2 Stories of the Warrior Elder.

Chapter 1: The Tree of Life.

"At last you come to me!" The dryad told me, that she looks like a strange woman. Her body is fused with the trunk of a tree that has a hole in the middle of it.

-I am Khaly, a tree nymph. I have invoked you because the animals and plants of Polk's country are dying. The flowers wither and the leaves of the trees fall off, and if you don't believe it looks at me… I'm going bald! My brothers the trees and the rest of the living creatures need your help warrior. I believe this has happened since the tower wizard cut down the tree of life and stole its fruits. Your mission will be to infiltrate the tower and recover the fruits of the Tree of Life.

-Okay but I need a good weapon to fight the magician- I said to that strange creature, hoping that he would give me a legendary weapon.

-Of course! I can offer you this club. It's from a troll who cleverly gave it to me, so I composted it and kept his gun.

That's when I realized that that creature didn't understand what I was going to face, even if I accepted the weapon he offered me. Besides that, he offered me 3 magic emblems that will help me in my mission.

1. The Emblem of the forest, which would allow me to speak with the plants.

2. The Emblem of the elements, which would allow me to speak with fire, air, earth, and water.

3. The Emblem of the Beasts, which would allow me to communicate with animals and magical creatures.

-Before you choose any of these emblems you have to know that, each time you use them they absorb part of your vitality, so when you use them you will feel tired and if you use it a lot you can die, therefore think good when to use it. Choose one of them. When you finish the mission you will have to return it to me.

After hearing what the tree nymph had told me, I proceeded to take the Emblem of Beasts.

I said goodbye to Khaly and started for the tower. Normally no one went through the enchanted forest because it is so dangerous, but Khaly had given me the Emblem.

He had been walking for hours. He was starting to get dark and the fresh air was caressing my face. I realized that I would not have time to reach the tower.

I needed to find a safe place to shelter from the cold and sleep.

So I decided to use the Emblem of the Beasts. I asked an owl to observe a nearby tree branch. Touch the Emblem and sing a hoot. Then the owl twists its head and… It spoke to me!

-What are you looking for in this forest?

"I don't want to bother but I need a place to sleep," I replied to the owl, a bit stunned.

-There are four safe places in this enchanted forest. One of them is the cave of Sandar, the lion tamer. Another place is Hake's nest, the claw of the eagles. Another place is the lair of Luja, the brother of wolves. And finally, there is the cibul of Sasi, the snake charmer. I am willing to guide you to one of those places. Which one do you want to go to?

-I want to go to Luja's lair.

The owl flew towards me and landed on the ground. Then he shakes and I noticed that… he became giant! It was five times its size and bent down for me to ride it. I got on the bird and held on very tightly to its white feathers. Then she takes flight towards Luja's lair, lifting a cloud of earth and leaves from the ground. A tingle ran through my stomach as she rose above the trees. The views were beautiful.

During the flight, the wind whipped my face and my hair.

After a few minutes, I almost reached the center of the Great Forest. The owl landed in the undergrowth and I got off its feathered back. I thanked him and left. When I inspected the place I realized that there was a large wooden totem among the trees and bushes, but I did not see any sign of a den or this Luja.

I began to think that the being in the forest that led me there had deceived me. However, examine the totem more closely, it was a huge wooden figure with several pieces placed one on top of the other.

I approached carefully and touched her. Then I discovered that the 3 pieces of the totem could move ...

The third piece was a kind of spider legs. The second was wings and the first was a fishtail.

I decided to substitute the second piece for the third. Place the wing piece on top of the totem. At that moment the rest of the totem pieces turn to where I was. It was as if they were watching me!

In the distance, I heard a howl and soon a pack of wolves surrounded me. Among them was a ragged and disheveled boy with dirty feet and black nails. He is followed by a huge wolf, bigger than a lion, with silver fur on its back and fangs as long as my fingers. The boy spoke to me.

