The blood that poured out of my hands onto the structure began filling small cracks that were etched into the stone as if they were symbols carved from centuries ago. This startled me and I fell backwards. I gasped, "what the heck?!" I had this overwhelming feeling of dread deep in my gut. Ivan and Oli both questioned, "what happened?" "Are you okay?"
I replied frantically, "something's happening!"
As I said it, the archway began to rumble and the markings filled with my blood began to glow a blinding white light. I yelled, " Get back!" To Ivan and Oli as I reached out to them. A massive pulse wave emitted from the arch and it sent us tumbling away with a heavy burst of energy. As we looked up from the ground, a swirl of dark energy (the best way I could describe) began twisting and conjoining within the center of the archway, as wind began flowing in and around the edges of the structure. The powerful winds emitted from the vortex at its center nearly Knocked me off of my feet and the trees around us began creaking and swaying erratically. That's when we heard it, a voice began speaking into our minds, it was loud and uncomfortable. Covering our ears made no difference as the voice boomed in our minds. It was the voice of a woman. She spoke cryptically, "Three children of fate, you have been chosen by the everlasting destiny of this world. Know now that the paths you once walked shall never be the same again. As the bygone eras have changed, three children have Invoked the power of the gods lost to time. Trials shall await you at every step, and comfort shall cease to exist. As the twilight event draws ever closer, you will be granted our protection. I leave you with the only sentiment that holds any weight….. SURVIVE, AND LET YOUR HEARTS ROAR." Her voice echoed through our minds as the swirling energy within the archway reached its peak. We were terrified, we had no idea what was going on. We looked at eachother unable to speak as this unfathomable event was taking place. It was taking all of the little strength we had left just to remain in the current positions we were in as the powerful winds and energy flowing around us seemed to be pulling us towards the archways. Suddenly a blinding light burst from the center of the vortex, almost like an explosion. Within an instant, before any of us could react, three beams shot out from the explosion right at us. One of the beams hit Ivan right in the center of his chest. I could have sworn when it hit him, it was as if his whole body became momentarily transparent and I could see all the bones in his body. He instantly collapsed as he was writhing in pain, and his pitch black hair that I had recognized for so long had begun turning white as a ghost. It was as if the energy that hit him was changing him somehow. The second beam of light struck Oli right in the head, if not for the pot on her head I feel like it would have killed her. Instead because of the pot shielding her, She was knocked unconscious and fell to the ground with an unnerving thud. There was a clear dent in the surface of the Pot where the energy struck her. As Ivan was still writhing in pain, his hair turning whiter and whiter, he called out to Oli frantically, "OLI!!" as he attempted to try and crawl towards her while he was clearly in immense pain.
The third and final beam of light shot out at me, and I was able to react only slightly. I raised both of my damaged hands up trying to protect myself as the beam of light struck me. As the light hit me, my hands felt burning hot and I shouted in pain. My hands felt so hot, and they started glowing with a golden light. If that wasn't already enough, the archway sent out another pulse of energy knocking us to the ground again, my hands still growing hotter and hotter with intensity. As the archway pulsed, the energy within it created an influx and began sucking in air, tombstones, and small trees at an alarming rate. As if all the air in the world was being pulled into this archway. It was so powerful, the unconscious Oli was lifted off of the ground and was pulled towards the revolving dark energy that now looked like some otherworldly portal. Ivan cried out desperately, "NO OLI!!! NOO!!" I lunged forwards trying to grab hold of Oli but it was too late. I just missed her foot as she flew past me. Her body almost weightlessly moved towards the arch and was pulled inside the vortex of energy. Before entering the dark maelstrom completely, Oli had awoken, tears in her eyes, barely able to even move… and just looked at us and gave us a faint smile and reached her hand back at us. Her body, Pot and all disappeared into the vortex. Ivan just kept screaming in both pain and anguish, "NOOOOOO!!! GIVE HER BACK!!!" As he attempted to stand with tears running down his face. I had no energy to do anything, as soon as I lunged forward trying to grab hold of Oli I instantly face planted. As I try to recall the proceeding events, even now, my memory at this point in time was splotchy at best. I was losing consciousness at the worst moment possible and my hands were in such excruciating pain I was holding on by a thread. Before I lost consciousness and as Oli was pulled into the vortex, another huge pulse of energy was dispersed from the arch. As My vision was becoming blurry and my eyes started to close, I saw Ivan get launched backwards by the wave of energy and he smashed against a large tomb stone shattering it entirely. I'm sure I saw his body fall down into an empty grave behind the tombstone he hit and that was the last I saw of him during this time. Just before all of the light left from my eyes, I slowly looked forward, unable to help Ivan in any way and saw two ominous figures come out of the vortex simultaneously and that was it. They appeared as shadows and then I lost consciousness. As I faded into sleep the woman's words spoken earlier echoed in my mind as I drifted into emptiness… "SURVIVE."
