stru in the rapidly expanding Antari city ti a steady pace. Edward had already departed with four Antari on foot, prompting Kaede to begin sidering new modes of transportation for the y's growing needs.

  In the meantime, Kaede made a brief visit to Shifu and the refugees, who had finally reached the kingdom of Brumund. There, she entrusted Shifu with a few Magiores to sell, ensuring the refugees could purchase a small piece of nd to cultivate and rebuild their lives.

  Ohird day, Kaede received word that a messenger from the elves had arrived.

  ---

  The jouro the elvelement was quiet, save for the steady rustling of leaves underfoot and the occasional chirp of a bird hidden among the brahe forest surrounding them was serehe trees spaced far enough apart to allow sunlight to dapple the ground. The path itself was worn but well-maintained, suggesting frequent use.

  The elven messenger led the way, their gait fident but unhurried. Ari followed closely behind Kaede, her antenna twitg in irritation. She shot a sidelong g the messenger, her voice low but ced with disdain.

  “They summon you, yet they ’t be bothered to eet you themselves? Such arrogance,” she muttered.

  Kaede gnced over her shoulder with a small, pg smile. “It’s nance, Ari. It’s diplomacy. Besides, this gives us a ce to observe their settlement on the way in. It’s not a wasted walk.”

  Ari huffed but didn’t argue further, though her posture remaiense.

  As they approached the settlement, Kaede’s attention was drawn to the elves they passed. Their clothing caught her eye, ravagant, but intricately crafted. Tunid robes made of fabri muted greens and browns blended seamlessly with their surroundings. The designs were practical yet refined, adorned with subtle patterns of leaves and vines.

  Kaede found herself w about the methods they used to create such garments. Her y’s clothing produ was still rudimentary, with them being at the fabric stage. The elves’ craftsmanship, though simple, was leagues ahead, and she mentally filed it away as aopic to discuss with the elders, perhaps a potential trade opportunity.

  The settlement itself was simple yet harmonious, its structures seamlessly ied with the natural enviro. Wooden buildings stood on sturdy foundations, their designs eg the curves and patterns of the surrounding forest.

  The tral building loomed ahead, rger and more orhahers.

  The messeopped at the entrand turo Kaede and Ari, their expressioral. “The elders await you inside. Please follow me.”

  Ari’s antenna flicked sharply, but Kaede pced a hand on her shoulder, silently urgio remain calm. Together, they stepped into the building.

  The interior acious, the high ceiling supported by thick wooden beams that seemed to grow naturally into pce. At the far end of the room sat the five elders, arranged in a semi-circle behind a low table. Their expressied from cautious to indifferent, though their sharp gazes betrayed their scrutiny.

  Kaede paused a respectful distance from the elders, taking a moment to observe them. Each bore the weight of authority in their demeanor, their expressions guarded. Satisfied, she moved forward and sat opposite them with Ari taking a seat by her side. “Thank you for receiving me,” she said calmly.

  One of the elders, a young-looking man with blonde hair and a pierg gaze, was the first to speak. “Lady Kaede, wele. We have much to discuss, and not all of it is pleasant.”

  Ari immediately stiffened, her antenna twitg in irritation. Her voice came out low and menag, a growl beh her words. “How dare you!”

  Kaede turo her daughter, her voice firm but soft. “Ari—”

  But Ari wasn’t finished. She leaned forward, her dark eyes narrowing at the elders. “This has gone on long enough, Mother! There is nothing to discuss. Your little settlement is in the way, and you have two choices. There is no promise here! What could you possibly offer?”

  The room fell into a tense silehe elders exging wary gnces. Kaede exhaled softly, pg a hand on Ari’s arm to steady her. “Enough, Ari,” she said, her tone quiet but anding. “Let me hahis.”

  Ari hesitated, her frustration palpable, but she eventually leaned ba her seat, muttering under her breath.

  Kaede turned back to the elders, her expression apologetic but unyielding. “I apologize for Ari’s outburst. She’s protective of me and speaks out of for our people. But I assure you, I came here to talk, not to issue ultimatums.”

  The blonde elder’s gaze shifted between Kaede and Ari before he finally spoke, his toinged with resignation. “I uand, Lady Kaede. However, your daughter is... correct.”

  Kaede raised an eyebrow, caught off guard by his admission. “Please, pay no mind to her,” she said quickly, attempting to steer the versation ba track. “I truly came here for diplomatic reasons. There are things your people offer us... clothing, for instance. Yes, clothing. Some of your craftsmen could teach my people how to weave and sew.”

  Her words came out in a hurried rush, her posure momentarily slipping. Kaede had ehis meeting prepared for a battle of wits, a delicate iation with each side vying for advantage—something that would have felt right at home in one of Sally’s intricate strategies. She hadn’t expected the elves to cede so readily, and it left her scrambling to recalibrate.

