Arc 3

Chapter 1
The End of a Decade

"Aokawa Lorwen," the Rector called out.

From the crowd that gathered to celebrate the end of the school decade on the Academy's largest rooftop, a small, young little elf boy with nut-brown hair came forward and happily galloped onto the stage.

"You have done well in your first decade," the Rector smiled at him as he presented him a rolled up document with both hands, "You have achieved an overall score of 12 out of 16. Congratulations."

"Thank you very much!" Lorwen bowed and accepted his end-of-the-decade report.

His friends still down among the crowd gave him enthusiastic applause. Lorwen grinned and quickly returned to the company of his mates.

"I think you're up," he said excitedly to the black-haired elf child next to him.

"Kurokaze Aenwey," the Rector called the next student onto the stage.

The black-haired little elf boy walked up to the Rector, his eyes filled with joy and excitement, though he refrained from running.

"You have been a standout example to all students in this decade, Aenwey, not just to the newly joined children." The Rector picked up his report, "Among the best of the best, you have achieved an overall score of 16 out of 16. Congratulations, and please carry on with such excellence."

"Thank you so much Rector-Sama." Aenwey bowed, and accepted the report handed to him.

"Now give this young boy a huge round of applause everyone," the Rector turned to the crowd, "He absolutely deserves it."

For the next few seconds the entire academy expressed their amazement and shared their joy in Aenwey's outstanding results. The poor little elf child even blushed from all the attention he was getting. He quickly bowed to everyone and hurried to his friends among the crowd to witness the rest of the ceremony together with them.

Back in the Academy's club the boys got themselves a table to celebrate and look through their report scrolls. But first, Nalanté proposed a toast.

"Let's drink to Aenwey, who's been the best among us this decade," he smiled, looking at his friend.

"A loyal friend like no other," Lorwen added, "There's no way I could have achieved my own score without his help" he added giggling.

"Thanks guys," Aenwey said.

They all drank a cup of juice in honor of their young friend.

"So, Lorwen, you're off to Vorthos then?" Aenwey eventually asked.

"Yeah. Ren and I… we're going to sort this thing out."

"To think that all this time, he was Tiilnaryth reborn," Aenwey said with amazement.

"Yeah, just make sure you never mention that to him," Lorwen laughed.

"Why not?" Nalanté asked.

"He specifically declared that he doesn't live in the past. He said he's a child of Vorthos now fully and completely, and nothing can roll that back," Lorwen explained.

"But he does accept the he truly was Tiilnaryth in a previous incarnation, right?"

"Ah… by now he pretty much knows the whole life story of Tiilnaryth. Apparently he relived all of it through concentrated meditation," Lorwen said looking to the side, "His competence can be uncanny sometimes," he added with a whisper.

"It's pretty unbelievable, the kind of adventure you two are going to go on now. Really exciting stuff to happen to a bunch of kids," Aenwey said.

"I… guess so," Lorwen smiled, "So what about you guys. What are your plans for the post-decade break?"

"Me and Aenwey… we're gonna go visit the eastern coastline," Nalanté said proudly, "It's on the opposite side of the Continent, it's peaceful, warm, they say the sea is amazing and the boys… they're slim and tanned and very friendly."

"Wow, sounds like an absolute dream." Lorwen was amazed.

"Other than all that, they say the sunrise is absolutely breathtaking, as if the sun ascends directly from the middle of the endless ocean that can be seen from the coast. It even earned the region a nickname, the Home of the Sun."

Lorwen had no wide-eyed amazement on his face this time, but instead a smug, confident grin.

"I don't think I have to be jealous of any kind of sunrise, given that I'm going to Vorthos of all places," he said with a fake snobbish tone.

"Why would you have to be jealous?" Aenwey asked, "You can come with us if you like. Even if just for a week."

Lorwen pressed his lips together.

"Well… Ren said we're leaving as soon as possible… aaand that if I'm not there he'll leave me behind."

"That's so cold!" Aenwey laughed.

"It kinda fits his personality," Lorwen said.

"And so what?" Nalanté joined in, "You could just go after him on a different ship after spending a few weeks with us."

"He hasn't told me where he lives," Lorwen said with his face flat on the table, "I'd have no idea where to start on a whole planet."

"Well, it seems like Ren is forcing our hands then," Nalanté concluded with a chuckle.

"Actually he's right." Lorwen switched to a more serious tone, "I still haven't forgiven myself. For all that happened in the mid-decade break."

"Oh come on buddy." Aenwey rubbed his back, "It's nothing, we're over it. Besides, we reached a breakthrough in our search. The trip has been extremely successful in the end. It was worth it."

Lorwen looked up at this friend's smiling eyes.

"Thanks," he said, "What we did was still reckless though, even if it paid off. And because of that, I can't allow myself to go on any trips with you guys until this mark is gone for good and the Noroiken is no more."

"That's kinda harsh on yourself," Aenwey said.

"No, I don't think so. We still don't know how this whole thing works. It's possible some Kagemonos feel a desire to exact vengeance on the wielder of the Noroiken. They might seek him out. It's a possibility. And I think Ren understands this very well – that's why he's forcing my hand to deal with this above all else."

"I suppose there is some sense in it," Nalanté said, "Even if it's unlikely."

"Regardless of all that, I wish to bring closure and fulfil the promise I made to myself all those thousands of years ago. Once I've destroyed the Noroiken and closed down this chapter, I'd love nothing more than to go on all kinds of exciting adventures with you."

"In that case I wish you the best of luck." Aenwey gave him a warm smile, "Even though I'm sure you won't need it."

"Thanks." Lorwen grinned happily, "And I wish you two the most fantastic time at the Home of the Sun. With all those friendly tanned boys," he added the last part with a mischievous laugh.

"We'll be sure to see you off at the space port before though," Aenwey smiled.

"Thanks," Lorwen said, "But we still have two full days until then. How about we forget all this stuff for now and go explore the night life of the Capital this evening?"

"Now that's a fantastic idea," Nalanté gave it a thumbs up.

"We're with you on that, buddy," Aenwey put an arm around Lorwen's shoulder and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"What are we waiting for, let's go then!" Lorwen said enthusiastically.

Chapter 2
New Horizons

The spaceship journey to Vorthos lasted approximately a week. Ren had already bought his ticket way before Lorwen, so they ended up sleeping in different rooms. Whether that was intentional or not was never discussed. During the day though they spent most of their time together. The spacecraft even had a Dōjō which they frequently made use of.

