The choice is made: Ask what needs to be asked
You cannot bring yourself to step into the water. Not while your mind races with the many, many questions pertaining to this situation that you have found yourself in. A faint ripple of color resonates across the surface of the glowing pool as you hesitate to continue. The cavern in which you stand feels as though it lets out a sigh; your hair pushes back for a moment as the air quietly rolls across your body.
"I sense an unease within you, child. Your mind is cluttered by the questions which rattle about within you... I suppose it would be unfair of me, to ask so much of you without granting you the courtesy of asking something of me. But time is not our ally. I can afford to grant you the answers to whichever question rings loudest in your mind. So tell me, child - what is it which you wish to ask?" The voice speaks, remaining soft and polite as before, though now a tone of sympathy also appears to radiate from it. The pool goes still as it goes quiet to patiently await your inquiry. You need not think for long before the words spill from your lips.
"What are you?..." You utter, your voice quiet and cracked from the strain of your unintentional whisper. Yes, of all the questions that there were to ask, that proved to be the one you most desperately sought to know. The identity of this... Entity, that had brought you here and demanded so much of you. The cavern breathes a sigh once more.
"I am a Keeper of the Balance. One of many." The voice utters, the light from the water rippling brighter than before. "I am ancient. A spirit of nature which has existed long before the dawn of life, and one who will continue to exist regardless of whether or not life continues. I exist to help maintain the balance of the world. To assure that calm will always return after calamity has run its course. I exist in every element to be found within the world. I am omnipresent... But I am not omnipotent." The voice explains, revealing to you all of what they are - though their every word only further adds to your confusion and your curiosity. More questions begin to rattle in your mind, though you know that you cannot afford to ask them. There follows another momentary silence, before the water begins to climb out of the pool. The glowing liquid shifts and arches, appearing to make an attempt at taking the shape of arms to welcome you into the pool. Though the shape is so abstract and vague that it was entirely possible that your perception was misguided.
"Come. Our time together is drawing to a close and you have yet to retrieve my blessing. I can do little on my own to fend off the calamity which ransacks the land. Through you, there may be hope in success. Step forth to claim my gift." The voice commands, glowing water slowly creeping higher into the air as a further attempt to usher you forward. Having been given the answer to your question, you finally obey. You step forth, tentatively placing your foot down upon the surface of the glowing water and doing your best to maintain your balance as you slowly let your weight down. To your surprise, the pool is far less deep than you had initially thought. The liquid settles over your food as it finds the bottom of the pool. With a second step you come to stand entirely in the shallow, glowing waters. The light begins to ripple dramatically as soon as your feet settle. The intermingled colors of the pool suddenly begin to separate, quickly rearranging themselves so that a series of clear images can be seen floating in the water.
"As you can see, I have many gifts to offer. But you can only accept one. Make your choice carefully, as you will not have time to second guess. When you have decided, step forth to stand upon gift you seek to claim." The voice instructs, now giving you the chance to make your choice. Many images float upon the water before you, each of them but a footstep away from your place in the pool. The gifts offered to you appear to be a Bow, a Sword, a Mace, and a Staff. All of which appear to be in pristine condition, with a faint glow radiating off of them. A glow which is entirely independent of the glowing water surrounding them. All of these items appear to be some sort of weapon. However, none of these items are things in which you have any personal familiarity. Whatever choice you make now, difficult as it may be, it feels as though it will be entirely blind.
From this array of unfamiliar tools, which of them will you pick?
The choice is made: You pick the Staff
With so little time to ponder over your given options, you make your choice on impulse. For whatever reason, it is the Staff which catches your eye above all else. Perhaps because of all the items offered, it appears to be the least threatening. Perhaps because some subconscious part of you can sense that the otherwise simplistic object hold far more potential than initially let on. Either way, with the choice made you do as you had been instructed. One footstep brings you into contact with the floating image of the staff. The seconds lets you stand entirely upon it. As soon as you make contact with your choice, the other images fade away.
