At the peak of Mount Vyl, a serene sight awaited anyone who dared reach it. Rivers wound around the forest that stretched for as far as the eye could see. Beast roars and flying flocks of birds in the sky. It was a peak no one had ever set foot on. No one was willing at least.
Few dared to venture this deep. Once stranded here, survival was a little more than a fragile illusion. Even veteran hunters never came this deep. Yet driven by his stubborn desperation, he had wandered further than it was recommended.
It was already past one week since he lost his way in these woods and every passing second was a moment of uncertainty of the inevitable end he was bound to meet.
He had already lost his sense of direction and there was no telling whether he was going ahead or even going deeper into the forest grasp.
Still, he forced himself onwards. His stomach rumbled painfully as he clenched his teeth. The trees towered above him, so tall that he could not climb them with his bare hands. Not that they had fruits anyways, was his consolation.
But there was no denying the safety that would come with being on top of the trees. The beasts were known to kill humans with their first encounter. How long his luck was going to last was unknown to him. Maybe he would die from hunger rather than a beast attack.
A dry chuckle left his lips. How long had it been since he turned twelve and those changes happened to him? Three months at least. He chuckled as he thought of how he was excited about this fact. It meant leaving behind his label of a commoner, becoming someone.
The Awakening as many called it. It usually happened at the age of twelve and those who were unable to awaken would only continue to live as commoners. He was lucky to have awakened when his parents were both commoners.
Little did he know what he was getting himself into. Now he was walking on sharp daggers his life at stake. How fate loved to play games. He was unlucky to have fallen victim to its mechanizations. It was the third or maybe fourth month now and he was still in the early stages.
He could only slightly sense the nature energy they called Elyria, let alone use it. His stomach growled again and he swallowed hard. If he was able to use Elyria, he could be able to somewhat replenish himself slightly and last a few more days if he was not attacked by a beast.
His stomach growled again as he fell on his knees. His white hair that fell on his eyes dripping further down. Slowly, he raised his head towards the sky. His eyes were a dark grey but they appeared to have lost any form of light they usually carried. The only thing visible was his despair.
He wanted to roar at the sky but he recalled his situation and he shut up as he clenched his fist. This was certainly not going to be how he died! He had so much he wanted to accomplish to die here. The thought of him dying filled him with despair.
He recalled his mother's smile as she sent him off and giving him his late father's short sword. The sword was strapped on his back in a leather scabbard. That was his father's treasured sword. A father he had no memory of.
He clenched his fist as he rose up unsteadily as he nudged himself forward. This was not the end! As long as he was still breathing, there was hope. He took slow steps as he walked into the unknown. His hair fell back in place shadowing his eyes once more.
It felt as if invisible weights had been shackled to his feet. A single step forward drained him further. His head drooped barely held up by his neck until he felt his vision blurred completely. He stumbled and fell face first. A dull thud echoed through his skull.
"So, this was it."
He could hear its voice calling him; death was finally here for him. He wanted to chuckle but he could not even raise his head. Wait! Was he even breathing? Again, he heard the voice calling unto him. He could hear it calling him once again. No warmth, no urgency. It simply spoke his name.
"Lyren!"
His neck jerked sharply and there she was. Standing at the threshold of a door, tears streaming down her face. He could not make out who she was but that voice was all too familiar to him.
"Mom…" he whispered.
He started running towards her. A strong wind surged towards him blowing his hair further back. A faint light returning to his eyes.
"Mom!"
He shouted as he ran desperately but the closer he got the further she drifted away. The faster he ran, the slower the world seemed to respond. He reached out to her but all seemed to vanish. Tears fell from his eyes as he watched her disappear and his world was surrounded by darkness.
His tears streamed freely now. Whether torn out by the wind or born from the grief no longer mattered. His throat convulsed as a roar tore free, raw, broken and defiant.
How he stood up was a mystery to even himself but he was also roaring at the heavens in real life. His fists clenched and his knees slightly bent with his back hunched forward. He started running without second thoughts his direction unknown.
There was no way he was going down that easily. Without looking at his eyes, one would think that he was running amok but there was a hidden clarity that was not there before. He did not even notice his wobbling legs as he ran.
"Not yet! I can feel it… I must reach it… its close…"
These thoughts recurred in his mind as he crushed into a five meters wide tree. Its height incomprehensible. With his weak state, such a collision was the only ticket he needed to get to the after-life...