Lorwen had worked really hard in the past five years after the mid-decade break and it showed. Even Ren complimented him on his achievements and declared that he now finally understood the basics of Kenjutsu. Lorwen still didn't like the use of the word 'basics' but he came to understand that it meant a strong foundation which he could easily expand upon and learn new techniques quickly and with ease. Which meant he was past the hardest part.

When the ship finally landed and the doors opened at the space port Lorwen was absolutely floored by what he saw. The sunrise of Vorthos was truly a special sight to behold, and somehow it felt extremely nostalgic. To be fair it wasn't even a real sunrise, but a gorgeous orange veil of light from multiple sources sweeping through the skies, palm trees and lush vegetation, breaking into rays and casting elongated shadows as it interacted with objects in its path. It was the combined light of at least half a dozen different light emitting or reflecting bodies in the sky whose shade varied between soft blue, purple and vivid orange when close to the horizon. Many of these bodies had halos around them, resulting in lots of different streaks of color playfully crossing the skies.

"This is beyond even my wildest dreams," Lorwen whispered to the red-eyed elf boy next to him.

"Is it?" Ren smiled, enjoying the obvious amazement of his companion.

'Yeah, absolutely," Lorwen said quietly, "Does it ever actually get boring to the Dawn Elves?"

"No, not really," Ren smiled and took a breath of the fresh air of his home planet.

The boys continued into the city after leaving the space port behind. Ren had arranged for them to be able to stay in a hotel for a night before setting out to traverse the great plains of Vorthos towards their destination, The Floating Passage.

The Dawn Elf city was drastically different from the ones on Nalma Tyr. There were no layers, no tall structures, barely even any vehicles. Instead the houses and architecture used a lot of wood and far less glass and steel, while palm trees and vegetation were growing freely, but in harmony with the settlement.

As the elven kids ventured further on they came across a small street festival with lights on ropes hung between the roofs of houses and a few stalls for food and drink. The local Dawn Elves enjoyed each other's company and the children running around them.

"This place has a really strange and unique feel to it," Lorwen said quietly as they kept walking.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked.

"I dunno, it's hard to explain. Other than saying how different it is. But somehow there is a really heart-warming simplicity around this place. It's not mind-blowing or awe-inspiring like what we usually strive to build, but rather it just feels like a really nice place to be."

"I like the way you describe it," Ren smiled.

"Things don't align perfectly like in our cities, but this simplicity and imperfection makes you feel really… calm and at ease."

"Looks like you're quick to catch on." Ren looked at him with a warm smile, "The things you mentioned are actually core aspects of Dawn Elf philosophy and aesthetics. On Vorthos it is generally believed that nothing is ever perfect, nothing is ever truly finished, and nothing lasts forever."

"And you create everything keeping that in mind." Lorwen returned his smile.

"Yeah. It is how we strive to achieve a quiet and peaceful life with warmth in our hearts. A way of thinking that over time acquired it's own name, 侘び寂び (WabiSabi)."

"Can't say I'm ready to leave skyscrapers behind forever, but I have to admit I like the idea." Lorwen grinned, "Also, it's so funny to see everyone having red eyes and vertical pupils here. You were so unique back then, but here…"

"It is my home planet after all," Ren laughed.

"Either way, you'll always be unique to me."

"Ah, what do you mean?" Ren seemed to be a bit surprised, and Lorwen quickly realized what he had just said.

"Well, you will always be the first Dawn Elf I saw, you know," he grinned.

As they continued past the street festival Ren reached for a piece of fruit on a table, breaking it in half and handing one part to Lorwen.

"You should try this. It's a local favorite."

"What is it?" Lorwen asked, accepting the piece of fruit.

"It's what grows on the palm trees around here," Ren answered.

"Aw, it's yummy!" Lorwen's eyes lit up as he took a bite.

"I knew you'd like it," Ren smiled.

"It's funny that you also have palm trees on a completely different planet, just the fruit is different."

"The trees too, a little," Ren said after taking a bite himself, "They adapted to constant light as opposed to the forceful cycles of Nalma Tyr."

"Forceful, eh?" Lorwen grinned.

"They definitely felt like that to me," Ren laughed.

They finally arrived at the hotel they were going to spend the night in. Their room was barely furnished but had full tatami flooring, a woven reed table, some puffs and two futons. Since the city was by the ocean, many houses, including the hotel, was close to the shore. In fact, the water was only a few meters away from the boys' room, and so they decided to hang their feet into the ocean while sitting outside with a glass of cool juice before going to sleep.

"It's gonna be quite a quest isn't it?" Lorwen said dreamily.

"Depends on what you mean by that," Ren answered, "I lived pretty close to the Floating Passage for a period of my childhood."

"Really? What's it like?" Lorwen asked excitedly.

"It's a spiritual place. On the the other side is the Mist Temple. But only those with inner peace may cross the Floating Passage."

"How so?"

"You'll see. I don't think it would be a good idea to tell you too early. You'd stress too much about it."

"And how do you know I won't be able to prepare for it? Maybe I could use the time."

"The Floating Passage is not something you prepare for. You either have the inner peace needed to cross it or you don't. I can't see how knowing the exact mechanics of it for weeks would put you at ease."

"Okay, I trust you," Lorwen smiled, then took a sip.

"I think you'll be able to cross it just fine." Ren looked at him with a smile, "You seem to have truly made all your decisions. Elves like you, they can definitely cross."

"Thanks," Lorwen said.

"So it's gonna take a few weeks then. No trains or buses?" Lorwen asked.

"The bigger cities are connected like that, but the Floating Passage is definitely not a place like that."

"I see."

"Dawn Elves don't travel as much as you guys do on Nalma Tyr. But when they do, they respect Vorthos along the way."

"The place is honestly beautiful." Lorwen sighed, "I guess it would have its downside to make the round in only a day or two."

"More importantly though…" Ren turned to Lorwen, "Do you have a plan for the Noroiken? Finding it, and a way to destroy it?"

"I think so," Lorwen nodded, "The crystalline compass will lead us to it. And then, I think I just need to hold it in my hand, and sheathe it like it was the echo."

"Is that intuition?"

"Or maybe a memory," Lorwen shrugged, "I can't be sure. I just know that this is what I have to do. This way, both the blade and the mark will be gone. I'm certain of it. We just need to follow the compass and find it."

"Then that's what we're going to do," Ren nodded.

