The Tale of the Three Gods

As I ran past the pool of the deep, black, liquid, I shivered. The sight itself was very repulsive. The pool was as black as the midnight sky. It had speckles of deep blue, vibrant green, and fiery red essences swirling around. It was as if an unknown god had colored the stars with dyes. The thought, though, of this amazing gift is what repulsed me. That pool is our sliver of the Eternal Void, a sea of magical essence given by the gods. Three gods found the Eternal Void and decided to create a world around it. The gods then created the five intelligent races to live in this world: dragonborn, orcs, dwarves, humans, and elves. The two younger gods started to claim the races as their own. That was when the eldest and wisest god decided to claim humans, orcs, and dwarves as his own to stop a war. He also gave all the races a pool of the Eternal Void. Each race has a specific rule on how to distribute magic and how to use it. We humans only allow those who prove themselves with courage, wisdom, and honor to drink from the well. I was one of those people. My name is Alastair and I am a human of the Nature god.

Recently, our hunting expedition was attacked by a group of orc bandits. It happened just two weeks ago. It's still as clear as day in my mind. Running out of the village, I started to reminisce about how this all began.

It was a clear day in the village of Beannaithe. We were running low on supplies, so the Maor Mór Spioraid, the Great Spirit Warden, called upon the hunters to gather food. Since I had just come of age last spring, I was allowed to go with my father as a Hunter of the nature god.

That day was the day of my ritual of hunting. I walked through our village, taking in all the tents of varying sizes. I was about to see this village through new lenses. Though we had learned to build rudimentary structures, we knew little about true architecture. All our structures were made of wood and leather. For the temple that houses the pool of magic, we asked the dwarves of the mountains to help us create a suitable building. While the Great Spirit Warden and other priests of the nature god live in the back of the temple, most coming of age "rituals" are performed in front of the massive stone building. These "rituals" were just tests of a child's skill. Should he or she pass, they are taken into the tent and given a chance to pray before the sacred weapon of the hunt: the nature god's spear.

As I walked into the dimly lit tent, after acing my skill test that day, the first thing I noticed was the heat. No, heat is a bad word. It wasn't hot. The tent was warm like the sun on a spring day, or a fire on a cold night. There were candles in the tent, but the warmth was coming from something else. The spear was radiating in the small tent. As my eyes adjusted, I soon saw two people standing above the spear; My father and the Great Spirit Warden.

"Are you ready to begin," the Warden asked.

"Of course," I responded, without missing a beat.

"Then," he began, "look upon the nature god's relic and tell me, what do you see?"

I looked upon the spear. Starting with the shaft, I began.

"The shaft is made of every known wood fused together into one. The shaft and spearhead is joined together with the symbol of the sun. The spearhead itself is fashioned into the shape of a fang."

"You certainly are observant, a trait becoming of a hunter," the Warden commented. "But, do you know why the Great Spear was made like this?"

I shook my head. It's true, I was a little more observant than the other kids in the village, but I was never good at identifying the magic and gods and stuff like that. It just never seemed to come up in my day to day life. I had to learn more important topics, like how to hunt or fight.

"The spear symbolizes the three truths of the nature god," the Great Warden began, "I shall start with the shaft of the spear. The types of wood symbolize the races. Eoflirch, light yet strong, symbolizes the elves. Twilight Persimmon, dark and flexible, symbolizes the dragonborn. Quiet Alder,a soft type of wood, symbolizes humans and our neutrality. Hollow Hickory, strong and stiff, symbolizes the orcs. The dwarf cypress, strong, yet only growing in caves, symbolize the dwarves, obviously. All the races are made from the same god, they were just claimed by different ones. However, in nature, we are all equal."

"The second truth comes from the intersection of the shaft and the spearhead. The symbol of the sun represents the belief that everything has a right to grow. The energy of the sun is needed by all. Without it, our world will wither, and die."