"I'm Luja, and these are my brothers," he said, pointing to the wolves.

Swallow. The wolves looked very hungry and kept circling slowly around me.

-What are you doing in our territory? Why have you called us by touching the sacred totem?

-I'm sorry but I need a place to sleep.

Luja looks at me for a few seconds.

-We will let you spend the night in our lair if you answer my question correctly.

I accepted and prepared myself for what Luja is going to tell me.

-When chasing prey, wolves can travel eighteen meters in a second. My wolf brothers thought you were prey and it took them six seconds to get here. How many meters have they traveled?

-They have traveled 108 meters.- I said while my whole body and voice were shaking.

Luja told me to follow him, from what I see I answered well

We walked through the dense forest until we reached a great burrow hidden among the fallen leaves and trunks. A wolf came and laid a piece of meat in front of me.

-It is wild boar meat from the mythical lands of Caledon. Wild boars sometimes wander too far from their land. Then my wolves hunt them, try it.

-I'll try a little ...

-Not every night you can taste the meat of a mythological animal.

I tried the meat of the Caledon wild boar and ... It was very tasty, but it did not suit me at all.

Soon my face turned white as snow and my body cold as winter, I had to run out of the burrow to vomit. When I was done vomiting everything, I turned to go back. Then I saw several wolves looking at me with their heads cocked. Surely they are thinking: "but what way of howling is that?"

I went back inside without saying a word.

Luja finished eating and we settled in to start sleeping. I crouched among the wolves to receive their warmth.

Then I woke up the next day among the herd as one of them, there were a few rays of sunlight entering the burrow. Luja had already woken up. I told him that I needed to get to the tower of the magician because there lives the sorcerer who stole the fruits of the Tree of life.

Then he pointed to the huge wolf following him and told me a story:

-This big wolf is Huskalos. The last cub in our pack recently disappeared. When the sun is over, if you help us find the last cub, I will help you get to the wizard's tower. Do you accept the deal?

I accepted the deal and Luja was happy about it. Tomorrow at dawn, I will go with the great wolf to find the last cub.

-It is good that no one travels alone through these lands. Witches, spirits, and other dangerous creatures inhabit this place. Also, I just remembered that a long time ago a great toad tried to steal the fruits of the Tree of Life, but his plans did not go well and since then he has dedicated himself to corrupting the forest. I honestly don't know if the creatures of this region are dying because the great tree no longer has its fruits, or if it is because of the evils of that toad.

I woke up at dawn. Again among wolves, I am already beginning to like being among them. My stomach growls wildly. I should eat something soon.

I didn't see Luja nearby, but soon after he appeared with some fruit.

I listened to him while we had breakfast:

-You know what? This region of Polk is made up of the enchanted forest, the valley of the eagles, and the wasteland of the snakes. Wolves have adapted to living in these three areas. There are 12 wolves in the moor, 18 in the valley, and 24 in the forest. If each pack is made up of six wolves, how many total packs are there in this region?

Again Luja with the strange riddles of him was already beginning to think that he had a serious obsession.

"In total there are nine packs," I answered a little tired of the unexpected riddles.

We finished having breakfast. Luja brought me up to date as he makes preparations to go in search of the pack cub:

-You'll see. One day, while my pack and I were hunting, we left the cub in the den with Huskalos. When we returned, we found Huskalos asleep, and the puppy he was taking care of was gone. The last thing Huskalos remembers is that he heard a pleasant sound that made him sleep ... And a smell of goat.

"Goat smell?" I thought. "Is the kidnapper of the puppy a goat? It doesn't make sense!" Then Luja asked me ...

-Do you have any idea where to start?

I thought that he could ask the forest beings using the Emblem. So I grabbed some supplies and my companion gave me a cape made of fur for protection.

Then my companion left his giant creature behind to watch over the shelter and we both set off.

Find a place in the enchanted forest where the trill of small birds resounds. It was a place full of brambles and thorny bushes. Once there, use the Emblem and ask the birds:

-Have you seen a goat lately?

