The Endless Forest

Eri winced as she lowered herself down onto the grass. Her head was pounding, and the whimpering coming from Kyrith only made it worse. Lying down, she closed her eyes.

They had tried, tried to fuse their minds together in an attempt to strengthen their bond. It hadn’t gone exactly well. The issue, as it turned out, was moving two bodies at the same time. The process was something neither of them were ready for.

Yet Felix and Zira did it. To add insult to injury, those two had managed to do it not even a week after Zira hatched and while she was injured. What was the difference? She did not know.

Maybe it's because Zira was– is more mature? She was hesitant to admit it, not to mention it wasn’t fair, but Kyrith wasn’t as smart as Zira. He was intelligent, but not in the same way. He could read people and had a knack for making everyone he met his friend.

But I suspect there is more to this… Trust plays a huge role, we need to trust each other. But that doesn’t explain all of it. Hmm, what about Felix?

Her mind shifted on the man that was courting her. It had been a long while since she thought of him as just a human, a group she hated and cursed. No, she held no anger towards him, quite the opposite if she was being honest. Her heart skipped a beat.

Eri shook her head, doing her best to ignore the headache. Focus! she chastised herself. Is there something about Felix that makes it easier for them?

Felix was the type of person who would see something through to the end, no matter how difficult that something might be. It didn’t even matter if he ended up hurt. But that was just the obvious of his personality.

He was loyal to his friends and allies, Yesterday proved that much… But there has to be something else.

She frowned and really thought about it. What is it that drives him?

Eri’s memories of when they first met flashed into her mind, causing her to cringe slightly. She had been furious, livid even, at the thought of a human being invited to the island…to their home. But she pushed past those old emotions, they were no longer valid to her.

Instead, she focused on Felix himself. When they met, he had been clearly overwhelmed. But what stuck out to her was when he lost control of his mana… She had rushed in from the kitchen to find a mess but Master Aluin had shooed her away.

It was only later, she was told what happened…

A love letter from someone who was gone, from someone he couldn’t remember. How…lonely he must have felt– Her eyes slowly opened, mirroring her own slow realization.

Felix was scared and lonely. To wake up in a world with no memories, to wake up and find someone who cared for you was dead, to not even remember them…

Eri felt tears form, her heart ached for Felix. So many things clicked into place about him, why he was so loyal, why he pushed himself to the point of death to accomplish his goals. It even explained why she had felt so attracted to him, and possibly why he had been attracted to her.

They were more similar than she realized.

“Uh, is this a bad time?” Ithea’s voice asked from somewhere next to her.

Eri jumped, completely startled by the woman’s sudden appearance. Sitting up, she quickly wiped the tears away and stared at the woman.

“What do you want?” Eri asked, sounding harsher than she intended.

Ithea smiled and plopped down right next to her. “Well, to be honest, it looked like you needed…help.”

Eri rolled her eyes. What is even going on with her? “Actually, I think I’ve got it all figured out… Thank you though.”

Ithea’s smile dropped to a frown. “Damn…” she whispered.

“What– I mean, what is this all about anyways? You wanted to help me so I will help you, but you’ve yet to tell me what you need.”

Ithea looked away–

Embarrassed? Eri had to keep herself from shaking her head, unable to believe what she was seeing.

The dragon woman suddenly hardened her expression. “It’s…about me and my– Zira’s relationship.” The last part was barely a whisper.

Eri blinked, her jaw dropping. This was not what I was expecting… She quickly recovered and cleared her throat. “And you think I can help you?”

Ithea brought her attention back to her and nodded.

“Oh.” Eri quickly looked away, her eyes landing on the familiar sight of Kyrith. The dragon was already back on his feet and…playing with some kobold children.

She finally shook her head.

“Why do you think I can help you?” She asked after several long moments.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ithea asked as if it was.

“No?” She felt a cold stare boring a hole into her.

“You’re…joking right? Everyone here treats you as if you are their mother.”

“What?!” Eri leaned back in shock. “No… No, you’re wrong–”

Ithea’s signature smile returned to her. “Ooh? Interesting, I thought you realized it… Hells, it’s probably why Felix fell for you so hard. I mean, what man wouldn’t want a woman who had such instincts. That woman would make a great–”

“Stop!” Eri shouted, even as her mind finished Ithea’s sentence. Mother… Her face was beet red. “If it's so obvious to you, then why do you even need my help?!” She shouted again, completely flustered.

Ithea’s expression hardened once more, even as she cast her eyes downwards. “Because… I no longer feel.”

“Feel?” Eri asked, slowly getting her breathing under control.

“Love, happiness– I hardly feel anything anymore.” The woman slowly looked up, peering deep into Eri’s eyes.

“I want to love my daughter.”

Felix nearly collapsed as he exited the forest. Even Zira was completely exhausted and panting heavily. But it was worth it, he smiled at that thought.

It was, Zira said, agreeing.

Still, despite how much he wanted to just take a nap, there were other matters he needed to tend to. His eyes flicked over to the hatchery. No doubt Watcher is working them to the bone.

