Smoldering Ruins

The voice was soft, but rough with age, and belonged to a man whose back rested against a knarled tree.

His body radiated with an ancient power, while a mysterious spark shone through his golden-speckled eyes.

He wore a light suit of armor, made from leather and steel, while a beautifully crafted blade laid beside him, its handle adorned by a mesmerizing gem.

Lucas kept a wary eye on the man as he gathered the strength to sit up. Surprisingly, his body was wrapped in bandages, though his wounds still ached beneath.

"Who... who are you?" Lucas asked, his voice hoarse and raspy.

Instead of answering, the man pulled out a fur-covered flask, and offered it to Lucas. The water inside sloshed around as Lucas hesitantly took it, and brought it to his mouth.

Parting his lips, he took a sip, only for his eyes to widen in surprise.

'It's tastes... sweet!'

Like a bubbling stream on a cool spring morning, the water slid down Lucas's throat and soothed it in one fell swoop.

Eagerly gulping more down, he was oblivious to the fact that most of it was missing his mouth.

"Careful, now. If you drink too fast, you'll end up sick."

The man stirred the nearby campfire with a stick, before breaking it in two and tossing it into the flames.

A shower of sparks rose into the air as Lucas sheepishly lowered the flask. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drink so much. It's just... I've never tasted water this good before. Where did it come from?"

The man reached for the flask, which Lucas handed back reluctantly. Taking a sip himself, he swished it around before nodding in agreement.

"You're right, it does taste good. But I guess that's to be expected when it came from a spring in the Lunar Root Gardens."

Lucas stared at the fire in thought, trying to remember where he heard that name before.

"The Lunar Root Gardens...? Wait, isn't that one of the Elves most sacred areas?!" Lucas asked, snapping his head up in disbelief.

The Elves, well known for their secretive behavior, and extremely long lives, lived just east of Delahost, though a thick wall of trees guarded them from invaders.

Though there was no hostility between them and the other races, few had ever set foot into their lands, let alone one of their three Sacred Gardens.

The man furrowed his brow and rubbed a light patch of stuble that grew across his chin. "Yes, I believe you're right. Though when I entered, there was reason."

Lucas stared blankly at the man, unable to truly comprehend what he was saying.

For the Elves to allow someone into their sacred grounds? The reason must have been huge!

Yet before he could he ask anything else, the man cleared his throat, and his expression became serious.

"Before I tell you anymore, I need to know... Do you remember what happened, and how you came to be like this?"

"What happened...?" The man's question caught Lucas off guard.

So far, everything had been moving so quickly that he had yet to stop and think. But now, Lucas had the chance to gather his thoughts.

Suddenly, a barrage of images flooded his mind, accompanied by a symphony of screams and anguished howls.

Lucas staggered to his feet, his face devoid of any color. A single thought cut through the chaos, ringing out far louder than the rest.

"Lily! Where's my sister?! Lily?!"

His eyes became frantic as he spun around, searching for the Duskpine Forest. A scorched land met his gaze, still smoking beneath the night sky.

Lucas fell back, gasping for air as his vision became hazy.

"Woah! Breathe, boy! You need to breathe!" The man jumped to his feet and grabbed ahold of Lucas's shoulders. "Focus on my voice and breathe!"

The man's voice held a wisp of power, and guided Lucas into taking a deep breath. After a few seconds, his body began to calm down.

"Good, now then... Can you tell me what happened?"

Lucas nodded as the blood returned to his face. "We were... We were attacked by an army of Fawnsrot Orks. They appeared suddenly, and without warning, killed everyone they came across."

Lucas shuddered as he recalled the Fawnsrot Ork crushing the girls skull and tossing her to the side.

"Their leader? Did you happen to see the one who led them?"

"Yes, it seemed to be an Ork Cheif... Wait, no... I remember seeing someone else, a being dressed in all white..."

As Lucas recalled the being's cold lifeless eyes, a sharp pain tore through his chest, and caused his entire body to clench up.

Feeling as though his soul was being torn from his body, Lucas cried out and clawed at his chest, his nails digging deep into his skin.

The man reacted quickly, and tore back the bandages wrapped around Lucas's chest, which revealed a spiderweb of festering white veins, flickering with bolts of blue.

Muttering a curse, the man snatched an obsidian crystal from his bag and crushed it between his fingers. A cloud of black dust puffed from his hand as he turned his gaze back to Lucas.

"This is going to hurt... A lot."

Lucas didn't get the chance to respond before the man slammed the dust down on his chest.

A burst of light sprung forward, followed by a piercing scream. It felt as though an eternity had passed, though only a second went by before the pain subsided.

"What... What did you do to me?!" Lucas asked, gasping for breath as he glared at the man.

A dark gem now resided above his heart, surrounded by the spiderweb of white lines, which pulsed every few seconds.

Lucas warily tapped the gem, which caused a spark of blue light to run through the white lines.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. If anything happens to that gem, the curse your inflicted with will spread throughout your body."

The man wiped the remaining dust from his hand and examined the obsidian shard. "For now, this is the best I can do, but I might know someone who could help you lift it."

