Heart Of The Feywilds

Chapter 2

Sylvan Victus, a humanoid Eladrin like Sylvanna, met her on the outskirts of the Feywilds within the Gravetown Caverns. They both were the adventurous type. It's where Valory got her explorative personality.
       Sylvanna had always wanted to know what being so far from home would feel like. Would it be just as rewarding as she hoped? She felt comfortable in her safety, knowing she'd taken precautions and waited until ready, holding off the urge to leave when she was just 103. She was now 113.
      Still, she was very young to be out on her own. Many landscapes, some more daring than others and crawling with potential threats, she had always heard about things such as wear wolves, minatours, and dragons. She didn't encounter anything of the like; the most she'd had to deal with was the occasional street gang lurking in Cities such as Lyanburg, a bustling but mostly dingy and sketchy city buried deep in the more outlandish part of Cryptonia.
     Cryptonia: is neighbored directly south of the Feywilds. Children who lived on the south side of the Feywilds were told not to venture far. Some adults would recount seeing strange beings and occurrences come from that way. It spurred many tales of horror and uncertainty among communities. These tales would spread from each until they made their way to Sylvana's home.
      Sylvanna's parents tried to keep her unaware and unknowing of this. They feared she may live that way or grow to be brave to a fault. Sylvanna didn't run from the stories and things she heard. She accepted them as challenges and opportunities to be rich in life and experience. So, when she started living this life, she fully embraced it. It made it easier for her, considering she wasn't your typical elf.
      She was powerful at a very young age. Naturally adept and in touch with nature.  In other words, she was a druid. A druid of epic proportions, all the reason for her to be able to go anywhere she wanted. She could transform into any creature she wanted that fit the situation. It's how she got around and fought her way out of any legitimate trouble that came her way.
       Little did she know that Sylvan would be the biggest of her problems. She never could have guessed it with how they met. Sylvanna was leaving Laynburg, disappointed that it hadn't met expectations. That's when she decided to stop by Gravetown and explore its infamous caverns. Coined the "Gravetown Caverns," no one really knew why it was called such. The people who happened to know anything about it never volunteered any information.
      As infamous and mysterious as they already were, she couldn't help but feel there was more to it. She was amazed at how intricate of a cave system it was and seemingly going on forever: every step, every sound, magnified by the luminous beauty and magnitude of every open chamber. She stopped for a break and considered leaving and maybe returning another day. There was still much more she wanted to do and see.
      She thought she was alone until she heard the faint sound of someone's voice in the distance. It didn't sound like someone in pain or distress, but she still caught an unnerving feeling as she approached where it was coming from. That's when she noticed a path lit up with a purple and menacing glow. It was as if something at the end of it was the source. The voices were louder now. It was a language she couldn't understand. It was something she'd never heard before. She started to become very unsettled.
      "I wondered if I was the only one hearing that." Sylvanna, thinking she was alone, turned around frightened. "Hey, who are you? Have you been following me this whole time?" The tall, young figure standing before her with his dark brown hair, darker complexion, and subtle goatee offered a response. "The name is Sylvan! I've been coming back here ever since I discovered that sound. I've tried everywhere to find something or someone who could tell me what it is, but I've had no luck so far." 
      Sylvanna uncomfortably starts to shuffle her way past him. "Well, I don't get a good feeling about it. It's probably best to leave it alone." Sylvan stepped back in front of Sylvanna, seeing she was about to leave. "Someone has got to find out, don't they? It could be something incredible!" Sylvan starts walking further towards the sound. The purple glow bounced off every wall. Sylvanna stayed back and watched as he disappeared into the light.  "Sylvan, this is crazy!"
        Sylvan finally came back out after some lingering minutes of silence and distant sounds of falling stalagmites and cave-dwelling creatures. "Whatever you found, you better hope it's useful if we have to battle our way out of here." Sylvanna joked as he approached her with something clasped in his hand. "Check it out!" He unclamped his hands to show two bright and purple crystals. One smaller than the other but each equally mesmerizing. "Nothing scary over there, just these cool-looking crystals."
       Sylvanna grabbed the smaller one and held it up to her ear. "The crystal is speaking to me! What kind of crystal is this?" Sylvan held his crystal up to listen as well. "Hmm, if I had to guess, it's probably my parents asking me where I've been all these years." He said sarcastically. Sylvanna let out a little laugh. "So you got tired of being stuck at home too, huh?"
      They both stood there for a second, eyes locked and seemingly enjoying one another's company. Sylvanna broke this up with a harmless scheme. She pointed back toward where Sylvan obtained the crystals. "Look out! Behind you!" Sylvan turned around with a quickness, prepared to strike. Nothing was there to greet him, however. "Good one, I didn't take you for a prankster." Sylvan turned back around to find Sylvanna missing.
       "Sylvanna! Sylvanna! Okay, you can stop playing around now!" Sylvan waited to no avail. "Where could she have possibly gone?" Sylvan thought, puzzled by the situation. "Maybe there's more to these crystals. Could they have teleported her out of here?" He rushed outside, unaware that, this whole time, Sylvanna had been lurking in the shadows as a Raven. She couldn't help but use her powers to mess with Sylvan.
      Still unable to fully process what happened, he kept pondering the situation. "How far could it have teleported her? Maybe I could try it and wind up in the same place as her." He held up the crystal, hoping something of the sort would happen. Before anything could happen, Sylvanna, still in Raven form, snatched it from his hand. "Hey! That's my crystal!" Sylvan shouted as she took off with the crystal, hitting a victory lap before returning to the ground and transforming back.
       "Yeah, I don't think it has any special powers to its name." Sylvanna handed the crystal back and let out a laugh. "Oh man, please forgive me, but it's not often I get to use my powers for an awesome prank." A bewildered and stunned Sylvan stood there, frozen in awe. "I should be a little mad for the scare, but I'm amazed more than anything." You can transform into animals?" Sylvanna started to blush. "Yeah, it's something I usually try to keep on the down low, but we were having a good time, so I thought I'd bust it out."
       They find themselves completely starstruck by each other's presence. Sylvan talking in the full scope of Sylvanna's beauty. Her curly, dirty blonde hair and deep blue eyes. They lean for a kiss to cap off this unexpected turn of events. Little did they know, for better or worse, unexpected turns would define their future.