"The spearhead represents the idea that all races and species must fight only to hunt and protect. A man should only brandish a weapon to hunt. He must never brandish a spear against another unless it is in the protection of his friends or family. We were all made equally, we should not fight each other. Yet, there are people who see themselves as greater beings that sit high on their pedestals. Do not brandish against the person, but the pillar that supports him."

When the Great Spirit Warden finished, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in my soul. Like I said, I wasn't good at magic stuff, but I did enjoy being claimed by a god.

"Alastair of Beannaithe, son of Arawn, do you swear to become a hunter of the nature god, to gather food for our people, to help us survive, and to protect and respect nature and all his wonderful gifts," the Great Spirit Warden asked.

There were only two words on my mind at that point, "I do."

"Then," he said through his smile, "go make your village, your father, and the nature god proud."

That, apparently, is what I did. After the ritual, I met up with the hunting party that my father was part of.

"Alastair, how did it go," my father asked almost immediately. My father, Arawn, was the Ceannaire a Phacáiste, or Leader of the Pack. As one of the Council of the Forest, he was in charge of all the hunting and resource gathering. The second member of the Council was the Maor Mór Spioraid, the Great Spirit Warden, who was in charge of security and magic. The last member of the Council was the Fánaí, the Wanderer, in charge of diplomacy and trade. He is called the wanderer because he is always moving to meetings with other races. I wished to become a Leader of the Pack, like my father.

"It went perfectly!"

"Good! Then, you are ready to come hunting with us?"

Again, I already knew my answer. "Yes!"

"Then, go to the quarter-master of this pack and ask for a weapon. Unless you plan on using your bare hands," my father said jokingly. The people around us laughed. I chuckled and went off to find the quarter-master. The quarter-master was a big, burly, yet soft-spoken man. He let me choose a bow and a melee weapon. I had chosen a short sword to go along with the bow. The bow was made of quiet alder. 'The wood of humans,' I quietly contemplated. The sword had a hilt made of Eoflirch, with a blade made of dragon-titanium. The pommel had a green gem embedded in it. Every human, dwarf, or orc weapon has such a gem. It is a reminder of our loyalty to the natural god. However, since years have gone by without a word from him, many begin to wonder why they keep such a useless tradition. They wonder, 'Why decorate a sword with a gem? The gem could be sold for profit.' We humans, however, ignore such arrogance. Even I believe we should keep the gems.

When I had finished my selection, I returned to the group. My father noticed my approach and intercepted me.

"Alastair, you will hunt with your own group. There are three others that have finished the test with you. They will be in your hunting group," my father explained. "Since you got the highest score, you will be the pack leader of your group. The others are by the gate, waiting for you."

"I understand. I won't let you down," I responded, radiating with excitement.

"I know you won't. Le súile sealgaire."

"With a hunter's eyes," I responded. With that, I left to find my new team. I barely made it to the gate when I heard the arrows cut through the wind. I barely yelled, "Orcs," when the first blade hit flesh. My flesh. An Orcish blade cut through my arm. I felt the warm blood hit my leg as the attacker kicked me to the ground. The last thing I remember was my father yelling, "They have the new hunters! After them!" Then, I blacked out.

I had heard the murmurs since as long as I could remember. They only occurred during the times I slept. I could never make out the words that were being said. All I knew was that a man was speaking in a low, ancient tongue. However, since I saw that spear, and since I felt that presence, I began to understand. This time around, while I was knocked unconscious, I heard my first bits of this ethereal conversation.

"....potenhact…" Power.

"....ionat te….." In you.

And with those words, I woke with a start. I jolted upright as if someone had physically whispered those words into my ears. But no one was around. I looked around and recognized the surrounding as the apothecary's building. I tried to stand up, but noticed a lack of energy in my body. I looked down upon my slashed arm. It had a cloth bandage wrapped around it. There appeared to be something liquid oozing from it, however it wasn't blood. Poison. And what's more is it was poison that was only found in the Land of Order.

