On one side of the bustling inn "The Broken Horn" is Eiren smoking his favorite pipe, he is leaning on a mound of herbs looking at the moon. The cold autumn night accompanied by a spectacular moon generates a feeling of well-being in Eiren.

He does not want to enter the inn, it is noisy and at times it smells unpleasant. He prefers to hang out in the open, especially outside the city where he is drawn to forest animals and nighttime sounds.

He is waiting for a member of the Enclave, an organization to which he has belonged for as long as he can remember. For that reason, he is at the usual meeting point next to the noisy inn. If it weren't for the task of meeting his Enclave contact, he would be quietly hunting for mushrooms in the woods as he often does on these autumn days.

Eiren's outfit goes unnoticed by common eyes. Especially at this time of the night where shadows reign in every corner. His extensive cloak has a hood that covers most of his slim body. His bearded, white-skinned face is the only thing that his clothes allow to see, apart from the hands with various scars that peek out from the cloak. Thick black hair falls down the sides of his soft cheeks. His clothing is completely black and dense, accompanied by silver buckles and clasps with occasional brown leather straps. Beneath the thick cloak he conceals a short sword, hanging from a belt as well as several utility pockets. A leather backpack crosses his chest via a comfortable strap.

Despite his serene state as he gazes at the sink and lamps in the central plaza, he finds himself in deep thought about his next task.

He received a communication from the Enclave Matriarch herself a few hours ago. This may be his chance to rise through the strict hierarchy of the Enclave. He has the impression that upcoming events will allow him to be recognized and valued by his peers.

The Broken Horn is located at the entrance to the colorful and busy central square, in one of the modest sections of the town of Haford. During the day a multitude of fairgrounds offer their wares from different parts of the empire and at night masses of people take advantage of the cool temperatures to socialize. Despite the merchant movement, the imperial government little supports this part of the city, however, the people have organized and keep this place alive and stable.

Midnight is approaching and Eiren begins to scan the shadows, contact from the Enclave must be coming and he is feeling anxious.

Suddenly a crowd gathers in one of the main streets that connect to the center of the square. Soldiers appear shortly after the crowd gave them the step, followed by a pair of horses pulling a cart with a large cage.

The noise caused by the footfall of the soldiers and the gait of the horses is high, curiosity makes people in their homes go out to look through the windows.

'Look! They are Captain Jared's soldiers! They come from the forest!' Says an exalted man accompanied by some men who are passing through the square.

The crowd begins to leave the houses and inns, several of them with sticks and stones in their hands. Other people from the streets come running and take the best position to watch.

Eiren observes the mighty strength of the soldiers of the human empire. All in metal armor and long swords, a distinctive crest with dragon reliefs on the helmet accompanied by a thick mane cover their muscular necks. Parts of the armor are also cleverly forged with lightning and dragon decoration. Dark robes are seen under armor.

The only different soldier is the captain who is mounted on one of the horses. His helmet, unlike the other soldiers, has a carved chinstrap and has a purple cape, it has finely fired golden threads at the end of it.

The soldiers position themselves to one side of the thick pool in the center of the plaza. Captain Jared gets off the horse with a firm movement, landing nimbly on his feet.

Eiren notices movement inside the cage. He is curious and approaches several meters to better observe the scene. He knows well the military units of the empire. He warns that these soldiers are not common, the armor is of good quality, and the martial posture of these men is admirable. They also accompany the well-known Captain Jared, known for an unparalleled tenacity against the enemies of the empire. He is surprised that an elite unit is operating in such a low-key area of ​​the city.

As Eiren walks and dodges the crowd, he notices what's inside the cage. He stops abruptly. He is stunned to realize the content.

'Elves. Cute creatures. Too bad they couldn't escape Jared's hands' a woman at her side commented in a stern but balanced voice.

Eiren stares at her, absorbed. He is stunned by the news of elves in the city and even more so because the Enclave's contact is the woman who made the comment. He knows her from afar in some distant meeting of the organization. She is the prestigious Aerlin, known assassin of the Enclave. She glances at her short brown hair partially covering fine, outlined black eyes. Like Eiren, she has a thick cape that completely covers her body, the olive green of her outfit mixes with the dark clothes of the passers-by who are gathering in the square.

'Be careful lowering your guard like this,' Aerlin says flirtatiously close to Eiren's ears. 'It could have throbbed your heart and no one would have noticed.'

'I believe you…' Eiren replies nervously. 'It's just ... I've never seen them. It's the first time I've seen these creatures.'

'Rightly so, boy, there aren't many of them left. Apparently the last ones left are hiding in the White Woods far away from here,' Aerlin says, looking curiously at the wagon with the cage of rusted iron.

Eiren looks back at the Cage. He observes two males and one female. An infant is sleeping on the lap of one of the males.

The magical beauty of these elves surpasses any previous thoughts he had about them. The elf's pointed ears poke out over her fine silver hair. Males have long blond hair. The complexion of these creatures is milky in color although with noticeable dirt accumulated on the forehead and cheeks.

Despite their apparent beauty, the captives' faces show deep sadness. His glassy eyes of light colors give them a touch of deep suffering. They are in an advanced state of malnutrition and the poor cleanliness of their bodies indicates that they have been suffering atrocities for a very long time.

Captain Jared stands between the crowd and the cage. He watches the audience expectantly and takes a breath.

