One by one, the Young Ones began to wake up from their slumber.

It only took about an hour for them to wake up after all succumbing to the overpowering sleep that befell all of them seemingly at once.

Once they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a strange room.

It looked like a place made with sand, but the walls and floors were dense and thicklike bricks. The ceiling had a similar look to it.

Luminous stones served as light, and a comfy moss-looking materialalmost like a mattresscovered the immediate ground where the Elves were previously sleeping on.

It reminded them of the structures from back home, but the Elves knew they weren't there.

They were in a strange place.

As the last of them flicked her eyes open, she saw the rest of her sisters still disoriented, trying to figure out where they were and what happened to them.

The only one who hadn't woken up yet was their ElderGratiana La Shanagari.

She still seemed to be in deep sleep, and none of the Young Ones knew what to do to get her to wake up. Some had tried shoving her, but she remained unconscious through it all.

Afterward, chaos ensued.

"W-what do we do now?"

"Why are you asking me? We need Lady Gratiana's help!"

"B-but Lady Gatiana has not yet woken up!"

"What do we do without her!"

"Big sis!"

"I'm so confused!"

About four dozen teenage-looking girls were acting like disorderly kids due to the absence of their leader. None of them found it strange, and that was because it wasn't.

All Elves were taught the virtue of dependence.

Young Ones had to be dependent on the Elders. Elders had to be dependent on the Esteemed Elders, and those were to be dependent on The Oracle.

Every Elf was valuable, and every one individual was to serve the wholejust as the whole was to serve every individual.

It was a community where dependence was rife.

Without the Elder leading them, the Youngs were nothing more than a shepherdless flock. These sheep had no idea what to do without someone thinking for them and making decisions on their behalf.

They were in a strange place; feeling unsafe and frightened by their current predicament.

Of course, they would freak out.

"I-I have an idea!" One of the girls finally spoke up, her high-pitch voice getting the attention of the others in the room.

They all recognized the girl who was speaking. Her name was Deli, and she was the oldest of all of them. In the next three or so decades, she would even become an Elder.

As such, everyone decided to hear out her plan.

"We should leave this room."

Gasps of astonishment and respect filled the faces of the innocent-looking Elves as they looked up to Deli. Not only was she brave enough to speak up, but her insightful words solved the problem that assailed them.

Truly, she was almost ready to become an Elder!

"Look, the door is wide open! If we escape from there, we should be able to find the exit from this place."

"No. That will not work." Deli theorized as she rubbed her chin.

She quite remembered the teachings of her big sister, who was one of the members of the Esteemed Council, as well as her mentor-figure, Gratiana.

There was no way she would fall for such an obvious trap.

"The humans are crafty and very dangerous. They are most definitely trying to lure us by leaving the door open."

Once again, gasps filled the room as the Elves even clasped their hands together in adoration towards Deli. Even though she was yet to be an Elder, she was already showing wisdom associated with that position.

Some of the girls even began to feel the same amount of respect as affection for their supposed peer.

"What do you recommend, then?" Someone asked.

"We use our combined strength to break out through the walls. They'll never see it coming, and we can carve a new path for ourselves."

Yes, even this was well-received by the Elves. The plan garnered applause from the girls, and cheers filled the room.

Soon enough, the intense negativity and confusion was totally lost, and hope began to radiate within the vast room.

"Where do you think this place is, Deli? I have no idea where we are" Someone among the crowd asked.

The smart Deli, now responsible for her sisters, swooped into action once again to aid them with her vast understanding.

"I'm not sure, but this is most likely the fortress that stood behind those vermin who attacked us. We're being held prisoner here"

"Ohhh!" Dread filled their faces as soon as they heard that.

Even though they were impressed that Deli could deduce that much, they were worried for their safety and also the safety of their Elder.

"D-do you think they want to breed us?"

"They want to make more Half Breed abominations? No way!"

"R-remember what Big Sis told us about those humans! All of this is very much possible!"

"I-in that case we have to follow her counsel."

"Y-you mean?"

"Yes! Let us kill ourselves! Our deaths will ensure the balance in Nature is kept, and we will preserve the integrity of our Elven Heritage."

The Young Ones all displayed relief the moment they realized that hope wasn't lost yet. They could prevent the worst-case scenario by sacrificing their lives and becoming one with Nature.

It was the greatest act of love, honor, and sacrifice.

But

"L-let's save that as a last resort. For now, we follow the plan and try to escape." Deli swiftly spoke up, a bead of sweat on her face.

"A-ahh! You are correct, Deli!"

"We should swiftly escape and return to the Community and request the assistance of the Esteemed Elders."

"Indeed! They will definitely deal with these fiends for us!"

With their spirits raised, the Elves all rose to their feet and huddled together. Using Magic, they created a bubble and kept their dear Elder within it to better protect her and take her with them as they made their grand escape.

"Ready, everyone?" Deli stared at a particular wall, her eyes glimmering with determination, and a somewhat awkward smile playing on her face.

The others nodded and looked at the obstacle before them before yelling together.

"READY!"

*

*

*

Thanks for reading!

Well, this is a nice new development. The Elves are such an endearing group, aren't they?