The Endless Forest

Felix woke to the sound of snoring and something heavy on his chest. Looking around, he found the sun peeking in through the windows, casting long shadows. He was in Fea’s chambers.

His memories from the day before slowly returned as he became more aware. The ‘celebration’ as the kobolds had put it, was just one big feast. Something that Zira had no issues with.

There had been some music, even dancing, but for the most part it had been tales of epic hunts and vicious encounters with feral beasts. At least, that’s what he thought. There had been plenty of wine and ale involved, and that only made understanding the kobolds that much harder.

That hadn’t even touched upon how they had gotten their hands on the alcohol, something he was certain he didn’t want to know the answer to…

Besides that, it was Zira and Uzreg who were the stars of the show. The pack of kobolds had a newfound respect for their leader, while treating the newly hatched Zira with near reverence. However, as the celebrations went on, Felix was beginning to feel his exhaustion return.

Wanting to only slip away quietly, he waited until Uzreg took to retelling events from his perspective. When all the other kobolds were not paying attention, he had taken his leave.

Zira had chosen to leave as well, after having had her fill and grown tired. Despite her intelligence, she was still a freshly hatched wyrmling and needed a good nap.

Though, it looks like we ended up sleeping through to the next day…

Felix felt her stir, forgetting he was still occupying her mind. Realizing his mistake, he slowly and carefully pulled his consciousness back into his own head.

For a brief moment, he suddenly felt claustrophobic but the feeling passed. However, it had only been replaced with a cold loneliness. I’m just going to have to get used to this… We’re both going to want some time and space for ourselves.

His next hurdle to getting out of bed was Zira herself. She was resting partially on him, with her head directly on his chest. Thinking fast, he grabbed his pillow and moved her head up enough for him to slip it under her while shifting out of the way.

With that accomplished, he now had to deal with her wings. They were splayed out and covering his legs. Their soft and leathery texture meant they were delicate, and he would need to practice extreme caution to not hurt her.

So with another few minutes of slowly wiggling out, he managed just that. Though, he felt her shift around a couple of times, making him worry that he’d awoken her.

Now freed, he slipped off the bed and made sure he was decent enough to leave the room, then tiptoed his way to the door.

Opening it, he quickly stepped out and right into Eri. Both yelped in surprise, but a quick glance behind him was enough to confirm Zira was still sound asleep. He promptly closed the door and brought his attention fully to the elf.

“Sorry, Eri. I didn’t–”

“Never mind that, have you seen Aluin at all?” She whispered, cutting him off. She looked concerned.

“No? I’ve only just woken up.” He answered, matching her volume.

She frowned, looking off in thought.

“Has something happened to him?” He asked.

“He’s disappeared. I went to his room earlier and he wasn’t there.”

“Hmm? Maybe one of the kobolds know? Oh, perhaps he went for a walk or something?” He tried, more to help give her ideas than anything else.

Eri shook her head. “I’ve already asked Chef and Niri, neither of them have seen him. Also, he’s not much for taking random walks.”

“Maybe Uzreg might know? That kobold knows more than he pretends to.”

She brought her hand up to her chin. “Maybe, I suppose I could–”

“Eri! Niri found– Oh, Master!” From the stairs, the blue kobold appeared. She gave a bow before quickly joining them.

Felix gave her a nod and asked, “What did you find?”

Niri produced a sealed letter and held it up to them. “It say from Aluin.”

Eri took the letter and immediately opened it. “Thank you, but where did you find this?”

“Niri find it on desk in front room.”

“On the writing desk in the sitting room?” He asked.

The kobold nodded.

Seeing that Eri was busy reading the letter’s contents, he gave an approving nod to the kobold. “Thank you, Niri. You may go.”

With that, she gave him another bow and darted back down the stairs. Meanwhile, he turned his attention back to the elf and waited for her to finish reading it.

Eri’s expression went from concern, to relief, then to– Frustrated? Uh-oh…

She let out a sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Looks like it will be just us for a while. Aluin is doing…something and he’s expecting me to start teaching you magic.”

“I take it that’s bad?”

“Oh, I don’t mind teaching you magic, but he’s being cryptic in the letter. Something about wanting me to continue down my path. I think I know what he means, but he isn’t one for using vague analogies.”

“What do you think he meant?” He asked, feeling lost himself.

“My path to becoming a Sage.” She pursed her lips. “Still, I don’t know what could have come up for him to leave so quickly and not even tell me. It’s not like him.”

“Any idea where he could have gone?” Felix said, giving a shrug. He knew very little about the elf, besides being a Sage.

“The alcove. It’s where the Sages like to meet. If it was something this urgent, they’d probably gather there.”

“How far away is it?” He asked.

“Honestly? I’m not sure. He’d always teleport us there.”

“I see–” He felt Zira enter his mind.

Too noisy… The dragon grumbled.

He only realized they were still standing in front of their room. Sorry… He caught a waft of food. Though, maybe you should get up. I think breakfast is almost ready.

There was a thud from inside, and Felix opened the door. Zira came strolling out, sniffing the air. Eri watched with a little amusement, as the dragon ignored them and followed the scent down the stairs.

