In the middle of a dark cave, a figure wearing a green robe was sitting. His broad shoulders indicated that he was a male, the big one that is. He was sitting in front of a bonfire, trying to find warmth amid the storm that was hitting the forest where he temporarily resided.
Behind him, there were three giant creatures with muscular bodies and gray skin. They were lying on the ground, unconscious due to his magic. The man was eating the meat he roasted over the bonfire. The juice from the meat was dripping, creating a hissing sound in the bonfire. He then put it into his mouth and started munching.
"Hmm..." He murmured, expressing how delicious his food was. The man had a face covered in brown hair that looked stiff, almost as if his face was covered in roots. This hair made him look intimidating, hiding his actually beautiful face. After a few minutes, he finally finished his meat and looked outside. The rain was pouring heavily, more than usual.
There was something unnatural about this storm, as if nature was trying to warn about something.
"I thought living alone in the forest and far from civilization would be enjoyable. But it's just the same. Problems will find me eventually," he sighed, lamenting his comfortable life that seemed to be disappearing soon. Although he didn't know exactly how soon it would happen, he was sure it would happen eventually.
"So what should I do now? Should I go back to the kingdom?" He contemplated by himself. He was accustomed to mumbling alone as if he were talking to someone, while actually he was only speaking with his own voice.
The man then shook his head. "No. I feel like I don't need to return to the kingdom." There was a clear reluctance in his facial expression when he said that. Something was holding him back from returning to the kingdom, and it was his past. The same reason why he chose to exile himself in the outside world.
The man decided to lie down on the cave floor. Water was flowing from outside, but he didn't care. His enchanted green robe provided enough protection for him. He closed his eyes and let the sound of the raging storm help him to sleep.
A few minutes passed. The mysterious man opened his eyes. His senses picked up movement from the middle of the forest. 'Elf? Or something else?'
From where he was now, the territory of one of the Elf kingdoms was the nearest landmark. So for him, it was natural that there might be Elves traveling to this place. However, he only sensed about three to four figures walking in the middle of the forest. It was very unlikely for Elves to travel in such small numbers unless they were on some kind of secret mission.
Considering what he felt about the changes in this world, maybe his guess was right. The Elves - he assumed - who were walking were on a secret mission that required them to move quickly.
The man finally got up from his lying position and approached the cave entrance. From the thin crack that only one person could enter, he peeked outside. A few minutes later, he saw four males, wearing armor that was clearly enchanted with high Magic, each carrying a horse. They were walking in a hurry, although the man didn't sense any danger following them.
"Well, his physique looks like a male."
"Could be a big female," Billy commented.
"Could be," Erend added.
"We have to be careful," Saeldir said.
They all knew what he meant. Based on their experience, the inhabitants of this forest were not very friendly. The thing following them was likely hostile, that's what came to their minds instantly.
So they got ready to fight.
Erend was the first to act. He created a small fireball in his hand, shaping it into a kind of short spear and threw it towards the mysterious figure.
The green-robed man saw an attack coming towards him. It was very fast, but he could still handle it. He stretched out his hand forward and a vortex appeared, instantly attacking Erend's attack and making it vanish.
Erend, seeing that, frowned.
"Whoa! You could burn this forest with fire Magic like that, you know?"
Adrien, Billy, and Saeldir were already seen ready to launch their attack. But the man raised his hands.
"I just want to talk."
---