"Bonnie brought all of you to this cave?" Elisa asked, her voice deliberate and measured, as if she were sifting through a puzzle with missing pieces. Her emerald-green eyes narrowed slightly, studying the four elves before her. "Have you heard anything about the other elves? Any details at all?"
"Bonnie guided each of us here," The chubby elf replied with earnest sincerity, her round face creasing with concern as she spoke. "She explained that the other elves had been captured by the slavers, and she was the only one who managed to slip away. She's been stationed in the withered forest, waiting for more of our kind to arrive. Her plan was to gather us in this cave, build our numbers, and then launch a coordinated effort to rescue our captured kin."
Elisa's brow furrowed deeper with every word. A gnawing unease twisted in her gut, growing more insistent. Bonnie was undeniably an elf—her vibrant green hair, her matching emerald eyes, and the telltale pointed ears left no room for doubt. Yet something was profoundly wrong, a discordant note in the melody of this encounter. What was it? Her years of evading capture had honed her instincts, and now they screamed that she was missing a critical detail.
The four elves exchanged wary glances, their expressions a mix of confusion and apprehension. They could sense the weight of Elisa's contemplation, the way her questions circled back to Bonnie with relentless focus. None of them dared interrupt, but their uncertainty was palpable. What had Elisa noticed that they hadn't? Why was she so fixated on Bonnie's actions?
"No, something's not right," Elisa muttered under her breath, her voice barely audible as she sprang to her feet. Her mind raced, replaying every moment of her encounter with Bonnie in vivid detail: the sharp crack of wood snapping in the darkness, the arrow she'd loosed with lethal precision, the unusually heavy tread of Bonnie's footsteps, and now the fragmented accounts from these four elves. Each piece clicked into place, forming a picture she didn't want to believe.
"Miss Elisa, what's wrong? What's out of place?" The tall elf asked, her voice trembling with unease. She leaned forward, her green eyes wide with alarm at Elisa's sudden urgency.
"We need to leave this cave. Immediately," Elisa declared, her emerald eyes hardening with grim resolve. Her tone brooked no argument, carrying the weight of someone who had survived too many betrayals to ignore her instincts. "I pray I'm mistaken, but we can't take that chance."
"Leave? Right now?" The four elves' faces blanched, their expressions a chaotic blend of shock, fear, and hesitation. The command hung heavy in the air, unsettling them further.
"Move. Now," Elisa snapped, her voice cutting through their indecision like a blade. She snatched up her longbow, her right hand already clutching a cluster of arrows, their fletching brushing against her fingers. With purposeful strides, she marched toward the cave's entrance, her white hair swaying with each determined step.
"What's happening? Why are we leaving?" The four elves exchanged a flurry of anxious glances, their hands fumbling as they grabbed their own bows. Though reluctant, they nodded to one another, compelled by Elisa's commanding presence, and hurried to follow her into the frigid night.
Elisa's face was a mask of steely determination as she stepped out of the cave, her senses on high alert. But the moment her boots touched the snow-dusted ground, her body stiffened, her breath catching in her throat. Her emerald eyes widened, locking onto the impenetrable darkness of the withered forest, where the skeletal trees loomed like silent sentinels.
"Who's there? Show yourself," She called, her voice low and laced with menace. Her left hand raised her bow in a fluid motion, an arrow already nocked and drawn taut by her right, the string humming with tension. "Come out now, or I'll shoot."
"What's going on?" The four elves stumbled out behind her, their faces pale and drawn. Their hands trembled as they mirrored Elisa's stance, raising their bows and nocking arrows, their eyes darting nervously into the black expanse of the forest. The air grew thick with tension, the silence oppressive.
One minute passed, then two, then three. The four elves began to relax, their shoulders sagging as they wondered if Elisa had misjudged the situation. Just as doubt crept into their minds, a slow, deliberate clap shattered the stillness, echoing through the trees like a mocking taunt.
Clap, clap~~
"Not bad, White-Haired Enchantress, Lady Elisa. You've sniffed out the trap," A familiar voice purred from the darkness, dripping with condescension and malice.
The four elves gasped, their faces twisting in shock and betrayal, while Elisa's expression darkened, her grip on her bow tightening until the veins on her hand stood out like cords. Her heart sank, but her resolve hardened.
"That… that's Bonnie's voice!" The tall elf stammered, her voice quivering with disbelief as she clutched her bow tighter.
"Bonnie, come out! What are you babbling about?" The chubby elf shouted, her voice a desperate mix of confusion and indignation. She took a step forward, her bow lowering slightly.
"Tch… how pathetically naive," Bonnie's silhouette emerged from the shadows, her once-timid demeanor replaced by a sneer of cold contempt. She sauntered forward with an air of smug arrogance, her green eyes glinting with malice. The freckled, innocent facade was gone, replaced by a chilling confidence.
