The trees flew by, and Elias kept going until he could see Dawncoast in the distance. His injured ankle was a distant memory as he put weight on it. He pumped his arms, and his bag jostled a little. The wolves had retreated and were nowhere to be seen. He finally sighed in relief when he hit the edges of Dawncoast. It was a monotonous run broken up only by his racing thoughts. Despite leaving the prophecy wall hours ago the images and text stuck in his mind. Even as he closed his eyes they were still there.
Elias slowed a little as he approached the city but still ran faster than he would on horse. He felt no exhaustion. Each breath in brought the energy he needed to move faster. Over the past few hours, his mind had not only gone to the words of the prophecy but to the words of the witches. Their teachings for Alice and now for him resonated in his mind. Spreading out from the core of his body was the power of the Sword Breath. Slowly it was reinforcing him, strengthening him, and healing his minor injuries. He knew that without this power he wouldn’t make it to Alice in time.
Instinctively at first and then more intentionally, he used his Sword Breath. It was a power he realized now was at the core of his being. It had been there from the beginning, unaccessed and unused. His steps pierced the corruption that had soaked into the ground. The stench of death pulled away.
Elias crossed through the city. He navigated the streets with caution, his senses heightened, his Sword Breath a steady rhythm within him. As he moved through the city, Elias's thoughts kept returning to the prophecy. The images and words that had seeped into his consciousness whispered of a destiny intertwined with great challenges and crucial decisions. He wondered if the path he was on was preordained or if he was carving it with his own choices.
The sun began to set, casting long shadows across the deserted cityscape. The fading light painted the buildings in hues of orange and red, a stark beauty amidst the desolation. Elias found himself drawn to the waterfront, the sound of the waves a soothing contrast to the eerie silence of the city.
The beach was in sight now, the sand a pale stretch under the evening sky. His eyes scanned the shoreline for a boat, anything that could carry him across the waters to Dandelion Isle. The urgency of reaching Alice pressed heavily on him; he could not fail in his quest.
There, among the reeds and washed-up debris, Elias spotted a small boat, abandoned like the city itself. It was a simple vessel, worn by time and elements, but it looked seaworthy. It was one of the smaller boats that he had recognized on the beach when walking the shoreline with Alice. Approaching it, Elias felt a mix of relief and apprehension. The journey across the water would be treacherous, and he was not a seasoned sailor. He performed a brief inspection first and checked over the seams that held the ship together. Some spots would need fixing, but from his previous experience fixing a boat, he knew that it wouldn’t take too long.
He pushed the boat into the water, the sound of the waves growing louder as he neared the sea. Climbing aboard, he took a deep breath, feeling the Sword Breath flow through him, lending him strength and resolve. With a push, he set the boat adrift, steering it towards the open sea. In his hands, he held the oars. Using his magic to guide him and strengthen himself he pushed and rowed away from the dead city.
As the shoreline of Dawncoast faded into the distance, Elias felt a profound sense of solitude. He was alone, yet he carried with him the legacy of Sir Callum, the weight of the prophecy, and the hopes of those he was striving to save. The night sky stretched above him, a tapestry of stars guiding him towards his destiny. Waves crashed against his boat. The water foamed up and spilled into the boat at times. With the light growing dimmer the water was impossible to see through. Before it got too dark Elias added a light to the front and back of the boat. It illuminated the area in front of the boat somewhat though he focused on the stars above for navigation.
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The rhythmic motion of the oars cutting through the water was the only sound that accompanied him, apart from the occasional call of a distant seabird. The light from the boat flickered over the waves, casting eerie shadows that danced on the water's surface. Above him, the stars watched over him.
His boat shook and the wood rattled. The waves pushed harder against his boat than they had before. Elias slowed his rowing and scanned the horizon. His eyes focused on the sky and then the water around him. “What was that?” he asked himself. “More corrupted monsters?”
Elias gripped the oars tighter, his knuckles whitening as he peered into the dark waters, searching for signs of danger. The corruption had made the sea unpredictable, and dangerous. He could feel the Sword Breath within him stir as if sensing a threat lurking beneath the surface.
The boat rocked again, more violently this time, and Elias braced himself. His eyes darted across the water, trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was causing the disturbance. Suddenly, he noticed it – not a creature, but a pull in the water, a swirling current that seemed to be drawing the corruption into itself. It was coalescing the corruption, pulling on it, and bringing it somewhere.
His heart raced as he realized what was happening. Alice was doing something extraordinary. The corruption that had spread like a blight across the land and sea was retracting, being drawn back towards a central point. “She is already at the core of the corruption. This has to be Alice's doing; she was reversing the corruption, purifying the land and water. I need to get there before it is over. Or it will be too late.”
He leaned into his rowing, pushing the boat forward with renewed vigor. The Sword Breath flowed through him, bolstering his strength, making each stroke more powerful than the last. The light from the boat illuminated the path ahead, casting a reassuring glow over the dark waters. Elias kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, where the stars seemed to point the way to Dandelion Isle. He could feel the magic in the air, a tangible force that vibrated with the effort of Alice's spell.
As he rowed, the corruption in the water became more evident, swirling in patterns that defied the natural movement of the sea. It was as if the very essence of the corruption was being undone, unraveled by an unseen force. Elias's determination grew with each stroke; he was closer now, each moment bringing him nearer to Alice and the heart of the battle against the corruption. Even the corruption seemed to point toward the island destination. The sky was shifting as well and the core of the corruption was being altered by Alice. Everything around him was now pointed toward the island.
As the night deepened, Elias felt the exhaustion of his ordeal. His muscles ached with every row, but the Sword Breath within him seemed to rejuvenate his spirit, pushing him onward. He thought of Alice, of the trials she might be facing, and of the prophecy that seemed to intertwine their fates. These thoughts gave him strength, a purpose that was larger than his struggles.
The sea, vast and mysterious, held its own challenges. Waves grew larger as the night wore on, and the wind picked up, making the journey more arduous. Elias had to muster all his skill and strength to keep the boat steady and on course. The corruption sensed him and his magic as it had with Alice before and tried to influence the waves as a result. At times he was able to counteract the corruption’s effects with his Sword Breath and smooth out the rowing.
Hours passed, and as the first light of dawn began to break the horizon, Dandelion Isles appeared in the distance. It was a sight that filled Elias with a mix of relief and apprehension. He adjusted the trajectory of the boat now that it was in sight. He navigated around the stem island and made his way toward the petals. He knew that Alice was somewhere up ahead. The lines of corruption in the water helped direct him. The island, shrouded in morning mist, seemed both welcoming and foreboding. As he drew closer, the details of the shoreline became clearer – the rugged cliffs, red stone, and the narrow beaches.
The Sword Breath within him pulsed more strongly now as if sensing the proximity of their destination. Elias’s boat slipped into the shoreline and pressed closer. He could feel the swirling power up above him. When his boat slowed, and the bottom of his boat hit the sands he stepped off.