ENLIL

The two men stared at each other, the tension between them thickening once more. Ian’s gaze was unwavering, and Sawl could feel himself beginning to sweat despite the cool air around them. Something was off about this situation, and Ian couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

When walking with him, the tree warned him about Sawl. So, Ian spent his time trying to figure out what was off about Sawl. He avoided all the small lights that lit up the path, causing them to run into miasmic monsters as if Sawl couldn’t see the annoying little lights on the ground. Then there were his sword fights. At first glance, his sword fight may look beautiful, but there was a hidden rigidity behind it. Was it the sword or his armor?

Ian snapped back to reality as he saw Sawl made the first move. He unsheathed his sword from his waist while Ian moved in quickly. Right after the sword unsheathed, Ian’s hand reached towards his hand and grabbed his wrist. With a firm grip, a light snap could be heard from his wrist. Sawl gave a brief scream and tried to pull away from his grasp. Ian used his left arm to grab the hilt of the sword.

With fierce determination, Ian disarmed Sawl, tossing his sword down into the valley. Sawl stumbled backward but regained his balance, eyeing Ian warily. Ian was amused by the situation. His body language relaxed as he warmed up for a fight.

“Seems that you’re not used to that cloak of yours. Here, let me help you,” Ian said, moving in towards Sawl with a playful grin on his face. He reached out and yanked the muffler of Sawl’s cloak, pulling it off in one fluid motion. As the cloak fell away, the man before him shapeshifted.

Ian’s body froze in its place as he watched in shock and disbelief. The man’s ears grew longer and thinner, his face began to shift into a more feminine shape with high cheekbones and an oval-shaped face. His hair, once short and brown, was bleached white and grew longer. The once-muscular body of Sawl began to shrink, becoming shorter and more petite before Ian’s very eyes.

Ian’s eyes were fixed on the elf woman standing before him. She was strikingly beautiful, with her silver hair cascading down her back and flat bangs covering her forehead. The silver earrings hanging from her ears added to her beauty, while her raven black eyes seemed to hold a thousand secrets. Her dark robes were elegantly draped around her petite frame, making her look even more alluring. “There you go. I’m just an elf. I read your mind to see if you had any ill intentions. Give me back my cloak.”

“You’re still called Sawl, right?”

“Yes, now give back my cloak.”

“No, this is the cloak of alteration. Look at this fabric! I have never seen this in my life!” Ian gasped, turning his gaze towards the white cloth in his hands. “Before I give it back, can I try it on?”

Ian flung the cloak around his body, closing his eyes to imagine a bear. The cloak obeyed his command. Thick, coarse magical fur formed on his skin, covering his entire body in a shaggy brown coat. His fingers grew longer and thicker, morphing into sharp claws as his arms stretched out into massive, powerful limbs. His face morphed into a bear.

He now looked like a bear wearing a white cloak. He struck a few poses, admiring the beauty of the magical artifact.

“You didn’t even wait for my answer!” Sawl huffed.

Sawl pulled her metal staff from her pouch. With the wave of her staff, the cloak flew towards her hand, dispelling the alteration spell on Ian. Within a second, the magic wore off, and Ian stood disappointedly at her.

Ian’s excitement faded, banging his fist against the ground. “Wait, let me try once more! A pink bear this time and tell me how close I am to the real thing!”

Sawl sighed. “This is an expensive cloak. There’s a limited number of times you can use it, so don’t waste it.” Even though that was said, this boy knew about the cloak of alterations. This was not common knowledge. Where did he come from? There were no openings other than the main entrance she came from. Not only that, but she also had to fight quite a few kobolds and wolves to get here.

“You’re evil.”

“You’re annoying,” Sawl responded.

“Why did you have to disguise yourself as a human? I pose no threat to you.” Ian asked. He saw Sawl mutter something under her breath. “What? I didn’t hear it.” Ian asked again. But another voice interrupted Ian’s train of thoughts.

The tree whispered to Ian with a pleading voice, “If she takes me, the wisdom of stars will be lost forever. Don’t let her take me.”

“I’m taking the core of this dungeon,” Sawl said. As she knocked her staff to the ground, the earth crumbled and reconstructed into a thin layer of wall around him. Ian saw the earth building itself to the top, closing any gaps where the light could squeeze through.

With fierce determination, Ian threw a fist toward the wall, but the solid wall barely cracked. He tried charging towards it, attempting to dent it with all his might, but the dome remained as sturdy as ever. Desperately, he felt his pockets. Maybe something sharp would come in handy. But there was nothing.

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“What can I do?” Ian backed up slightly, feeling the rock behind him.

He doesn’t have much choice, does he? Frustration built within him as he backed up against the wall behind him, realizing he had very few options left. But still, he refused to give up. Taking a deep breath, he backed away further and ran towards the unmoving rock with all his strength. The impact felt like it shattered his bone, but somehow, he knew he had to keep going. There had to be a way out of this.

Slowly, he heard a crack as a fraction of the rock fell, landing on his feet.

“Don’t break your bones, kid. I don’t want the bother to heal you later.” Sawl said.

Her gaze shifted towards the sapling. Its trunk was adorned with a glowing blue membrane that entranced her senses. With great effort, she tore her eyes away and reached into her pouch to retrieve a small purple lantern. She opened the lantern, ready to contain the contents of the blue membrane.

“Lorabella, it’s time to work.”