They boys remained there soaking their feet in the ocean for quite a long time, looking at the gorgeous, everlasting sunrise of Vorthos. Then eventually Ren declared that it was time to sleep and they went back to their room.

"I'm so gonna lose my sense of time here," Lorwen said.

"I had a lot of trouble with the cycles on Nalma Tyr too." Ren laughed, "But you'll get used to it eventually."

"I never even thought about how hard that must have been for you," Lorwen said as he got himself comfortable on his futon.

"It's okay," Ren said – I'll wake you up when it's time. We'll leave most of our stuff here, like schoolbooks and such, only taking what's necessary. The owner was kind enough to agree to take care of them until we get back."

"Aw that's nice."

"Yeah. Alright. Sleep well then."

"Is that your version of good night?" Lorwen laughed.

"I suppose." Ren grinned, "We don't really have night over here."

"Yeah, I guess. Sleep well, Ren."

Chapter 3
The Will of Vorthos

After a week on the road while following a dirt path in a gorgeous valley, what Ren had warned about finally happened. Three creatures similar in shape to an elf tore themselves out of the ground, being composed of earth and mud themselves, while a fourth one rose out of a large rock on the wayside and they slowly began making their way towards the boys. In the hand of each one of them was a sword made of the same material their body was composed of. They looked like elves in the sense that they had two legs and two arms, but they appeared to have no faces, instead their heads were covered with dozens of little holes.

"I'll take care of the three from the ground!" Ren shouted while drawing his black Nōrium blade, "The stone one is all yours."

Lorwen immediately summoned the Noroiken and assumed a defensive stance. With the power in his hands he could have annihilated this creature in the blink of an eye. But he had made a promise, and besides, he would no longer posses this power on the way back. At least that's what the plan was.

He approached the stone warrior. It looked slow, so he opened with a couple of quick slashes to probe his opponent's abilities. The blade made small cracks in the stone and the final strike was parried, followed up by a heavy blow that Lorwen dodged. He continued with a few more attacks but the stone creature retaliated after a parry with a flurry of attacks that took a good amount of Lorwen's stamina to deflect.

He did not hesitate to reply with a powerful thrust that actually penetrated the stone by about the length of a thumb. Still it seemed like it barely did anything as the creature responded with a massive sweep attack that Lorwen jumped over and kicked himself away from his enemy in the air to gain distance.

It seemed like it would take an eternity to whittle down this stone monster with a thousand cuts, but Lorwen suddenly had an idea. He waited for his enemy to attack and each time he parried he followed up with a thrust and a few slashes. It took a lot of his energy to parry a blow every time but this way he could make sure his attacks were safe to perform. A few minutes later the stone creature had many small cracks and shallow holes in it but it still did not seem to have lost any meaningful integrity.

That's when Lorwen moved on to the second part of his plan. With a spell from the Atmospheric Branch he extracted vapor from the air and turned it into water. With a careful kinetic spell he used the water to fill up all the little cracks in the stone monster that had he made, then finished off with a spell from the Thermal Branch, instantly cooling the water to sub-zero temperatures and turning it into ice and thus increasing its volume.

This finally had the desired effect as the ice shattered the stone from within all the little cracks and crevices that Lorwen had worked so hard to create in the past few minutes. With its structure critically damaged, all it took was one powerful slash of the Noroiken to break the creature apart.

"Nice work," Ren complimented him, with the other three monsters sliced up behind him.

"Yeah. I no longer rely on the magical power of my blade. But I can use my own spells." Lorwen took a few deep breaths, "It's a lot harder this way, but the victory is truly mine."

"You should be proud of yourself," Ren smiled, "Both your technique and combat awareness are very solid by now. Good job."

"Thanks," Lorwen grinned, "So then, now that we actually met some of the fearsome monsters of Vorthos that you call the Corrupted, will you tell me how they came to be?"

"A promise is a promise," Ren nodded, "As a warrior who has faced the past of Vorthos you are now worthy to hear its tale. We should get moving though. The story can be told while walking the path."

"Yeah, you're right," Lorwen agreed as the Noroiken returned to the mark on his wrist.

Ren cleaned and sheathed his own Nōrium blade and soon they were back on the dirt path with the eternal sunrise on their left filling the valley with beautiful rays of light.

"Alright, ready to begin your story?" Lorwen asked once they picked up the pace.

"You seem really excited," Ren noted.

"Yeah, I'm quite a history geek actually. I read a lot about what happened on Nalma Tyr and I'm super excited to learn the stories of a different planet."

"Alright then." Ren laughed, "I guess it's best if we start at the beginning, though I won't be too detailed. Thousands of years ago on Vorthos there were two species, the Dawn Elves, who mostly lived in the forests and small villages, and a huge civilization of creatures that had tiny eyes all over their heads, though many speculate that at least a few of those were nostrils. Either way it's safe to assume they were able to see in all directions around them."

"Just like the monsters we fought," Lorwen noted.

"Yeah exactly," Ren nodded, "That is what became of them in the end. Anyway, this civilization was very advanced and they were the ones to discover how to work Nōrium into blades, along with many other techniques."

"So the Dawn Elves didn't use Nōrium at that time?"

"Only raw fragments of the ore placed in wayshrines or as amulets. We definitely did not attempt to work it back then."

"So what happened to this Civilization. How did they end up like this?"

"Honestly we're not sure," Ren looked down, "At one point they just started disappearing. The phenomenon progressed in a wave that started from the North Pole and swept through the entirety of the planet. Some vanished in their homes while many fled south, but when the wave eventually reached the South Pole they had all disappeared without a trace."

"What the… honestly that sounds absolutely horrifying," Lorwen exclaimed.

"Yeah, the Dawn Elves were shocked too. But eventually we started to explore their empty cities, we deciphered their language and read their notes and documents. And Lorwen, the technique you mentioned – charging a Nōrium blade with the power of those it defeats – that was one of the things they experimented with. In fact, they were quite successful at it."

"So what's your point?" Lorwen asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ren was surprised that Lorwen didn't catch on, "They must have violated the flesh of Vorthos! That's why the planet purged them from its face in a wave of purification."

"Is there any evidence of that?" Lorwen tilted his head a little.

"What do you mean? The Dawn Elves didn't abuse Nōrium and they had the wave go through them with no effect. Same for all the animals, trees and plants. The wave was very specific in wiping a certain species completely off of Vorthos. It was the planet's revenge."

"Honestly, that's just speculation," Lorwen said quietly, "It could have been the effect of some botched magical experiment. Like one that was supposed to give them, and only them some kind of extra power. Don't you think that's also plausible?"

