The Elemental Chronicles: The Beginning of the End

Chapter 18

Tobias of the Shadow Nation

For the past few hours Tobias, Silver and Shadow Star climbed up to the entrance of the cave system that was closed up so long ago by their ancestors. Tobias noticed that as the cave system inclined further and further up the appearance of the stone changed, Tobias noticed that some of the stone was cracked and growing moss on it and in between those crack he could barely see Silverfish scuttling around inside the blocks and eventually they reached the entrance. It wasn't what Tobias was expecting, he expected to see a blue sky and white clouds out a large hole in the land but instead the entrance was filled with sand and gravel that clearly collapse inwards long ago. Shadow Star took out a shovel and started digging but eventually he stopped and pulled out a torch.

"This is it, the moment of truth." Shadow Star said and placed the torch under the sand causing it to break and make an opening in the cave. Sunlight streamed in and and Tobias closed his eyes for a tick but when he opened them he couldn't believe what he saw. Stretching out for chunks on end was sand dunes, and Cacti dotting the desert around them and over the horizon he could see the silhouette of mountains and trees that stood out like diamonds in a cave in comparison to the red sky as the sun was dipping just below the horizon as it set and above in the slowly darkening sky were pistene white clouds that looked like Iron ingots glowing in the light of a torch or lava. Tobias stepped out of the cave and looked to the East and saw the silver moon starting to peak over the horizon but something was off. In all the maps he'd studied and book he'd read of the Far Lands suggested that the moon would be blocked by huge Jungle trees and the high up villages of the Forest Nation but he didn't see any Jungle trees or even houses or even the silhouette of Forest Nation Citizens.

"Shadow Star? Where are all the Jungle Trees?" Silver asked clearly noticing the absence of the huge trees as well. Shadow Star turned and look at where Silver was pointing and looked confused and worried.

"I don't know, maybe we just can't see them yet?" Shadow Star asked and started walking in the direction of where the Forest Nation should be and Tobias and Silver followed but after walking for a few minutes they still couldn't see the trees which would have been able to be seen clearly by now. Shadow Star broke into a sprint and Tobias and Silver followed. The sand soon turned to grass and then charred ground Tobias looked at the dirt below his feet and saw that it was covered in ash as if a forest fire got out of control. But that should be impossible, the Jungle Nation never even used fire. Tobias though and then a dark thought entered his head, he pushed it away but saw that Silver and Shadow Star were thinking the same thing he was. Was the Forest Nation destroyed? Tobias wondered and then something creaked under his feet. He looked down and saw a large plank of jungle wood charred, burned, cracked and splintered. Tobias picked it up and brushed the ash off it, it wasn't just a wood plank, it was a sign that read 'to the north' in bold letters.

"Guys I found something!" He yelled and Shadow Star and Silver rushed over. Tobias turned the sign around so they could read it.

"'To the North'? What could that mean?" Shadow Star asked.

"Maybe the trees caught fire and they had to evacuate and left this in case a warrior came back from a trip and knew where to go?" Tobias asked setting the sign down on the ground again. Shadow Star nodded and turned South.

"Then I guess we go North." He said and Tobias smirked.

"Shadow Star, North is that way." He said pointing the opposite direction Shadow Star was looking. Shadow Star turned and blushed realising that he was looking the wrong way and Silver laughed next to him.

"It's okay, we all get a little turned around after a while. Tobias looked up and saw hundreds of Stars twinkling above him.

"Guys, Look!" Tobias said pointing up. Silver gasped as she too saw the stars.

"Wow, I never thought that's what stars looked like." Silver said reaching up as if to touch one. It seemed as if the whole world went quiet, is if they were trapped in time the world forever unmoving as the glittering stars hovered over them.

"I've never seen anything like this before." Tobias said staring up at the sky.

"The descriptions in the books don't do justice to was this place actually looks like." Shadow Star said admiring the stars above them. Then suddenly the Elemental crystal attached to the necklace around his neck started glowing bright white as if it were alive.

"What's that?" Silver asked pointing at the crystal. Shadow Star looked down at it.

"The Elemental had awakened." Shadow Star answered.

"The Elemental?" Tobias and Silver asked at the same time.

"The Elemental, a person who is able to harness all the Elements at once and every Nation had been waiting for him or her to rise for them to become a leader of all the Nations." Shadow Star explained.

"And what's that for?" Tobias asked.

"This is for the Elemental to use and help her harness the power of the shadows." Shadow Star answered.

"And this crystal glowing is telling me that the Elemental has awakened." Shadow Star said he then whispered something and a beam of light shot out of the crystal to the North.

"Woah! What's it doing?" Silver asked.

"It's leading us." Shadow Star answered and then he started walking north following the beam of light.

"To what?" Silver asked.

"The Elemental, all leaders are taught about this and all the Elemental Crystals with flock to the Elemental when he or she awakens." Shadow Star answered.