I awoke to the sound of a waterfall. The water was crashing down into the rocks below and I could feel the mist lightly hitting my skin. As I slowly opened my eyes, the bright light of the sun shone through tree tops above me. Where was this place? And how did I get here? The atmosphere was warm and humid. The trees and foliage surrounding me were lush and exotic in nature. I spotted fruits growing high above in the treetops, and there were vibrant, colorful flowers blooming around the basin of the waterfall. I was so used to the dull and bleak atmosphere of the slums I had lived in for the past 5 years. The beauty of this forest surrounding me was so foreign and yet inviting. The calmness of the area made me feel at ease. Unfortunately, that's when it all hit me. A flash of images of that horrible night played through my mind. I collapsed at the edge of the waterfall basin, and began sobbing uncontrollably. "Oli… Ivan… WHERE ARE YOUUU!" I yelled in anguish as I collapsed to the mossy ground. My best friends, my family, they were nowhere to be found. I remembered it vividly. The scene of Oli being dragged into that bizarre and powerful portal was like a knife in my gut. I have no idea where she could have been taken and I don't even know how I ended up in this strange mystical forest.
I spent the first 2 days in the forest just wallowing in my own guilt. I couldn't help but feel like this whole situation was my fault. The scenes of that night continued to replay in my mind. Maybe if I wasn't so greedy, Ivan never would have gotten hurt. And if I hadn't put my hand on the cursed Archway, Oli wouldn't be gone. I couldn't escape this feeling of dread from my memories and my confusion about how I ended up in this place made everything so much worse. I laid on the mossy floor of the forest unable to muster any sort of strength from within myself. I felt broken and lost. Even as rain started to fall from the sky, I couldn't even be bothered to try and find shelter. I just accepted the cold water pelting my skin as some sort of punishment from the gods. I thought to myself, " oh god of rain, if you're out there… Please wash away my sins." After a while of sobbing beneath the stormy sky, there was no longer any distinction between the rain and my own tears.
As the third day came and the rain storms said their goodbyes, I awoke from the same spot I laid for the past 2 days. I glanced at my surroundings and felt the rays of sunlight making their ways through the treetop openings as they warmed various spots of my body. I could see some small animals drinking or bathing from the puddles that were scattered across the forest floor. Although I was truly defeated both mentally and spiritually, there was eventually one thing that really urged me to move. That my friends, was the smell of food.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a very distinct and magnificent smell came wafting through the crisp forest air. It was completely out of place. Was it roasted meat? Or some kind of baked good? Maybe it was a stew? The aroma was truly tantalizing but confusingly different from anything I had ever encountered. I felt my nostrils start to flare and my mouth began to water. I felt so weak and defeated, but whatever this food was… I wanted it. In almost a trance-like state, I began to reach one of my hands into the air. With only the thoughts of what that food could be on my mind and the intoxicating scent that filled my nose, I grasped my hand in the air as if I could take it from wherever it was hiding. As I closed my hand, something truly miraculous happened. At first, I thought I must be suffering from some kind of delusion. I could feel the food? Snapping out of the trance and regaining focus, I looked closely at my hand in the air. I was holding something in my hand. "I must be going crazy" I thought to myself. This couldn't be possible. In my hand was a small but delectable looking pie. I had never encountered a pie that smelled so savory before. All that was running through my mind was, "I'm losing it. I've been laying out in this forest clearing for far too long. I must have starved myself into delusion." But what was in my hand was a true physical object. I could literally feel the flakes of the breaded crust crumbling away from where my fingers grasped it. I was dumbfounded. I brought the small pie closer to my mouth. I had a drool falling out of the corners of my mouth. Although I was deeply confused, I couldn't hold myself back any longer and took a deep bite of the small pie. You could not fathom the flavor of this pie, it was unlike anything I had ever tasted in my life. I became completely enamored by the texture, the flavor, the butteriness of the crust… but what is this incredible taste???
