Shards of Felwyn

Hope, Restored

"In a way, it's like destiny that you are joining us on our journey across the nation," Lysander said, finishing his food and grinning.

"I suppose it is. Let's get moving, now." Elias said, standing and walking out into the warm sunlight. Cosmo finished his food ravenously and felt sated. He donned his satchel, sheathed his ruined knife, and joined the other boys at the mouth of the cave.

The three spent the remainder of the day hiking the mountainous terrain found near the border of the Clifftop Haven and the Boiling Pot. After several hours, the boys had ascended far above the thick jungle on a trail that ran along the edge of a cliff. The path was treacherously thin, and Cosmo often found himself grasping to the smooth cliff, fearing the drop below.

The day marched on ever slowly, as the sun began to rise in the air and beat down on their backs harshly. Soon, they were all covered in sweat and tired from trekking several switchbacks. The view from the tops of each peak just barely made the effort worthwhile. From atop the jagged spines of the mountains, Cosmo felt like he could see everything: the mountain range he stood upon curving along the horizon, the bountiful trees swaying in a small breeze below, even the walls and inside of Trovvs could be seen, partially covered by another mountain. The day was filled with toil and great thirst, but by the time the sun had reached the crest of the horizon, the boys had reached Xhalo Ravine.

"I believe we have arrived," Elias said, scrutinizing his surroundings and setting down his gear. Lysander and Cosmo looked at their surroundings. Exhausted and delirious from dehydration, the two boys had not exactly felt like taking in the view.

They had stopped upon a small plateau with a dramatic cliffside and a pool of natural spring water nearby. Down below, however, was a red scar that defaced the green beauty of their surroundings. A steep canyon of blood-red rock laid below, adorned with dying trees that attempted to grow roots in the unforgiving environment. The air inside of the ravine swirled with heat distortion and the water that flowed through the desolate wasteland steamed from the heat.

For several minutes, Cosmo tried to think of another route. He knew it was in vain, for the smallest mountains that surrounded Xhalo Ravine were as large as the tallest ones near Trovvs. So, there is truly no other way... He thought, with hopelessness.

"You see now why the valuable ore within the Boiling Pot remains there," Elias spoke solemnly, gazing out into the shadowy ravine as the sun set behind the boys.

"That rock..." Lysander said. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Yes, the grimrock, as those in the Boiling Pot call it. It is a rare occurrence, something only present in the crag fields of the Boiling Pot where fire magic is strong and magma is close to the surface. No one knows exactly why it occurs, but slowly the rock will take a blood-like hue that will never fade, regardless of its proximity from heat or magic."

"Will it be dangerous to walk upon?" Cosmo asked, nervous.

"No, you should be fine as long as you continue wearing your boots. But be cautious when it comes into contact with your bare skin." Elias sighed and turned his back on the ravine. "Nightfall is upon us. We should not tarry for long. We will need rest." Turning around, he began to unpack his few supplies and gather nearby brush to start a fire. After tearing their eyes away from the ravine, Cosmo and Lysander joined him in setting up camp, digging the stone bowl out from Cosmo's satchel and starting the fire with magic.

After relaxing around the fire for several hours, night had fallen and the boys still laid awake talking, telling stories from their pasts and jokes to one another. Upon Elias' suggestion, the boys had decided to bathe in the nearby spring before continuing their journey in the morning.

"The warm springs here will rejuvenate your muscles with natural minerals and a soothing temperature." He reasoned. "You two also smell like an orc." He said, chuckling. The three undressed and slowly sat down in a naturally formed crater full of steaming blue water. In the dim firelight, Cosmo tilted his head back and rested it on the edge of the stone, staring at the stars above and the endless night sky.

The water was unlike any bath he had ever taken before. Used to bathing in rivers in the wilderness of Coeden, a warm water bath was a strange yet extraordinarily comfortable sensation to Cosmo. He could feel the hot water opening each individual pore in his body, almost as though it was cleansing him of every speck of dirt. He felt his eyelids slowly get heavier until they closed, only for him to be quickly awakened by snoring coming from the other side of the crater. Elias had fallen victim to the warmth and comfort of the springs easily. Cosmo looked over at Lysander, who was staring up into the stars, wide awake.

"How did you know about the hydra?" Cosmo asked, thinking back to the final moments of the battle. "The whole idea of burying its head below the ground." Lysander turned his head towards Cosmo and sighed.

"I've been obsessed with magic since I was little. I learned to become quieter about it since my father began talking of me taking over the tavern, but when I was much younger I always begged my parents to tell me mythical stories before bed. My father told me one of a hydra with several heads, and that the only way the hero could defeat it was by burying all of the heads below the ground." Lysander smiled. "I suppose it was just pure luck."

Cosmo laughed, partly because of the unlikeliness that it worked, and just because he was happy to still be in one piece. Still, a sadness still overcame him when he looked upon his hand. He had noticed during their journey out of Trovvs that while Tatiova had healed his hand from the severe burns, a grisly scar was left in its place, giving his hand and forearm a blotchy red appearance.

"I can't imagine your pain." Lysander said, looking at Cosmo's hand as he raised it above the water. "I know that Tatiova healed the physical pain, but that doesn't mean she healed you."

"I will be okay." Cosmo managed, staring at the marks. "But it terrifies me the strength that I hold in my hand. If the Unverlich Hydra is the first among many trials that lays before me, do you think I will be able to survive through the remainder of my journey? When I push the limits of my magic I either pass out or damage myself severely."

"You must not worry about what is to come. You can only prepare yourself. Regardless, I know that Elias and I will be there to protect you along the way, just as Tatiova instructed."

"But will you?" Cosmo asked, his face contorted in pain. "I know neither of you will abandon me and I trust you two. But each time I've burnt myself out I only survived through the help of another. How can I be expected to triumph over the evils of the world with this "blessing of great power" when I cannot even wield it properly?"

"No one is expecting you to do this alone, brother." Lysander looked him dead in the eyes. "Regardless of what we shall face, I will be there, by your side. Even though you greatly outpower me in the field of magic, you have my scimitar and you have Elias's falchion. I have no doubt that you will do your best to train and become better, just as I plan to do if we must accomplish the odyssey set before us. Do not lose hope from one miscast. If I truly know my cousin, one problem does not stop him from accomplishing what he has set out to do."

Silence filled the hot spring as Lysander's final words left his mouth. All that could be heard was the sound of cicadas from the nearby jungle and the slow rising of bubbles from the spring. Cosmo looked to the other side of the spring to find Elias wide awake. Just as he was about to ask how much Elias had heard, he spoke.

"What he says is truthful. You two are more like family to me than who I have waiting for me in Neilien. I know that with Tatiova watching over us, there is no way we can ever fail." Cosmo thanked the two as they climbed out of the hot springs and got dressed.

That night, as Cosmo lay on the ground trying to sleep, he looked at his hand and tears welled in his eyes. Not because it reminded him of pain, but as it now only paid homage to one small hiccup in a journey of success.