One of the things about the fae forest that bothered him so was how easy it was to lose track of time.  When he had crossed over the ring of mushrooms into the constantly azure plane, it had been at the crack of dawn; the sun having barely kissed into the sky.  But here?  It was always twilight with hardly any change.  Shadows were always abounding; some dancing in and out of his peripheral view as he made his way through.  Any time he was here there was the feeling of being watched: dozens of eyes ever at the back of his head.
 
Ever since he had ascended though, they kept a wise distance.  That still didn’t deter every chaotic soul…or a particularly hungry beast.  So far things had remained peaceful though.  This time.  His fingers moved along one of the many tree trunks, and the glowing sap that bled through the cracks and along the leaves stuck to his fingers.  He brought them up to his face, the light from his glowing eyes coupled with the luminescence of the sap sent shadows along his cheeks.  “Hmm…”  He was alone, but he still felt the urge to speak to himself at times, it helped combat the silent absence of his daemon.
 
Theories floated around about what this sap could mean, what the blue tint of the forest and the non-lethal properties of the lake might point to.  As of now they all remained theories, but he hoped something more substantial would be uprooted.  He pulled a small vial from his belt pouch and was careful to only use his fingertips so as not to smear any of the sap.  After uncorking it, he slid his fingertip along its mouth, getting as much off of his finger and into the tube as he could before wiping the rest off on the bark.  He held it under, letting as much of the sap fill the vial as he could, but it was slow work.
 
He took the moment to look around, and even though that watching feeling was still there, he didn’t see a single set of eyes.  Closing his own, he looked with his other sight and felt his heart jump from how many auras there were.  Yes, he most definitely wasn’t alone.  Some were peaceful shades, others more curious, some predatory, but none made a motion towards him.  Somehow being able to see them made it more unsettling and he decided to open his eyes again instead. 
 
The white glowing markings that trailed his body shifted, turning to stronger wards that built up an extra level of protection around himself.  His free hand moved to Torinasu’s hilt at his hip, just barely fiddling with the strap that kept it held in place: as silent as a threat as he could make without being immediately on the offense.

It had been about a year since his grandmother had passed. He finally felt himself ready to leave the cottage. He had been anticipating this day for a very long time, the day he would leave and not come back until he had fulfilled his dream to become a powerful mage. There was no one to leave the small cottage in the magical forest to, only himself. Which meant the cottage would be left vacant, vulnerable to whatever creatures or beings decided to adopt it as their own. All he could do was hope that he would find refuge in future adventures and if he couldn’t, hope he could return to the cottage, still his for the taking.

He stood in front of the heavy wooden door from inside his home, the place he grew up, with a backpack containing a quill, ink, a journal, a canteen full of safe drinking water, and a compass slung sloppily around his right shoulder. His left hand gripping the staff his grandmother gave him, claiming it belonged to an old friend of her’s. These items and the robes on his back were all he worried to bring with him on his journey, assuming his inventory would soon increase throughout his adventures.

He was not taught any concept of sentimentality when he was young, only what was practical. Therefore, his grandmother would not curse him from the grave for leaving the cottage behind or not taking any of her personal belongings with him. Her practices of alchemy were for her enlightenment alone and did not care for the world to know her for her genius in the world of alchemy, she did not want the world to know her at all. However, the compass he carried was the perfect practical reminder of her.

The door was made of old, rotting wood with moss growing in between cracks. There was a squeak when the handle was turned and a soft crunch when his boots touched the forest floor. He closed the door behind him. Facing it, he lifted his backpack from his shoulder to pull out his journal and quill. The tip of the quill made a satisfying scribbling noise when it met his journal. He ripped out the page and stuck it to the front of the door. Just in case. He thought to himself.

“DO NOT ENTER” marked the page.

Everything replace in his bag, he turned to face the blue hued forest in front of him. One foot in front of the other. This was not the first time he had ventured into the magickal forest on his own, he had ran numerous chores for his grandmother alone outside of the cottage, but this was the first time he did not intend to return.

-

It felt like an eternity walking through the forest trying to make his way out, but he knew the nature of this forest and he knew how easily bored he could become, thus concluded he must have only been walking a mere hour or so. Noise from the partying faeries and foolish mortals grew faint the further and further his light feet travelled. Everything seemed more peaceful.

