The world spun in colours Ammon had never seen before - streaks of flame spiraled around him as the portal hurled him through the unknown. Then all of a sudden, he landed hard upon something soft. Moss, soft and fragrant. The hum of the portal faded behind him like a retreating storm.
Blinking, he found himself staring at a canopy of leaves, shimmering with an inner glow. Strange fireflies drifted between the trees, leaving streaks of light at their wake. The air was cool, carrying with it the smell of rain and sunflower.
Ayden stumbled beside him, brushing off the leaves. His eyes as usual expressed his cold nature, he looked into the forest, as though, his eyes could unlock all its secrets.
The place was too beautiful to be real. The trunks of the ancient tree, twisted towards the heavens, their bark etched with glowing runes.
Yet, beneath the beauty there was something else.
"Stay alert". Ayden said. His eyes sweeping through the forest, his expression hardened and his hands instinctively resting on the hilts of his blade.
Ammon nodded, but his eyes were wide, reflecting the strange light that dance between the trees. The felt so alive, almost as if it was listening.
Before Ammon could respond to the beauty of the forest, he heard a low growl - a sound deap and gultural, vibrating through the earth. The wind shifted , the metallic stench turned his stomach.
Ayden drew his.
blade, "somethings close".
They moved cautiously, the glow of the forest dimmed as the clouds passed over the moon. The growl came again but this time with snapping of branches. Then, silence - complete and heavy.
From the shadow, a figure emerged.
It was a woman - young, her hair green as grass, flowing down her back in waves. Her eyes bright green, expressed both wisdom and sorrow. She stood surrounded by vines barefooted and her robes tattered but laces with magical threads that shimmered faintly with each breath.
"Who are you ?", Ammon demanded, lowering his weapon slightly but not sheathing it.
The woman's lips curved slightly, "you are far from your kingdom, young prince".
Ammon froze. "How do you know who I am?".
"The Forest knows many things". She said softly."And so do does bounded to it".
Ayden stepped forward. "Bound".
The woman raised her wrist, the chains glimmering faintly. My name is Elara- I am a mage and the guardian of Lake Orcas. I was bound here centuries ago, when the king of Dravencia's ancestors, feared what dwelled in the forest. They sealed me to maintain the balance.
Ammon knew something was off about her, hearing she was a mage cleared off his suspicion. In curiosity, he ran towards the guardian, using his hands and eyes to feel her body, he had never seen a mage before, he was curious to know how their bodies are built, this action which was not a crime back in Dravencia, was responded with aggression from the guardian.
Seeing this, Ayden quickly dragged Ammon back and immediately apologized for the inappropriate behavior of his prince.
At first, Ammon didn't understand his crime, but still he apologized, In order to clear the air.
Elara's expression darkened, not because of the Ammon earlier action but the stupidity that had clouded Dravencia. "So the king sent a powerless heir to do what none had dared- slay the nightmare that had not truly died.
Ammon's grip tightened to his blade. "Nogard".
Beneath the Norgardian mountain, his seal weakens. Each whisper of power that escape feeds the beast, which you hear now.
As if to answer, a roar so primal broke through the calm- causing the leaves to tremble.
Ammon instinctively, stepped closer to Ayden, we can't face that alone, he said calmly.
No, Elara agreed. "But I can guide you". She said raising her chained wrist.
Ayden hesitated. Trusting a stranger, especially one bounded by ancient magic was a big risk. Ammon thought the same, But so was refusing her. He met her gaze, finding for deceit but he saw only weary determination.
"What do you want in return?" he asked.
"My freedom", she replied simply.
Ammon exchanged a glance with Ayden. We'll help you he said at last, "but if you betray us-".
Elara's faint smile returned, almost sad. "If I want you dead, young prince, you would never had heard me speak".
For the first time, Ammon noticed the forest responding to her, the trees leaned subtly to her voice and air warmer where she stood.
"Then we have an accord", he said lowering his blade.
As they walked, faint glimmers of movement flickered between the trees- shadows that disappear when looked directly. The scent of blood thickened mixed with the sweet fragrance of the forest. Amidst all odds, Ammon could hear the whispers in the air, he could the eyes of Norgardian watching their every move. He whispered to Ayden about the voices and his feeling of them being watched, Ayden said nothing, but he too could feel it.
The forest whispered continuously- low, ancient and alive- as the three of them turned to the heart of Lake Orcas, unknown to them, that deep within the Norgardian mountain, a single crimson eye had begun to open.