Prologue:
A Chance Meeting in the Forest
“WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!” A hulking monster blocked my way through the dense, overgrown forest. “Dang, you’re a huge one, aintcha?”
The monster’s body was covered in thick black hair. It had to be twice my size, maybe more. Assuming that bulk wasn’t just for show, this toothy furball could probably pack a powerful punch.
I just couldn’t stop the corners of my mouth from curving into a grin. I’d spent over ten years in this deadly forest, and I could tell the monster in front of me was a top-tier nasty-strong son of a gun.
Nice.
Going all out in a death match with something that powerful? I was so happy I could hardly stand it!
“GRAAAHH!”
Seeing me smile—which, okay, was maybe a little inappropriate—the monster let out a roar and flew into a rage. Giving in to its violent fury, it rushed straight at me. Its movements were quick, its huge body belying a hidden agility. Um, nice? Rad as hell?
“Come on, let’s go! Hooah!”
I swung my fist at the oncoming mass of shaggy death. In the next instant, my fist and the monster’s claws collided. With a satisfying snap the monsters claws shattered and went flying.
The monster couldn’t hide its shock at this setback. When in a battle to the death, that kind of pause is fatal. Without losing an ounce of focus, I swung my fist again with the same force.
Crack! I connected directly with the monster’s abdomen and it sailed several hundred miles through the air. In the distance, trees tumbled and collapsed as the monster’s bulk careened into the depths of the forest.
The last thing I heard was a thunderous roar reverberating through the dark. When I tracked the monster down, all I found was its lifeless body.
“Welp,” I said with a shrug, looking over the mass of fallen trees and the cratered ground. “I’ve seen better.”
✦ ✦ ✦
“Whew, what a catch! This is going to fill me right up!”
A lone man made his way home, looking in high spirits. That guy just so happened to be me, and I was strolling through the lush forest to my little cottage while I lugged my massive, freshly slain monster.
Though when I stopped and thought about it, I realized I’d better wash before I got back. I’d gotten a little scuffed in that last battle, after all. I stopped by the lake on the way to clean myself up.
When I looked into the water’s surface, I saw the reflection of blue sky and white clouds above, and beneath? Yours truly. Black eyes in the front, black hair up top, all rippling in the lake. Pretty unusual color combination, or so I’ve read. I’m, oh, around five seven—average, you know?—though I’m a bit beefier than your average joe. That’s what the books I’d found indicated, at least.
As for the name, it’s Yuri. Since I didn’t really have any parent-types around, I decided on the name for myself. Came in second place behind “Beefcake.” I think I was probably around eighteen years old.
I say “probably” because I don’t remember exactly when I wound up in that forest. By the time I was really aware of things, I was just…there, by myself. So yeah, no certain age and a name I had to pick all on my own, but it was what it was. Honestly, aside from the whole “living in a secluded forest” thing, I was probably a normal sort of guy you’d find anywhere.
“All right. Time to head home.”
After getting myself all squeaky clean, I once again started back toward my cottage.
“Still, gotta say, I sure was lucky to run into such a hefty monster.”
Aw yeah, I’d be livin’ it up for a while after a good hunt like that. I puffed out my chest, envisioning the rich meals in store. Heck, if I fried it on up, I could stuff my face with it right quick.
Just as I was thinking about getting the proper fixings together for a good fry, I felt something strange. The air around me was tense. It’s difficult to put into words, but it clearly felt different from the usually peaceful atmosphere of my forest home. When I searched for signs of what might be off, I found indications that there was someone or something in the area near my cottage.
Another monster?
“Now that’s what you call luck!” I exclaimed. Another battle already!
Heart pounding, I broke into a run, my soon-to-be-fried prey still slung over my shoulder. Fortunately for me, my little abode was just a stone’s throw away.
Now then, what kinda monster was this new one going to be? The stronger the better, if you asked me. I was still jonesing for a rampage. Blood pumping, ready to punch, I finally skidded to a stop in the clearing before my front door.
