Silent Autumn Grove — Border of the Seasons

  The wind blew between the trees with the sound of ancient whispers. Golden leaves danced in slow spirals, even without a breeze. The ground was covered in amber moss and roots that seemed to move, too light to be stone, too alive to be wood.

  Leli Fernandes stood at the entrance of the trail. She took a deep breath.

  — So this is it…

  Beside her, Sarya crossed her arms, her eyes studying the vegetation like someone assessing an opponent before battle. The huntress carried her spear strapped to her back, but her senses were alert.

  — From here on, you cannot lie to the forest — Sarya finally said. — If you lie, it answers with silence.

  — What do you mean? — Leli asked.

  Sarya turned and looked into her eyes seriously.

  — The trees listen. The winds feel. And the thorns… touch your soul. Here, either you find yourself… or you get lost. Be kind and truthful to the forest, and it will answer you. If you respect the forest, you will be able to hear it.

  Leli’s eyes were shining… thinking she would hear a voice from beyond.

  Sarya gave a small smile.

  The Patriarch of Autumn, wrapped in ceremonial robes to receive the new members of Autumn, waited for them in the main clearing. There were no buildings — only giant trees with carved doors in their trunks, glowing fungi serving as lights, and crystal veins flowing like luminous sap.

  — Welcome, Leli Fernandes — he said. — The Path of Autumn is not a road. It is a season. And because of that… it transforms you from within.

  Leli bowed lightly, nervous.

  — I am ready to learn.

  — You are not — the Patriarch replied with a half smile. — But you came. And that is the first step.

  When Leli lifted her eyes, she saw more and more people arriving, guided by Autumn elves — humans, variant elves, demi-humans, and even some dwarves. Everyone who had received Autumn’s blessing was there to approach the season.

  He made a gesture with his twisted-root staff. Two elves emerged from the mist, wearing moss robes and with light reddish eyes. They led the newcomers deeper into the forest.

  — AURELIUS — he spoke calmly — you had plenty of time to enjoy the festival and feel the adrenaline of that cowardly attack we suffered. From now on, you will learn to hear Autumn. Everything depends on you — on befriending the forest, the grove, and the river. Listen to nature, and it will welcome you. Good luck to all of you. Good luck, Leli. Sarya will not be able to accompany you from here on. But remember: the forest is always watching.

  ---

  Days later…

  Leli walked among living roots, her bare feet stepping over leaves that seemed to whisper. She had learned to meditate on suspended branches, to hunt without killing, and to hear stories recorded in the trunks of ancient trees. But she also learned to face her own fears in deep silences.

  On the third night, during a lunar ceremony, an elf whispered in her ear:

  — Autumn is not falling. It is surrender.

  Sarya watched from afar. From time to time, they exchanged words during training. Leli would miss her stance, lose her balance with the spear, and lose focus. But she never gave up. And over time, Sarya began to smile. Just a little. But she smiled.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ---

  In the fourth week, during a silent hunt with amber-shelled spiritual spiders, Leli fell into a trap of crimson roots.

  Her ankles caught, she grew irritated.

  — I’m not made for this… I can’t hear anything the Autumn elves hear to become monsters in the hunt. They’re feared for that strong hunting instinct — without a doubt, terrifying when they want to be. But I’m human… how do I hear a forest? I thought it would be easy.

  Sarya appeared behind her, crouched, steady.

  — You are only seeing yourself for the first time. Don’t forget you also have elven blood in your veins.

  She was startled. When had Sarya appeared?

  Sarya cut the roots with her spear, pulled Leli up by the arms, and held her in silence for a few seconds.

  — In the forest that listens… even tears and frustrations tell stories. There is no need to be ashamed.

  That day, Leli began calling Sarya “master.” But deep down… something more began to grow. Admiration. Trust. A kind of silent affection — the kind that only grows when you are at war with yourself.

  ---

  That night…

  Leli, in the middle of the night, feeling the cold Autumn breeze, placed her hand on an ancient tree, trying to connect with Autumn and the red angelim tree of the Autumn elves.

  — You are the red angelim, right? The one who grants blessings to the red elves. They like being called “red,” but I prefer “Autumn elves.” It suits you better.

  She waited. Any answer… from the tree, the forest… anything.

  She smiled like the child she still was, her bare feet on the earth, the smell of moss from the old tree, the trunks gently knocking together in the breeze.

  — Hey, Rubra… that’s what the elves call you. Mother Rubra… what is it like to see humans, elves, and other races smiling together here in the South? My father is amazing, right? He created an incredible region. No one dares question our rule here. Thank you for everything you and the other Seasons have done for us too, even though we are not elves.

  “Blue Frost, the blue angelim of Winter” — they say he doesn’t like being called shaved ice. But it’s such a cute nickname. Since the snowflakes in the Winter groves never stop. It’s snow all the time, haha.

