1
— Spring, Year X921
"Mmm… so sour!"
She pursed her lips and squeezed her eyes shut.
"…Oh! Now it's suddenly sweet! I want another!"
She popped another sour plum into her mouth.
Karrie was in sort of a disguise today.
Now nine years old, she wanted to see Caladh—the town her two brothers were born in. But time and time again, her parents made excuses why she couldn't. Still, her cuteness swayed Simon and melted his heart.
That's why she was dressed in an oversized Gatsby cap and a simple but neatly crafted green dress made of homespun wool that went just past her knees. Her brown boots were a little scuffed, but well kept.
"Good morning, dear," called a sweet old lady.
"Mornin'," a shopkeeper tipped his hat.
"Good morning!" Karrie beamed.
"Wow, people in town sure are friendly, big brother—just like the villagers!"
She took his hand.
"Um… yeah. They're the same as ever since we moved from here."
Caladh was his birth town. It was still special to him, even if he preferred the elven village.
She was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
"Ah! Big brother, look! There's so many people with your ears around!"
"Ah—don't point!"
He pushed her hand down.
"Sorry, sorry!"
He bowed. The woman she had pointed at just giggled and went on her way.
She then ran off to another stall.
Keeping up with someone like her was harder than he thought it'd be.
Wasn't she supposed to be sickly and frail?
It was astonishing how much energy she had.
"Look, big brother! Those are so shiny!"
"Look at that necklace!"
She pointed at a jewelry stall. There they had rings and necklaces.
"My little lass, a cast yer glisk?" The man rested his chin in his palm.
He wore a long hat that covered his face and had a raspy voice.
"Cast yer glisk?" she tilted her head.
"He means 'have a look,'" Simon said, walking behind her.
"Sorry mister, but we're just looking around. Not actually buying anything."
The man tipped his hat up.
"You're Finlay's boy, aren't ya?"
Simon blinked.
"Oh, ah…" he stammered.
"What's with the guilty face? Ya know the guard station isn't too far."
Simon gulped.
"Well, ya see, I'm on… a gift hunt! Yeah, that's right, I'm looking for a gift for father!"
He nudged Karrie.
"Hey, why are you hitting—oh! Yes! A present for Papa!"
The man tipped his hat back down.
"Good, good. You can look at my wares, good customers."
It took a few minutes, but then—
"Pleasure doin' business with ya, kids."
Simon looked at his empty pouch.
"My allowance… it's all gone…"
He slumped his shoulders, sitting by the fountain.
"It's alright, big brother! You can have some money from my allowance!"
He blinked at her.
"…For some reason that makes me even more depressed."
He sighed.
After that, they got roped into a gang of hide and seek with the town's children.
"I'm Iseabail! Wanna play?"
The pale-skinned girl had no sense of personal space.
"Ah, we really shouldn't—"
"Yes! I wanna play!"
Karrie, still the ever-enthusiastic girl she was, jumped at the opportunity.
They ended up playing for about two hours, which felt like mere minutes to children.
Karrie, of course, insisted on hiding with her big brother.
"Go hide somewhere else."
He gently pushed her face away.
"Nooo! I wanna hide with you, big brother Si!"
He was trying to fit inside a barrel, but nevertheless, she wanted in too.
"Found two of 'em!"
A boy hollered.
Simon just sighed.
"Figures."
The sun was beginning to set.
"Hey, pay attention to where you're going before you—"
Boof.
She bumped someone.
"Ah, sorry, sir," she said quickly.
"Oh, it's fine, girlie, just make sure you—"
"!!!"
"Hm? What's wrong, mister?"
She dusted off her clothes, but his eyes were keen on a certain feature of hers.
"Devil ears!" the man yelped.
The busy town seemed to fall into a standstill—like when a forest goes silent.
Simon froze.
He didn't know what to do.
This was exactly the reason his parents didn't want her out of the house.
He had gone against their wishes… and put not only himself in danger—but his little sister as well.
The crowd began to look their way, murmuring.
The man pushed her down.
"Get away from me, devil!"
His eyes went wide in panic.
"H-Hey! Don't touch her!"
Simon ran to her side and covered her with his body.
"A devil child?" one man said.
"Those ears—she's cursed. Don't go near her," a mother added.
"Monster."
"Devil."
"Anomaly."
All these words and that negativity created a ripple effect.
Simon subconsciously drowned out the noise… until all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat.
