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If you float with the tide, and let it take you where it wishes, you may find out a great number of things about this world. Just as the rocks have their story, so too does the ocean. It whispers in your ear, reaching out to you, but you turn a dead ear. You do not answer its pleas for company, nor its cry for help. And it is left alone, barren. On the surface, that is.
Luedeth inhaled deeply. The coastal air was infinitely refreshing. She felt something here- a great presence. It was what drew her to the spot. That is, the great ruins that lined the shoreline here. They appeared to be the ruins of a great castle, but they were now charred and broken. Luedeth wished she could have seen the castle in its grand state, but knew it wasn’t meant to be.
‘Humans…they build back what they burn, and burn what they build. It’s saddening, how much destruction they are determined to bring about in their puny lifespans. But I suppose you cannot truly hate them for ignorance that they cannot shed.’
She took a step closer to the heart of the pillared structure. Sand squished around her feet, and Luedeth, who had never been to the beach before, jumped in surprise. The substance looked relatively firm, like it would give some leeway, but not enough to let you sink into it. Yet, when she stepped forward again, her foot sunk into the grainy stuff once more.
‘Curious…’ She knew that it wouldn’t be easy to fight on this “stuff.” If it were looser than dirt, it would fly everywhere if one were to run, and possibly throw one off balance. And her wind…her wind would send it flying in every direction at once. ‘But then again, I could definitely use that to my advantage…' If she got into a fight here, her visibility level could get low.
But at least she had the sea breeze. It made her feel alive, and she felt as if it was alive as well. Turning, she looked out across the vast ocean. It went on for miles, just bluish green waves, churning and churning until they met the sky. With a small smile, Luedeth set out for the heart of the ruins once more, attempting to familiarize herself with the grainy substance at her feet. She passed unmarked pillars of various sizes on her way, and wondered how hard it would be to lift them out of their sandy resting places.
Closer in, however, the pillars began to bear markings. At first they were just symbols, that probably spelled something out in an ancient language, but later there were pictures as well. They were not painted on, but carved into the stone itself- built to last for eons. And, they were unsurprisingly violent. Most of them depicted a man defeating monsters and other creatures with a short spear. And, as she moved closer and closer to the center, the nature of the creatures got fiercer and fiercer. They started off simple enough- a boar or bear, and then moved onto beasts like lions and tigers. After a point, however, the creatures took a more mythical turn. Things like unicorns and even phoenixes dotted the pillars.
‘Who would want to kill a phoenix? Or really, I should say who could kill a phoenix? ’ She supposed it was possible, but phoenixes weren’t normal birds. They were smart and would probably run if engaged in a foolish fight. She began to doubt the dependability of these pillars. The man in these pictures- the king perhaps?- probably never fought a single one of these “beasts.”
Luedeth was almost to the center now. There was just one pillar left in her vicinity to inspect, and to her disappointment, part of it had faded away with the tide of time. The man was still visible, but the creature he was fighting was not. She could just barely make out the outline of something that probably would have been coming out of its back. Wings, perhaps? Then what would that make this? An angel, maybe? No, that was just too farfetched. She could try to bring herself to believe what she saw on the other pillars, but an angel was just too much. Then…a dragon? They were kind of shaped like dragon wings.
‘Huh?’ All too suddenly, the presence she had followed here was closer than ever before. And it was strong- stronger than she had bargained for. Its aura encompassed every inch of her being, overwhelming her to the point where she could barely stand- and it wanted a fight. She was able to accustom herself to it eventually, but she knew this would be no easy battle. 'What have I gotten myself into now…?’ she wondered. But it was too late to run.
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