The glow radiating from the image of the staff grows stronger. The light begins to climb upon your skin as the voice releases a soft hum of approval. Despite the glow which rapidly envelops your body, you feel no fear. A strange warmth settles into you where the light touches. Every passing second sends jolts through the back of your mind. Suddenly, you feel as though the staff is no stranger to you at all. Though you have never wielded one in the traditional sense, it is suddenly as though your body and soul have been bestowed some level of intimacy with the weapon.
"A fine choice, child." The voice calls out, the light in which its body appears to be composed off continuing to climb along your body. "Our time together is drawing to a close. So listen closely. This gift that I have given you is the gift of magic. Magic ever flowing and ever present in all which exists. I have reached into you and I have awakened powers long dormant. The staff which I have given you will be your catalyst - it will amplify your abilities and bring them to light. Through it you you will hone your power. Through it you will find means of increasing your prowess as you carry out your journey." They explain, the light now having crawled high enough along your body to wash over your neck. Still, you know no fear. Visions bein to flicker within your mind as you listen to the words that the voice utter. Visions of flowing water and tall, flowering trees. Of a travel pack settled upon a large, flat stone. Of the staff lying in wait upon the ground.
"Heed my instructions well. You will find the staff between two flowering trees growing besides the river which flows past your home. Alongside it you will find a secondary gift of supplies which we have concluded you will need to carry out your journey. The staff will obey only you. No force in existence can destroy it. Put your faith in it, and it will guide you. When the staff flashes with my glow, know that it means to lead you to a new source of magic." The voice continues, the light now creeping over your face. For a few seconds all that you can see is the radiant glow which has enveloped you. All that you can feel is the warmth of the light.
"I have given your mind and body familiarity with the staff. You are now a Mage." The voice utters as the light begins to melt away from your body. The glowing water begins to fade away as the darkness sets in, signaling that your peculiar encounter has reached its final moments.
"I leave you now, child, with this final warning. Beware the Scarlet Boars and feast not upon the flesh of the Flaming Pigs." The final words rumble through your mind as the darkness settles in entirely. The light fades away and the voice goes deathly silent, leaving you alone with all which had been told to you. With ominous messages and new knowledge far beyond anything that you had ever experienced in life. You know not what will come next. However, there is a sense of imminent doom settling into the depths of your mind.
Abruptly you wake. You jolt upwards in your bed and peer around the room, panic having set into you at some point throughout your slumber. Strange dreams had taken hold of you late into the night. Dreams which brought with them a promise of danger. Words of warning echo about in your mind as your eyes scan your surroundings, though you remember not their origin. That was the problem with dreams. They were fleeting. In your sleep they would be vivid and detailed beyond imagination. Yet when you would wake any memory of what transpired would grow muddy and distorted.
As your heart begins to slow with the loss of the adrenaline which jolted you from your rest, you shakily move to get out of bed. Despite having slept like a log through the night, you do not feel rested at all. Your legs ache faintly as if you had been on them for hours. You chalk it up to a poor sleeping position as you go about starting your day. The mourning routine is simple enough. You comb your hair and change into your day clothes. The lingering sense of dread refuses to leave you all the while. Thoughts of something called the "Scarlet Boars" and "Flaming Pigs" plague you, and you wonder if that was what it was that you were dreaming about. Yet something else resonates in the back of your mind.
The image of two flowering trees growing by the river. A peculiar glowing staff. Something about the mental image awakens a sense of familiarity. You vaguely recall a spot where those specific trees might be growing, though you personally doubt that the trees would be flowering. The season for flowers had come and gone by now. What followed suit was a moment of pondering. You could probably make it to the trees by the riverbank to check for anything of interest and then be back in time to start working on your morning chores. Chances were you would have to skip breakfast if you decided to do so. However, as of now you were not entirely hungry. You could probably find some fresh fruit along the way.
Should you go looking for the trees, or should you finish your morning chores first?
