Ruveneska, Chapter 9: Enchanting Legend by Darro

Shuren left Rollan’s tent in complete shock. Though he was unsure about undertaking Lord Zelzor’s training, Shuren was completely sure about protecting those innocent. He decided to keep it confidential. Neither Karoline nor Lloyd would find out about this, until it was to happen.

Shuren trotted along the dirt path until he reached his own tent. He placed his scimitar inside the tent. Then he went searching for Lloyd. Though Lloyd was his target, he encountered Karoline first. Shuren could tell that she was soon going to make a remark about Shuren but he stopped her before she began. Karoline questioned in confusion. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked puzzled.

“If I go to see Lord Zelzor, will you come with me?” Shuren asked hesitantly, without answering her question.

“Well of course,” Karoline answered reassured. “But after all of this, you will owe me a favor,” Karoline commented.

“It’s only fair, what is it?” Shuren asked curiously. Shuren looked at her for a moment, beginning to think that it was going to be something that he was incapable of.

“When this is all over, you will know,” said Karoline very slyly. She walked away leaving Shuren stunned by Karoline’s charm.

Shuren continued searching for Lloyd. He was nowhere to be found. Shuren walked around asking any nearby Grundell in the village, that he could about Lloyd’s location. Shuren spotted Saron packing some bags. He walked toward her anxiously.

“Excuse me Miss Saron?” said Shuren.

“Oh please do not call me ‘Miss.’ Saron is fine, young master,” Saron said respectively.

“Please call me Shuren,” Shuren said back. “Have you any idea where Lloyd went? I can’t seem to find him.” Shuren peered at what she packed and wondered if she was a part of the group hiking to Zelzor’s Mountain.

“Oh yes, I am sure that he mentioned the forest,” she said smiling as she dropped her bags.

“Why are you leaving your bags?” Shuren asked as he began to pick them up for her.

“Oh, I was just bringing them back to me hut,” she began. Shuren handed her the bags and he carried a few himself. “I’ve decided that I’m not going anymore.”

Shuren was startled. “Why are you not going?” asked Shuren as Saron led her way back to the hut.

She stopped walking and turned to look at Shuren. She took a deep breath and sighed. “Well, I’m afraid that old age has that effect on people. You lose strength in your bones, and your hearing and eyesight erode. I’m sorry to say, but I can’t handle the hike.”

Shuren frowned. Soon a question came to thought. They continued walking and Shuren decided to ask the question. “Saron, did you know my parents?”

Saron said nothing for a few moments. They reached a small wooden hut. They walked inside and placed the bags gently on the floor. In the center of the room there was a big gray rug. To the back corner of the room was a mattress. Completely opposite of that corner was a bookcase filled with half burnt books. Along the wall were baskets of clothing, many of the same elderly style. She turned and looked Shuren deeply. Shuren began to feel uncomfortable as she stared at him. “Hmm, yes Shuren I did.”

An unexpected joy filled Shuren. “What were they like?” Shuren asked, trying not to be too hopeful.

“Well, I can say that they were one of the few happy couples I the village,” She said with a smirk. She took a seat in a wooden chair and began to go into thought.

“Were they really?” Shuren asked as he took a seat across from Saron.

She smiled. “Yes they were, your father he was a great warrior indeed. During the war, he came back home when he heard the news that you had been born,” Saron explained.

Shuren was fascinated by her story. All of his life, he wondered about his parents. “Wow, was he really that great?”

Saron nodded her head with enthusiasm. “Yes he was. He was a General in fact.”

“What about my mother? What was she like?” asked Shuren hoping to get a similar answer as his father.

“Your mother was a beautiful woman. All the men were envious of your father,” Saron said as she giggled. “In fact, I was the one who taught her how to cook and sew, quick learner she was.”

Shuren could not help but smile. Though, somehow, deep down, this all seemed too farfetched. The way Saron described his parents, they seemed flawless. Shuren stood up. “Thank you Saron, now I know at least something about my family. I think I’m going to search for Lloyd now.”

