pte

n's

lder, contrasting with the lightheartedness lingering from my almost-date with Fio

ood, a charm layered by the humans' strange touche

doors, intricate carvings on their walls, and decorations m

d vainly decorated, far different from how it had been before and a testament to how deeply humans have influenced us. My own people h

ught now. I found humor in the fact that humans simply saw us as eccentric neighbors. To them we were just normal humans like them, but with odd habits while the reality was much different. We

criminate and actually mingled. Humans on their parts never suspected the truth of who we were, or how heavily they depended on us for safety, though they seemed to sense something; they left the deeper less developed part of the terrain for us, and with time deemed it as forbi

feeling as nothing at all. I froze, suddenly noticing a young woman standing by the edge of the path, staring out into the mist with a look so intense it was as if

erful werewolves. It was my intention to simply slip by and forget th

ff guard-a quiet defiance wrapped in curiosity. It was strange that she unraveled my magic, so I let curiousity get the better of me. Inst

steady despite the stran

rised me. "No." Her voice was clear, carrying acro

ldn't be mistaken. She was beautiful, yes, and in a way that shouldn't be possible for a human. Her mannerism pulled me in deeper, making the cold

," I murmured, though

t enough to keep me rooted i

ad no idea who I was. I could be anywhere,

e looking for you by

unflinching. "Maybe,

ere not invited. Any movement beyond this point would be deliberate, violating the unwritten rule and l

with a shallow mix of humans. Normal humans had instincts to guide them, steering them clear of such places during events

decided to run before that happened. Normally, I wouldn't budge- I'd let her go on the mission to her death but this time, I wasn't even conflicted on whether

g I didn't remember learning. The mist was closing in again, covering her tracks. I didn't know if she was doing it