When the gods chose their peoples, they led the people to separate areas of the world. The god of Order led the elves to the east. The god of Chaos led the dragonborn to the west. The god of the Wild led the dwarves to the southern mountains, and the humans to the northern coast. There, the races developed in their own unique ways. The humans, my race, formed a federation of independent cities with outlying villages. We each had different views on how the nature god worked and his goals for us. We also have slightly different dialects depending on the area of your in. To the east, in Terre d'Ordre, the land of Order, the people of the god of order founded a nation together under a king, a supposed symbol of the order god. They called their nation Monde de lumière, the World of light. The dragonborn of the chaos also created a nation with a king, an symbol of the chaos god. They called their land the Welt der Macht, the World of Power. The dwarves live in a federation of dwarvish villages, though I hear all the villages have been picking sides in preparation for a possible war. The Order and Chaos factions have been getting more aggressive towards each other lately. The orcs live in tribal civilizations, however, their culture has been advancing and progressing as of late.

Still, going over a history lesson won't help me with the problem at hand. Why do the orcs have poison only found in the land of order?

"The dragonborn did that." a voice answered me.

I look to my right to see a young girl with brunette hair. She has bandages on both of her legs. Who is this girl, and where have I seen her before. She studied me with stormy grey eyes as she continued.

"You were wondering where the poison came from, right? The dragonborn provided the orcs with some poisonous plants found in the land of order." She went on, "They have been using the same tactic for centuries, since the founding of the nations. They have always wanted a reason to attack the other nations."

"But, why?" I respond.

She just shrugged and said, "Beats me, maybe they want the riches or the land. By the way, who are you?"

Such a normal question actually took me by surprise, "I'm Alastair, son of Arawn. I was supposed to be a hunter today, but the orcs attacked my group and stole my fellow hunters. I have to go get them back now…" Then, it hit me. She was supposed to accompany me on my hunt.

My eyes must have widened in clarity, because the girl took notice, giggled and stated, "Yes, I was supposed to be in your hunting party. My name is Kady, daughter of… you know what, formalities aren't necessary." She said, nervously. You don't need to be a hunter to see she was hiding something. If there is one thing I learned from being the son of the Pack Leader, it's that secrets in a hunting party never end well. After all, we all know the story of Maher the Betrayer. He killed all but one person in his hunting party and disappeared.

"So… what now, leader?" Kady's question pulled me from my own thoughts.

"Well, I think the best thing first is to talk to the Pack leader."

"Uh huh… and then?" Kady asked with a wicked smile.

"And then we, uh, find our friends."

"Right, well I can't move, and I doubt you have noticed what poison that is."

"What do you mean?" I asked. I noticed the poison again and realized. This poison was a derivative of Eoflirch sap, which can paralyze parts of the body. I went through a quick diagnosis and noticed my right arm was paralyzed. I couldn't move it at all.

"I see what you mean," I told Kady, "So, do you have any ideas?"

"I propose we order a drink."

"A drink?" I asked, quite taken aback. "What will that do?"

"Just watch. Apothecary, the boy and I woke up."

The apothecary came to do basic diagnoses on us. When he finished, he left and came back with the Great Spirit Warden. I was afraid, but also excited. Because, the Great Spirit Warden deals with the magical aspects, including giving the new hunters a drink from the well of the Eternal Void.

"So, this is the drink you wanted to order?" I whispered to my secretive friend.

"So, you're not as dumb as you look," she joked, mocking my manner of speech.

"Gach ardú do Mhaor an Spioraid Mhóir, All rise for the Great Spirit Warden-"

"Or in this case, just sit there and listen." the wisest man in the village joked and cut off his guards. "Being one of the Big Three means I understand most of what goes on in this village. And, I understand that some of our new hunters were kidnapped, your friends. Now, I want you two to rest for a day and then go and track them."

"What!?" I exclaimed without thinking. "You want two brand new hunters to chase after orcs?! Are you insane?!"

