The Endless Forest

Tal was finally alone, laying down upon his bed in his personal quarters. The room was lavish, filled with tapestries and murals that recounted tails of yore. From the Eon of Struggles, to the Golden Era they now lived in.

White marble was everywhere from the pillars and walls, to his writing desk in the corner. Every single piece of furniture was opulent, decorated with solid gold and blessed by holy priests.

No expense was spared.

But even with all this surrounding him… It was just a prison.

Champion… The word left a bad taste in his mouth, but there was nothing he could do about it.

For centuries, the Holy Triumphant had called upon his family. For centuries, his family had answered that call. Some were willing, some were not.

Tal was not, his brother had been.

So why was Tal laying upon the bed, and not his brother? Because he saw the future, the High Prophet wanted him. His brother was going to die, either by ‘accident’ or by Tal’s own hands.

He wanted to ensure his brother died quickly, and so he could say goodbye…

And now I am back in my cage… Granted, a new cage, but a cage all the same.

He was waiting, waiting for the High Prophet to call upon him once more. He knew his first mission would be coming soon.

Closing his eyes, Tal tried to get some rest. He was emotionally drained and exhausted, but as his eyelids closed, the same scene appeared.

He stared up at the man above him curiously. He had never seen him before, but the more he studied the man, the more familiar he seemed.

Who exactly are you, Felix?

Yedril stood still, not daring to speak, not daring to move. He was afraid that this was all some trick, that Felix was somehow testing him. Yet the smile the human wore was honest; this was no trick, this was no test…

His decision this morning seemed like a distant memory, something that happened ages ago. It didn’t even feel real.

There was a twinge deep within Yedril’s soul. It ached, but it also reminded him why he was so desperate to leave his mark upon the world.

Why had he been so worried about this again? Why had he, in a moment of weakness, decided it was better from him to throw his future away? To give up right before his moment to shine?

Hadn’t he decided that he was done being coddled? Hadn’t he decided he would take the difficult path? Hadn’t he decided he would die trying, if that was what it took?

Yes.

That was his answer. He had chosen the hard way, he wanted to be someone. He wanted to see what the world had to offer. He wanted everyone to remember who he was, that he lived and not just simply existed.

He would suffer, both now and in the future. But so what? Others suffered too. His entire race had suffered in the past. Yet they remained.

He too, would remain. His spirit would continue on even if he should fall.

I will not give up, not now, not ever. No more will I dwell on such despairing thoughts.

Yedril inhaled, feeling invigorated for the first time in his life. In that moment, Yedril grew. He was not yet an adult, but now he saw the path. He understood. He would become a man, an elven man that would be remembered.

His nerves calmed and he felt his trembling grow, but not from fear. No, it was from his building excitement.

I will hatch an egg and figure the rest out later. It wasn’t a solid plan, nor a good one, but it was his. He would make it work, somehow…

The sound of others approaching brought him back to reality. He returned Felix’s smile and turned to face the arrivals.

“Took you long enough,” he said to his sister.

Her expression at his sight went from worried to curious. “You okay?” she asked. “You were in such a hurry.”

He noticed her glancing over to Eri before looking back to him.

“I’m fine, I just had to…get away.” He let out a fake shudder. “I didn’t know butchering would be so disgusting. I saw my chance and took it.”

Solanna studied him for several moments before she spoke, it didn’t seem like she was buying his lie. “Yedril, are you sure–”

Felix clapped his hands, interrupting her. “Alright, now that we have everyone… I guess I should reveal why I called you all out here.”

Thank the gods, Yedril sighed inwardly. He wasn’t sure if Felix had done that on purpose, but he was relieved all the same.

His sister, along with Noria and Lorem, came to stand next to him. He gave the other two a nod before focusing on Felix. Everyone had the look of interest as the human continued.

“First, let me apologize. I know I have been slacking in my duties to teach you… But the simple fact is, there just isn’t much to teach. Still, I have been leaving you all wondering and guessing. For that, I am sorry.”

Felix gave an apologetic bow, not unlike how the kobolds would do so.

“Anyway,” he started as he stood back up. “It’s time to fix that. Today, you all will learn how to get imprinted.”

The group was silent for several moments. Yedril already knew, but he chose to not respond and instead waited for someone else. Noria was the first.

“Wait… Do you mean we will be hatching the eggs?” Her voice quivered slightly, as if she was only just now realizing what she had asked.

Felix chuckled. “Eventually, but you have to get the egg to imprint onto you first. The hatching process can only start after that.”

“How long does that take?”

“Depends,” the human shrugged. “Watcher was supposed to order the eggs by how soon they would hatch. But as you are aware, he did it differently. In other words; it could be today, it could be in a few months.”