The Choice is Made: You'll look for the trees
After some thought, you decide that you might as well go and inspect along the riverbank to see if you might find anything. While you might not have been able to remember much of anything from last night's dream, the fact that you had managed to hold on to such a specific detail meant that it must have been something important. Dreams were prone to carrying important messages after all. Someone must have told you to go there at some point. Maybe the strange, glowing staff that had yet to stop intruding upon your thoughts would be there. That was what you hoped at least. There was literally nothing else coming to mind in relation to the flowering trees by the riverbank.
With your mind made up, you proceed to make your way out of your room - at which point your plans to sneak out to the riverbank are quickly cut short. What you find waiting for you outside of your bedroom door is none other than your younger sister. The instant that you open your door, you spot her there; standing and staring up at you as she holds her favorite stuffed animal close to her chest. You can tell right away from her droopy eyes and messy hair that she has only just gotten out of bed. Right away you suspect that she must have had a nightmare of her own.
"Meira" she mumbles, holding her unoccupied hand out to grasp at the hem of your shirt as she peers up at you "can I stay with you?". She mutters the words sleepily as she stares up at you through half lidded eyes. A soft sigh escapes your lips as you peer down at her. She had definitely had a nightmare. She would always seek you out to cling to you whenever she had one. You watch as she tiredly holds out her other arm, and with another sigh you bend down to scoop her up. Immediately her little arms tighten around your shoulders. You feel how she presses her face into the arch of your neck. Thankfully what you do not feel is the damp sting of her tears against your skin. Ideally her little night fright only jostled her awake.
Quelling the fears of a little girl's nightmares was no easy task. You had learned this many times in the past as she sought you out for comfort over the years. You begin to hum softly in an attempt to comfort her. You do so out of instinct at this point. Little encounters such as this were not a rarity. The imagination of a child was prone to running rampant, particularly while they were asleep. This was something that she would eventually outgrow. As of now, she was but a wee child. Your job as her elder sibling was to help her feel safe and secure if she came to you about something, no matter how trivial the matter might be.
"Can I stay with you?" Your sister repeats, her arms letting up ever so slightly so that she might lean back to look at you. Another sigh manages to escape your lip as you stare at her for a moment. Normally you would bring her along when she asked. However, normally you would just bring her along while you did your chores. That wasn't exactly the plan this morning. Your parents had no issue whatsoever with you bringing Alisra along while you did your chores. Mostly because once she was older, she would be expected to help you with said chores. So her tagging along was more or less seen as mentoring. Taking her out by the river might not be as acceptable in your parents eyes.
For a moment you lock eyes with your younger sister. There was nothing stopping you from bringing her along if you decided to do so. If you brought her, though, you would absolutely need to take some extra time to get food along the way. There were fruit trees and berry bushes. You and your family had already spent some time out foraging in the past, so you had an idea of what was available right now. The downside to this was that if you brought Alisra along, then it had to be kept a secret. You didn't want to get in trouble for sneaking your little sister out to the river when you should have been doing your morning chores.
Will you bring your sister along? Or would it be better to send her back to bed?
The choice is made: You'll bring Alisra along
Risks of upsetting your parents aside, you realize that there really wouldn't be any issue with bringing your sister along. Alisra is young and she is small. Her weight is nothing in your grasp and by now she's learned not to hold your neck too tight when you carry her. So you decide that you may as well bring her with you. You allow yourself a moment to adjust her in your grasp so that you can keep one arm free during the walk. You shift her small body to the side to balance her on your hip. With your arm now freed it'll be much easier to leave the house.
"Alright, Ali. You can stay with me today." You hum, brushing your sister's hair out of her eyes whilst you attempt to tidy it up a bit. She offers a disgruntled sound in turn, obviously a little moody just after waking up.
"But we're not going out for chores just yet. I'm going for a walk down to the river. So if you come along, you have to promise not to tell mommy and daddy, alright?" You quietly utter, urging your sister to play along with you for the time being. Honestly, even if your parents found out about this little trip after the fact - and they most likely would - it wouldn't be the end of the world. The worst you could expect would be a few extra chores and a slightly earlier curfew. Neither of which would bother you all that much, especially with their temporary nature. You watch as Alisra attempts to rub the sleepiness out of her slightly puffy eyes. She at least has enough sense about her to nod in response to your request, letting you know that she'll at least attempt to keep this secret from your parents.
