A strange noise disturbed the forest's slumber. A young, lanky girl ran through the moonlit plants. The soft rays of the moon glinted off her light, mint-colored hair, and the wind ruffled her curls, as if it wanted to keep it to itself.
As she ran, she laughed and laughed. Her voice rang out as if bells and small chimes were fighting for people's attention in her throat. It was as if anyone who heard her would immediately cheer up, no matter what mood they were in.
However, the girl did not seem entirely happy despite this. Something else sparkled in her stormy gray eyes. It was as if she had done something wrong and was deeply worried, waiting for this strange, ominous shadow to fall upon her.
In fact, this was true. She shouldn't have been out. Not at all. But she had to try. An evening like this only comes once every hundred years. She simply had to see it, despite the curfew. She knew she would have other opportunities to see it, but she didn't want to miss the first time in her life. The first time is always the most special.
"Ma'am? Come back! Miss? Where are you, ma'am? You can't do this! You have to come back!"
An older woman's slightly weary but desperate voice rang out in the darkness. It was Rosa, Tulsa's personal maid. She was only a decade older than Tulsa, but she carried more responsibility on her shoulders. She was also about 10 centimeters shorter than Tulsa and a little chubby. It was as if the responsibility she carried on her shoulders had slightly compressed her frame. Her dark brown, almost black hair was always tied back in a tight bun, which was now tousled from her desperate rush after her mistress. Her hazel eyes glistened with tears of concern.
Tulsa did not stop for a moment. She did not even look back, just ran forward. Her bare feet barely touched the cool grass-covered ground. Even in her haste, she stepped so softly that her footsteps could hardly be heard or seen on the ground. It was as if she were flying.
"Forgive me, Rosa, but I have to see this!"
She shouted back quickly as she jumped over a small bush. Her light, soft dress, which seemed to be woven from the rays of the moon, barely caught on the branches. It went perfectly with her smooth, light skin. That's why she liked this dress, but not so much that she wouldn't sacrifice it completely for this cause. Dirt, tears, nothing could stop her from achieving her goal. Even if she might regret it later when she was punished the next day.
She'll probably be grounded until she has to go to the academy.
As he got closer to the border, she could hear it. Drums. Getting louder and louder. Even the trees were shaking beside her. Energy was flowing everywhere. It even dimmed the moon. She felt like her eardrums were about to burst. But she couldn't stop there. She was almost there. Just a little further!
Tulsa ran forward, holding her ears, which slowed her down a little, but made the noise more bearable.
Rosa, however, was no longer able to follow the young girl and collapsed on the ground, exhausted. She gasped for air at the foot of a tree and, resigned to her fate, leaned her shoulder against the tree and closed her eyes. There was nothing she could do. Her body was unable to withstand this enormous amount of concentrated magic.
In a clearing shielded from the moon's rays, a group of thirty-five people gathered around a large tree that had been cut down ten thousand years ago. The tree's roots, once teeming with life, wrapped around nine stone arches erected nearby, holding them in place forever. No natural force could destroy this place. Even animals stayed well away. They could tell from the magic emanating from the place, even if it was inactive for most of the year, that it was not a good idea to mess with it and stick their noses into whatever was going on here.
For magic was not the kind of thing that could simply disappear. The soil was not able to completely absorb and utilize the energies that were released. This sacred place was truly special. It held the Wall together. The wall that separated the world of humans from the other world, where magic permeated the daily lives and existence of all beings.
Humans were not capable of using magic, or at least not to the same extent. If they came into contact with it too much, they could easily fall ill. That is why, long ago, they began to persecute all creatures that used magic. Including their own kind.
However, some creatures could not survive without magic or could only live in very harsh conditions.
The Wall was created to solve this problem. At that time, there were too many people compared to the number of magic users, whose numbers were steadily declining due to humans. They couldn't even think of fighting back. They wouldn't have had a chance without losing countless lives on their side. There was also no chance of allying.
Humans were too stubborn and only willing to accept their own truth. Therefore, the nine greatest magic-using races joined forces and created this solution. They created the Wall, burning their life force into the pact they made with nature, and extracted the last remnants of magic from the lands of humans.
The Wall not only served to keep magic in place. It also served to completely isolate the two sides, preventing either side from crossing over to the other. During this time, humans completely forgot that there were ever other intelligent beings in the world besides themselves, along with magic. And for two thousand years, there had been complete peace between the two sides.
Tulsa knew the story from the outside. The young elves were told by their parents as a kind of legend, because the elves had taken it upon themselves to maintain the Wall and renovate it from time to time when necessary. And that night was today. Every hundred years, when the magic of nature reached its peak.
The air was ablaze with magical energy. And anyone with the affinity to peer behind the veil of magic could see how the tiny sparks spread further and further to the beat of the drum. They rippled rhythmically through the air. As they hit a tree, they flashed even brighter, and the tree seemed to bow under their will.