Saron said, “Yes of course. When you get back from your journey, I have loads of stories to tell you Shuren. Until then, I bid you farewell.”

“Thank you greatly,” Shuren said. He walked across the soft rug and out of her hut. He saw that more people were out in the village now. Many of them were hauling equipment out from the festival the day before. Shuren zigzagged his way through the people to reach the perimeter of the village. He walked out and into the forest.

Shuren reached the mouth of the forest. He trudged into the thick forest immediately began calling for Lloyd. There was no reply from the calls. Shuren sustained calling out. Each call got louder and longer, but there was still no reply. Shuren began to get worried. “What if something happened to him?” Shuren thought to himself paranoid. He tried to shake the feeling off, but fear kept creeping back. Shuren called out louder, and began sprinting through the forest. Something caused Shuren to halt. Shuren glared at an arrow lying on the floor west of him. He walked over timidly. He recognized it; it was indeed Lloyd’s arrow. Shuren was now regretting not being armed. Further past the arrow were more arrows. Shuren continued along the path picking up the arrows along the way. Suddenly, Shuren heard a shriek behind a tree. Shuren investigated it to find Lloyd tied up. Shuren, relieved to see Lloyd alive, untied Lloyd rapidly.

“What happened?” Shuren questioned. Shuren moved his fingers through the knots and loosened up the rope.

“There were two ingles lurking our forest! I tried to stop them, but they overpowered me,” Lloyd explained. “We must stop them from getting to the village!”

“Shuren!” a familiar voice rang from behind bushes. There was a rustle behind him.

Shuren turned to see two familiar faces. One had a gruff face and razor sharp ears, and the other had a soft gentle but deadly face. “Ajek, Rojan! What are you guys doing here?”

“We were hunting and encountered this here fellow; he sort of looked like you so we asked him if he knew you. Out of nowhere, he starts shooting arrows at us! So, we roughen him up a bit and tie him to a tree,” explained Ajek, with Rojan advocating.

“What were you two doing hunting all the way over here?” Shuren asked as he helped Lloyd off of the ground.

“Morphin sent us and a few other groups to scout for a new location for the rebellion. We realized that the biggest forest in Oryk would be a great place, so we came here,” Rojan explained slowly. “What are you doing here?”

Shuren laughed for he was not expecting the same question. “Visiting my long lost village,” Shuren joked

Lloyd looked at the two of them in confusion. Shuren could see that Lloyd was beginning to wonder who these people were.

“Oh . . . Well anyway, Lloyd this is Ajek and Rojan, they’re apart of the rebellion that Karoline is in,” Shuren said to Lloyd. Ajek nodded along with Rojan.

“My greatest apologies to you two,” Lloyd said with grief. He took a glance at Shuren and turned back to the pair. “You are fine warriors, would you mind escorting Master Shuren to a designated place?”

“Whoa, please don’t call me that Lloyd, I’m no master,” Shuren said once again.

“Exactly what are you talking about?” Rojan asked baffled. He crossed his arms, awaiting an explanation.

Lloyd explained what Shuren, along with Lloyd, recently discovered. They continued the conversation while walking back to the village. The pair accepted the quest with eagerness.

The path they walked along did not seem the least bit familiar to Shuren. Shuren soon declared them lost. Lloyd misled the group that he knew where he was going. Shuren were getting deeper into the thick woods until Shuren observed a broken bush alongside a footprint. He soon realized that those were prints of Shuren. They continued to follow these footprints like a trail of bread crumbs and they managed to scurry out of the forest. Soon, they reached the village only to discover a group of fairly strong looking Grundells, led by Rollan. Shuren gazed at the diversity of the group, manly Grundells; there were two Ingles and one Gippy. Shuren pondered in confusion. He then came to the conclusion that they were ready to escort him to Lord Zelzor’s mountain.

