Last Quest

Chapter 6: The Swamp

Meanwhile, Dravon and Maldric arrived at the swamp's entrance. As they walked onto the gloomy path, they could feel the humid air on their faces. The swamp was not as peaceful as the forest; the trees creaked, and insects and frogs could be heard from every direction. The sun was blocked by the canopies of the trees above them, making for a dark and eerie ambiance. Melrytos sniffed the air, trying to stay careful of the unknown surroundings, occasionally stopping to stare into the distance, as if seeing something Dravon and Maldric could not. They planned to not leave the path and hopefully find a place to rest before nightfall. They were crossing a mossy cobblestone bridge when Maldric stopped and looked to their left, startled. "It's coming from there," he said, confused.

"Clarify?" Dravon asked, turning to look into the trees himself.

"There is forsaken magic coming from the swamp. But that cannot be true," he explained, questioning himself.

"Could it be another Trosun?"

"No, you cannot feel magic from the caster, only from the source. In this case, it should only be felt from the rift. I do not understand how there could be a source here."

"Right, let's find out," Dravon said as he and Melrytos crossed the bridge, heading in the direction of the magic. Maldric stood still for a moment, surprised at his newfound interest in their quest. He noticed that Dravon had been acting differently after they left the tavern. He thought that the story they were told made him realize something, but he still was not sure how to approach the subject. The truth is, Dravon considered, for the first time in his life, the power of having a dragon by his side. The same Trosun that murdered Aryna was killed in seconds by Melrytos. He felt like he had wasted a part of his life hiding. And worst of all was the idea that if it were anyone else to escape Turnemor with a dragon, the world would have heard their name a long time ago.

As they got closer to the source, Maldric was still feeling the magic around him. Feeling the forsaken magic always made him uneasy in Lanmort; he thought he would never have to face that feeling again after leaving. The first time he felt it back in Udrael, he had a soul-crushing realization: no matter how far he went, how well he hid, it would never go away. He would always feel it in the distance. No matter how much love he gave and received, how many hours he spent with his family, there was always a dark, endless void staring at him from a distance. He did not say it, but he was terrified of finding the source of it. It made no sense; the magic came from the rift; it was not supposed to be in their world in the first place. Why would a source be in the swamp?

They walked through the ankle-deep water, being careful not to slip and fall into the dirty puddle. They expected to see something out of place any moment; they were not prepared to see a boardwalk, elevated from the wet ground, leading to a town in the distance. The sun was setting, and they needed a place to rest, so heading to the town seemed like the logical idea anyway. "Shouldn't he wait for us?" Maldric asked, glancing at Melrytos.

"No," Dravon responded, without offering more explanation.

They arrived at the entrance; the buildings were close to one another, and the boardwalk connected to the shops and homes on the sides. In the distance stood the Mantriol Academy, a tall black building with many towers, surrounded by a garden. The streets were full of people; many of them turned to look at the dragon who stood tall, walking behind Dravon and Maldric. Two of those people were Lucius and Liora. "I have never seen one," Lucius whispered to her as they passed them. Maldric had read about the academy but thought that it was destroyed after the war. Now, seeing it, he expected to find the source of the forsaken magic inside its walls. He thought that maybe a witch or a Warlock overestimated themselves and somehow sent this signal unknowingly.

"Is it coming from there?" Dravon asked him, interrupting his train of thought. Maldric now realized that the feeling was the same as before. There was no overwhelming presence of the forsaken magic coming from the academy or the town.

"I am not positive—" He stopped, feeling a sense of numbness through his body. He knelt down, dropping his staff; his dreams flashed before his eyes, the many faces of the beast mocked him from the depths of his mind.

"What's happening? What do you need me to do?!" Dravon asked, panicking. People gathered around them, trying to help, asking the same.

Maldric managed to grab his staff and prop himself up. His voice was weak, and his eyes were wide with fear. He tried to gather himself before looking at Dravon and quietly saying, "Behind us, in the swamp... They want to see again. You have to stop them." As soon as he finished the sentence, Dravon turned around, Melrytos walked through the crowd, making way for them to head back to the town entrance.