I hope not! I don’t know if I can wait a few months… Yedril almost said that out loud but caught himself. Thankfully, no one seemed to have noticed as the others were lost in their own thoughts.

However, it wasn’t lost to him, that the others seemed to liven up at the reveal. Even Solanna was now wearing a smile, and looking like she was about to go on the hunt.

“So then? What are we waiting for?” Lorem asked, causing everyone to return their attention to Felix.

The human let out a laugh and shook his head. “I guess then you don’t want to know how to get the egg to imprint?” he teased.

“Of course we do!” Solanna interjected. “It’s been torture since we first laid our eyes on those eggs.”

That caused Yedril to wince, he still hadn’t laid eyes on the egg he would be hatching.

Felix held up his hands placatingly. “Calm down… I was merely joking, but you’re right, Lorem. Let’s get this started.”

A few moments later, the doors to the hatchery opened. Everyone entered, while Felix waited by the entrance.

The human suddenly put a hand up in front of Yedril, stopping him. “Hang on for a second,” he said, and waited for the others to get further away. “I just wanted to check your mana.”

“Oh–” Yedril felt the now familiar sensation of Felix staring directly into his soul. It sent a shiver down his spine, something he could never get quite used to…

“I’m just going to give you a little extra.”

Yedril nodded, feeling a painful pinch deep within himself as Felix put a hand to his chest. He grunted, but the sensation quickly dissipated and left him sighing heavily.

Energy flooded into his system and Yedril felt more alert, more focused. He could feel his heartbeat quickening before settling down, like a brief rush of excitement.

Another moment passed and he felt ‘normal.’ Well, what he guessed was normal. To him, life seemed to become just a little more vivid…

Felix dropped his hand and gave him an approving nod. “You’re good now– Oh, another thing…” The human suddenly looked conflicted, as if he couldn’t decide on what to say.

“Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Yedril said, rubbing his chest. Normally he would need a few minutes to rest, but nothing was going to stop him from hatching the egg.

He continued onwards, noticing Eri watching him as he caught up. She had a brief look of concern before she smiled.

The group stopped before one of the dens. The elves, save for Eri, stared inwards. Meanwhile, Zira and Kyrith were standing a little further away with Watcher next to them. The kobold’s head snapped to him with a distant look in his eyes, it felt much the same as when Felix stared into his soul.

With another shiver running down his back, Yedril tore his attention away from the kobold and back towards the den. There, inside, he could just make out four eggs, all beautiful and different in color from one another…

Which one– Yedril froze as something took hold of him. He wasn’t the only one, the others were all stock-still as well.

A distant voice called for him, yearned for him…

He took a step forward…

Then another…

He needed to find his egg, he needed to find it… They needed each other, they were destined to be together–

Someone pulled him back. “Woah there, hang on a second!” It was Felix again.

Yedril struggled against him, he had to find his egg.

“Hang on…” The human suddenly let go. “Oh… Oh shit.”

“What’s happening?!” Eri’s voice sounded somewhere off to the side.

“They’re being compelled… All of them.”

Unaware of what was happening, Yedril freely made his way into the den. Behind him, the others followed suit. They encircled the four eggs.

Drawn by the distant whisper, Yedril found himself standing before a beautiful opaque white egg. His breathing became ragged as the voice gave him the knowledge he would need.

Falling to his knees, he never took his eyes off the egg and reached out for it. The voice grew louder, encouraging him to touch it.

His heart raced, his hand trembled, he was less than an inch away…

The den echoed with gasps as each elf touched the smooth surface of their eggs. On instinct, they each closed their eyes.

Yedril’s egg felt surprisingly warm, comforting and inviting. Yet, he was not done. He did not know how or why, but he needed to find it… He needed to hear the beating heart.

Forcefully, he pulled at the borrowed mana and held back a scream. His body tensed, his entire being ached with searing pain.

GIVE IT TO ME! He silently raged. The edges of his mind were starting to fog…

P-please! Yedril begged, the heat from his core burning him from the inside out. He was so close.

The taste of iron filled his mouth.

Finally, something snapped and the mana became usable. Without wasting a second, he guided it to his hand and then–

The world became deathly silent and still. His pain was nothing but a distant thought, lost to the void that surrounded him.

Had he failed?

Thump thump…

What was that?

Thump thump…

There it is again!

Thump thump…

Realization dawned on him. He was hearing it– No, he was feeling it. The beating heart of an unhatched dragon. It was growing steadily louder until it nearly deafened him.

THUMP THUMP…

His eyes shot open. I DID– Nothing came out of his mouth. Strange…

His view of the world was tilted and he was pretty sure he was staring up at his egg. Why am I on the floor?

He tried to blink to clear his eyes, they were beginning to cloud. Why is my vision so blurry?

He coughed, spitting blood from his mouth.

Why doesn’t it hurt?