When they finished dinner, they got up quietly and began clearing the table. While Auri helped her mother wash the dishes, Edward prepared to light the fireplace, gathering wood and arranging the logs. As a warrior who had spent nights in the cold of the open fields, he knew how to build a fire that provided warmth while conserving wood. This was important to the family, who were greatly influenced by the elf Luthien, as they valued Mother Nature and all she provides for living beings. It was then that Edward called his daughter over for another valuable lesson.
"Auri, dear, come here. I want you to learn how to light the fireplace properly, without wasting more wood than necessary."
She tells her mother she'll be right back to continue helping and runs to her father's side, both kneeling in front of the fireplace with the logs between them.
"Ready, Dad! I'm here to learn," says the curious girl.
Edward begins his lesson on making fire.
"First, let's understand that wood should burn from top to bottom, not the other way around.
To achieve this, we make a kind of pyramid with the wood. We place the larger logs at the bottom, then the smaller, thinner sticks on top, and finally, we put the dry leaves and straw in the middle of the pyramid, close together so that when they catch fire, the heat spreads downwards until it reaches the sticks and then the logs. There, now all we have to do is strike a stone against another or rub two of these sticks together until they spark, and we'll be warm until bedtime.
Even Luthien had stopped her work in the kitchen to watch her professor husband explain things to Auri. She was proud of him, both for what he had been, knowing full well about his past struggles, and for what he was now, having taken her and their daughter in as the only diamonds in his life.
Although an elf has heightened senses, capable of being sensitized at a distance and with minimal stimuli, perhaps living alongside humans, especially in an environment of continuous peace, could relax her perceptive mind to the point of distracting her dangerously. And at that point in her life, that was precisely how she was: distracted. Because of this, evil approached without her noticing. Suddenly, as she stared at the two beings she loved most, a loud noise echoed from outside the cabin, causing everyone to freeze in their places. Luthien and Edward immediately looked at the door, alarmed, then looked at each other, reading each other as if they already knew what was coming. Auri looked at her parents, her green eyes wide and frightened. "What's going on, Dad?" she asked, trembling and holding her wet, foam-covered apron.
Her father grabbed the girl, lifting her up by her arms and placing her behind the sofa, while ordering:
"Stay here, Auri!" he said firmly, but trying to reassure her. "Your mother and I will see what's going on."
Quickly, Edward grabbed the old sword that hung as a decoration on a rack above the fireplace and positioned himself between the door and the kitchen where Luthien and Auri had been just a moment ago. The elf followed him, murmuring magical words as she prepared a protective spell from her mind. Feeling his warrior instincts revive, Edward approached the entrance of the house—his sword unsheathed—ready to face the unknown.
Before he could open the door, it was violently broken down, allowing several humans to enter the cabin, shouting orders and threats. They wore black cloaks and carried gleaming swords and shields. Luthien immediately recognized the symbol of the Human Purity Cult on their costumes and shields.
One of the invaders, a tall, muscular man, pointed at the couple and shouted with a voice full of hatred and contempt:
"You two are an abomination! And so is your mixed-race daughter! We have come to exterminate you in the name of the purity of the human race."
The Human Purity Cult was an extremist organization that preached the supremacy of the human race over all others. Composed of humans who considered mixing with other races an abomination that must be eradicated, they viewed mixed-race children as particularly detestable and repulsive, seeking their demise at all costs. In addition, the members of the Cult were known for their violent and cruel tactics to achieve their goals. They believed that their sacred mission was to exterminate all mixed-race individuals to maintain the purity of the human race.
Edward stood in front of the two, as if protecting them, brandished his sword, and growled at the executioner:
"You will not touch my family!"
Luthien conjured a magical barrier to protect Auri. In that hitherto peaceful cabin, once filled with laughter and love, tension filled the air as everyone prepared for battle. Edward and Luthien would defend their home and their daughter against some thirty evil beings from the Human Purity Cult.
The battle began with a war cry from the Cult members. They advanced, swords and shields gleaming in the dim light from the fireplace. Edward wielded his sword with determination and faced the intruders with courage. His posture exuded bravery and readiness. Luthien, at his side, kept reciting magic words and weaving powerful spells with her agile and precise fingers.
Edward faced the first of them, striking him with a well-aimed blow, cutting his black cloak and wounding him on the shoulder. Luthien, focused on her magic, cast a fire spell at another group of invaders, causing them to retreat and protect themselves with their shields. Auri, hidden behind the magical barrier conjured by her mother, watched with frightened and worried eyes.
The warrior Edward began to fight one of the leaders. Their blades clashed with a metallic sound. Both men's movements were quick and precise, but the skilled warrior fought with greater skill and ferocity, striking his target several times with his sword. Thus, he struck down one after another, always determined to protect his wife and daughter at any cost.