Zira chuffed, a noise she so rarely made that he could count on one hand the number of times he had heard her make it.

Go rest, I will probably join you after I speak with Yedril. He patted her side affectionately.

She gave him a concerned look. And if he needs mana? Are you going to… In your state?

Felix nodded. I’m not worried. I’m physically tired, but we barely touched my mana. Even if I pass out, it’ll just be because I need a nap.

He felt Zira studying him. No, you’re not allowed to pass out until you make it back to me. You will be my pillow, you still owe me that.

Fair enough, but I will tell Yedril to just drag my body to you if I do.

Good.

That was the end of their conversation as Felix watched Zira stagger herself over to a large shaded spot. Only now did he realize that it was hot out, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

Maybe I could do with a cold bath or something. He shook his head, That can wait.

With that, he stumbled his way over to the hatchery…

As he made it to the entrance, Felix quickly adjusted his posture and peeked inside. What he saw made him freeze, not wanting to disturb the group…

Watcher was standing in front of his volunteers– No, students –and held up a small blue egg. The kobold was showing it off, holding it with both hands and being extra cautious with what looked like padding laying on the floor.

The elves were sitting and leaning forward to look at the egg. Felix couldn’t quite see their expressions but he could tell by how they whispered that they were fascinated.

This is good, he smiled– Watcher’s head suddenly snapped to him. Damn it…

The elves noticed and quickly turned their necks to see him.

Felix let out a sigh and entered. “How’s everything going?” he asked, coming to the group. The elves were already getting up.

Watcher carefully laid the egg down onto the padding, watching it a moment to make sure it wouldn’t roll and then faced Felix again. “Master, New Masters do well. Watcher only shout twenty-seven times. Watcher no have to beat sense, only shout.”

Felix shook his head, noting that Yedril, in particular, winced. “Not bad, glad you didn’t have to get violent.”

He glanced around the hatchery, pretending to inspect it. In truth, he couldn’t tell. “Looks, uh, clean… Good work, everyone.”

Lorem spoke up. “Watcher really worked us, but it felt good. Been a while since I really got a decent workout.” It wasn’t hard to tell that the others didn’t share in his optimism, especially Yedril.

No matter, I think they deserve a break. Felix nodded approvingly. “Well if you all are done, you’re free to take a break.”

Everyone, save for Lorem, let out a relieved sigh, though Noria was eyeing the egg. “Though, if Watcher is willing, he could continue his lecture over the eggs…”

Watcher bowed. “Watcher love too, but Watcher have more work.”

Felix shrugged, “Up to you, I’m sure you could work something out.”

The kobold suddenly smiled, calculating something within his head. Meanwhile, the elves hesitated, clearly unsure if they wanted to risk doing more work for hearing about such an interesting topic.

Noria took the chance. “I-I would like to hear more…”

Lorem quickly joined her. “Same, besides I wouldn’t mind getting a bit more done. I hate being idle.”

Next up was Yedril, but as he started to open his mouth, Felix stopped him. “Sorry, Yedril, but I actually came here to collect you…”

The sickly elf actually looked relieved. Hmm, I guess his condition is worsening again… Probably good I’m doing this now.

Last up was Solanna, who probably looked the most torn. It wasn’t lost on anyone that she wanted to be with her brother, but what was surprising was how she glanced down at the egg.

In truth, Solanna was probably the weakest link within the group. Her only real reason for being here was her brother. Felix knew this, but he was okay with it for now. He couldn’t afford to be that choosy…

But perhaps her reasons are changing? This gives me some confidence and hope.

“I think… I think I would like to listen,” she answered, causing Felix’s smile to widen.

Good, very good. Actually, I should really spend some time and talk to each one individually. Find out more about them…

He turned his attention back to Watcher. “So, what do you say?”

Watcher bowed. “Watcher will teach…”

Felix cocked an eye, the way the kobold said that told him Watcher had figured something out. Well, not my concern. I gave the elves the choice.

“Alright, with that settled…” Felix nodded towards Yedril, “Follow me.”

The two of them made their exit, leaving the others to the mercy of Watcher…

Felix led Yedril back to the manor and into the drawing room, gesturing to one of the sofas. “Go ahead and sit down. Get comfortable and I will start.”

“Actually, I wanted to talk with you,” Yedril responded, taking a seat.

“Oh…that’s fine. Can it wait until after?”

Yedril nodded. “It can… It’s nothing serious, I just figured I’d bring it up.”

Felix cocked an eyebrow. “I see, well we can certainly talk about…whatever it is.” He gestured for the elf to lean back. “For now, please relax. I’ll make this as quick and painless as possible.”

The sickly elf shifted and got as comfortable as possible, still he seemed a little tense.

“Relax,” Felix repeated, putting a hand on Yedril’s shoulder. He waited until the elf took a deep breath and felt the tension lessen. Good enough…

He moved his hand down to Yedril’s chest, and took a calming breath himself. Exhaling, Felix activated his mana sight and took stock of what he was dealing with.

His mana is dwindling but it doesn’t look too serious yet… Looks like I made it in time. He silenced his thoughts and closed his eyes, tugging on his own mana.

