The Jungle is moist today, the rain ended peacefully as it always had, and the natural heat of the sun boils the remaining droplets into steam that lightly fogs the area. The monkeys dance in the trees, causing mischief whenever they can, while the jaguars prowl the ground, quietly within the shadows in the search for an easy meal. The mighty plants that reach the sky above are content as they sway against the wind; their many leaves, hanging from their intertwining branches, seem to glow from the ever shining sun beaming on them.
This was, is, and what should have been the peace of the jungle that has lasted beyond the life times of any written language to describe it. This day, however, was disturbed when a mighty roar that was grater than any lion can ever hope to sound echoed across the land, followed by a pair of words created to suit the moment of his situation.
“AW, SHIT!”
Following those words, the peace was torn asunder. A human in long blue robes underneath a small cloak, runs across the densely covered jungle, his feet drums the ground as he pushes away the many brambles and vines that dare to be in his way. His breath enters and exits his mouth rapidly as he tries to scan the skies for his pursuer without tripping, doing so would be the end of him and all he cared for.
The mighty roar returned, and with it a gigantic beast flew pass the man and reveled itself in all of its terrifying glory. The monstrosity gazed upon the man menacingly with its savage, killer, reptilian eyes. Its great maw revealed many sets of predatory teeth, yellowed though age, red though dried blood, sharp and deadly all the same. Down its long snake-like neck, the creature’s emerald green scales pulsed with power of the muscles underneath, those same muscles keep the great beast in the air by the colossal wings beating on it’s back.
The young man kicked up dirt as he skirted into a halt. His breath heavy, he stared up at the dragon’s fury that flashed in it’s eyes. In doing so he immediately understood his predicament, the creature will never show mercy to him and neither will he die swiftly nor painlessly. Fear pumped adrenaline, adrenaline played the drum of his heart, the air quickly lighten for easier passage to his lungs.
Desperate, the young man out reached his arm to his side, his palm opened yet caged within five fingers, and took a single step back, as if he was to throw a ball. If anyone were to look closely, they would see a dark blue dust-like substance appear from his hand, twinkling like stars, swirling between his fingers. In a matter of milliseconds a spark appeared, then another, until the entire hand was holding seemingly physical electricity.
“Eat Lightning, you over grown lizard!” he challenged. With a step forward, he flung his electric hand out towards the dragon. A explosion of light and power came from the out-reached palm, and from it came a thundering bolt of lightning. It’s swift crackling form raced to the creature’s heart.
The attack hit it’s mark. Only to dissipate, the dragon’s chest cutting the bolt into two smaller branches which harmlessly struck the sky. The dragon only continued to growl, unfazed, and unimpressed.
The cloaked man’s jaw dropped as he attempted to comprehend what he had witnessed. “Wha-, Hex-proof!?” he cried, his fear exploding in his chest.
The dragon opened it’s great maw, breathed in, and out came a trail of bright wild flames.
With only instinct left to guide him, he dived to his right and into the brambles. The sharp branches tore away his robes, cloak, and face; the pain was just as sharp. However, as he looked back at the destruction, he saw the fire land on the place of where he once was. This crackling majesty of the flames spread, consuming the grass, bushes, and the roots of great trees before climbing upwards to the leaves. Just as quickly the black clouds of smoke ruse into the air, corrupting the sky with it’s dark form.
Yet the man could still see the creature though the darkness, and it could see him. With an unholy roar, it once again flew towards him, and he ran the other way once more.
He ran, and he ran, and he ran. He no longer knew where the sun was, or where he was, nor did he care; he just kept running. His legs, now weak as twigs and set aflame by soreness, were the only things that kept him away from the monster. His fear fueled his tired legs, and the dragon’s furious growls fueled his fear. It seems to be an unending cycle to the young man.
He found himself into the air, he tripped! He crashed into the rouged ground, rolling on his side until he stopped. Heaving and puffing, he groaned painfully as he finally gritted his teeth and pushed himself up, only for his right foot to find nothing and slipped. His heart skipped a beat as he tore into the soil, just preventing the rest of him to fall. With his remaining upper strength, he pulled himself upwards until the edge was to his waste. Throwing his weight against the edge, he rolled across it into safety.
