The hood fell, revealing a stunning face beneath. Elijah froze.
Short, snow-white hair flowed down softly. Long, elegant ears twitched slightly under the moonlight—undeniably elven. But what made Elijah's breath hitch were her eyes. Crimson like rubies, glowing faintly in the darkness.
"I'm Sylphira Lehardo," she said softly.
Elijah blinked. "You're... a girl?"
He couldn't deny her beauty. Ethereal. Elven. Dangerous. But what disturbed him most wasn't her appearance—it was what she was.
"Wait a second..." Elijah stepped back. "As far as I know, elves don't live on the Human Continent. They reside in the Spirit Continent. What are you doing here?"
He frowned and began reciting to himself, "In the World of Jade, there are three continents. One for us—Humans. The second is the Spirit Continent, home to the Elves. And the third… the Demi Continent. Home to demi-humans, beings who look human but bear unique birthmarks."
Elijah's eyes narrowed. "I've been to the Spirit Continent before. There are three elven races."
He ticked them off on his fingers.
"High Elves—green eyes, nobles of the spirit lands. Wild Elves—blue eyes, deeply bonded to nature. And the Dark Elves—gray eyes, dark skin, hardworking and reclusive, living deep within the forests."
His gaze locked onto her crimson eyes. "But you... you're something else entirely. I've never seen your kind."
Sylphira didn't flinch. "That's because I'm a Blood Elf."
Elijah's voice cracked. "Blood Elf?"
She nodded solemnly. "Or as we are called... Demon Elves."
Elijah recoiled. "DEMON?! IN MY HOUSE?!"
Sylphira shook her head quickly. "No! We're not real demons... but our people were called that long ago. Misunderstood. Feared."
Still uneasy, Elijah pressed on. "And how are you even here? Elves can't enter the Human Continent unless it's during special events—Spring Unions, Sacred Festivals..."
"There's a new law," Sylphira said. "The leaders of all three continents signed an agreement. Now elves and demi-humans can enter the Human Continent freely."
Elijah's eyes widened. "Ayn mentioned something like that..."
His tone turned serious. "Tell me what happened. To the Spirit Continent."
Sylphira's voice trembled. "I don't know. I was just playing with my friends in the woods. When I returned... everything was burning. Our sacred Mother Tree—our life source—reduced to ash. The flames... weren't normal. They were black and red..."
Elijah froze. "Purgatory Flame?"
She nodded tearfully. "Yes. That cursed flame. I don't know how it was unsealed, but it devoured our lands. Me and my few friends ran with whatever we had. But few of them were killed by bandits. Now... I'm all alone."
Tears fell from her crimson eyes, staining her cloak.
Elijah's stern face softened. He pulled a napkin from the table and handed it to her. "You can stay here. I won't abandon you."
She looked up, surprised. "But I have no money. No way to repay you."
He leaned back, folding his arms. "Then don't expect charity. You can stay on two conditions."
She braced herself.
"First—bury your past. All of it. Forget the flames, the screams, your title, your grief. Start a new life. From now on, you are no one. A blank page."
Sylphira looked down. Nodded.
"Second—you'll become my assistant. Do everything I say. Cook, clean, fight if needed. I'm not a hero. I just hate doing chores."
She gave a short, soft laugh. "I can do that."
Elijah nodded. "Good."
He handed her a bowl of stew. "Sorry for earlier. I didn't know you were an elf. Elves don't usually eat meat."
She smiled faintly. "Tonight, I'll make an exception."
After dinner, Elijah stood. "Come. I'll show you your room."
He led her through the modest cottage. "Only three rooms here. Mine, yours, and a storage room. Yours has a bathroom attached. Don't enter mine. Ever."
She nodded. "Thank you. For all of this. You are really a kind person."
Elijah paused at the door, looked over his shoulder. The shadows made his expression unreadable.
"I'm not kind. I'm not cruel. I'm not good or evil. I am simply... me," he said, his voice deep and heavy, echoing with the weight of something deeper.
It was the kind of statement that lingered like smoke in the air.
Before he could leave, Sylphira called out, "Wait... What's your name?"
"Elijah Everheart."
She walked up to him, took his hand gently, and placed something onto his index finger.
A ring. Black metal with swirling red veins, shaped like dragon coils around a crimson gem. The surface glowed faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"This is all I have left," Sylphira said. "A Dimensional Ring. Store anything inside it. No weight. No limit."
Elijah's jaw dropped. "You're giving this to me?"
She smiled. "A thank you. For giving me a chance to live."
He nodded, dazed. "I... thank you."
They parted with a quiet "Goodnight."
Sylphira closed the door and lay down on her new bed, eyes on the ceiling. In her mind, the past bloomed.
A warm, radiant woman with long white hair telling her a story. "Mom, do heroes exist?" little Sylphira had asked.
Her mother had smiled. "Yes, my child. They exist. One day... you'll meet one."
Then her father had entered. "He'll protect you. Always."
They were High Elves, once proud and noble.
In the memory, her mother whispered a prophecy: "He will come like a flame in the cold, cloaked in silence, and hold your broken pieces without asking why."
Back in the present, Sylphira clutched her blanket. "I don't know where he is... but one day, I'll meet him."
Meanwhile...
Elijah lay in his bed, bouncing with excitement like a child.
"I can't believe I got a Dimensional Ring! I wanted to buy one, but they're priceless. I finally have one! Hahaha!"
He thrust his hand up. "Come, Musagi!"
The mystical katana materialized. He opened a portal by the ring and instantly stored it inside, watching it vanish into the glowing gem.
"Perfect," he whispered.
Satisfied, Elijah lay back, smiling as he drifted to sleep.
Outside, the night wind blew across the lonely hills, whispering of fate, fire, and a crimson-eyed future.