Excerpt from the Mad Scholar's Wall—

The bodies of beasts and legionaries mounted high as the fight dragged on.

A ring of the dead and dying surrounded our position, and the beasts continually threw themselves forward with mindless savagery.

It only took the first minutes of the fight for everyone to realize what was happening. The legionaries were fighting for our survival. That these creatures would not stop until one of us ceased to exist.

For how could anyone expect mercy from the merging of beasts and man? They were — and remain to this day — mindless beasts of instinct and aggression.

It was why everyone continued to fight as their brothers were ripped to shreds next to them. Why they didn't need the iron wills and shouts of the centurions to drive them forward and keep fighting.

All it took was one glance into the dead, soulless eyes of the beasts, and they knew there would be no surrender or retreat.

If a man instinctually knows there is no possibility of fleeing, then they will become more beast than man as they fight to survive.

The ninth would win, or everyone would die.

And in everyone's hearts, as they took a moment to look around and notice the unfamiliar plants in the surrounding forest, they knew they would never see Rome again.

They knew they were not home. Would never see home again.

And if these creatures lurked in the forest, what else was out there? What challenged them?

**********

I stood at the edge of the clearing for a second, taking everything in.

If I had the time, I would have remained rooted in place for hours, taking in a view straight out of legends while dwelling on the feeling of peace and tranquility overcoming me. The feelings were so oppressive that it was hard to take so much as a single step forward.

But I had to move forward, not to escape my pursuers, but to get a better view.

In my youth, I remember the stories my mother would tell me about the ancient fortresses and cities deep within the heart of the Great Forest. Stories of ruins still holding living Dawn Trees, and hidden under their roots, legions of Guardians. Those who sacrificed their lives to protect the branches of the World Tree.

I never thought that I would come across a Dawn Tree… And be forced to bring creatures that can only destroy following in my wake. Their impending defilement of this sacred site grated on me.

But what was done was done. Gathering my thoughts, I pushed back the emotions filling me and moved onto the manicured grass.

My unwavering steps toward the massive tree took me across the grass lawn, eyes never moving from my goal. From the sides of my eyes, I saw patches of multi-colored flowers and small pools of clear water, but most of the area around the tree was that of a trimmed lawn.

Even the flowers had the look of them being carefully placed and cultivated. The weird thing was, there was no sign of anyone or thing around who would do the tending.

I couldn't stop the contented smile from spreading over my face as I looked upon the Dawn Tree.

It should have been visible from anywhere in the valley. Probably even beyond.

The Dawn Tree towered at least a hundred feet over the surrounding trees, letting sunlight slip under its branches and filling the clearing with light. Its limbs and leaves spread over the entire four hundred feet of the clearing, nearly touching the encircling trees but not quite.

The shimmering golden leaves of the Dawn Tree swayed high overhead, casting reflections of golden light on the grass and flowers below.

The dark brown trunk of the Dawn Tree hid lines of silver-gray scattered between patches of bark. And if I had to guess, the trunk had to be at least forty feet around.

I blinked and noticed I had stopped moving a few dozen feet from the trunk of the tree. My brow wrinkled in confusion, but even as I searched my memory, my thoughts were slipping from my grasp.

Quickly gathering my mental energy and willpower, I slammed a shield around my mind. Immediately, I felt my thoughts flowing easier, and I redoubled my efforts in reinforcing the shield. Though it was hazy, I realized that after my initial brisk steps into the clearing, my steps became increasingly slow and stilted until I stopped walking entirely, basking in the ambiance of the clearing.

More than that, I could no longer hear the howls of the beastkin that hounded me.

And… I felt at peace. Like I was at home and could relax for as long as needed before returning to the wider world. I hadn't felt such a way since leaving my village.

Marshaling my thoughts, I took a step forward toward the Dawn Tree.

It felt like I was walking upriver while a strong wind blew against my chest. I hadn't even completed my step before I understood. However, that wasn't saying much, as I was moving in slow motion.

The feeling of peace and contentment was billowing off the tree in mental waves, and the closer I got to the tree, the stronger the feelings became.

Taking one step, then another, I slowly kept progressing forward.

I had no choice, not really. The mental casting saturating this place was wearing on me.

It was filling my head with ideas. At first, it was like someone was shouting ideas at me, but as time passed, it became increasingly hard to tell if the thoughts were coming from an external source.

After all, the whispers were so sweet and soothing. Lie down… Sleep. Everything will be fine. There is no reason to fight. Just rest.

Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up! I shouted in my own mind.

I needed to keep moving. To keep going forward.

If I stopped for even a single moment, I doubted I could start again. And If I tried to leave, I would have to face the warband hunting for me alone.

