The Warlock's Shadow
Chapter 4 - Unexpected First Encounters

Unexpected First Encounters

After the awkwardness that was the Elemental Affinity Ritual, and having found out that I have an affinity for the celestial element of darkness, the Principal spoke up again. “Now I understand everyone will want to come to the roost that sits within the wonderful dome at the peak of our academy but we ask that everyone, except our newest students of course, to stay here as we escort everyone else away.”

The Head Magus’ had already powered down the circle by erasing the outermost circle so it just sat as an ornate drawing on the ground. They moved on in front of us and led us all away towards the roof. We had to take several passages through the wide hallways within the school until we reached the top of the second floor. We were facing a blank wall and a complete dead end. We muttered amongst each other confused as to what was happening and what needed to happen.

None of us saw a way up into the roof and none of us could recall ever seeing away up to the roof at all; that is until the Principal gently pushed his way to the front of the crowd and held his hands above his head and muttered a spell at the dead end wall. A wide portal opened up in the blank wall and an equally wide wooden staircase came into view. It looked old and creaky as if it had been around for a very long time. Principal Ashrith walked on into the newly opened doorway, who was then followed by the six Magus’, who were followed by the rest of us.

The wide unending stairway protested and shifted under us as we walked up. The stairwell slowly started to get darker and and warmer the higher we climbed. We saw small torches eventually light the way, evidently lit by the Principal as he moved along. It did nothing for the heat we were starting to feel.

We finally reached the top and saw the inside of the massive dome. It looked so much bigger inside, but that was just how the math worked out. Unlike with Crowley’s shop there was no magic needed to make the inside of a dome big. It easily fit us all within the center. Against the sides of the dome were what looked like shelves. It was similar to chicken coops with shallow platforms built into the walls for nests to be made. Torches were placed along the frame of the dome to give the space a dull orange light. Lots of different soft materials were used in these nests, from grasses to cloth, sometimes some metal, wool tufts and shiny rocks. Within each nest was a completely unique egg. All were roughly the same size, which was about the size of a watermelon, but each had its own shade of color and marbled or speckled pattern on it.

“Here we are, children,” Principal Ashrith said. “There is actually very little ceremony to be had here. All you need to do is clear your mind. Let the egg that is calling out to you fill your head and simply gravitate towards it. Once you have the egg, simply go out the way we came, and as soon as you exit the stairwell, you’ll be back at the courtyard. However,” his voice rising ever so slightly. “Remember that there is no rushing this. There’s no need to get one first and no shame in getting one last. Each and everyone will resonate with an egg differently. The Magus’ and I will await you all in the courtyard. Good luck.” He smiled and left with his escort of the Head Magus’.

None of us were sure how to concentrate and clear our heads with how hot the room was. It must have been built so as to keep in heat to incubate the eggs that weren’t chosen and were to be wild dragons.

As we all stood around we eventually calmed down, sat and collectively meditated. It was only a few moments of meditating before the first student moved, it felt like hours. It was a half-elf girl who slowly walked up to an egg that looked like a lump of carnelian. It was an earthy red with small inclusions of deeper and lighter clay reds. She picked it up gingerly, held it close to her chest and walked out. Her gentle footsteps quietly creaked down the stairs before disappearing. Samuel looked around a bit confused but made his way over a nest. He picked up an odd yellow looking egg with splotches of brown. He lifted it up and immediately dropped it on the floor. He quickly picked it up in a small panic and inspected it for damage. Happy that it seemed okay he made sure it was held close and slowly walked out.

Time ticked on by. We started to sweat and get more and more uncomfortable. With that many people in one place that was already warm and had no air circulation, it started to become unbearable. But eventually one by one the other students started to grab their eggs and make their way back. Sasha began to move towards an egg that looked like it was dipped in lavender colored cake frosting with a rainbow of sprinkles. They smiled at the pattern and likewise with the others, carefully carried it out. They put a hand on my shoulder before they walked out, “You got this,” they whispered, gave me a thumbs up and walked down the stairs.

