03

You're still listening to me? That's great! Let's get on with it then.

So, when Daeghun left the house, I didn't see him for two whole months. I was growing scared that he might have done something stupid, but he came back exactly the day before I had decided to leave and look for him. I didn't tell him I was going to do so of course.

I surprised my self by feeling relieved when I heard the front door open, but I had forgotten something; it was late at night and I was dressed – if you can call that clothing – in a pretty short night gown. I was getting used of being alone and had just gone to gather food from the kitchen when he showed up. I felt so happy he was back, that I didn't thought about it. I just looked at him and smiled, as if that was normal between us. His hair looked longer and his cheeks were pink. I think my face became of that color as well, but I didn't show any emotion. There wasn't any! Was there?

Daeghun blinked and quickly turned his head away, barely waving to me before he disappeared in his room. I was used to that behavior, but when I noticed my outfit, I understood. Why were things like this always happening to me? I hissed.

Time passed and I noticed he was colder than before. He didn't speak, nor did he look at me. He was just there, a phantom in an empty house. Like a decoration.

The Harvest Fair finally came, bringing excitement in the village. I was excited too, ready to face the trials with Amy and Bevil. When I woke up that morning, I found Daeghun mumbling something while staring at the fireplace. He just shook his head and came to greet me. "Wow, I actually exist."

"Ah… my foster daughter is up and dressed, I see."

I choked. The word "dressed" sounded suspicious. All sounded suspicious! "Since when do you call me foster daughter?" I asked sourly, enhancing the hateful emotion of the word "daughter". He was getting on my nerves. First, he was ignoring me, then he had scared the crap out of me with his two months of disappearing! And now, after all those splendid moments we had passed together, he was daring calling me THAT? It was unacceptable.

"Forget I said anything, today is the High Harvest Fair, and the West Harbor village council requires me, yet again, to man the archery competition." He looked normal, but it felt like life was really heavy on him. Or maybe it was the other way around and he was retrieving some colors. Maybe it was the archery competition? I didn't know.

He asked me to sell some furs to the merchant and left. What was with him that morning? "Mystra!" One day, we were both going to die and realize what a waste we were. Our existence could have been much different!

But well, it wasn't entirely his fault of course – I wasn't any better. There I was, instead of trying to reach out for him, as a normal person should, I was having naughty thoughts. It was awful, and the worst part of it was that I loved every thought that occurred in my mind. I didn't want to think of him as something else than what he was; a man. A difficult one to have.

I kicked the chest after gathering the furs and left to meet my friends. That was the best and yet the worst day I had in West Harbor. It was also the last one.

We had already won half of the trials when we made our way to the archery competition, to Daeghun. As we approached, I inspected him secretly. He looked so bored and tired, he was yawning every five seconds.

I made clear with my friends that I was the one shooting with the crossbow. Each of us had abilities and we were separating the trials fairly. Daeghun just told me to fetch the weapon and shoot at the targets. "Bottles. Lovely." The highest score till now was five from ten. It was easy to beat – I had practiced for five years without him knowing. Well, I thought he didn't know…

I didn't love particularly the crossbow, but I was not bad at all with it and I was going to make sure he noticed that. I readied myself and shot at the first bottle. It was a hit, of course. When I was at my fourth one, I could see with the corner of my eye that Daeghun was not yawning anymore. He was concentrated on what I was doing.

I hadn't missed any bottle and I was on my sixth already. The elf looked as if he wasn't breathing, but that was only for me to notice – I guess I knew him a little.

I decided to give him a full glance, straight in the eyes, with a malicious smile before I fired. I knew I had positioned myself perfectly for that shot, but it was a risk. If I would miss that one, it would be a mega shame. To my relief, the bottle fell and I turned back my attention to the last three of them.

Daeghun didn't leave my stare for a second while I challenged him, shaking his head slightly when it was done. I didn't waste a bolt, I didn't miss a bottle and most of it; I shot one of them while looking into someone who stressed me a lot. Was I going mad?

You probably think I really did need some attention – well, you're not wrong, but it's not exactly the attention you're thinking of. I was never complaining that I didn't have parents and I didn't want any replacements. I had teachers, friends and wise people around me. That was amazing and enough for me to grow somehow a little normal. A little.

But Daeghun was a fragile subject for me. You see, he was, is, a nice man. He was lost and didn't know how to handle his own life back then. One usually just gave up trying with him – but I couldn't. And I wasn't trying anything reasonable anyway.

"You stand as this year's winner in archery… and the first to achieve a perfect score. I can see there is definitely a possibility for you to master this weapon." He sounded normal, but something in his voice told me he wasn't expecting me to be that skilled. He looked glad and somehow awake. I answered with a nod and left, proud that I had surprised him.

"What was that about?" Amy asked, "Why did you give him that look? You could have missed your shot."

"I never understood your father – he is such an impossible man." Bevil added and my ears became red as frustration rose in me.

"Don't EVER call him that again! You got that? He isn't anything like that and will NEVER be." I looked away, irritated and clenching my teeth.

"Wow, sorry Phael, I didn't mean to fret you."

