Chapter 5 : The Great Forest

When Nihal woke up, the sun was already up, shinning in the middle of a clear blue sky. It was one of those days when Nature wanted to bring warmth during autumn, in vain. The cold is already preparing the welcome winter.

Sennar wasn't in his room; Nihal was relieved. The young boy's words were still ranging in her mind. She stayed lazily a few more minutes in her bed than got up to join Soana in the main room.

The Witch was sitting near the table reading a big book, beside her was a warm tea and a piece of brown bread.

- Good morning Nihal. Sit down and eat your breakfast.

The tea was deliciously perfumed with honey and the bread still hot. Nihal got her cheerful mood back.

- If you're ready, I'll start talking about your trial, said Soana.

The young girl perked up her ear.

- To decide if I can or cannot teach you, I must know your affinities. Magic is, for the most part, an innate gift, it's whether you're born with affinities to magic or you're not. If you do not meet the requirements, I won't start teaching you, it'll be useless.

She took her time to catch her breath and started speaking again.

- You see Nihal, a Wizard is someone who can get in touch with the primordial spirits of Nature; it's from them that we get our strength and power. The Wizard must pray the vital energy overflowing in the world, and if he's accepted, this energy gives him strength. The ability to interact with Nature can be developed and refined, that's the teacher's role; but it must be innate. So the trial that you'll pass today will be used to gauge your affinity.

Nihal who started to get interested in the subject, cut Soana:

- You are saying that a Wizard only got power because Nature's spirits are allowing him to wield it?

- Yes, in the start, it's like that, answered the Witch, satisfied by her niece's gleam of curiosity in her eyes. The easiest magical formulas are just prayer to Nature's spirits. In this category of formulas, there are only elemental healing formulas and a few defense enchantments. When we can use them without breaking a sweat, we can try the next step.

Soana's tone became more serious.

- In the second category are attack formulas, even those carved on the weapons. The final goal of this is to bend Nature to your own will. Therefore it won't be the spirits guiding the Wizard's hand anymore but the Wizard himself controlling spirits thanks to his psychic power. When someone is capable of accomplishing this feat, he's worthy to be called Wizard.

- Do you need a lot of time to do this?

- Well, it depends. Sennar is my student since he's 8, and he isn't ready yet. But of all aspiring magicians I knew, no one had better innate abilities than him. Sennar has such a great gift for magic. Even for me, I'm still studying magic to this day because Nature is like an open book that's full of mysteries and infinite power left to be discovered by us.

Those words excited Nihal and made her forget that Soana said something about magic taking a lot of time. She felt ready.

- Yosh! Tell me what do I need to do for this trial!

- You'll need to go into the depth of the Forest and try to be in sync with Nature, interacting with it. I'll let you 2 days and 2 nights. If you can't make it in this time frame, then it means that you aren't an innate magic-learner and that you should forgo your project. In the opposite case, we could then start the learning.

Nihal determination melted like ice in summer. She knew the trial will be hard, but what Soana asked was even more terrifying.

A lot of stories were shared from people to people about what they saw or heard about the Forest. She remembered some of those stories: it was said that you could meet evil spirits in the woods and that no one came back after entering. Besides It was also said that the worst criminals were living there.

Reassuring thoughts crossed her mind:

- Well... uh, if we are together w...

- No, Nihal you'll be alone.

Terror invaded her mind once again.

- What?...But why? There are so many terrible things about this forest, and I... Well...

- Nihal, do you really think that I, your father's sister, would send you alone in such a dangerous place if it existed for real? Believe me, the Forest is probably one of the safest places in this Land: the fear of the unknown keeps away good and bad people alike. And furious beast? Heh, there aren't any. What you heard are only stories made to instill fear in children.

- I don't... please..., stuttered Nihal.

Soana smiled at her.

- Listen, I can't stay with you in the Forest because you need to be alone to have a better concentration. So you have to be courageous, and confront this trial like a real warrior.

Finally, the talk ended with their preparations: Soana filled a little bag with the bare minimum and Nihal had to beg a bit to keep her sword with her.

The 2 women went deep into the forest, the sun had difficulties reaching the ground because of the trees, and that made little spots of light here and there. The fear that griped Nihal was diminished a bit before this little show of light. But the woods were also filled with big shadows which brought back in her mind all those fearful rumors. She felt like she was observed by 500 pairs of eyes, it felt like the leaves were looking at her with malicious intent. She also looked back at every little noise around her and followed after Soana with not-so-steady steps. More than once she wanted to scream and renounce learning magic: nothing was worth this torture! Alas in the end her pride took over her fear.

They walked for over an hour before reaching a circular clearing crossed by a small stream of water. In the middle was what looks like a throne made of rock.

- It's here, said Soana.

Nihal looked around her, still trembling in fright.

- And what... What do I need to do?

- Go and sit on that rock, free your mind from all your thoughts. You have to concentrate only on the life/energy around you. At the right time, you'll feel it going through your body: it's the sign, it means you did enter a state of interaction with Nature.