“Shuren Willans, we are to escort you the sacred mountains of the Zelzes,” Rollan announced. The group was basically everyone from the tournament; Linkouz, Strata, Wresta, Zeal, and Nina, but Karoline was not there with them.

Shuren thought for moment, trying to arrange what he was going to say. “Please, do not treat me like royalty. I am no king. You are not escorting me; we are journeying to the mountain.” Shuren pleaded. “I would rather us leave in the morning, I must take care of a few things.” At that statement, everyone left the group. Shuren also took his leave with Lloyd.

Shuren and Lloyd walked about the village. Shuren, many times, questioned the Grundell life. Answers alone were not enough to satisfy Shuren. He wanted to experience it. He wanted to enjoy life for the first time. That, something everyone understood, was never to be. Shuren envied Lloyd greatly.

* * *

Shuren packed the last of his remains. Though Shuren woke up rather early that morning, he was the last to finish packing. The very thought of not being able to spend time with his kind irritated him. For once in his life, he felt in place. Though he knew it would not last very long. Shuren lifted his backpack off of the ground and placed it around his shoulders. He walked on to join the group ready to take their leaves. Shuren saw Ajek and Rojan and noticed they did not posses any luggage. He walked up to the pair and asked them why.

“We have nothing to lose, that is your worst kind of enemy,” Rojan said. Ajek nodded and continued along with them. Shuren spotted Karoline in the distance, she was walking towards them. She saw Ajek and Rojan and made a puzzled face.

“What are you two doing here?” Karoline asked Ajek and Rojan as she approached them.

“Morphin wanted us to find a new campsite, we came to look over here and stumbled into Shuren and Lloyd,” they explained. “Now we are going to escort ‘Young Master Shuren.’” Karoline said nothing and walked away, obviously irritated.

Shuren did not complain. Shuren and Lloyd agreed to meet everyone at the northern gate of the village. They began to walk around, saying goodbyes to nearly everyone. Shuren even said goodbye to those he did not even know. Many of them gave farewell presents, such as food, clothing, even money. Within an hour, the two of them met the group at the gate, ready for departure. “This is it,” Shuren thought to himself. “Wow, what did I get myself into? First I try to save Rollan, now I have to save the world?” Shuren was overwhelmed by the thought of this. “After all of this, I may end up dying . . .” Shuren was nor paranoid. “But then again, they say that if I don’t help, so will a lot of innocent people, I couldn’t live with myself knowing that I could have stopped it. ’Those who have the power to make something right, have the responsibility to make something right,’ I read somewhere. I have to do this.” He shook off the feeling and began to walk.

The group broke the barrier of the village. They continued walking in the Dead Forest up north. The walk to the mountain would take the group a couple of days if they were moving at a steady pace. After the first hour of walking, Shuren was exhausted. He, of all people, carried the biggest load of equipment. Linkouz noticed this and offered Shuren a helping hand, though Shuren, did not accept. The extraordinary heat was not helping him either. Though he did realize that he carried the weight of the world; the weight of equipment should not have to be a problem to him. Shuren continued to push himself harder. He was struggling to keep up with the group, but he did not give up.

Karoline followed behind Shuren, questioning herself as to why Shuren was so foolish. “He knows that he needs help, why won’t he accept it?” Lloyd took a notice to her worrying.

“Do not worry about Shuren,” Lloyd said, “he is only trying to prove something.”

“What? I’m not worried about him, he’s just acting foolish, and there’s nothing to prove anyway,” Karoline said, seeming to secret her real thoughts.

“Not to us there is, but to him. He is proving something to himself. It is a matter of will power,” Lloyd explained. “He needs to know that he can make the journey to begin it all. How can you win a war if you don’t make it to battle?” Lloyd explained to her. Karoline was left silent.

