The morning sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled light across the wide, open dining hall of The Canopy's Heart. Vines curled elegantly around the pillars, and birdsong floated in through the open windows like an eternal lullaby. The inn bustled with soft chatter and clinking dishes, the warm aroma of roasted nuts, sweetbread, and herbal tea lingering in the air.
At the center of it all sat the White Halo.
Axel sipped quietly from a steaming mug, his black hair still slightly tousled from sleep. Kyra sat beside him, chewing enthusiastically on a honey-drenched root bun, her legs swinging freely off the bench. Korrak worked his way through a towering plate of mushroom steaks, looking as if he'd gone several nights without eating. Sylthea picked delicately at a fruit salad, her usual grace ever-present despite the morning haze.
Brakka sat near the end of the table, chewing a bit slower than usual. Her shoulders were slightly hunched, her expression distant. She hadn't spoken much since they entered the hall.
All around them, other elven patrons whispered at their tables, not hiding their curiosity.
"That's the Black Wolf…"
"He looks even more terrifying without his helmet…"
"Is it true? That the ogre beside him is his wife? The Green Wolf?"
"That can't be true. No human would fall for an ogre…"
"They're just pretending. That's not love. It's a joke, has to be…"
Brakka heard every word.
Her hand tightened on her fork, and she stared into her plate, the fresh greens now tasteless in her mouth.
A familiar feeling crept up her spine. Shame. Not the kind born from wrongdoing but the kind placed on her by others. The kind she'd spent years armoring herself against.
She could feel their eyes on her. Dissecting. Judging.
Then...
A hand reached across the table.
Warm. Steady.
Axel's.
Brakka blinked, startled.
He didn't say a word. Just held her hand gently, looking her straight in the eyes.
She looked back.
And smiled.
It was small, but real.
All around them, the room fell silent.
The whispers died like wind extinguishing a flame.
The elves stared, stunned. Mouths slightly open. Some confused. Some uncomfortable. Others, curiously quiet, their gazes softening.
At the other end of the table, Kyra grinned with a mouth full of bread. "Told you they're real," she said cheerfully.
Korrak chuckled, raising a mug. "A toast to weird couples."
Sylthea smirked, her chin resting on her palm. "They're not weird. They're perfect."
Axel didn't break eye contact with Brakka.
"You okay?" he said softly, just for her.
Brakka squeezed his hand, her voice low. "I am now."
The dining hall remained quiet, but not with judgment anymore, only quiet realization.
For the first time, they weren't looking at a human and an ogre.
They were looking at something else entirely.
A man and a woman.
A warrior and a protector.
A pair carved not by appearance, but by fire and loyalty.
The Black Wolf and the Green Wolf.
The White Halo continued their breakfast, stronger than ever.
And the world… quietly began to believe.
The sun had climbed higher, casting soft golden rays through the forest canopy as the White Halo marched down the winding woodland path. The leaves crunched beneath their boots, and small squirrel-like creatures scattered ahead, chittering at the odd party walking through their domain.
It was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Naturally, someone had to ruin it.
"Okay, but I would obviously jump the furthest," Axel said, casually cracking his neck. "Demon-enhanced exo-suit. Rune boosters in the heels. I'm basically a god when I jump."
Brakka snorted. "You weigh like six tons in that thing. I'm an ogre. Built for power, height, and stomping idiots. I'll leap over you like a log."
Korrak scratched his chin. "Trolls have strong legs too. My cousin once jumped over a castle wall."
"Your cousin also thought a cat was a cursed elf for five years," Sylthea muttered.
Kyra piped up, bouncing between them. "I'm the lightest! I'm basically made of springs and dreams. I bet I could fly if I had a running start!"
"You're also the smallest," Brakka grinned. "What are you going to do, hop over a pebble and call it victory?"
"I'll hop over your head, big lady," Kyra snapped, poking Brakka's thigh.
Sylthea sighed dramatically, flipping her hair. "Clearly, none of you are factoring in elegance. My form alone would earn a ten. I might not go far, but I'll go down in style."
Axel blinked. "You just admitted you'll come last."
"I'm not here to win," she sniffed. "I'm here to dazzle."
Korrak suddenly thumped his club Brakka made for him into the dirt. "Enough talking. Let's settle this. Three sticks. Traditional."
They all turned to him, surprised.
"Three sticks?" Kyra said, blinking.
Brakka grinned. "Haven't played that since I was a kid."
"Explain," Axel said, arms folded.
Korrak stomped around gathering fallen branches. "You jump three times. No running. No tricks. One big jump, two follow-ups. Land wherever you land. Best distance wins."
"Easy," Axel said confidently. "Let's go."
First Up... Sylthea
She stretched dramatically, cracked her knuckles like she was about to perform on stage, then stepped up to the sticks.
"Behold," she declared. "Witches grace in motion."
She leapt.
Well… "leapt" was generous.
She mostly floated like a leaf and landed with a soft thud barely five paces ahead.
"Did you… just do a toe twirl midair?" Axel asked, frowning.
"It was a pirouette," she said haughtily.
"Into last place," Brakka muttered.
Second... Korrak
He grunted, stomped into position, then launched himself with a loud BOOM.
His first jump was solid.
Second… a little sloppy.
Third... he landed face-first into a bush.
"I got distracted!" he shouted, spitting leaves.
"By what?" Kyra said, giggling.
"…My own shadow."
Third... Brakka
She cracked her neck. "Time to show you what ogre legs can do."
She crouched low, tensed, and launched.
The ground trembled.
Leaves exploded around her.
Her landing cracked a tree root.
"Ha!" she said, hands on hips.
Kyra whistled. "Okaaaay, Big Green got hops."
Axel looked mildly impressed. "Respectable."
Fourth... Axel
"Time for the truth," he said, locking his helmet on. "Engaging heel runes. Boosters 30%."
"Wait, you really gonna use your tech?" Sylthea shouted.
Axel leapt.
He soared like a missile, whoosh!
First jump? Perfect.
Second jump? Landed on a rock and launched again.
Third? A clean somersault into a crouch.
"Daaaaamn!" Kyra said, clapping. "You didn't even break a sweat!"
Brakka crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Show-off."
Last... Kyra
She rubbed her tiny green hands together. "Time to break hearts."
Everyone watched.
She wiggled her toes. No armor. No magic. Just goblin speed.
Then she jumped.
Like. A. Bullet.
Her first leap cleared two fallen logs.
Second? She bounced off a tree trunk and spun midair.
Third? She landed on Axel's back, then flipped off and stuck the landing with both arms raised.
Korrak's jaw dropped.
Sylthea blinked. "Did… she just double-jump?"
Axel slowly turned to her. "What even are you?"
Kyra just smiled. "Goblins were born in mountains and treetops. We jump for breakfast."
Brakka laughed so hard she snorted.
"I... how?! I literally crushed a boulder and still got beat!"
Kyra bowed. "All hail the Goblin Queen of Hops."
Axel stared at her, stunned. "...I demand a rematch."
Kyra grinned. "I demand snacks."
The White Halo walked onward, laughing, bickering, arguing over form and foul starts.
The tension of the world faded just for a while...
...as monsters, witches, ogres, trolls, and humans all jumped together.
Just a weird little family in the woods.