A moment passed and suddenly Felix felt a familiar warmth flood through his body. It wasn't nearly as burning as this morning…

He narrowed it, focusing his mana into a piercing tendril. Careful this time, please. He didn’t know why he was talking to his mana but it eagerly responded to him. Its twisting chaotic-like state settled down, lightly vibrating and humming.

The tendril entered Yedril, slipping through the strange barrier that protected the elf instead of piercing it. The elf only slightly tensed and let out a small grunt, before settling back down.

So far so good… Felix pushed the tendril further into Yedril, taking his time and studying how the elf’s body responded to it.

It was…strange. Felix wasn’t entirely sure what he was ‘seeing’ but he noted how even as his mana entered the body, it was slowly stripping it– Rejecting it. The amount was barely noticeable, but once he did, he made a decision.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he split the tendril into smaller ones. He sent them probing through Yedril, searching for other oddities. Meanwhile, the main tendril continued on its journey…

Sweat dripped down from his brow, tickling his nose and threatening to get into his eyes. This time though, it wasn’t from the heat and Felix did all he could to ignore it. All the while, he studied Yedril.

His body is rejecting most of my mana… Luckily it’s slow, very slow, but– Strange, its not rejecting all of it.

As he focused, he quickly discarded the obvious, healing magic. From what he could tell and just…knew, it would have no effect on Yedril. Worse, it could exacerbate his condition…

With that option gone, Felix’s only potential clue on how to help Yedril was this small amount of mana not wanting to be ejected. But…

Why?

Essence.

The word was felt more than heard, stemming from somewhere deep within. They nearly made him lose his concentration…

Suddenly, he was made aware of his own exhaustion once again. Need…to focus.

He pulled back all but his main tendril as it finally reached Yedril’s soul…

Felix frowned.

At first glance the elf’s soul looked alright, beating in time with his heart. But, the closer Felix came, the more it concerned him.

With every beat, small flakes fell away. With every beat, cracks formed and grew…

Felix felt his own heart skip a beat, his hand began trembling, sweat streamed down his face.

Yedril is dying.

He knew, knew, but this was the first time he truly understood. Suddenly, time was of the essence.

His mana crossed the divide.

Yedril’s soul immediately latched on, desperately consuming his mana. Felix let it, Yedril needed it more than he did…

A relieved sigh escaped Yedril.

A strained gasp escaped Felix.

Felix collapsed to his knees, his hand falling away. Still, he forced a pained smile as he looked up to Yedril. “S-so… What did you want to talk about?”

Noria laid down on the warm stones of the hatchery. She wasn’t the only one, the two other elves were also laying down. They were all exhausted, run ragged by Watcher.

“Gather!” Watcher shouted, much to everyone’s displeasure. Still, they dutifully got up and approached.

Who knew the kobolds could be so…demanding? She shook the thought from her head and watched as the old, gray kobold disappeared into one of the dens.

“Follow!” he shouted to them.

They all looked at each other a little nervously. Felix hadn’t wanted them to go near the dens, but he had also left Watcher in charge…

Solanna shrugged and went in, soon Noria and Lorem followed. The larger elf had to crouch just to fit, and was practically on his hands and knees. Luckily, they didn’t have to go far–

Noria stifled a gasp.

Before them were four egg shaped crystals– No wait… Four beautiful eggs that looked like crystals, each one a different type. They were grouped together and laying on thick bedding that made up the den’s nest.

The first one Noria saw looked like pure white quartz. It was opaque, but she thought she saw something within it. Next to it was a deep green egg that reminded her of emeralds, something quite rare and highly coveted.

On the other side was a brilliant red colored egg. Ruby, her mind thought, and it definitely fit the description. The color was striking but– Her eyes landed on the last and final egg. This one made her clutch the necklace that Lorem had given her.

The egg was of a yellow colored stone. At first she thought it was amber, but she pulled the necklace up and compared them. Citrine, right? That’s what Lorem said it was… The egg definitely looked identical to the necklace.

It was at that moment, she knew. Knew of what? She didn’t know, but she knew. Already, she let go of the necklace as her other hand reached out. No! Stop… But she couldn’t. She felt that she had to, like it was calling out to her.

She wasn’t the only one.

Solanna and Lorem were raging wars of their own, desperately trying to control themselves. But the desire, the will, to touch the eggs was strong.

It was Watcher who stopped them. Stepping directly in their way, and blocking their sight. “No touch!” he shouted at them.

It wasn’t much, but the distraction broke their focus. The three elves shakily pulled away, all wondering; What was that?

Noria gulped, keeping her eyes squarely on Watcher. Her mouth opened but no words came out…

Meanwhile, the kobold looked intrigued. His anger quickly gave way to a smile that rivaled Ithea’s. “Watcher pleased, Master will too.”

“What?” It was Solanna.

“Master give task to Watcher. Gather eggs, sort them by which hatch first. But Watcher think of better task. Better idea. Watcher watch, Watcher learn, Watcher sort eggs, not by hatch first…”

The kobold pointed to them.

“No, Watcher sort eggs by you.”