Like most elves, he was light on his feet. Footsteps that were difficult to differ from a feather falling to the ground. This often left him from being bother by any creatures of the forest. He kept himself hidden, walked behind trees that would obstruct any sort of view towards him, walking in patches of terrain that matched his tan clothes and blonde hair. Instead of thinking himself a prey hiding from predators, he enjoyed pretending he was dancing around his prey, waiting for the right time to strike. Except, he never struck anything unprovoked. It was just a game he played with himself.

Footsteps stopped, he noticed a figure up ahead. It wasn’t like anything he’d seen in this forest before. He was used to poor merchants and middle class adventurers exploring the Feeorin Forest, it was rare he would ever see such a noble presenting being, although this forest is full of surprises. He lightened his breathing and hurried to the nearest tree to observe. Creeping towards the mysterious figure, it became clearer and clearer.

As he contemplated whether he or not he should approach this interesting figure, he watched him fill a vial with sap. This man may be able to help me reach my goal, he thought to himself. However, he didn’t know anything about this man. Friendliness was not guaranteed and hostility was a possibility.

He continued to observe from a single spot behind a thorny bush. The figure seemed to be reaching for a weapon on his belt. Shoot, does he know I’m here? He worried. It was time to be bold. The blonde elf lifted himself from his hiding place and made himself clearly visible to the man away from him, saying nothing.

Only a minute or two later he felt a more prominent set of eyes: a heavier gaze.  His eyes lifted up just a bit, still looking forward at the trunk of the tree, and then he moved them back down to the slowly filling vial.  Just a few seconds more and it would be finished, but before he could do much else he heard a shift.  Whoever it was had made themselves known, purposefully so: the beings that lived here were known for their stealth so any heavy footfall had to have been intentional.  That eased him only far enough to move his fingers from the hilt.
 
“There’s no need to keep such a distance: if you have anything to say, you may as well go ahead.”  His voice was soft as it often was, and he pulled the vial back from the bark and pressed the cork in to seal it.  Rather than replace it into his belt pouch, he instead sent it back to his temple with a flick of his wrist and dusted his hands off.  The wards stayed prominent on his skin as he turned to face this newcomer and his eyebrows gently rose, taking the youth in.  Well, he appeared to be a youth at least, these days it was hard to tell.
 
One hand rose up to the back of his neck, rubbing there slowly as his eyes locked on his, “Are you a resident?”  It wasn’t as though he wanted to presume, but only someone that had spent a great deal here could have such a knowledgeable step.  Even without closing his eyes he could sense out his aura, and thus far there was nothing predatory about it, though there was a high level of curiosity.  His eyes softened as he smiled, “Something certainly is on your mind isn’t it?  Or the tip of your tongue?”

The elf’s shoulders lowered as did his defenses upon the stranger’s smile. All suspicions of danger vanished. He took a few steps forward, making sure to leave a considerable amount of distance, yet close enough to converse without shouting or squinting eyes to recognize the details of one another. His pointed ears twitched when he saw the vial disappear. He had not seen magic like that before, though it seemed simple. He had witnessed the enchantments of mortals and offensive magicks, but not the disappearance of matter. However, that curiosity quickly left him when he noticed the white marks on the stranger’s skin.

With a stone-like expression, he allowed himself a moment to analyze the interesting individual, his mind wandering with possibilities before speaking. “Soon to be former, but yes.” He rarely ever spoke out of his monotone voice, often seeming as if he were about to die of boredom at any second. However, some socially analytical individuals may be able to find the emotion behind his mechanical presentation. “I am in search of an exit point.”

He paused to examine the stranger once again, eyes following the white marks, trying to identify his armor. Nothing rang a bell. He had heard stories of nobles and how they dressed, the stranger’s attire seemed to match but he couldn’t be sure. “I cannot identify you, the way you dress, or the glowing white upon your skin. However, I do know that you appear powerful and your behavior makes me believe you’re friendly.” He silenced himself, unsure if he really should continue. It was not certain that this stranger was as friendly as he appeared, but there was no sign of threat or ulterior motive that he possessed. “You are a visitor, correct? I have lived here all my life but I have not seen someone like you here alone before. I have spotted high ranking adventurers in these woods before, but they are usually not alone.”

