New Story, New Characters

This is a new story I have begun, separate from the Spectrum Crystals one. This is a draft of the first chapter. It's a little simplistic, and may seem confusing, but everything will make sense in the next few chapters.


I sense a certain presence stirring, something I have not felt in a thousand years. Perhaps it is he, returning to this world at last. I wonder what he is planning.

CHAPTER ONE

Weak sunlight filtered through the tree tops, shining on a young man resting on a large stone jutting from the dirt. With gentle fingers, he unfolded a torn, crumpled piece of paper.

Jacen, he read. I hope this note finds you well. When you left us four years ago, you told us you would return one day. I do not know whether you found what you were seeking, but whatever that may be, I wish you the best of luck. But just remember, you will always have the people you lived with for eight years. Return home soon, Jacen, at least for a little while. No matter what happens, don’t close yourself off completely.

See you soon, Jacen.

There was no signature, but Jacen recognized the characteristic handwriting of his old friend and teacher, Marlow. Jacen had received the letter a week ago during his stay at a small farming village. Apparently, Marlow had contacts in places Jacen would have never guessed, and the very man that had housed Jacen presented him with the short message.

As he finished rereading the note, a small smile came to his lips. Little did Marlow know, Jacen had been planning on returning to his hometown for several weeks. Now, he sat just miles outside Seras, the town where he had spent most of his life.

Stuffing the note back into his pocket, Jacen stood up and stretched, relieving some of the tension in his body. He had been traveling for a week through the woods, camping out on the rough terrain that the Seras Woods grew upon. He could hardly wait to finally sleep in a real bed again.

He began walking, heading south down the dirt path he had been following since entering the woods. It twisted around trees and bushes, creating a pleasant way to view the natural beauty that abounded here. However, large predators did roam this area, forcing travelers to always be on their guard.

Jacen was not particularly concerned, though. He had spent the majority of his free time as a youth exploring these woods, becoming intimately familiar with every twist and turn of the trail, and had grown into a skilled tracker. In all those years, he had never once been attacked by any type of predator.

What really concerned him about his journey home was not wild animals, but the people he had left behind. Some, like Marlow, had understood his reasons for wanting adventure. They knew that some people were struck by a strong impulse to go out and see the world, rather than living in ignorance. Marlow had been the same way, at Jacen’s age.

Others, though, had questioned, even ridiculed, Jacen’s choice to leave upon reaching adulthood. They believed that he had a responsibility to give back to the other townspeople, and that his duty was to begin work, and eventually start a family. In some ways, they were right. Jacen planned on doing exactly what they wanted—in a few more years, though. He had taken all their comments in stride.

Those were not the people he was hesitant to confront. Rather, it was just one person: his childhood friend, Kairi. Jacen remembered the day vividly. She had been only fourteen when he left Seras behind, and had not completely understood his reasons. Jacen was four years her senior, and had become an adult. After all this time, Jacen worried that Kairi might not forgive him for his departure.

He stopped, realizing that something was not quite right. He strained his ears, listening for anything unusual. There were no sounds of small animals chirping and squealing. Even the wind seemed to have died, leaving a still, eerie presence on the air. Silence was unnatural in this area. The whole situation felt wrong.

Suddenly, a man burst out of the undergrowth, stumbling onto the path. He was dressed in simple brown trousers and a shirt designed to blend into the trees. A dark cloak billowed around him, disturbed by his stepping onto the dirt. His clothing was starkly similar to Jacen’s own.

“Excuse me,” Jacen said, readying himself for the worst. The man turned toward Jacen, studying him with proud features. Brown, shaggy hair fell to his shoulders, and dark stubble covered his chin.

“Watch out!” the man yelled.

“What?” Jacen asked, unsure what the man was about.

“I said, watch out!” The man charged at Jacen, knocking him to the ground. Grunting, Jacen began to push the man away from him.