The day had fallen into a misty night. A crescent moon rested above their heads, casting a faint shadow. Shuren was ready to collapse at this time. Rollan could see this and ordered everyone to set up camp. Shuren, refusing to give up, lifted himself up off of the ground, and began to set up his camp incredibly fast. Soon, there was a fire, spreading warmth around, food being cooked (by Lloyd), and tents set up. Shuren was sore from pushing himself so much, and Karoline was irritated from seeing Shuren pushing himself.

Other than the sound of fire crackling at wood, and bugs chirping, the group was relatively quiet. Everyone was reluctant to start a conversation, accept Ajek. “Why couldn’t we have ridden Paleps?” he asked.

“It would have been too noticeable, and Ingles might be able to follow their tracks,” answered Nina. “Also, it would have been too much to feed. “ Lloyd took a metal stick and stirred the pot hanging by a hearth.

“Would anyone like to hear a story?” asked Strata. Many people were now listening to Strata. Many replied ‘Yes’.

Shuren did not say anything, but deep down, he wanted to hear. “What is it about what?”

“The Prophecy,” said Strata in return. Everyone was now quiet and listening. “Many have the documentation of ‘The Prophecy’, but it is better explained verbally.



“A single Gippy will rise to battle an army

Others will rise to aid him

Secrets will be revealed

The student will surpass the teacher

He will unite those once enemies

In the end, a Gippy with no matter. . .

Will become a Grundell with Great Duties.”



Shuren was in a condition worse than shock, he was traumatized. The Prophecy explained his whole life in sentences. “How old is this prophecy?”

“Too long for us to know,” Linkouz simply answered.

“Can someone please explain this whole Zelzor and Garland thing?” Shuren asked exasperated.

“Many years ago, on this planet, there were no Ingles, Zelzes or Dragons. Now you may not have heard of Zelzes because you were raised in a Gippy village,” Strata explained to Shuren. “A man was created, almost as powerful as a god, Ingolor.”

This name sent a chill down Shuren’s spine it was enough to make Shuren cower.

“He was supposed to take care of this planet. To help him, he created his own kind, known as the Ingles. The Ingles had powers of a necromancer, meaning they had the power to control the dead.

“At first, things were orderly, but not for long. Ingolor grew hungry with his power. He turned other races into slaves, including the Grundells. The Gippies, on the other hand, took the side of Ingolor. Everyone else was either a slave, or a grave. This flaw was seen. Somewhere, as if from the skies above, Lord Zelzor was created, and with one thing Ingolor had not; care.

“Zelzor was to get rid of Ingolor and all the evil in Oryk. He knew his duty, and created his own kind, the Zelzes. Along with the Zelzes, he created the Dragons for them to ride. The Zelzes were mystical creatures. They were very powerful indeed. They had the ability to tame any dragon, any, but the Red Demon Dragon. This special dragon was only tamable by Zelzor himself. Many have heard the tale of a flaming red Dragon seemed to be ridden by a god.

“The Ingles were detested by this. Ingolor was furious, so he declared war. We Grundells took the side of Zelzor. The war was intense with bloodshed and betrayal. Nearly all of the Zelzes were wiped out along with the Dragons. Zelzor knew that the only way to end the war was to face Ingolor head on. They fought each other brutally. The world shook under their powers. It was like a battle of two gods. Craters grew with each punch, tidal waves hit with each thrust, and mountains disintegrated with each spell. There was one last option for Ingolor; he cast the ultimate darkness spell, Vezborola. Zelzor had the perfect counter to this spell, Ruveneska! Ruveneska swallowed the energy of Vezborola and hit Ingolor directly. It has been said that Ingolor’s last words were, ‘I will come back with full force!’

“Zelzor has been alive this entire time. He has been hiding along with his Zelzes and Dragons. Many believe that Zelzes are just a myth, but we know the truth.”

Shuren was astonished. “Ruveneska, that is an amazing tale,” Shuren thought to himself. He simply could not believe that he was supposed to go through all of that.

