We had to walk for about ten minutes before we finally reached a beautiful village organized around a sort of small palace. It is nestled in the middle of a lush valley. Giant blue crystals emerge from the ground, illuminating the city with a supernatural glow. They provide enough light as night falls.

The waterfalls that cascade down the surrounding mountains feed this city where life is flourishing. The buildings are a harmonious mix of ancient and natural architecture and seem to have been sculpted from the stone itself. At the back of the village, the palace is majestic with complex architecture. It stands proudly, with its spires reaching the sky, its center is a huge building with a blue crystal dome. It looks like an Italian palace with all its lavish ornaments, crystals, and bas-reliefs. It contrasts strongly with the wooden huts that have thatched roofs. Solitary figures walk on a stone path that crosses the city. The frog asks me to follow her.

We arrive in the heart of this village. Everyone is dressed in robes, adornments, elegant and magnificent costumes; I have never seen such clothes.

Miss Green Apple, as well call her by her first name, invites me to enter her cottage. The interior is warm, nothing extremely extravagant. A library, two large armchairs facing an empty fireplace, where a deposit of coal resides. A table with three chairs is leaning against the window overlooking a small garden. A staircase goes upstairs. Surely the bedroom. There is also a small green stove and a beautiful matching carpet.

She puts water to heat and stirs the small fire in the stove.

She removes her straw hat and her green dress which she hangs on the coat rack. I dare not enter and stay on the doorstep.

-What are you waiting for? Close the door and take off your cape.

I follow her orders to the letter. I close the door and take off my cape. Miss Green Apple prepares two cups of what seems to be tea.

-Come and sit down, Miss Elisabeth. You must be exhausted.

I nod.

-Tell me about yourself. What are you doing in the heart of Viridis?

-I don't know. I murmured. I don't know what I'm doing here, and why.

I see in her gaze that all this leaves her perplexed. I must find arguments or reinvent my story in order to find help without making myself look crazy!

-Listen, I know my speech doesn't seem plausible. My memories are very blurry. I remember a door, the chameleon, and then waking up in this forest. I don't know what this country, this region is. I don't know anything about this world, I feel like I'm amnesiac.

Which is totally false, I thought. But if it's the only way for her to guide me to someone who will believe my words. She then abruptly stands up and observes me again from head to toe.

-Did someone cast a spell on you? This is much more likely than the existence of another world. she laughs as she takes her seat again

-Yes. I think we can say that. Can you help me?

She suddenly stops laughing, she gets up again and comes towards me. She points a finger in front of my face. The latter lights up in a yellow color. I widen my eyes. What is she doing?

-What kind of elf are you?

-Me?

-Who else?

-I don't know, ma'am. I don't know if I'm an elf or a human.

-The spell you received is powerful. Your magic, your magical soul seem to have been ousted.

-What does that mean?

-That your identity is in question. My magic is not powerful enough. The only one who would be able to help you is Sir Iaso, the great royal magician.

-Where can I find him? I asked immediately, happy to finally find someone who will be likely to believe me without thinking I'm crazy.

The frog seems to think before approaching her library. She grabs a sort of parchment and then unfolds it on the table.

-Afetis is a big country. she begins. The magician travels, he is never in a fixed place.

Afetis? So that's the name of this strange land. I carefully observe the map. It looks so old that the edges are yellowed and torn. Curiously, I can read the funny symbols that look like an alphabet. Afetis is huge. The country is divided into four major regions. Fanra in the north, bordered by the North Sea, the Seven Ice Canal, and the Valkoinen Ocean. I would say that this region is purely port with its Geal delta. The main city is named Cuan-Geal, it's surely from this one that the Delta got its name. The central region, mountainous, is named Vanhae and its largest city Combaist. In the Southwest, the region of Haemeu and its city Teine seem to be in a desert area while the last region in the Southeast, named Viridis and its city Temarlys seem to occupy a forest region. The South Sea and the green peninsula frame this last region. I am amazed at the small details, the rivers, the forests, and each small mountain and lakes. Finally... Small, the word may be exaggerated in reality. I analyze every little detail. I have a soft spot for maps, I find it remarkable.

-The conflicts of these recent times have not improved the situation. The royal magician has traveled more. Thinking about it, no one has seen him for the last nineteen years.