Several trees snapped, bark and wood exploding outward, showering Jacen and the strange man. A large stone object swung through the air where Jacen had been standing moments before. As the object pulled back, Jacen thought it looked like a human hand.

“Move!” the man cried out, hauling Jacen to his feet. They ran down the path. Jacen cast a furtive glance behind, and nearly stopped in surprise.

What seemed to be a man came onto the trail. Only, the man was twenty feet tall and made of stone. The forearms and lower legs were thicker than that of a normal man, and the head bore a blank expression. Red eyes burned in the creature’s head, watching Jacen and the man as they fled. With a roar that shook the woods, the creature lumbered after them.

The man pulled Jacen off the trail, through the thick bushes, and into a small ravine. They ran down the ravine, finally stopping at a large rock overhang that jutted out of the side of the ravine walls. The man pushed Jacen into the small pocket, then lay inside it as well.

Jacen opened his mouth to speak, but the man held up a finger to his lips, telling Jacen to remain absolutely silent. Jacen held his breath, wondering what exactly was happening, when a muffled thump reverberated through the ground. Every time the creature took a step, Jacen felt the earth shake.

A stone foot came into view, followed by the other one. The monster seemed to have stopped, scanning the area for the two men. Jacen’s heartbeat quickened, pounding so loud that he was sure the strange stone creature would hear it.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the feet moved away, and Jacen noticed that the force of the creature’s footfalls began to fade. Finally, the man rolled out from beneath the overhang. He beckoned for Jacen to follow, who fairly scrambled to his feet.

“What was that?” he demanded.

“Not so loud,” the man said. He looked in the direction the creature had gone. “That was a golem. It started following me earlier today.”

Jacen stared at the man skeptically. He seemed to dismiss a twenty foot tall stone man as commonplace. “What was it doing here? What are you doing here?”

The man chuckled. “So many questions,” he said wistfully. “I am here because this is the quickest route to a town called Seras, which, I presume, is where you are headed.”

Jacen frowned. How had the man discerned that little piece of information? Jacen eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?”

“I am Kol Fenrig,” the man said, smiling. “And you are?”

“Jacen,” he replied. “Jacen Thren.”

Kol nodded. “The golem is probably gone by now. Let’s get back up to the trail.”

Jacen followed as Kol climbed up the side of the ravine, grabbing rocks and roots to climb the steep dirt walls more easily. They came out of the undergrowth and emerged onto the path once more. They resumed their journey south.

As they walked, Jacen noticed that Kol had assumed a jaunty, wistful attitude, as if he had not just been chased through the woods by a giant stone being. Jacen was not sure if it was an act, or if the man was always like this.

“So, what brings you to Seras?” Jacen asked hesitantly. He did not trust this strange man yet. If he posed a threat to the Jacen’s people, he needed to know.

“I have a friend who lives there,” Kol replied. He glanced at Jacen, catching his eye. “You might know him. His name is Marlow.”

Jacen raised his eyebrows in surprise, prompting a chuckle from Kol. The man seemed to find the littlest things humorous. “Yes, I know him,” Jacen said. “He’s like a teacher to me.”

“Interesting,” Kol said, rubbing his chin. “Marlow’s an old friend of mine. I expect that he will be excited to see both of us.”

“Probably,” Jacen mumbled, trailing off. He could not understand it, but he was being taken in by Kol’s offhand manner. He did not really want to divulge any information about Marlow or his home, in case this was some kind of trap. Jacen had learned early in life, before coming to Seras, that most people could not be trusted.

They spent the next ten minutes in relative silence, Kol occasionally making some small talk. The path sloped upward, and as they came to the top of the hill, Jacen could make out Seras, only a few hundred feet away. He smiled; he was almost home, among the people he knew best.

“There it is,” Kol said, grinning. He headed off down the hill, leaving Jacen standing at the crest alone. He hurried after him, not intending to allow Kol to arrive first.

“Hold on,” Jacen said. He looked up at the town, and his next words trailed off. In the fading daylight, he could just make out a column of smoke rising from the center of the town.