He hadn’t expected such a flat voice and his eyebrows rose as he listened.  The way he spoke coupled with the almost listless look in his eyes reminded him of his cousin.  Even now he found it odd that someone so young could manage to be so stoic, but this newcomer proved that maybe it wasn’t as alien as he once thought.  Possibly this new generation…  Having been a resident of Feeorin he expected there to be more coyness to his nature, but he took people as they came these days.  It did catch his attention that he was intending on leaving though.
 
What’s more he didn’t recognize who he was and he would relish in that for as long as he could: he often found it was better to keep a sense of anonymity whenever there was a chance.  There were many days that he missed his privacy before ascension, and it was nice to meet someone without any need of social expectation. “I am a visitor yes.  Not a first time one though, but it has been some time since I’ve been here.”  He smiled, “I suppose that makes me brave or foolish, maybe we’ll find out before the end of the day.”
 
His eyes lifted to the purple sky and gradient clouds, knowing they wouldn’t give a clue to the hour any time soon, “You mentioned that you were trying to find an exit?”  His eyes fell back down to him, “I was actually preparing myself to leave.”  Though he didn’t mention that his way of coming and going was by travelling between light,
 
“What do you say we traverse together?  That way if I prove to be more foolish in my efforts it at least won’t be alone.”  Again he smiled though it always kept a more reserved shadow than joyous.  “If you don’t mind me asking, you said ‘soon to be former’.  Is there any particular reason as to why?”  Not that he knew this individual, but it was no light thing to decide to leave a place you had inhabited your entire life.

His heavy lidded eyes widened just a bit into less-heavy-lidded eyes when hearing the stranger’s offer, looking deeply into the male across from him. He seemed trustworthy, but he wasn’t familiar with anyone like him. The young elf would have to learn about the world somehow and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Running into someone who seems experienced and knowledgeable about the outside world right after leaving home seemed a little bit too good to be true, but he rarely found his intuition to be misleading. His instincts flee are very in tune with the world around him, much like a deer or a rabbit, yet he did not have the urge to escape this encounter.

Socially, he was very brave. Not afraid to say what everybody else was thinking, without considering the consequences. He had not conversed with many people outside of his grandmother in his life but when he did his direct, blunt nature often made people uncomfortable or offended in some way. His environmental intelligence was incredible, but social intelligence- not so much.

“A fool is someone who acts unwisely or imprudently. I would not consider your efforts foolish if you know you have the skillset to survive the tricks and dangers of this forest. Although, if you are not aware of your skillset, you are simply a fool for your lack of self-awareness, but if you know you are not capable of taking on the challenges then you are either a fool or have reached a devastating point in your life where you do not see reason to take measures to keep yourself alive, which would also make you a fool.” He paused, knowing it polite to give others a moment to process information. This was the type of communication his grandmother fostered and encouraged since it gave her someone to play intellectual mind games with. He then continued, “I don’t believe you to be a fool. I don’t believe you to be brave either, considering for you to not be a fool you must know your skillset matched or over powered for this forest and if you know you are powerful enough, there is not much bravery applied-” Afraid he may have offended the welcoming stranger, he cut himself off. “Not to communicate that you are not a brave person. Just not in this particular instance.”

“I would ask you to prove you are not a danger, but my intuition tells me you are not. I am interested in your offer.” He moved his gaze towards the trees beside him. “My guardian has been deceased for a year. I aspire to become a mage or any other offensive magic-wielding class. I want to attain that goal by travelling and learning from foreign teachers. I am not convinced that I can reach my full potential without leaving.” His gaze returned to the stranger. “Why are you here? Who are you?”

The more the boy spoke the wider his smile spread across his face.  Likewise, his eyes glowed brighter, the emerald cutting through the blue tint of the forest in a nearly unnatural way as he listened.  He of course wasn’t offended, “I know someone you’d get along with well…”  It was uncanny how similar the two were, though this young man spoke his analytical thoughts whereas his kin usually kept them behind closed lips.  “As for not being a danger towards you…well it’s as you said, intuition can usually steer you correctly, though spent time could do that as well.”
 
