「Prologue」

As the curtain of night fell, a girl ran through the forest with little concern for her footing. The trees were dyed a dark shade, as solid blackness shrouded the landscape.

However, there were sure signs that the men pursuing her were shortening the distance separating them.

Numerous twigs and leaves were tangled up in the shoulder-lengthed thin golden hair that was tinged with a hint of emerald. Looking into her moist bluish-green eyes, one could see the fear of the twelve year old girl. Her cheeks were stained with the yet-to-dry trails of tears.

Though the breathing of the running girl was rough, and the amount of wounds on her hands and feet from the trees and thickets only increased as she tried to avoid getting tangled in the forest, she still ran.

Thanks to the long pointed ears which was a characteristic of the forest people, the sounds of the pursuing group of men could be heard. However, the men could not be seen when she looked around. The girl was a member of the elf race, and carries her people’s night vision ability; however, she did not know this forest’s daytime layout, so it was impossible to tell where she was going.

The senses of the elves were good, but the girl was still very young and lacked proper warrior training, so she didn’t know how to handle this situation calmly.

The girl was desperate to escape, but her pursuers were steadily closing their encirclement net.

[Hyun]

A whistling sound was heard, and suddenly there was an arrow lodged in the girl’s right leg. The girl, losing her footing, fell on the spot.

She looked at her right leg. A sharp pain rose up the moment she saw it.

“AAAAAH!!”

The girl held her leg in excruciating pain, large tears dropping on the ground as she writhed about.

The bushes swayed, revealing several human figures.

All the men were equipped with leather armor and thick long-sleeved tunics, wielding various weapons. Some carried a sword with daggers at their waist, while others carried bows.

The men all had vulgar smiles on their faces, but they approached the girl without any carelessness, indicating some level of skill.

“Quickly attach the collar.”

A man with his hands on the weapon at his waist instructed the other men. One of the men approached the girl from behind with a metal black collar and a gag.

“After this safeguard. Hurry, before the elves find us. Will the restraints hold?”

Another man next to the leader nodded and then answered,

“Alright, the four that were captured will be taken to Diento.”

When the commander gave the signal to withdraw, the group disappeared from the dark forest.