  “Burning Kiss, the yellow angelim of Summer” — she is very kind and loves warmth, hugs, and laughter. I think she’s the funniest, very similar to Matriarch Helena Summer and her daughter. They say she gives kisses to heal, but elves feel their bodies burn a little, and humans scream in pain. According to the stories, that’s where the name “Burning Kiss” comes from. It’s so much love it burns, hahaha.

  And “Little Flower, the pink angelim of Spring”… her name is Sakura. From what I’ve heard, she must be very sad with me right now… and probably causing trouble with you. Sorry for bringing these problems to you, Mother Rubra.

  Tears fell as the girl rested her forehead against the trunk.

  — I know I should have chosen Spring as my primary anchor… Since my mother is a Spring elf. She stopped being Matriarch just to marry my father, going against the entire clan and my grandmother…

  Grandma never accepted Dad, right? And she died without ever accepting, I think. She never wanted to see me because she considered me a mixed-blood disgrace, the breaking of everything the Spring elves believe: never mixing blood with humans…

  Because they are monsters who enslave, kill, violate, do whatever they want because they are powerful. Greedy for power, without any honor to keep a promise made. They betray without any remorse in their hearts.

  She wanted to execute me… for being half-human. But she didn’t want to go to war with my father, since he wasn’t hostile and she knew very well she couldn’t defeat him. But she couldn’t swallow the fact that he was human and had “stolen” her daughter from the clan. Funny, right, Mother Rubra? Even though he was respected, respect is not affection nor acceptance.

  Half-human aberration — that’s what they called me. And to this day, elves still don’t fully accept us. I understand, Mother Rubra… they went through a lot over thousands of years. But I thought here in the South that would fade away… but it only stayed hidden, compressed. Every day they talk, but you can see the distrust in their eyes… fear.

  Some have genuine curiosity.

  Others fall in love and marry humans.

  And others hate us, even if we’ve done no harm. Ah… just the word “human” weighs, and for them that’s enough to hate us, to keep their distance, to never trust.

  Mixed-blood is a total taboo. And even Dad cannot interfere in the elven clans, because that would only create more distrust and questions: “Why does a human want to tell us what to do in our clan?”

  That’s why this work is left for the Patriarchs of the Seasons to deal with. It has improved a lot, but hurt and resentment are not things that disappear overnight. And elves are very resentful when hurt — they keep everything. They live thousands of years, and everything is still vivid in their memory.

  My father is respected and loved, but not accepted by many. And I want to change that, Mother Rubra. To show that we can be elves too, even if we are only half.

  My mother lost everything for a long time because of me. The entire clan hated her for giving birth to a human’s daughter. It was unacceptable, even if he was a hero who created a safe refuge for them. It was unacceptable anyway, because he was human… and that they would never forget.

  And that was how it remained until my aunt took over the clan after Grandma’s death… and allowed my mother to return to our clan as a member of royalty.

  I love my aunt and Little Flower for allowing her return.

  Everyone expected me to go to Spring… but I chose my red anchor to anchor the other seasons. I was blessed by all of them, so I have all the anchors, right? I just decided to start with Autumn. My heart will always be Spring’s. Tell Little Flower that, please.

  I love all of you, Seasons. I am also an elf… even if I don’t have pointed ears.

  ---

  Some Autumn elves passed by whispering:

  — Look, it’s the half-elf, daughter of the Patriarch of the South…

  — Thinking she’ll be able to hear the forest. Many came, but no one except elves connected with the Autumn groves.

  — As expected. Humans and other races don’t understand the forest. They only understand destroying and taking advantage of everything they see.

  Leli listened in silence, tears falling. Her frustration was great. No one besides elves had managed to hear until now.

  They froze when they saw Sarya leaning nearby, watching with deep amber eyes glowing in the dark.

  — Hurry, go! Sarya might kill us if we go too far.

  Leli closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

  — I opened my heart… and you still don’t trust me?

  For the first time, she heard the forest back.

  It whispered:

  — You have a sweet heart, young child of the seasons… sweet like the heart of Alara. I will pass your message to Little Flower and the other Seasons.

  But what I have to tell you is…

  “Lukas still carries the war… but you, little seed, carry the seasons — and one day you will change the entire elven kingdom.”

  Leli smiled. And promised:

  — I will be ready when the time comes, Mother Rubra. When I meet him again… I will be strong enough to support him more. And worthy of changing this harsh fate… of prejudice.

  Sarya felt the forest smile. The red angelim of Autumn was happy with that child who grew up being called an aberration, but never broke.

  Sarya smiled.

  — I knew you could do it. You are an elf too, after all.

  End of Chapter 1