A shrike spoke to me from a bush:

-Yes. The goatman wanted to take a shortcut and smashed our brambles. I'll take you to the place, and hopefully, you will teach him a lesson!

"Goat man?" I thought. "This is getting more and more interesting."

The shrike guided me through hidden paths into the thick of the forest.

"Keep going here," he tells me. It must not go far.

After that, he flew away.

The depths of the enchanted forest are cold and dark, you could not see much, as the trees are so tall and have so many leaves that they block the sunlight.

The place where we were was so scary it gave me goosebumps. A light mist floats in the environment and the sound of the birds was not heard.

Look for clues of that "goat" around the place, until I heard a distant sound. She seems to be a sweet melody played with a woodwind instrument.

The music made me a little sleepy.

My body felt very limp and poised when I heard that melody. As if it were some kind of spell.

Then I remembered what happened to Luja's giant creature and put the dots together. He had to be spellbound with music! I quickly covered my ears and told Luja to do the same. Shortly after the sound disappears.

I stopped plugging my ears and took a deep breath. I thought "It's been close."

Too many strange things are happening. You have to be careful.

With the arrival of the afternoon, we find a spring of crystalline waters. My companion approached the shore:

-This spring is the home of the fairies. Now it's safe but at night they flit around here. Fairies are creatures of luck, but they are also capricious and can be dangerous. It is better not to cross your path.

We both crossed the spring and continued on our way. You have to hurry before dark.

On the other side of the spring, the forest grows even thicker. After walking a few minutes, my companion told me not to make noise and stopped. Then he said with his finger in one direction. I sharpened my eyes and saw that under a tree not far from where he was, there is a ... A man with goat legs and horns? The strange little man is placing a small bag tied with a knot under the tree.

"There is no doubt," Luja whispered. That creature is a satyr. He is getting ready to sleep. Perhaps the wisest thing to do is watch over him and wait for him to sleep.

Luja is right. I'll wait until the satyr falls asleep under the tree.

The sun went down and the moon came, the stars came out and it started to get a little cold. The satyr finally fell asleep. We started planning the ambush that we were going to set up for him.

We approach the satyr with the stealth of a cat. When we were close, I saw that next to the satyr there was a bag closed with a knot.

We both jumped on the satyr. So while I was holding him, Luja looks in his bag and takes out a rope. Between the two of us, we tied the creature.

-We know you're behind everything- I said.

Luja also tried to intimidate him:

-Yes ... So you better tell us everything you know ... Goat-man.

The satyr began to shout:

-Please don't hurt me! I recognize it! I stole the great golden egg, the giant serpent's fang, the roar of large, and kidnapped the cub from the forest pack. But I did it because the witch asked me to. She has bewitched me. She has made me her slave and she wants all the things I stole to use as ingredients in her spells and enchantments. The witch has everything in her hut. I'll take you to her cabin if you let me go ... Please!

-We are not going to release a liar, you can take us tied up.

The satyr reluctantly agreed and began to walk. Meanwhile, Luja and I grabbed the ends of the rope that keeps him tied and we keep a short distance from him.

On the way, I took out the objects that were in the satyr's bag and put them in mine. Among them are an empty wine bottle, a syringa, and a knife.

The satyr led us through secret paths in the forest.

After an hour of walking, we came to an old cabin. It is made of stones, with a little mold and the roof is thatched. On one side of the cabin, there is a pile of firewood and near the pile, I saw the trunk of a cut tree on which an ax is stuck.

The place is creepy and a crow seems to be watching me from the branch of a nearby dead tree.

I decided to inspect the place from the outside. I made a detour around the hut under the watchful eye of the raven. At the back was a small garden with ornaments and statues of fantastic animals. An icy wind runs through that place.

Next to the hut, there was a pile of wooden logs and an ax driven into a log to make firewood. The satyr tells us that the witch can only be defeated with the ax, who is enchanted.

