The Endless Forest

Felix was sitting up in bed, with Zira resting her head on his legs. He was slowly stroking her, as he listened to Aluin giving a recount of everything that had transpired after his fight to the death. Once again, he’d been out for several days…

Apparently, Ithea had been watching the whole time, something he’d suspected, and only intervened when it became obvious he could no longer continue. That had infuriated Aluin, and even Eri, and now the crazy dragon woman was assisting the kobolds for the time being.

As for the kobold that had been with him, it turned out to be Gern. He could only laugh at that. The little guy had grown tired of being called a coward, and even with a little encouragement from Niri, he had been sneaking off to train.

From Zero to Hero… Strange, that sounds familiar to me for some reason…

It had taken some convincing from, surprisingly, Ithea for the rest of the pack to believe his claims. Though on second thought, she is a dragon, so she is another Master for them? He shook his head, he didn’t have time to waste on thoughts like that.

That wasn’t all though. Apparently two of the dire wolves had survived, and now the kobolds had made a decision to try and tame them. He had no clue how well that would go, but Ithea was supposed to help out.

Yeah, I don’t have much faith…

He glanced down at the sleepy dragon, she had stuck by his side ever since he was pulled out of the forest. He regretted making her worry, but it did warm his heart to see how much she cared for him.

I will make it up to you, I promise. He didn’t get a response, but it didn’t matter. He was just happy to have her so close.

However, thinking of his dragon, he knew there was another subject he wanted to broach. So as Aluin finished catching him up, he turned to Eri.

“So Eri…” He started off awkwardly.

“Huh?” She had been lost in thought.

“Sorry… But has Aluin told you about what me and Zira have figured out? About hatching the rest of the eggs?”

The elven woman looked confused and glanced over to her master.

“Oh, no… I was going to leave all that to you.” Aluin said, looking rather guilty.

Poor guy, he’s clearly feeling the strain. Is that why he even brought Ithea here in the first place? Felix nodded and took a deep breath, still feeling some pain.

“Well, let me start from the beginning a little bit. It was right before Ithea showed up, actually…” He exhaled in resignation, but after a moment he continued on. “Anyways, I had decided to try and come up with a solution.

“You see, a dragon egg needs to imprint onto a person. The process is a bit mysterious, but it's a requirement…I think. Though, now that I think about it, I have no clue how kobolds hatch an egg. I don’t think they can have it imprint onto one of them…”

But maybe they can? Though leaving them in charge of that– Damn it, I’m getting off topic!

He paused, clearing his throat. “Anyways, the problem is forming a bond. It can be quite taxing, and it apparently works differently on non-dragons. So either I would have to find a way to break the bond, which is possible but difficult, or find another solution.”

He smiled. “That’s when Zira had told me something quite amazing. You see, I was discussing it with her, and she said that I felt ‘safe’ and that’s why she hatched for me.”

He looked up at Eri to find her a bit lost.

“So wait…” She said after a few moments. “What did she…mean by that?”

“She’s a void dragon, she can taste people’s mana. I assume there is some kind of property she found enticing. It doesn’t matter that much, really. What matters is that she can tell if someone would be a good match.”

Eri looked bewildered by that. “I see…”

Felix nodded, knowing full well she was still trying to wrap her head around that.

“So, anyways, I spoke with Aluin when he was healing Zira. And we came up with a plan to test it.” He paused again, this time for dramatic effect. “We already found our first candidate.”

“Oh?!” That surprised her.

He raised an arm and pointed his finger at the elven woman. “That candidate is you.”

Eri took a step back in surprise. “What?!”

Felix could only chuckle at her response.

“What do you– I mean– But…”

“We’re serious. Zira is absolutely certain… It even pains me to say this, but you could have probably hatched her yourself.”

Eri fell silent, everyone was now looking at her, even Zira.

“But I…”

Felix sighed. “You don’t have to, if you don’t want to. But, I do believe she is right about you. I think you might even be more suited to it than I am…”

Eri flicked her eyes over to Aluin. “But I want to become a s–”

“Sage?” The other elf finished for her. “Eri… First of all, there isn’t any rule about saying that a Sage cannot have a dragon companion.” Aluin went into deep thought for a few moments, contemplating.

Finally, he spoke up again. “The truth is, Eri… That I have other plans for you. Whether or not you become a Sage.”

“What do you mean?” She was shocked by that.

