The Endless Forest

Do you think something’s different about her? Felix asked, catching his breath. They had spent the morning heavily training, only to be rescued by Aluin. The elf had looked beyond angry and had taken Ithea off somewhere to ‘discuss a few matters.’

Humph! Why care? I hope Aluin send her away! Zira shouted.

He reached down and began stroking her in the hopes of calming her down. While I would agree, you do realize she is your mother right? A horrible one, but still yours.

That why I no care for her!

He sighed.

His thoughts on the matter turned inward. I don’t even know who my parents are, let alone if they’re alive or dead.

He hadn’t meant for Zira to hear that thought, but her anger turned to concern almost instantly.

He waved it away. Let’s just drop this conversation for now… Besides, it looks like she and Aluin are going to be busy for a while. He let a smile slip. We can go check out the portal, if you want?

Zira looked up at him as if wanting to say something. Yes. Adventure sound fun. It was clear that hadn’t been what she wanted to say, but she at least sounded excited about the prospect of checking out the portal.

Whoa, I wouldn’t call it an adventure. We’re just going to open it and poke our heads in…

Now the dragon was giving him a stare. Really? You think I fool? We know that no happen… You will want explore.

Felix held up his hands placatingly. Alright, alright… You know me better than I do sometimes.

I know you better all times. She said matter of factly.

Okay, fine… You know me better than I do, period. Now, let’s go. Felix said and started making his way over to the hatchery, Zira gave a snort and followed after.

Coming up to the hatchery one thing became very obvious, the large double doors were wide open. Huh? We didn’t leave them open, did we?

No, Zira answered, sniffing the air.

Concerned, they picked up the pace and made it to the entrance. Peering inside, nothing looked wrong. Still, they cautiously entered.

Could it be Eri? He wondered.

I smell kobold. Zira said.

Uzreg– Watcher?

She nodded.

How did he open the door though? I thought only I could– He came to an abrupt stop as he heard something shifting in one of the dens.

We ask. Zira continued to walk towards the noise.

“Hello? Uz– Uh, Watcher, is that you?”

There was silence for a moment, then a gray snout popped out from one of the dens. “Master? Ah, give Watcher moment. Cleaning den, almost done.” The kobold’s snout disappeared.

Zira came to a stop in front of the den and peered inside it. She spoke up as he approached. He really cleaning. Look.

Hearing that, he poked his head inside and found the gray kobold in his new fancy robes. Uzreg, now Watcher, had a broom in his hands and was sweeping the floor. Curiously, there was a bucket and a few rags near the clutch of eggs.

Huh, well that’s interesting. He said, mostly to himself.

It is.

They decided to step back and wait for the kobold to finish, and a few minutes later Watcher stepped out. He set the broom down before facing Felix and Zira, then he gave them a bow.

“Masters.” He said, before straightening himself.

Felix smiled. “So your new job requires you to clean the hatchery?” He asked curiously.

“Yes, Watcher clean and care for eggs.” The kobold sounded proud.

“I see… Not that I mind, but how did you get in? The doors were closed.”

Watcher looked up at him with surprise. “Watcher always been able, Master give Watcher permission.”

Huh? “What do you–” It hit Felix then, the memory of his first time here. He had given the kobold permission to enter the Hatchery… “Oh.”

“Before Watcher become Watcher, Watcher only come when Master ask. Now Watcher is Watcher, it is Watcher’s duty.” The kobold explained, as best as he could anyway.

“I think I get it,” Felix said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Well… We won't keep you, I know how seriously you kobolds take your jobs. We were actually going to see where the portal goes to.” He gestured towards it.

“Be safe Masters.” The kobold bowed again.

“Thank you, we will…” Felix turned to face the portal, and began to make his way over to it.

It took them only a moment to cross the space in between them and the portal, but already he could feel it starting to tug at him. He quickly activated his mana sight and could see the tendrils of mana reaching out for him.

Seeing them gave him a shudder, but the mana that made them up was similar to his. That alone was enough for him not to be too concerned, even if they looked a little creepy.

Cautiously, they got closer, the urge to touch it coming in full force. This time, though, he wasn’t going to fight it. He wanted to know where it led, and why Fea had kept its destination a secret from Aluin.

The rest of the eggs have got to be in there. He thought.

I think so too. Zira agreed.