"Bonnie, stop this nonsense. Go rest in the cave. I'll take over patrol," The chubby elf pleaded, her voice cracking as she stepped toward Bonnie, her bow now dangling at her side.
"Stop." Elisa moved swiftly, positioning herself between the chubby elf and Bonnie, her voice a low growl. "Don't go near her. She's the enemy."
"The enemy? That's absurd!" The chubby elf protested, her face flushing with anger and disbelief. "Miss Elisa, Bonnie's an elf, just like us!"
"Oh, Lady~ Elisa~ is absolutely correct," Bonnie said, tilting her head with a mocking smile, her voice lingering on 'Lady' with exaggerated scorn. She smirked, her eyes gleaming with triumph. "I knew I couldn't deceive you for long."
"That arrow I fired in the dark—you made that sound on purpose, didn't you?" Elisa said, her voice as cold as the snow beneath her feet. Her emerald eyes swept the surrounding darkness, searching for hidden threats.
"Indeed. Though I didn't expect it to nearly cost me my life," Bonnie replied, tossing her green hair with a casual flick, her tone indifferent. "And I certainly didn't anticipate luring in a prize like you—the White-Haired Enchantress, worth a thousand gold coins."
"Hmph. Call them out," Elisa said, her voice cutting like a blade. "Your loud footsteps were a signal to them, weren't they? Quite the meticulous plan."
Without hesitation, she loosed an arrow into the darkness, her aim guided by instinct.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out, accompanied by a brief flare of sparks in the shadows, confirming her suspicions.
"As expected of the White-Haired Enchantress. I had to take precautions," Bonnie said, her voice cool and detached. She raised a hand and waved it lazily into the night.
Tap, tap, tap…
The withered forest erupted with sound—heavy footsteps crunching through the snow, the sharp crack of snapping branches, and the unmistakable clink of armored plates rubbing together. From the darkness emerged dozens of armored knights, their faces grim and unyielding. Each held a sturdy shield in one hand and a gleaming longsword in the other, their eyes fixed on Elisa and the four elves with cold indifference.
"Manager Bonnie, all targets are accounted for," The lead knight announced, his voice clipped and authoritative, his posture rigid with discipline.
"Mm." Bonnie nodded, her gaze sweeping over Elisa and the others with icy disdain. "Drop your bows and come quietly, or I won't be held responsible for what happens next."
"How… how could this be?" The tall elf's face drained of color, her hands trembling as she gripped her bow, the weight of the betrayal crushing her spirit.
"Bonnie, you…" The chubby elf stared at Bonnie, her eyes wide with disbelief, the revelation hitting her like a physical blow. Her voice faltered, unable to process the depth of the deception.
"Why?" Elisa snarled, her teeth grinding as she glared at Bonnie, her arrow still trained on the traitor. "You're an elf too. Why are you working for the Black Iris Organization? Why betray your own people?"
Her mind flashed back to the two gray-robed men in Sedona City, their casual mention of a "Manager Jin." Now, standing before her was Bonnie, an elf turned enemy, orchestrating this trap.
"Hahaha! An elf? Don't make me laugh," Bonnie cackled, her face contorting into a grotesque mask of fury and madness. She threw her arms wide, her emerald eyes bloodshot, veins of red crawling across her sclera. "I'm no elf. I'm a dark elf. I embraced the darkness long ago. It was you so-called elves who abandoned me and my mother, who cast us into the abyss of despair."
Her laughter was unhinged, a chilling sound that echoed through the forest. Her voice rose to a fevered pitch, laced with venom and pain. "And besides, being a slave isn't so bad for elves. Sold to nobles, you'll dine on fine food, sleep in warm beds—no more starving or freezing in the wild. You should be thanking me for delivering you to such a life."
Bonnie's memories surged to the surface, raw and festering. Years ago, she and her mother had fled the elven sanctuary of the Life Forest, desperate and weary. Their fellow elves, deeming them a burden, had callously abandoned them to their fate. That winter, her mother had suffered severe frostbite, her body wracked with pain. Bonnie was only twelve, but the betrayal seared itself into her soul. She swore that if anyone saved them, she would pledge her loyalty to them—and dedicate herself to the destruction of the elven race.
A year later, salvation came in the form of the Black Iris Organization's leader, a mesmerizing and ruthless woman who plucked Bonnie and her mother from the jaws of death.
"…" Elisa's forehead pulsed with veins, her anger barely contained as she kept her arrow trained on Bonnie. "Shut your twisted, heretical mouth."
"I'd advise you to lower your bow," Bonnie said, crossing her arms with a smug sneer. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee what my men might do to those four elves. Don't worry—I won't lay a finger on you before the auction. Elves are premium merchandise, after all."
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