“What I mean, is that you should listen to Felix and give it a shot.”

The room went silent, all eyes were back on Eri. Zira chose that moment to hop off the bed and make her way to the elven woman. Though it pained him slightly, he watched the dragon as she started nuzzling Eri.

Eri lowered herself down and began petting Zira. Felix saw a brief smile flash across the elven woman’s face.

“I need a moment…” She finally said, pulling her hand back and staring at it.

“It is…a big deal. Something to not take lightly, but even with all my…mishaps, I don’t regret it one bit.” Felix said, echoing some of her concerns

Eri looked up at him, closing her hand into a fist. “Can I ask you something… Personal?”

“Sure, I’ll answer to the best of my ability.” He gave her an encouraging nod.

“What is it like? The bond I mean…”

Felix leaned back in thought, trying to find the best way to describe it.

“That is…hard to say. Let me try to put it into context though.” He straightened himself up. “Before we formed the bond, I felt…alone. However, when Zira hatched and the bond formed, I only realized how alone I truly was.

“I don’t know how much you know about imprinting or bonds, but we can share thoughts. Actually, we can do more than that, as you have seen for yourself. We can freely enter into each other’s minds and even meld them together.”

“Is that what happened when I saw your mana combine?”

“Yes.” He quickly added, “It's a bizarre experience for sure, but it’s amazing at the same time.”

Eri went silent again, leaving Felix feeling awkward and a little embarrassed. He could only hope that he explained it well and not scared her off.

“You don’t have to decide–” He tried to say once the silence dragged on a bit too long.

“No… I think I want to try it. I’ve been…” Her voice grew faint before trailing off.

Felix gave a questioning glance over to Aluin. The elf saw him and shook his head, no. Okay, definitely something I don’t want to touch…

However, despite her apparent apprehension, she had agreed. That was enough for him.

“Right.” He slid to the side of the bed, throwing the covers off him. He still had on pants thankfully, so no risk of embarrassing himself further. “Then I say we go ahead and give it a try.”

“Huh?!” Eri’s head shot up at that.

“I mean, do you want to try?” He asked, fearing she might reconsider.

“I… Yes.”

Felix got to his feet, testing them out before putting his full weight upon them. “Then we might as well get started.”

“But, why the rush?” She asked.

He thought for a moment, how to put this into words? “Because I’ve come to some sort of realization…”

“Realization?”

Felix looked her dead in the eye. “I finally understand why I am here.” With that, he found the rest of his clothes and started making his way to the door…

He made it down the stairs with little issue, save for a bit of stiffness but nothing he wasn’t used to at this point. The others had decided to follow him, none questioning him and only following in silence. Well, except for Eri. She was becoming a nervous wreck.

Luckily, as Felix reached the first floor, he found Niri sweeping the hall. The kobold was quietly humming to herself, looking rather happy for once. He gave her a wide smile when she looked up to notice him.

“Master!” She gave a quick bow. “Niri want thank Master!”

Felix tried to wave her off, but she was becoming too excited. “Niri knew Master no let Niri down!”

The two elves caught up and gave him a curious look. It actually took a moment for him to fully understand what the kobold meant.

“...Gern go and came Hero! Slayed beasts!”

“That’s right, he did. He was quite brave, he was no coward…” Felix had to fight to get his words in.

Niri kept going on about everything she knew about the fight, even adding some things that he knew never happened. But it didn’t hurt really, so he just let her get it out.

Once she became winded he was able to finally say more. “So how is Gern?”

Her eyes narrowed and she looked away. Uh-oh…

“Gern…rest. Kobold take care of him… Female kobold…” She needn't say more.

“You’re not with him?” He was a little surprised.

“Niri want be with Gern… Niri have duty.” She said sullenly, gesturing to the broom in her hand.

Felix went into thought, bringing his hand up to his chin. Hmm, I could just tell her to leave but I doubt she will take that well. These kobolds take their jobs seriously… “Ah,” he had an idea.

“Say, Niri. We’re going to the hatchery, why don’t you go fetch Uzreg for us and then go spend the rest of the day with Gern. I’m putting you in charge of his care.”

The kobold lit up instantly, regaining her excitement. “Master do that?! Niri go!” Before he could even answer her, the kobold quickly darted away, carrying the broom with her…

Felix shrugged, turning back to the others. “That solves that problem.”

