But when I reached the edge of the village, I stopped.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
My village...
My home...
It was gone.
Buildings had been destroyed.
Smoke filled the air.
Fires burned through what remained of the houses, casting an orange glow across the snow.
The streets were empty.
Too empty.
I stood there, completely frozen.
A few hours ago, people had been living here.
People I knew.
People I'd grown up with.
Now there was nothing but destruction.
I couldn't look at everything for too long.
My mind refused to process it.
"Everyone..."
My voice cracked.
I started running through the streets.
"Dad?!"
Nothing.
"Mom?!"
Nothing.
"Anyone?!"
Only the crackling of distant flames answered me.
I kept searching.
Maybe someone had survived.
Maybe Dad was hiding somewhere.
Maybe...
I had to believe someone was still alive.
Then I saw movement in the distance.
My heart jumped.
"Survivors!"
I ran toward them.
But the closer I got, the more I realized something was wrong.
They weren't human.
There were seven of them.
They were incredibly tall—around seven feet—and stood silently among the remains of the village.
They had long ears and pale skin that almost seemed to glow beneath the firelight.
All seven wore dark clothing.
Each carried a weapon.
I noticed several katanas first.
One had a crimson blade.
Another was emerald green.
Two of them carried strange rifles covered in glowing symbols.
I slowed down.
My breathing became shallow.
I'd heard stories about creatures like these before.
Stories Dad used to whisper to me when Mom wasn't listening.
Ancient beings.
Hidden kingdoms.
Magic.
Elves.
I had always thought they were just stories.
Fairy tales.
Something adults made up to scare children.
But now I was standing only a few meters away from them.
And they were real.
I stared at the seven strangers.
They stared back.
For some reason, I suddenly had the feeling that the strange man in my house wasn't the only thing I needed to be afraid of.
One of the elves slowly reached for the hilt of his katana.
I took a step backward.
Then another.
And for the first time, I wondered...
What exactly had happened to my village?
And why were these elves here?