Moment by moment, step after step, I slowed down as I struggled to move forward. My foot hung in the air for long seconds as it inched onwards.

I did not remember when it started, but suddenly, I found sweat had broken out over my entire body.

My clothes stuck to my limbs, sweat dripping from my chin as my body shook with the strain of my silent struggle.

It was not that what I was doing was physically taxing, at least no more than the days I spent stalking creatures through the forest for my job.

But mentally, I was unsure how long I could go on.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

The desire to lie down and sleep kept building upon itself. It was insidious in its pursuit of achieving those goals.

The exertion I was performing to keep moving fed the growing need to rest and sleep. Lay down and relax. Let go of your troubles. Whispered a passing thought through my mind.

Gritting my teeth, I slowly shook my head, trying to throw the thoughts out of my mind.

More than the ever-growing desire to rest, what was really causing me problems was the desire to be at peace. It was suppressing my urge to keep fighting — to keep surviving — while slowing down my thoughts. And I had been fighting for so long, both as a legionary and to prove myself as an elf, that the idea of just letting go was looking ever more appealing.

Tranquility was clouding my min—

I lowered my left foot.

I raised my right.

Over and over, one after another, after another.

And with every step, I stripped away my desires. My needs.

My thoughts slowed, and all that was left was action. Facts.

My eyes remained locked, unblinking, on the tree.

I would make it.

The reason did not matter. I had no decisions or desires on the matter. It was a fact, and my body was the instrument by which it would happen.

Some amount of time passed, and my body was standing within arm's reach of the tree, but it was not what my body needed.

An image crafted from bedtime stories was burning in my body's mind. And it would find it.

Eyes arduously shifting one way and then the other, my body turned right.

Foot raising, my body started moving, this time around the tree.

Step after step, keeping the tree in the corner of my eye and the golden leaves above, my body moved around the tree.

Until my body stopped before its goal. An alabaster white stone pedestal was sticking out of the ground. A dome of scarlet stone was placed on top and in the center of the pedestal. The scarlet object would have a ripple run from the top to the base every second.

Reaching out, my body's hand positioned itself above the half-dome, then fell onto it.

A jolt ran through my body…

I felt myself come alive and regain my senses.

My breathing picked up to normal, and the fog suppressing my mind was burned away by the power that lay under my hand.

For the first time since I entered the clearing, I had full clarity. "Wait, what is… Shi— Ahh!"

The pulsing power under my hand sent tendrils of energy burrowing through my flesh. I had never felt anything like it before, and it caused me to be momentarily uncertain about what to do.

Pushing past the shock, I quickly gathered my mental energy. I tried to form a barrier in my arm to stop it, but the foreign energy swelled forward without a pause. The shattered energy of my meager defenses was forced farther back into my body.

I tried throwing more of my mental energy to stop its rapid advance, but my efforts were shrugged to the side like a child trying to stop the advance of an adult. Within moments, the foreign power reached my mind.

And my life started flashing before my eyes.

**********

I squatted next to the hard-packed single road leading to our small village with my friends Beech and White.

We were showing off our rock collections, but it was just an excuse. We had shown them off a couple weeks ago, and no one had bragged about adding anything impressive to their collection in the meantime.

The real reason we were there was the merchant that visited the village every month was due any day now, and we wanted to be the first to greet him.

The only exciting part was Beech levitating his rocks around his body, showing off his budding control over his mental powers. I was not jealous. Not at all.

"You know, the other day when we went adventuring for a Dawn Tree but found nothing, well, I was dumping out my pockets once I was home, and this stone with green lines running through it fell out…" I trailed off as a noise caught my attention.

Looking up, a smile spread over my face as I saw a wagon making its way around the distant bend in the road.

"He's here!" I shouted, taking off at a sprint down the road to be the first to meet Merchant Kale.

"Hey!" Shouted White in indignation.

"What? Guys! Were ar— Hey~! W-wait for me!" Complained Beech.

We raced down the trail, with me in the lead. And I could hear White closing the distance between us. She could not pull ahead.

Halfway there, I saw one of the guards walking with the wagon step to the side of the rest and remove his helmet.

I slid to a stop at the shock of seeing my father's face revealed, letting White dart past me with a shout of triumph.

The shout broke me out of my stunned state, and I sprinted forward again.

I was no longer trying to make it to the merchant cart first. I just wanted to make it to my father as fast as possible.

As we quickly traversed the distance, the gap between White and me slowly began to close again.

She was huffing and puffing, her head turned to the side, and as I lessened the gap between us even more in the last hundred feet, my competitive nature kicked in, and I started trying to win again, as I was right on her heels.