Sawl summoned a small yellow spirit in the form of a tiny bird, which emerged from within her body and fluttered toward the blue object at the center of the clearing. The bird made a few graceful spins around the object before landing on a nearby branch, chirping contentedly. Sawl then began to move her arms in a rhythmic motion, a chant on her lips as she drew runes of purple light from her pouch. The runes arranged themselves in a perfect circle around the tree, creating a shimmering barrier that pulsed with magical energy.

Before Sawl could perform the ritual, an unease crept up her heart. The crashes on the dome she conjured became louder and louder, and the air was thick with an impending sense of danger. Eventually, a deafening crash enveloped the area, and small shards of rock flew in all directions, cutting Sawl’s face and arms and leaving her slightly wounded.

The moment Sawl lost her concentration, the purple runes turned dim. Flickering weakly in the dark.

Ian came bursting from the rock, gasping heavily. His right shoulder was bloodied, and his face was contorted with pain. When Ian emerged from the rock, Sawl’s eyes locked onto Ian’s, looking further to the beyond into his mind.

“Why would you do this? This tree means nothing to you! You don’t even remember who you are!” Sawl said.

“Stop reading my mind. I have my reasons.” Ian said, sweeping the rubble off his pants.

Sawl pulled out the dagger beside her pouch. “I have mine too.”

Noticing her dagger, Ian said, “Not using any magic?”

“How about this? Just let me finish my ritual and I’ll send you to your home in Luna Monolith.”

Sawl plunged the dagger toward Ian’s right shoulder, but he was fast to react, deflecting her attack by hitting her forearm. Ian readied himself, positioning his palms before his chest, prepared to defend himself from any further attacks. Sawl attempted a series of thrusts and slashes, but Ian effortlessly dodged each one with fluid movements.

“Give up, Sawl. Your attacks are predictable,” Ian taunted, evading her strikes with ease.

“Then try dodging this,” Sawl said. The little yellow bird, Lorabella, entered the dagger, imbuing it with powerful energy.

She went for his right arm, slashing across it multiple times. She lunged towards Ian, aiming for his right arm, and delivered a series of slashes that cut deeply into his flesh. Ian was certain that he had deflected the attack, but the wounds on his arm and torso proved otherwise. It was as if there was an invisible blade beside the dagger that corrected the projection of the blade itself. Sawl’s lips curled into a smile.

However, Ian was not done yet. At Sawl’s next attack, he seized Sawl’s wrist and pulled her in close. Caught off guard, Sawl lost her balance, and Ian seized the opportunity to strike. His body moved on its own, reacting without conscious thought. Every movement was purely instinctual, with each step and motion flowing seamlessly into the next. He landed a solid punch to her face, leaving her dazed.

Seeing his opponent falling to the ground, Ian came to his senses. Did he punch too hard?

“Is this how you treat ladies?” Sawl said, tears filling her eyes. She slumped to the ground, tears streaming down her cheek. She let go of her dagger, dropping it at her side.

“I-I’m sorry! It was muscle memory, I think.” Ian hurried over to her side, trying to help her up. He held his hand out, Sawl placed her hand on his. Her hands were soft and small, skin hardened with years of sword training. The elf’s hand crackled with electrical energy, sending a jolt of electricity through him.

It wasn’t strong electricity that went through him, but it was enough to make him stunned for a few seconds. Sawl gasped for breath. “You’re too soft! Leave me, I will claim the core of the dungeon. You have no use for this!”

With a single kick to the stomach, Ian was sent flying to the far edge of the hill, barely holding onto the few protruding rocks. But he couldn’t stay down. The eerie nostalgia of the place and the tree beckoned him, and it was no mere coincidence. Had he been here before? And if so, why was his memory wiped clean? Was the blue membrane he saw the key to unlocking his past?

With fierce determination, he began to climb his way back up the top of the hill, pulling himself up rock by rock, refusing to give up until he found answers.

From the excessive climbing, blood continually seeped out from his wounds, tainting his shirt dark red. He only had his sight on the blue membrane.

Horrified, Sawl yelled, “What are you? You are going to die, stop!”

Walking closer to the tree, it began to whisper at him. “Ian, repeat after me.”

Ian marched towards Sawl. He relayed the message of the tree word by word.

“To you, this is an artifact that can summon immense power. Listen closely, elf. This is a tree planted to safeguard the knowledge passed down via human civilization. The tree had been subjected to innumerable threats from the Gods over generations, all under the pretext that the knowledge we hold was evil. You, as a Creation, should be banished from this space.”

“What if I refuse?”

“Begone, elf. You have no place here.” The tree spoke through Ian.

Sawl felt her magical energy drain to its lowest point. She spent too much magic reading his mind. But she looked at Ian. He was battered and bruised as well. If they fought even more, they might both die.

“Ian, the tree doesn’t speak for you. How can you trust it? I can feel it. You’re barely thinking straight. You don’t need to accept the burden of this wisdom. Just go back to your library of yours and live a peaceful life.”

“After you have tricked me multiple times, I don’t think trust is something you should speak of,” Ian said. “You’re right. I don’t need to accept this wisdom. I could just go back. But if what this tree said was true, then I don’t want to see it disappear.”

“Such bullshit! I don’t want to rob this from humanity either, but it’s better on my hands than yours!” Sawl yelled, using her remaining energy to summon white spectral energy in the form of three skulls.

The three skulls charged toward Ian with their jaws wide open and cackling. But before it could reach him, it collided with a dome of shimmering green light. Ian looked up to see the source of the barrier, a small green fairy floating at the top.

“Stop!” Lucia yelled.