The Witch started walking away and said:

- See you in 2 days!

- Wait! What do I do after this? Shouted Nihal in a last attempt to keep her longer.

- After? Well, I'll come back and then you'll show me your power, that's all. See you soon, Nihal.

The teenage girl called for her more than once, and her voice started to break down more and more, but the woods already engulfed the Witch. She fell on her knees, overwhelmed by discouragement, and then started to cry.

She was alone and scared like never in her life before. The naked trees looked like they had skeleton hands that wanted to reach her at all cost and then attack her. This clearing was a wooden cage! If the malevolent spirits came to torment her, who could hear her in this immense loneliness? She cried for a long hour. Then, completely defeated and with no more tears left she finally calmed down.

A little bird came near her and started drinking water from the stream while shaking its head cutely. This scene freed her a little bit from her fear. Without a sound, she took her bag and brought a small piece of bread to the cute bird. It looked at first scared, but then, after confirming that there was no danger, it walked greedily to Nihal and started pecking the bread on her hand.

Nihal added bread crumbs on the palm of her hand to give the bird, even if it was a bit wary for a few seconds, it nonetheless jumped on her hand to eat. She thought that if creatures as small as this bird lived in the woods then maybe malevolent spirits weren't as many as she might have thought. In any case, she couldn't back down now... The only solution was to overcome the trial.

When the bird flew away, Nihal was alone, again. She went back to the rock and sat on it, the sword strapped at her side, ready for every possibility. She started to meditate but she discovered that it wasn't easy at all: she jumped at the slightest rustle in the woods, and her hands reflexively went at her sword.

Unfortunately, the woods were full of rumors and small rustles: as soon as she closed her eyes, she felt someone stealthily stepping toward her and the only way to know if she was right was to reopen her eyes to scan the surroundings again.

In those conditions, it was hard for Nihal to be in a state of perfect calm and sync with Nature because that same Nature, she found it threatening.

When it was time to have dinner, she was already tired. she wanted to eat so bad, but she had a knot in her stomach. Seeing that she was dead tired, she tried to sleep, alas she couldn't too, the fear didn't want to let her be. Without knowing what to do, she lay her tired body in the grass and started looking at the sky above the clearing: it would've been oh so good to be a bird, that can fly far away from here, toward amazing adventures! She started crying again, feeling sorry for herself: how much she wanted to have someone to speak to!

'Real warriors don't cry, real warriors don't fear anything', she repeated in her mind, this sentence said with a weak voice still had its soothing effects on her mind. She decided to face this trial with courage!

She sat again on the rock and tried to meditate harder. This time, things were looking better: she started to get used to the small noises of the woods little by little and give them less and less attention. She even vaguely started to feel what Soana called "life energy or Nature's energy", alas, this energy flowed around her without touching nor even scratching her a bit.

When night fell, Nihal couldn't light up fire like Sennar, obscurity became heavier for her, she felt totally lost. Desperate, she opened her eyes wide to try to see in the dark, but she was surrounded by shadows.

Suddenly, she felt another kind of rustle.

Steps. In a fraction of a second, she was up sword at hand, ready to attack.

- Who's there? She shouted with a not so confident voice.

Silence, no one answered. However, the footsteps didn't stop and continued to come closer.

- Is there anyone? She asked more loudly this time. Again there was only silence to answer her.

She felt her heart gripped by fear once again and started panicking.

- Bloody hell who's there!? Why won't you answer!? She shouted emptying her lungs of their oxygen, while the steps were only a few meters away from her.

- Shut up Nihal, it's me Sennar.

'Sennar!'

Nihal threw her sword away and rushed at him crying. She was hitting his chest with her fists when she felt two arms embracing her, protecting her and bringing her body closer. She hugged him too, forgetting the fact that he was her sworn enemy.

- Well, well don't cry anymore! Now I'm here, don't worry.

Sennar started the fire. He picked up a few dry kinds of wood and did a little hill with it, then he put his hand on top of it. His hands started glowing until we could see a little fire dancing around. Nihal dried her tears but she was still hiccuping curled up against the rock.

- I've come here sneakily, said Sennar. I don't think Soana would've approved of this.

He smiled kindly.

- It's that... I knew how much people from the Land of Wind were afraid of the Forest! I knew too that you would be frightened. So I'm sorry if I scared you, I didn't want to...

- Thanks, sniffed Nihal.

- For what? You have to take care of your enemies!

The young girl smiled. She was happy to have someone to talk to. The fire that was giving them warmth was reassuring too, now the clearing appeared more like a small cozy room.

- You shouldn't be afraid Nihal. Believe me, there's nothing bad in Nature, no malevolent spirits nor monsters. It's men that are greedy and evil, they are the monsters. Nature would look terrifying to you only if you look at it that way: the moment you stop being afraid of it, Nature will welcome you with its arms open. That's the secret of the trial.

