Ethereal

04- The Day (Y/N) Was Send To Elf Land

"It's very bright."

Fitz laughed. "Yeah, the gate absorbs light, so no one can lightleap inside. My dad works for the Council, so he likes his privacy at home."

A faint click rang through the air, and the gates swung inward. A tall figure stood in a small, grassy clearing, surrounded by tall trees that (Y/N) had never seen before. A midnight blue cape was draped around their shoulders, fastened by a clasp that looked like a pair of yellow, diamond encrusted wings.They had the same features as Fitz, all the way to the teal eyes.

"Sophie, (Y/N), meet my father, Alden."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sophie and (Y/N). I see Fitz wasn't kidding about the brown eyes. Most unusual." Alden said, his accent even more prominent than Fitz's.

"Thanks?" (Y/N) questioned, while Sophie flushed.

Alden smiled. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about. I actually think the color is quite pretty. Don't you think so Fitz?"

Fitz nodded, but spoke just as quickly. "Did you tell anyone else where Sophie was?"

"Only the Council. Why?"

"Someone tried to take Sophie this morning."

(Y/N) looked at Sophie, who looked away.

"Are you okay?" Alden asked in worry.

"Yeah. he never got close enough to grab me. It just looked like he wanted to."

"Humans," Alden muttered. (Y/N) could agree, and she lived with humans.

"Actually, Sophie thought he might be an elf."

Silence. Fitz and Alden shared a look before Alden spoke. "Kidnapping is a human crime. I've never heard of an elf even thinking about that-much less trying it."

Really? Was crime that unusual here?

(Y/N) zoned out, thinking about it deeply. When she zoned back, she saw Sophie had moved to where Alden was. the taller male had two fingers pressed against Sophie's head.

"Well. You are indeed a fascinating girl." He said when he removed his hand a long, long time later.

"Couldn't hear her either, could you?" Fitz said, triumph in his voice.

Alden shook his head. "I wonder," He said, looking at (Y/N). "If it could be the same case for (Y/N)?"

(Y/N) froze as everyone looked at her. "Wait, for what?"

Fitz shook his head. "If your mind is unreadable, like Sophie's."

Oh. They were mind readers. All of them.

Alden reached a hand forward, pausing just before it touched (Y/N)'s head. "Do you mind?"

(Y/N) hesitated, before shaking her head. Alden's fingers touched her head.

A long time passed. (Y/N) had started to get bored and looked around, whistling a soft tune under her breath. She crossed her arms, and slightly slouched, already tired of this.

"Indeed. It was the exact same case." Alden finally said, breaking the silence and pulling back.

Alden smiled, but his smile turned into a frown quickly. His head snapped towards Fitz. "I specifically told you to not let them light leap without a nexus."

"Sorry, we were in a hurry. But, we're completely fine. I had us covered."

"That's not the point." Alden scolded, holding his hand out. Fitz dug around in his pocket once more, pulling out two small, black cuffs and handing it to him. Alden clamped the cuff around (Y/N)'s wrist, twisting it until it fit snug, then moved to Sophie to do the same thing to her.

"What is it?"

"It's a safety precaution. When you light leap, your body breaks down into tiny particles that the light can carry to your destination. The nexus holds your particles together, to avoid you from fading. When your level of concentration reaches a certain level, you will be able to light leap without it."

"What does it mean to fade?" Sophie asks.

Alden pauses, looking off into the distance like in those dramatic movies where a character is remembering a memory. "It's when your body loses too much of itself in a leap, and when you can't reform, the light takes you away and your lost forever."

(Y/N) gulped, shuddering.

"It's only happened a few times, and we'd like to keep it that way." Alden shoots Fitz a reproving look.

Fitz scowls. "Fine. Next time you send me on a secret mission to retrieve two long-lost elves, I'll be sure to put the nexus' on before I leap them here."

Alden looked like he wanted to smile when he gestured for Fitz, Sophie, and (Y/N) to follow him. "We shouldn't keep our guests waiting."