Felix was now only a couple of feet away, any closer and he wouldn’t be able to stop himself. Be ready, you might have to suck all the mana out if it starts to go wrong.

I ready, will protect you. She said, already preparing herself.

Then here I go… He took a single step.

The tendrils instantly latched onto him, pulling him closer. Startled, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

He was now standing right in front of it, his hand already out and reaching for the runes. The tendrils guided him, and for a brief moment he thought he could feel Fea’s touch…

His hand connected and mana was sucked out from him. His vision blurred, his knees weakened. He felt like he was about to faint, but then a loud, THUAMP, sounded out.

The tendrils let go, and with them, his mana stabilized. He let out a breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding and blinked, letting go of his mana sight.

Whoa…

What once had just been a doorway that led nowhere, was now a dark and silent void.

Ready? Zira asked, coming to stand next to him.

Felix shook his head, and looked down to the dragon. Yeah, he responded with a smile. Let’s do this… On the count of three?

Zira nodded, looking slightly impatient.

One… Two… THREE! They both leaped for the portal and…

Nothing? Felix thought, blinking.

There was no weird sensation that greeted them, no strange twisting of his vision or hearing. The only thing that greeted them as they had gone through, was darkness. The whole experience was a little…underwhelming.

Mana dense… Really dense. Zira grunted, sounding like she was struggling to speak.

Curious, He once again activated his mana sight and nearly stumbled back in shock. He quickly closed his eyes and turned it off. It had nearly blinded him.

What the– He stopped as he opened his eyes. Little balls of light began to flicker into existence, revealing that they were standing in a large hallway.

With a quick glance around, he confirmed the portal behind them was still activated. That made him feel better as he continued to take in the area.

They were indeed in some sort of hallway, as far as he could tell, with the portal directly behind them. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all carved out of dark colored stone. There were no decorations or murals like there were in the Hatchery.

Overall, there was a certain roughness to the place, like it hadn’t been fully completed. Though, judging by how level the floor felt and how straight the walls were, maybe it was?

There was only one way to find out.

Turning to Zira, he noticed that she was attempting to ‘eat’ the ambient mana. He could barely feel the effects, if at all. The hallway did have a certain coldness to it already, making it difficult to tell without him using his mana sight. Not that he was, he’d already learned that lesson…

You doing okay? Felix asked, feeling that she was having some difficulties.

Yes… Just so dense… My body, it wants more… There was a certain hunger in her voice. Zira redoubled her efforts, almost turning gluttonous.

Just be careful. He said, subconsciously taking a step away from her.

Oh! It wonderful! She shouted, ignoring him.

Right… Well I’m going to explore up ahead a little bit. He didn’t wait for a reply, and started moving away. He had never seen her act that way before.

Felix let out a sigh as he started down the hall. Truthfully, he was a little nervous about how Zira was acting, but he could only hope she’d calm down after ‘eating’ enough mana.

In the meantime, he came across a small entrance on his right, a single wooden door. Testing it, he found it unlocked and entered into a small room.

Much like the hallway, the room was carved from the stone that surrounded it. A single orb of light hung above, revealing a desk, chair, and a small cot. There wasn’t much else to the room, save for an envelope that sat on top of the desk.

His eyes widened at the sight of it, it could only be from one person…

Rushing over to it, he quickly grabbed it and gave it a quick inspection. For Felix, was written on one side in very familiar handwriting. He opened it with haste.

Pulling the letter out, he unfolded it and began to read its contents.

Dear Felix,

I hope this letter finds you well, and I hope that you will forgive me. I haven’t much time left to write this, in fact, all of this before you was a last minute decision.

Where you are now was supposed to be the last bastion, a sanctuary for all dragons. Sadly, it is an old and unfinished project of mine, one that I failed to complete in any meaningful way.

I had started its construction long ago, when we were first brought to The Endless Forest. However, my health had begun to deteriorate much faster than I had expected. I had to give up on this dream.

Instead, I built the Hatchery and I had planned on leaving only that for you to find. However, after some consideration and, if I am being honest, regrets, I decided to build a portal to this place. I figured that, at the very least, this sanctuary would prove useful as a warehouse.

On that note, I have stored hundreds of eggs within the various completed alcoves and dens along the first floor. Be warned though, the other floors are much less completed and may prove to be hazardous!