“Sorry,” he said. “We accidentally woke her up, but I told her breakfast was almost ready. Needless to say, she is thankful for the wakeup call.”

Eri let out a light chuckle.

Seeing her mood improve, Felix gestured to the stairs. “Perhaps we should join her? Otherwise, there won't be anything left.”

“You’re probably right. Then, afterwards we can start you off with some basic training.”

He smiled. “Sounds like a plan. I’ve been wanting to learn how to use magic since Aluin told me about it.”

“Oh, we’ll see if you still want to learn after today. I should warn you, it can be quite frustrating in the beginning.”

“Hmm? Interesting. I wonder why?” He said, heading for the stairs.

“You’ll see soon enough.”

With that, they made their way to the dining room…

Breakfast was made extra challenging with Zira, as she obviously could not eat at the table. They had to move it to one side in order for her to have the room to eat comfortably on the floor. Something she had no issue with, especially when large trays stacked high with food were placed in front of her.

Her appetite was similarly mirrored with Felix’s, though he did his best to maintain his table manners. Eri, herself, had found it amusing. She had even joked about who would eat the most.

To Felix, he was glad to see her happy, though he could feel that Zira was forming a slightly jealous attitude. He would need to figure that out soon. Luckily, he had time…

After breakfast, the trio made their way outside. They had opted for the front of the manor so as to avoid the kobolds. For how long? He wondered as they stood in the clearing.

What does…you mean? Zira asked, showing just how fast she was learning.

What do you mean, he corrected. And nothing really. Just that the kobolds will definitely come to pester us..

The dragon cocked her head. I scare kobolds then.

He shook his head. I will scare– Wait, no… Don’t do that, they’re just, uh… They’re needy.

Eri cleared her throat, gaining Felix’s attention.

“I take it you weren’t listening to me at all?” She asked, sounding annoyed.

“No... Sorry.” He apologized.

With a sigh, Eri shook her head. “Please listen, this is important.” She looked to Zira, “For both of you.”

Sorry…

“Zira says she is sorry.”

Eri gave an approving nod. “Good, now please sit. I’m going to teach you how to properly meditate and then from there, I will teach you how to circulate your mana within your body.”

Following her directions, Felix sat down, meanwhile, Zira was already sitting.

“First, I have to admit, I have no idea how this will work with you, Zira. My understanding of dragons is…limited. However, meditation is good for everyone, it helps clear the mind and to reflect on what you have learned.”

The dragon gave a nod in understanding.

“Felix,” the elf turned her gaze to him, “if you would, please sit cross-legged and bring your hands together, interlocking your fingers.”

She waited for him to do so and after, she continued. “Good, now close your eyes and focus on your breathing… Good, very good.” Her tone came down to a much softer level. “Same with you, Zira. The closing your eyes and breathing part, I mean.”

Felix felt the dragon pull away from his mind leaving him feeling empty once again. He ignored it, doing his best to follow Eri’s instructions. Her voice slowly fading away…

He didn’t know how long he stayed like that, but soon he could feel strange sensations throughout his body. They were things he never bothered to think about or focused on; like a random twitch, his stomach digesting, or the occasional muscle spasm.

Now that he was, he found the randomness of it all fascinating. Each feeling was amplified, making them hard to ignore. It made him wonder why his body did the things that it did.

Perhaps this was the secret to controlling mana? Maybe he needed to understand himself first before he could call upon it? It made sense, but he could be reading too much into it just as well…

There was only one way to find out.

Felix delved deeper into himself, but unlike the last two times, he didn’t force it. No, this time he let himself be dragged down.

At first, the sinking feeling he got was uncomfortable, but he persevered. He did not want to panic and break his concentration or worse, end up in another mana high.

Soon it passed, and he began to feel a warm and calming sensation. It was familiar, and it took him only a moment to realize why.

Fea…

Something gripped him within the dark of his mind, like someone giving him a hug. The warmth began to spread throughout him. Then he felt it, a spark.

It was small, going almost unnoticed, but the tensing of his body confirmed it. This was what he was after.

There was no doubt about it.

He brought his full attention onto it, watching it grow and shrink in him. It gave no light, it had no shape, but he could feel it and he could see it. There was a raw power hiding within, all he had to do was tap into it.

So he did.

He ‘reached’ for it, lightly touching it. He was afraid it would either explode or simply disappear, but neither happened. He felt the hands of another on his, guiding them to the very center.

Energy rippled through him, but he was not scared. Fea was helping him, she would not let anything bad happen. That much he was certain.

The spark grew and quickly consumed him–

Felix opened his eyes, finding the world had changed.

Streaks of colors swirled around him, making everything much more vibrant. It was like he was opening his eyes for the first time. He gasped out in shock as his eyes followed the largest source of these colors.

Eri was sitting underneath one of the massive trees with a book out and humming a little tune as she read. Felix watched as reds, blues, and greens streamed out from her.

She looked up and smiled at his awestruck expression. Picking up a leaf, she used it as a bookmark and closed her book. She stood up and approached.