How long was this whole thing to take? We were starting to drip like roasts in the oven. A couple dozen more students over a short time went for their eggs and walked out. Lisa finally moved and went to grab her own egg. It was a brilliant fire opal color that after she turned holding it close, I realized it had matched her eyes almost exactly. She nodded to me as she left.

An unknown amount of time passed. The torches in the room burned, flickered and quietly crackled as more and more students left. Sometimes in groups, sometimes alone. Eventually, I was left alone. I sat down crossing my legs and took a good look around. There were still several eggs left, clearly many more available than there were students. I leaned back on my hands on the wooden floor and sighed. Still no idea how long it had been or how long I had been left alone.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe it would be easier to concentrate with no one here. This way I wouldn’t get distracted by people moving and leaving. I did my best to clear my mind, to not think of anything. The only voices I heard were my own internal monologue, the quiet sounds of the torches, and the gentle settling of the wood around me.

It must have been getting later in the day as a few dragons that must have been outside worked their way into the small door flaps, like a doggie door, and wrapped themselves around their egg in their nest and gently snoozed away. A couple more came in, chirped and chided towards one another before settling down like the first. I started to get worried and anxious.

I closed my eyes and just tried to let something come to me. I tried to let go of any magical worries I had up to this point, and completely open up my mind to any possibility. But nothing came. No noise, no voice, no pull. Nothing. I felt a hand on my shoulder and was shocked to see Mr. Roland, the astronomy teacher.

“Why don’t you come on down, let’s talk,” he said as he helped me up. I hung my head as we walked down the stairs, with me empty handed.

“Why couldn’t I hear any voice?” I said, my own starting to crack. I felt tears begin to well up behind my eyes. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s alright, everything eventually works out,” Mr. Roland said, casually.

“People keep saying that but it hasn’t worked out,” I said still on the stairwell. “It didn’t work out during the Elemental trials, and no matter how hard I try and study I can barely do the most simple of spells and was barely able to even get into this school. So when is it supposed to work out?”

“I understand the frustration,” he bent down to get on my level. Mr. Roland’s dragon stirred slightly his shoulders. It looked like it was resting soundly, its bright red scales reflecting the torch light in a way that almost made its scales look golden. “This isn’t exactly something that is commonplace so we’re doing our best to figure out our next move.”

I started to break down and tears started to escape my eyes. I sniffled. “I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to help and save people,” I covered my face and sobbed heavily into them. As far as I knew my dream was shattered before my eyes. Can’t exactly be a Knight and ride a dragon if I didn’t have one. I turned around and pounded my fists against the wall. Over and over I pounded the wall, punched it until my knuckles began to ache. I leaned my forehead against it and slowly sank to my knees.

Mr. Roland sat down behind me, hands on my shoulders reassuring he was still there and that he wasn’t leaving me. “Alex?” he asked. I calmed down enough and wiped away my tears and the mess on my face with my shirt and hands. “Let’s go outside and talk with the Principal. I have an idea that might be beneficial.”

We walked out and I saw the ceremony was finishing up without me. I hung my head again and tried to not break down again. The ceremony concluded with the rest of the student body and faculty cheering and applauding. Pops of color and ribbons of light appeared everywhere in celebration. Once it all died down everyone slowly began to exit as we stood quietly out of the way, the portal closing behind us with a snap.

Immediately Lisa and Sasha ran up to us, each carrying their eggs. “Alex, what’s wrong? What happened?” Sasha asked. I filled them in about what happened after they left. Apparently they waited a couple hours for me to come out from the roost. The Principal thinking on his feet apparently entertained the audience with captivating tales of his youth, as well as demonstrations from the Head Magus’. It seemed to have worked well for him since no one seemed to notice a missing student after a while. Towards the end of the impromptu demonstrations Principal Ashrith asked Mr. Roland to come retrieve me.

Both Sasha and Lisa put their eggs down gently on the ground and unexpectedly, especially from Lisa, hugged me together tightly. I wrapped my arms around them and tried not to sob anymore. As our embrace broke off the Principal walked up still in his ceremonial robe.

