In the center of a vast expanse of white light, heavy footsteps echoed, marching rapidly towards the top of a grand staircase. There, at the pinnacle, awaited an even grander promise: a golden door, its details transcending the description of any living being.

With each step, the effort felt monumental, and the sense that this promise was unattainable grew. The staircase, large in itself, seemed to stretch even further, defying his expectations. Time passed. Effort persisted. And then, before his eyes, the magnificent golden door arose. The sight almost seemed unreal. Each detail was indescribable, the golden hue of the door unmatched, surpassing anything he had ever witnessed. Moreover, the colossal dimensions of the door made it larger than all the temples he had visited. The arduous quest had undoubtedly been worthwhile.

With his heavy hand, he rose to touch the door, and then he noticed that he wore a grand radiant gauntlet, forged from silver metal. A momentary hesitation overcame him, but as he hesitated, the door opened before him, revealing a figure whose light radiated so intensely that it could blind his vision.

❖

Solariis had not yet appeared in the sky, and two adventurers were already venturing into the depths of the ominous Twilight Forest. They were a human named Jay and a kiteni[1] named Layla.

Jay, a tall man with an intriguing appearance, had long blue hair that flowed down to the middle of his back, tied into a ponytail to keep them under control. His skin bore a bronzed tone reminiscent of the arid lands of the desert. However, it was his eyes that drew the most attention: a brilliant golden hue that seemed to capture the essence of Solariis itself, occasionally emitting a warm and mysterious glow. On the other hand, Layla displayed the most beautiful features of her people, with wildly curled hair that cascaded down her shoulders in shades of red, gold, and brown, along with her delicate feline ears. Her skin carried a lightly bronzed tone, a result of her journeys, and discreet scars, the marks of her many battles and challenges, adorned her body.

They had been walking through the forest for quite some time, facing the damp climate and dense vegetation that hindered their progress. This seemed to bore the petite kiteni.

"Jaaaaaaaay, are we still far from reaching this Buer's hideout?"
"Hm... I don't think so. We just passed the last landmark on the map. It should be just ahead, after these small hills."

Raising the fur on her fluffy tail, Layla gripped her battle axe tightly and flashed a mischievous smile.

"Finally! I've been itching to kill a demon with such a high bounty."
"Okay, but stay alert, Layla. You're making quite a racket..."

Jay reprimanded the barbarian who was already spinning her axe as she ascended the hill. As predicted, the beast was circling near an old tree, and to Jay's surprise, the creature was slightly different from the description in the mission flyer.

"Well... everything's there... five spinning legs with hooves, the large mane, and the lion-like head. But..."

Layla interrupted Jay as she climbed the hill, already preparing a surprise attack.

"So, what's the problem? Let's just slice this bea... Heeeey! Wasn't it supposed to be this big?"
"Girl! I told you to calm down..."
"ROAAAAARRRR!!!"

Now, a loud roar interrupted Jay. The demon Buer had detected their presence. Without delay, Layla laughed and swung her massive war axe, leaping onto the creature with a precise strike, unleashing all the fury of her body. The blow landed squarely on the feline demon, which could do nothing but roar in pain.

Meanwhile, atop the hill, Jay slides his fingers across the sacred tome hovering before him. Its pages flip rapidly until he finds the attack prayer he seeks. He reads it aloud, pronouncing the words in the ancient language known as Osandian[2], the sound resonating through the air. Thus, he gestures with his hands, forming a golden mandala before him, connecting seven magical sigils.

Then, from the canopy of the forest, a beam of golden light descends harshly upon the demon Buer, striking the creature squarely.

Once again, the creature could only roar, feeling immense pain from the holy burns.

"Ha! What do you say, 'sir paladin'? Serving the temple, huh, stuck-up?"
"Pay attention, Layla! The big guy's still alive! Stay sharp!"

Layla looked surprised at what was in front of her and saw the demon glaring at her, filled with hatred, engulfed in a dark and sinister energy. Then, with a swift motion, the feline beast spun its five legs around its head and engulfed itself in dark flames, charging at the unguarded kiteni. Jay, anticipating the worst, reacted quickly, invoking a blessing that briefly enveloped Layla in holy light.

Lasting just a blink of an eye, it was enough time to avoid the creature's direct attack.

"Th-thank you, Jay... meow!"