'!Be quiet! These filthy creatures were seen looting one of the Imperial warehouses. They then escaped with impunity from the city into the forest. It is a crime to steal the resources of the empire' exposes Jared vehemently, staring with intense malice at the surrounding public. ' The punishment is death!'

When the Captain finished speaking, the public went crazy. Several of the inhabitants began to throw stones and food scraps towards the cage. Others less murmur in a low voice and give way to others who are more exalted.

One of the male elves rises from his position, sobbing and trying to articulate a few words.

'We were hungry! We need food for our son, ' the elf cries desperately. He speaks the same language as humans but with a strange accent to Eiren's ears. At the end of the last word, a piece of fruit comes to his face 'Why are they persecuting us if the war ended years ago !?'

The enraged crowd maintains its killing intent. Eiren feels an ancient hatred emanating from people towards these creatures. He knows little about the history of the empire, he knows that in ancient times humans were slaves of an ancient and powerful elven civilization. Eventually the roles were reversed through a great war more than 300 years ago. Humans prevailed and since then elves and other magical creatures are systematically hunted, enslaved and killed.

Eiren doesn't share the general sentiment. He has never felt part of the crowd or the imperial lifestyle and he despises this attitude of the average human. He empathizes with these beings even though he has never seen one so closely.

After a few moments of bustle Captain Jared raises his hand. The mass of people stops throwing objects when they observe the threatening officer.

'I hope it doesn't happen again! This is a warning even to the inhabitants of this city' Jared comments out loud as he walks towards the back door of the cage.

The captain with vicious eyes grabs a rope from the side of the cart. A pair of soldiers line up at the sides of the cage's only crowded door. The officer faces the door as one of the soldiers opens it with a bunch of keys.

The fearful elves begin to back away to the opposite end of the cage. Despite trying to get away from the door one of the males is taken by the arm by Jared. The only thing the elf could do was give a pitiful groan as he was violently pulled out by the powerful hands of the captain.

The infant begins to cry terrified and the elf gets up muttering a couple of unintelligible words.

The door of the cage is quickly closed at the hands of the soldier.

The elf male falls to the ground and is whipped on his sides by Jared's thick boot. Then he with a quick movement of his other hand stretches the rope around the elf's neck. One of the soldiers finishes a knot in the creature's throat while the other attaches the firm rope to the structure of the cart. After securing the elf, the captain rides on his personal horse.

The elf inside the cage clings to the bars, barely keeping her balance as she tries to stay upright. She begins to shout words in a strange language and immediately the crowd begins to calm down.

The tone of her voice is sweet and the elf's gaze is directed at the male lying on the muddy floor of the plaza. Imperceptibly the words become a subtle chant.

Eiren perceives the phrases as a farewell, expressed through irrepressible grief without visible tears.

'!Shut up, witch! Your spells have no power here' Jared shoots a fierce glare at the elf as he gazes at her horse. Now firmly mounted, he waves to the soldiers. 'Soldiers, start walking.'

Eiren watches the scene with deep disgust. He takes a few steps forward with a dire need to stop the brutal act. Aerlin stops him with a gentle hand on her shoulder.

'I see you feel very sorry for them, but there is nothing we can do' Aerlin says softly. 'I need you to listen to me carefully. Regardless of what you feel at this moment, we must carry out our mission. Let's go to the Broken Horn. I will buy you a drink, you will need it'

Eiren fights inside. He looks in horror at the dying body of the male elf with the ropes tied around his neck. He watches as the group of soldier begins to creep up behind Jared. The female elf sticks her arm through the bars as if she is trying to provide her companion with one last affection.

The crowd is stunned. No one is causing a fuss. It is as if the short song of the elf has indented them deep down. They slowly start to disperse.

The group of soldiers advances in a slow procession and the tethered elf begins to be dragged across the cold, damp floor. He is apparently unconscious from the blow from Jared's boot. He leaves a trail of blood on the floor as they go down one of the main streets towards the center of the city.

Eiren sadly begins to back away accompanying the hooded woman. A few seconds later he feels a chill through his body and feels observed.

He instinctively turns around and his gaze meets that of the female elf who is already several meters through a stone portal.

He's attracted to her in ways he doesn't know, as if he has a special connection. Suddenly his mind is invaded by a series of words, as if they were shouting from within. He starts to sweat and shudders. He thinks the elf is doing something to him and his mind is spinning. His head hurts at the base of the neck.

Fleetingly the sensations stop and his gazes stop crossing.

'What happens? Are you OK... ? Eiren!' Aerlin asks seriously.

Eiren comes out of the slumber he was immersed in. He finds himself staring at the blood-spattered ground towards the position where the dying elf was. A small shiny object catches the man's attention. He walks over and picks up a bracelet. Traces of colored leather and tiny crystals fill the bloody jewelery. It is very skillfully made and believes that it belongs to the male elf since such crafts are very unusual in this place. He keeps it in one of the inside pockets of his clothing.

A little more spare from the experience he turns to look at Aerlin. The two return to the path to the "Broken Horn" dodging the crowd.

The night is no longer calm, Eiren thinks disheartened. He just wants a beer and forget the piercing gaze of the elf.

A few moments later Eiren and his mysterious Enclave contact enter the threshold of the bustling inn and lose themselves among the diners.