“Mr. Umbra, I overheard what happened, or rather what didn’t happen within the roost,” he said in a caring voice. “I just wanted to let you know we’re working on a solution. Alistar, er, Mr. Roland, rather, informed me of what he told you; that is the so-called ‘medicine’ he took as a child to rid him of his Faewild Flu side effects, and we are looking at a way to replicate it.” He patted my shoulder and gave me some further reassurance.

My head slumped again. Mr. Roland said himself that he had no idea what was in it or even where that woman would be who would have known the recipe. Suddenly, and inexplicably, I felt like wandering. “I’m going to go for a walk,” I said. “Sasha, tell my Mom I’m going to be home late.” Without another word or waiting for Sasha to react I wandered off out the courtyard, through the school and walked off to the surrounding woods.

The surrounding woods around the school were called The Hidden Woods. Not that they were hidden by anyone or anything, but there are often things hidden within them. They went on for miles behind the school. It was hard to say what all was in the woods because whenever someone tried to walk from one end of the woods to the other they were lost for days. The person only perceived a few hours going by, whenever they tried. All manner of creatures made their home here and no one knows who or what all lives within the woods outside of some wild dragons and some pixies.

I had no idea where I was going or what I was going to do when I got into the woods. I aimlessly wandered around not really paying much attention to my surroundings. My eyes glued to the ground about five feet in front of me. Just enough ahead to not unexpectedly trip over some rock or root. The trees started off being fairly sparse and very green and lush. Pixies and birds and other small woodland creatures scurried around. I aimlessly wandered around going deeper into the woods.

The melancholy was really starting to set in. I started to really get into my own head. How could I keep going on with wanting to be a Knight and a hero? Maybe I should just quit school or just transfer to a different one. What about Mom? Was she going to be disappointed that I didn’t come home with an egg? Was I a let down to my Dad’s legacy?

Furthermore, why was everyone acting so weird after I found out that my affinity was apparently the Dark element? What did that mean? Was it a bad thing? When Samuel was shown to have an affinity for Light magic there wasn’t any issue. So what was wrong with me? The darkness element wasn’t really talked about. I vaguely remember past teachers talking about the light element, thanks to Lisa reminding me, and that it was typically used with healing magics. And all I could recall of being taught about darkness was that it was something that existed and wasn’t very common.

Daylight started to dim. I wasn’t sure if it was getting darker or if I was just that far into the woods. I looked around and saw that the trees had started to become thicker, denser. Everything started to look more gray. I could no longer hear any normal woodsy sounds. Just the occasional squawk or chirp from a wild dragon. Even the flora around me looked almost alien. The flowers and plants from Faewild looked odd when there were so many of them and not many earthly flowers to accompany them. The silence of all the nature around me was starting to become unsettling. In between the random little noises was nothing but dead silence. The leaves didn’t russell, animals didn’t scurry on the ground, disturbing plants or twigs. Nothing scrabbled up trees, the noise of reptilian or mammalian nails grabbing tree bark was non-existent.

I stopped walking and looked around more. I’d never really been in The Hidden Woods before now. I decided I must have been pretty deep in the woods. I looked up at the tree canopy and saw the last remnants of sunlight shone orange through the leaves. Well, at least it was still daylight for now. No idea how long it was going to take me to get out and get back home. Didn’t even know where I was exactly. Were the stories actually true? What if I only thought it was only twenty or thirty minutes and it was actually a day or two.

I sighed and briefly looked for a rock or something to sit on and think for a moment on how I was going to get out of here. Pushing some brush aside and moving some sticks and leaves I finally found a place to sit. I sat and heard a bit of a crunch. I didn’t think much and thought a part of the rock just chipped off.

My attention was suddenly grabbed by something moving off in the distance. It was silent as a ghost. My heart started to pound in my chest hoping that whatever was out there didn’t hear it or smell my fear. My eyes widened as I looked around more trying to adjust to the lowering light. I heard another crack, this time closer, louder. Whatever shadow was out in the distance I couldn’t see it again. Which could be good or bad. I looked around again, perhaps someone followed me around?

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A sound that barely registered as a whisper called out. I couldn’t figure out from which direction the sound was coming. I couldn’t tell if it was a fluttering of a pixie, or a bird or whatever went bump in the night within these woods.