I approached the cut log at the side of the cabin. There was the ax stuck just above it. At first glance, it does not seem to have anything special. So I told the satyr that I took the ax. The satyr turned white as a sheet of paper and began to tremble:

-Just kidding ... Heh, heh, heh! ... Come on, let's leave the ax where it is. We must be careful what we touch. Remember that we are in the house of a witch.

"He seems very nervous. You better not trust what he says" I thought. We approached the cabin very carefully. We were two steps from the cabin. Luja covered the satyr's mouth.

Near the door, I saw a small window. So I decided to get closer. It was open. It looks at my height. I slowly peered out and saw the inside o f the hut. It is small and cozy. It has a fireplace, a small table with a nearby stool, and a bookcase. All the furniture is made of wood. I also saw a door near the shelf and the coffee table. Luja also leaned out the window and sniffed the air with her nose.

-The puppy is close!

At that moment I heard the howls of a cub came from the lower part of the cabin. He must be locked in some kind of basement. I'm afraid the howls have alerted the witch.

-We have to be quick ...

PLUM! The door at the back of the cabin is jerked open and I saw a hideous old woman with goat's feet staring her black eyes on us.

-So we have a visitor- says the witch showing a smile with disfigured teeth.

She pointed her finger in our direction and a black beam hit Luja. Which fell backward. Use the Emblem of the Beasts. A band of bats appeared from the chimney and fluttered around the witch causing several injuries.

The witch gave a ferocious cry that resounded throughout the forest and scared away the bats, who flee through one of the windows of the cabin into the forest.

She then cast a spell and broke the Emblem. She prepared to attack me even though she is stunned, by the attack of the bats.

Pop the window and enter through it, to attack the witch.

I fell on her, driving the knife I had taken from the satyr into her shoulder. She tries to attack me but fails because of how stunned she was. So she plunges the knife into her neck, taking her life instantly.

The witch fell silent before me but there was other bad news. The satyr took advantage of the confusion of the fight and escaped. I went looking for Luja. I approached him, little by little he began to get up. The witch shot him a near-fatal bolt.

Help Luja up and he got up. We wasted no time and searched the witch and the cabin, where we found some valuables.

Also, among the witch's clothes, I got a key. Luja opened the door next to the bookshelf and we both went down some stairs to a dark basement where we found a small wolf chained. I used the key to free the cub that licked my hands while unchaining it. Once free, the cub approached my leg and sat down.

"Wow," says Luja. He seems to like you.

That night we rested in the witch's hut.

The next day Luja accompanied me to the outskirts of the forest and at noon we reached a vast meadow where the grass reached up to my waist. In the distance I could see the silhouette of the Tower cut out on the horizon:

-That's the tower, warrior. I hope you are lucky in your mission. I have to go home.

When our paths parted the cub came up to me. Luja looks at him for a few moments:

-Mmmm… He owes you a life debt. You know what? You will not find a more faithful company than that of a wolf. They are not as bad as the stories say.

Luja gives a simple command to the cub and it approaches him. We said goodbye with a hug.

At last, I was in front of the tower, but… It's tiny! It barely has two floors. "Can a powerful sorcerer live there?" I thought.

The Tower had no door. In its place, there is an opening with a semicircular arch (well, this means that at its highest part it is shaped like a half-circle). Along its arch an inscription can be read:

The hourglass represents death. The cross with a bow represents life.

While I was thinking what that inscription might mean, a wind came up from inside the tower that gave me goosebumps, but it hadn't gone so far as to run away. So I entered the tower and I only saw a hatch in the ground. Everything is too strange.

The sun would soon hide on the horizon and the cold began to invade those lands with new.

I opened the hatch and suddenly the room is flooded with dense fog.

I coughed and moved my arms to dispel it, slowly it began to disappear. It is then that I saw ten torches lit around me with bright, pale-colored flames, illuminating an immense circular room filled with broken furniture, bones, and strange glass objects. The room is completely different from the one I had entered. I stared in amazement that the tower is now much larger inside than outside.