"HEYYYY! WHO THE HELL TOOK MY PIE?!" Someone's voice boomed through the forest.
The voice was so loud and sudden that I snapped back to my senses. "Oh no" I thought, "I just stole someone's food! But also who the heck would be out here in this forest??" I heard branches snapping and bushes rustling in the near distance. Frantically, I attempted to roll my weak body over onto my stomach. As I managed to flip my body over, I feebly tried to push myself up with my arms. I couldn't do it… I had gone too long without food and water and I had been laying in the same spot for too long. I heard the rustling getting closer and closer. "WHO TOOK MY PIE!!!" The person boomed once more. I began clawing my hands into the dirt desperately trying to drag myself out of this clearing. I needed to hide! I managed to drag myself about a foot from where I initially was when I heard the man say, "AHA!! IT WAS YOU!!" He was right behind me! "C'MERE YOU LITTLE PIE RUNT!" In an instant, I felt him grab my ankle and then suddenly I was lifted into the air. The whole world went upside down. I looked up from my hanging position but my consciousness began to fade and I was blacking out. My vision became blurry and the last thing I can recall was the man saying, "SHIT, WAIT, NO DON'T PASS OUT DAMMIT!!" Then it all went black.
My eyes opened to the flickering lights of a fire placed within the center of what seemed to be a small homestead. As I propped myself up off of the ground, I took in my surroundings unaware of where I was. I saw a small hut made of wood from surrounding trees adorned with a roof of long dried grasses. As the fire continued to flicker, I noticed what looked like some kind of oven crafted from clay or maybe mud? There were numerous fish of all different sizes strung up with twine hanging from the trees beside the hut. All of a sudden, there it was. The smell from earlier! It all came flooding back to me. I must have been taken by that strange man. That's the only explanation for why I would be in this place and still smell that amazing aroma from the pie I had eaten. I became increasingly frightened as I had no idea why that person had taken me here. I jumped to my feet as fast as I could, but then immediately collapsed to the ground. "Dammit! I'm still too weak." I scolded myself. "Oi, Kiddo." The man started seemingly out of nowhere. "You may as well take a rest, your body ain't gonna be taking you anywhere at this point. Ya look like a walking stick bug." My head jerked upwards as I watched the unknown person slowly exit the hut. He was tall and peculiar. He had long, dark, dread like hair and his eyes had a weird yellowish glow to them. He wore shabby clothes and what seemed to be long strands of plated cloth around his waist that formed an interesting skirt. He wore a necklace with various claws and teeth from unspecified animals. As he exited the hut, he carried a large fish in his hand, and he had a fishing pole strapped to his back. "Wh-who are you?" I stammered, "Why did you bring me here?" "Well, for one thing… Is a thief really in any position to be asking questions?" He replied sharply. "I'm not sure how you got out here exactly, but nobody touches my pies. Got it?" "Y-yes, I'm sorry.." I replied meekly. "It wasn't my intention to steal your lovely pies. To be honest with you, I don't even know how I managed to take one. It just suddenly appeared in my hand." "Appeared in your hand you say? Now that's an excuse I've never heard before. I know my pies are magical in taste, but they aren't just handing themselves out to people. Especially out here in the enchanted forest, you could walk for days at a time and never meet another soul. So tell me, who are you? And how did you steal my pie without me noticing? I may be somewhat old at this point, but I would stake my name as a hunter that no one on this planet could take something from me without me knowing the wiser."
"Sir I swear, you have to believe me. If I knew how I took your pie I would have no reason to hide it from you. You've already caught me and I have nothing to gain from lying. Please allow me to start over, my name is Sid. I am from Bane and I don't know where I am or how I got here."
"Did you say Bane?" the man asked incredulously, "I was not expecting that. You really are quite a long way from home kiddo. I can understand now why you were so out of sorts when I found you. Not just anyone can survive out here. This place has a way of making even the strongest of people fall to their knees. It may look quite beautiful and peaceful out here in the forest and that is true to some extent. But the magical properties of the forest also make many areas uninhabitable. You are currently in a safe zone I created myself." He stated proudly. "Well, although I clearly found you with one of my pies, I feel inclined to trust your words to some extent. No normal person would willingly travel this far into the enchanted forest. Due to that, we're gonna have to do some investigating into how exactly my pie ended up in your hands. It may seem trivial, but the food is not really what I am worried about. If you or anyone else were able to access this specific area of the forest that means there has been a breach in my defenses."
