I

            It was a warm night as I strolled along the path in the garden. The nightingale was singing, and the breeze was slightly playful. I gathered my thoughts as I walked and sighed. I, an elf spy, was disguised as a human.

            Green, lush, and full of life, happiness, and peace. We lived in harmony and rarely did one slight another with just one wonderful guiding royal family. At least, that was how it was until it happened. Our country Pharae had been overrun by humans years ago when they had stumbled upon the land and had decided to expand their so called territory. They had ransacked and slaughtered my kind. I still remembered vividly the images. Flames all over. My fellow elves getting brutally slashed and tortured. Death and destruction everywhere. It was terrible.

            The elves that remained went into hiding and built their own hidden town. There, they were reorganizing themselves and rebuilding their lives. A few elves like me had volunteered to be aware of the outside news. Our prince, Ruin, had disappeared. We followed his sister, Princess Rena for the moment. Rena was no fighter, but she was what we needed, a person who was brave and intelligent for rebuilding our lives.

            Life in the human world was quite different. Many people were very cruel to each other. I was just a citizen in this world. The only people that mattered were the wealthy, who heeded none of the others. They ran the governments and played with people’s lives. Humans, they always wanted more and were never satisfied. In the elven society, we were a tribe. We looked out for each other and weren’t greedy. We had classes, but we all were caring toward each other, and the royal family was but a guide not a complete authority. It was true that we followed them, but it was because the family had good judgment. It was ironic that humans considered themselves superior when they didn’t have understanding for each other. They didn’t understand anyone. They had random disputes over anything they could find a reason for, however silly it was. In addition, they persecuted anyone or anything for any reason. There was always some sort of brawl occurring. Ever since they had taken over, elf hunts had also been in process. Elves who were caught were executed and scapegoated for problems…

            A rustle in the trees brought my attention away from my thoughts. I looked around. “Is someone there?” I asked softly. A figure stepped out of the shadows of the trees. I narrowed my eyes. “Who are you?”

            “Clarity….”

            “What?” He had called my name. His voice…it sounded so vague but familiar, but it sounded so tired and dead. I could see the face now by moonlight. I didn’t recognize it. There was no face. “Who?”

            “Don’t you remember?”

            It hit me. “Your Highness!” He looked so different, so tired and dirty. No face features at all…I watched him as he removed something from his face. He had a mask on. Beneath the mask was a young fresh face soiled by worry and frustration. “Where have you been?”

            He shook his head. “Locked away. They caught me, but I escaped. I’ve been running for a few years now, but they found me earlier today. I’m a fugitive.”

            I stared at him. “Not to our kind though.”

            “It’s hopeless. Look at what our fair Pharae has become. There’s nothing we can do, but run and hide.”

            “Yes, we can. We just need time to retaliate. Princess Rena is holding everything together. We need you.”

            “There’s nothing I can do, Clarity. Nothing. It’s hopeless. We’ll be wiped off the face of the earth…”

            I stared at him as my mouth dropped. This was not the Prince Ruin that I had known. “I don’t know you anymore…you’re different… What happened to you?”

            In the distance, we heard a bunch of dogs and voices yelling.

            Prince Ruin sighed. “I must flee now. We may never see each other again. Farewell.”

            “We need you…”

            He looked at me one last time. “No. There’s nothing any of us can do…”

            “You can’t hide forever,” I said.

            He put his mask on and smiled as he disappeared into the shadows.

            I shook my head. Where was the old Prince Ruin, who had been hopeful, never giving up, and a true leader? All he saw were the flames of the past. He was living in the past, his mind trapped at the point in time where Pharae fell. People needed him, and he was ignoring them. He couldn’t hide and run forever… I sighed. The night was yet young, and the small torches flickered. It was time to go home. The curfew was approaching.