"Should you be asking me that?" the Great Spirit Warden responded, with cold eyes that seemed to walk into my soul and inspect it from the inside out. It's as if in that one second, he scrutinized every single detail about me. "But, I do understand your concern, so I will provide you with the magic power to track them, as your friend wisely deduced."

I looked over to Kady, with the widest grin in all the five races. It made me kind of happy to see it. "Still, why not send a more experienced group, like the Pack Leader."

"I considered that," the wise man responded. "However, this is a special case. While the orcs constantly attack the four other races, this is the first time they have kidnapped anyone. We concluded they might have something planned."

"But isn't that an even better reason to send an experienced hunting party, or even an Expedition." Again, Kady was easy to read. At the mention of the word, "expedition," she seemed to physically recoil. This was now the second time. Hard to believe it is a coincidence, however, I must wait a little longer. The most important virtue for a hunter to master is patience. One must know when to pounce on an animal and when to wait for the animal to helplessly walk into a clear opening with no escape routes.

Still, my mind began swimming with details. The first time she seemed nervous was our introductions. She dodged out of mentioning her father's name. Almost all humans are called by a first name and the name of their father. If the human was orphaned, they would be called, "son of the wild," or "daughter of the wild." Was it too hard for her to say that? Was she mourning a recent death? Weren't expeditions dangerous?

"Son of Arawn?" The old man's voice brought me back to reality.

"I'm sorry, just thinking-"

"About your friend here, right?" The Great Spirit Warden finished my sentence, with a devilish grin.

"NO! I-It's n-not like that! I'm just, uh, curios about why she di-"

"There is no need to worry, we all find someone we like," the old man smiled at me. Kady was hiding her face, most likely blushing as furiously as I am. But, while she was facing away from us, the Great Spirit Warden slipped something into my pockets.

"Anyway, I came here to help prepare you for your journey." He continued carelessly, "I have brought with me two goblets full with the Eternal Void essence. You will drink from these cups and then make preparations for your mission. You will have one day to prepare. Understood?"

"Sir." Kady and I said in unison.

"Good to hear. Now, let us begin this ritual."

As if on cue, the lanterns were snuffed out. Two Wardens dressed in green robes entered the room carrying wooden bowls. These were apparently the 'goblets,' that were mentioned. The Great Spirit Warden took some leaves out of his pocket, mint from a Quiet Alder tree. He chewed the leaves and blew his breath over the bowls. Nothing physical flew into the bowls, I'm sure of it. But, I saw something. Something colored, to be more specific. Blue, red, and green…

"It looks just like the night sky," Kady whispered. "Bright whites and yellows on a pure black background." Whites and yellows? I looked back into the bowl I was handed. She was right, only whites and yellows. But, I swore I saw colors fall into the bowl like leaves falling into a pond. I'll have to ask the Wardens later if they have had such an experience.

"Ionat te, solis protenhact an Fhiáin." The words came out of the Great Spirit Warden's mouth perfectly fine, but it did not fit into my mouth as well. Into you, solis power of Fhiáin. I was told some of these words in my sleep, but the others seemed to physically escape my tongue.

"Into you… power…" I muttered. It seems that no one noticed me murmur to myself, except for the Great Spirit Warden himself. Even if he did, though, he did not make any indication.

"What I just spoke was an ancient tongue, taught to me by the gods. These words of power, combined with the leaves of Quiet Alder and a cup of the Eternal void, will grant you magical powers. Now please, drink from the cups and become full hunters in the name of the god of the Wild."

And with those final words, we drank. And the immediate effect was it knocked us unconscious.

While unconscious, I heard that voice again and, with it, came some images. The images were extremely blurry, it was as if I had opened my eyes underwater at midnight. However, I could make out a silhouette, but not of any mortal races. It was a giant silhouette, one that could only be something unnatural. The thing was 30 feet tall, with his arms and legs outstretched, as if they were bound. It seemed to be convulsing, as if it were in pain. But, that couldn't be because nothing was present. I looked around in the darkness once, twice, three times just to be sure of that one fact. Then, it spoke.

