Zanto's joyful chirping abruptly ceased into a series of surprised yelps as a coarse net fell over him, trapping him within a tangled web. Panicked, he flapped his wings wildly, but this only tightened the net, entangling him further.
"Hey! Let me go!" he cried out, his small voice barely audible above the rustling of the wind. "This is kidnapping! I'm going to report you!"
Three goblins emerged from behind the trees, their ugly faces contorted into triumphant grins. They were small and scrawny, their green skin adorned with scars and crude tattoos. Each wielded a rusty spear, and their eyes gleamed at the sight of the trapped little dragon.
"Look what we caught, Grok!" one of the goblins, who wore a stolen feathered cap, chuckled. "A little dragon! I'm sure the chieftain will be pleased with this one."
"We could sell it to the mages at the Aetherium Tower!" another goblin, who was missing teeth, grinned. "They'd pay a fortune for a magical creature like this."
"Or we could eat it!" the third goblin, who had a bulging belly, said hopefully. "I haven't had dragon meat in ages."
Zanto shuddered at the thought. "Okay, that's it," he muttered. Memories of his life as Zanto, the city planner, suddenly flooded his mind. He remembered his love for problem-solving, his knack for thinking outside the box. "I'm not going to let a bunch of smelly goblins get the better of me," he thought.
He focused his mind, trying to recall how he had manipulated Aether in his previous life. He felt a faint energy pulsing within him, the same power that had allowed him to fly and conjure up delicious berries. He channeled that energy into his wings, trying to generate enough heat to burn through the net.
However, nothing happened. His wings just fluttered weakly, and the net remained intact. Zanto sighed in frustration. "Okay, maybe I haven't quite mastered this yet," he thought.
Meanwhile, in the Stone Forest, Kyro continued his journey, his heavy footsteps echoing among the towering trees. He had been walking for hours, and his stone feet were beginning to feel heavy. But he did not give up. He felt a strong pull, a calling to head in an unknown direction, and he knew that he had to follow it.
As he walked, he pondered the memories of his previous life. He remembered being Kyro, a philosopher who spent his days contemplating the mysteries of the universe. He remembered his love for wisdom, his passion for understanding the world around him.
"What does it all mean?" he murmured to himself. "Why was I reborn as a golem? Why do I feel this calling?"
He had no answers, but he knew that he had to keep searching. He knew that there was something important waiting for him, something that would explain everything.
Suddenly, he sensed a disturbance in the Aether, a powerful ripple of magical energy. He stopped in his tracks, his burning eyes narrowing.
"Something's happening," he murmured. "Something bad."
He followed the source of the disturbance, his heavy footsteps leading him deeper into the forest. He soon arrived at a clearing where a group of goblins were surrounding a small dragon trapped in a net.
Kyro observed the scene with a stoic expression. He did not know who the little dragon was, but he knew that he had to help him. He could not simply stand by and watch as the goblins harmed him.
"Let him go!" Kyro roared, his voice echoing among the trees like thunder.
The goblins turned around in surprise, their faces shifting from grins to looks of terror. They had never seen anything like Kyro before. His towering form, his burning eyes, and his booming voice froze them in fear.
"What... what is that?" the feathered-cap goblin stammered, his eyes widening in fright.
"I don't know, but I don't like the looks of it," the toothless goblin replied, trembling.
"Run!" the fat goblin shrieked. They dropped the net and scattered in different directions, howling in terror.
Kyro approached the trapped dragon and carefully tore through the net with his stone hands. The little dragon fell to the ground, gasping for air.
"Are you alright?" Kyro asked, his voice gentle despite its booming quality.
Zanto stared up at Kyro in awe. He had never seen anything like him before. His body made of stone, his burning eyes, and his booming voice filled him with a sense of both wonder and fear.
"You... you saved me!" he exclaimed. "Thank you!"
"It was the right thing to do," Kyro replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm Zanto," the little dragon said. "And who are you?"
"I am Kyro," the golem replied.
Zanto and Kyro stared at each other, sensing a deep connection between them. They knew that they were destined to meet, and they knew that their fates were intertwined.
Kyro sensed something strange about this little dragon. There was a sense of familiarity, an echo from a distant past. He couldn't place it, but he knew that he had met this creature before, somewhere, sometime.
Zanto felt the same way. He felt drawn to the stone golem, as if he had known him his entire life. He felt safe and comfortable in his presence, despite his intimidating appearance.
"Where are you going?" Zanto asked.
"I do not know," Kyro replied. "I simply feel a pull, a calling to head in an unknown direction."
"Me too!" Zanto exclaimed. "Maybe we're meant to go together."
Kyro considered this for a moment. He had never been one to believe in fate, but he could not deny the connection that he felt with this little dragon. Perhaps they were indeed destined to meet. Perhaps they could indeed help each other.
"Perhaps you are right," he said finally. "Perhaps we can help each other."
"Great!" Zanto said excitedly. "Let's go on an adventure!"
And with that, Zanto and Kyro set off, two disparate yet connected souls, walking together towards their destiny. They did not know what lay ahead of them, but they knew that they would face it together. As they walked, Zanto couldn't help but wonder why he felt so connected to this stone golem. Who was he, really? And why did he feel echoes of the past whenever he gazed into his burning eyes? Only time would tell the answers to those questions.