Right in front of me, on the other side of the room, there are two closed doors.

I grabbed a torch, but when I grabbed it the rest lost their white light. Now the fires are as they should be, with red and orange glows. I glanced around the room and saw nothing but rotting corpses. I approached the doors. Each door had a sign with writing that read the following:

Gate 1.

Behind this door is the staircase to the top of the tower and behind the other door is a Tiger.

Gate 2.

Behind one of these doors is the staircase to the top of the tower and behind another of these doors is a Tiger.

Above the doors, there is an inscription that says: Only one of the signs tells the truth.

He was very confused, he did not know which door to open. He was afraid because if he fought the tiger he only had a knife to defend me. I took courage and decided to open door number 1.

I saw a long corridor and started walking down it. When I had been walking for a while, I noticed the gleam of eyes in the dark.

Chat…! Chat…! Click-clack…!

Hear the sound of fingernails tapping on the stone floor and a growl echoes down the hall. A tiger appeared before me.

I quickly remembered the satyr's syringa. I took it out of my bag and began to play a slow, soft, pleasant melody in a low tone, like a lullaby. But the tiger looked at me seriously and spoke to me:

-You should go to a bard school to learn how to play that ... Because you do it fatal.

-You can talk !? - I said amazed by what had just happened.

-Yes I can, and I can also eat.

El Tigre licked his lips and lunged for me.

He did not know what to do in such a situation. By instinct what I did was to cross my forearm in front of the great snout of the beast. He bit my forearm. But I am not left behind.

Despite the immense pain, he felt from the bite.

I took out my knife and buried it in the hard skull of the Tiger. Then I took it out and slit his throat. The Tiger fell dead instantly, but my arm was shattered and bleeding.

I kept walking down the hall until I reached the end. A chill ran through my body. The place was full of corpses and rotting meat. There was no doubt that the Tiger feasted well with the intruders who were confused at the door. One of the corpses had a nice robe that maybe it could serve me, so I took it and put it on.

After that, I retraced my steps and opened the second door. On the other side were spiral staircases that went up to infinity.

Every three steps there is a torch that poorly illuminates the place.

I took a breath and began the ascent. Step by Step. Step by step. But when I reached the thirteenth step, it cracks and falls into the void. It was a trap step. Luckily react fast and jump to the next step.

Take precautions and go up more slowly. Always putting one foot first to check that the step is signed, but when I reached the twenty-sixth exactly the same thing happened. The step collapsed. Then the stairs behind me started to collapse one by one.

I must hurry! I started to climb quickly but what is the next cheat step likely to be? I thought as fast as I could and skipped the thirty-ninth step and kept running. Without a doubt, the sequence of the trap steps is one in thirteen. With that in mind, I continued to ascend rapidly until I felt I was out of danger. I stopped for a moment to catch my breath and check my wound, it was still bleeding but not so much. I kept going up.

The spiral stairs separated into 2 paths. Each path had a symbol at the top. The symbol on the right was a clock and the one on the left was a cross with a bow.

I remembered what it said at the entrance of the Tower:

The hourglass represents death. The cross with a bow represents life.

So take the path to the left. I went through the opening and continued my ascent, which was endless.

I finally came to a room filled with long glass prisms perched on the floor. There was also a window without glass through which a gentle wind blew in.

The afternoon came to an end, it was not long until night fell. The last bit of light came through the window and collided with one of the glass prisms. Then the sunbeam was divided into four beams of light:

1. One of these rays passes through three prisms: one transparent, one green, and one blue, producing a cyan light that is reflected off one of the stone walls of the room.

2. The second ray passes through a transparent prism, a red one, followed by a blue one, reflecting a magenta light on another wall.

3. The third ray passes through a transparent prism, another red, and then a green, reflecting yellow light.

4. The fourth ray had no prisms in its path.

On a table was an exhibition of glass prisms of different colors: green, blue, red, and transparent.

