Major rework for this chapter is done! I'm keeping this chapter as spoiler free as possible by changing stuff here and there, so you might notice a lot of different things if you've reached arc 3. Anyways, enjoy!
Rune Factory – Wishes, Dreams, and Memories
Chapter 7 – To the Forest of Beginnings
It was early in the morning and a blond man stood in front of the door leading to the biggest building in town. He was holding an old book in green hard cover in one hand while he raised his other to knock on the door a few times.
"Lest, are you awake?" The man knocked on the door once more before the door opened and the hazel-haired Earthmate popped his head from inside.
"Arthur? Good morning…" Lest let out a tired yawn.
"Forgive me for coming so early," Arthur apologized, "May I ask you to come to the dragon room? I have an important discovery to tell you along with Leon, Dolce, Dylas, and Amber."
"Me and the Guardians? What kind of discovery?" Lest asked while rubbing his eyes tiredly.
"The way to open the gate to the forest," Arthur's answer had stopped him from rubbing his eyes, which had their tiredness washed away.
Turning to Arthur with a serious look, Lest gave him a nod, "I'll be there, let me get ready first."
"Very well. I shall tell the others for now," Arthur left the building, leaving Lest to get himself ready before gathering with the Guardians in the dragon room.
Once Lest got into the room, the Guardians except Amber had already arrived in the room. He looked around the room while feeling the gloominess from the previous night hadn't gone completely. Even so, Lest could tell that none of them hadn't given up on their best friend. It was their strong wish to see their dragon friend once again and to live their lives with them the way they weren't able to before that made them keep on hoping for a way. And now, that strong wish might soon come true at the hands of a certain Earthmate.
"Hey," Lest turned to the source of the feminine voice, "Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Dolce," Lest greeted with a smile, "Pretty much, yeah… So did you?"
"Dolly was so happy that she slept with a big smile-" Pico, who had been on the female Guardian's side for a while, had herself pulled back forcefully by the embarrassed Dolce before earning herself a talisman on the face, "OUCH!"
Seeing the two's regular antics had made the Earthmate laugh, "I can see that things are looking better between you two."
"You're looking better yourself, Lest," Dylas commented with a smile.
Lest gave him a confident nod and smiled, "Yeah, I guess a good night sleep helps," From the corner of his eyes, Lest noticed a sly grin on the older Guardian standing next to Dylas, "I hope you're not planning to start teasing anyone again after recovering from last night."
"You and your lover should have been recovered much better than us singles," Leon looked at Lest and Dolce while slightly covering his sly grin with his fan, "Did something interesting happen last night?"
"I-It's none of your concern!" Dolce turned away in embarrassment.
"I only checked on her and talked, that's very much it," Lest replied before letting out an annoyed sigh, "I don't know if that's interesting enough for your amusement, but that's pretty much everything."
Leon was about to respond further, but stopped once he and the others saw Arthur coming along with a sleepy Amber, "I'm sorry for the delay, everyone."
"Good morning everyone," Amber greeted the people in the room with a slight smile before joining the others.
"So, what's your solution for the gate?" Dylas asked bluntly, "How do we open the gate to the Forest of Beginnings?"
"I happen to bring the key with me today," Arthur reached for the pocket in his garb, pulling out a spherical object which glowed in bright blue color. The familiar object left the people in the room in surprise.
"A rune sphere?!" Lest asked in surprise.
"Yes," Arthur nodded before walking towards Lest, "And you should be the one to have it."
"Me?" Lest took the sphere in his hands and looked at it in confusion, "But why me?"
The prince opened up the book he was carrying and started reading, "Everything in this world has the power of runes, including us living beings. All those runes will eventually return to the forest," Arthur paused to look up at the Guardians, "Even the Native Dragons such as Lady Ventuswill would return as well. But her time of return was delayed because of the rune energy from the Guardians."
"And the rune spheres can generate that rune energy," A voice was heard from outside before the speaker came into the room.
"Kiel? You're here too?" Leon recognized the newcomer, getting a nod from Kiel.
"The rune energy generated from the rune spheres is as much as the rune energy generated by all of you Guardians," Kiel finished his explanation before letting out a long sigh before turning to Arthur, "Arthur, why did you just come running the moment we found that conclusion?"