"No offence taken. I know you didn't… it's just that… oh forget it, it's complicated." I couldn't tell them. No way. They were my friends and I loved them very much, but this situation wasn't clear for me. I was alone in it.

Bevil was relieved and Amy just looked knowingly at both of us. She didn't ask for an answer and we quickly changed the subject. The evening went on and we won the competition. We were proud and much wine was drank that night. I don't know how, but I managed to get home almost sane, falling asleep with my armor on… what a damn luck.

So, you probably know what happened next and don't need me to go on. Right? Oh, you do? Euhhh… aren't you tired of my mumbling? You don't look like. Fine then!

Incoherent noises woke me up and I just had the time to hear Daeghun shout at Amy and Bevil to get me before they basically blew my room door open in order to enter in the same time. I was still sleepy, but felt danger everywhere and from the faces my friends made, I knew something had happened.

The village was attacked by bladelings and some greenish – my favorite color – monsters from another plane; githyanki.

That night was horrible. We were running around gathering men and women to meet the militia and fight when we saw one of those humanoids fighting with Tarmas. Amy rushed to help him… and was killed.

I couldn't move, my eyes focused on the body of my friend, the girl I had spent five years with. She and Bevil were my first real friends. I have always thought she would get married with him… or with Tarmas, but that wasn't important now. She was gone and all those possibilities were gone with her. Every person is unique you see; there was one, and only one Amy, and she was gone.

When I snapped out, the gith disappeared, leaving some disgusting huge spiders for us to take care of. There was no time for mourning, so we fought. Bevil and I did our best to help the militia, but soon more of the fiends were coming. I grew stressed, for Daeghun was nowhere to be seen.

Another group of fiends showed up. I could see the man and women around me growing tired. My blade was slashing while my mind screamed we wouldn't take it much longer, when I saw arrows. I looked to the right and saw him.

It seems this gave energy to everyone and soon the battle was over. But not the war… Daeghun called me not long after. I could see he was glad I was ok, but he didn't talk about it aside from pointing out that others weren't that lucky. He asked me to go into the nearby swamp and retrieve something he had hidden there. He also asked Bevil to come with me.

I was too shocked of my friend's death to argue and didn't feel like it. It just felt right to go and find whatever he wanted me to. Daeghun only said it was a shame Amy had died, that she was a promising mage. I knew he understood my feelings and didn't reply. I just left with Bevil.

My friend wasn't eager to go in the swamp though – there were monsters there you see. And he was right. We had to fight our way through some sort of lizards before we reached the ruin.

Since Bevil couldn't be quiet as me, we had to fight most of the time. The last group of lizards we met were eager to talk it out though, so we managed to persuade them we would only take what was ours and leave. They left us alone.

I looked around the old and dusty place. It smelled bad and was full of spider webs, but what I was looking for stood intact in a corner. "A chest. Typical."

When I opened it, I froze. My heart started beating hastily when I looked at the shiny object inside. It was a shard of some sort. When I took it, my eyes closed while its magical power stunned me. It felt as if this thing had always been mine, which it was, in a way.

Bevil looked uncomfortable, so I decided to leave the place immediately. When we came back, Daeghun was helping with the medics and magic healing. He came towards me, relieved to see the shard in my hands.

The situation was rather serious. See, destiny was catching up, and now we couldn't get out from it. That night, the attack on West Harbor wasn't a coincidence. It was the second time that happened and the story was almost repeating itself.

Daeghun told me he thought we were attacked because of the shard, which he had tried to hide away from our village, many years ago. Everything was going too quickly and I didn't understand it all, but when he told me I had to leave and head to Neverwinter to meet his half brother… I exploded.

"You never talk to me about anything and all of a sudden I learn you have a brother? Why don't you go there yourself, you're never here anyway?" I was furious. He wanted me to go there? Why should I? I didn't want to leave West Harbor. To leave him…

"This is not a night to argue, things need to be done. Besides, West Harbor needs me if something happens again and I am not comfortable as you are with humans. I was raised among the wild elves and I don't understand the human behavior very much. Meet my half-brother Duncan, he has a tavern in the Neverwinter docks. He has the other part of that shard and maybe you will find out something there."

"What is it with you? Can't you just talk? What do you think I know of all of this? N-o-t-h-i-n-g! You come with this out of nowhere and you ask me to do stuff and I don't even understand half of it."

"As I said, this is not the time to argue, things need to be done and…"

I cut him. "Maybe I can beat the crap out of you in order to show how much is left of your sorry existence!" What took me? I don't know, but I was fuming. He was sending me away – again. Far away!

His features tightened and he gave me a murderous glance. I thought he would answer me in kind, but he suddenly relaxed. "I'm sorry it has to be that way for you, I don't mean to make your existence poor. Now go get whatever you find in the house and say your farewells to your friends."

"All right, I'll go there and do… whatever it is to be done. But listen carefully; I'll be back. And when that happens, don't expect me to just shut up and let you breathe freely. I'll torture you if that's what is needed in order to obtain something – anything – from you." He didn't say a thing, but I saw his ears shiver a bit as his cheeks became crimson.

Half an our later, I was out in the swamp, alone and mentally tore apart. I looked behind one last time.