"I see, I can understand how that would worry you after what you said about this place. If there is anything I can help you with, please just let me know and I will work hard to repay you for your precious pie. After tasting it, I truly understand the true value it holds. It was probably the best food I have ever had in my life."
"AHA!" the man exclaimed, "Y'know what, I've decided I like you kiddo. You are clearly a man of refined taste such as myself. I spent years creating the recipe for my specialty fish pies. I have caught fish far and wide, trying different combinations of fish along with spices, vegetables, and even fruit for the filling! Your appreciation for my food will get you a free pass this time. For now, while I try to figure out this situation you just rest and regain your strength." he said as he tossed another one of his delicious fish pies into my lap. "Oh my gosh! Thank you so much Sir!!" I shouted happily. "Umm s-sir, I am sorry to ask again, but after you have talked about how scary this forest is, it has made me even more curious. Who are you sir?" The man smirked and glanced over at me with a knowing look. " You can call me Gwyn Kiddo. I've gone by many names in the past but Gwyn is my true name. I am one of three hunters considered to be the greatest in the world. I myself am what you would call a master fisherman. I have lived out in this forest for some time now, maybe three years? I am currently looking for someone. But enough of that. C'mere, you can sleep here for the night." Gwyn stated as he lifted me off of the ground and walked me over to a hammock tied to some trees. "You just eat your pie and rest for the night. I'll wake ya in the morning." "Thank you Gwyn." I said with tears starting to well up in my eyes. "I will be sure to repay you." "Yeah yeah," Gwyn said. " I'll believe ya when you don't look like a walking stick bug anymore Ha Ha!" Gwyn returned to his hut, and I laid there in the hammock slowly drifting to sleep as I munched on my fish pie. What a crazy week it has been. Just before I managed to fall asleep, I whispered to myself, "Ivan…Oli… wherever you are, I promise I will find you again. No matter how long it takes."
The next day….
The sun had risen into the sky brighter than ever. It felt as though this was not just a new day, but a new beginning. I awoke to the sound of Gwyn carving something out of wood near the fire pit that was left with only embers from the night before. As I walked towards Gwyn, I noticed that my body felt incredibly light, and much stronger than the day before. I'm unsure of the cause for this…"Ah, you're finally awake kiddo. Looks like we'll have a good day today. The weather is perfect for some fishing. I know of a beautiful stream nearby that we can use to catch some fish. Also, it'll give us some time to speak more about your situation. Here, I made this for you. Today we'll be doing some spear fishing." Gwyn handed me a sturdy spear he had carved from some type of wood. "This spear will do the trick, it's not as good as mine, but you could say it was crafted from one of the finest of woods considering the trees out here are filled with life energy."
"Life energy? What do you mean by that Gwyn?" I asked curiously. Gwyn responded, "Well, that's a little tricky to explain but I'll try my best to give you a good explanation. This'll probably help with your understanding of the area you seem to have miraculously appeared in. This area is called the enchanted forest, however outside of this area it is referred to as the forbidden forest. It is one of few special places in this world that contains the essence of the great goddess, Gaian. She is not only the namesake of this world but also the mother of all things. Her life blood is what I referred to as life energy. This Life energy resides in all things within this world. It lives within all of the gods of this world both good and bad. It also flows through even you and I. It is also something that can be sensed through great concentration and practice. The enchanted forest is a place where this life energy has condensed and is flowing rampantly throughout the area. Because of this, many different changes have taken place to the landscape and creatures that live here. There are areas that have become so condensed with life energy that the animals living here have become monstrous beings, and even the lush and beautiful plants can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you are dealing with. The general rule of the world is to always be perceptive of your surroundings no matter how familiar it may be to you. Take this advice to heart wherever you may go, because one day you may end up in a place like this and I won't be there to guide you. I am able to live here because I can sense just about everything within a mile radius and that is through many years of practice. The average person with practice can probably only sense life energy about 50 feet away from themselves. So, ya think you've got a basic understanding of what life energy is now?"
"Hmmm, yes I think I do", I responded. "I do have one question though if that's okay? I was curious, if this life energy that seems to be within all things of this world is flowing through us, does that mean we too could use this life energy to become stronger?"
"Hahaha, now that's a very interesting question kiddo. Rather than explaining that right now, I think it would be better for me to explain later once we are fishing. I'm sure there will come an opportunity to show you the answer to this question." He replied with a sly smile.