"...do...amircairde…" It said, and my mind immediately translated, "Your friends." What did this creature know? How did it know about me or my hunting party? How did it know what I was working for? I didn't say anything! I was about to ask it these questions and many others, but it spoke again. This time, it wasn't anything I could pronounce. I could barely understand it.

ᚅ

This thing could somehow speak in runes. It must be some mythical creature from the time of the gods. However, this had a reaction, as a light pierced the darkness. Something seemed to float out of the pocket of my tunic. In a gray tinted light, I saw the exact same symbol floating around. This was what the Great Spirit Warden slipped into my pocket. A small runestone, to be more specific, an Ash runestone.

The Ash runestone is based on the mythical tree that the Eternal Void flows from. Because of its mythical nature, the rune symbolizes magic and mystery. Secrets that only the gods could comprehend. And secrets that all the mortal races can understand. If the Great Spirit Warden gave this to me, it means he wants to tell me something, a secret most likely.

"...tegire…" The monster spoke again. "Go," is what my mind could translate before my consciousness was thrust out of the void and back into my cot. Kady was waiting for me, and it appears as if she was waiting for me. She already had her hunting clothes on, a dark green tunic with a hood, with a back covered in feathers. She was playing with the bowstring of a Twilight Persimmon bow, which allows flexibility. Its dark color also helps her with hiding.

"You're finally awake, numbskull," she teased.

"We've known each other for about one day, and you're already calling me names." I retorted.

"Yeah, got something against it."

"You didn't seem like this when you first woke up."

"I didn't know you were a moron when I first woke up," she shot back. "Anyway, get up and get ready. I already got your hunting tunic."

"And now your back to being kind to me," I sighed. "Anyway, thanks. Do you happen to know where the Wise One is?" The Wise One is one of the many epithets of the Great Spirit Warden. Each Great Spirit Warden gains the epithets of their predecessors. The current Great Spirit Warden is allowed to choose his epithets from the Records of Heroes, in the temple.

"I don't know, probably at the temple," Kady responded.

"Thank you," I called out as I was already running out of the infirmary.

"Hey!" She called after me, " If you already knew where you were going, why did you ask me?"

As always, she was incredibly sharp, "Just a hunch," I hollered back. The truth is, I did already know where he was. To the north of our village, there is a forest right on the coast of the World's Ocean, the ocean that encompasses the world's main landmass. In that forest, there is a small brazier in front of a large stone door. The door goes nowhere, and is mostly blank. It is affectionately named, "The Door to Nowhere." However, there is one symbol inscribed on it. And that symbol was the same as the one that was etched into the piece of wood I held in my hand. Still, that magic drink did wonders for me. I felt like I was back to my old self, back when I was hunting as a child with my father. It gave me a pronounced jolt of energy. It felt like my entire nervous system was warming itself by a fire.

When I arrived at the shrine, I didn't immediately see the old man. But, this was just another test, and I knew it. The ground around the brazier was disturbed very recently. The brazier itself still had some embers glowing at its bottom. The Wise One was definitely around here. Then, I noticed his third clue for me. Two runestones.

ᚁ ᚅ

The second rune was the one he had already given me, Ash. The first one was Eoflirch, the elven tree, and symbolized order, peace, prosperity and the past. So, here was the code. The answer would tell me where he is hidden. My mind started racing with the possibilities. Order of secrets? Past Magics? Secret Magics? All, or maybe none? Past Secrets? Past Secrets? Past means behind. Behind secrets. I looked up at the door. The Door to Nowhere. However, some say, it leads to many secrets. A door of secrets.