Jay jumps closer to Layla, checking if she's alright. Seeing that she is, he makes swift gestures, disrupting the surroundings beside him, creating a rift from which he pulls his faithful sword, Visingr, the hero's blade, and takes a more offensive stance.

"Layla, we underestimated the creature's power. Upon closer inspection, it's not just its size... it's also incredibly strong.”
"Yeah... I-I get it. I'll be more careful now... sorry, meow..."
"It's strange that this kind of demon shouldn't be so powerful... But, relax, we'll handle it."

Jay gave Layla a reassuring smile, making her feel more confident. The Buer demon remained engulfed in black flames, but now a slight smirk of mockery appeared on its face as it observed its adversaries.

"You thought it would be easy to violate my master's secrets?"

To the surprise of the two adventurers, the creature's voice echoed in their minds. A rough, bestial voice that induced nausea and discomfort.

"Mwahahaha! My master will use your skin for his experiments! And your eyes and entrails will be my sustenance!"

Jay stepped forward while quickly flipping through his tome, attempting to communicate with the creature and focusing his thoughts on his next prayer.

"So, you're the pet, huh? Interesting... didn't know pets could talk, hehe."
"PET?? How dare you!!! I am the mightiest among battle egregores[3]! Inferior beings like you stand no chance against entities like me!”

"Right! An egregore... In that case, your summoner shouldn't be around..."

With a swift gesture, the adventurer conjured another magical mandala, this time emitting an emerald glow. The mandala moved in a fraction of a second to the creature's supports.

"...he won't be able to dispel this simple spell. OSURII KASTATOMINGRR! (AURA OF CONFINEMENT)"
"What??? This can't be! A spell of such low level shouldn't be able to imprison me! Who da..."

"LAYLA! GO FOR IT! GIVE HIM A SLASH HE'LL NEVER FORGET!"
"Alright! Here goes!! Take that, you imitation of a lion!"

Encouraged by the heroic aura that lingered in the air during battle, Layla spun with all her might, swiftly charging at the stunned beast, which could only scream with rage and disbelief as it was torn apart by Layla's spinning strike.

In no time, the Buer demon dissipated into thin air, forming a cloud of crackling ashes until it vanished completely, leaving behind a small purple crystal and a few strands cut from its mane.

"Well done, Laylie! You did great! Now let's grab the spoils and get out of here before the summoner realizes his egregore was dispelled, you know how it goes..."
"Yeah... He's rushing over here... And we'll take care of him too, right?"

Suddenly, Layla noticed something inside the tree that the beast was guarding so fiercely. They approached cautiously and discovered a crevice containing an altar, various spell components, and a prisoner bound in an "X" shape, her wrists, waist, and ankles tied. Layla's hands flew to her mouth in shock.

"This is horrifying!!! Why would someone keep a girl captive like this? It's awful, meow!!"

As they advanced, Layla glanced at Jay and noticed that his eyes were shimmering silver.

"J-Jay... Your eyes...?"
"It's a blessing. I'm checking to make sure there's no magical protection or anything... Looks like it's clear..."

As they entered the crevice, they could see more clearly, and Jay recognized what they were dealing with.

"It's a sacrificial altar. Probably a warlock or a minion of the Nefraii[4] is performing some nefarious sacrificial spell. This girl is an elvanen[5], or half-elvanen..."

"What??? Is he going to kill her?"
"If we don't do something, yes."

"Strange... why hasn't he completed the ritual yet? As far as I know, it should be quick and discreet..." Jay wondered.

"Awaaaa!! We have to get her out of here then! We can't leave her, Jay! Seriously, meow!!"
"Yeah... Let's take her. That's why I always carry a teleportation scroll... We won't get too far, the three of us, but it's passable."
"Meow!! Good thinking!"

Layla slashed the ropes with her claws and gently laid the elvanen on one of the beds, covering her afterward.

"Meow! We can't show up with her naked in the city!"
"Calm down, Layla. I have a cloak here in my bag, don't worry. Let's just go quickly before the witch returns."

With that, Jay embraces the two girls while opening the parchment, his eyes scanning the inscriptions as he mentally traces the sigils.

Immediately, the parchment dissolves into ashes, and an iridescent light falls upon them, converting their bodies into pure energy, and in the blink of an eye, the three of them find themselves near the entrance of the grand city of Edsoria, the capital of the realm of Dalmastia.

Layla, feeling quite queasy, vomits, tossing the elvanen into Jay's arms, while the adventurer retrieves a cloak from the depths of his backpack to cover the girl's body.

