Races: Online (VR Smartphone App)

The cold wind brushed through the trees and branches, and while Han Jing was actually nervous if the Wood Elf would actually go with him at dinner's end, they visited the park without much of a delay. Despite the flow of the traffic that usually crammed the city, honking cars and packed streets—it didn't stop them at all. 

Wherever it was that Han Jing led them would be a street where the vehicles cleared themselves without much trouble. Nature over-strengthening that of the modern day, cars and men naturally resistant to heading in the same direction.

At least that was what he had come upon as a conclusion. The situation was too uncanny to be a simple coincidence, and while Hazelleaf would ooh and ahh at the tallest of buildings, enormous ones that towered and dwarfed men and vehicles alike, he would remark about how his trees would touch the skies.

It earned a roll of an eye from the Demon Lord.

Han Jing, slightly curious, asked her, "What about you…?"

"Do you really want to know?" Jilanya's smile was cold and stiff. Her smile didn't reach her eyes as she walked, practically slithered through the sidewalk, as if shadows loomed over her this evening. A darkness so thick that even streetlights could not push through it. Only nothing but shadows occupied her path as they walked. "The Abyss realm is unkind to many."

He coughed and nodded. "Is that so?" It wasn't a good decision to push it when she didn't seem comfortable. And yet the image that came to his mind wasn't the hellish flames of a purgatory, nothing else but a void. An actual abyss.

Now it didn't change his perspective on her, but if he had been living in something enigmatically and probably worse than it sounded from the moment that he was alive—well, he wouldn't be that optimistic himself. Nature and nurture.contemporary romance

The Demon Lord, he and the Wood Elf would finally arrive at the park. The Wood Elf had wanted to see the food street, but their accommodations came first. The green and grassy verdue of the park seemed like it was glowing under moonlight and provided a scene unlike that he had seen from before.

Even fireflies, actual fireflies this time unlike those in Yegarian that had lightning in their butt, these insects flew and gathered around the Wood Elf like mosquitoes to their beacons. Regardless, he held a hand out and one landed on his fingertip. A relaxed smile appeared on Hazelleaf's face, showing a reaction that was perhaps much closer to his real personality than anything like before.

"Are you going to eat that?" The Demon Lord snickered.

"Not tonight," Hazelleaf disagreed and simply smiled. The firefly flying out of his grasp and back to its friends. "I am simply more at ease here than this host's small but quaint apartment—almost like a certain burden unhooked themselves from my shoulder. It is a miracle."

Han Jing raised a brow, "Didn't you say that this was a place trapped between—"

"Between all of these man-made structures," the Wood Elf gestured with a shake of his head. While he had earlier commented on their heights, the distaste was still apparent on his face and made his preferences obvious as he nodded at the bushes in their path. "I could make them grow bigger and stronger, overtake and then topple down these buildings but I suppose that you'll have problems with that."

"Not only me but the entire—"

"Well, my only concern is that of the host." the Wood Elf gave him a serene smile. "All other things do not matter that much besides that."

Han Jing frowned, "And that of the people that I consider to be under my household, if you remember."

"That is correct. The law of hospitality—both guests and hosts respect one another and their fellow guests, or in this case, the ones living in the same household as you do. This is only natural."

"I feel like if I didn't mention that, you'd twist my words or something."

"Now why would I do something like that?" A laugh came from the Wood Elf, clear in the night. "Your family is lovely, both mother and sister. And I am no Demon, I know what I've agreed upon."

Jilanya scoffed, "... so you say, but you and I are more alike than ever."

"I think I'd agree with that, to some extent. Both of you insist on whatever you want." Han Jing shrugged. It was both weird, but also natural to butt into these two's conversation. Or maybe he was trying too hard to include himself in here when all that was required of him—what he had decided upon was to get the two out of his house.

"No individual would willingly give way to another individual's desire for no reason, mortal."

"Well, I once heard a story from an old Elf that might actually just be her actually getting her facts mixed together," the Wood Elf waved a hand. "But it went like this, there was a war between the gods—it's nothing really new. A time where humans and other races were still not made at all. Gods made their servants, one of them as winged creatures blessed with the power of the gods. You might know them as angels—well, some of the angels rebelled and became what you now know as Demons. Those who stuck with their Creator remained as angels and as for those undecided—it is us who became Fey. Neither aligned with malignant nor benevolent forces, we only do what we want."

Han Jing listened to it with nothing but a willing ear. The Wood Elf did say that the source wasn't trustworthy at all so… a scoff came from the Demon Lord, "All of us came from the Abyss, what kind of bullshit myth—"

"Well, how old are you now?" The Wood Elf grinned smugly at her, "Where were you at the beginning of Time?"

"... hogwash tales." the Demon looked at the Wood Elf up and down. "Even the Elves beyond your time become weaker, and I reckon the same applies to their memories."

"And that's why I didn't say it was accurate—others say that we came from nature, taking sentience. It's quite funny that the myths surrounding you humans are often associated with mud and being cooked to life."

"Well, some did say we came from bamboo shoots too, so it depends on who you're asking." Han Jing offered with a shrug. He didn't exactly expect a discussion about this on this particular evening, but somehow it kind of made sense. These were essentially old people, even older than the oldest people he knew here—of course they'd be stuck on reminiscing everything.

He should be more interested about it, theories, lore and information within his midst… but he also needed to buy a replacement light bulb and get home on time. Han Jing ran his fingers through his hair, half-wondering if this was another side-effect of switching back and forth from two worlds.

"Do you guys get exhausted from 'logging' into the Creators' World?"

"No." They both answered in unison. 

Unhelpful as usual then. But he could guess it was because their methods were different, so he really needed to flip the manual if there was anything—or get more answers from the Moderator. "Well, I don't mind that the two of you are catching up after who knows how many centuries it's been between the two of you—"

"Not that long actually," the Wood Elf began. "We met up in neutral territory at—"

"I gotta get going now. Can't get my family worried about me. Not sure if that's a thing for you guys, but my mother's going to kill me if I don't."

"I'm the one who's supposed to kill you." the Demon Lord frowned at him.

"He's not serious, Anya."

"I meant every word that I said." she huffed. "But speaking of which, I suppose all of my construction is prepared by now and I'll look into them. Farewell for now." In a blink of an eye, the Demon Lord disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Gone at last without even waiting for any of them to say goodbye.

Han Jing glanced around the park, finally paying attention to some of the evening passers-by,  "They didn't see any of that right?"

.

.

.

"What is it that you want out of curiosity?" the Wood Elf gazed back at Han Jing. Their appearance on earth almost identical to that when they had first met in the Enchanted Kingdom, their demeanor a little different—perhaps a lot more different, but it was him that the Wood Elf would present a gift.

"Will that affect the gift that you'll give me?"

Observing their attitude throughout the entire day, and even until their impatience now waiting to be unleashed… it was amusing but also relieving to see that this human knew how to wait. Would it be better to make them wait longer? He still had rocks glamored into gems and gold, and if he judged the young man's station—well, there was a need for it.

And yet he might also realize it within a moment.

"Of course it will. I'm one of the best guests that you'll ever have, look at Jilanya—she didn't even give you anything. Except for beating you up, I suppose."

"... Well, I clearly want something that'll make my life better. Maybe a special branch, or a wand if you already have one of those?"

"Is that so? Would you possibly want it here or in the otherworld?"

"What?"

He grinned and shrugged, "I present two options—you can get this guest's gift right here and right now for you to use or I'll give one and send it as a Gift once we both 'login' back to the Creators World. The other one is definitely better, more powerful, I got some good trees in the Enchanted Forest."

done.co