Urei Yousei had always been a curious child, endlessly asking her father and older brother questions. Her brother usually ignored her after a while, but her father always laughed at the girl and patiently answered her many questions. However, Urei soon learned that there were certain questions that should be avoided. Especially those about her mother.

      Urei had to rely on her brother for information about their mother, but even he could barely remember her. All the answers she could get from her father were that she had died when Urei was born, and that she had been very beautiful and kind. Her name had been Kenmei.

      Junsui, Urei's father, also didn't like to talk about why they lived so far away from Qualinesti, his home city, and why they weren't allowed over the stream in the forest. However, Kage, Urei's brother, knew something about this at least. Urei didn't know how much of it she believed, but the local trader's gossip said that Junsui had been a member of a very prominent Qualinesti family, and that he had been exiled from Qualinesti for marrying Urei's mother.

      The ever inquisitive Urei had not been satisfied with the answers she had been given. What was so wrong with her mother that her father was exiled just for marrying her? The Qualinesti elves were the more lenient of the two elven people, and very few things would warrant a lifetime exile. Urei had always assumed that she was of pure elven blood, but she began to think that maybe she was only half elven. Why else would her father have been exiled unless her mother was of another race?

      As she got older, these same questions plagued Urei more and more. She had long ago given up on asking her father anything, because he would get such a sad look in his eyes that Urei felt horrible just for asking. Eventually, Urei began to cross the stream in the forest, going closer and closer to Qualinesti each time. She hoped that someday she would come across someone who could tell her what she needed to know.