Elowen couldn't believe he was doing this. Instead of enjoying his free time after patrol, he, Melina, and Sienna were sneaking their way through the forest beyond Sunglow walls.

  "Are you sure about this, Melina?" Elowen questioned the baker. She was dressed in an attire clearly meant for a fight—long pants, an easy-to-move shirt, a jacket, and long boots with thick soles.

  He believed the attire didn't suit her in the slightest. He remembered that she used to wear similar outfits as a mage. Something easy to move in and comfortable. But the baker's apron suited her far more than a battle outfit. It was the main reason why he believed that they should turn back.

  "No. But we have to try. Our goal is merely to deliver the message to the Monster Lord and then get out. Engaging in any lengthy discussions would likely lead to a fight," Melina said.

  "You look like you're going to a fight," Elowen noted.

  "Best to come prepared," Melina said. "Although I really hope we can get out before anything happens."

  "What are the chances of that? You know that the Monster Lord has a drow constantly scouting the forest. They will see us coming before we even notice them," he said. "It's not too late to turn back."

  "No. No turning back, Elowen. We have to do this. Don't you want our two realms to come to an understanding?"

  "Of course, I do! Why do you think I have come to a human town?" he snapped.

  "Then no more second thoughts. We're doing this! As I said, in the worst case scenario—I'll teleport us out," Melina said.

  "Last time that didn't end well for you…" Elowen retorted.

  "Last time, I had just regained my powers and I was engaged in battle, with no mana in my body whatsoever. This time is different. Not to mention, I'll set up a few safety nets," Melina said.

  "Safety nets?"

  "You'll see. Or I suppose it would be better if you didn't see."

  All he could do was sigh. In his mind, there was no way this would end well. It was a crazy plan he never should have agreed to. Yet he did. Some voice deep within him cried that he had to try, no matter how crazy it sounded. Not to mention that he's also come to trust this new Melina, as reckless as she might be at times.

  They didn't dawdle when they reached the invisible passage, walking straight into the misty corridor that stretched between realms. Sienna's tail flicked nervously as she scanned the surroundings, looking for enemies. Melina held her hand on her familiar, sticking close to her.

  "Where's Mango, by the way? I understand why you didn't bring her, just wondering where you left her," Elowen asked, hoping to fill the eerie silence that surrounded them. But his voice came out overly loud in the silent space.

  "With Leliana," Melina said.

  "Leliana?" Elowen asked in surprise. He still remembered the first time Melina had brought Mango to Leliana. Unfortunately, he happened to be around at the time, so he had to join in the care. The kitsune was quite the handful, and Leliana didn't know how to care for a monster baby. Would she be alright without him?

  "Yeah. She really likes Mango. I know she can be a handful, but I'm sure she and her sisters can manage," Melina said.

  "The sisters are more hindrance than help," Elowen grumbled, remembering Leliana's little sisters. They were just as energetic as the fox and all too eager to please its whims. He hoped that Leliana would be able to manage the three of them without him.

  "I'm sure they'll be fine. After all, they aren't going to face the Monster Lord."

  "Valid point."

  They exited the passage between realms, dusk settling down in the colorful forest. This was a rare sight. The transition between day and night was very quick, unlike in the Human Realm. He suspected that in less than half an hour, true Monster Realm night would be upon them.

  "Why is it always nighttime or close to it when we come to the Monster Realm?" Melina grumbled, but then crouched down near the passageway, finicking with something on the ground.

  "What are you doing?" Elowen asked.

  "Setting up a teleportation point. With it, I can get us back at any time without much mana expended," Melina said.

  But as she was working on the magic, Elowen noticed the approach of a monster, withdrawing his sword. He warned her, "Something is coming."

  She stood up, and both of them looked into the colorful Monster Realm forest. For a moment, only the sound of whistlewisp songs could be heard. But then came a loud, hissing-like noise, and a large, bug-like creature the size of a man emerged between the swayshrubs.

  "Oh, it's the passageway guardian," Melina said, sighing with relief. She rummaged through her bag and retrieved a small shimmertartlet. "Would you like a treat?"

  Elowen gaped at her. Did she really offer a treat to a passageway guardian? His logic dictated that the formidable creature would attack them anyway, especially since Melina was setting up magic near the passageway. Normally, the guardian would get aggressive at anything happening in such proximity to the passageway.