My hope is that one day you may complete this dream of mine. However, I would not think any less of you if you didn’t. This was quite the ambitious project, even for me! In truth, I would be happy if you only used it for storage.

Your love,

Fea.

Your love… He thought solemnly before folding the letter up and stashing it into a pocket. If he was being honest though, he felt confused. Just how big is this place? It didn’t say, but how she wrote about it… It must be enormous.

His thoughts were interrupted by Zira, a feeling of shock rushed over their connection.

What’s wrong? He asked, already making for the door.

I-It BIG… Really big! That was all she said.

Hold on, I’m coming! He picked up the pace and continued down the hall. It took only a moment.

Felix came to a screeching halt, his jaw dropping. Zira stood at the end of the hallway, staring out into an absolutely colossal cavern.

How did I miss this?! He wondered to himself.

A wall! It opened, revealed cave.

All he could do was shake his head in response.

Peering into the cave, he could see hundreds more of those floating balls of light. Together, they were enough to highlight the walls, giving him a good idea of just how big this ‘project’ was.

But that wasn’t all.

Bright light covered the floor in what he could only guess to be the center. Looking up revealed a natural looking hole in the ceiling. It looked small from down here, however, it was high up.

Very high up.

Felix gulped, feeling vertigo for the first time. He had to quickly look away, feeling slight amusement from the dragon next to him.

He ignored her, and brought his attention back to the walls– Wait, no… It’s a single wall! Carefully looking around, he came to the realization that the cave was circular in shape.

Amazed and bewildered, he took a few steps into it. Zira followed close behind.

This is… I can’t even find the right words! He was speechless. And to think, Fea called this ambitious!

Zira snorted. Maybe for her…

As Felix continued to take in the cave, he noticed several key details. The first were large holes dug out of the wall on the ground floor. The second detail was a massive platform that spanned above those holes, complete with an equally massive ramp that led up to it.

Those holes must be the alcoves. And that ramp must lead up to the second– He had to stop himself, as his eyes tracked up the wall. Several more platforms, equally spaced, could be seen. He counted five in total.

Six floors… He brought his head down sweeping, from left to right. He did his best to count the alcoves. One hundred… It was a rough count, but it would do for now.

Assuming each floor has the same amount. That’s six hundred! There’s even room for more floors! You could easily fit two thousand dragons in here!

Felix nearly fainted at the thought, he was already feeling light-headed.

Waiting until he regained his composure, he absently made his way over to the closest alcove. Stopping only when he came to stand before it. He peered into it and gasped.

Much like the dens in the Hatchery, these ones contained eggs. However, there were some notable differences. The first was the sheer size of the room, it being nearly three times that of one of the Hatchery’s dens.

But that wasn’t what had stunned him.

It was the eggs inside. There were more than thirty of them, separated out into obvious clutches. Various tarps, leather scraps, and other insulation laid beneath them all, protecting them from the cold floor.

The eggs themselves all came in various sizes and colors, it was almost random save for being in their respective clutches. Outside of that, little care was taken to separate out the various types.

This was done in a hurry, he thought, it did make him wonder though. If she hadn’t decided for me to find this place, where was she planning on storing all these eggs? Perhaps that was why? But everything else had been so carefully planned, why was this an afterthought?

He wasn’t sure if he would ever know, but either way, it didn’t matter now. We have this place, and with a lot of work, I think we can definitely use this. He decided to ignore the lingering question of how he was going to finish the sanctuary, and instead looked back out to Zira.

He’d expected to find her nearby, but was surprised to see her almost to the other side. The dragon was making her way to the ramp. Remembering the warning, he called out to her with concern.

Wait, Zira! We should be care–

I know. Just want to see from high up. She responded, cutting him off with a surprising amount of excitement.

He sighed, he was just as curious as she was. I’m coming too, but don’t go any higher than the second level. He felt her assurance as he started on his own little trek.

It took him a surprisingly long time to cover the distance, and by the time he reached the ramp, Zira was already growing bored.

What’s wrong? He asked, sensing there was more to it.

I want to go high… She responded almost dejectedly.

He paused half-way up, and considered her words. Hearing them, most would assume she meant that she wanted to go to a higher floor, but to him? It was obvious what she meant.

You…wish to fly? He asked hesitantly.

Yes.

Do you think you can? I mean last time… He trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence.