“Hello?” I called out. “Is there someone there?” My voice didn’t carry past my mouth. The trees seemed to be deadening most sound. Nothing answered, silence again. The darkness around me was starting to become thicker. I heard another crack nearby but I couldn’t see or hear where it was coming from.

Here…I’m here…

“Where are you?,” I called out, trying to get my voice to carry past my immediate area. “Who are you?” I stood up and walked around the few feet I could without getting more lost than I was. I was starting to panic. Night this deep into the woods was starting to get deeper and deeper.

I’m here…here…

“You’re seriously starting to piss me off,” I shouted. “Where are you?” I thought I was starting to go insane from the depression and being lost. I was hoping I wasn’t hearing voices but what else would there be out this deep? Would I even want to know? Thoughts of horrible things watching me from the shadows popped into my brain which made me shudder. Waiting for the darkness to be all consuming so they could pounce on me.

HERE…HERE…

The voice was becoming louder now. I stopped and tried to clear my mind of panic and listened for the voice. I turned and looked at the stone I was sitting on and walked closer. I knelt down and looked closer. It was hard to see but I could make out a very dark gray and black shape and had a large crack in it. Then it moved.

“Ah,” I shouted and fell back as the object shook more and more, the cracks widening and moving. After a few moments the rock fell open and where the rock used to be, was a dragon. It shook its head and its body like a dog and stretched out. It sat and looked at me with its long neck making immediate eye contact. The creature regarded me as it cocked its head one way then the other, as if it was trying to figure out what I was. Hopefully it didn’t think that I looked like lunch. It was black, I think, but it shimmered with a different color I couldn’t make out in the low light. But its eyes were crimson and glowed brightly like rubies. It chortled and hobbled over to me with its new legs and immediately climbed up my shoulder. I gave a bit of a panicked shout as the wild dragon climbed up my body and perched itself on me.

“What…what the heck?” I said. I’d never heard of this happening before. Wild dragons were basically wild animals that typically didn’t mess with humans and kept to themselves. Even the eggs that weren’t picked in the roost will eventually leave the roost and find their way out here or somewhere else. The dragons that everyone else had were desensitized to humans over generations and basically were bred for being lifelong companions. But wild dragons, they weren’t cut out for this.

The dragon looked up at me and chirped and talked in its own vocal language like any other animal, but I couldn’t understand it. “Wait, I thought I was supposed to be able to understand you?” I looked at the dragon. It tiltled it’s head at me not comprehending my words.

I realized that Master Elowyn said that it normally took days or weeks to hatch a dragon, and I sat on one and hatched it. Did it still count? Can I still have a bond with it? So many questions ran through my head without any answers showing themselves. I looked up and saw that I was almost out of sunlight. Not good, I wasn’t going to be able to–.

That was weird. It wasn’t getting darker. In fact, it almost looked like it was noon. I could see clearly. I could actually see so clearly I could see where the trees thinned out where the edge of the woods was. I started walking that direction to get out of this place. I wondered if this was the dragon’s doing. Or, was it part of my affinity? Was this what Principal Ashrith was talking about? The hidden qualities within ourselves becoming unlocked? I’d never tried to be in complete darkness before. Moonlight had always shown in my room at night so I never needed to fumble my way in the dark.

“If I can see in the dark, I wonder what else I can do?” I said, looking at my new companion. I kept walking, careful to not trip on the gnarled roots that stuck up here and there. Not to mention random rocks, sticks and branches.

I stopped for a moment to try something. I looked at the dragon, “I wonder…”. I raised my arm with my palm facing me and concentrated. I thought about what Sasha said about fire. In a few seconds my hand was on fire. “Whoa,” I was shocked. I never was able to do this. I moved my hand around marveling at the flame that engulfed my hand.“Haha. I did it,”

I thought about the element that I just attuned with and wondered if I could do something with it. “Hang on, this is weird,” I said looking at the fire. Something was off, it wasn’t quite the normal orange and red. The flames were tipped with black. I looked at it curiously but shook my hand to put out the fire. I’m glad no one was around when I tried, it took a few tries to get the fire to go out between shaking my hand and attempting to blow it out.

