard face.

"You're not meant to think this is right," I tell him, lowering my hand to his chest where I imagine his heart to be if he had one. "It's something you feel. This is where we'll spend our life together, there's something special in that. No one could have given this to us but ourselves."

I kiss him, holding his face with both hands. Sighing from exhaustion, I rest my head on his torso, nestling into the warmth of his form. My eyes remain pointed at the interior of our home.

I find it ironic that I've forged such a human connection with this monster of mine, something set in stone by this dwelling we've built for ourselves. I love this place already, but I know my real home is wherever I am with this being I call my love.

Yawning, I pull back. Although I'm tired, I think I've been in here long enough for one sitting.

"I could use some fresh air, how about you?"

He nods and heads for the door. I grab my sheathed sword on the way out, securing it on my waistbelt.

I step outside, met with a chill, crisp air. I welcome it, its temperature proving further relief to my overheated body. Closing my eyes, I breathe in the air and let it all out with a relaxing sigh.

"I can help you make more weapons," he says as he seals the threshold to our hovel. "For if you intend on sourcing food in the wilderness."

"That'd be handy. Even if Aldris is gone, I need to keep my skills sharp."

The remembering of his final words hits me harder than a strong gust of wind at that moment.

More elves will come.

I swallow hard, my face twisting in an expression of confusion and anger.

"Is there a problem, Serena?" asks Cinis.

It takes a moment to find the right words as we tread through the snow.

"I want to believe the struggle for the humans in Prazh is over, and part of me does feel that way, but… I don't know if we've truly reached the end."

"What do you mean, my beloved?"

He offers my hand as we begin our ascension up a steep slope. My response is drawn out, exhales of effort and heavy breathing blanketing my words.

"Do you remember when you took Aldris' life force? He said something that I can't get out of my mind." I hear his voice, ingrained in my head, repeating his final words before I continue talking. "More elves will come."

Our path levels out to even ground, allowing me to catch my breath for a moment.

"Yes," answers Cinis reflectively. "But I think his threat was empty, just a last attempt to strike lingering fear in you. The dark elves appear to be quite skilled in doing that to humans."

"You're right, but still, what if he is too?"

My throat swells with a lump. I must swallow if I hope not to cry. I've cried enough tears for the loss of human life already.

Cinis' face contorts in deep thought, so humanlike in the way his features move. Even in moments of emotional turmoil like this, he's so beautiful that he distracts me.

"Prazh is one small part of this realm of existence," he says, his tone like a wizard reciting wisdom of old. "Dark elves will always be around in other parts of the world if not here."

"I know that, but do you think they'll stop coming here?"

I want him to say we'll be safe, that we have nothing to worry about. However, deep down inside of me, I know that for as long as dark elves exist, humans will always have real monsters to worry about. I think Cinis knows this too.

"We may have won the battle against Aldris," I continue speaking. "But I fear that the war will exceed even my lifetime. What then? What if what we're fighting for doesn"t even matter? What if they keep coming and-"

My lips are sealed by a passionate kiss, one that brings reassurance and much-needed warmth in this weather. Cinis gazes into my soul, enveloping me in a feeling of safety, that somehow everything will work out exactly as it's supposed to.

"Serena," he says, softly stroking my cheek. "Perhaps those wretched beings will return, or perhaps they won't. But if they do, I promise you that we'll be there to fight them together. I'll fight to my last minute on this plane of existence in defense of the humans."

"Oh Cinis," I sigh, feeling the anxiety leaving my body with every passing second. "You always know just what to say, don't you?"

He smiles.

"I am learning what it means to be human, thanks to you." He takes my hand and we continue our stroll. "You are my reason to live here in this world, or in other words, you are my world."

I blush and laugh, biting my lower lip as I turn away for a moment in embarrassment.

"You speak like a word weaver."

"A word weaver? Is that some type of magic with words?" he asks.

"It kind of is, in a way," I say. "Maybe I ought to show you how to read, then I can teach you how to write a poem."

He expresses his interest in the creative aspects of humankind as we stroll onwards. The weather eases as the sun peaks its yellow head above the clouds, hanging moderately above the horizon in the far distance.

We talk about what I could show him, from food to entertainment, and culture to old legends, all of which he is eager to find out more on.

"I don't know where I want to begin," he says.

"Well, we've got all the time in the world," I reply.

"Serena, do you think you'll miss your old home?"

I pause, realizing it has been quite some time since I gave thought to the camp where I used to reside. It's then that I get an idea, and it blurts out of my mouth so quickly that Cinis recoils in confusion.

"What was that?" he asks.

"I said we should go to the human camp where I once lived. I want to show you where I came from."

"Hmm," he mutters. "Will that be a good idea? How do you think your kind will react to me?"

I laugh.

"Probably with bewilderment at first, but when they learn of what you've done for them, they'll welcome you with open arms. This world is so full of cruelty that any kindness to humans is a pretty big deal."

He turns to face the horizon. I join him, resting my head against his shoulder.

"I will do it," he says after some time.

"You won't regret it."

A wave of ease washes over me as the sun drops ever so slightly. There's still plenty of daylight left for us to enjoy. I soak in the sights and feel the warmth of the sun's rays kissing my face.

Knowing the man by my side is committing to this forever brings me peace like I've never experienced before. Even if the possibility of trouble lies ahead, I can at least-

"Wait a minute," I blurt, my voice shrilling with horror. "What in the hells is that?"

I spot a plume of black smoke thickening as it crawls into the sky. I know that smoke, and it's not from a campfire.

"That's coming from the direction of… Oh gods…"

"It must be dark elves," hisses Cinis.

Even with my amulet, I can feel the heat in his body rising. I tighten my grip on his arm.

"Cinis, that's my home camp, it's got to be!"

An explosion rocks the ground beneath us as a cloud rises from my camp. We can't see the camp itself which is hidden by a hill, but I can only imagine what horrors lie behind it.

Without hesitation, we break into a sprint. My body is already tired from building our new home, but I don't want it to come at the cost of my old home.

The screams and cries of humans fill the air as we approach, as do the sounds of iron and steel clanging.

I climb up the hill on all fours. The sight that greets me at its peak is worse than anything I could have imagined.

The carnage entails hordes of dark elves coming in from the nearby coastline and more from another hill opposite to us in the distance. Human warriors meet them in battle, fighting fiercely like I've never seen them before. Orbs of magic ring out in all directions.

But that's far from the worst of it. I cry out in anguish seeing the burning homes of my people, with countless corpses strewn across the camp grounds.

I spot children hiding amongst the rubble and fallen tents, some of whom I can hear calling out from their parents.

It is a nightmare come to life. My knees almost fail beneath me, seeing the worst unfold before my very eyes.

I think of Nielsen, Pierce, Aldor, and even Beth. All of their deaths will be in vain if I do not intervene.

Rage replaces the shock in me as I unsheathe my sword. I look at Cinis, seeing the fire in him burning through the gaps in his rock-like formation. Our eyes meet in a look of acknowledgment. We both know what we must do.

Together, we charge. There are still lives to be saved, not all have fallen. I will ensure no more are lost.