“Hey, everything okay?” I muttered behind Tress, who looked over her shoulder at me with a smile I’d never seen on her face.

  She was brimming with joy, her eyes full of tears, no trace of stoicism whatsoever. She didn’t reply—just nodded almost violently, her perfect dark hair flowing with the movement.

  “All right,” I said, letting her smile intoxicate me. I returned the gesture and grabbed her arm. She didn’t hesitate. “We can’t stay long—they’re still moving.”

  I told her after a brief check on the map. She nodded, her face turning more serious as she quickly moved toward the still-kneeling old elf.

  He and his son both had their heads pressed to the ground, similar to the way Muslims prostrate during prayer.

  “Please, rise. There’s no need for that,” Tress said, her Spanish accent becoming more pronounced. It made me think they were speaking a specific dialect, one the system translated as a stronger accent.

  “Did the wind bring you back to us?” the elder asked, rising and placing a hand on her shoulder.

  “It told me three fires would bring me relief. I assumed I’d find some familiar faces,” she explained, glancing at the bonfires arranged in a perfect triangle.

  “Thank the Faceless, you’re here, Tress. We searched for you all over that damned tower and again when we arrived in this strange forest.” The elder elf was now smiling, looking back as others began emerging from the tents.

  The newcomers were all women and weren’t clad in the white armor, but their skin tones suggested they wore it most of the time. They dressed in simple woolen garments of a strange purple hue but didn’t seem the least bit bothered by being seen in them.

  “I was lucky to find friends,” Tress explained to them, glancing back at us. It seemed they were seeing Mary, Elk, and me for the first time.

  Their expressions were hard to read. It wasn’t anger, hatred, or fear. They tried to smile, but the smiles died on their lips. One or two waved, and we waved back. They were uneasy, and I couldn’t blame them. The whole situation was too new and too drastic.

  “Come, all of you. We managed to fish in the stream and found Vermillion Paste in the shop. It’s expensive, but it comes in a big portion—enough for all of us,” the elder waved for us to come over.

  The younger elf, who seemed to be his son, leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

  “They’re the Oracle’s friends. They’re welcome,” the elder hissed in a low tone, but I still caught it.

  “I’m afraid we can’t eat now.” Tress gently removed the elder’s hand from her shoulder.

  Why?! I screamed internally, the thought of eating Vermillion Paste again making my mouth water like a river.

  “Why? You must be starving. We had to kill dozens of those kobold things before finding this place—you probably went through hell,” the elder argued, but Tress’s expression grew solemn.

  “I’m afraid we need to do the Bonding Ritual. Zach here followed The Code and saved my life,” she stated plainly, and with every word, the elder’s eyes widened further.

  “I did what?” I asked after we’d settled around one of the fires. All the elves were there, along with Elk and Mary. The latter sat a little farther from the main group but close enough to hear.

  “The Code of Honor of our people is the light that guides our lives,” the elder began, and one of the other elves continued.

  “Never take from nature without giving something back to it,” she said.

  “Never plant two seasons in a row on the same soil,” another added.

  “Fight for your life and the ones you love, but never strike when your mind isn’t aligned with your heart,” the elder continued, his eyes lingering on his son.

  “These are some of the words of our code, Zach,” Tress explained, sitting calmly with her legs crossed and her gaze distant. As I looked at her, she shifted her eyes to meet mine. “However, some parts of the code are more… impactful than others.”

  “This bonding one?” I asked.

  “Some would say it’s the most important of all,” the elder joined in again. “It was used for centuries for purposes that we now see as antiquated and… immoral.”

  As he spoke, my heart pounded, and my hands started sweating. The elder noticed and reached out, placing a hand over mine.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Listen carefully, son,” he began. “A good and altruistic deed that results in the saving of a life creates an eternal bond of servitude between the savior and the saved.”

  For a long moment, the world fell silent, the only sound the crackling of the bonfire. I had no words.

  “I must serve you, Zach. Until the day one of us dies, I must be by your side,” Tress stated calmly, as if she wasn’t talking about fucking slavery.

  I had to fight the urge to shout how completely stupid that was, but they were from a very different culture, and I still had a lot to understand. So, I chose my next words carefully.

  “I see… I’m honored, but I see Tress as a… friend. I’d prefer to keep it that way.” I smiled awkwardly, and Tress returned the gesture—though there was a tinge of pain in her eyes.

  “Your heart is in a good place, boy.” The elder sighed, seeming intensely relieved. “That’s not how our ancestors saw the right to servitude. They found ways to sell the bonds, extend them to generations, and use them to fuel war and misery among our kin.”