White released a scream of effort and started pulling ahead despite my efforts. Inch by inch, she increased the distance, making what was neck and neck race into one where she leading by a good arm's length.

In silent mutual agreement, my father was the finish line. A moment after White blasted past him, I dove into his arms.

I was slightly sad I lost the race, but as my father scooped me up into his arms, letting out a laugh and squeezing me tight, the feeling only lasted a moment.

A second later, he set me down, ruffling my hair. Then his smile vanished, and he flinched as someone spoke. His face began twitching as he tried to stop the grief from showing on his face as White slowly walked up to us.

"Where's father?" She asked with quiet desperation filling her voice.

Kneeling in front of White, my father put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "I and sorry, White Rabbit Dancing Across the Snow, your father…" Father's voice caught in his throat, unable to finish the sentence.

White's face had lost its color the instant she saw my father's face and started shaking her head, tears filling her eyes.

Only me and Beech were still looking at my father and White. The guards and merchant were looking away, trying to give the duo space. They had all seen it before, too many times.

White tried to step back, but the unyielding hand of my father would not let her move.

Father's faltering voice continued, “…H— he died in the shield wall saving a comrade. His death is worthy of respect."

Tears were streaming down White's face, and I reached out to her as she fell to the ground, crying into her hands.

**********

My father had returned from his tour in the Volunteer Legion as a scout a month ago. He had lost his oldest friend, White's father, during that time, and he was not the same as I remembered. Not that I remembered much.

I could feel a tension in him every time he looked at me. But all of a sudden, this morning, he said he would teach me how to shoot a bow and hunt properly.

I remember that he always said that he would, but it went along with him saying, "Soon, son. I'll teach you all too soon." as he ruffled my hair before moving away.

But then he left to join a volunteer legion meant to guard the northern border against the beastkin as the war with the Imperium picked up, and the 18th legion was pulled away. The extra money we got was great, but he was away for three years. Not that he could have started teaching me all that much sooner. I was only eight when he left, and I still had a lot of growing to do.

Now, he stalked around me as I drew back a bow string before slowly lowering it back to resting. He was pointing out faults in my stance by whacking me with a switch.

He said it would allow me to keep my focus 'no matter what.' "Oww!" I screamed and flinched to the side after a hit.

"Focus Green! You dropped your bow. That's another fifty pushups."

"Aww! Come on," I whined.

"Another hundred pushups." Stated my father.

I glared at him as he turned his back, but it changed nothing.

**********

I stalked through the forest, using my mental powers and training like my father had taught me.

I had to make the smallest drop of mental power count. My reserves were slightly less than average for an elf my age, and while I hoped I would be one of the rare few with a massive spike at the end of adolescence, it was a faint hope. More of a wish at this point.

My shortcomings would have to be made up with hard training and a strong will, just like my father.

Eyes focused on my target, I steadily approached. A part of my mind was tracking where I could take a step to make the least amount of sound. Any sound I did make was muffled to nothing as I formed a mental tendril around where my foot landed, closing off the area.

Covering my whole body but the bottoms of my feet, I layered a telekinetic shield around my body containing my scent.

So long as I moved slowly enough, there should be nothing to alarm the deer.

I smoothly crept forward. Without a sound or trace to mark my passing.

As I reached the haunch of the deer, I did not stop or slow in indecision. And any jerking or rushing from excitement was long since beaten out of me.

I continued at the same measured pace, passing a hand's width from the deer's side until I could reach around the animal's neck as it looked around, a sense of alarm triggering too late to save it. In one smooth motion, I pressed my blade into its neck, pulling the knife to the side and slitting its throat.

As I stepped to the side, I watched the deer bound once before it dropped to the ground, bleeding out its life's blood.

I jerked in surprise as a voice rang out, "Good job, son. I could not have done it better myself."

Turning, I saw my father leaning against a tree a hundred feet away, arms crossed. He was smiling, a sight I had hardly seen in years. Smiling with pride. And relief.

**********

I joined the legion as a scout.

I hunted beastkin through the forest and mountains as I was tracked and hunted in turn. A battle of skill that set my heart pumping with excitement.

I used every trick my father taught me with his hard, demanding lessons. Used them to a degree I would have thought impossible in my youth. That would have been impossible without my life being the cost of failure.

Every moment of my life seemed to flash before my eyes, at least all the ones that mattered, and a few I could have sworn never happened.

Then everything stopped, and my mind was filled with a white field.

"The time of transformation has almost arrived, and still, there is little hope…" Murmured a soft, melodic voice to herself, sounding sad, "What can I do for you before the end, Little One?"