The kingdom of Xuria is a unique kingdom for two reasons, firstly, it is the only kingdom on the whole continent of Agoya that is not a theocracy. Secondly, when its residents turn fifteen they set out on their journey. I'm Abbott McCain, and I just turned fifteen yesterday, but I don't have any aspiring goals to reach on my journey. Most people set out to become the best at what their family does. They travel the continent learning whatever they can about carpentry, alchemy, or swordsmanship. I have no interest in any of those things. I'm just an average person, and just want to live an average life in my hometown. My journey was supposed to be average. I was supposed to just travel to the next town over and come back a "new person" as people typically said when they returned. 

"How am I this lost!" I shouted in frustration.

The Forest of Boxwick is a place where getting lost is common place. People use their journey to explore the whole place, guiding people through when they return. When going on your own journey though, a guide is forbidden. The point of the journey is figuring out the world for yourself. I have never been too good at reading a map, but that is what I had to rely on to get me through this wooded labyrinth. 

"Is this the way to go?" I questioned aloud, slowly losing my mind.

I turned down a path that appeared to not get much traffic. Pushing past the brush, I got a strange feeling, like pure energy was rushing past me.

"Why can't I just have a clear path like everyone else? Why do I have to be the only one mindlessly wandering through this damn forest?" I rant to the trees. 

The energy I felt guided me past turn after turn. "Why is this journey required in the first place? I mean, I just want to live my life, no matter what I do, so why is this such a big deal?!" 

After one last turn, I came across a small cave that the energy seemed to be guiding me to.

"Is this cave something special? No way. If it was the path wouldn't be so rough. I knew this energy feeling was bullshit."

I started to turn back when the energy started pulling me to the cave.

"Well I already came this far, and I'm already lost, might as well at least check it out since the energy guided me all the way here." 

I wandered into the dark cavern, it was so dark it was almost impossible to see.

"Hey, energy if you wanted me here so bad, why is it almost impossible to see?"

As if by command, small particles of light appeared all around me, and along the cave wall lighting the way. 

"What the- hey, energy did you do that because I asked you to?" 

My question to the force guiding me was left unanswered as the cave opened up into a vast cavern. The lights still illuminated a path, but it wasn't as needed anymore. A beam of light shown through the top of the cavern through a small hole. A pedestal was perfectly hit by the sunlight. 

"Wow, it's so pretty down here.... I wonder how no one has ever discovered this place before?"

I approached the pedestal and noticed a book with a black stained leather cover, and slightly yellowed pages. All the particle from before jumped from me and the passage behind, to the pedestal.

"What is a book doing all the way out here?" I commented picking up, what I didn't know at the time, the thing that was going to change my entire life.