"Everything is meaningless."
Heylel said to himself as he sat at the peak of the highest mountain in Visna, the cold continent of Ethereal. The sun was at its peak, but the thick clouds made it hard for the rays to reach the ground. He gazed at the pale scenery below him. Everything was in the shade of either black or white. The mountains were covered in snow and ice, and the cold weather made it hard for trees to grow. This kind of gloom was what Heylel liked the most about this place. It matched his mood.
"What is it that you desire?"
His father's question painfully materialized in his mind. "Desire" was a dangerous word to him for it meant a longing or passion for something, and he couldn't understand that. It hurt him to know that despite owning everything that he could ever want, there was still something missing inside of him. Something that he could neither find nor explain. A longing feeling that wouldn't be satisfied.
"I just want….," he attempted to answer, but no more words came out from his mouth. "Power, Wisdom, Strength…," the more that he forced himself to come up with an answer, the more his answers didn't make sense.
"What if my desire lies for something that didn't exist?" The thought suddenly brought chills to his spine.
"A meaningless existence," he said.
He was contemplating in deep thought when all of a sudden, a mirror-like figure ripped open in front of him. "Oh Gabriel…" he muttered because he knew what it was. He slowly stood and stretched his wings which shook small piles of snow to the ground then jumped through the portal. All of a sudden, he was in Adamantia, the largest continent of Ethereal. He arrived above Gilgrath Woods and on a tree right below him were Araziel and Gabriel.
"Greetings, brother!" Said a man with beige skin, blue eyes, and shoulder-length wavy brown hair. He wore a hooded white robe that ran down to his metal-plated greaves. Gabriel put his right hand to his chest and bowed down while greeting his brother, a common way to show respect to a fellow Iauntaur. Beside him was a woman with honey-colored skin and squinty almond brown eyes which were emphasized by the glowing green orb hovering near her face. Araziel's long straight black hair flowed beautifully as she bowed down.
"Good morning, Gabriel and Araziel." Heylel replied as he majestically glided down on a humongous branch with them. The size of the branch was excessively enormous to support all of them without wriggling. He did the same gesture in reply to their respectful manner. He felt irritatingly warm and it came to his senses that the freezing breeze of Visna was now replaced by soft summer winds. Thus he immediately removed the arcane enhancement from his body.
"What brought us here?" He asked because it is quite unusual for them to gather below Skydome.
"I think you'll want to see this," Gabriel answered as he pointed his finger down the ground.
It didn't take Heylel long to notice what Gabriel was trying to say. A gigantic spoor was quite visible even though they were standing on a Gilgrath tree, which was three times the size of a regular tree. Under usual circumstances, a common-sized footprint of a creature wouldn't be visible on top of this tree but the spoor was huge enough that its appearance alone gave a feeling of unrealness to Heylel. It was like holding a pebble between his fingers against a vast landscape to make it look like a boulder. He was briefly baffled by the size of the spoor, but dismay quickly seeped into him.
"I know it's quite a large spoor, but isn't it expected here in Adamantia? Everything here is insanely huge." Heylel said as he continued to gaze down with dull eyes.
"Yes, brother," Gabriel excitedly answered, "but the size alone is not the only reason as to why we called you here. That set of spoor below is one of a kind."
Heylel gave him a perplexed look. Gabriel understood his confusion then nodded at Araziel.
"Allow me to explain." Araziel started, "It was moments ago when I noticed some strange movements among the gilgrath trees. I was flying towards Eterna when I saw a couple of them shaking violently. I became curious so I rushed quickly to the area but when I was about halfway there, the trembling stopped. I thought perhaps my arrival was loud so I stopped then continued as silently as possible but when I got there, all of the trees were standing still, and not a single creature was around. Everything seemed to be in place except for the weird intricate markings on the ground and a gigantic set of spoor beside it."
"Hmmm, where are the markings?" Heylel asked.
"They are at both ends of this spoor."
Araziel continued, "I followed this spoor for several yards, my curiosity increased for still there was no creature around that could have made it. So I decided to use 'The Eye of the Seeker' and to my surprise, the spoor is one of a kind. It only exists inside the forest alone. I continued to roam the area for a league more, but I found no creature huge enough to make it."
