𝕾𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖘 [𝗲𝗻𝗴 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻]

𐬽𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙩𐬼

*198𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰*

𝐎𝐫𝐚 𝐏𝐎𝐕...

Relaxed, Arox and I lay on the beach, listening to the Ionian River. His warm fur under my head made me sweat a bit, but it was too cozy not to use him as a pillow. Although Arox isn't a big fan and always complains that my head is too heavy, he still let me lie on him. One ear of the mystical wolf twitched. Confused, I shifted from my lying position to a sitting one and listened with my elf ears to the forest. Now I heard it too: a small mouse squeak that unmistakably sounded like a cry for help startled me. Arox stood up shortly after on his powerful paws and nudged me so I could climb onto him.

Together we rode through the dense forest, following the faint mouse squeak. The trees towered above us, and sunlight only sporadically penetrated the leafy canopy. Arox's snout was tense, anticipating what awaited us. The nature around us seemed to prepare for the mysterious sound.

Suddenly, a clearing appeared in front of us, and there we found a small mouse trapped in the clutches of a branch. Its tiny eyes looked at us with despair. Without hesitation, Arox leaped forward, his powerful teeth delicately releasing the trap, and the mouse was free.

The mouse was clearly injured, so I took it in my hand and rode back to my healing hut with Arox. In my healing hut, I gently placed the injured mouse on a soft fabric. Arox observed attentively as I gathered my healing herbs and salves. The little creature trembled slightly, and I could feel its fear.

I began to apply the healing salve gently to its wound. The mouse seemed to calm down, as if understanding that we wanted to help. Arox gently placed his snout next to the mouse, almost as if showing his support.

While I tended to the mouse, I softly told it about the adventures Arox and I had shared. Time passed, and the mouse slowly recovered. When it could finally stand on its tiny legs again, it looked at me with grateful eyes before scurrying away.

Arox and I watched as the mouse departed, and I could feel a special connection forming among us – a bond strengthened by the willingness to help each other. The Ionian River murmured outside the hut, and the sun bathed the scene in warm evening light.

We prepared for bed together and wanted to lie down. Since I was still thirsty, I went to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water. I briefly looked out the window and dropped my glass. Arox immediately ran to me. "What's wrong? Are you okay?" the wolf asked me frantically. But then he also saw the disaster: Half of Ionian's forest was on fire, and all the panicked animals were fleeing. Shocked, I rode closer to the fire on Arox.

I saw Dorea, the water mage, desperately trying to extinguish the fire, but her power was not enough to combat the much too large forest fire. The fire had no normal red-orange color but rather a blue-turquoise hue. It was too dangerous to stand here, so I grabbed Dorea and put her on Arox's back. "NO! We can't leave. Ionia will be wiped out," she shouted, but I held her tightly so she couldn't escape. We first brought ourselves to safety, where the fire couldn't reach us quickly. Calmly, I tried to reassure Dorea. "We need a plan first on how to extinguish the fire. Your power is not enough because it's not an ordinary fire. It's much more dangerous."

In the safety of our temporary refuge, we feverishly brainstormed how to contain the unusual fire. Dorea took a deep breath and explained with a serious expression, "It's chaos magic. I've never encountered anything like this. Extinguishing it requires more than my own powers."

Together, we forged a plan. Arox, Dorea, and I decided to go to the ancient tree spirits of the Ionian Forest. Perhaps they could help us understand and overcome the chaos magic.

As we walked through the still untouched part of the forest, we felt the intensity of the fire. The blue-turquoise flames devoured the trees, leaving a trail of devastation.