"I'm sorry, I was so excited that I couldn't help myself," Arthur replied with a smile before turning to Lest, "Other than that, the power to change the world might relate to the power of Earthmates. Lest, will you do it?"
Lest gave Arthur a confident nod, "I will. I'm going to bring Venti back."
"I know you can do it, Lest," Kiel gave Lest a thumbs up, getting a nod from Lest.
"I know I will," Lest turned to the Guardians, "Everyone, I'll leave the town in your care."
"Don't worry about us," Dylas flashed his rare but natural smile, "Both of you better come back here alive, you hear?"
Lest let out a nod, earning trust from the people in the room before they left to start their regular activities for the day. Just as Dolce and Pico were leaving along with the others, Lest suddenly grabbed her wrist, "Dolce, can I talk to you for a bit?"
"Huh?" Dolce stopped in her tracks, turning to the Earthmate, "What is it?"
"Uh…" Lest nervously let go of Dolce's wrist, "I-If you have some time after this is over, will you meet me in the observatory?"
"Lest and Dolly, alone?" Pico asked while looking at the Earthmate in confusion.
"W-Well, you can come too if you want," Lest gave a nervous reply before turning to Dolce, "So, how about it? You can say it's like a date."
"It's not really one if this waste of air is there," Dolce replied flatly before giving him a smile, "But I suppose I can spare some time for you later."
"Okay, I'll see you later then," Dolce nodded and left, but Pico was still left staring at Lest, "What is it, Pico?"
"I think I know what you're planning," Pico replied with a smile before winking, "Dolly is a delicate lady, so don't you go breaking her heart, okay?"
"I won't, I promise," Lest replied with a smile.
"Good luck and be safe!" Pico waved a goodbye before disappearing, leaving Lest on his own in the dragon room.
Lest exhaled loudly in order to keep himself together before walking back towards his side of the castle. He went towards his storage box which was resting near the door to the fields and opened it to grab his equipment. He grabbed his favorite short sword, which had the blade shaped like it was blown by wind, and sheathed it in his sword sheath strapped to his belt.
Before closing it, Lest put his hand back into the box while searching through the items and weapons he had spent hours crafting until a bright colored accessory was within his reach. He pulled the accessory, which was a ring made of gold with a small diamond fitted in the middle. He closed the box before looking at the ring with a smile on his face.
'This ring represents my feelings for you. I hope that you're ready to accept me as part of your family now,' Lest headed towards his room, putting the ring in the drawer in the nightstand by his bed. With the ring safely secure, Lest finally set out to the airship and headed towards Leon Karnak.
The big airship hovered down slowly as it was close to its destination before coming into a full stop at the height safe enough for Lest to jump down. Lest put his right hand on his sword's hilt while scanning the ground for any signs of monsters before cautiously making his way towards the huge gate-like rocks between the tower's feet.
Lest checked his surrounding once more before putting his blades back and pulled out the rune sphere he had in his pocket. He lifted the stone above his head and the ground slightly shook before two familiar voices were heard echoing in his head.
"Thou are qualified, Earthmate," A female voice was heard.
"Thou hast shown us proof," A male voice was heard.
The ground shook once more as the two huge rocks acting as gates slowly slid open, revealing the white surroundings of the forest. Wind slightly blew from the forest while colorful flowers and grasses kept on floating in the middle of the white surrounding as if the wind hadn't blown at all. Taking a deep breath, Lest took the stone back into his pocket and stepped into the familiar white nothingness where he had been into in the past.
Lest felt himself walking through the forest, but the unchanging surroundings would have easily made people feel like they were lost. It was the same things left and right, no matter where you were walking, but there was one thing that had kept Lest on his tracks. There was one different thing that the Earthmate had noticed the minute he came into the forest. That blowing wind within the forest had the familiar presence he had known for a while.
"Venti…" Lest spoke up, before the colorful leaves started swirling in front of him. As the leaves started swirling, some voices were heard echoing throughout the forest.
"That young man knows that time is running out. The wind dragon is growing weaker, thus we cannot afford to lose more time. Our only choice is to fuse him with the Earth, sending rune energy to Ventuswill. That man is an interesting young one, unlike the previous dragon priests I have known. His strong desire does not come from his duties, instead from his bonds with that dragon. For his sake, I truly hope my children and grandchildren will continue my research to restore the runes. I have grown too old, Leon, but I hope my family can help your friend in the future. No matter how many generations it shall take. This is my vow."
