Two days later...
The artificial but warm sunlight reflecting from the cave's massive dome filtered through the window of Auren's room, slowly dispelling the dimness. Auren, slipping out of his restless sleep in his bed, slowly opened his eyes. While the groggy weight of sleep was still upon him, his gaze shifted to the corner of the room, to the wooden chair right next to the window.
Someone had been sitting there motionless since the early hours of the morning. Aelrindel had his long legs elegantly crossed and was reading a thick, worn-out book in his hands in deep silence.
Auren's sleep-addled mind did not take long to register this centuries-old elf who had suddenly appeared in his room. The boy's green eyes widened in terror. Wanting to jump back in a sudden panic, he got tangled in the quilt and slipped from the edge of the bed, rolling onto the wooden floor with a dull thud.
Without taking his eyes off the page he was reading or losing his composure in the slightest, Aelrindel continued holding the book. Only his long, pointed ears had twitched slightly toward the sound.
"Are you always going to be so afraid of every shadow and every sound you encounter in life, child?" Aelrindel said, his voice carrying both a centuries-old wisdom and a slight, weary tone.
Auren grimaced in pain, rubbing his knees and elbows on the floor. He hurriedly stood up and perched on the edge of the bed. As his sleep-tousled gray hair fell across his face, his large green eyes were fixed on the floor, intimidated by this imposing and ancient being sitting across from him. A strange, heavy, and rather peculiar silence suddenly enveloped the room. Only the rustle of the parchment page that Aelrindel slowly turned could be heard.
After this silence that lasted for a few minutes, Aelrindel let out a deep sigh. He placed the thick book in his hands onto the wooden table next to him with a dull thud, and locked his own centuries-old emerald eyes directly onto the boy's timid gaze.
"What happened? Have you swallowed your tongue now?" the old elf teased, with a faint, slightly mocking curve at the corner of his lips.
Auren was still not speaking, averting his eyes and simply tugging at the hem of his pajamas with his fingers.
Aelrindel leaned forward slightly in the chair he was sitting on. That mocking expression on his face had faded, replaced by the seriousness of a mentor.
"From today onward," Aelrindel said, emphasizing every single word, "I will train you."
Auren lifted his head in astonishment. Blinking his green eyes that shone through his gray hair, he looked at the elf, but stood there with a blank and clueless expression, as if he didn't quite understand what he meant.
"I will teach you about this world in every regard," Aelrindel continued, reaching for his staff and running his fingers over the carved wood. "Everything you need to know... Its history, the hidden truths, how supernatural powers work, who is who... You will learn whatever comes to mind."
The old elf leaned back slightly, and looking up at the ceiling for a brief moment, he muttered as if making a confession to himself.
"Look," Aelrindel said, turning his gaze back to Auren. "I have been in this world for centuries, but to be honest... this is the first time I've been in such a situation. It cannot be said that I know exactly how I should treat a child, a human. I have never taken on such a responsibility in my entire life."
He took a deep breath and tapped his staff lightly on the floor. That serious tone in his voice combined with a small but weary warning.
"The only reason I am sitting here, right across from you, is because our Lady personally requested it. Therefore, do not exhaust me too much during our training, child. Do we have a deal?"
At these last words from Aelrindel, Auren could only nod his head timidly. The tension in his body had still not faded.
"Good," Aelrindel said, as he slowly stood up, leaning on his staff. "Now get dressed. I will be waiting for you outside, in a quiet corner at the back of the courtyard."
However, things did not go as the centuries-old elf had planned at all. When Aelrindel headed toward the door, he noticed that Auren had not moved an inch from his spot. The boy's slender fingers were locked onto the wooden edges of the bed, and he had pulled his knees up to his chest.
"Come on," Aelrindel said, trying to soften his voice as much as he could. "The weather is nice outside."
Auren quickly shook his head from side to side. His gray hair fell over his forehead. "I don't want to go out."
This was just the beginning of a long and exhausting battle for Aelrindel. The first hour passed with the elf making logical explanations with his centuries-old wisdom and explaining the benefits of going outside. The second hour witnessed the old elf huffing and puffing in frustration, slightly raising his voice to say, "Training is not done in a room, child! Are you going to learn how to hold a sword between four walls?"
By the end of the third hour, the situation had spiraled completely out of control. Aelrindel had turned into a grumpy old man pacing back and forth across the room, striking his staff on the ground, and trying to cope with a strange helplessness he felt for the first time in his life. No matter what he did, what was said, or what logical argument he presented, he could not convince Auren to step outside that door. At one point, the boy had cowered in the corner next to the wardrobe, stubbornly shrugging his shoulders and fixing those large green eyes on the floor.
Just as Aelrindel slammed his staff hard on the ground and took a deep breath, starting his sentence with, "Look at me, child, if you don't come out of that corner right now...", the room's door quietly cracked open.
Zirel entered. Her face resembled a mask of ice, as usual; it was expressionless and cold.
With Zirel stepping into the room, that stubborn and frightened expression on Auren's face changed instantly. A glimmer of hope shining in his eyes, the boy shot up like an arrow from the corner where he sat. Passing by Aelrindel like the wind, he sought refuge directly behind Zirel. He held tightly onto the edges of the woman's black robe with his tiny hands and, only tilting his gray-haired head to the side, cast a timid glance toward the elf.
Zirel, after giving a brief look to the child clinging tightly to her robe, slowly turned her dull eyes toward Aelrindel. She did not utter a single word, but those heavy gazes were practically asking, *What did you do to this child?*
Aelrindel dropped his shoulders. As he threw his hands in the air in surrender, that centuries-old, unshakable elven charisma on his face had completely shattered into pieces.
"Don't say a single word, Zirel," the old elf grumbled. Rolling his eyes, he headed toward the door. "I have entered wars for centuries, dealt with ancient magics, faced the most terrifying creatures... But I swear, nothing has ever consumed me as much as the last few hours in this room."
Before walking out the door, he turned over his shoulder and, with exasperation, wagged his index finger at Auren, who was still hiding behind Zirel and looking at him with his green eyes.
"I surrender for today. Victory is yours, little one. But tomorrow... tomorrow you will come out of that room!"
As Aelrindel disappeared out of sight in the corridor muttering to himself, Auren stepped out from behind the robe he was clutching and let out a deep, relieved sigh.