Chapter 11: A Sentient Forest.

Chronos tried to do his best to hide his tracks, so the group wouldn't follow him nor any undesired individuals, but he knew it would be a matter of time for the military to find him once again and take the egg away.

There is no time to waste, I need to find a safe place and let it hatch, maybe try to cross borders between kingdoms and blend in with the crowds, but having such baggage would make it rather difficult -Chronos analyzed his option while moving through the wasteland.

Meanwhile, Gree’s group set their route towards the neighboring kingdom, Falladis.

“I can’t believe he simply left after all that happened…” -Nat muttered while sighing, Gree and Phill were silent as they traveled but both of them knew Chronos wasn’t who he said he was. Gree did remember about leaving a virus on the convoy, so she tried to access the database of the convoy from her laptop, attempting to breach the government security files.

After many failed attempts, Gree managed to access the military files, however, she found an order of search and capture on their heads, which was also posted on the kingdom’s guild, making them targets of even more dangerous beings than the military itself. Heroes, the closest in power to the now-forgotten prophets, would take the request and start to hunt them. “Ah, we are so fucked-“ -Gree suddenly mentioned while reading.

Nat looked at her with a rather surprised expression and Phill simply sighed as they kept driving to the border of the kingdom while the sun began to rise on the horizon.

Chronos did his best to get out of the wasteland until he meets a great forest with towering flora and almost no fauna. Even though not many people in the current times would dare to step into such a place, Chronos on the other hand, found it rather pleasant as he was used to being connected to nature since he could remember. This could be a good place to settle in for a time, I could plan what to do next after making sure I can stay here -Chronos planned as he was wandering inside the overgrown vegetation.

The day slowly passed as he manages to find a small river and a clearing which was being bathed by the sun, filling the surroundings with a radiant glow and granting Chronos a sense of peace, luring him into it as if he was hypnotized.

Suddenly a crack from the egg snapped him out of his trance. Right at the moment he snapped back into reality, Chronos backed away from the clearing and tried to address what just happened, so he covered his mouth and nose naturally to avoid breathing anything that could be in the air.

Upon closer inspection, the field covering the clearing turned slowly into crimson red turning the scene into a pool of blood.

“The clearing was a trap…but what can possibly make a trap like this?” -Chronos said to himself as the blood on the field slowly disappeared on the ground, giving him a hint of what is actually happening. “A carnivorous plant?... -he muttered. But if the whole clearing is catching preys for it then this thing has to be enormous -Chronos thought while backing up slowly and noticing many figures emerging from the forest.

A sudden and unknown chant chained Chronos on his spot as an arrow with a small bag tied to it exploded in front of him, forcing him into unconsciousness.

The individuals took him with them as well as his belongings.

After a while, Chronos slowly woke up and noticed he had his hands and legs tied tightly as long-eared individuals were discussing what to do with him in a foreign tongue. it was a language Chronos learned before, a language that originated from the elves. In that same moment, Chronos recognized the language he finally woke up completely.

“So what are we going to do with this guardian, the kingdom might want to destroy this forest if they knew he is here with…” -One of the elves said as she looked at the bag Chronos carried. What seemed like a more mature Elf and seasoned hunter, looked back at Chronos and squinted his eyes. “It seems like the intruder woke up, Carry him to the elder and he will decide his fate” -the male elf commanded.

Chronos was then taken from the place he was laying, and carried by two elves armed with bows into a hut which was across a wooden bridge on the side of the towering trees, many meters above the ground. Once inside and very wrinkly and old Elf stepped forward towards Chronos, inspecting him. “It seems like you do understand what I can say so please don’t refrain yourself from exchanging some words with this old elf” -the elderly elf said while slowly walking back using a small staff to then sit down on a sort of couch.

“How do you know I can understand if I haven’t spoken a single word in this language?” -Chronos asked with curiosity.

“You are not the first one that enters the Pandora Forest, young one. Many travelers end up here and surprisingly enough they too have studied our tongue as well as the dangers of this place” -The elf answered with a smile and eyes barely open due to the skin of his forehead slowly falling over them.