"I almost forgot how different the culture you come from actually is," Ren sighed silently.

"I'm sorry if I've offended you," Lorwen said.

"No it's okay. You weren't born here so you wouldn't understand. We have a connection to this planet. And we believe, with or without conclusive evidence, that it was the will of Vorthos that purged this planet. As such we must respect and live in harmony with the land, and never defile its flesh like the Fallen Civilization."

"That's what you came to call them? These strange creatures?"

"Yeah."

"But you still make blades out of Nōrium," Lorwen pointed out.

"It is honorable for a warrior to call on the aid of the flesh of Vorthos. That is what we have come to believe. But you are right to point this out. After the disappearance of the Fallen, and after Dawn Elves learned many of their ways and techniques from the descriptions they left behind, eventually a council was established, which determined what would and would not be allowed to be adopted."

"I see. To prevent another disaster."

"Indeed. The Dawn Elves who made up the council were wise and listened to their hearts, which beat in the same rhythm as the heart of Vorthos. I'm sure they made their choices wisely. However… hundreds of years after Dawn Elves have incorporated the use of Nōrium in their lives these creatures started appearing. We call them the Corrupted. They clearly resemble the species that once made up the Fallen Civilization."

"Any explanations on that?" Lorwen genuinely looked a bit scared.

"Nothing that you would be satisfied with," Ren said, "But there are many who believe even Dawn Elves have gone too far with the manipulation of Nōrium. That maybe Vorthos is trying to remind us about the purge."

"Well, bringing back those that you have supposedly gotten rid of is not really a good reminder of a purge," Lorwen said, then quickly added, "At least that's not how I would do it."

"You're quite critical of our beliefs, aren't you?" Ren laughed, "That's fine, don't worry. It's what we would expect from an outsider. To answer your question though, we don't think Vorthos wants to hurt any of the Dawn Elves yet. At least not directly. So this is more of a friendly reminder."

"Could be," Lorwen nodded, "I suppose stricter restrictions on the use of Nōrium have been introduced, right?"

"That is correct. We learned only from the blades themselves. We believed the guidance emanating from Nōrium blades is the will of Vorthos itself and as such it is safe to follow."

"Did it work?" Lorwen asked.

"Yes, it seems to have," Ren smiled at him, "In the past few hundred years the number of occurrences of the Corrupted have been decreasing."

"Seems like the first strong link between the two," Lorwen nodded.

"Keep in mind that we are not interested in researching this topic," Ren noted. "This belief is accepted across the whole of Vorthos and we live by its guidance. It is in harmony with the rest of our teachings, which would dictate anyway that one should not seek overwhelming power to rise above others."

"Like the Rōnin," Lorwen said quietly.

"Yes, his way of life was not in accordance with the will of Vorthos. At least in the end though he realized he must destroy what he created."

"How can you be so sure though, that it wasn't the will of Vorthos?" Lorwen asked, "The Rōnin never studied the documents of the Fallen, he gained all his powers back on Nalma Tyr. And there's only one way he could have done that. By listening to the guidance of his blade."

"I guess you have a point there," Ren seemed genuinely intrigued, "Maybe it was a special case in which Vorthos allowed one individual to tap into the forbidden powers."

"The Botoke-Sama also never actually mentioned that the blade was something evil."

"While the Dawn Elves also respect the Botoke-Sama, we do not regard him as a figure of authority in the same way the elves of Nalma Tyr do."

"I see," Lorwen smiled and nodded, "Thank you for telling me about the history of your home. I apologize if I have been disrespectful."

"Don't worry about it." Ren gave him a pat on the shoulder, "And you're welcome. You have made the right decision even without knowing all the context, and that is admirable. Learning about the past is the least you deserve now."

"Yeah, I've made the right decision twice, even." Lorwen grinned, "Just at first I wasn't able to pull it off it seems."

"Well we're gonna fix that now won't we?" Ren smiled.

"Yeah. We definitely will," Lorwen nodded enthusiastically.

After covering another good chunk of distance Ren finally called for them to establish camp. Lorwen had completely lost his sense of time by now and fully relied on Ren to dictate their rhythm of sleep. They set up a small fire and cooked some meat they brought with spices and vegetables from the nearby surroundings of the valley. When it was finally time to get under the blankets Lorwen sheepishly brought up a question.

"It feels kinda scary now, to think about a wave that purged an entire species." he said quietly.

"It has had such a deep effect on you?" Ren smiled.

"It's… giving me goosebumps. Hey, ahm, would you mind if we actually slept under the same blanket this time?"

"Really?" Ren laughed, "I would make you feel safer?"

"You're a Dawn Elf, who knows this world really well," Lorwen said meekly.

"Well alright then," Ren smiled as he held up his blanket and Lorwen quickly scurried under it.

"Sleep well, Ren," he said quickly, still slightly embarrassed.

"You too," Ren said smiling, before lowering his head onto his pillow and closing his eyes.

Chapter 4
The Fertility Festival

After a long time on the road a village finally appeared on the horizon. As they'd been traveling for quite a while by now, both boys were looking forward to something softer to sleep on and a roof over their head while doing so. Since the village wasn't all that big they were able to find a place to stay relatively quickly. A young Dawn Elf woman greeted them.

"We'd like a small and simple room," Ren said to her, "We don't plan on staying very long."

"You've brought a really cute little visitor with you for the fertility festival," the woman grinned at Lorwen before taking a key out of a drawer.

"The fertility festival?" Ren was a little surprised, "Ah yeah, well we don't plan on…"

"We haven't yet decided if we're going to participate," Lorwen interrupted him, "It's still kinda up in the air, but we'll talk it over."

"Aah, okay," the woman said, "Well you have plenty of time, the boys' season has only just started. Make up your mind and if you like, please join the other kids. You'd make a really cute couple."

"We'll think about it," Ren said quietly.

Their room was built in the traditional Dawn Elf style, with minimal furnishing but a tasteful arrangement of all the items and a really cozy feel to it. Lorwen quickly found out that it actually had a shower in the bathroom.

"Yay! Finally we can get cleaned up!" he was cheerful, "All that time on the road and sleeping by a campfire really adds up, doesn't it."

"Hey Lorwen…"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you interrupt me when I was saying that we didon't plan to take part in the festival."

"Oh, that, yeah. Well, I thought it could be fun. I'd like to see more of Vorthos' culture and stuff," Lorwen turned a little red.