With the matter settled for the time being, you begin the "tedious" journey out of the house. Really the only issue with sneaking out was the actual sneaking. You could only move so discreetly while carrying around a tiny person. Your parents could be heard talking in the kitchen. So you sneak by them, allowing yourself only a moment to peek into the kitchen as you do so. Your mother was getting ready to make breakfast, standing with her back so you, allowing you to sneak by unnoticed. Your father was sitting in his chair at the head of the table with a warm drink in hand to help him relax. His back was also to you, meaning that he also did not notice as you snuck by.
His chores had him up much earlier than you or your sister. So this was his break after all of the hard work that he had been doing throughout the early hours before the sun. He would have breakfast with your mother then lie down for a nap. That was usually how the mornings went in your home. So you would have plenty of time to sneak out to the river and back with Alisra. Chances are your parents would not even be aware of the fact that you had taken your sister out of the house until after you had gotten back to start on your chores. So theoretically you were in the clear. Sneaking out of the house was easy enough. You were able to slip through the front door without making enough noise to be heard over your parents' idle chatter.
Having made it outside, you're free to travel however you wish. You start for the path that leads down to the river. You and your family had made the trip many times in the past, as had many other families in the town. Honestly, you wouldn't be surprised to happen across someone else from town along the way. Particularly because this was the time of year where the trees had bushes had started to bear fruit. Apples, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries would all be easy enough to find. The blackberries in particular tended to spread like weeds, so it was not uncommon for someone from the town to head out to cut back the brambles. All of this at least assured that you'd be able to fend off hunger when it inevitably came.
Your way to the path starts at the edge of the family field, where a thick patch of barren soil finds itself abruptly transformed into dense woodland. Plenty of ferns and grasses line the forest floor. The trees grow tightly packed together, leaving enough space for someone to duck and weave between them if caution was taken. To attempt to run through the woods off of the path would almost guarantee a face full of splinters. As you start onto the path to the river, you chance yourself a look at Alisra. She seems to be more awake than she was before. Her wide eyes eagerly scan the sides of path, makin it obvious that she's already on the lookout for the sweet berries that were known to grow there.
Her hair is still a bit of a mess. Overall she's clearly got enough sense about her that you could let her walk beside you if you grew tired of carrying her. Right now she did not seem to care if you continued to carry her, but chances were that she would squirm to be put down the instant that you happened upon a berry bush - which would happen sooner than later.
Should you just put her down now, or would you rather wait until she wants to walk?
The choice is made: Let her walk
Ultimately, you decide that it would be better for Alisra to walk. She's a growing girl - and a somewhat stubborn one at that. So it would be better to just put her down now as opposed to waiting for her to get antsy. So you bend over to let your younger sister slide off of your hip. She offers no protests as her feet reach the ground. As soon as she's standing on her own, Alisra proceeds to reach up and instinctively grip your hand. Her other hand continues to tightly hold her favorite stuffed rabbit close to her chest. From there, the two of you begin your journey down to the riverbank. The walk itself would be short - ten minutes at your current pace. Chances were it would wind up being longer because you would inevitably stop to forage a little.
The path was well established. No grass grew upon the densely packed soil beneath your feet, though it flourished on either side of the path. The trees provide plenty of shade. Their leaves rustle gently in the breeze while songbirds go about their business. Soon the birds that had hatched in the late spring would be getting ready to take their first summer flights. Practically every tree you pass has at least one visible nest in it. Your homeland is a place of fertile soils and bountiful harvests. So the local wildlife had more than enough to eat. Halfway along your journey you and your sister began to encounter the wild fruits. The first that you encounter are apple trees. Ripe, red apples hang idle in the branches of their respective trees as you walk underneath.