  The red brown haired elder, Eryn, sighed as he spoke. "Lady Kaede, what do you know about the Mezus and the Gozus?"

  Kaede tilted her head slightly at Eryn’s question, her curiosity piqued. "I’m familiar with the Mezus and Gozus in passing, two rival tribes, if I’m not mistaken. Their flicts are often brutal, but I didn’t think they’d a settlement as isoted as yours.” The information from the queens, covered all races in this part of the forest.

  Eryn leaned back slightly, his shoulders sagging as though the weight of the forest’s woes rested solely on him. His fiapped rhythmically on the edge of the low table, his brown-red hair catg the filtered sunlight streaming through the wooden beams above.

  “A hundred years ago, the Mezus and the Gozus began their senseless war,” he began, his voice low but steady. “It started, as far as we know, over territorial disputes and blood feuds. Their kind thrives on flict; the strohey bee, the more they seek to prove their domi first, it was distant, a problem for others. But then…” His gaze darkened, a out a long, weary sigh. “Our illusion barrier began to fail.”

  Kaede tilted her head slightly, her curiosity piqued. “The barrier was essential to keeping your settlement hidden?”

  “More than that,” Eryn said. “It was our lifelihe magic of the forest once allowed us to ceal our preseirely, keeping us safe from outside threats. But as the barrier deteriorated, the warring fas began to encroa our nds, their battles spilling over into our home. We tried to avoid them, to remairal, but rality is impossible when their axes and fists tear through trees with ease.”

  Another elder, the only female, a stunning young woman with streaks of silver in her auburn hair, added, “Our settlement lies at the edge of their territories. When the fighties, we are caught in the middle.”

  Kaede nodded slowly, processing the information. “And now my y appears, newly established oskirts of the forest, led by a creature they’ve likely never seen before. I imagi feels like history is repeating itself for you.”

  Eryn’s lips pressed into a thin line, and he goward the others. After a moment, he said, “Yes. At first, we thought you might be ahreat. Your… Antari are formidable, and your preseipped the bance further out of our trol.”

  Ari, still tense, crossed her arms and leaned back. “You assume the worst about my mother and her people."

  Kaede raised a hand to calm her daughter. “It’s natural to be cautious, Ari. Given their circumstances, I ’t fault them for it.” She turned her attention back to Eryn. “So, tions have you sidered? Surely you’ve thought of solutions beyond waiting for the iable.”

  Eryated, then admitted, “We’ve discussed moving the settlement out of the forest entirely. But the risks are enormous. The nd beyond these trees is fn to us, and we ck the resources to survive an exodus. Worse, there are no guarantees we wouldn’t enter other dangers once we left. The humans would want nothing more than to have us in s as their pdogs."

  Kaede leaned forward slightly, her tohoughtful. “The me offer an alternative. Move your people to my city.”

  The room fell silent, the elders exging surprised gnces. Kaede tinued before they could object. “I ensure your safety within our walls. I’ll allocate space for your homes, even help struct them if needed. You maintain your unity and traditions, but without the stant threat of being caught between tw fas.”

  “And iurn?” asked another elder cautiously.

  Kaede smiled, though there was a sharpo it. “Iurn, I ask for cooperation. Teach my people your skills, magic, onry, weaving, anything you offer. The Antari are evolving rapidly, but their knowledge is still limited. Your expertise would strengthen our city as a whole.”

  Eryn frowned, his brow furrowing as he sidered her proposal. “You’re asking us to give up our independence.”

  “I’m asking you to survive,” Kaede corrected gently. “The Mezus and Gozus won’t stop fighting. Your settlement is no longer sustainable, and you know it. Joining me isn’t submission, it’s adaptation. Together, we build something strohaher of us could alone.”

  Eryn’s fingers drummed against the table again, his expression flicted. “Moving to your city means leaving behind the forest that has been our home feions. It will be a hard adjustment for many.”

  Kaede nodded in uanding. “I’m not asking you to abandon your identity. If you wish, I even allocate a se of the city to feel more like your forest home, with trees and greenery preserved.”

  A murmur rippled through the elders, some nodding in quiet agreement. They spent a few moments, whispering to one ao Ari's growing annoyance. Finally, Eryn spoke again, his voice tinged with resignation but also a glimmer of hope. “Your offer is… generous. And realistic. If we remain here, we will fall, either to the Mezus and Gozus or to the forest itself. I will not doom our people out of pride.”

  He turo the other elders, his gaze firm. “I believe we should accept Lady Kaede’s proposal.”

  One by ohe other elders heir expressions shifting from apprehension to resolution.

  Eryn looked back at Kaede. “Very well, Lady Kaede. The elves of this settlement will join under your banner. We entrust our future to your care.”

  Kaede ined her head, her toeady. “The’s begin building that future together.”

  SaberGlory