He had to put the colored prisms in order in the path of the light beam. Without understanding much of what I had to do, I took the blue, green, and red prisms and placed them in front of the light beam in that same order.

The sunbeam passed through them and produced a completely white light as it passed through the three crystals. The light reflected on the stone wall, but when I looked better I saw that there was no stone wall where the light pointed, if not a portal. A hole. Space through which I could see… And what I was observing paralyzed me. On the other side of the wall was a huge room with great marble columns. The floor is composed of gold tiles and there was a pleasant cinnamon smell. There are candles floating everywhere lighting the place with warm colors.

When I realized I had unconsciously crossed the portal and the opening behind me closes into a wall. But I didn't feel fear, just calm.

At the back of the room was a figure dressed in a kind of hat with a peaked end and a scarlet-red tunic. She is in front of me. So I asked him:

"Who are you?" I asked, my voice trembling.

The figure raised its head but her face was not quite visible. A voice echoed everywhere like a dark echo:

- You must be the warrior who recently came to these lands. I am the sorcerer who protects these lands.

-If you are the protector of these lands. Why did you steal the fruits of the Tree of Life ?!

-I didn't steal them. I took them to protect the fruits of the evil toad of ariman. Tell me, warrior, who sent you?

- Khali sent me. A dryad of the Forest.

The wizard heaved a long sigh.

-Things are worse than I thought. But they have an arrangement. Listen ... Long ago, a demon named Ariman sent an evil toad to the forest pond to devour the fruits of the Tree of Life, but two magic fish, the kar fish, were always there to watch over the toad and damage his plans. , until one new moon night, the toad came out of the pond and into the ground, away from the tension and the reach of the fish. Then the toad began to corrupt the plants around the pond. I know that they are still around, hidden somewhere, thinking of some plan to get the fruits of the Tree of Life. That's why I stole them. The fruits were in danger there. The forest is withering and dying from the poison that the toad spreads.

I suspect that Khaly has also been corrupted by the poison, and she has summoned you to confront me and deliver the fruits to her.

The sorcerer approaches me slowly as he moved his hands and traced strange light symbols in the air.

"We have to go back to the dryad."

-What's the plan? - I replied.

-Take me with you to that Khaly woman. If the toad is near, we will hunt it, we will take the fruits of the tree of life to set a trap for it.

At that moment the sorcerer moves his arms and traces colored trails in the air, which little by little take the shape of a gigantic rod, from whose head hang enigmatic and strange bright fruits.

-Before continuing I will prepare you for combat. I don't know what will happen, but you have to be prepared. The toad is a powerful creature that can only be defeated by magic. So I'll give you magic means in case you fall for our trap.

-I need an armament worthy of a warrior like me.

-Well I can only offer you this sword with a talisman. Allows you to damage fantastic creatures that are immune to damage from ordinary weapons. Keep it always. Without it, you will be even more vulnerable against the most powerful magical creatures that hide in the world. I will also heal your wounds so that you can fight with all your might against the toad.

The magician addressed me with an energetic tone:

-Warrior. It is time for your exploits to be reflected in the stories of the world. Take me to that dryad.

He opened a portal and we emerged right where the dryad was.

-Warrior you have returned to me, you already got the ...

At that moment Khaly looks at the man next to me. He is the magician. The dryad's eyes were filled with hatred and anger:

-!What he does here!?

Now if I could see the magician's face. He is an old man, his face furrowed by infinite wrinkles, although he could not say how old he is. His beard is white and wavy locks of white hair stick out of his strange scarlet-peaked hat.

The wizard extended his staff to the dryad and spoke a few words. His voice echoed through the forest as if he were inside a great cave:

-I invoke the power of life. The healing thaumaturgy of healers ...

-Stop sorcerer! - Begs the dryad.

The old man approaches Khaly with slow but sure steps. Rays of white light rise from his rod, glinting off the dryad's bark.