You check the ground. There aren't any fallen apples just yet. So if you really wanted to have an apple for breakfast, you would have to scale a tree to retrieve it. Alisra shows no signs of being hungry yet. Like you, she only has a look at the fruit in the trees before deciding to continue walking. Neither of you are hungry just yet. After the apples came the peaches. A few fallen fruits litter the ground beneath their parent trees, with wasps and bees swarming the soft flesh to satiate their thirst for nectar. If you wanted to chance a few stings, then you could try to snatch one of the fallen peaches on your way back. Or you could try to pick a fruit directly from the tree with minimal effort, as these peach trees grew much shorter than the apples.
Granted, you would have to make sure Alisra kept a safe distance. She was more likely to get herself stung by these little buzzing bugs than you were. After the peaches came the blackberries. You and your sister have to step more towards the middle of the path as you pass the berry bushes by, as their thorny branches have once again begun to spread. These would be the easiest of the fruits to collect given how low to the ground they grew. You and Alisra would simply have to be mindful of the thorns. Even a single prick would prove painful enough to hold your attention until the injury healed. That was just an unfortunate fact of any injury dealt to the fingers.
Your sister takes a more obvious interest in the berries as you pass them by. So something tells you that she'll be asking to stop and pick a few of them before you head back home to start your chores. Only after you've left the blackberries well behind you, do you happen upon the river. You can hear the running water before you see it. The clean smell of the air is a stark contrast to the earthy scent of the land closer to home. Very different, but still appealing. You make sure to keep your sister far away from the mud of the bank as you begin looking around for the trees. Ultimately finding them takes little time. Not because you had a general idea of where they were, but because they were the only trees to be seen which still had flowers.
You are admittedly quite surprised to spot these trees in peak bloom so far out of season. These were peach trees, just like those that you had passed by earlier. Yet their branches sported no fruit, only clusters of pretty blooms. The flowers steadily released their sweet fragrance into the surrounding air, adding to the appeal of the already pleasant air by the river. Alisra appears to be just as surprised to see the flowering trees as you are. Equally as surprising is what's waiting for you between the two trees. Laid between them is a wooden staff. By the looks of it, the staff is just as long as you are tall. The wood looks smooth, and is decorated with dozens of colored rings.
The rings prove peculiar; they glow in a wide array of colors, and as you shift your head around to examine the staff, the colors seem to change based upon how you look at them. You feel your sister tug lightly at your hand. As you look at her, you see that she's pointing at the peculiar wooden staff.
"Mei, what's that?" Alisra inquires, continuing to haphazardly thrust her hand in the general direction of the staff as she speaks. Her stuffed rabbit shakes dramatically as she does this. Thankfully she manages to hold a tight enough grip to keep from throwing it or dropping it in the dirt. You look back to the staff as you try to wrap your head around everything.
"A staff... Of some sort." You utter in turn. Ultimately it feels as though you've just stated the obvious, but you earnestly have no idea as to what words you could use to better describe what lies before you. Could it be a magic staff, perhaps? You want to believe that it is, but who in their right mind would just leave such a valuable object just laying around by the river? Also - how did you know that it was here? The dream was one thing. Surely if you had happened upon this thing in the past, you would have remembered it.
Should you pick up the staff? Or would it be better to leave it. You don't know who it belongs to.
The choice is made: You pick up the staff
Your curiosity inevitably gets the better of you, leading to you reaching for the staff. Alisra offers nothing but a curious hum as you lean over to wrap your free hand around the wooden object. You do so with the intent on taking a better look at it. What you do not expect is the rush of energy that rushes through your system as soon as your fingers meet the wood. This is not energy in the typical sense. Not like a sudden rush of adrenaline that might make you feel as though you could outrun some wild beast. The closest means of describing the sensation is being electrocuted. You wrap your hand around the wooden staff and suddenly every muscle in your body goes rigid as if you had just grasped at an electric eel.
The sensation does not cause you any physical pain. Really the sensation is more alarming than anything else. For a few solid seconds your entire body goes rigid and you are unable to move - or even actually breathe for that matter. Then, just as abruptly as it started, the sensation stops. You suck in the breath that you had been unable to take, your heart now racing from the shock of the situation. Instinctively, you let go of the staff as soon as you can move again. To your shock and horror upon catching a glimpse at the palm of your hand, you notice that the staff appears to have wounded you. One of the glowing rings on the staff seems to have burnt you in some way. The red ring is obvious enough.