"You heard clearly that it's a fertility festival, so don't give me that about culture," Ren said quietly.

"Well yeah that's true. But I thought, if we're on this journey together, couldn't we bond a little?" Lorwen answered softly.

"Is that really what you want?" Ren asked, "Are you attracted to me like that?"

Lorwen smiled and walked up to his Dawn Elf companion.

"What kind of question is that?" he said softly, "You're one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. I'm just… worried that you will never open up to me. So when I heard that they have that kinda festival here I thought, maybe that was the way."

"The fertility festival is a sacred rite on Vorthos," Ren said quietly, "You choose a mate you're in harmony with, and ask for the blessing of the planet to make you healthy and strong. And well, fertile of course."

"Well… it's up to you to decide if you think we're in harmony with each other," Lorwen looked down.

"While you are not a Dawn Elf, your beauty is undeniable. And we've been through a lot together, especially since we arrived on Vorthos."

"Does that mean…?" Lorwen looked up.

"If this is really what you want, then we can participate," Ren smiled, "But it's traditionally held under the open skies, along with other kids, and even adults can see you. That is against the traditions of Nalma Tyr, isn't it."

"Does it look like we're on Nalma Tyr right now?" Lorwen asked softly, which made Ren chuckle.

"Alright then. Get yourself cleaned up and I'll get a pair of traditional robes from the woman downstairs. Then I'll clean myself too and we can go."

"Thank you," Lorwen smiled.

The boys took quick turns in the shower to wash the dust of the road off their smooth skin and soft curves. Once Lorwen stepped out all shiny and clean Ren gently wrapped him in a soft white linen robe with a woven belt around his waist. He didn't have any other clothing under the traditional robe. Reno donned the same attire after cleaning himself and washing his dark black hair.

"Now, since you're an outsider, I'm going to have to assume the role of the older boy regardless of our real age."

"Actually, I still don't know your age."

"And as I've said, you don't need to," Ren smiled, "But we're not that far apart."

With that Ren gently took hold of Lorwen's right hand and led him outside the building. After a short walk in the village they arrived at the site of the festival. It was in front of a small lake, with lots of soft bed-like structures on top of short wooden frames in the grass as well as lights similarly hung from ropes like in the city they first arrived in.

"I'm so glad you decided to join in," the woman from before came up to them, with two small glasses in her hands, "It's not every day we see boys with such gorgeous blue eyes around here."

Ren took the small glass with both hands and Lorwen followed his example.

"Thank you," the two boys said, shortly after each other.

"If you need anything else just let me know. There are plenty of beds you can choose from. Have a nice and relaxing time, and may you be blessed by Vorthos."

They bowed and the woman went on her way.

"What's in the drink?" Lorwen asked.

"It's a mixture of the local fruits," Ren answered, "They have all been fertile to bless us with their produce and by drinking it we hope to be just as fertile as they were."

"That's really cute symbolism," Lorwen said before taking a sip, "And it's fantastic too!"

Ren drank all of his in one go. The glass wasn't that big after all.

"Yeah it's really nice," he smiled, "Come on then."

He took Lorwen's hand again and guided him to one of the low beds placed among the grass. A few other pairs of Dawn Elf boys were gently embracing each other on other beds not far from them. Their smooth naked bodies and soft moans were undeniably arousing to Lorwen, but it also didn't get past him how different the atmosphere was here compared to the secret night he participated in back on Nalma Tyr. That raw lust and excitement was missing here, replaced by a sense of spiritual peace and sex that seemed to truly form a bond between the Dawn Elf children.

Once they were right next to the bed Ren gently undid Lorwen's belt and slowly opened up his robe, revealing his naked, smooth front. Lorwen instinctively held his arms apart a bit to allow Ren to effortlessly push the robe off his shoulders and leave him entirely naked as the cloth landed in the grass. With a hand on his waist Ren guided him to sit down on the bed and lower his head onto the pillow, eventually lying on his back.

"I usually ride from above," he said with a mischievous smile.

"We can switch halfway through," Ren smiled back, "But this is how the ritual starts."

"Okay," Lorwen said softly.

Ren pulled on his own belt, undoing the loose knot and allowing the belt to fall on the ground, opening up the robe. This was the first time Lorwen actually saw him naked. Just like himself, it looked like Ren was also already slightly aroused. The Dawn Elf boy continued by removing his robe entirely, allowing it to fall next to Lorwen's in the grass. Then he slowly climbed on the bed and knelt above Lorwen, his hands next to his chest.

"May we grow up to be strong, healthy and fertile," he said softly then kissed Lorwen on the lips.

Lorwen's hands quickly rose to hug Ren, stroking his sides and back as they kissed. Then after their lips separated Ren moved back to a kneeling position.

"You just relax now, okay?" he smiled, "You don't have to do anything."

Lorwen initially wanted to reply by saying that he's a bit more of a fiery boy than that but Ren's smile mesmerized him before he could move his lips so all he did in the end was nod.

Ren slowly ran his hands over Lorwen's inner thighs before giving the tip of his small, hard dick a gentle kiss. Once his hands arrived by the shaft his fingers swept past Lorwen's balls and eventually arrived at his cock, pulling back the foreskin on it and exposing the cute little head.

Ren closed his eyes as he leaned closer and took the small boyhood into his mouth, listening to his companion's soft gasps and moans as his tongue played around and pleasured the young child's genitals. He eventually started sucking on it to apply a bit more pressure and he was not left without response as Lorwen began arching his back and moving his hips in rhythm, his moans still soft but slightly louder.

Ren's lips eventually separated from the young boy cock and his hands gently grabbed Lorwen by his thighs, dragging him a bit closer and raising up his legs to reveal his hole. Lorwen was shivering from anticipation as Ren aligned his own smooth boy cock against the anus and then gently started applying pressure until it eventually slipped right in.

The pleasure was beyond what words could describe, as Lorwen sighed loudly with satisfaction. Ren kept stroking his thighs, belly and dick as he moved deeper and deeper inside him. Once the full length of his cock was gobbled up by Lorwen's butt he leaned closer to kiss his nipples and neck while gently rubbing his waist and hips with his hands. Lorwen's hands made contact with Ren's shoulders and neck, and he played with his soft black hair while being slowly fucked in the butt.

They carefully listened to each other's breathing and established a rhythm that was comfortable for both of them. It never got particularly fast but it was passionate, and with each thrust the full length of Ren's cock went inside. As the intensity of feelings started to peak Ren leaned in and whispered in Lorwen's ear.