  “So why are you still talking about this? The way I see it, you expect me to accept it,” I said, my voice growing angrier by the second.

  The elder nodded in agreement.

  “We respect our traditions, and we’ll keep respecting them no matter how the world changes or where we are,” he began. Seeing that I was about to protest, he raised a hand and continued. “Like the old warlords, we also studied the codes and found ways to make them more just. That’s why we need to perform the ritual.”

  “I’ll give you my Bond responsibilities, and you’ll agree or not. We can discuss it, but once we settle on the terms, we seal the ritual and become bonded,” Tress explained, her eyes calm, as if trying to pass that calmness to me.

  “So, no slavery bullshit? We don’t do that back on Earth,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  “No… slavery bullshit?” Tress repeated, the last word sounding foreign on her tongue, but she smiled in agreement.

  “What are your Bond responsibilities, then?” I asked.

  “I oath to be your friend, fight your battles, and die so you may live,” Tress said. The elder grimaced in pain.

  I looked from him to her.

  “Wait. She’s important to all of you, isn’t she? She can’t be promising to die for someone from another planet,” I said, raising a hand in confusion.

  “She hears the Faceless—or the wind, as we like to call them. She’s our oracle, the first in many, many years. If we have any chance of surviving whatever this is, it’s with her,” the elder said, seeming relieved to finally speak his mind.

  “What’s the difference between this Faceless and any other god watching this show?” I asked before considering whether that might be offensive.

  “The wind is our god. They were on our planet, and they’re still here. Tress can hear them, so I believe they’re as powerful—if not more powerful—than any creature that calls itself a deity,” the elder’s son replied, his voice raspy and filled with anger.

  It seemed the religion around the Faceless was passionate enough to make young elves mad over a simple question. I noted that internally and continued the conversation.

  “I can’t have your death on me, Tress,” I said, noticing a nod from the young elf. The bastard agreed with me—that made me laugh internally, but I kept going. “I accept the friend part, but aren’t the other Myriads going to get lost without you?”

  “They’ll join us,” Tress replied with confidence, though the elder’s face twisted again.

  “We have tracks to follow that will lead us to other members of the tribe. You’re more than welcome to come with us if you agree,” the elder argued.

  “We’re heading to the city stone. Our plan is to establish a settlement there before the towers arrive,” I argued, and they showed me on the minimap the dots they believed were other elves from their tribe. No way were we moving in the opposite direction of the city stone.

  The elder must’ve sensed my hesitation because he sighed.

  “You can join us. The city stone will be available in four days. We’ll take three to get there if my calculations are right. You’ll arrive on the fourth day.” I tried to find a middle- ground.

  “When they arrive, we’ll already be dead at Max’s hands. We need their numbers if we’re going to fight another party,” Elk added. His grave voice made some of the Myriads jolt. He looked down, clearly embarrassed, but thankfully, the elves were just as red in the face as he was.

  “We don’t know that yet. Maybe we’ll find other allies. We just need to be there—hidden, if necessary—until the other elves arrive. We can do it,” I said. The elves around the bonfire nodded. They weren’t completely confident, but they were confident enough.

  “So, Tress’ bond will be just to be your friend? Elk told me he did a similar thing with you, and it wasn’t a big deal. He was saying strange shit about dragons to me an hour ago.” Mary joined the conversation.

  “Hey! Those are important—I was pledging loyalty to you!”

  Mary clasped her hands and bowed her head like a Buddhist monk in mockery.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Elk asked, and Mary replied with a shrug and a laugh.

  “What about this? You’ll stay with me until the end of the first tower—as my companion and friend. We’ll make it to the end and claim the rewards for our planets and loved ones. You’re bound to protect me, yourself, and our other allies. When I’m not around, you’ll lead the others in my name, and you won’t die for me. You’ll keep helping your people, letting them know if you hear something important. After we defeat the first tower, you’re free to do whatever you want,” I said, ignoring the laughter coming from Elk and Mary a few steps away.

  By the time I finished, even the duo was listening. The elves around me seemed satisfied enough, but Tress remained silent for a moment.

  “This is unorthodox. But these are unorthodox times,” she finally said, stretching out a hand and mimicking the handshake she’d seen me exchange with Elk—having no idea it was actually an Arahaktar thing.

  “That’s it?” I asked. “We’re bonded now?”

  “Of course not!” The elder stood and moved toward one of the tents. “Now I need to get my tattoo tools.”