A ghastly orange grin, tearing through the verdant woodland. Unrestrained flames, devouring hungrily, licking and lapping at the grove, twisting and swaying in a dance without rhythm. Blackened bodies, charred bones, unsettled souls, snatched before their time.
The village people flee from the scene when they saw their beloved forest, slowly burning to their death. They heard mysterious screams coming from the heart of the forest, and on the same day, the ground rattled.
The government of Zurland tried their best to stop the raging fire, but to their dismay, the fire was inextinguishable. No matter how much water they poured, the inferno never ceased until it burned every tree to the ground.
Days had passed, but the earth had not forgotten. Fire tainted the earth with black, stripping the forest of the green beauty, leaving their waste, skeletal remains rooted in the barren soil. They seemed to reach out to the sky like spiritless, gnarled hands, as if desperate to clinch on to the realm, whole again.
Time had only stopped the wound on the forest, and the ground was burned and dead.
Mysteriously, the fire disappeared when their job was done, it hasn't spread to the nearby village.
Smokes were still coming out of the charred trees and the ground was still warm. People wandered through the desolate, and one of them was S'datel, or Soz. There was a big frown on his face, sadness in his eyes, and every movement he did was filled with dolour.
"How unfortunate it is to be here,
Once was a forest filled with adventure,
Mysterious darkness to defeat,
Ended nothing, neither good nor evil succeeded."
He silently mumbled as he walked down the charred path. Huge burned bodies were laying on the ground, bodies were that of an animal, but it seemed to be a little bit mutated.
But apart from those bizarre bodies, a skull could be seen on the ground, ashes almost veiled its sad death.
Soz knelt on the barren soil, gently brushed the ashes around it, and carried the skull. He stood and looked at the ground. From what he could see, white glowing footprints could be seen, those where Lev's footprints.
Before he stepped on the footprints, he whispered another chant:
"Blessed is the soul who is pure at heart,
Lo, who wished nothing but happiness,
Earth envied a true friend like him,
Showering him with love and luck,
Soon, life will breath into his nostrils."
And at that moment, the light of the sun forced its way through the dark clouds, illuminating Soz. He started to walk on Lev's footprints, each step revealed Lev's emotions, sadness, loneliness, grief, sorrow, anger, regret, everything. He faced all the negative emotions until he stepped onto the last footprint, which was completely different from his previous feelings. The last footprint was filled with hope.
Soz gently placed the skull beside the tree and whispered on a mellow voice:
"Your friend needs you, and you need your friend. The stronger the light, the darker the shadow. The stronger the shadow, the brighter the light. "
The charred tree stood proudly even when its trunk was cracked and leaves were burned, it still stood like it was a king.
Its roots slowly crawled towards the skull, gently covering it with great care. After completing, the roots were dragged beside the tree, and inside the cocoon, a gentle light touched the skull, illuminating everything. The once-proud tree slowly withered, Soz gently patted the roots and a warm smile came from his lips.
"Live, Learn, and Rule."
.....
The evening brought darkness and upon the forest floor woven with ancient tree roots landed a light filtered by the bouquet of treetops.
A small group of Knights that wore a silver armor were scouting the area as they saw the blinding light coming down from the sky.
"What was that?" A Knight that carried a one-handed, battle-axe spoke.
"Let's check it out!" Another Knight proposed.
After locating where the light landed, they saw a root-like cocoon, and beneath the cocoon were mysterious symbols embedded in the ground.
"Another 'Peregrius'!" The Knight with a battle-axe stated.
"Indeed. But this one is different from the others, look at the symbols on the ground." Another knight pointed out.
"Loyalty, Hope, Light, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Ice, Lightning... They are all the symbols of Fate!" The Knight that wore a red cape that looked like the group leader conveyed. "Inform the Grand Knight about this."
"Yes, sir!" The Knight that carried the battle-axe quickly sprinted.
A few minutes later, a large group of Knights quickly came, among them was an old man in his sixties that was wearing a blue robe with golden stripes on the hem and the cuffs. A red stole was wrapped around his neck and on his waist was a black sash. There was a sense of superiority coming off of him.
"Grand Knight," the leader bowed his knee in front of the robed, old man, "My group and I discovered a different type of Peregrius."
"Mhm." The Grand Knight nodded and looked closer at the cocoon. "A different type of Peregrius indeed. Wrapped in roots with the symbol of Fate beneath."
He looked at the Knights and ordered, "Carry it and bring it to my house. Not a single word should be leaked out, you already know what happens to Peregrius if everyone in the New Kingdom discovers it."
The Knights answered him in chorus and they carried the cocoon on a pallet.
.....
In a well-lit room, the cocoon was placed on a long table where foods should have been placed instead. Around the long table, wooden chairs surround it. The lamps on the wall illuminated the room, even the slightest vivid details could be seen. On a corner was a fireplace that gently danced on top of the woods, and above the fireplace was a shelf where a sword was displayed. One may assume that the sword might be a family heirloom instead of just a decoration.
The Grand Knight was living alone in that two-floored concrete house. With his bare hands, he tore open the roots, and what revealed next was a face that of a boy. He had hazelnut hair with a shade of gold and his face radiated life and energy.
His eyes slowly opened, and with the help of the lamp, his orange-golden eyes reflected the orange luminosity that the lamp flared.