He offered her a little piece of roasted meat. It tasted heavenly for Nihal.

The food and the feeling of escaping that danger softened her.

- Did you pass this trial too? Asked Nihal.

- Nah, answered Sennar the mouth full of food. It wasn't needed.

Nihal intrigued by his answer finally let her guard down:

- What do you mean by "it wasn't needed"? By the way, why do you want to become a Wizard? You're strangely mysterious you know!

- So for short, you want to know my story right?

Nihal nodded.

- Well then you're lucky because I can't say that my life was uneventful. Nothing extraordinary but I had a few adventures that made me move quite a bit here and there...

Sennar sat with his legs crossed and started his tale:

- As you may already know, I'm from the Land of the Sea and grew up on a battlefield. My father was the squire of a Dragon Knight and my mother was the only woman of the garrison.

- She was a warrior! Cut Nihal with stars in her eyes.

- No, she was only a woman in love. She knew my father from a village where they grew up together and when he wanted to become a squire she followed him. That's why from a young age I was surrounded by weapons like you.

He laid his back on the grass. The stars were shining in a cloudless sky.

- Did you ever saw a Sea Dragon?

Nihal shook her head.

- It's one of the most amazing creatures you could ever imagine: a sort a snake with deep blue scales, that may vary in the light until it becomes green! He can even fly! It's a fantastic creature! Said Sennar.

His eyes were scanning the sky as if he was looking for Dragons.

- Well, all in all, I loved Dragons. But the most important thing was that I could talk with them. Everyone thinks that only a Knight can speak with his Dragon: but I could speak with all of them. I even played with their babies! I could speak with every animal too. One day -I was 8 years old-, Soana came by our camp. I don't know if she told you but she is in the Wizard Council, who are the leaders of the resistance against the Tyran. It has been now 40 years that the Tyran is at war against respectively the Land of the Sea, Water, and Sun...

Nihal mimicked a vexed tone:

- I know that already what do you think?

- Ouh là là! You're too sensitive! Mocked Sennar. In fact, Soana saw me and wanted to talk with my parents. She said them that she saw an incredible innate magic power and if they let me go with her, she would make me a powerful Wizard. The decision wasn't easy for them... In the end, they agreed and allowed me to go with her.

- Finally some peace, he continued. a battlefield isn't a place for children. Until then I only saw weapons, dead and injured people. Pitiful, indeed. At first, the idea of living with Soana seemed bad but then I started tasting the flavor of peace, here in the Land of Wind. Of course, I missed my father, mother, and sister Kala... But at the same time, I was happy because I wasn't seeing men dying every minute like flies. When I was 10 years old, Soana gave me a choice: staying with her, and continuing my learning or going back to my family, and forgetting magic.

- So what did you choose?

- Well, before choosing, I asked her if she could allow me to go back first to see my family in the Land of the Sea.

Sennar stopped and took a deep breath.

- When I got back what I learned was awful: my father's garrison was totally wiped out, and everyone I knew was dead. My father was said to have died protecting Parsel, the Knight of which he was the squire, with his own body, costing him his life in the process.

Sennar stopped once again, Nihal looked at him without saying anything.

- I cried until the very last drop of water in my body. They tried to comfort me by saying I was the 'son of a hero'; but what could it do? My father was dead, I would never see him again.

His voice struggled a bit.

- Finally, I decided: going back to Soana and learn magic. Once I would have become a Wizard, I would've put my power at the service of peace. And fight back the Tyran, for my father, and every other innocent who were killed by this war. Do you understand now why did I choose you? War isn't a game, people die there, and only peace can overcome war.

Nihal looked at him with admiration. He suddenly seemed stronger and wise like a true warrior.

- Does it surprise you? You thought that I was only a stupid boy who was messing around, and now you realize that I'm a man with experience and a sad story on his shoulder...

They started laughing together.

- And you? Why do you want to become a warrior?

Nihal laid on the grass too. Above her were the stars, forming a big net, it was majestic.

- I want to become a warrior to live adventures all my life. I want to go around the whole world and meet different people. Ah, I also like to fight: every time I've got a weapon in my hand I feel strong and invincible; I feel as light as a feather in the wind. And free. I don't know for who I'll fight, but since peace is a beautiful thing that needs to be shared with everyone, maybe I'll fight for it. I also want to become a warrior for Livon, he's my dad, mom, and brother at the same time...

Sennar straighten his back and looked back tenderly at the young girl.

- This night I'll stay here with you, like this you can sleep free of worries. But tomorrow I won't be here anymore: you must confront the trial alone, yes or no? So now try to sleep because tomorrow will be a long day for you.

Nihal followed his advice and laid her body on the jacket he put on the floor as a makeshift bed. She felt incredibly calm. Before drifting to sleep, she tanked Sennar again. But she was already asleep when he answered.

- And for what? We are alone in this Land, the only way to move forward is to help each other. Good night Nihal, he added before sleeping under his blanket.