Tulsa ventured closer and closer to the clearing. And as she got closer, she could almost hear the elves' magically resonant singing alongside the drumbeat. She slowly took her hands off her pointed ears and hid behind a large tree not far from the ritual. It was a perfect vantage point for the clearing lying in the huge hollow. As a few sparks touched her skin, she shivered. It was as if she had drunk a huge dose of a potion to keep him awake, and her whole body was filled with energy. And as if, in addition to this, her whole being had been renewed. As if she had found new life. Slowly, she leaned her back against the tree and slid to the ground, then closed her stormy eyes. She simply enjoyed this strange disharmonious harmony.
No more sparks could reach her as she hid in the shadow of the tree. But she couldn't have endured any more. She couldn't even imagine how the monks were able to withstand the immense amount of magic swirling around them.
Tulsa felt that she was already teetering on the edge of melting into nature completely. At that moment, she might not have minded that at all.
A few meters away from Tulsa, the small clearing was teeming with life. If the scene could have been squeezed out, a sweet and thick nectar would have dripped down the throat of anyone who had the chance to taste it. Perhaps even the gods would have envied this drink.
The thirty-five middle-aged-looking elves danced a strange, ancient dance around the tree, which their ancestors might have learned from the God of Nature himself. All of them, men and women alike, wore simple white garments made of a single fabric. However, there was not a single stitch to be seen on their clothes.
Wherever their skin was exposed, it was covered with a special pattern depicting vines painted in gold. It wound around their entire bodies, covering everything. It was as if it were eating into their flesh and feeding on it. And it pulsed on their skin as if it were a second circulatory system. However, it did not follow the rhythm of their hearts, but that of the drums.
The thirty-five older elves formed three circles. There were twenty in the outer circle, ten in the middle, and five in the inner circle. The members of the outer circle gathered around the stone arches. They formed smaller circles around the monuments, which bore the same symbols as they did, and danced hand in hand. They fell into a kind of trance. The members of the middle circle danced around the huge tree trunk while beating huge circular drums made of leather with curved wooden sticks with furry ends. Finally, the five people who formed the inner circle danced while standing on the tree. Every time they lifted themselves off the stump, the tree glowed with golden light in their footsteps.
They were all drenched in sweat from the enormous effort. Above them, the clear sky slowly began to darken completely. Storm clouds gathered and the wind picked up. It tore at their hair and clothes, but did not interrupt their continuous movement for a moment. Finally, the rain began to fall. It poured down from the sky as if they had been caught in the rush of a sudden waterfall. The ground was unable to absorb even a drop of water at this rate. Within a few seconds, the water was up to their ankles, and they kicked it everywhere as they moved around.
But that was far from the end. The sound of drums grew louder and louder. It was as if something was gathering strength, and then nine bolts of lightning struck. Each one hit the stone vaults, which then lit up with blue light. They illuminated the entire night with a blinding, sharp light, visible for thousands of kilometers. Then, as if all the noise in the world had been cut off, everything stopped. No matter how hard they beat the drums, they couldn't get a single sound out of them. Yet they couldn't stop. The rain stopped, suspended in the air. It was as if the whole place had frozen in time.
There was only one thing that showed that time had not stopped. That is, if anyone could have seen through this sea of light that cut through the night and perhaps even the fabric of the world. Namely, that the elves did not stop for a moment. They beat their drums. They danced. They kicked the water and sang their spells. All this until the light faded and died out completely.
Then, finally, the sounds returned to the world. With a huge splash, the sky released its pent-up tears, then dispersed its stormy mood, giving way to the stage of the stars. The thirty-five elf magicians, gasping for air, could finally stop.
Luckily for Tulsa, she had just managed to escape the torrent. Her whole body was shaking from what she had experienced here that night. However, another problem was just beginning to unfold. Namely, that she shouldn't have been here. She couldn't waste any time, so she jumped up from the base of the tree and started running. She had to get far away from the circle and find a detour so she could escape home without anyone seeing her or capturing her.
She had to hurry because she knew that once the ritual was over, the monks would not be able to leave the site, so others would come from the city to take them home. As she ran, all she could think about was what she had just witnessed. Perhaps he would experience positive side effects from using magic. She couldn't wait to try it out.
She had gotten away. She couldn't believe it. That's why she decided to take a slightly longer detour. She wasn't far from her favorite place, where lots of fruit trees grew on a shady hillside. It was just the right season, and she was curious to see if the spell to restore the Wall had also affected these magical trees.
She laughed happily and playfully slapped a tree along the way. As she walked deeper and deeper into the trees, she soon reached the drum side. She had often come here with her mother when she was little, when she was still alive. But after that, she couldn't do it as often. The heavy waves of responsibilities crashed over her head, and her father began to worry about her too much.
She hadn't been to this place in two years. However, everything seemed the same as she remembered it. But something wasn't quite right. She noticed an unfamiliar phenomenon. The moonlight barely filtered through the soft edges of the leaves, painting the outline of a strange figure lying on the ground. Tulsa stopped and looked curiously at the stranger, who didn't move an inch.