Heylel looked down to the spoor, he was slightly interested but he couldn't fully understand what was interesting on a "one of a kind" spoor. "I'm missing something," he thought.
"Can you guess what kind of creature we're dealing with based on a footprint alone? Perhaps you had encountered a similar and smaller version of it." Heylel asked Araziel.
"Looking at the spoor," Araziel pondered first before answering, "the creature could be sixty feet tall and must be massive for around twenty tonnes, and based on its shape, the creature could be a Yerin. A gigantic living tree that we've never encountered before."
"And the markings, can it be found somewhere else?"
"As to the markings, well they can only be found at both ends of this spoor. In reality, they were really not markings. It's just that the things on the ground were arranged in a very strange way. They are like circular ripples suspended on the ground."
Heylel continued to gaze at the spoor. He imagined how tall the creature would be to make such gigantic tracks. He was somehow convinced that the creature could be a gigantic Yerin but, "What's interesting about it?" He deeply thought.
"Would you like to hear my theory?" Gabriel half annoyingly asked. He knew that Heylel was thinking that these things should be quite normal, but he was gravely mistaken. "I'm telling you, there's something interesting about this."
"A sixty feet tall creature looks quite normal to me," Heylel rebutted. Now his eyes reeked of boredom and dismay. "Also, the most sensible explanation for the markings is that it serves as a means of a portal for the creature. Probably, a clean way for in and out of the ground which explains why Araziel didn't find it."
"But why do you think the creature went out?" Gabriel asked.
"Maybe to get some food," Araziel answered abruptly.
"And following that assumption, how often do you think it eats?"
"Of course as often as it nee..." Heylel was not able to finish his answer. He unknowingly covered his lips softly with his left hand. Suddenly, he was engaged in deep thought. He realized what Gabriel meant, a unique lone creature.
A few silent moments had passed when Araziel asked, "Gabriel, I want to hear the rest of your theory."
"Alright," Gabriel looked at Heylel and waited for him to nod. "For me, there are a lot of interesting things in your story but the most interesting part was when you said that the spoor and markings existed solely in that part of Gilgrath Woods. Not just that it existed solely there but also the fact that they are the only copy of the spoor and markings. There's a high probability that this 'creature' is one of its kind."
Gabriel looked at the both of them then asked, "Now, why is that interesting?" he paused briefly waiting for their answers but no one uttered a word. He was quite dismayed but then he continued, "It means that, whatever this creature is, Father does not intend it to multiply. And since it doesn't mate to survive, and it could also mean that Father doesn't intend for this creature to die. It is possible that we're looking at the tracks of something immortal like us."
"I see." Araziel softly exclaimed.
"Unlike us," Gabriel continued, "wherein fourteen of us exist as Iantaurin, this creature could be alone for its kind. Father must have created it along with the creation of Ethereal, a whole of eternity older than us." He paused for a moment then asked, "So what do you say, Heylel?"
"Maybe this immortal creature can give an answer to my desire," he thought. A strong surge of both curiosity and excitement was raging inside him. It had been so long since he had felt enlivened like this.
"Let's go to the markings and find this creature." Heylel replied with a subtle smile hiding behind his hand.
Gabriel smiled for he knew how much this means to Heylel. "At last, something to alleviate that boredom." he thought. "Well, I guess I'll have to portal both of you to one of the mysterious markings, right?"
"You're not coming?" Araziel asked.
"I can't. Raphael will berate me if I don't tell him things like this right away. We're not the only ones interested in this, you know. In any case, I don't think I would be of much use coming with the two of you." By the time Gabriel stopped talking, he had finished creating the portal to the end of the spoor. A mirror-like figure with pulsating gold flashes remained suspended in the air in front of them.
"Please send my regards to Raph for me. It was ages ago since the last time we talked." Said Heylel while preparing himself to jump to the portal.
"Alright. But before you go…. be careful." Gabriel glanced at Araziel. "If your guess is right, a creature that big can easily harm both of you. Just try not to get in trouble. I won't be in Cenedril to look after you."
Araziel put a hand on his shoulder and gripped it gently. "Don't worry. We'll handle it." And right after that, Heylel and Araziel jumped through the portal.