The Great Forest of Echar, typically referred to as the Great Forest, was not the largest forest in the world, or even the continent of Echar. The Great Forest was by no means small, but its greatness came from its unique properties as an enchanted forest. The beasts that inhabited the forest were stronger than many of the monsters adventurers would expect to find in dungeons. Wild animals weren't the only fear for someone traveling through the forest, however. There were numerous species of fungi with poisonous or otherwise harmful spores, and plants that were often more dangerous than any typical beast. Still, each of those could be avoided easily enough. Even a mediocre druid or mage with the proper preparations could survive the Great Forest without much problem if those were the only issues.

No, the largest threats were the elves. Not much was known about the elves of the Great Forest, as they rarely left the forest, and those few that did never spoke of their home. The only thing any non-elf knew for sure was that their race was long-lived, and not to be messed with. A human general had once gotten on the bad side of an elven mercenary named Laya, and lost thousands of soldiers because of it, before he was killed himself. The elf was eventually captured and executed, after hundreds of the continent's most powerful adventurers grouped together to corner and kill Laya for the bounty placed on their head. Following those events, the elves as a whole had then been feared for centuries, but that fear waned as generations passed. It had already been rare for an elf to be seen outside the Great Forest, but sightings of their kind had greatly decreased, causing the elves to become something of a legend. The people of Echar often went decades without a single person actually coming into contact with an elf.

So, as time passed, the humans and other short-lived races had all forgotten Laya. The elves remembered, though. Even if Laya had killed thousands, they blamed the humans for starting the conflict. Before, the natives of the forest had allowed anyone to enter the Great Forest, but not anymore. Any intelligent non-elf who dared step inside their territory was dead within hours, regardless of if they were human or not.

Deep in the forest, the Ancestral Tree dreamed of a tragedy. This dream was not like a dream any elf, human, or beastman would have. Even if the Ancestral Tree did not fully understand what she saw, she knew it was real. It was a vision, not a simple dream. There was pain and suffering as the elves she cared for so much were killed all around her, while she was powerless to stop any of it. And as real as it felt, everything seemed... hazy. Such was the way these prophetic dreams worked. The Ancestral Tree had experienced them plenty of times before, often before times of great hardship for the elves, and each time only limited information was revealed.

"Indra!" A voice rang out in my mind. I'd been startled, but not because someone was telepathically speaking to me. Growing up in the Village of the Ancestral Tree, it wasn't uncommon for any of us elves. This time was different though, as the voice was clearly stressed. I ran over as fast as my feet could take me.

"Yes, Mother Tree?" I arrived after a few minutes, though I didn't feel tired at all, even if I was going at my top speed.

"Listen closely, child. A great calamity will strike the forest in a thousand years. You must prevent it."

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At first I was silent. It went without saying that I trusted Mother Tree. There wasn't a single elf that didn't. But it was still hard to believe that something terrible would happen in a thousand years. "Mother Tree, how am I supposed to do that? What's going to happen?"

"I am unsure... I only know that the forest has a thousand years, and then something terrible will happen." Her voice was now soft like usual, but I still noticed that she seemed to be shaken up about something. "Well, why me? Shouldn't the elders or the chief be hearing about this?" "They will be informed soon, Indra. But my dreams revealed that you will be key in keeping the elves of the village safe."

"Okay..." My parents had told me stories of some of Mother Tree's dreams before. Apparently, the knowledge that her dreams gave had been used to keep the elves safe from many dangers. Usually, those dangers weren't quite as big as everyone in the village being in danger.

"But I'm still not sure what I should do. A thousand years seems like it's pretty far away."

"Perhaps my dreams will reveal more information in time, Indra. Until then... I don't think I will be of much use."

I sat on one of Mother Tree's giant roots. Her roots spread all throughout the village, apparently, and most of them were underground, but there were a few places closer to her nearly six-hundred foot tall trunk where the roots were above ground. "Mom says you're very smart though. You really can't help?"

I heard what sounded like a sigh, even though Mother Tree didn't need to breathe... I think. "I worry that any advice or help I may give you may end up having an adverse effect on the village's chances of survival."

This all was really starting to annoy me. I was supposed to stop some terrible disaster, but Mother Tree couldn't even help. No information, no advice, nothing. All I knew was that I somehow had to save everyone.

"You have a very long time, Indra. I do not expect you to come up with a solution immediately. For now, I see no problem with you continuing on with life as usual."

"In that case, Mother Tree, why tell me now?"

"I considered waiting until you were an adult, but I decided against it. The rest of the village will find out tonight, and you likely would have learned soon enough."

"Oh, okay." I stood up, a bit more confident. If I didn't need to do anything right this moment... then at least I had time to think of something. Plenty of time too, if Mother Tree wanted me to wait until I was a full adult. "So, nothing's really going to change, right?"

"Not for now, but later it will. You may have grown up to hunt for food for the village, like your father, or sew clothes, like your mother. Instead, once you come of age, you shall devote your time to protecting the village however you choose to do so."

Well, I guess she was right, but that still meant I had a few decades until that happened. Initially, I had felt a sense of urgency, but that was probably due to the fact that a thousand years wasn't much time for Mother Tree. Dad always told me she was really old, even compared to an elf, so time didn't really pass in the same way for her.

"Go, Indra. Spend time with your family and friends. I am unsure how much you will have to yourself soon enough. Your parents and the rest of the village will be warned later tonight."

I took her advice, and walked away after saying a quick goodbye. Most people could go to Mother Tree for advice, but I was only left with more questions. Well, it's not like it could be that hard to come up with a solution, especially if I had a thousand years to do it. I just needed to figure out what could possibly destroy an entire village of elves. Easy enough... I hope.

[1000 Years Remaining]