I immediately ran behind the door to find the old man. But, he was nowhere to be found. All that I found were two holes, one vertical and one horizontal. They were about the same length and height. The sizes looked familiar, though. I decided to go back to the runes and rethink this. The Wise One isn's dumb enough to try and fool me with a simple word game. He is a master of nature magics! Magics! That's it! I scooped up the runestones and ran around to the other side of the door. I placed the Eoflirch rune into the vertical hole on the left and watched it fall into a pool of liquid. I did the same with the Ash rune. And with a small splash, the door started to open.

The door, which stood at the height of five men and took around ten men to open, started to swing open on its own. It slowly crawled along the ground and stopped when it had fully opened. Anyone who walked into the forest and saw me might have thought I pulled the door open myself. However, the door was not what amazed me. What amazed me was the sight that laid beyond the stone behemoth. Beyond the door, was a small campfire, right in the place where the stone brazier stood. And sitting by that campfire was the Great Spirit Warden.

"Ahh, the son of Arawn, finally." He greeted me warmly, "Please, come have a seat and enjoy my company."

"An honor, Wise One," I responded.

He waved my greeting off, saying, "Don't worry about the formalities. If anything, I should be honoring you."

"What do you mean? I'm nothing like you."

"You are quite right. You can be leagues ahead of me, yet you don't know it," he said. "Still, even without knowing your birthright, you deserve more honor than me. I will tell you a story you have heard your whole life. It is the Tale of Three Gods. The three gods you know as the Nature, Order, and Chaos gods were not born that way. They were created as three brother-angels in the Cradle of the Universe. Their names were revealed to you during the time you were unconscious, after you drank the Eternal Void essence."

"Eraisi, Oraisi, and Arasia, the gods of Nature, Order, and Chaos," I responded.

The Wise One nodded and continued, "The Eternal Void reveals the names of the gods, but not their nature. But, I am getting off track. After their birth, the angels grew in the Cradle, developing the celestial powers they were gifted. They learned of magic growing in each and every essence that is found in this universe. They learned how to control that magic. From there, they each developed their own specific use for magic. And with use, comes privilege and philosophy. They each knew their power would grow if they gave their magics as gifts to mortal races. However, who among those would get the magic is where their disagreement grew."

At this point, the Great Spirit Warden dipped his hand into a skinsac, a sack made of animal skin used to hold liquid, and splashed the liquid onto the fire. The fire glowed red, then green, blue, and finally rested on pure white. The flames then parted and showed a vision. It was a vision of three beings floating through the emptiness of space. The old man continued

"The brothers soon decided to find a way to create mortal races for their own. They wandered the infinite plain of the universe until they came upon a rock floating through space. Upon that rock was a small tree, and from that tree came a liquid. The liquid had the ability to store immense amounts of magical power. The three brothers decided to create a world from this spring. They named the spring the Eternal Void, as an infinite number of possibilities could come from it."

"The eldest brother, Eraisi, studied the magic of creation. He used his magic to form the Eternal Void into a solid. He then used the solid to create a small room to house the tree that the void came from. Then, he began to build a world around the room. He took the void and introduced it to the cold essence of a comet's tail. He then held the essence up to a blazing star. The liquid that was produced was called water. He used a massive amount of water to create an ocean on this world. The eldest then mixed molten space rocks with the Eternal Void to create a new form of rock to build a foundation for a land mass. Finally, the eldest ripped his own hair from his head, and sprinkled them on the world to become grass and trees."

"Oraisi, the second-born, was not to be outdone by his brother. Oraisi focused on life magic. The second-born began to form creatures that would inhabit this world. He first created creatures, both massive and miniscule, to inhabit the oceans. Next came the beasts of the land, both wild and tame. Finally, the birds of the sky and insects below the ground."

"Finally, Araisi got to work as well. The youngest studied a more ancient, and advanced form of magic. Not much is known of this school, as the disciples of it are sworn to secrecy. However, we do know its name: magicae draíochta, the magic of magic. In theory, the magic of magic is all about understanding how the universe interacts with magic, and how to weave magic into every plant, rock, or beast. So, the youngest god used his training to weave the webs of magic into this new world. This way, when the intelligent races used magic, they would be able to affect the world around them. Underhandedly, it also gave the Chaos god a failsafe."