“You were in a deep trance, I was starting to wonder if I would need to pull you out,” she said calmly.

He blinked and found he could control this new vision somewhat. The colors were now a little dimmer. “How long was I–” He shifted his legs and winced, they were quite stiff.

Eri’s smile grew wider as she tried to stop herself from laughing. In an act to calm herself, she looked up through the trees. “It’s been at least five hours, judging by the light.” She paused for a moment. “Actually I’d say it's past noon already, maybe one or two in the afternoon.”

“Whoa…” He muttered, and started to massage his legs.

“Zira was worse, she fell asleep almost immediately. The kobolds came around and disturbed her a little while ago. She took off chasing them away, but hasn’t been back since…”

He laughed at that and reached for their connection. It felt strained, like it was stretched to its limits. It concerned him but he could feel her emotions leaking through it. She was having a good time, from what he could tell.

“I think she’s playing now.” He said confidently, the feeling in his legs was returning.

“That’s good… Though I wish she took this as seriously as you have.” Eri said, sounding a little annoyed.

She offered her hand, which he gladly accepted. “Careful now,” she warned. “You’ve completed the first major hurdle, but things will feel very weird until you learn to properly control your mana.”

“I see…” he said and quickly added, “literally.”

Eri let out a laugh as Felix got back onto his feet. He then continued stretching, hoping to remove the rest of his stiffness.

“I only meant for you to practice meditating, but I was surprised with how fast you figured it out. I decided to let you keep going while I watched. Needless to say, you managed to learn how to circulate your mana.”

Felix nodded. “I’m also seeing weird colors flowing around us, some even coming from you.”

“Oh?” Eri raised her eyebrows in surprise. “See? You mean you can feel it, right? I often think of them as colors… But anyways, that’s incredible. I’m surprised you’ve learned how to sense mana already.”

“Sense mana? I’ve always been able to feel it…but now I can see it.”

Her jaw dropped. “Did Aluin know about this?”

“I…don’t know? He seems to know more about what’s going on with me than I do…”

Eri went into deep thought. “No wonder he was so adamant about you not trying to use magic. I thought it was just because of the mana highs… But now I’m starting to wonder.” She said after a few moments.

It was Felix’s turn to be confused, as such he decided to shift the conversation. “Are mana highs normal? My understanding is only from what Aluin explained to me. About them happening when emotions mix with your mana.”

“He’s not wrong, but generally speaking they mostly happen with children. I just assumed it was because of your…unique situation.”

“Perhaps it is?” He questioned. “I mean, I have a dragon’s soul fused with–”

“WHAT?!”

Felix stood there slowly realizing that maybe he should’ve kept his mouth shut. It seemed that Eri had been left in the dark on more than just his and Fea’s previous relationship.

“Did you not know? Even Aluin seemed to know…” He took a step back, seeing the ‘mana’ around her flare up.

“HE…” She closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths. The air around her began to calm. “He did?” She asked, back to her normal tone.

Felix hesitantly nodded, but said nothing else.

Eri rubbed the bridge of her nose, suddenly looking very tired. “I shouldn’t even be surprised, there was so much he kept away from me… I can’t even blame him though. This kind of knowledge would have the entire forest in a fury.

“I think I know why he left in such a hurry. You are not what we had expected.”

“What do you mean?” He asked, testing the waters.

Shaking her head, Eri only let out a sigh and looked up at the manor behind him. “I don’t even know myself…”

Not liking the tone of the conversation, Felix decided to change it, again. “Well, uh, I think I will go check on Zira… Do you want to come?”

Eri shook her head. “I need to rethink my plans for teaching you… At this rate, you might be casting spells by tomorrow.”

He nodded sheepishly. “I understand…” With that he turned around and headed back towards the manor. As he did, he ‘pushed’ his mind into Zira’s head. This time, it took more effort with how tense their bond was.

Hey, where are you at? He asked, feeling her excitement.

Felix! With…kobolds! I chase them around! She was practically shouting.

He let his amusement speak for itself as he entered inside. Are you at their camp?

No, nearby though– Oh! I got one! She laughed.

Please… Don’t hurt them.

We having fun! No hurting them!

He sighed outwardly, hoping it wouldn’t transfer over. I’m coming out– A thought occurred to him. They could share emotions, but what else could they share? He smiled at himself.

Actually, I am going to try something… Sorry if it feels weird.

Wha–

He closed his eyes and pressed further into her mind. He found it surprisingly easy to sift through it, he could even see vague flashes of…memories?!

This caught him off guard, not because it was unexpected but because it was so easy. He expected some kind of resistance, something to push him away. But he didn’t.

Still, it wasn’t exactly what he was after…

Ignoring them for now, he moved further in. The more he did, the more…strange it became. He could feel her breathing, her heart racing….

There! He pushed to what he could only call as her senses. And right then, he could feel sudden pain as he ‘watched’ Zira soar into the sky before crashing to the ground in surprise. She impacted hard, tumbling and rolling to a stop.

Zira! He screamed out in a mixture of fear and pain.

He heard her scream…