I tried something else. “Ok, how about water?” I pointed two fingers away from me and, again, followed Sasha’s advice and sure enough a jet of water shot from my fingers. I went through the other elements that we tried the other day. Earth followed my command with a plant changing to bloom and was able to pull up a stump from under the ground. Air even gusted from my open palm in a force I wasn’t expecting. The dragon seemed to sense something from me and trilled and chortled in excitement with me.

I couldn’t figure out how to do any light based magic so I switched to attempting darkness. I looked at my upturned hands and wasn’t sure what to do. The dragon on my shoulder moved around a bit, looked at me and made a noise I couldn’t even begin to describe, something between a bark, a squeak, and a chortle, then got comfortable again on my opposite shoulder.

My mind cleared the more I thought about the shadowy magic I wanted to attempt. I looked down at my hands again and slowly a small black lick of flame formed in each palm. The lick of flame quickly turned into what appeared to be a drop of ink. It moved and pulsed like water when exposed to vibration. Slowly the ink drop grew to cover my palms, then grew to extend around my fingers and the back of my hands. It even extended halfway up my arms before it stopped. This was the strangest feeling I had. Even the fire wasn’t this strange. I could feel a small heat with fire, but nothing more than warm food. This was different. I wasn’t sure how to put it, it felt weird, like I could take on the world, but it wasn’t confidence I felt. This felt like power. It seemed like this dark inky shadow had a heartbeat all of its own. It was for sure different from my own. I could feel my own heartbeat in my chest and it was pumping fast. I thought it was going to jump out of my chest. Electricity ran through my body as I continued to feel this strange feeling running from my arms to my fingers.

I shook my head to stop being mesmerized by the blackness along my arms and tried to calm my heart and brain down. I couldn’t comprehend all of this. It was amazing. What made it better was that Sasha was right. As soon as I got a dragon the possibilities would be endless. Wait, my dragon. I looked at my right shoulder and the dragon looked up at me.

“Are you my dragon?” I asked. The hatchling looked up at me. Its red eyes seemed to look so deeply into me. The longer I stared the more I could start to feel the pull between us. Its telepathic thoughts were still silent to me but I could feel the connection between us. The dragon broke the tension by giving out a noise that sounded somewhat like a meow.

“Was that a yes, or no?” Answered with another chirp. “Since it seems you’re not going anywhere, and since I don’t see any other dragons, I guess you’re mine then?” I shrugged my free shoulder and pressed on. I didn’t know if anyone else ever had a wild dragon as a companion since dragons first appeared. But at this point I could care less. Someone was bound to know something, right?

I smiled as I looked back down at the dragon; seeing that I could do magic now gave me a major boost. I felt so elated, I was floating on air. I ran out of the woods and ran to the school. No one was there anymore. I didn’t care. I bounded home feeling like a feather. I didn’t make it home until the sun and just fully set.

I opened the door to home gleefully, “Mom, I’m home, finally,”

“Where have you been?,” Mom yelled. I had barely closed the door when she stood up from her spot on our couch and marched straight for me. “Sasha stopped by and told me everything that happened, that you found that your element was darkness and told me that you also wandered off after not getting an egg without caring what I would think? What if you got hurt, what if you died and–,” Mom paused and looked at me. “What is that on your shoulder?”

“It’s a dragon?” I said.

“But, Sasha said you didn’t get an egg, how on earth did you get a hatched dragon?” I explained everything that happened after what Sasha had told her. “So, you happened to find a wild dragon egg, and you heard it call to you and let it imprint on you?”

“Well when you say it that way it sounds bad,” I said. “But Mom, I can do magic now. Like it’s nothing,” I proved it using a small levitation spell and floated the TV remote to my hand effortlessly.

Mom looked and saw what I could do and started to tear up. “Oh my,” she stammered. “I never thought–, I mean I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to–,” she sat down to collect herself and smiled at me. “It’s time that I give you something your father left you for this Moment.”

I was shocked. “Dad? What did he leave me?”

“Something very special,” she said. Then her voice was laced with seriousness, “special, and very important.”

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