So this is the forest I read about in some reference books -Chronos though while exchanging visual contact with the Elf. “My name is Archival, everyone here calls me pops, or old Archie” -the elf pointed out without taking his eyes from Chronos.

“I’m Chronos, I travel around the kingdom in search of knowledge” -Chronos replied.

The Elf forced to open his eyes for a moment. “You are carrying something that could destroy the world, Chronos. If I’m correct, you were told to take care of it, right?” -He mentioned.

Chronos couldn’t help but be surprised at the Elf who seemed to have lived hundreds of years.

“You see, Chronos, you are a guardian, and a power that can end an entire civilization was bestowed upon you. Currently, there are 5 living Guardians and 3 of them were taken by other kingdoms, meanwhile, 1 hasn’t met the predecessor yet” -Archie explained.

“How do you know all this? And why are you telling me this?” -Chronos asked after some minutes of silence.

“This forest is not a common one, Chronos. Us elves have always been very close to nature, enough to understand the secrets of it. That’s why humanity tried to deal with us, in order to then use our arts to kill each other” -Archie sighed and walked closer to the entrance of his hut. “This is the Pandora’s Forest, a single organism that is connected to Earth and often whisper to us, letting us know what happens in the outside” -he finally explained.

“Who is Pandora?” -Chronos continued asking while looking at Archie with growing curiosity.

Archie turned around to face Chronos once again. “Pandora was a prophet and the one who made this forest appear. Before dying, she chained her soul on the wasteland and fused with the earth, creating what you see now, a single being reflected into a forest” -Archie answered while stepping forwards towards Chronos, knowing what Chronos was about to ask next judging by his expression. “Yes, we know which Dragon made you a guardian, and yes this Forest once served as a shelter to Her, in fact, Pandora was the first and greatest guardian that ever appeared. However the only Dragon capable to resist being tamed by her was the Death Dragon, the biggest threat of humanity” -Archival explained while having a curious look towards Chronos' willingness to listen. After finishing the story, Archie simply laughed as his old lungs let him. Not even the youngest of the tribe are so willing to hear this old elf’s stories -He thought while enjoying himself as he spoke to Chronos.

After talking for a while with the elder of the Elf tribe, Chronos was considered as a guest instead of a threat. There wasn’t much of a welcoming or apologizing gift for the way he was treated, but there were apologies and better treatment from the hunters who found him next to the clearing.

One of the hunters explained to Chronos the forest often requires nourishment other than the minerals from the ground and those clearings serve to lure both animals and insects to get consumed by mutated digestive enzymes, which are then absorbed by the ground and roots. It wasn’t the first time someone fell on that trap so the hunters often patrolled the areas on which those clearings exist.

Shortly after there was a meeting with the tribe elder and all the heads of the different posts, Chronos was brought on the place his belongings and the egg was kept and was told to rest since he had a tired look, something he never really noticed until he saw his reflection in a mirror. These elves have been living in this forest for longer than it seems, maybe I could settle here for a while until I learn one or two new things -Chronos thought while sighing relieved.

That same night, after Chronos was brought to the Elf town in the forest, a substantial amount of destroyers were mobilized from the capital, with the directives of searching all the wasteland and its surroundings in order to find the fugitive group. Posters and new missions were assigned in the guild and many took interest in the rewards these offered. In some points of Delcyt, there are certain ominous beings walking into guild buildings who began reading the information and details of the request, without hesitating they simply left in order to begin the hunt.

Chronos didn’t have a peaceful sleep, since the forest was slowly exerting pressure on him, injecting memories he never had of a dying person cursing the negative traits of humanity and being surrounded by entire armies. These memories triggered several emotions in Chronos, awakening something dormant in him, allowing him to drastically widen his view on the world and what could be the future. The wisdom and experience of both DD and Pandora now kept revolving around the mind of Chronos, creating an unbearable headache and allowing Chronos to live through their lives, burning their memories and knowledge into him, forcing him to wake up in a desperate search for air to breath. To his surprise, Archie stood in front of Chronos silently and solemnly before speaking with pride. “You have been baptized as well, Pandora has awakened what DD granted you, and now I shall guide you as to how the forest wants” -Archie said while slowly walking away with an air of determination on his looks.