As of now the mark is not hurting you, which is odd all things considered. The ring left behind by the staff strongly resembles a burn, though it does not feel like one. After a moment you feel Alisra dramatically tugging at your arm to catch your attention. Only then do you snap out of your little daze to realize that you had been unintentionally ignoring her. She must have panicked when the staff shocked you. Apparently the jolt had temporarily stifled your ability to hear her at all.
"Mei! Mei! Are you okay?!" Your sister stammers out, her eyes wide with worry as she stares up at you. Much to her dismay, you do not immediately respond. You stand there for a moment, struggling to wrap your head around what had just transpired. For a few seconds it seems as though you cannot find your voice at all once you actually begin to open your mouth.
"I-I don't know... I think so?" You eventually manage to utter the words, though they clearly bring your sister no more reassurance than you would expect. Unfortunately, though, the words that you spoke were honest. As of now you are not entirely sure whether or not you're actually alright. The strong jolt of energy that ran through you when you touched the staff was alarming, but not painful. You weren't in any pain right now. The only damage that had been done took the shape of an alarming but painless mark left behind on your hand. You think that you are alright. The issue is that you are not entirely sure. Cautiously, you allow your eyes to shift back to the staff. Now you find that it has changed somewhat.
The peculiar rings etched into the wood are still there, though now their mystical glow appears to have vanished. Some color still resides in them, but they were very faint. Alisra tugs at your arm again in an attempt to get your attention, but you ignore it for now. As you stare at the staff, the mark on your palm begins to tingle. A sort of indescribable urge begins to pull at the back of your mind. Without thinking you reach out to wrap your hand around the staff once more; much to the dismay of your sister. This time when your fingers grasp the wood, nothing happens. There is no jolt of energy. You do not go stiff to the point of becoming unable to breathe. You simply pluck the staff from the ground to bring it to a proper standing position.
As you do so, the rings resume glowing once more. Just as vibrant and full of color as before. This only prompts you to stare more intensely at the object. Your mind races with all manner of questions and the speculated answers to them. Ultimately you conclude that the staff was - or is - most definitely magic. By touching it you had just triggered something. You know not if it is a blessing or a curse, but the fact remains that the staff has definitely done something to you. You may very well have been bound to it in some way, but even of that you are not certain. You know nothing to be certain - you only have your speculations and the understanding that you must seek out guidance. Again you look to Alisra, who continues to stare up at you with wide, worried eyes.
"Meira..." She mutters your name quietly, looking at you as though she fears you may keel over in agony at any second. You do your best to muster a smile to reassure her.
"I'm fine, Ali." You speak in turn, hoping to quell her fears. While you yourself are not certain that your words are true, you would rather utter a half lie for the sake of your sister's comfort. Right now you are fine. If that changes later, then you will have to sort the problem when it comes. If the staff is to be held responsible for any problems which come your way, then that too will have to be dealt with. But as of now you are fine. You are uninjured and free of pain. That is all that matters. You watch as Alisra offers an uncertain but incomprehensible mumble in response, before she proceeds to move closer so that she might wrap her little arms around your leg. You respond in kind by running your fingers through her hair in hopes of putting her mind more at ease.
Whilst you do you, you allow your eyes to aimlessly wander. As you look between the pair of trees which miraculously bloom out of season, you notice a rather peculiar looking shadow. Curious, you coax your sister into freeing your leg so that you might inspect the abnormality unencumbered. Behind one of the trees you find a travel pack - a hefty looking one at that. Based on its shape alone, there is definitely something in the pack. Many somethings most likely. Again, curiosity begins to eat away at you.
Should you inspect the contents of the pack, or just leave it? Or should you just take the pack home for now? You don't know what's inside of it just yet, but it was found near the staff. Perhaps whoever left it, left some sort of clue as to what might have just been done to you.