Gwyn's response had me puzzled and deeply intrigued. I was starting to become more and more excited to go fishing with him in this mystical place. "Okay Gwyn, let's do it then. Let's go fishing!" I exclaimed with a thrilled look.
"Righto kiddo, let's do it!"
Gwyn led me through a narrow passageway that was made up of bushes and branches that were entirely woven and combined together making a distinct archway at the top. Along the trail there were many different paths that branched off into different directions leading to who knows where, each. Each path was intricately woven with branches and bushes. "Did he make all of this?" I thought to myself. The paths were truly remarkable, and I had never quite seen anything like it. Eventually, after traversing about a mile through the forest trail we reached an opening that sloped downwards. As the sunlight started to reach us again, we descended the slope and met the edge of the stream. "Wow", is all I could muster. The stream was breathtaking. There were large banyan trees reaching out of the stream with dazzling rocks that seemed to glow from the sunlight. There was a waterfall that descended into the basin where the stream began about 30 feet away from our location. The mist from the waterfall could still be felt, and every drop of water was infinitely refreshing. "Gwyn, this place is incredible! This is where you fish??" "That's right Kiddo, this is my secret fishing spot HaHa! There's nowhere else better than here. Although the center of the stream is deeper than you might realize, many areas surrounding the edge of the stream are only knee deep and allow for perfect spear fishing. Lots of different types of creatures dwell within this waterfall basin. I'm sure you'll be able to catch something." Said Gwyn with a wink.
I was so excited I couldn't wait. Gwyn started off with a demonstration. To be honest, after watching just a single throw, I don't think I'd ever be able to compare to him when it came to fishing. I watched as Gwyn waded into the waters ever so smoothly. Not even a ripple of water came from his body. It looked as though he was simply assimilating with the flowing stream. He had his spear hoisted up above his head. The look in his eyes was mesmerizing. His focus was intense and palpable, it actually looked like his eyes may have even been glowing some strange hue of light. Suddenly, within seconds he sent his spear soaring into the water at full speed. As the spear corkscrewed through the air, I thought I could actually see wind spiraling off of the spear due to the force of Gwyns throw. As the spear hit the water, it actually created a mini vortex within the stream. That's just how powerful Gwyns throw was. He then hoisted his spear back out of the water using the rope line he had previously affixed to the end of his spear. When the spear whiplashed back out of the water, his spear contained three large and colorful fish all skewered through their side one after another. "That was so crazy Gwyn!!" I cheered with excitement. "How did you do that?!? Your eyes started to glow or something, and then your spear went fwoosh and then three fish?? Can I do that too!!?" "Woah, woah, woah there kiddo." Gwyn said with a cheeky smile. "You gotta slow your roll, I can barely understand ya HaHaHa! Sure, Sure, you'll be able to do this too but you're gonna have to practice quite a bit. (did he say he saw my eyes glow?…. Interesting…) So, first things first. We're gonna have ourselves a bit of a bet aye? If you can catch a single fish while we're out here for the day, I will teach you the technique I used to throw my spear. However, if you catch nothing, you're gonna have to carry all the fish I'm going to catch today back to the camp all by yourself. We got a deal?"
"Right on we've got a deal!" I shouted with my fist raised into the air. "I swear I'm gonna catch the biggest fish you've ever seen!!"
My ambitions were certainly too high. I watched as Gwyn speared fish after fish while I couldn't catch a single one. After the 10th fish he had caught in a row I think my jaw had become unhinged from my own disbelief. "Urggghhh AM I BEING HUSTLED?!!" I explained outwards to the stream. "AHAHAH, no no no. You only have to catch one fish right?" Gwyn responded. "You're just not concentrating enough. You need to focus on the stream itself. Within the water you can see the fish, yes. However, by watching the movement of the water you can see the true position of the fish as it swims. There is an old proverb that says: where the fish goes, the water follows, and as the water flows, the fish goes. Ya understand now?"
"(What the heck does that mean!?) A-Alright.. I'll try it, I'm gonna put all of my focus into this. This time that fish will be mine! I swear it on the gods!" I shouted with determination.