Awakening all the gifts of the elf she was, Luthien continued to cast spells, alternating between attack and defense magic. She threw fireballs at the enemies, created magical shields to protect herself and Edward, and summoned beings of light from nature... At one point, seeing a member of the Cult approaching her husband from behind, she shouted:
"Edward, behind you!"
He turned in time to block the blow and, with his former agility, responded with a powerful counterattack, driving his sword mortally into the attacker's heart. He took the opportunity to glance gratefully at Luthien, who continued to cast spells of fire and ice against the remaining enemies.
The battle dragged on, and Luthien, realizing this, decided to use a more robust and difficult-to-beat trick. She began to chant ancient and mysterious words, her eyes glowing with an intense blue light. A whirlwind of wind and energy began to form and spread around her, capturing the members of the Cult of Human Purity in a vortex of magical force.
"I will not allow you to harm my family!" exclaimed the sorceress, with a rage that no elf had ever dared to feel before.
The whirlwind grew, throwing the enemies against the walls and ceiling of the hut. Edward took advantage of their moment of weakness to increase his attack on the members of the Cult.
He fought with a strength and dexterity that surprised even himself. He knocked one down, then another, and then another... his body covered in sweat and blood.
However, even with all the resources they used against the Cult, the fight seemed endless. Edward and Luthien were beginning to tire. Many members of the barbarian group had died, but there were still several left standing, ready to fight to the end.
Auri, still hidden behind Luthien's magical barrier, watched it all with eyes full of tears and fear. She saw that her parents were fighting with all their strength, but she also realized that they were tired and wounded.
"Father, mother, please be careful!" she begged, her voice trembling with worry.
Luthien managed to glance affectionately at her daughter without losing her concentration on the battle. Meanwhile, Edward struggled to defend himself from the continuous attacks of the remaining enemies, but his energy was running out.
Luthien ended up casting another spell, a massive ball of fire toward the members in black clothes. This time, the resulting explosion was deafening, and the heat from the blast caused everyone to retreat momentarily. As before, Edward took advantage of the moment of hesitation and attacked with renewed ferocity, killing two more members of the Cult.
However, in a moment of carelessness, a third executioner managed to seriously wound him in the leg, causing him to fall to his knees. Luthien, seeing her husband in danger, screamed in despair and fired an elven lightning bolt at the opponent, eliminating him. She ran to Edward, helping him to his feet and quickly healing the wound on his leg with healing magic.
"Edward, are you okay?" asked Luthien, worried.
"I'm fine, thanks to you!" replied Edward, smiling weakly.
Now standing, they turned to face the few remaining members of the Cult. That was when, before they could act again, one of the enemies managed to get past them, advancing toward Auri. Luthien knew that at close range the energy shield would not be able to protect her, and realizing the imminent danger of that murderous cultist approaching Auri with his sword in his hand, she threw herself in front of her daughter of light, blocking the attack with her own body. The blade of the sword was merciless with the beautiful elf, piercing her chest and making her scream in pain.
"Mother!" cried Auri, horrified.
Edward, seeing his beloved wife wounded, was overcome with uncontrollable rage. He screamed and attacked the member of the Seitada Pureza Humana who had wounded her, eliminating him with a single brutal blow. His fury tripled his strength, and he relentlessly struck down the last members who were still fighting, ensuring that none of them survived. When the last executioner fell, Edward ran to Luthien and Auri, his eyes filled with tears and suffering. Luthien was seriously wounded, blood gushing from the wound in her chest.
"Luthien, stay with me, please!" Edward begged, holding his wife's hand.
Luthien, with a weak and sad smile, looked at Edward and Auri, her voice weak and trembling, whispering:
"I love you... Take care of Auri, Edward..."
And before closing her eyes for the last time, serene and grateful to the gods for having managed to save her beloved daughter, she began to feel once again the ethereal being that she was, light, beautiful, able to stand beside the sun, whom she called Alfrothul, and to perceive the spiritual world that humans did not understand. Through her clairvoyance, she saw other elves arriving around her, as well as beings of light coming from the forest to take her home like a sister returning home. Elves, gnomes, wizards, angels, sylphs and sylphides, undines, nymphs, fairies, avissals, mermaids, and other ethereal beings responsible for caring for the universe through the four essential elements – water, fire, earth, and air – were there, taking the hand of their friend of light, the elf who had become human to love a man and who, in doing so, left behind a half-elf daughter who would keep her energy and love in some way. When she closed her eyes, Luthien was no longer there.