  But it seemed completely unperturbed, instead extending its long forelimbs to grab the tartlet from Melina. Then it proceeded to nibble on the tart, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

  "What?! How?!" Elowen exclaimed, pointing at the guardian.

  "I stabilized this passageway when it was going berserk, so the guardian probably doesn't see me as a threat anymore," Melina explained nonchalantly, as she continued fiddling with something on the ground.

  "And the tart?"

  "He just likes it," Melina shrugged, and a powerful flash of magic appeared in front of her.

  The guardian didn't so much as flinch when a bright, glowing ritual circle appeared on the ground near the passageway.

  "There. This should be a good teleportation point," Melina said, brushing her hands clean. "Let's get going before somebody notices us."

  Melina got on Sienna's back, and they set off into the forest. Elowen ran after them, keeping close to the wyrm.

  "Do you have any ideas on how we could best approach the Monster Lord?" Elowen asked.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "I think he'll see me as threatening, no matter how we approach. I'm mostly betting that your presence will make him pause for long enough so we can warn him," Melina said.

  In other words, she didn't have any plan. Elowen was feeling less confident about this whole thing by the minute. He wondered what he could say to make Monster Lord listen. Melina was right to say that he likely wouldn't listen to anything she said. But would he listen to Elowen?

  As the mana got thicker, Elowen knew that they were getting close. The last bits of light disappeared from the forest, and soon they were running through Monster Realm night. He listened intently for noises, hearing monsters shuffling through the dark and guiding Sienna to a safe place.

  But it wasn't long before Elowen noticed that they were being tracked. He couldn't see them or hear them, but he could feel the presence of drow. They most certainly were following them, but not interfering. Why not? Were they hoping to overwhelm Melina and Elowen when they got closer to the Monster Lord? In either case, it couldn't be a good sign.

  "They're watching us," Melina whispered.

  "Indeed," Elowen agreed.

  "It's almost as if they were waiting. I hope you have something good to say," Melina muttered.

  "I'll do my best," Elowen said, although the confidence in his voice was far more than he actually felt. Frankly, he just prayed to the System that they would be able to return to Sunglow in one piece.

  They made it all the way to the Monster Lord's tower uninterrupted. The tension in the air grew, the closer they got, but nobody ever appeared in their view, nor did anyone stop them. Elowen didn't like that. He almost wished they would get attacked, so Melina could teleport them back.

  But nobody ever attacked. Instead as they reached the clearing before the tower—the same place where they battled the Monster Lord last time. The only one they saw standing before the tower was the Monster Lord himself. He regarded them with his starry gaze, deep frown on his lips.

  "All yours," Melina whispered as she dismounted from Sienna.

  Elowen took a nervous breath and slowly walked closer to the Monster Lord. Frankly, he would have liked to turn the other way and run. The tension in the air was so thick as was the mana pouring out of the Monster Lord, that he could feel it on his skin like a veil.

  Melina followed after him along with Sienna. She made sure to stay behind him and kept her gaze down, likely in an attempt to appear harmless. But the closer they stepped, the more drow emerged from the shadows. Their sharp eyes bore into Elowen and Melina, hands poised on their weapons. They were ready to spring into action at a moment's notice.

  But Elowen kept his hands away from his sword, and instead, when he believed he was close enough, he bowed his head at the Monster Lord. Admittedly, he hadn't dared to walk too close, leaving a considerable distance between himself and the Monster Lord. Melina also bowed as did Sienna, inclining their head in a show of good faith.

  "Have you come to mock me?" The Monster Lord said, his voice resonating through the clearing, amplified by magic. He didn't look at all pleased to see them. But they hadn't been attacked yet, so Elowen took it as a good sign.

  "On the contrary, Monster Lord. We have come here in hopes of establishing peace," Elowen said, repeating pretty much the same thing he said last time.

  "Yes, and surely bringing the one who murdered me before is a sign of that," he retorted derisively, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at Melina. But she remained silent with her head bowed.

  "It is a mistake she gravely regrets and wants to fix. All of us who remember are trying to prevent the tragedy from repeating itself," Elowen continued.

  "So you say, but what happened last time doesn't really indicate your willingness to change," the Monster Lord said, his hands tensing.

  For a moment, Elowen believed that a fight would begin then and there, so he spoke in hopes of relaying the most important information before they were forced to teleport. "The Church is coming to the Monster Realm through the same passageway we came through."

  Few gasps escaped from the surrounding drow, and even the Monster Lord's eyes widened. "The Church? So you lead them to my doorstep now?"

