As the sun had fully risen with birds chirping melodiously, two figures could be seen trekking through the dense forest. Towering trees loomed overhead, casting a dappled shade on the uneven ground, making their journey arduous.
Suddenly, a rumble emanated from their stomachs, causing them to pause. "Maybe we should have had breakfast before venturing into the volcanic cave," Damian remarked, voicing their shared sentiment.
Kaelen, too tired to argue, merely grunted in agreement.
As they trudged on, the sound of rustling leaves caught their attention. They whirled around, alert, and were relieved to see a wild chicken emerging from the bush.
Without a moment's hesitation, Damian conjured a small water ball in his glowing blue hand, intending to capture the chicken for breakfast.
While the chicken completely ignored them as it was busy pecking the ground.
Kaelen, perplexed, watched as Damian took aim at the oblivious bird and demanded, "Why in the hell are you shooting at the chicken?"
"For breakfast, of course. We'll eat it," Damian replied matter-of-factly.
Kaelen frowned, "But how are we going to cook it without fire?"
The question caught Damian off guard, and he stared dumbfoundedly at the chicken, which had begun to strut away in a moonwalk, leaving them behind.
Disheartened, Damian canceled his magic, and they resumed their journey, their stomachs grumbling in hunger.
After trudging through the dense forest for hours, Damian and Kaelen finally emerged, greeted by the sight of a majestic volcanic mountain cloaked in a lush green cover and smoke coming out from the top. The mountain seemed to tower above them, its imposing presence making them feel small and insignificant.
"Damian scanned the area for an entrance but found nothing. 'How are we going to get in?' he asked.
Kaelen joined him, searching for an entry point but came up empty-handed. 'We'll have to climb up,' he suggested.
Approaching closer, they noticed thick vines snaking up the volcanic mountain, providing a potential means of ascent."
"They grasped the thick vines tightly and began their ascent, muscles straining as they climbed upwards for a full 15 minutes before finally reaching the summit.
As they gazed down, they beheld a blackened surface with small cracks, through which wisps of smoke emerged.
Following the vines inward, they clung to them for support as they made their way inside the volcano.
'Let's go in,' urged Damian, gripping the vines with determination."
As they descended, gripping tightly to the vines, they landed on the blackened floor, which felt like hardened lava with wisps of smoke curling from the small cracks.
"Looks like it's just empty," Damian muttered, glancing around the barren interior where only the vines adorned the walls.
"That's what I told you," Kaelen replied with a hint of exasperation. "This volcano has long since died out, nothing else to see here."
As Damian wandered around, he stumbled upon a small crack emitting smoke. Curious, he summoned a droplet of water and dripped it onto the crevice.
Suddenly, the floor gave way with a deafening boom!!! and Damian plummeted downwards.
As Damian tumbled downward, he reacted quickly and thrust his hand forward to create a massive water ball. The resulting impact was softened as he landed safely within the confines of the liquid sphere.
With a resounding splash, he emerged from his makeshift cushion, completely drenched but unharmed.
Kaelen's voice echoed through the hole from above. "Damian! Are you okay?"
Breathless, Damian called back up to his friend. "I'm alright, just a bit wet. Looks like I found something down here though!"
"You idiot, cover your mouth! The air inside could be toxic," Kaelen's voice echoed down the hole.
"It doesn't seem toxic, though. I can breathe properly," Damian responded, speaking softly so only he could hear. "It's fine, it doesn't smell toxic," he called up louder to Kaelen.
"What?!?" Kaelen's face appeared in the hole, a look of concern etched upon it.
"Don't go anywhere, Damian. I'll throw some vines down for you to climb," Kaelen said before disappearing from view.
As Damian stood there, he realized that despite being able to breathe properly, the air was uncomfortably hot. He took a step forward, but the floor felt spongy and soft, like molten lava that had not hardened into rock. Quickly, he stepped back to avoid burning his slippers.
Looking around, his attention was drawn to a circle of rocks ahead. They seemed to be arranged in a peculiar pattern, encircling something within.
As Damian gazed at the circle of rocks, he suddenly looked up at the broken ceiling to check kaelen and then raised his left hand, pointing it towards the rocks. His right hand supported his left as he took a stance.
With a deep breath, Damian's eyes glowed blue, though he was not aware of it. Waves of mana surged out of his body, creating a magic circle around around his hand. Suddenly, a burst of water shot out from the circle, propelling Damian backward slightly. The water flowed and made its way towards the circle of rocks, sizzling as it made contact with the spongy lava and releasing a thick plume of smoke.
Without wasting any time, Damian rushed towards the rocks, covering his nose with his hand to avoid breathing in the smoke.
As Damian finally reached the circle of rocks, which were twice his height, he climbed up to get a better view. As he did, a shining object caught his attention. It was a huge, glittering gemstone with a orange shine.
The gemstone sparkled in the dim light of the cavern, emitting a faint glow that cast shadows around the area.
As Damian was admiring the gemstone as it was size of his palm, his attention was suddenly drawn to a huge egg that was sitting right beside it. He couldn't believe his eyes as he jumped towards it and picked it up, feeling its weight in his arms. The egg was massive, much bigger than any ostrich egg he had ever seen.
As he held the egg, he noticed that it was warm to the touch and had a strange pattern etched onto the shell. Damian couldn't help but wonder what kind of creature had laid such an enormous egg.
"Bloody hell, I told you to wait here, where did you go?" Kaelen shouted in frustration as his voice echoed through the cavern.
"I found something, Kaelen!" Damian shouted back as he climbed up the rocks again , holding the egg in one hand and the sparkling crystal in his pocket.
As Damian reached the broken ceiling, he saw Kaelen throwing the vines down towards him. But holding the egg was making it difficult for him to grab the vines. So he quickly took off his t-shirt and put the egg inside, tying it up with the sleeves.
"Okay, pull it up now!" Damian yelled, gesturing to the makeshift bag tied to the vines.
As Kaelen heaved the egg up using the vines and threw them back down, Damian clung onto the vines and began to ascend. Kaelen lent his strength to the effort and together, they hoisted Damian back up to safety.
As Damian took a moment to catch his breath and compose himself, Kaelen's attention was drawn to the object he had brought up with him, the egg that was wrapped in Damian's t-shirt.
"What's this?" Kaelen inquired, pointing to the object in Damian's hand.
"Oh, that's an egg I found down there," Damian replied, carefully removing the t-shirt to reveal the egg.
As they both examined the egg, they noticed its fiery patterned shell, marveling at the sight before them.
As Kaelen examined the egg, he couldn't determine what kind of egg it was. "Maybe we should take it to Leif, he might know something," he suggested.
Damian was hesitant about taking the egg to Leif, "No way! We're not taking the egg to Leif. What if he eats it?" he replied.
"I probably doubt that " Kaelen said with a shrug. "But where are you going to keep it?"
"I'll just take it home with me," Damian said with a confident smile.
With the egg carefully tucked under Damian's arm, they both made their way to the side to catch the vines so they could climb out. This time, Damian tied the t-shirt around his neck, and they both climbed out successfully.
After hours of walking through the dense forest again, they finally parted ways to return to their respective homes.
As Damian arrived home, he was met with a scolding from his mother for not informing her about his whereabouts. However, the rumbling in his stomach saved him from further chastisement, as his mother promptly served him dinner.
Night had fallen and the moon shone bright in the sky, casting its silver light into Damian's room through the window. On his nightstand, an egg could be seen glowing softly, with shadows moving inside it.
Damian slept soundly beside the egg, unaware of the mystery it held. The room was quiet, save for the occasional rustling of the leaves outside and the soft breathing of the sleeping boy.