His axe's sharp blade cut the firewood with precision, easily splitting the longs in two. In the silent night of the forest his laboured breathing was the only thing that could be heard as he worked tirelessly to finish his task. It was clear he was straining to be quick, but the big pile of wood beside him that remained to be chopped was never-ending.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and resumed to his work without taking a break. He wanted to return to the city as soon as possible and check on Peter back at the infirmary to ensure that she had completely recovered. His grip automatically tightened around the handle of the axe at the memory of someone purposely attacking her, and his jaw clenched in anger.

'At last, we meet.'

A velvety eerie voice sounded from behind him, and Matthew's hands froze, still holding the axe in midair. He slowly lowered the tool to the ground and reluctantly turned around to see who had spoken. His eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

A tall man calmly stood a few metres away from him. His face looked young, but his eyes were cold and empty, like they had witnessed all the ruins of their world ahead of his age. His jet-black hair was sleeked back and his dark cloak brushed the snow under his boots. For some reason he looked really familiar. Have I seen him before?, he wondered. He quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way for them to have met in the past.

Matthew didn't respond. He silently observed him with suspicion, touching the hilt of his sword. He had to learn his motives first before he jumped to conclusions. He might only be an elf from the city who was snooping around.

'Did you like my surprise?' he nonchalantly asked him, looking at his nails. 'It wasn't easy, you know, to...hear them scream.'

Matthew immediately connected the dots, and a sneer overtook his face. 'You burned that building!' he snarled at the stranger.

'I am full of surprises, aren't I?' The satisfied smile on his lips infuriated him even more.

'You will pay for what you did,' he threatened with malice, making the elf scoff.

'Tell me. How? You are too weak, and I am too powerful.'

'What do you want?'

'Just to cleanse this world from evil,' he said matter-of-factly. 'Humans are corrupt, while elves are conceited. They deserve to be purged.'

'And you get to decide who are deserving and who are not? That makes you worse than them!'

'You still don't see the bigger picture.'

'What bigger picture? This is madness!' Matthew couldn't stand listening to his lunatics anymore. He had to act fast, or else he would get away with his evil doing unscathed. He had to alert the others and let them take care of him. It was right at that moment when he suddenly heard leaves ruffling. He glanced at the source of the sound and cursed at his luck. Peter had appeared through the trees and was staring at them questioningly. So much for rushing to get back.

'Well, well, well. Who do we have here?' the elf smirked at her. 'Isn't that your brave companion. I've been watching you for a long time now.'

'Get behind me,' Matthew grabbed her arm and pulled her back. 'He lit the fire today.'

'What? Really?'

'Yes.'

'Have you told him your little secret?' the elf went on ignoring him.

Peter avoided his gaze, pursing her lips in anxiety. There was only one secret Matthew could recall and that could turn into a weapon in the wrong hands. He wished he was wrong, that the wicked elf was referring to something else altogether. Their encounter was getting more and more sinister.

'Don't play with fire,' she glared at him.

The minutes ticked on, and no one dared to make a move. Matthew knew she was dreading being discovered and he understood why, after all those years in all the dark places in the city, the military being one of them. She hadn't stayed in the clear for her identity to be unmasked in a single night.

He didn't even want to imagine how she would react if she learned that he knew all along. He had never considered the possibility of her finding the truth; he had stupidly trusted his luck. His hopes, though, were suddenly destroyed when the elf spoke again.

'Do you know that your friend right here has been lying to your face all these years?' he said to Matthew. 'That this woman right here is not a man?'

The stranger laughed evilly, obviously unconcerned about the ramifications his words may have, and Matthew gritted his teeth at the man's vile pleasure in the others' misery. He was so blinded by his rage, his worry for Peter, that only after a while did he notice her blinking at him in fear. Her face was pale, her lips were trembling; she didn't know what to say.

Her expression pierced through his heart. It was so painful for him to see her looking at him like that, as if she expected him to turn his back at her and desert her any time soon. He needed to show her he had nowhere else to be, except for the road they walked together.

'What a twist!' the elf exclaimed bemusedly. 'You already know!'

Matthew glowered at the elf, but Peter's shaky voice kept him back.

'Matthew?' her voice cracked.

Matthew hesitated for a second. He was afraid of how she would react. In the end, though, he realised that there was no other choice but to tell her the truth. 'It's true,' he sighed and glanced at her guiltily. 'I'm really sorry for keeping it from you.'

Peter's brows furrowed in confusion as she silently stared up at him. He wanted her to scream at him, punch him, kick at him. That would be better than her terrifying stillness. Matthew opened his mouth to speak, but she turned around before he could. 'You dare trespass on this land and disrupt the peace,' she bellowed at the elf. 'You will pay for the destruction you caused.'

'I hardly believe that will be possible,' he replied dismissively.

Without a second thought Peter marched at him, her eyes turning white. Matthew had seen her use her powers many times before, so he knew what was coming next. She clenched her fists and focused her magic on him. The elf only chuckled at her recklessness and waited for her to attack him with his arms crossed.

Peter made the first move, a bold one at that. She took out her sword and launched at him with all her might, forgetting her tiredness from before. Peter was on him like lighting; her strikes became a blur, while her magic tried to absorb his. The elf seemed unfazed by her determination. Fast as Peter had got, he was faster. Like wind he changed direction in an instant, avoiding her weapon with ease.

Matthew nervously watched the duel unfold before him and very soon he realised that the elf was playing her. Whatever move she made he predicted and he enjoyed messing with her. Even if she was putting great effort in diminishing his powers, the stranger was still too powerful.

At one point Peter decided she had had enough and attacked him with all the strength she could master. As usual, he dodged her sword, but she managed to turn her weapon away at the last minute, so it thudded hard into his thigh. The elf winced in pain and bared her teeth at her.

'You are done,' he hissed.

He came at her with hands that blazed with black fire. Matthew knew he had to step in; he had to protect what was left of what there was between them. With two long strides he stepped between them. He seized Peter by the neck and shielded her with his body from the elf's spell, shutting his eyes. He waited for the pain to come, but nothing happened.

'You are lucky I don't want to stain my hands today,' his impassive voice made him look up. 'We will meet again. By the way,' he turned to Matthew, 'I'm happy that you survived despite my magic on your weapon. It gives me the chance to finish you off myself.'

That was the last thing he said before he suddenly vanished into thin air. Matthew remained there staring at the empty space. What just happened?, he thought. Slowly he began to make some sense out of the whole confrontation. That man was the one they were searching for; he was the mastermind behind those cursed weapons that threatened the balance between the two people. At that moment, Peter wiggled out of his tight hold, waking him up from his daze.

'Are you hurt?' he asked her worriedly.

'I'm fine.'

She stood up and stretched her back, groaning in pain. Without a glance back, she started walking away.

'Peter!' he ran after her.

He caught up with her and walked beside her towards the city. The night was calm, nothing moved in the woods. Matthew rubbed his hands together that were freezing from the cold.

'Why didn't you tell me sooner?' she said.

'How was I supposed to tell you?'

Peter clicked her tongue in frustration but didn't say anything. Matthew noticed she was slightly limping, so he put his arm around her waist and helped her step over the frozen snow, despite her pushing him off her.

'I can walk on my own!' she said irritably.

'Don't. You can be angry with me after we get back. It's not safe here,' he scolded her, although deep down he had a feeling that whatever their relationship was, he had ruined it.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

A/N:  Oops, seems like Ines knows now. Do you think it should or shouldn't have happened? And did you like our villain? I don't. Please remember to vote, comment and share ♡ ♡ ♡

Phrase of chapter: pulvis et umbra sumus / we are but dust and shadow  - Horace