"So, wanna switch to being the rider now?"

Lorwen knew from experience that a change in position is also a good opportunity to cool down a little and draw the experience out. But he wouldn't have refused the opportunity to get into his favorite position anyway. He gently nodded and soon he felt Ren slowly pulling out of him.

The boys took their time rearranging themselves. Ren made himself comfortable lying on his back and spread his legs a bit as Lorwen positioned himself above his companion's hips. At first he just rubbed his butt against Ren's cock, playfully teasing it, then reached back with a hand and after a gentle squeeze he guided it into the crack between his two perfectly round bubbly mounds.

He pushed the tip against his hole, but did not insert it just yet. Instead he moved his hips up and down and rubbed Ren's cock against his crack. This gave them enough time so that Ren would not be immediately overwhelmed when his smooth dick finally did slip through the cute little ring.

The time did eventually come though, and Lorwen did not hesitate to have the full length inside him again, his buttcheeks touching Ren's hips as he lowered himself onto the other boy. The Dawn Elf child's hands grabbed his waist firmly as blue and red eyes locked and the ride began. While there were a lot of other kids around them, and Lorwen even saw the woman from earlier passing by from the corner of his eye, this time his full attention was on his partner, despite having sex in the open.

Ren was visibly enjoying the sensation and it felt so amazing to bring joy to this beautiful boy that was fucking him. Lorwen felt almost as much warmth in his heart as he did in his butt and cock. Then, as the rhythm reached its fastest pace and Lorwen was arching his back and spreading his legs as much as he could the whole thing finally peaked, with an explosion of pleasure in Lorwen's cock and a huge load being shot up his butt.

After the panting stopped and Ren eventually pulled out Lorwen noticed that something warm was leaking from his ass. He reached back and gathered some with his fingers to look at it. It was a nice, sticky white material.

"Wow!" he said with a happy grin, "So you Dawn Elves can cum even at this young age? What do you even need a fertility festival for?" he asked playfully.

"We can cum," Ren laughed, "But the genetic material inside is not ready yet. That's still going to take a good bit of time."

Lorwen licked all the cum off his fingers.

"It tastes sweet!" he declared cheerfully.

Then before Ren could say anything he raised his hips and moved back, so that he could lick it all off of his cock.

"Ahm, the next part of the ritual is getting cleaned up in the lake," Ren raised a hand, laughing, "We can't do that if you eat it all up right now."

"Ah, sorry," Lorwen chuckled, "Lead on then."

The boys got up and Ren gently took Lorwen by the hand again. With cum still leaking from his butt they slowly walked into the lake until the water reached all the way up to their bellybuttons. Ren then smiled at Lorwen and walked behind him, then reached in between his bubble butt and started stroking him in the crack and cleaning the cum out of his hole. It was still an immensely pleasurable experience not unlike a fingering. Once done Ren gave Lorwen's bubble butt a firm squeeze before returning to face him.

Even though Lorwen had sucked off the majority of the cum before, he could guess that by the ritual it was his turn now to clean Ren up. He touched his package and began gently scrubbing it with the help of the water from the lake, with motions not entirely dissimilar to a handjob. Once they were both clean again they locked lips, embraced by the everlasting sunrise of Vorthos.

Eventually it was time to leave the lake and get back to the bed they had used. As per tradition Ren dressed Lorwen up in the soft ritual robe without him having to move a finger, and then he got dressed himself. Holding hands Ren guided his companion back to their hotel room, and Lorwen was happy that this time they didn't cross paths with the woman from earlier. But above all he was overwhelmed with happiness, joy and peace from the fertility ritual. He experienced something truly special, something that, most likely, he would never have experienced if he did not come to Vorthos.

Chapter 5
The Floating Passage

Continuing the journey, after several more hills, valleys, rivers and mountains they finally arrived at their destination. The Floating Passage lay in front of them. It was a huge chasm that broke the landscape into two parts, with a thick cloud of mist shrouding the other side in mystery. Inside the chasm though, hundreds upon hundreds of small pieces of rock floated around in mid air.

"So, this is it," Ren said standing at the edge.

"Wow!" Lorwen exclaimed, "It must be some kind of natural magical phenomenon."

"It has been here since the oldest memories of the Dawn Elves," Ren replied.

"So, how does it work? Do you have to jump from one floating rock to another?" Lorwen tilted his head.

"No, of course not," Ren said, "It's actually pretty much the opposite. If you have inner peace, the rocks will move under your feet as you walk, forming a passage."

"Really?" Lorwen was amazed.

"Yeah, that's why it's called the Floating Passage. But it only forms under the feet of those who have not even a shred of doubt in their heart. If you hesitate, the rocks will disperse and you will fall."

"That's… pretty serious," Lorwen said.

"There's a reason why it is considered such an accomplishment to cross the Floating Passage. It means that your mind is free of struggles, of doubt and fear."

"I have made my decision," Lorwen replied firmly, "And I will cross the Floating Passage to achieve my goal."

"That's good to hear," Ren smiled.

"What about you?" Lorwen looked up at his companion.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Ren said, "As I said, I used to live in the area as a kid. I learned to cross the Floating Passage long ago. In fact, I think it's probably best if I go first. That way you'll see how it works, and that the stones really do move under your feet."

Lorwen took a deep breath then looked at Ren and nodded.

"Go on then," he said.

Ren nodded back at him then approached the chasm. He put his palms together and recited some kind of ancient mantra, before making a large step forward into the chasm. Immediately a stone flew right under his foot and Ren placed his weight on it. Then he moved his other leg forward and again a nearby floating stone moved under his foot to hold him. His motion was confident and his pace was relatively fast, as each time he made a step a floating stone hurried to support him. Eventually he disappeared into the mist and only minutes later Lorwen heard his voice.

"I've crossed," he shouted from the other side.

"Okay," Lorwen shouted back, "I'm coming then."

He also approached t he edge of the chasm and looked at the floating pieces of rock. He could not see the bottom though. And while he had no ancient mantra to recite or any special technique to prepare, he simply thought of Tiilnaryth, the Rōnin, the Botoke-Sama, Aenwey, Nalanté and Ren. All the elves who helped him get this far, and for whose sake he was going to complete what he set out to do.

