Ethan was camping in the Xein forest; he had been searching for Sophia in all the nearby towns for several days, but none gave him any information about her. It was as if she had disappeared. Sometimes he wondered if it had all been an illusion. Was the woman he had seen weeks ago really Sophia, or just someone who resembled her? Had he only confused her in his eagerness to see her again?
It had been 20 years since the last time he saw her, yet he did not lose hope, nor did he want to. He wanted to keep thinking that she was okay. He needed to think that way. When Sophia had left the kingdom of the elves, the queen had entrusted him with bringing her back, yet he still couldn't find her whereabouts. But as a knight, he couldn't disobey the order given to him, no matter how long it took to