Aluin cocked an eyebrow. “What was that about?”

“Oh… That’s right, you weren’t here.” He turned back to face the kitchen. “Long story, but it doesn't matter. The issue resolved itself.” With that he continued on, picking up his pace as they reached the kitchen.

Opening the door, they were immediately bombarded by noise from a whole team of kobolds quickly working to prepare their next meal. It smelled like lunch, but in all honesty, he had no clue.

That is, until he stepped outside.

Once they dodged the little guys and slipped out, Felix took a deep and refreshing breath. The weather today was superb and there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

Come to think of it, I haven’t really been paying attention to the weather. Though I guess I have been a little preoccupied… He frowned at the thought. It’s a new day… I feel alive for what seems to be the first time since I woke up in the forest.

Felix really couldn’t explain it, he felt different, brimming with energy. His dream hadn’t been the most pleasant… But in a roundabout way, it answered quite a few questions. At the very least, I have some idea of what I did…before.

That alone had quelled many of his fears, most he hadn’t even realized he had. It was something to be thankful for, and he was taking it for what it was worth.

While he pondered his strange mood, he hadn’t noticed he’d slowed down considerably. Only realizing it once he saw a familiar gray kobold come rushing up.

“Master say Master need Uzreg?” Uzreg asked, giving a quick bow. Felix noticed a few bags under the kobold’s eyes.

“Yes, thank you Uzreg. I figured you might be useful, plus you probably wouldn’t want to miss this.” He said, gesturing towards the hatchery.

The kobold’s eyes went wide. “Master hatch new Master?!”

He chuckled. “Not quite, Eri will.”

Uzreg’s excitement turned to confusion. “Elf lady hatch egg?”

“That’s what I said. Now, do you want to help?” Felix deliberately withheld everything, knowing it would spread like wildfire among the kobolds. He was not ready for that quite yet.

“Yes! Uzreg always help hatch egg!”

He chuckled at that. “Then come on, this is going to be interesting no matter what.”

Their merry band continued their trek, albeit at a faster pace now, to the hatchery. Upon reaching it, Felix wasted no time in opening it up and allowing everyone to file in. This time, though, he closed the giant doors behind them.

“Alright.” He dusted off his hands and faced the group. “Eri, Uzreg will show you around and help you find an egg. Uzreg, keep it to one of the single eggs please, preferably one that looks ready to hatch.”

Eri looked like she wanted to speak but ended up only nodding hesitantly. Uzreg, on the other hand, immediately snapped to it.

“Come elf lady, Uzreg help find egg!” The gray kobold grabbed Eri’s hand and began dragging her off.

That just left Aluin, Zira, and him.

Felix watched for a few moments before turning his attention to the elf. I guess there is something else I wanted to discuss with him. He thought, giving the ‘portal’ a glance.

“We should probably let Eri have some privacy… Well as much as possible, considering who she is with.” He said as he started walking over to the strange doorway. Already, he could feel its draw.

“Probably for the best,” Aluin said slowly following along. Felix noticed the elf was throwing glances over to Eri.

He cleared his throat. “I actually have something else to discuss with you, though I’m not sure how much you’ll be able to tell me.”

Aluin must have realized where they were heading. “Are you asking about the portal?”

He nodded, coming to a stop a few feet away. Any closer and he feared it would compel him to activate it. Curiously, Zira seemed rather interested in it.

Mana taste like you, she said.

Intrigued, Felix activated his mana sight, something he barely even had to think about. His world became colorful once more, though he noticed a slight amount of strain on his eyes.

What he saw was… Well, he didn’t know. To him, the portal was emitting a surprising amount of mana. But instead of free flowing swirls, like he had become accustomed to, it was like tendrils.

Tendrils that were reaching out for him.

Looking down at himself, he noticed a faint trace of his mana making contact with it. Well, I suppose that is how its compulsion works… Zira, be careful. I don’t know if it will affect you like it does me.

The dragon complied, if a little disappointed.

“So, what can you tell me?” Felix asked, turning to the elf.

Aluin sighed, looking rather exhausted. “Well the simple answer is, I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you can’t tell me?” Felix probed.

“I don’t know, honestly.” Aluin said genuinely, at least as far as Felix could tell.

“But you know about it, right? Like, you knew it was a portal.” He tried, still feeling a little incredulous.