I did as Gwyn said. First, I ignored the fish all together and just focused on the movement of the stream. At first I had just thought that all of the water was flowing in one direction. I was wrong. The water itself began to twist and swirl in many different places. And as the water met different obstacles such as rocks or fallen trees the water would bend and sway, but never stop flowing. The closer I looked, I began to see sudden movements atop the water's surface. These movements weren't in line with the flow of the water. This would happen suddenly, and at first seemed spontaneous. It had to be the fish! As I peered deeper into the stream, I could see the faint outlines of the fish moving through the water. I began to correlate the faint outlines with the sudden movement on the top of the water. Each time the outline of the fish would move, the water would slightly pulse in the direction the fish was moving. This is what Gwyn was trying to tell me. If I can just aim for those movements of the water, I'll surely be able to find the true location of the fish within the stream! Soon I would have my chance. With extreme concentration, I watched the stream with my spear raised and ready to throw at any moment. I felt myself falling into a trance. All I could think at that moment was that I needed this fish. I had to show Gwyn that I could catch one too. Right now I wanted to catch a fish more than anything. My focus became so intense, it was as if all of my surroundings started to disappear. My vision honed in on the singular movements of a fish reflected on the surface of the stream. "THERE!" I yelled out. I threw my spear at full speed, still maintaining my trance-like state of concentration. Gwyn was watching me with fascination as threw the spear. As the spear hit the water, nothing happened at first. I mean it, nothing happened. It was as if my spear had somehow slipped through the water without so much as a sound. The water did not ripple, and there was no kind of splash to be seen. Suddenly Gwyn yelled at me to "PULL!" And his words knocked me out of my focus. "PULL THE ROPE SID!" Gwyn shouted. I grabbed hold of the end of the line that was affixed to my spear and pulled as hard as I possibly could. Just as when the spear entered the water, it was the same as when I pulled it out, there wasn't a single splash or movement in the water where it was thrown. As the spear launched out of the water from my mighty pull, there it was. It was a fish! Pierced effectively through the center of its body, there was a small but colorful fish on the end of my spear. I yelled out with excitement, "YEAHH!!! I DID IT GWYN!" I looked over at Gwyn who's eyes were wide with shock and interest. Gwyn gave me a sly smile like he usually does and said to me, "Kiddo, that was a mighty catch you just made and I'll concede to you winning this bet. But let's not stop here. (This kid… there's something special about him hehe) There's something I want you to do. The next fish you target in the water, I want you to close your eyes." "huh?! How am I supposed to catch anything with my eyes closed? I was barely able to catch this fish when I gave it all of my focus." "Oi, don't argue." Said Gwyn. "I just need you to try this, don't overthink it. I want you to do absolutely everything the same as you did before, but close your eyes. Imagine the water's movement like you did before, trust me I think this is gonna be very interesting." He said grinning.
"Well…. Okay Gwyn, I'll trust you." I responded hesitantly. I took my spear up in arms again. I looked at the stream momentarily and then closed my eyes. I did just as Gwyn had instructed. Although I had my doubts, I had no reason not to trust Gwyn, "I'm sure he's trying to teach me something." I thought to myself. With my eyes closed, I envisioned the movements of the water. I imagined the faint outlines of the fish beneath the rippling currents. I breathed deeply, in and out, until I felt myself slipping into a trance-like state once again. All of a sudden, it was as if I could feel the movements of the fish in the water, but how was this possible? Wait, was this the life energy that Gwyn was talking about? It really felt like I could still feel the outline of the fish in the water even though my eyes were closed. It was as if my entire consciousness had entered the stream and was able to feel every single movement of the water. Acting purely on instinct and my desire to catch a fish even bigger than the first, I let out a deep exhale and threw my spear forward as hard as I could. With my eyes still closed, I listened intently. And just as before, there wasn't a single sound of the water splashing. "Was my spear even hitting the water when I threw it?" I thought to myself once again. "I must be pretty dang good at this!" Suddenly, I felt a strong pull on the rope line of the spear. I pulled the line of the spear with all my might. This time however, I felt like I was pulling on something incredibly heavy. It felt like I was trying to pull a boulder!?! Just what did my spear hit?? I had to literally wrestle with the line just to hold it in place. That's when Gwyn shouted, "AHAHAH!!! I KNEW IT!! OPEN YOUR EYES KIDDO!"
