The Rising of the new forest king

Chapter 4: the rebirth

I woke up with a sharp pain in my chest. I looked around, and tried to get up. But when my hand touched the ground I felt something sticky. I pulled my hand away and looked down. The ground around me was covered with blood..... My blood. I started to freak when I noticed the arrow in my chest. Then I remembered the girl who put it there. I stood up and ripped the arrow out of my chest, covering the wound as blood started pouring out. As the bleeding slowed I held up my hand and vowed, "I promise, on my blood, I will never forgive, or forget what that girl did. I will take my revenge." I checked the wound again and saw it was healed. When I was sure it wouldn't reopen I rubbed my hands on the grass, cleaning them the best I could, and took off running deeper into the forest.

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I led the old man out of the house, and back towards the place where I found him. I stopped a few feet out; smelling the blood. "I told you he's dead." I said as I walked the last few feet. When I looked down, what I saw stopped me in my tracks. The boy was gone, and the arrow was stuck in the ground. When I went to touch it I felt the intent of the man as he stuck it in the ground. I shiver slightly out of fright.

"I thought you said he was dead!"

"THAT'S WHAT I THOUGHT!"

"I don't think he likes you."

"I gathered. His intent was stuck to the arrow." My hands start shaking as I reach for it again. I grabbed it and slowly pulled it out of the ground, and when it came out the blood on the tip of the arrow released mana. It formed like a well and slowly grew thicker releasing a heavy arua. I stood there frozen as the mana developed into a smothering darkness. Right before I gave into it, the old man ripped the arrow out of my hand and threw it as far as he could. The mana disappeared with it.

"Are you ok? Why didn't you through it"

As a response I crumpled to the ground and shivered, my brain fuzzy with fear. "I-I tried," I stuttered through the fear" but I couldn't. M-my nerves l-locked up. I thought I w-was going to die."

"It's ok.... More importantly, how is that kid still alive?"

"I-I don't know."

"Even more pressingly, what are you going to do when you find him... or worse; he finds you?"

"I don't know..... Is it too late to make amends?"

"Judging by that arrow, yes." he said as he turned toward the blood trail, "May god be with you. Only he can save you now. If you can excuse me." Off he went disappearing into the trees.

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I stumbled as I got to an old hunter's hut. My adrenaline wore off, making me realize just how drowsy I was. I walked through the door and stumbled to the bed, the floor creaking softly. "This is my new home," I thought, "This is the only place I'm safe. The only place I can live in peace." Realizing I walked about 17 miles into the forest I fell asleep. Having an empty dark, but comforting sleep.

When I woke up I decided to rebuild the hut. After all if I'm going to call it home; I might as well make it livable. Starting with the door, I took it off its old rusty hinges. Placing it on the floor I checked to see if it was still good. The second I knocked on it the whole thing crumbled away, into a large pile of rot. I jumped away in utter disgust. Sweeping it out the now vacant door frame, I ran outside to find a log to make another. I searched for hours; coming across one as I headed back home. Taking out one of the old silver knives in the hut I began to carve. After hours of work I was finished. I put it on the frame, bolting it to the hinges. As I walked to the window to check them the floor all but fell out, causing me to stumble. I fell down onto the floor. My hand burst through, but instead of the hard dirt I should feel I felt a gaping cold space. I tried to pull my hand back but the floor kept crumbling around me. Giving me no stable support. As I pulled my hand back through the floor under my feet gave way, and I fell into the gapping darkness. Realizing last second it was the mouth of a cave. Then I fell, hitting the hard stone. I fell unconscious.

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As I followed the trail of blood it slowly got harder and harder to see. Eventually I had to switch from sight to smell. I continued to follow it, but around 5 miles out I could no longer follow. I searched every corner looking for the trail, but to no avail. Disappointed with myself I set up camp, and decided to wait until morning to continue looking. I fell asleep thinking about the kid, but to my surprise, that night I had my 1st vision in 4 years. I dreamed that the kid, a little older than he was now, became the next king of the forest. Ruling all those in it with both the kindness of a deer, but the iron grip of a black bear. At that moment I knew what my gut tried telling me that day when I first met him, and I knew in my heart that this was the future.

In the morning I ran back to where I left the lady, determined to tell her about my vision, only to be stopped by some unknown force knocking me to the ground and throwing me into the trees. With a loud crunch I fell to the ground, breaking the nearest tree, and uprooting another. I cried out in pain as my ribs shattered, and my legs bent backwards. Finally the shock took over and the pain started to fade. I fell unconscious.

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I awoke deep in a cave with no memory, and no idea who I was. I could since I was under a shelter, but no idea where. What I did know is that I needed to get stronger to survive, so I stood up and wandered deeper into the cave. Stumbling in the dark. After 5 minutes of walking I fell into a freezing cold pond. When I tried to climb out some part of me demanded I go deeper. After debating with myself I decided to go deeper. I took a deep breath and plunged myself down into the water. Swimming down as fast as I could. I didn't get very far before my lungs started screaming for air. I almost turned back, but decided to keep swimming down. Thankfully I found a pocket of air, and when I swam to it I fell out of the water. I landed on the ground, and looked up. Only then did I notice that it wasn't an air pocket. The water simply didn't come down this far. It was like an invisible being was holding the water at bay. Every time it would fall a little it got sent back up. Allowing nothing to get down this low. I reached for it but hesitated as it began to pull at my fingers. Backed away, and turned the corner. I sat there thinking of what to do. I sat there thinking so long that I began to hear a soft, but constraint whisper. I looked up, but saw nothing. I closed my eyes trying to ignore it, but the whispering went right in my ear. I opened my eyes with a jolt, and what I saw I would never forget. I saw a dragon looking at me. It whispered more; slowly getting more hearable. "Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Aerolic; follow me."

"Why should I? How are you speaking Eglish?"

"Because if you stay here you'll never get your revenge, and I'm not."

"Then how are we having a conversation?"

"You're speaking Dragonic, the language of the dragons."

"I'm not, I'm speaking English."

"Whatever, just follow me. You'll learn."

"How do you know you can get me stronger?"

"Because I can make any dragon stronger, and you have the soul of a dragon. I'm going to help you release it."

"I don't, though. I'm just.... Normal?"

"Kid, there's nothing normal about you. Now get up, and follow me."

With that Aerolic walked deeper into the cave. I started to follow him, but when he turned a corner he disappeared. I scanned the area; after not seeing any hint of Aerolic I started to freak out. I looked around again; noticing this time that there was a drawing on the wall. It shows a man channeling his mana out. As the mana came out it formed a dragon. "Could this be what Aerolic was talking about?" I wondered. I sat down and started to follow the man's steps. I started pouring out my mana slowly. As I released more mana I started to hear the whispering again. This time egging me into releasing more mana. I listened. I continued to pour out my mana until I felt drained. When I opened my eyes again the air was purple. It got smoky and dark, almost pitch black. Right in the middle of the room was Aerolic. He was glowing with mana. Absorbing the mana in the room. That was when I realized. Aerlic was my dragonic soul. Aerolic was the manifestation of my mana. I fell over and went to sleep. Right as I started to go into the dark void of sleep I felt warm, but cool scales