The glow of his eyes dimmed down as did the height of his smile when he spoke of the not so recent death in his family, “Though time has passed, I do offer my condolences for your loss…”  His eyes softened, “Travelling to strengthen your knowledge, always a good reason to step out into the world.  I might be able to point you in the right direction of a few individuals depending on the path you’re interested in taking.”  He paused, his lips poised to continue speaking, but being sure to choose his next words carefully,
 
“If ever you needed aid in learning the magickal arts involving light, I could help you there…For now though,”  His eyes moved past him, sensing out the right direction, “Let’s head towards an exit.”  Being sure not to move too abruptly, he took a step towards him and outstretched his hand to shake,
 
“Well, I’m actually here for research purposes…boring seeming I’m sure, but I’m hoping to learn more about the magickal properties of the sap here,”  He stepped back towards one of the trees, his fingertips gently tracing along the bumps and grooves in the bark, “I’m hoping that there might be a link to healing that could possibly be used in medicine…”
 
Though he had offered his hand in greeting, he did not speak his name.  It wasn’t often he had the opportunity to meet someone as a complete stranger and he enjoyed it more than anyone could know…Always it seemed much easier to commune with people when he could talk to them without expectation.  “Having been a resident, what are your thoughts on the matter?”  His eyebrows rose in question, genuinely curious about what the boy’s opinions were.

The older gentleman’s comments sat well with him, although he was curious what person he might get along with, he supposed he would ask about that later. He gave a slight nod when he was offered condolences for his grandmother’s death, attempting to acknowledge the man’s generous words without bringing too much attention to the subject. He approached the semi-stranger’s hand with naturally soft steps, accepting the handshake awkwardly. He had only shaken someone’s hand a few times before when his grandmother first taught him.

“My name is Beval.” He said with a light shake, what some may consider weak. He pulled back both his hands to his sides.  “I would request your’s, but if you wanted me know you would have told me already.”

“Do you know anyone who specializes in changing form? There is a creature I want to learn to be.” He drifted off into his own thought of becoming a dragon, causing an uncomfortable, yet quickly resolved silence. “Otherwise, I am not sure what magick to specialize in. I currently know an offensive fire hurling technique and two spells for strengthening and weakening.” He glanced at the weapon resting on the man’s hip, “I am also interested in learning physical defense.”

“I regret to inform you that I’m unsure of where an exit may be.” A small amount of shame washed over Beval, considering he lived here all his life, knowing the nature and residents as well as he did. He ought to know of at least one exit. However, I suppose that’s just what happens when someone’s never left their home on their own before. He didn’t quite pick up on the man’s physical draw towards any possible exit.

His eyes drifted towards the sap, “Grandmother used to have me swallow it in tea to combat sore throats. So, I suppose it does have healing properties, but I don’t know how special they are.”

His lips quirked up into a light smile, mildly amused by how gently blunt the young man was. He liked it, and listened to him as he spoke. Though unfortunately he couldn’t think of a prime candidate for being a master of physical transformation. Moliira, being a lycan, was the first person that popped up into his head since her entire being revolved around changing shape. The two were only very friendly acquaintances though, and he wouldn’t want to push his luck there. Even so, he’d keep his eyes opened for such a person now,

“Unfortunately nobody immediately comes to mind…If you ever find yourself in the company of a lycanthrope then I’m sure they could give you a few basic techniques for control.” His smile widened, “Someone will come along I’m sure. Follow me…” With that, he began to lead them through the thick forest, sensing out the best way to leave. Normally he would just travel out through any light source, but that was a bit much for someone he had just met.

“As for physical defense, I could help you with that if you were interested. It’s been a part of my life practically since learning to walk…As far back as I can remember at least.” Luckily he was a peaceful man, always the pacifist, and now that he was no longer an assassin of the undead, he found himself having to use such techniques less and less.

“As for the sap, I’m hoping to bring some of it back steadily over time…test it, see what it can do, how it reacts to different things, different races. As I’ve said, all things that I’m sure are extremely boring.” He chuckled and looked back at him, “So, now that you’re leaving home, is there any place you have your sights set on in particular for visiting?”