-So it's impossible to know if he's still alive...

Miss Green Apple laughs out loud.

-Elves live for several centuries. They are not trolls or ogres.

-Oh, I should have known.

-Sir Iaso is clever. He has more than one trick up his sleeve when it comes to concealment. Only his scouts will be able to help you with the task at hand.

-How am I supposed to find them?

-It's not up to you to find them, it's up to them to find you.

-But that can take days! I don't have days ahead of me. My family, my friends will worry! Isn't there really any other way to reach this magician?

-Not to my knowledge, dear. But don't worry. You can stay here as long as it takes.

Do I really have a choice?

-Very well. I thank you for your hospitality. But I don't want to bother you. I'd better hit the road.

-Let's see, to go where? You don't know where to go, let alone how. And you have no memory of Afetis. The country is dotted with danger, especially with the different conflicts between the peoples, the beasts, and I could go on. You wouldn't be safe outside.

-I admit defeat.

Miss Green Apple gets up to put away the map."I'm going to prepare dinner," she declares, grabbing a small pot. She revives the fire. I watch her movements. She pours a jug of water, adds potatoes and strange pink and white vegetables. I've never seen anything like it in my life. She adds herbs before stirring and putting the lid on. So here I am, stuck.

I divert my eyes to the garden and the street. Night has barely fallen but the small crystals serve as light in the black night. In fact, they are like street lamps. There is not a single inhabitant in the street. Everything has become so calm and deserted compared to my arrival. I must say that the place is beautiful and I would stay. But here, my life is not here. At least, it seems to me.

Miss Green Apple puts two plates and cutlery on the table, pulling me out of my daydream. She serves a kind of soup. It doesn't look appetizing. However, my stomach is crying out for food. So I grab the spoon and force myself to eat. The aspect looks unappetizing but in reality, the dish is delicious. It's simply a vegetable soup with a sweet aftertaste. It tastes like sweet potatoes, with cream. If I'm not mistaken, the small pieces floating in this amber liquid seem to be apples. Why not, a sweet and salty mix is interesting. We ate in silence, despite all the questions gnawing at my mind. I have so much to learn about this world. I suppose I will have the opportunity to get to know it. I wonder if they have already noticed my disappearance. How will they react? And especially what kind of punishment will I have when I manage to get out of this world? Naturally, I run a hand through my hair. Is this really the right time to ask this kind of question?

I run a hand to my neck and notice that my necklace is still there. Curiously, it has retained its original state. I squeeze it in my hand. We have finished the meal.

- You can sleep next to the fire,Miss Green Apple tells me, bringing a blanket.

- Thank you.

The frog wishes me a good night. I settle down by the fire, well, especially what's left of it. My bag serves as a pillow, the carpet as a mattress. I admit I've known more comfortable, but hey, she's already offering me hospitality. I'm not going to complain, I could still be in that forest with the beast we heard roaring. Just that makes me shudder with terror. What kind of beast can make that kind of noise? Surely not a bear or a wolf. The frog mentioned the lord, the idea of a dragon as a lord crosses my mind and wouldn't even surprise me, in fact, it is quite possible.

A large dragon, ash-colored with emerald green eyes, with silver scales, whose beauty would be as terrifying as a night without light, could be the lord of these places.

Perhaps the lord is a large deer, with large antlers pointing towards the sky, with soft and silky green fur.

It can be anything and everything in the end.

Does Afetis have a sovereign? I didn't see a capital on this old map. Do humans only exist in this universe? Or am I the only exception? I wonder.

The last embers of the fire cast a flickering glow in the room, painting dancing shadows on the walls. The residual heat from the hearth spreads across the floor, bringing some comfort to my body tired from the events of the past few hours.

The crackling of the slowly burning embers is the only thing that breaks the silence of the night. It's a soothing melody, a lullaby that invites me to close my eyes. I let myself be carried away by fatigue, my eyelids become heavy and I succumb to sleep. My breath calms down, synchronizes with the soft and regular rhythm of the dying fire in the cavity of the chimney. Is it really reasonable to fall asleep in a stranger's house? No matter, I'm sleepy, I might as well enjoy the calm, and see things more clearly tomorrow when I wake up.