"…-oy."
"Bo-y."
"Hey, boy."
Simon looked up.
A young man, maybe in his early twenties, approached—with Karrie's hat in hand.
He looked oddly familiar.
His hair was a copper orange, swept to the side, and his eyes were sharp and knowing.
He was undeniably handsome.
He was dressed like a common man in town: a wool vest and tweed trousers.
"Best you come with me. I'll walk you home," he said with a smile and closed eyes.
"I'll make sure no one gets too comfortable and harms you two."
"Huh… oh. Thank you."
Simon took the hat and placed it gently on Karrie's head.
He saw the expression on her face.
It wasn't one filled with sadness or despair…
But confusion.
"Alright, alright! Nothin' to see here, folks. Jeez—glaring at children like that? You sure are tough adults," the man said.
The crowd murmured. The hostility softened—but didn't entirely disappear.
The man wore a bright, big smile and seemed friendly enough.
So, Simon trusted him.
He had gotten him out of that trance, after all.
And so they exited Caladh.
Their day's trip came to an end.
2
The man, on the way back, kept things light.
"What's your favorite sweet?"
"Um… apple pie," Karrie responded.
The man was good with children. By the looks of it, he was old enough to be in his early twenties, so him having children of his own wouldn't be uncommon—especially here in Raonach.
"Apple pie, huh? Well, that's a good choice."
His grin squinted his eyes into sly crescent slivers.
As they walked through the Grassy Moors, the rolling hills went on and on as far as the eye could see.
Simon didn't say much. The guilt of putting his sister in that situation—going behind his parents' back and getting saved and walked home by a stranger—left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The man must've figured him out, because next he placed a hand on Simon's head.
"Hey, what are you—"
"Good job protecting your little sister. You've got good instincts for your age."
"My age? I'm almost thirteen," he protested.
"Ah, you're twelve then, lad? A good head on your shoulders, then. Family is something a man's duty to protect. I reckon if you say that to your old man, you maybe won't be as punished."
"…If you say so, mister."
They arrived at the elven village.
The men up front raised a brow at the human accompanying them.
"Simon and Karrie, where have you been? Kyleigh's been worried sick… and who's this man?"
"He helped us, Euan… I messed up. I was in town, and—"
"In town?" Euan's eyes widened.
"The ladd and lass helped me when I got lost and couldn't find Caladh. As thanks, I offered to walk them back home."
The lie was so easy it came out as naturally as breathing.
"I see…" Euan muttered.
"Well, you better get inside and see Kyleigh.
And you, sir, best you go on your way. Humans require prior notice if they wish to enter the village."
"Yes, yes, I know. Don't give me those glares, I understand."
He raised his hands in not-quite-mock surrender.
"You kids be safe, and I wish you luck in your future endeavors."
He gave that same fox-eyed smile again—which lingered a moment too long—then gave a wave.
"See you around,...."
And he went on his way.
It was time to pay the piper.
3
When Simon walked through the front door, he and Karrie smelled food—not just one kind, but dozens. Sweet, savory, buttery, and spiced. It was odd.
When they got to the kitchen, they saw the source of said smells.
On the table was an array of different dishes—
ranging from pie to mince and tatties, and even shortbread stacked an unreasonable height.
She had gone overboard with cooking.
"There you two are. Where have you been? Are you two okay?"
She put her hands on her hips, trying to look stern… but a mean face didn't quite suit her. It looked more like a pouty kitten.
"We… went to town," Simon said sluggishly.
"You what? With Karrie?"
"Yes… I'm sorry. It's just—"
"There's no excuse for that, young man. We told you many times: she can't go yet, especially without me and your father there."
The disappointment was clear in her voice. She didn't yell—
and somehow, that made it all the worse.
"Don't be mad at big brother, Mama! I begged him to go! I forced him!"
She tried her best to defend him but—
"He's the older sibling. It's his responsibility to come to us when things like that happen."
"—"
"What's that on your hand? Is that a cut?"
Kyleigh took her palm and analyzed it.
"I… just fell, is all, Mana."
Kyleigh looked to Simon for confirmation.
He couldn't look her in the eye.
He couldn't lie.
"…A man pushed her down."
"What? Why?"
"I… I don't know. Her hat came off and everyone changed when they saw… when they saw her ears…"
He grimaced.
"They saw them?" she said, as if confirming something with herself.
"Mana… what's Devil-eared mean?" Karrie asked.
