Caelen stood in front of the table, holding a piece of white chalk. The classroom was quiet, full of small goblin kids sitting on wooden benches, so fidgeting, others trying their best to look serious. He drew a big "A" on the board.
"This is A," he said. "It sounds like 'ah' or sotis 'ay'. It's the first letter of the alphabet in my world."
The kids blinked up at him. He smiled and added, "The language is called English where I ca from... but here, let's call it Caleanise. Since, well... I'm the only one who knows it."
One boy raised his hand, confused. "Why make us learn this? We already speak normal."
Caelen chuckled. "That's true. But writing and reading—those are tools. They help you rember things. They help you learn faster. And soday, they'll help you talk with people far away."
The sa kid squinted. "Talk far away? How?"
Caelen pointed to the half-finished telephone on a nearby desk. "With that. We're building sothing that lets people speak without shouting across mountains. But to use it well, you need to read and write."
The room grew quiet. That idea sounded like magic to them.
Caelen went on, drawing B next. "This is B. It sounds like 'buh.' Like 'bread.' Or 'bite.' Or 'Borin' when he's angry."
A few of them laughed.
He handed out chalk and slates, showing them how to draw the letters. So struggled, holding the chalk wrong, drawing backwards shapes. Caelen crouched and helped them one by one, never rushing.
"You don't need to be perfect," he said to a small boy rubbing his eyes. "Just try. Even grown-ups ss up sotis."
The kid looked up. "You ss up?"
"All the ti. You should've seen my first stew. Nearly killed Zira."
The laughter ca easier that ti.
One girl sat near the front, focused and fast. She had already drawn A through F on her own. Caelen noticed her and crouched beside her bench.
"You are learning fast," he said. "What is your na?"
"Tikka," she whispered. "I... I like this. It makes sense."
"You're doing great," Caelen said, smiling. "Do you want to keep learning?"
She nodded quickly, gripping her chalk tighter.
"I'll teach you everything I know."
When the lesson ended and most of the kids didn't want to leave. So were still practicing their letters. Tikka stayed the longest, even after Caelen wiped the board.
"You can co early tomorrow," he said to her. "I'll teach you extra."
Her face lit up, and she hurried off to tell her friends.
Caelen stepped out into the cool air and stretched his arms. The school was already doing more than he hoped.
Back in the town hall, Garin, Zira, Elira, Dorgrim, and Borin were waiting. The table was covered in copper wires, wooden rings, and unfinished tools.
"You're late," Zira said with a teasing smile.
"Kids wouldn't let go," Caelen said. "One girl, Tikka, she's gonna be a genius. You'll see."
Garin chuckled. "Reminds of myself."
"No," Borin muttered. "She listens. That's the difference."
They laughed and got back to work. The third and fourth parts of the telephone were harder than expected. Hours passed as Dorgrim twisted wires, Borin carved wood, and Caelen carefully followed the layout he designed. Zira helped organize the parts, while Garin adjusted the coils.
By late afternoon, two more parts were done.
"One more to go," Caelen said, rubbing his eyes.
"Feels like we're building a dragon, not a voice box," Dorgrim muttered.
Zira yawned and leaned on her elbow. "We'll finish it tomorrow."
"Yeah," Caelen agreed. "Let's rest."
He stepped outside to get so air. A mont later, Elira joined him.
She looked nervous.
"Caelen," she said softly, "Can I talk to you for a bit?"
He turned to her. "Of course. What's on your mind?"
She looked toward the trees. "My people... the other elves. I've been thinking about them. I know it's been a while, but I can't shake the feeling that they're still out there."
Caelen listened silently.
"I keep dreaming about them," she said. "Sotis I see their faces. Sotis I hear my people's voice. But I don't know where they are, or if they're even alive."
He nodded slowly. "You miss them."
"I do," she whispered. "I know I've found a ho here. With you. With everyone. But it still hurts. I don't want to forget them."
Caelen looked at her gently. "You shouldn't. And you won't."
She t his eyes. "Will you help find them?"
"Yes," he said without hesitation. "I will help you don't have to do it alone."
She looked down for a mont, then back up. "Thank you."
Caelen opened his system and typed:
Search: detect good elves nearby
[Searching...]
[Result: 4.2 km northeast – 21 elves detected – 14 male, 7 female]
He showed her the result.
"They're close," he said. "Less than five kiloters away."
Elira stared at the screen, her hands trembling a little. "That's... that's a whole group."
Caelen nodded. "Looks like a village. Maybe even your own."
She wiped her eyes and smiled faintly. "I want to go. Not tonight. But soon."
"We'll prepare," Caelen said. "We'll go together."
She stood there for a mont, then whispered, "You always help. Even when you don't have to. Why?"
He shrugged. "Because soone helped once."
That night, after the others went to sleep, Caelen stayed up thinking about the elves. Tomorrow, they'd finish the telephone. After that... they'd head northeast.
The world was getting bigger.
And so was his village.
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