“So Shuren, do you understand what you posses now?” Lloyd asked him blankly.

Karoline did not seem to care whether or not Shuren was this important. She almost seemed to have known all along that Shuren was this supposed incredible person. Still, Karoline had no intentions of treating or thinking of Shuren any different than she has been.

The aftershock lasted quite a while. It was another hour until Wresta fell asleep. Then Zeal did so. Lloyd was the last person to fall asleep before Shuren. He felt that he should be using his spare time to train. He nearly got up and began jogging, though before he decided to, he fell asleep.

The next morning Shuren was even sorer yesterday. Rollan gave the group a few more breaks, hoping to get Shuren time to rest. Shuren, persistent as ever, neglected to rest. When they sat down, Karoline nearly had to kick Shuren’s legs to make him fall. Shuren, as stubborn as ever, refused to. After a few hours of trying to get Shuren to rest, Karoline gave up.

Lloyd stood up from the rock that he was sitting on. He watched as Shuren did pushups on the ground. Soon, he turned his attention to the horizon ahead of them. According to his calculations, they would be able to see the tip of the mountain the next day.

He pulled out his canteen and took a swig of water. He screwed the cap quickly and walked towards Shuren. “Shuren, it’s time to depart.”

Shuren looked up to see who was speaking to him. He saw that it was Lloyd and did not argue. He sat down and took a breather. He used his under shirt to wipe off the sweat dripping down his face. He forced himself off of the ground and picked up the luggage he had been carrying. He wanted to cry when he remembered the weight of the bags.

They once again began to walk. It was well past noon and there was no sign of reaching their destination any time soon. Shuren took a long drink of water and slowly followed Rollan. Rollan, who never seemed to have any worries, just walked with his hands behind his back, not seeming tired the least bit.

After an hour of walking, Shuren’s second shirt was drenched with sweat. He had blisters on his hands and feet. Shuren also had hard time breathing. Things did not seem very well for Shuren. He could not handle his own labor much longer. Just as he was about to faint, Rollan ordered everyone to set up camp. Shuren was relieved.

The next day was even worse for Shuren. Shuren’s legs felt like hell. He collapsed three times. When he collapsed for the third time, past noon, Linkouz insisted on taking the load from Shuren. When Shuren refused to let him, Linkouz lifted Shuren off of the ground and began carrying him. Shuren finally agreed to let Linkouz carry the luggage if he put him down. Ajek and Rojan, on the other hand, had it easy carrying no luggage at all.

Shuren was enlightened by Linkouz’s offer. Shuren felt weightless for the first time in several days. As soon as he dropped the bags, he was full of energy. After only a few minutes of walking, Shuren offered to carry the luggage, though Linkouz just walked away from the question.

In the distance, Lloyd spotted what seemed to be a speck of rock in the prospect. He notified Rollan that it was the Zelzor’s mountain. Reassured that they were not behind schedule, Lloyd was able to walk in peace, though now dusk was approaching, and Rollan notified that it was time to set up camp soon.

Although the sun was barley up, Shuren could already see the moon, and it was full. Shuren recollected all of the past full moons. It was impossible to see so many full moons in such a short time period, and it was more than just a coincidence. Shuren now believed that full moons were bad omens. He was irritated, he knew something was about to happen.

The sun had finally set, and the bright moon was now in charge of providing light to the sky and Oryk below it. Rollan gave the signal for the group to set up camp. Everyone stopped to drop their bags. They began to start setting up until something stopped them.

Suddenly, a giant cloud hovered over the moon, leaving the field dark. Shuren gazed around the field, barley able to see anyone; he began to ask if everyone what is happening, but no one answered. An enormous thunderstorm appeared. A black bolt of lightning struck the ground before them, causing the field to rise with smoke. Shuren wielded his scimitar and warned everyone else to arm themselves. The smoke stopped rising only to reveal three tall slender men dressed black leather coats. The man in front had a sword sheathed on his hip. The one on the left was carrying a double-side sword and the last one was carrying a gigantic axe. Shuren remembered encountering these people at the graveyard while rescuing Rollan.

