2 years ago - Dragons Eden, Year: 608, Outskirts of the North-Western borders of Xander
A fourteen-year-old boy wearing adventurer clothes was running through the forest for his life. Suddenly, someone attacked the boy with an Ice Spear spell from behind. Luckily, the boy dodged the attack like a baby gazelle. It was a Lich, burning red eyes from the depths of hell, wearing a necklace of skulls around its neck. Its body was wrapped around by a cloak of shadow that looked like darkness itself. The lich had no legs; it floated like a bird without wings and had a withered face. After running for some time, the chase came to an end because of a cliff. Seeing no other choice, the boy took his sword with a glowing blade out of its sheath on his back and pointed it towards the lich.
For centuries, the forbidden forest served as the lich's ancient dwelling, an ominous abode where it remained secluded, untouched by the outside world. Within its shadowy depths, countless wanderers and outlaws met their grim fate at the hands of the lich. Surprisingly, Xander refrained from dispatching its formidable army to eliminate the lich. The reason behind this strategic decision lay in the forest itself – it acted as a natural barrier, safeguarding the northwestern borders from marauding bandits. However, no amount of rationality could deter a daring young fool from venturing willingly into the heart of the ominous woods.
“Hahahaha, you are brave. I will give you that little bunny.” said the lich with hunger in its eyes.
“Come, let's see what you got!” said the boy with a shaky voice.
“You dare challenge me, boy? I have taken hundreds of souls by killing much more powerful individuals than you. You are an insignificant little ant in front of them,” said the lich.
“Didn't you just call me a little bunny? Make up your mind already, old man.” said the boy with a still shaky voice and a joking attitude.
The lich Screamed with his demonic voice, “I WILL KILL YOU VERY SLOWLY! YOU WILL SCREAM IN PAIN WHILE I TAKE EVERY OUNCE OF YOUR SOUL FROM YOUR BODY AND DEVOUR IT! AND THEN, I WILL FEAST ON YOUR CORPSE AND ADD YOUR SKULL TO MY COLLECTION.”
The boy griped his sword more tightly and took a fighting stance, and then the lich started to approach the boy. Seeing this, the boy shot a fireball from his right hand, and the lich swated it away like a little fly. Then the boy took a potion bomb out of his enchanted pocket-sized pouch and threw it at the lich. The bomb exploded, and its content spread over the lich’s body. The lich started screaming in pain as fire engulfed its body, and its face started to melt.
The potion bomb had a mixture of holy water and other flammable liquids. Seeing an opportunity, the boy trieed to run away, but the lich blocked his path and grabed him by his left shoulder. Realizing that it underestimated the boy, the lich trieed to kill the boy right then and there. While feeling a freezing pain on his shoulder, the boy swang his sword on the lich’s neck, but the lich blocked the attack with its left hand. The hand got severed and started to burn, and the lich backed away from the boy.
“Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh,” The lich screamed with anger, “Where did you get a runed sword?”
The boy gave no reply and started to think, hoho! So this sword isn’t just for show then, and the lich seems to be afraid of the sword. This may be my golden opportunity! Thanks, Grandpa. The boy suddenly ran towards the lich and then jumped while grabbing the glowing sword with both hands. The lich tried to stop the attack using its right hand, but the blade cut through the fingers and stabed the lich’s heart. The lich gave out an ear-piercing screech, and then the body started to burn and turned to ash. The glow of the sword slowly faded away.
The boy layed down while breathing heavily and started talking to himself, “So this is the power of ‘rune-smithing.’ I’ll need to start practicing it. This is some powerful magical stuff.” Haha! This world is awesome!
Rune-Smithing is a type of smithing magic that makes anything runed immensely powerful. This craft has been lost for hundreds of years. Some remnants of rune-smithing can still be found in legendary swords, armors, or other types of equipment. There are even some ancient ruins whose doors are still shut, to this day, via runed magic.
“Of course, it's powerful! After all, that is a runed sword with enchantments on it, and that fireball ring of yours is also very good, but it wouldn't work because I was wearing a runed Elemental resistance ring. On the other hand, if that enchanted ring were to be runed like the sword, I would have taken damage. ” said a Wood Elf in ghost form. The boy got shocked to see a ghost suddenly appearing out of nowhere. He hurriedly stood up, picked up his sword, and pointed it toward the ghost.
The boy got the sword as a gift from his grandfather, and the fireball ring is something he made when he first started enchanting to test his powers. Enchanted items like this are a way to help people like Castiel who do not possess any affinity in Elemental or Mystic Arts. But the items can only be bound with a single spell of fire magic, water magic, dark magic, or any other magic for that matter, unless it’s runed.
A runed item can be enchanted with three to five different spells of any Art, depending on the skill of the rune-smith. Like, the ring of the now deceased Wood Elf, which has resistance spells of all five elemental magics, and Castiel’s sword, which has three enchantments: Anti-Demonic, Detect Undead, and Lifesteal. Also, no matter how powerful an enchanted item may be, it can never beat a runed item. A runed armor will only take damage from a runed weapon, and in the right hands, a runed weapon can even cut a mountain in half.