More sure than ever. I feel urge, I need to try! She was restless.

Is this because of all the mana you ate?

There was a pause before she answered. Maybe? I do not know, but I want to go high.

There was a part of him that wanted to say no, that she wasn’t ready. However, their connection told him otherwise. It could not be put into words, it was something instinctual, it was something that made it very clear. She was ready.

There was another part of him, however, that wanted more than to say yes. This part, it wanted to be there to experience it with her. It wanted him and her to meld their minds together.

Then join minds. We together, we team. She said, either listening to his thoughts or having them leak over to her side of their bond.

Alright. He nodded to himself, and started climbing the rest of the way up.

Reaching the top, he took a moment to take in the view. Admittedly, it wasn’t much more impressive, but it did confirm that the cave was in a circular shape.

There was one major difference compared to the ground floor, the dens up here were nothing more than outlines carved into the stone. Ignoring them for now, he found a suitable spot and sat down.

I’m going to start now. He said, closing his eyes. This was going to be easier without his senses interfering…

Felix reached through their bond, and felt Zira’s consciousness. Without hesitation or needless warnings, their two minds touched before joining and becoming one.

Now they were seeing and feeling all that Zira’s body felt and saw, with a calm and rhythmic breathing coming from somewhere in the distance.

There was no Felix or Zira, they thought and acted as one. However, there were risks involved, the amount of mental exertion would quickly take its toll on both of them. They were on a time limit.

Some might say what they were about to do was foolish, and they would probably be right, but for these two, it was together or not at all.

They took only a single moment to get settled before they walked back towards the wall. Then they unfurled their wings, giving a few test flaps. Mana surged through their body, covering the wings.

They were primed and ready, Zira’s body felt electric. With a satisfied roar, they charged towards the end of the platform. Their mana surged once more, helping to provide lift.

In a blink of the eye, they cleared the platform and were soaring into the air.

On instinct, their wings began to beat. They began to climb ever higher, mana helping to stabilize them.

Looking down, they felt a sense of shock. They were so high up…

But not high enough.

Above them, was the crevice, the hole to the outside world. They wanted to pierce it, to see what lay beyond. So they climbed.

They climbed and circled, slowly testing their limits. Feeling sure of themselves, they committed to their wants and desires.

Their wings began to beat even harder, even faster. They were at the precipice, the boundary of what they could do and what they have done. They pressed onward.

An instant later, they were in the light.

At first, the ground soared past them, then the trees. Once they cleared the canopy, that’s when they slowed their ascent. They could only take in the sight below them.

A nearly endless forest stretched as far as they could see. It was nearly endless because of the mountains that made a backdrop to their east. Even from this distance, they towered over everything…

Ithea had been in a bad mood, an upgrade from her usual self. After the ‘discussion’ she had with Aluin, she had decided to go find Felix and Zira. They still had plenty of daylight left, and she was going to make the most of it by training them.

So to her surprise, she had found that they had activated some portal and gone through it. The only witness, of course, was a damn kobold…

Still, she was a little curious herself and wanted to peek in, just to see what was on the other side.

That had been a few minutes ago, and to say she was stunned would have been an understatement. She was old, and had seen much of what the world had to offer. So for something to surprise her, it would need to be on a grand scale.

But just because she was momentarily stunned, didn’t mean she wasn’t aware of her surroundings.

She was standing near the entrance of the cave, when movement from the platform above caught her eyes.

Zira… Hmm? What is she– Oh, this should be interesting. She decided to wait and watch.

Her daughter backed up, and a moment later exploded off the platform. Ithea’s gaze followed her as she began to climb.

Ithea winced, something twinged within her heart. It was… Pride? She asked herself.

Of course it would be pride! She chided herself. She is my daughter after–

No, she was my daughter. Not anymore… The thought threatened to sour her mood.

But does that mean I’m not allowed to still care for her?

Yes–

NO! She is your daughter. Just because you didn’t hatch her, just because she hates you, doesn’t change that fact! It was your fault in the first place, but there is still time to fix this!

The voice was not hers…

“Nevrim…” She muttered to herself. She felt his loving affection flood into her mind.

Just be proud of her, he whispered.

She wiped the tears away, feeling his presence vanish. Looking up, she brought her attention back to her daughter.

For dragons, it was an important moment to watch their young take flight. She was lucky to be here to witness it.

I will…