Except the prey I’d been dreaming of wasn’t there. It was just…some strange girl standing out front.
“This is a house, isn’t it?” she muttered to herself, staring at my little forest home. It seemed like she hadn’t noticed me yet because she was in a daze. Thinking to herself, apparently. I took the opportunity to cautiously assess her.
Silver hair, silver eyes, and long, pointed ears. She didn’t seem to be a human like me, more like she was a different race entirely. The feature that really drew me in was her face—she was beautiful! She was cute, lovely, and just elegant, ya know? It was like her face was molded into the embodiment of all the world’s beauty, and for a few moments, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Above the waist, she wore a form-fitting white top that showed off her curves, and below the waist she wore a loose, flowing skirt.
Even at a glance, her style floored me. She looked about one fist shorter than me, and her waist was long and slender. Although her chest wasn’t the biggest, so what? She was basically an exquisite work of art, a masterpiece.
I could barely believe she was just here in front of my house. Though more startling than her beauty was the fact that anyone was here. All this time living in the forest and I’d rarely ever actually seen another person. I definitely never thought someone else would wander this deep into the savage, untamed woods…
Ohhhh, no, that had to be it. I wasn’t suffering from some kind of head-over-heels love-at-first-sight thing, I just couldn’t control the throbbing of my heart because I hadn’t met another person in such a long time. That was what was going on. Yeah, definitely.
While my mind was bouncing all over the place, the mysterious beauty was lost in thought, her finger on her chin and a pensive look on her face.
“Why is there a cottage here of all places? Should I try and…go inside? No, this isn’t the time to hesitate.”
It seemed she still hadn’t noticed me. In that case, I had to try get her attention. I calmed down—deep breath, come on, Yuri—and called out to the lady. “Hail, stranger. What, uh, business do you have at my humble abode?”
“Whaa?!” She let out a shriek that seemed unbefitting of an elegant woman like herself. The look she gave me was completely shocked. “I-I’m sorry. You surprised me…”
“Oh, no, no, I’m sorry for surprising you like that. It’s just, uh, this is the first time I’ve met someone else in the forest. What are you even doing here, though?”
“I just wanted directions. Can you help me get out of here?”
She explained that her name was Filia Windia, and she was a seventeen-year-old elf. (And you know, I’d read that elves were famously beautiful, but I never imagined they could be as goddess-level gorgeous as Filia.) A-anyway, from the sound of it, she’d wandered into the forest and now she didn’t know how to get back home.
As I listened to her story, I crossed my arms and frowned contemplatively at the elf standing in front of me.
She tilted her head up at me as if trying to guess what I was thinking. Her long eyelashes fluttered so prettily when she blinked.
“I see, I see,” I said, nodding sagely. “So, in short…um, say, what’s your name again?”
“Didn’t I introduce myself to you a minute ago? My name is Filia, Fi-li-a. Ah, however, if you wish to call me ‘the transcendentally beautiful elf Miss Filia,’ I wouldn’t be opposed. How do you like the sound of that, hm?” Filia beamed, pressing a finger to her chin.
All right, all right! Sure, she was cute, but there was no need to get carried away. Still…
“Well, all right, I guess. So, in short, oh, transcendentally beautiful elf Miss Filia—”
“Ah! No, I’m sorry! Please just call me Filia, that’s fine!”
“But…you just told me yourself you wanted me to call you that.”
“Yeah, yeah, but hearing it out loud is way more embarrassing than I expected it to be…”
Filia averted her eyes as if to avoid my gaze. Her light cheeks, so pale as to almost be transparent, reddened with a blush.
“Well, let me see if I’ve got this—you’re Filia, you’re an elf, and after leaving your elf village for the first time, you were feeling confident. You charged headfirst into this unfamiliar forest and found yourself unable to find your way home. Is that right?” I asked.