  Elowen could see Melina's fists clench. She definitely wanted to object, but still chose to remain quiet, instead looking at Elowen.

  "You know that we elves have no love for the Church. They treat us the same way they'd treat a goblin," he said. "No elf would ever work together with the Church."

  The Monster Lord scratched his chin. "That is true. You, too, are inhabitants of the Monster Realm after all."

  "Exactly. While I understand your apprehension towards humans, not all of them wish us harm. Many are fascinated by the Monster Realms, the plants that grow here, and the many inhabitants. They wish for coexistence and peace, not war and separation."

  "So you say, but I'm yet to see proof of this," the Monster Lord retorted. "All I've seen is humans trying to exploit our resources for their own gain while giving nothing in return."

  Elowen didn't know how to reply to that. It was factually true that even people of Sunglow were taking resources from the Monster Realm without giving anything in return. But to whom would they even give things in return? It's not like the resources here belonged to a certain person. It was free to take, much like the mushrooms in a human forest.

  "We could establish trade," Elowen blurted out.

  "Trade?" The Monster Lord questioned.

  "The humans give resources in return for a resource from the Monster Realm," Elowen suggested.

  "Why would we ever want something from humans?" he scoffed.

  "There are materials in the Human Realm that are not in the Monster Realm. Herbs that could be brewed into potions, fruits and vegetables that can be grown and cultivated in large quantities," Melina said, but with each of her words, the Monster Lord's eyebrows creased deeper and deeper.

  "We will not accept your poisonous fruits into our world, so it could die again! I will not allow it, murderous archmage!" The Monster Lord spat, raising his hand and launching a giant icicle straight at Melina.

  Sienna let out an angry spray of fire, melting the icicle. Meanwhile, Melina grabbed Elowen by the hand and pulled him towards Sienna, touching her scaled side. "Church will come soon! Be ready!"

  The Monster Lord launched another icicle, and the drow sprang into action, releasing a flurry of arrows at them. But Melina had already teleported them. The next moment Elowen blinked, he found him next to the passageway, the guardian observing their movements curiously.

  "That went much better than expected!" Melina cheered, a wide smile on her face.

  "They attacked us!" Elowen countered.

  "But you actually managed to talk to him first. Even suggested trade between realms. Just planting that idea in his mind is already a huge step towards our cooperation!" She wasn't deterred.

  "What if they chase after us into the Human Realm?" he asked.

  "I doubt it. He didn't follow us last time, and he was far more enraged. We relayed what we wanted to say. Let's go home," Melina said and stepped into the passageway.

  Elowen threw a last glance into the dark Monster Realm forest, looking at the display of colors from the plants and whistlewisps alike. Was warning the Monster Lord like this really enough? He felt it had been too easy. But there was no reason for him to linger, so he followed after Melina.

  At the same time, somewhere far north, Alistair had finally reached the gates of Fenrora city. The journey had been tough as he had no money or anything to his name. Only through the kindness of strangers and the strength of his family name was he able to make it to his destination. Tired, with an unkempt beard and dirty clothes, he approached the gates from the back of a merchant wagon.

  "Halt! Identify yourself!" The guards called out to the merchant who was steering the wagon.

  "I'm just a travelling merchant," the old man replied, showing his documentation to the guards.

  The guard looked through it skeptically, then pointed to Alistair.

  "And what about you?" One of them called out.

  Alistair sighed. He had hoped to avoid being seen in such an unsightly appearance, but he couldn't lose any more time. He'd already lost too much on his journey here.

  "Stand aside," Alistair said as he got out of the wagon, striding up to the guards while displaying his sword to them. He was lucky not to have lost it in the sea, as it bore the crest of the Sinclair family on the hilt.

  "Who do you think you are?!" The guard exclaimed, reaching for his own sword. He was clearly a newbie, perhaps even younger than Alistair.

  The older guard instantly smacked him on the back of the head and forced him to bow. "You fool! That's the Sinclair family crest! Do you want to lose your head?"

  "I-I… My sincerest apologies, My Lord!" The younger guard fumbled, bowing so low that his head nearly touched the ground.

  "Let us through," Alistair commanded.

  "At once!" Both guards saluted and hurried to open the gates.

  Alistair strode through, holding his head high. He had to speak with his father, but the way he looked now, he feared that the Duke wouldn't even so much as look at him. He needed to clean up first. It was paramount that he convince his father before the Church managed to get to Sunglow.