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“I just killed a lich, so I am pretty sure I can kill a ghost too.” said the boy while taking a fighting stance.
“Do not worry. You have nothing to fear from me, as you have already killed me,” said the ghost with a friendly voice.
“What? What are you talking about?” the boy asked confusingly.
The elf-ghost bowed and thanked the boy for ending his suffering and that he was the lich, then he told the boy his story of how he was an adventurer centuries ago and how his companions betrayed him and left him to die in the forest. After his death, he became a lich because of his desire for vengeance and roamed this forest known before as the Misty Willows, which later became known as the Forbidden Forest because of him. After hearing his story, the boy sighed in relief. Knowing he didn't have to fight again, the boy lowered his sword and sheathed it.
“My name is Elwen Del’Fana from the Truisal Kingdom, and who might you be?” asked Elwen, the ghost.
“I am Prince Castiel Xenides from the Republic of Xander, a pleasure.” Castiel greeted in return with a slight bow.
“Ohh my, what is a prince doing out here alone wearing what looks like adventurer clothes? And did his highness just say ‘Republic’ of Xander?” Elwen asked very curiously.
“Castiel is just fine. And yes, Xander became a Republic around 80 years ago. And the reason I am here? Well, it's a bit….. embarrassing, and some might even say foolish.” Castiel replied with a somewhat laughing manner.
“Well, let me hear it anyway. I might be able to offer some assistance. After all, you helped me. Please let me return the favor!” Elwen said with a friendly tone.
“I read in an old book that there was a tree called the Majestic Chameleon Cornel in this forest. Every year during autumn, seeds from its flowers can be grown into saplings, which can be fused by grafting with an amoyo sapling to grow your own amoyo tree for its fruits. I know it sounds ridiculous.” Castiel said with an embarrassing look.
Amoyo fruits have a large seed inside them, just like an Avocado. But unlike an avocado seed, amoyo seeds are filled with huge amounts of mana, which makes them extremely vital for everyone in Eden. A new amoyo tree would only be born in places where a dragon had died, and as the era of the dragons had ended, only a handful of amoyo trees were left on Eden. One of which is in the Royal Garden of Xander. There is another alternative to amoyo seeds: Magistones. Magistones are simple-looking stones, except they also hold magical energy or mana like a battery, and just like the seeds, they are extremely rare.
About 1000 years ago, most magistones were used up to extinction during the Dragon War. So after the war ended, people searched for amoyo trees all over Eden. Some countries even went to war for them. Eventually, the trees got destroyed by fanatics so that no one could have them. Legends say that only a sapling from the Chameleon tree can be used to grow new Amoyo trees, hence the name Majestic ‘Chameleon’ Cornel. And In Castiel's mind, magistones and amoyo seeds are all simply: an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which he is trying to mass produce for his many projects in the future.
“Ohh, it's not foolish at all. I know where you can find this tree, but before I give you its location, tell me: Prince Castiel of Xander, WHY DO YOU WANT IT?” asked Elwen with a rigid tone.
“For the advancement of my country and with it hopefully THE WORLD,” Castiel answered with an uncompromising attitude.
Castiel, through and through, is an engineer. A kind that strives to make everything better around them, and in this world, he is both a wizard and an engineer. His hunger for innovation only increases day by day. Castiel’s Ultimate goal: is to leave the world a little better than he found it.
“Hmm, it seems you are worthy. The tree was in this forest, but you can find the tree inside ‘this,’ and so much more.” Elwen showed him a sphere of light, the size of a tennis ball.
“What’s that?” Castiel asked confusingly.
“This is an Eco-Sphere. It is a kind of pocket dimension. I put the tree inside it for safekeeping, which probably has gotten huge in the last couple of centuries.” Elwen put the sphere of light near Castiel's body, which floated inside his chest and vanished.
“Whaa… What was that? What did you just do?” Castiel asked with an alarming voice.
“Don’t worry. I made you the new master of the Eco-Sphere. You will be able to access it from anywhere. As I said before, you will find the tree inside it, but beware: my companions betrayed me for that sphere. I am not completely sure, but I think they were part of a shadow organization called The Order of the Secret Flame.” Elwen’s voice got a bit grimmer. “I don’t know if they exist anymore. They only covet more power to rule this world, and they will not hesitate to kill anyone that gets in their way. So be careful who you show the Eco-Sphere to.”
Well, just give me the tree then, why are you…..
“And do take care of them for me, will you!” While saying his last words, Elwen slowly started to float and vanish into the sky. “Also, keep my ring, Your Highness. Show it to them as proof. May it protect you, and may the tranquility imbue your life with happiness.”
“Wait, take care of whom? That’s a lot of information to take in!” Castiel asked while Elwen vanished, and then he looked at the sky. Shadow organization, huh? Which world doesn't have them? I will face any problem that comes toward me, but for now, Elwen Del’Fana from the Truisal Kingdom. Thank You, and May You Rest in Peace.