"And that is the creation of the world, but the story doesn't end there. Oraisi created the five intelligent races, elves, dragonborn, humans, dwarves, and orcs. The gods then began to teach the races how to use magic and create civilizations. But, the philosophies began to cause disagreements between the brothers. Oraisi began to civilize the elves, teaching them to farm and build houses. Oraisi also taught the elves they should be ruled by a wise and just ruler. He gave an elf named Frederic the title of Symbol and taught him to rule the new World of Light as a kingdom."

"The youngest brother saw this as a challenge, and gave his power to a dragonborn named Eberhart. The youngest viewed power, both physical and magical, to be the most important attribute for a ruler. As such, he granted the title of Symbol to the best warrior and magic user. He then placed the new symbol as the king of the World of Power."

"With two of the intelligent races being chosen by the younger brothers, it seemed obvious a war would break out. The eldest brother knew he had to prevent a full blown war as long as he could. So, the Eraisia made three Symbols, a human, an orc, and a dwarf. Thus, he claimed the last three intelligent races. Next, the eldest god proclaimed himself the God of the Wild, and claimed his chosen races would inhabit the wilderness. The eldest also made a decree that any dragonborn or elf caught venturing out of their territories would be killed by celestial guardians. These guardians were massive beasts imbued with magic pulled straight from the stars themselves. Finally, the God of the Wild moved quickly to the Vault of the Core and sealed it with an ancient seal that the universe taught to him only. He gave each race a large pool of the Eternal Void essence so that the magic would continue to move throughout the world. Since the world was made with magic, magic must move through it, or it will die."

"In response to their brother, the second-born declared himself the God of Order, and the youngest declared himself the God of Chaos. They claimed the territory for their children. They also created celestial guardians to protect their cities. It is said that the chaos god prepared the failsafe for this situation. However, only he knows what that failsafe is."

"That is most of the story, as the next few hundred years saw no change and a world in peace," the old man finished. "However, I'm sure you are wondering how you are involved in this. Correct?"

I nodded and said, "Yes. I understand the story, but what does that have to do with me?"

He then veered the conversation and asked a seemingly random question; "What do you dream about?"

"What does tha-"

"What do you dream about," he cut me off. I thought for a moment, and almost immediately the massive figure came to mind. The giant silhouette and his cryptic words. The ancient language that I have been learning for what seems like my whole life. Does he know about it? Questions raced through my mind, while the massive figure watched. How do I respond? Who or what is this figure? Why me? Why me? Why me? That last question continued to echo through my head, even as the Wise One's voice brought me back to reality.

"Alastair! What do you dream about? It will be hard to tell me, I understand. But you must bring it to the light. If it stays in your mind forever, you will go insane!"

His voice was rigid and strict now. But, his message made sense. I focused my mind and looked at the figure straight on. But, it seemed the harder I focused on its figures, the more my mind began to twist and hurt. I had to portray this image to the Great Spirit Warden. He seems to know what I am looking at right now. It's as if he is in my mind with me.

My eyes suddenly opened and I was brought back to reality. I left the darkness that was my mind and saw the Great Spirit Warden.

"So?"

I breathed in and out and began, "There is a giant silhouette bound by chains of something. He is speaking in an ancient language, almost completely unheard of in this time. I barely understand it but he has been teaching me parts of the language little by little. It has been speaking to me since I was a child, but I only began to understand the words during this year. Especially since I saw that spear, so I think it may be connected to nature magic, or something similar." In that one breath, I let out everything that had plagued my mind for a while.

"I understand," the Wise One said, " so, it is as I feared. Alastair, son of Arawn, you are the new Symbol of the Nature God!"

His words commanded such respect that it seemed impossible he was talking about me. At least, that was my second thought. My first thought after being told this was a resounding, "Huh?!" I know, pinnacle of intelligence. Still, the last Symbol died five decades ago. How could I believe I was the new one?