Aluin started to look annoyed. “I’ll tell you what I do know. It's a portal, it was made by the Queen, and it goes somewhere. How it works, including how to activate it, I do not know.”

“Really?” Felix asked more in surprise than anything else.

“Really.”

There was a moment of pause as he contemplated that. Why would Fea keep knowledge of this away from him but still want me to find it? Does it contain something she only wants me to see? There is also the third floor too… Wonder if he knows anything about that.

“Huh, sorry Aluin… I was just surprised you didn’t know.” Felix finally said.

The elf looked to have calmed down. “It’s quite alright, I might be a Sage but there are still plenty of things I don’t know.” Aluin chuckled. “Actually, you’d be surprised at how little I, and the other Sage’s, do know.”

“I see… Well I do have another question for you, it’s about the third floor. The door up there is locked. Is that somewhere I’m not ‘ready for’ or is there another reason?”

“I’m not entirely sure about it either, I’m afraid. However, I do find it a little strange. I can at least tell you what’s up there.”

Felix cocked an eyebrow. “Strange?”

The elf nodded. “That’s where Fea did most of her enchanting. Why it’s strange is because there is nothing up there that you shouldn’t see. She didn’t even leave me with a key or anything.”

“That is strange, I wonder why then? Could she have just forgotten?” It was a silly notion, with the amount of planning that went into all of this. But mistakes can happen, even now Aluin had to bring in Ithea. I doubt that was ever part of the ‘plan.’

“That’s…doubtful,” Aluin said. “We planned this for quite some time, though she never mentioned locking anything…”

Felix slumped his shoulders in resignation. “Just more mysteries then, I guess…”

Aluin didn’t seem nearly as phased. “It could be related to the portal in some way. This was the last major project she worked on.”

Felix felt himself developing a headache, and not just from his mana sight which he quickly dismissed. Yeah, we’re just gonna let this one sit for now… He decided to change the topic.

“You said she worked on this portal, and did enchanting. Did she do all this?” He gestured to the rest of the hatchery.

“Most of it, she did get some dwarves to help.” Aluin answered.

So there are more than just elves. “Interesting… And the manor?”

“The enchanting was all her. Though some elves, including me, helped with its actual construction.”

I guess that brings up some more questions. Like, where is everyone? He thought, looking over to Zira. She had been a little too silent throughout this and he was beginning to suspect something was wrong.

I fine. She said curtly, feeling his worry. She was currently laying down on the ground, facing away from him.

No, you’re not. What’s wrong?

Humph!

Zira… I– What did I do wrong? He was really concerned now, had he forgotten something?

The dragon ignored him for a few moments, letting him stew, before finally responding. We team! You no run off on own. We make mistake together, we get better together. Remember?

Felix opened his mouth, but stopped. That earned him a curious look from Aluin, but he ignored it for now.

He knew exactly what she was talking about. I’m sorry… I just… I just wanted to see what my limits were. I didn’t want you to get–

WE TEAM! Zira screamed into his head, causing him to wince. The pain in her voice only made it worse.

“Are you okay?” Aluin asked, clearly noticing something was wrong.

“Yeah, sorry. I… I need to talk with Zira.” He said, making his way over to the upset dragon.

He sat down next to her, but she promptly scooted away. She wouldn’t even look at him.

That broke his heart.

I messed up, again… Damn it all! He shook his head, feeling angry at himself.

Zira, I’m sorry. I messed up, but I’m glad you didn’t get hurt with me. I shouldn’t have gone, I knew she was up to something, but her words stung.

He took a deep breath, letting it out in the hopes of calming himself down. She was right, though. I have to become stronger if I want to protect–

What about me?! You no think I don’t want become stronger?! Zira finally snapped her head to face him, pain in her eyes.

He wanted to look away, but he forced himself to face her anger. It still hurt him deeply though…

You are right… You are right, to be angry, to be upset, to even hate me. But when I saw you, screaming and lashing out in pain, I wanted nothing but to take it all away. I regret it even happened. But most importantly, I regretted not being able to do anything to help you. It blinded me.

You were right, we are supposed to be a team. To learn and grow, together. To make mistakes, together. I honestly thought, when Ithea asked to test me, that this was the only way I could help us. I didn’t consider asking you to come with me…

Felix felt tears streaming down his face.

I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry for not considering asking you. I’m sorry I keep making the same stupid mistake.

I’m sorry I'm such an Idiot…