He made the first step, and just knew that a stone would fly right under his foot. He pushed forward almost as if he commanded the stones, as opposed to the Floating Passage testing his resolve. He wasn't going to stop, or fail, this close to his goal. As he carried on and entered the mist he eventually realized he was not walking alone. The Rōnin was right next to him, walking the path with him. He looked up at the tall, blue-eyed elf whose face was partly covered by his stray dark locks of hair and who looked down at him with an encouraging smile. Lorwen returned the smile before he made a determined nod to his old self and continued pushing ever forward.

When he once again felt the softness of earth and grass under his feet he felt permeated by determination. He looked around and quickly found Ren, who was staring with wide open eyes at the chasm, his expression was of utter shock. Lorwen quickly spun around to see what was behind him, and he too was floored by the magnificent arch bridge the rocks formed in his path. It even had decorations and was wide enough for at least three elves to walk side by side on it.

"How is this even possible?" Ren whispered.

Lorwen smiled.

"I didn't walk alone," he said softly, "The Rōnin was with me. Don't worry, this won't happen on the way back."

Ren quickly gathered his composure.

"Again and again, the power you bring from your past never ceases to amaze me," he said shaking his head.

Lorwen smiled and patted his shoulder.

"Let's continue, shall we?"

"So, where to from now?" Ren asked, "This is where the crystalline compass pointed to."

"I dunno, let's check it again," Lorwen said as he fished the little glass orb out of his pocket, "It's still pointing forward."

"Let me see." Ren held out his hand and Lorwen gave him the compass.

Just like before, when Ren had the compass in his hand he closed his eyes and the crystal fragments separated and started circling around the center of the sphere.

"There's a new destination in it now," he said, "It's called The Shrine."

"Maybe the Mist Temple you mentioned," Lorwen suggested.

"I don't think that's in the direction the compass is pointing to," Ren said as he allowed the crystal fragments to assemble again and come to rest at a certain angle.

"Well then, we just follow the compass," Lorwen shrugged.

"Yeah, makes sense," Ren agreed.

As they were walking the plains in the rays of the eternal sunrise Lorwen had a few questions to ask.

"Is this place completely surrounded by the Floating Passage?" he asked.

"As far as I know," Ren answered, "But there has never been an official expedition that crossed it and tried to go as far as they could."

"Why has nobody built something like a rope bridge over it?"

"Any structure you attempt to build over it collapses," then looking at Lorwen he added, "No, there is no explanation. Not the kind that would satisfy you."

"Okay, then why don't elves who can cross carry others across?"

"Because the doubts and fears of those others would burden the carrier as well," Ren explained, "The stones will only support pure inner peace on the whole."

"I see," Lorwen nodded, "And so what's with the Mist Temple? What are they doing here?"

"I don't really know. That's quite a way farther to the North. Obviously to become their disciple you have to first prove your worth by crossing the Floating Passage."

"If you can already do that, what else could you learn from a bunch of monks?" Lorwen chuckled.

"Well maybe one day you can go and see," Ren smiled.

After what must have been at least several more hours of walking following the compass they finally came across a small shrine in the middle of nowhere. It represented a meditating elf.

"It looks like the Botoke-Sama," Lorwen said excitedly.

"That's weird. We don't build wayshrines to him on Vorthos," Ren noted.

"Well, do you see any roads around here?" Lorwen raised an eyebrow.

"No, good point," Ren chuckled.

"Alright then, let's take a closer look."

The statue was clearly in a meditating position, but it had its hands held out forming a bowl. On instinct Lorwen took the compass and placed it into the statue's hand. For a moment nothing happened, but then suddenly the crystal inside shattered into millions of pieces in a bright flash of yellow light. In front of the statue the ground started shaking and a stone block from the foundation moved to the side, revealing a hidden section that contained a bundled up black sword.

"This is it," Lorwen whispered, "The Noroiken."

"The aberrant weapon," Ren said with a shiver in his tone.

"The power to kill gods," Lorwen added.

"There's something propped against it," Ren noticed, "A letter?"

Lorwen carefully reached into the secret compartment and took the object which from the touch was very much a paper envelope.

"It must have been preserved through the use of some magic," he said, "If it's as old as the Noroiken itself that is."

"What does it say?" Ren asked.

Lorwen opened the envelope and pulled out a thin piece of paper. It was handwritten and it looked like the characters were drawn with great care.

"Dearest Tiilnaryth" Lorwen began reading the letter.

"In here lies the weapon that you gifted to me back in those joyful times, when we were both children. After your death I blamed myself, that I failed to protect you despite possessing a weapon.

And so I embarked on a quest to gather power, and I've gained so much of it more than I would ever have dared to dream of before. I even clashed with the gods to protect your heritage and leave the land in the hands of those you trusted.

But I can only hope that you would have been proud of me, because on the way I have committed many ruthless deeds. I slowly came to realize that all that power had consumed me, and so I decided to put an end to it and destroy the weapon that served as its vessel. But that blade was a gift from you, a gift from the elf that I have loved the most in my life. A gift from my one and only Tiilnaryth.

As such I could not bring myself to do any harm to something that you have entrusted to me. Be it a simple sword or the vessel of the power to rule the world, it doesn't matter. The only thing I can think of is you, and that this blade is the last thing that I can remember you by. My final memory of you.

So I have decided to bury the blade here, under the watchful eye of the Botoke-Sama, beyond the Floating Passage in the depths of Vorthos where it was born, and where hopefully no evil will ever find it. Back on Nalma Tyr I have made everyone believe that I've destroyed the blade. Please forgive my weakness, Tiilnaryth. It is all I could do.

As I have traveled the plains of Vorthos I couldn't help but realize how beautiful the home of Nōrium is. My only wish now is that you could have seen it yourself, lived here and experienced the extraordinary beauty of the planet of Eternal Dawn.

Farewell, my dearest friend, and may we meet again in the next life."

"Lorwen, are you okay?" Ren asked as his companion was choking on the final words of the letter, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with shivering voice, "It's just, this damn letter is like a punch in the gut."

Ren put an arm around Lorwen's shoulder, then slowly turned him around and embraced him in a tight hug.

"It's okay. It's all fine now," he said softly.

"Yeah," Lorwen managed to say, "Even that you… that you were reborn as a Dawn Elf. To think…"

"Life has this funny way of making up for things, doesn't it?" Ren said softly, stroking Lorwen's back.

"You're happy here… on Vorthos. Right?"

"I don't think there's a better place in the entire world. There isn't anywhere else where I'd rather be," Ren reassured him.

"Than I guess it's really alright. I'm… I'm happy that it turned out like this in the end," Lorwen said, regaining his composure.