"How do you know?" I asked with skepticism. It was too hard to believe.

"The best evidence is your knowledge of the language of the gods. The ancient language you mentioned. The words you were taught as you slept, they sounded familiar, right?"

I nodded in an answer, saying "Yea, they sounded like words in our language, but they were changed slightly. Like, an added phrase or extra letters."

"Those extra letters and phrases are what makes the words complete. The words we are speaking right now is the language we created. We removed the magical, celestial essences from the words to create mortal languages," the Wise One explained. "However, the celestial language still exists in this world, only known to Symbols of the gods. Incidentally, what has the giant silhouette told you?"

"Before I answer you, who is that silhouette, what is it? It can't be one of the intelligent races."

"You are correct, it is not part of the intelligent races," he responded. "Because, that is our patron, the god that chose the wild. The figure you see in your dreams is Eraisi, the Nature God."

"I… don't know how to respond," I responded.

"Shock is one way to respond, proving you only know nothing about yourself. So, now that the shock is gone, think clearly about the silhouette. Everything should fit in place."

"That's why he was so tall," I began.

"Good, but basic. Continue."

"That's why he can teach me the celestial language."

The Great Spirit Warden nodded as I continued.

"That's how he knew of the Ash rune," I said.

"I thought that was the case, and slipped the rune into your pocket," the old man confessed.

"Everything makes sense, except for one thing," I explained.

"What is that?"

"If that silhouette was the nature god, why was he bound?"

He stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Bound? Surely you must be mistaken. Nothing can bound celestial angels, let alone when they become gods."

"I am not mistaken, though," I told him. "I really saw chains with a purple essence running through them. It bound his hands, feet, and body."

"If you can really attest to this, I will research the possibilities and speak to you about it later. For now, you have a more pressing matter. We have been talking for quite some time, I'm sure your friends are getting impatient."

"You're right, but how am I supposed to find them. We have no idea where they could be held. There must be a hundred orc camps."

"You're a Symbol now," he told me. "Symbols are the most powerful magic users in this world. Use your magic to enhance your senses to find them. This will be good training for your new role."

He told me exactly what I should do, but not how to do it. Yet, somehow, I already knew. The Great Spirit Warden sensed this and reached into his pack and produced the same skinsac as before. He handed the sack to me. I dipped my hand into the skinsac, watching the liquid form a covering around my hand. I removed my hand from the sack and splashed the Eternal Void essence into my face. I blinked the excess from my eyes and focused.

I immediately noticed the difference. I gained the hearing of a bat, the vision of a hawk, and the nose of a wolf. The world around me almost overwhelmed me with all the new possibilities to explore. However, I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus on the scent of orcs.

"They aren't nearby, but I do smell them. They retreated westward."

The Great Spirit Warden nodded and said, "Then, you have your mission. Kneel before me."

I obeyed the Wise One.

He said to me, "Alastair, son of Arawn, Symbol of humans, for the greater good of the human race, I task you to find the kidnapped hunting party. You are also to uncover the reason for the kidnapping. Follow the thread, no matter where it leads. Send us messengers with updates on your progress. And, above all, in your words and deeds, bring honor to the God of the Wild and peace to this world."

I felt happy at that moment. After the old man's whole lecture on the creation of this world and my role as a Symbol, all I could feel was fear. I didn't know anything about being a Symbol, much less anything about magic in general. I'm not good at magic! So, why was I chosen? But, all of that melted in the moment I got my official assignment.

"Chun onóir Dé na Fiáine!" 'For the honor of the God of the Wild.' Repeating those words made me feel great, it made me feel that I belonged somewhere. I know there are those in this world that feel as if they were born to the wrong race, or they feel they were chosen by the wrong god. There are traitors and turncoats in every village in this world. Ours was no different, but I was not one of them. I didn't even need to be named the Symbol to know that I belonged to the God of the Wild.