After recovering, Layla looks closely at the unconscious elvanen and, noticing the rarity of the girl's hair color, says:

"She has light hair... but it's not blonde or silver... I didn't know there were elvanens like this around, meow.”
"Well, she might be a half-elvanen... those greenish locks... I don't remember seeing anything like it before."

Jay gazes at the serene face of the girl, trying to find something in his mind that feels familiar, but all he finds is another handful of doubts. Shaking his head, he continues talking to the kiteni:

"Anyway, Layla, an elvanen like her shouldn't be here. It's going to cause quite a stir if someone notices her true nature... We'll have to keep her hidden for a long while."
"Yeah. True, right? We'll ask her everything when she wakes up, Jay."

As they continue onwards, Layla can't stop looking at the small elvanen unconscious in Jay's arms, and with a sweet smile, she says:

"Meowwwrr. She's so beautiful..."
"She's an elvanen, Layla, what did you expect? Now, hurry up so we can get home quickly and try not to attract too much attention, you crazy cat."
"Meow! You're so mean to Layla! Geez... hihihi.”

The duo walk to a small cottage situated before the city walls: a simple place where they spend their days and recover from their travels.

Jay carries the elvanen, now properly dressed and hooded, in his arms, while Layla hops around him, swinging her axe like it's a toy.

"Jay, how much do you think the reward will be? It can't be just a thousand Auras... He was way bigger than what was on the flyer, right?”
"Hehe, I'll negotiate directly with the guild leader. Let's see how it turns out."

After several minutes of walking, passing through the roads of the local farms, they reach the cottage. A well-organized place, despite being relatively small, with only one room where everything in the house is — beds, wood stove, desk, cabinets, and even the washstand.

Jay gently places the small elvanen on one of the beds, covering her shortly after.

Meanwhile, Layla placed her axe on the other bed and grabbed two buckets with a handle.

"Alright, I'll fetch some water for a bath, Jay... I feel all sweaty and gross, yuck. I hate being sweaty..."

Layla made a face as she wiped her hip with her finger and shook it as if to shake off the sweat. Then she looked at Jay with a suggestive expression and said:

"Do you want join a bath with me, meow?"
"Absolutely not, Layla! What are you even thinking, crazy cat?"
"Oh, I see, huh? What if the girl wakes up... She'd be embarrassed by our display of affection, poor thing!"

With that, Layla burst into laughter and walked out the door, leaving Jay shaking his head in disbelief. However, a faint, almost imperceptible mischievous smile appeared on his lips.

"This Layla... such a crazy cat. What is she thinking? Hunf... Well, when she comes back, I'll head to the guild headquarters... Let's see if we can negotiate a better reward this time. And later, I'll use the bathhouse to wash off... properly."

While talking to himself, Jay organized his equipment in the cabinet next to his bed and placed bathing items into his backpack.

After a few minutes, Layla returned, kicking the door open as she always did on these occasions.

"Alright, Jay, I'm back!!! Two buckets filled with the best water from the mine, hihihi."
"Great! I'm heading out now. I'm going to the guild to collect the reward."
"Oh, but... Meowww..."
"Take care of the sleeping beauty here, crazy cat. Thanks, see you!"

Jay hurried out, finishing his backpack arrangement, while Layla stood still, the two buckets hanging from the handle on her back, wearing a displeased expression.

"Hunf! It's not happening this time... Geez. Well, let me fill up and take a bath, and I'll get more afterward. Hunf! What a fool that Jay is.”

❖

1. Kiteni is one of the many races in the world of Final Adventure. It's a humanoid species with feline traits, such as ears and a tail. They are generally quite short, not measuring much more than 1.30m.
   
2. Osandian, or High Osandian, is an ancient language whose pronunciation is intricately tied to magic. Very little is known about this language beyond its use in spells. Legends say that only high priests from the elven city of Nínive possess the secrets of this language.
   
3. Egregores are entities summoned through ancient magic to serve witches, wizards, or experts in summoning. They are commonly used for battles, protection, or heavy tasks.
   
4. Nefraii are deities in the world of Therium, associated with negative aspects of existence such as greed, malevolence, etc.
   
5. Elvanen is a humanoid species closely resembling humans, but with long pointed ears and a more refined appearance, so to speak. Elvanen are much taller than humans, measuring between 1.90m to 2.50m.