Now on his back, trying to drown himself with much needed air, he gazed into what had possibly cost him his life. A great ravine was the cause. Laying down he couldn’t really tell the exact distance, but even then it was clear he couldn’t jump it. In examining it further he learned the other side had a calm slope, while his side was a sharp decline; a cruel prank of fate no doubt.
Despite it, he had to push on somehow. The dragon wouldn’t be far and neither was death. The man tiredly pushed to his side, and was able to get on his knees when he was nearly pushed back down by a gale pulling on his robes. The powerful wind was quickly followed by a small yet loud quake of the ground. Those two things, plus the sudden darkness already told him what he needed to know; he looked up anyway. The monster was upon him, blocking the sun like a demon swallowing hope.
The giant reptilian hunter stared down it’s prey, as it’s colossal wings folded inward. Victory could be seen in its sharp gaze. Now he was closer, it was easier to tell that the beast wasn’t just big, its neck alone was twice as tall as the trees themselves. It’s breath bared on him. Hot, yet, unlike the blue cloaked man, it was calm; seems it didn’t even tried very hard in the chase.
Its growl was of a lighter tone, as though it was gleeful; reveling it’s moment of triumph. The jaw departed from its higher counter-part slightly, just enough to accomplish the most obvious next step in the old game of primal ‘tag’.
Still panting away on his knees, the man in blue glared at the dragon. Pain and exhaustion rippled throughout him, and he spent the last of his energy to save himself from gravity’s deathly grip. He could not run any longer, not with the dragon in front of him and the ravine behind. However, there was a way.
Taking a swift breath of air within, he breathed out, “Not today.” He leaned back and toppled over the edge.
The air bombarded him as he fell, hooking his hood and forcefully reveal black hair beneath it. His cloak slamming repeatedly into him like broken wings of some bird. He forces his mouth to close and squinted his eyes to keep what liquid the winds haven’t taken away. He places his two palms together just across his waist, fingers meeting softly, creating a pyramid of two faces.
Once again, magical dust sprinkled into existence. Though instead of dark blue of lighting, bright twinkling of stars wove though his hands. Grunting, he forced out is hands and the almost cosmic force rushed ahead in undisturbed speeds.
Just as quickly as it appeared, the beam seemed to crash into nothing. A ripple soon followed, in which a hole is torn. The hole creates an fiery aura of similar magic that opened it, and in side lies the stars of night.
The man falls though, and the tear heals itself sealing the wall of reality between him and the dragon.
The sun sets above the settled jungle, the only sound that could be heard was the roar of great fury.
“Gah” the man groans. Pain and vertigo finally catches up to him as he lays on is now very busied right shoulder that protected his head from the ground when he crashed. He lifts himself off the hard glass-like floor and onto his feet, only to loose his balance and fall backwards on his rear end.
He breathes deeply to calm his nerves from pain, frustration, and the heart pounding excitement of his endeavor. “I need to rest for a while.” He groans, as he lays on his back limbs spread across as he studies the new sky above.
It is an interesting sky, the stars shine like any other, but with clear differences. The ones above him dance to a tuneless melody, pairs were made and slowly cycles around one another; others calmly drift across his vision, as though they are leaves on the back of the wind, though there is a noticeable lack of it. Many were as large as his head, while many more where the size of his pinkie, some are either within an arm’s reach, or were several many miles away into the vast limitless sky above.
He laid on the reflective surface, watching the drifting and dancing stars, for how long he didn’t know. The pain from his sore legs and his crushed shoulder have started to fade, his breathing too have begin to return to a more natural rhythm. He tamed his wild heart, and relaxed his muscles for a well earned rest. He closed his eyes slowly as sleep threaten to take this beautiful scene away.
Once he just past the waking world and into the one of dreams, a jolt of electricity awoke him. Rather a jolt of energy pulse from his hip. Or more accurately his satchel, hidden underneath his robe. Curious, he removed the thick cloth and peered at the bag; sure enough the pulse came again, and it could be seen. A dome of violet rippled though the satchel and into the space beyond before softly disappearing, the stars closest to him were gently pushed away from him and the satchel.
Still very curious of the unknown power within, he reached to the flap and opened it. First thing to be seen was a fairly sized book that took mostly half of the pocket. He paused, wandering if it was the source of the unknown power. Once again, the dome pulsed, but not from the book, it was deeper within the bag.