The wind awakens and lifts the leaves from the ground in a whirlwind that dances to the words of the sorcerer. The old man's beard is moving a lot because of the wind.

-May the sap of your being be renewed! From the corruption of the devil, I free you!

The dryad screams in pain. At that moment, from the hole in her trunk, a protractile tongue comes out that sticks from the magician's rod. The old man tightly grasps his staff surprised by the event. The tongue tries to snatch the staff from the sorcerer, but he struggles not to lose control.

He quickly cut the protractile tongue with my sword. I heard a nasty grunt of pain. One part of the tongue fell to the ground and the other part returned to the hole in the tree. Suddenly, from that hole, I saw a huge and ugly green and brown toad appear.

"Finish him off, warrior!" It's the ariman toad! "The magician shouts at me as he holds his rod steady before the dryad, whose black sage spills all over his trunk and turns white little by little.

The toad stretches out what is left of his protractile tongue and slaps it on my chest and then pulls me in the direction of his huge mouth. I seize the moment and put the sword pointed at his eye. With the help of the force that the toad used on his tongue to bring me to his mouth, I buried the entire sword in his eye. The toad takes its tongue off me and throws me towards a tree, with which it hit me very hard and makes me dizzy. My sword was buried in his eye. I had to think about what to do with the remaining knife. But before I thought anything, the toad caught me again with his tongue, pulled me towards his mouth, and put half of my body in it. I took my knife and stabbed his head as many times as I could. The toad, despite that, kept trying to swallow me. I buried the knife as hard as I could and held on so the toad wouldn't swallow me. With my right hand, I took my sword that was stuck in his eye and I buried it in the center of his head, the toad died in the fit and let me out of his mouth.

The wind stopped. The leaves that danced in the whirlwind fall to the ground. The old man is leaning on his staff, agitated. The dryad is also without strength but green leaves and small fruits begin to sprout from its branches.

-You did it - says the sorcerer, catching his breath - you have defeated the toad.

-Yes - says Khaly with a tired voice - thanks to you I am myself again.

I fell to the ground. Almost passed out from exhaustion and pain. But the magician's voice puts me on alert again:

-Rise warrior there is still a task to do. We have to pollinate these lands with the fruits of the Tree of Life. And we will start with the sacred pool. Come.

The old man and I walked into the depths of the forest. We cross several clearings until we reach the foot of some mountains, where the waters of a small and beautiful lake rest. In the center or from the lake there is a small island. Above it was a very old tree. It was split. One part of it is on the grass and the other part within the crystal clear waters of the Lake.

Two large colored fish swim sadly through these waters, but when they see the magician arrive, they jump for joy.

-This is the sacred pond and those are the kar fish.

-Did you cut down the tree? - I asked the sorcerer intrigued.

-What? Do not! The tree was knocked over by thunder, surely summoned by the ariman demon.

The fish increase in size and come closer to the shore where we were. The wizard rides on one of them and looks at me.

-Come on, we have to get to the island.

I carefully mounted on the other fish. Its scales were cold and wet. The fish takes us to the remains of the tree of life. The old man dug a hole in the ground and buried one of the fruits in it.

-There must always be a tree of life in the sacred pool. We will also plant to the north, south, east, and west of the region, but for this, we need guardians to watch.

I remembered the safe places and the people who lived in them, but mostly I remembered Luja.

-I have heard of four people with extraordinary abilities, but above all, I know a boy who would surely be willing to watch over the tree of life in the north.

The sorcerer listened to my proposal and it seemed like a good idea.

During the following days, we visited the four people from those lands with the proposal to appoint them guardians of the trees of life.

Luja, the brother of the wolves, will become the guardian of the north along with the polk packs. Sandar, the lion tamer, agreed to become the guardian of the south. Sasi, the snake charmer, will be in charge of guarding the tree to the east, and Hake, a claw of the eagles, will protect the tree in the mountainous west.