"!!!"
She put a hand on Karrie's shoulder.
"It's nothing, honey. Just a thing bad people say to make others feel bad."
She hugged her daughter.
She was slightly shaking.
Simon turned his head away.
Shame.
That's all he felt.
"…We'll talk about this later, when your father comes home.
For now, go to your rooms."
Through all of this, he did have one question
"What's with all the food?"
Kyleigh went red
"Oh, right.. Well waiting for you two not knowing where you were, and cooking clams me down, did i over do it?"
"No..not at all…"
4
Well, when their father got home and learned what had happened, he was fairly pissed. Kyleigh had to calm him down.
"Relax, honey. It's not like he knew the severity. Reprimanding him physically won't accomplish anything."
That's when Izekial came home—right into the middle of his family's antics.
"What'd you do this time?" he asked, sliding the door shut behind him.
"Took Karrie into town…" Simon stiffened his upper lip.
"Fool. What'd you do that for? You should know they said not to." Izekial placed his things down with a heavy sigh.
"I really don't wanna hear anything from you. You're never home anyway, so what would you know?"
"That's because I've been busy preparing for my future, you fool."
Izekial pulled out a folded letter and handed it to their father.
"What's that, son?"
Finlay took the letter and opened it. His entire demeanor shifted.
"From the knights in Prospérer, huh?"
A beat passed.
Then Finlay lit up.
"My boy is gonna be a knight!" he bellowed. "We need to throw a party—oh! What's with all the food? Don't tell me you knew ahead of time!"
"Huh? Oh… uh, the food…" Kyleigh fidgeted, rubbing her hands together. Her ears did a little wiggle.
She explained what happened.
"Alright! We celebrate our Izzy's acceptance into the knights!"
"Yayyy! The knights!" Karrie cheered, bouncing in place.
Finlay grinned wide—but then narrowed his eyes toward the two troublemakers.
"You two are still in deep, deep trouble."
"Yay… the knights…" Karrie muttered meekly, shrinking behind Simon.
The two were grounded for months.
Simon didn't care about the punishment. What hurt more was the fact that his already distant brother would now be widening the gap even more.
And then… the truth could wait no longer.
The complicated results of Karrie's birth were finally explained to her.
5
In this world, two special beings exist: Mythos and Humanity.
Many creatures are born with innate abilities granted by nature, spirits, or mythic origin. These do not draw on the Seven's Blessing and are considered Inherent Traits.
Elves – Deep connection to spirits.
Giants – Enhanced strength and durability.
Dwarves – Dexterity, stone-sense, and elemental endurance.
Dragons / Lizardfolk – Fire breath, heat resistance, camouflage.
These traits were the cause of oppression toward humans for over a century.
Humans, lacking Inherent Abilities, could not fight back. That is—until the Seven Heavenly Angels touched down upon the world, gifting humans the miracle of magic.
With this, the Great Mytho War began.
Humans, alongside certain Elven and Dwarven tribes, fought back and gained their freedom. Humanity prospered. Their population boomed. They innovated the world we know today.
But racial tensions are still high. One side never truly forgave the other.
Unfortunately… that's where Karrie lies.
Half-elves are seen as a sign of calamity and destruction. A bad omen, if you will.
Human and Elven biology are similar—but just different enough that bearing children together is nearly impossible. Some believe such children are miracles. Others, however, look down upon them as lesser.
Especially the half-elves.
"So those awful names they called her…" Simon clenched his fist tight. "They were looking down on her because of the way she was born? How is that her fault? I don't understand… and I put her in that situation…"
"It's not all your fault," Kyleigh said gently. "We wanted to wait until she was older. Now… I see that was a mistake on our part."
"…"
"I'll protect her from those nasty people." Simon stood up.
"If the world won't accept her, then I will."
"Si…" Kyleigh whispered.
He turned to Karrie.
"I swear your big brother will always be here for you. No one will hurt you as long as I'm around."
He gave her a cheeky, confident smile.
Karrie rubbed her eyes.
"I'll be strong too!" she stood up with a puffed chest. "What you said was kinda scary… but I promise to be a big girl and not let those bullies win!"
Finlay ruffled both of their heads.
"My, my. My kids are like water on a duck's back when it comes to negativity, huh?"
"Hey hey! My hair, Papa! I just made it!"
Though she protested, she didn't pull away.
She smiled… and so did Simon.
They were still grounded for months after that.