"Then let's give this a complete ending, shall we?" Ren said pointing at the bundled up sword.

Lorwen's eyes slowly moved to the real Noroiken, lying in front of them. His eyes filled with determination and resolve.

"You're right," he said, his voice no longer shaking.

He held out his hand, and summoned the blade. This time it wasn't the echo that answered. The blade had risen, the black fabric it was wrapped in falling off it, then slowly it emerged from its scabbard, the black metal emitting a strong blue glow. Finally the blade snapped into Lorwen's hand and the boy could feel the shiver of trembling power running through his entire body.

"Are you ready?" Ren asked.

"I am," Lorwen answered.

Chapter 6
Something Ends, Something Begins

Lorwen held out the Noroiken in his right hand. He did the same thing he did countless times before when he recalled the weapon into the mark on his wrist. But he knew that this time it would be different. This time, it would destroy the weapon. He gathered all his strength and he did what had to be done.

The blade immediately started glowing blue, but so too did the mark on his wrist, and soon a sharp pain pierced into it. He screamed and Ren started rushing closer but Lorwen held up his left hand to signal him to stay back. The blade and the mark continued to glow but not much else happened in the next few moments so Lorwen channeled even more of his strength into it.

The blue light intensified and soon it was so strong that objects around them started getting shadows from it, even large things like the wayshrine and Ren himself. The pain grew so strong that Lorwen fell to his knees and grasped his right wrist with his left hand. The blade would no longer separate from his flesh as cracks began to appear on the black metal from which even stronger light burst out. Lorwen screamed as much as his lungs allowed him as his right hand was engulfed in a blinding blue glow.

Slowly pieces of the Noroiken were gently breaking off the blade and burned away in the blue glow as they drifted with the wind. Starting from the tip the Noroiken began to disintegrate and the same thing was happening to the mark on Lorwen's wrist. Parts of it burned off and like charred pieces of paper drifted away until nothing remained.

In the end Lorwen was left gasping on the ground, his right arm held out but it no longer had anything on it. The mark had disappeared too. He gingerly pulled it back and touched the place where the mark first appeared all those years ago in his childhood dream with the Botoke-Sama.

"It's finally over," he whispered.

"Yeah." Ren was visibly relieved, "And now you can fully live your own life, free of the burdens of your past."

"Thank you for coming all this way with me," Lorwen replied after a moment of silence.

"Don't mention it" Ren said softly. Then he added, "Even the letter seems to have burned away."

"It fulfilled its purpose," Lorwen said quietly.

"So what now?" Ren asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lorwen nodded.

"We should probably go then," Ren said.

Lorwen was quiet all the way back to the Floating Passage, and Ren respected that. Not a word was spoken between them.

"You should go first," Lorwen said as they arrived.

"Sure you'll be able to cross?" Ren asked, slightly worried.

"Of course," Lorwen looked up, his eyes suddenly confident and resolute, "I did what I came here to do. I passed all the trials. What is one more challenge at this point?"

"Alright then," Ren smiled, then began making his way across the chasm.

Lorwen soon followed him. The thoughts in his mind still kept racing but his heart was at peace. He had been able to conclude this painful story from all those thousands of years ago. And the boy who once was Tiilnaryth couldn't be in a better place today. He felt joy thinking of Ren, and he felt the stones glide under his feet as he walked across the Floating Passage.

He thought of Aenwey too, who waited for him back at home. How excited he would be to hear all the details of the story. He'd be totally blown away by the part when the stones formed a full width arch bridge as he walked along with the Rōnin across the Floating Passage.

Well, of course he was not gonna have all that power anymore. He'd have to do it all on his own from now on, manage with his own strength. His past would not help him overcome any more challenges. Wpuld he be able to hold his own? And at that his next step slipped into the void with nothing to support him. Except for the hand that caught his wrist. Lorwen opened his eyes and he was right at the edge of the Floating Passage, with Ren holding him, his feet already on solid ground.

"You'll be able to manage," he said warmly as he pulled him up.

"Thanks," Lorwen said sheepishly, "I should have just jumped I guess."

"Sometimes it's okay to rely on the help of others," Ren reassured him, and Lorwen reesponded with a warm smile.

Back in the city where they had started their journey they slept together one last time before Lorwen's ship would take off on the flight back to Nalma Tyr. Ren came with him to the space port to see him off. As they were waiting in the terminal he suddenly turned to Lorwen.

"Hey, ahm listen. I thought a lot about it, and I want you to have this."

With that he undid the sleeve of his Nōrium blade that had been tied to his waist and held it out in front of Lorwen.

"Are you… sure about this?" the blue eyed little elf boy was shocked by the offer.

"You've trained hard, faced the past of Vorthos and your own as well. You made the right decision and were not seduced by power. You are worthy to wield the flesh of Vorthos."

"And what about you?" Lorwen asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a kid from Vorthos, I'll get another one," Ren grinned.

"In that case, I'd be honored," Lorwen smiled.

Ren handed him the blade and Lorwen carefully fastened the sleeve around his waist.

"It's not as practical to carry as your previous one, nor is it as powerful, but I hope it'll serve you well," Ren smiled.

"You don't know how much this means to me," Lorwen said quietly.

"I think I can imagine," Ren replied softly, "Just keep in mind that this is a gift from Ren Eiyl-Wynn, and not from Yamaken Tiilnaryth, okay? That's my one condition."

"I will honor that." Lorwen smiled, "And I accept it as Aokawa Lorwen."

"Let the past stay in the past then," Ren nodded.

"Yeah. And I'm looking forward to what's yet to come," Lorwen grinned.

"About that…" Ren looked to the side for a moment, "Ahm, do you think you will apply to be a transfer student to the Vorthos Academy?"

"Is that possible?" Lorwen's eyes lit up.

"With a recommendation from a Dawn Elf student, yeah sure," Ren smiled, "And you've got that one covered already."

"Thanks! I'd love to!"

"Let's look forward to it then," Ren smiled.

"Right!" Lorwen nodded.

"Well your ship is about to launch. You don't have much time."

"Yeah. I guess I should get going then. See you, Ren."

"See you!"

As the young nut-brown-haired elf turned around to head to the boarding section the little Dawn Elf boy pressed his lips together then took a deep breath and called out to him.

"Hey Lorwen!"

"Yeah?" the blue eyed elf boy turned around.

Ren held out his right hand towards him.

"Friends?"

Lorwen's eyes filled with joy and he grabbed the hand held out to him with both of his own.

"Friends!"

The End