“Where are we headed?” asked the man in the front, referring to the group.

“None of your business!” shrieked Karoline. She unsheathed her two daggers from her back and put herself in a defensive position. She glared at the men with detest.

“No need to be rude, traitor!” said the man on the left. He tried to dash towards her, but the man in the front stopped him, almost apprehensively. He put his hand on the pommel of his sword.

“I’ll take care of it,” the man on the right said, lifting his axe and placing it on his shoulder.

“Who are they?” asked Lloyd nervously. Shuren could see that the grip on his bow was loose.

“I don’t know, but they’re strong,” Shuren warned. He took a deep breath, for he knew that this was not going to be an easy battle.

The man rammed through Nina and Zeal, and went straight after Shuren. Shuren readied himself and blocked a downward strike from his axe. Shuren backed up and got in an offensive position. The man smiled, he sprinted toward Shuren’s left, and then quickly shifted to his right, giving him an opening. Shuren was ready though, he dodged it. Out of his peripheral vision, Shuren saw a fist coming towards his cheek; he couldn’t do anything to stop it. Shuren was sent hurtling on the ground by one jab. Karoline saw an opening and tried to strike, but before her foot even lifted off the ground, she was also sent hurtling on the ground.

“Weaklings,” the man spat. “Are you sure that he is the one? He was awfully easy to defeat.” It took Shuren a few moments to realize that they were talking about him.

“Yes he is, he is carrying the blade,” the first man said tranquilly. It was very clear that the first man was in charge.

“It wouldn’t hurt to kill him, well to him it might,” joked the other man.

Shuren was lifted off the ground by the man. Ajek and Rojan charged at the man, but it was futile, they were injured and on the floor on pain. Shuren did not even notice that Linkouz, Strata, Rollan, Zeal and Lloyd were being held as hostages.

“If you want your friends to live, come with us, drop your weapon,” the first man said.

Shuren was in no position to argue. He reluctantly dropped his scimitar with a loud clang.

“Good,” the first man said. Though his hood covered his face, Shuren could tell he was smiling malevolently.

Shuren saw Rojan twitch, he knew what was about to happen. Rojan forced himself out of the man’s control. He knocked the man down and helped everyone else get free. The distraction gave Shuren a chance to break free. Shuren jolted out of the man’s clutches and onto the floor. He picked up his scimitar quickly and dashed forward getting out of his reach. Now, everyone was free and conscious.

“I see you will not go the easy way,” smirked the first man. He raised his arms and summoned a bunch of zombies. Lloyd attacked the man with the axe first. Karoline was left with the man with a double sword, and Shuren was challenged by the first man. The others were stuck fighting the sea of zombies.

Shuren could see that Karoline and Lloyd was no match for the men in black. Shuren also had little chance of winning. The man unsheathed his sword revealing a viscous sharp sword. The blade was rigid and razor sharp. He made a gesture with his hand, Shuren could he was being mocked. He made a quick movement and before Shuren could react, he was knocked back onto the ground. Shuren jolted off the ground and tried to counterattack but failed. The man took his blade and swiped it against Shuren’s chest leaving a bloody gash. Shuren cried in pain as he collapsed on the man. The man grabbed Shuren’s neck severely choking him. Shuren tried to slash the man with his blade, but his arm ceased to move.

“Pathetic,” the man commented. He tightened his grip, causing Shuren to choke in his face. The man punched Shuren in the gut for spitting on his face. Shuren began to pay attention to what was happening to around him. The Sleepwalkers were being fought off easily, but they kept coming. Rollan destroyed the zombies a lot at a time with only one spell. Karoline was losing the fight along with Lloyd.