I opened my eyes to an indescribable scene. All I can say is, what I had pulled out of the water with my spear was not in fact a fish, but rather some aquatic beast that I have never seen before. It looked like some kind of serpent with white flowing hair and piercing golden eyes. The beast was thrashing in the stream uncomfortably and let out a loud screeching noise. I became increasingly nervous, this beast was dangerous! Gwyn suddenly leaped into the air and launched his spear at a speed far greater than he had shown me before. Upon throwing his spear it was as if he had pierced the air itself and waves of wind lashed through the air. The spear struck the serpent beast straight through its neck. Gwyn had felled this ferocious beast in an instant. I was completely dumbfounded. He just did something I have dreamed of doing my entire life. Gwyn was strong, very strong. "Uh Gwyn… how did you do that? And what was that?? How was that beast in this stream?! I'm so confused!" "Whoa there kiddo just calm down for a moment." Gwyn said with a calming tone. "First, you need to look at your hands." First I looked Gwyn dead in the eyes because I was already so confused, but this confusion had distracted me from the fact that there was a tingling sensation in my hands. At first I thought it was from throwing and pulling in the spear all day. But as I looked down I could see an ominous golden glow emitting from my hands. I was frightened at first. "Wha-what's happening to me Gwyn??? Why are my hands like this!?" "Like I said, just calm down for a second kiddo hahah, there's nothing wrong with you. In fact, you are quite special indeed. You are a blessed Child Sid, your hands, that beast, and even my Pie… These are all clear signs that you have a divine ability!" Gwyn was grinning from ear to ear with excitement. "Now we just have to figure out exactly what this ability of yours is." "But Gwyn I don't understand. How does this tell you I have an ability?"
"To begin with, the first fish you caught kiddo was what really intrigued me. That fish is what we call a wonderling. They are a species of fish that contain many different medicinal properties within their scales and skin. When used properly their skin can cure almost any type of infected wound on the body. It is incredibly rare." "I'm still not sure I underst-.." "HOLD IT, let me finish Sid. This fish is so rare because it is found in only one place in the entire world, and that is the great shipwrecked reefs residing near the island of calypso. For your information young man, that island is about a year away from here in travel time. There's no way this fish could possibly end up in this stream. However, to thoroughly test this even further, I placed another restriction on you and that was to close your eyes. Now after doing so, the second creature you had caught is called a Vetrillion Sea Dragon. They are beasts that are found within ocean caves near the upper coast of Morland. Again, the habitat for this beast is nearly 2 years away in average travel time. So if we factor in these two rare and out of place creatures you captured in addition to the golden hue around your hands…. It has become clear that having a blessed ability is the only possible way you could have stolen my fish Pie!!" Gwyn ended with a proud look on his face. "Uhhhh okay… again I am still sorry about the fish pie Gwyn…" "oh don't worry about it, I was just explaining my reasoning hehe. However, putting that aside I'm sure you had to have noticed that when you had thrown your spear it wasn't coming into contact with the water. Rather, your spear seemed to travel through the water entirely. There was no sound, splash or anything. It is entirely puzzling." "I did notice that actually, I thought maybe it was just because of my throwing technique but I guess I was being a little too overconfident." "No, your throws have been incredible kiddo. I mean look," Gwyn said as he pointed to the sea dragon. " You literally pierced that great serpent and hauled it into these waters. No average person could do such a thing. You must have learned quite well from watching me HAHAHA." I also started laughing with Gwyn, he really knew how to light up any type of situation. "Um Gwyn, do you think that this power has anything to do with how I got here? And do you have any idea on how I got it?" "Hmmm well that's a tricky question. How about we head back to camp with all of our fish and then you can explain to me about what happened before you got here. Then I think we may be able to get a better understanding of the situation." "Okay." I responded, "but… well… what are we going to do about this giant thing!?" I exclaimed while pointing at the serpent. "Ah don't worry about that, I've got plans for that fella. I'll just put him In here." Gwyn spoke as he opened his small satchel on his waist. As he opened it, a massive gust of wind blew forth and seemingly grasped the serpent's body within the stream, and pulled its massive body into the satchel. The event only lasted a few seconds but I was completely stunned! "Gwyn!!" I yelled, "What the heck was that??" Gwyn looked at me with a rather unimpressed gaze. "Sheesh Sid, you really don't know much about the world do ya? Alright when we speak later I'll tell you more about this and the world in general. Hopefully that'll quell all your questions. Now c'mon kiddo, let's get back so we can talk." I was pretty frustrated with that answer but heck, it's not like he's wrong. It seems like I know absolutely nothing about this world. Despite all of the things Ivan and Oli had told me about when we were living in the slums, I realized that I knew virtually nothing. I didn't even really know anything about Bane for that matter, and that's the only place I have ever really lived. My lack of knowledge could really get me into trouble in the future, I need to learn more if I am ever going to see my friends again!