Lucas hastily pulled his hand back from the gem. "A curse?! How could I be cursed?"

"The being you saw... The one dressed in all white. Did he carry a sword carved from ivory?"

Lucas furrowed his brows and nodded. "Yes, but... how did you know?"

The man hesitated a moment before speaking, a troubled look upon his face the entire time.

"It's as I feared. I believe the one you saw was the Lost Ivory, otherwise known as one of the Seven Lost Heroes."

"They're an ancient group, once worshipped throughout the lands, until they're own greed for power corrupted them."

"It's a miracle you survived an encounter with one of them, as very few they set they're gaze upon live."

By now, Lucas had regained enough strength to stand, and his gaze was focused on the smoking trees in the distance.

Though he could guess what awaited him, he still wished to go back and search for his sister.

"Please, do you think you could help me back to the town?"

A somber look took the man's face, but he nodded and stood. "Come, we can talk more once you've finished what you need to do."

Together, the two of them made they're way back to the town, or at least what remained of it.

Out of the countless Duskpines that once filled the forest, only a few remained standing, their charred remains scattered throughout the ash and debris.

A wasteland of buildings filled their spaces, made from scorched bricks and crumpled walls.

"It looks as though they didn't leave much behind," The man said as he peered through a shattered window.

Lucas glanced over to find themselves in front of a collapsed building adorned by light blue arches and emerald vines. A sign cracked in two hung overhead, revealing this place to be the once prosperous Alchemy Hall.

Past the broken window, a flickering lamp illuminated the crooked shelves and colorful puddles, each of which was once an expensive potion Lucas could have never dreamed to afford.

Spotting a few potions that had yet to be broken, the man stepped over the shards of glass and collected them.

Lucas ignored his actions and continued further into the town. The Alchemy Hall turned out to be one of the few buildings still in good condition, while the rest laid in ruins, surrounded by smoke and dancing flames.

With his boots crunching atop the charred ashes, Lucas slowed to a stop in front of the academy.

Several corpses laid twisted before him, their bodies stripped of armor and weapons, while a layer of ash coated their blackened skin.

For the second time that day, Lucas threw up, unable to stand the sight in front of him. Wiping his mouth, he pushed pashed the bodies, and approached the crumpled wall behind them.

Before it kneeled a man, whose throat was slit and darkened with blood. His expression was one of defeat, though his lifeless eyes still shone with determination.

The thumping of boots alerted Lucas to the presence of the man, who came to stand beside him.

"It appears this man fought till his dying breathe. A noble feat indeed."

Lucas nodded his head and looked past the body, where several burned husks lined the floor.

They were smaller in comparison, with most of their bodies charred beyond recognition. Lucas examined each of them, one by one, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't find his sister.

Exhausted, both physically and mentally, he dropped to his knees, while tears streamed down his face.

"Why... why did this happen to us?" Lucas asked, staring up at the night sky. Grief over took him as a dark storm enveloped the two moons.

The man looked around, and shook his head.

"Indeed. No one deserves this, but unless those beings are stopped, you town will just be another one to fall."

Lucas stared at the corpses in front of him, unable to tell which one was his sister's. His body trembled at the sight, and his fingers dug into his skin.

'What do I do now? The last of my family is gone, and I have no home to return to. I don't even know where to go...'

As Lucas became lost in his despair, a bolt of lightning tore across the sky, illuminating the smoldering ruins. With it came a torrent of rain, which beat against the ground for miles around.

"Stand up, boy. Your life is far from over, and I won't allow you to die by staying in this rain."

Lucas looked back at the man, his eyes sunken and lifeless. "What's the point? Even if I do die, there would be no one to mourn for me."

'Slap!'

Lucas touched his cheek, which lightly stung from being hit.

"Enough of your nonsense!" The man roared, glaring at Lucas. He gestured at the corpses behind them. "Even if your sister's dead, do you think she'd be happy knowing you had the chance to live and didn't take it? Do you?!"

Lucas slowly shook his head, unable to look the man in his eyes.

"Exactly. Now stand up, and help me find a place to rest for the night. We have a long journey ahead of us tommorow."

Lucas pushed back his rain soaked hair and stood, taking his time as to not lose his balance.

The mud squished beneath his boots as he turned to the man with furrowed brows.

"Journey? Where are we going?"

"We're headed towards an ancient village I know of, just south of here and a little bit past the border. There's a person there who knows about curses, and may be willing to help, given the right price."

The man paused, and glanced at Lucas.

"It's also where I plan to start your training, should you wish for revenge. Though that is something we can discuss later, after you have rested."

Lucas froze, shocked by the notion of revenge. Such a thought had yet to cross his mind, but somewhere deep inside there brew a dark desire for it.

"Hey, are you listening to me?"

Lucas looked up to find the man staring at him.

"Sorry. Did you say something?"

"Yes, I asked you what your name was. I can't keep calling you boy, now can I?"

"Oh, it's Lucas. Lucas Infell."

"I see. You have quite the unusual name. Well then, Lucas, since we'll be traveling together, I guess it's only proper I tell you my name as well. I am know as Osyras, The Dragon Watcher."