He sat up and reached in the satchel, and pulled out the only other object in that pocket. A cone laid in his hand, it was fairly long though as thin as a dagger, it was worn, with many small cracks and some of the edges seem to have eroded away. It had groves in a spiraling form, not unlike a drill; though the fact that it is made of ancient bone disproved any possibility of it being so. The smooth flat base of the horn shows that it was purposely cut, the reason will most likely remain lost to history.
However, the most glaring part of the horn was the magnificent glow of mystical violet aura clocked the object. The man stared, entranced by the flowing magic that flowed on an invisible current around the horn. Its semi-transparent nature allows him to just see though it and to his palm, yet it is also thick, anything farther became very blurry and fogged and only the aura remained.
His fascination of the object quickly spiked when the aura exploded and again the dome pulsed. Though this time, he felt it. The magic grow within his hand and pured into his very being. He flinched with a gasp, suddenly very scared of the forgone magic. However no harm came to him, instead a warm feeling enveloped him, caressing him in a mothers embrace.
“What the…” he breathed, blankly rooting his eyesight on the horn. It’s aura still very much present, ever flowing, never slowing nor speeding, it just is. Yet, it glows with new light to the man.
It took another explosion of magical violet, and another embrace, to awaken him from his stupor. Though he did not flinched; why would a boy flinch from his mother?
He shook what was left of his confusion out of his head. Looking back at the horn, his thin brows attempted to cross downward, and a spark of determination shown in his eyes. “I have no idea what you are,” grit spilled out of his words as he slightly griped the horn tighter, “and I’m not going to stop until I know your secrets.” A smirk had drawn onto his face.
He stood back on his feet, stretched to prepare for his journey, when the pule came again. Though this gave him pause, he pulled the horn back to himself for a quick study, before stretching to his right once more. It didn’t take long before the embrace returned, sooner than previous times. A brow raised, he gave the horn to his left and stretched there.
It came, but it took significantly longer. The man chuckled, turning to his right he glanced at the horn, “This way, huh?” At his first three steps, the calming pulse was his only answer.
He continue to walk for some time, the pulse getting stronger and came sooner; whenever it got weaker, he would turn until he found his path again. Each blasting dome shoving away the many stars that surround them, though, somehow, no malice was felt with each push. It felt more respectful than any other possibility, whatever it is, the man was sure that it only proved the horn’s importance. All he could do now though, was walk.
He walked for many an hour, only his the sound of his steps and the ever calming pulses keeping him company. More steps, more pulses, more stars floating away.
This is what is was, until he saw it. It looked like any other star in the endless void, however, when the pulse touched the shining ball, it flashed violet and answered back with it’s own. He cried out in surprise, jumping away from the sudden pulse that didn’t came from his hand. However, it was the same motherly embrace that the horn had given him, calming his nerves almost instantly.
The pulse of his horn responded, and the star followed, in perfect sic they pulsed together, overlapping and passing though.
He looked at the star, he looked at the carved horn. “So this is the place?” he asked rhetorically, only for the pulse to answer. “Alright then, let’s do this.” He said, excitement shook his words.
He once again made the gesture that had saved his life, and once again magic swirled around his fingers and in between his palms. Shoving forward, the stream of magic lunched onto the star.
Only for a furious crimson red pulse to send him flying several feet away from the star, landing on his back with a thud and followed with a groan. “What the hell?!” he yelled though gritted teeth. Glaring at the star, daring it to attack again.
His horn, still in his hand pulsed again, and the star pulsed violet once more.
The young man blinked, his anger flushed away by curiosity, and blinked. He blinked at the star, he blinked at his horn, and then back to the star, before looking downward to the him that laid on the other side of the floor, and blinked. “You are an idiot.” he scolded with disappointment scratching at the edge of his voice.
He got up, and walked back to the star, and touched it with the end of the horn.
Instantly, the violet star exploded! Blinding him for a few seconds before finally adjusting to the light. A new hole of realities, though this one was, again, sparkling with violet star dust instead the previous white. Though the hole was a simple forest, dead leaves mixing with the living grass, while larger oak-like trees stood tall in the sea of living and dead plants.
The man in blue robes gave a grin which spoke of a frenzy for a want to see whatever waited him though this unknown this hole, for adventure. Horn in hand, he leaped though disk between worlds with the loud declaration “Here I come, MAGIC!”