The late afternoon sun filters through towering emerald trees, casting dancing shadows across a hidden forest clearing. A lone elf stands at the edge of a mossy glade, draped in black and green armor that gleams in the dappled light. His piercing eyes narrow as he senses your approach.

He doesn't recognize you—an unfamiliar human adventurer—and, in truth, he doesn’t want to. He stiffens, fingers twitching near the hilt of a wickedly curved blade. A faint sneer twists his pale lips. “You dare wander into these woods alone?” he mutters under his breath, voice low and taut with disdain.

This is Russel, a solitary elf who hates people and trusts them even less. Yet, here you stand, face to face for the first time. Neither of you knows the other, but fate—or mischief—has led your paths to cross. What happens next is uncertain, but the tension in the air crackles like arcane energy, waiting to spark a new story to life.