Shuren felt a sudden burst of energy. He threw himself off of the man. Adrenaline was pumping through his blood. He slashed at the man who barley dodged it. Shuren continued to throw swings at the man and managed to give him a few cuts. The man was very confused and surprised, but this was not enough to take him down. He began to use his blade for combat and Shuren’s moment in battle was over. With his sword, he could block the blows and counter, but his counters were in vain. Shuren easily blocked his strikes along with ones of his own. This was a battle simply of who could strike the most first. Shuren was beginning to get tired, and his rampage soon began to slow down. The man saw this flaw and gave a gigantic blow to his stomach from his knee. Shuren was on the ground clutching his stomach. The sounds of battling were muted, and Shuren began to feel deaf. There was no sound.

Suddenly, Shuren heard one sound, the sound of a dragon roar. Shuren looked up with the man facing the point of his blade towards Shuren. The man also heard the roar; they both looked up at the sky to see a massive sapphire colored dragon circling above them. It soared down toward the battle and caught the man off guard. The man was sent flying backward into a pile of zombies. The dragon landed before Shuren, with a Zelze on top on it. The Zelze looked as mystical as they were described. Pointy ears, elfish face, and dragon like features, his appearance enlightened Shuren’s mood.

The man stood himself up. He hollered something at the men, and then another lightning bolt struck the ground. Smoke rose from the ground concealing them, when the smoke cleared up, they were gone, along with the zombies. The giant cloud that covered the moon no longer existed, and the darkness was filled with moonlight.

Shuren stared in amazement trying to comprehend what just happened. The Zelze began to walk toward Shuren, and Shuren couldn’t help but pass out.

* * *

Shuren heard voices, but was unable to make who was talking.

“He is alive . . . right?” asked a voice apprehensively. The voice was a soft unfamiliar feminine voice.

“Yes, he will be fine,” another said. This one was a confident and almost intelligent sounding.

“Oh great, inform me when he awakens,” said the other voice, seeming reassured.

Shuren struggled to open his eyes. He could barely make out what was around him. Sunlight lit the room. He was covered in sheets, and was comfortable for the first time in a while. His chest was covered with bandages. He seemed to be in a room with two giant windows. The walls were white; it seemed more like an enchanted room. As if it was a dream. There was a shelf of what seemed to Shuren to be books. He tried to get up, but pain surged throughout his body. He was now sure it was not a dream.

“Oh sir, you are awake!”

“Where am I?” Shuren asked dryly. His throat was sore. He coughed a few times before he felt a something in front of him.

“Here drink this,” said the person. Shuren still could not see the person clearly, but he was sure it was a female voice. She walked over to a night stand and lifted a cup to Shuren’s mouth. Shuren gracefully drank. It was sweet and smooth, and gave Shuren energy. Shuren could see clearly now and he was wide awake. The pain slowly ceased and Shuren was able to sit up. He could see that he was being treated by a Zelze. Her appearance was similar to the Zelze he saw before; elegant. Other than that, she was exceptionally beautiful. “Your friends are safe and all well, you were the only one who slept this long.”

“How long have I been asleep?” Shuren pondered out loud. He handed the cup back to her.

“About two days,” She answered simply. She turned around and walked back to a stand. She put the cup down and lifted up a pot of what smelled like tea.

“I was asleep for two whole days?!” Shuren exclaimed. Shuren searched through his memory for his last event. He vaguely remembered being punched in the gut, and then saved by a Zelze.

She nodded refilling the cup with more drink. “My name is Artha,” she said smiling.

Shuren looked at her and smiled. It was nice to have a good person take care of him after what‘s happened. “Oh, I’m Shuren-” He began.

“No need, I know exactly who you are,” she replied with a big smile. Her white teeth were a perfect combination to her face.

“What do you mean?” Shuren began to think of how they even knew that the group was coming in the first place.

“You are the one who will stop Garland. You are the one who save us all. You are the Ruven.”

Shuren paused before saying anything. “Where am I?”

“You are at Lord Zelzor’s mountain,” she said.