Faliona walked arm in arm with Sofia to the medical tents. As they neared the tents, a familiar figure appeared in one of the entrances. 

“Friend Sofia, síocháin!” Itah greeted them with a warm smile. Bowing to Faliona, she said, “Síocháin, Keeper of Stories.”

“Síocháin, young healer,” Faliona replied. “Sofia is hoping to visit one of your patients. May we enter?”

“Certainly! He has been under the care of the master healer, and has much improved.” Itah turned back into the tent she had been leaving from and motioned the other two to follow.

In the middle of the tent was a fire emitting a warm light and a pleasant, woody scent that filled the space. It was calming, soothing, and instantly put Sofia at ease.

Itah led them towards the back where a robust, dark-skinned mature female elf with a wine-colored afro was gently bathing Harton. The tub of water, filled with flowers and leaves, glowed as she scooped it up and let it run down Harton’s fur. She was humming as she massaged the Dlam, a tune that Sofia found irresistibly beautiful.

“Master Healer,” Itah bowed and addressed the older woman, “the talmhan has come to visit Harton.”

The healer looked up from her work to Sofia and Faliona. Her golden eyes were warm, but piercing. Sofia felt as if she was looking directly into her soul.

“Síocháin, friend,” she said with a smile. “My name is Ujalam. Come, he has been waiting for you.”

Sofia knelt down by the tub of water and stroked Harton’s head. His fur had returned to the brilliant purple and yellow as when she first saw him, and his face looked free from pain, but his eyes were closed. 

“Hey Harton, you hanging in there?” No reaction.

“He is not yet able to respond, but he can sense you are here,” the healer assured Sofia.

Sofia continued to gently stroke the Dlam’s large head, and thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitch. Her eyes moved down his body as she inspected his back and hind legs through the clear water. The wounds were no longer black and angry looking, and it seemed as if there was some stitching on the largest gash running across his hip.

“He was brought to us just in time,” Ujalam said. “His hind leg was almost permanently damaged, and his energy had been significantly drained. Without proper care, he would have succumbed to his injuries from the Ymplerim. But thanks to your efforts, so I understand, he lives to see another day.”

A mixture of emotions welled up inside of Sofia. Relief, guilt, joy, and shame broke over her like the waves she had fought against back on the beach. Keeping her eyes fixed on Harton’s still features, she asked quietly, “What exactly are the Ymplerim?”

The three elves looked at each other, silently wondering who would answer. Finally, Ujalam spoke.

“The Ymplerim are the embodiment of destruction. They feed off of imbalance in the natural order and thrive off of pollution. The greater the disconnect between humanity and Creation, the less care is taken of our only home, the stronger they become and the more chaos they leave in their wake.”

“For years the Ymplerim have been growing more powerful on Talamh,” Faliona continued. “We have watched, doing what we can, to help keep them at bay and prevent them from gaining a foothold in Lyfay. Our warriors are constantly on the lookout for signs of Ymplerim activity, preparing themselves to fight against their destructive forces. Recently, however, they seem to be growing bolder and have been breaking through the gates between our worlds to bring harm and ruin.”

“They mostly have been attacking the flora,” Itah chimed in. “Making life unsustainable for the creatures that live here. But in the last few instances, they’ve also attacked beings directly…”

Sofia listened to the elves’ words with an expressionless face. Had she not seen Ymplerim herself, she would not have believed what they were saying. She remembered again the dark gaseous form with the pale eyes and shuddered.

“Why have I never seen them back home?” Sofia finally asked. She looked up first at Ujalam, and then the others. “In Talamh, I mean. If the Ymplerim are as strong there as you say, how come there’s never been any mention of them in the news or photos or… anything!”

“They are able to hide themselves in the destruction they cause,” Ujalam explained. “The times I have visited Talamh, their presence was clear without ever having seen them. Talamh is already filled with such imbalance, it is easy for them to conceal their true form. 

“But here in Lyfay,” she continued, “where our people have worked tirelessly to maintain the balance of Creation, they are forced to reveal themselves. And their work of chaos is all the more strongly felt.”

Silence once again fell over the group. Sofia began again to gently stroke Harton’s head. He continued to lay unresponsive. A sudden pang of determination struck her.

“I want to help fix this,” she said quietly. 

“Excellent, because you’re going to,” a male voice said behind them.

The women turned to see Roquewei and Erae at the entrance of the tent. Roquewei sauntered over to look down at Sofia. 

“Pack your things. We leave tomorrow.”