Father and daughter could not see the spiritual scene that had taken place around them. He, because he was human, she, because she had not yet developed her latent gifts. Auri hugged her mother's body, sobbing and crying, while Edward wrapped his arms around her, trying to comfort her. Auri's crying mingled with Edward's sobs in a harsh lament for the loss of Luthien. Auri gently broke free from her father's embrace and cast a sad glance at her mother's lifeless body on the floor. She remained beside Luthien, the tears in her eyes reflecting the moon shining softly outside. With a tender management, she took her mother's cold hand, caressing it gently as she sobbed softly. Edward stood close to Auri, anguish written all over his face. He could see how much his daughter was suffering and felt powerless to comfort her. Unable to contain his own sadness, he embraced her again, wrapping her in his protective arms.
Despite the emotional turmoil of the tragedy unfolding before him, the warrior Edward was able to rationalize the situation. He got up and went to the front door to check if other members of the Cult might be lurking nearby.
Concluding that the danger had passed for now, he returned and picked Luthien up in his arms, carrying her outside the hut and gently placing her on the leaf-covered ground. He turned again toward the dense forest, softly illuminated by the silvery moon, concern etched on his face.
His instincts told him that the Human Purity Cult could return at any moment. During all the years of his marriage to the elf, knowing that groups like the Cult could appear sooner or later, he had prepared himself for the worst. He kept to himself that this place, this little house that breathed love, would have to be left behind in the event of an enemy attack. However, the brutality and purpose of the attack left no doubt: they would have to leave immediately and find a safer place to stay that very night.
First, he wanted to make sure that all members of the Cult were truly dead. Wielding his sword, Edward searched every corner of the cabin, looking for anyone who might still be alive. He did find some wounded members, but they were weak and disoriented, and none of them offered any resistance.
Auri, now standing, faced her father with a determined look and courage stamped on her young face, and said in a firm voice, despite her tears:
"Father, we must put an end to the Human Purity Cult. They are dangerous and will not stop pursuing us until they kill us."
Edward stared at his daughter with a mixture of surprise and pride. He hadn't expected such a mature reaction from her, not at that moment. Then it occurred to him that it would be easier to explain to the girl that they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. He knew his daughter was right, but he was aware that any action against the Cult would be even bloodier, a perilous fight. He placed his hand on Auri's shoulder in a management gesture of support and concern:
"I agree, daughter. They won't stop until we're dead. I will fight the Human Purity Cult. But to do that, we need to be cautious and prepare ourselves properly. Now it's time to go," he replied to his daughter, his voice full of purpose.
Before following their uncertain fate, they gathered a few personal belongings from the house, only what they would need for the journey. Auri, however, placed Luthien's flower tiara on her head, the only physical reminder she would take of her mother. Edward, meanwhile, stood looking at the bodies of the evil men lying on the floor. It crossed his mind to take them to the forest and leave them to rot in the open air. However, this would be unnecessary wear and tear and would delay them. That was when he looked at the fire in the hearth and remembered how much Luthien loved this element. Thus, thinking that they would never return to that home, he did not hesitate to let the glowing embers start the fire, serving both to condemn those evil spirits to hell and to symbolize a purification for his daughter, cleansing them for the future.
Leaving behind the burning hut, in a flash that crossed the mountains of the world of Krymorian, father and daughter entered the dark Forest of Lunathys, determined to face whatever the future held for them.
The wind whispered through the trees, as if nature itself were mourning the loss of the elf sister. And as if the moonlight illuminating the winding path ahead of them were not enough, thousands of fireflies joined the courageous travelers, doubling the brightness and guiding them through the darkness.
Father and daughter continued through the forest, side by side. Edward carried Luthien's lifeless body in his arms. The sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent night.
After walking a long way, they rested for a few minutes. Auri couldn't help but look up at the starry sky, seeking some guidance and comfort in the bright stars. Edward, noticing his daughter's gaze, squeezed her hand affectionately and spoke in a soft voice:
"Your mother always loved the stars, Auri. She believed that they guided and protected us. I know she will be watching over us, wherever she is."
Auri nodded, wiping the tears streaming down her face. Unconsciously, the girl felt that something within her was growing stronger amid the suffering. It was as if all the trauma served to awaken the elf that had been dormant within her until then. Despite all the pain and sadness, Auri imagined that her mother wanted them to continue fighting and protecting those who could not defend themselves.
"I promise to honor her memory, Father. We will destroy the Human Purity Cult and make sure no one else suffers at their hands," said the no longer so little Auri, her voice full of determination and hope.
Edward smiled at his daughter, sad but proud of her strength and courage. He had no doubt that the road ahead would be difficult, but he remained certain that together they could face any challenge life threw at them.