"Leon…?" Lest looked at the swirling leaves closely and saw a blur of brown and green before the leaves were blown away, floating normally as if nothing happened, "What… happened…? Was that… an Earthmate who knew Leon?"
Lest slowly started walking, heading towards the place where the leaves were swirling before and was greeted by more blowing wind. More leaves came into his way, floating in circles around him before a vague figure resembling a woman with short dark green hair came into view.
"I never understand her. She has a loving family and a ghost as a loyal friend. Yet, her decision lies on saving Ventuswill. Without a doubt, her parents must have felt the same as Ventuswill when she told them she would be a Guardian. It hurts me to see how sad Ventuswill was when I told her of Dolce's decision once I cast that spell on her. That spell my family had been studying for generations should be able to take care of this problem, so that woman doesn't need to leave her family. I just can't finish my research in time…"
The figure slowly disappeared, leaving Lest to chase empty air as the leaves had flown away, "Wait! You… you're the Earthmate who turned Dolce into a Guardian, aren't you?" He paused for a moment, but the answer he wanted never came into him.
Some colorful leaves blew across him, carrying a figure of a young man with short light green hair before disappearing as another different voice echoed in the forest.
"He never does try to escape. From what I hear, the king even ordered to leave as many openings as the soldiers could, so that Dylas person could escape. But he asked me to help his friend instead, thinking that him leaving was like a fishing trip. The new solution my family comes up too late, because that kind of concept needs to be proven. That proof lies in the Forest of Beginnings, but even our best Earthmate can't open the gate. We only need to open the gate so that we can prove our theory, but it's impossible when we can't even get there."
"It's… the Earthmate from Dylas' time…" Lest whispered before closing his eyes to process the things he had experienced since entering the forest.
The forest had reacted to Lest's presence, telling him what the Earthmates who turned his friends into Guardians felt. He saw the vague figures of the Earthmates themselves, coming and leaving along with the colorful leaves in the forest. He never knew about all of it or about the Earthmates themselves. He had lost his memories and not a bit of them came into him, but the presence of the Earthmates he felt was warm and familiar.
Had he been living for a long time? No, Earthmates were also mortals, living their lives just like normal human beings. Even with Lest's limited knowledge about Earthmates and their capabilities, he knew that he couldn't possibly outlive human beings like elves or the native dragons. They had the ability to communicate with the Earth, not the ability to be an immortal. And yet, he felt familiar with the older Earthmates from hundreds or even thousands of years before he was born.
Leaving the confusing thought, the hazel-haired Earthmate continued his search for his dragon friend. His search came into a stop once again, when a much clearer figure of a green-haired girl appeared in front of him.
"Big sis came to Selphia as an orphan, and Ven was the first one to find her. She has the most cheerful smile that can earn the hearts of many people, but her innocence is what makes me like her big sis instead. Big sis and I spend a lot of time with Ven like a real family, until Ven collapses in exhaustion. My family can't save her yet, so big sis volunteers to be a Guardian to save her. Her decision is hard on me, but it's her decision that makes my family able to continue and keep the vow to the Guardians. To create rune crystals and use them to save Ven. And for me, to save Big Sis Amber from her sleep…"
Lest watched quietly as the figure slowly disappeared and more wind blew around the forest. He looked at the endless white nothingness in front of him while clutching the charm inside the inner pocket of his jacket. Lest closed his eyes while holding the charm and felt the blowing wind on his skin. The wind suddenly stopped for a moment and Lest felt as if cold air had passed through his body.
"Lest…" A female voice was suddenly heard, though different from the ones he heard before.
"Huh?" Lest turned to his back, assuming it was the source of the voice.
The wind blew harder, making it harder for Lest to see who was calling his name. He caught a glimpse of green hair flowing with the wind and a smile on the face of a young woman he had never seen before the blowing wind had erased the young woman's appearance.
The wind was blowing like it used to be, but the young woman's disappearance had Lest wondered, "Who was that…?" Lest looked around, but only found the same scenery around him. He shook his head and turned back, "I don't have time for this. I have to get to Venti."
Lest continued his sprint until the familiar feeling from the wind was much closer. He could feel her presence from the blowing wind much better, knowing that his friend was nearby.
"Venti, I know you're here," Lest spoke up with a smile, "I've come to get you home."
There was a short pause before the sound of a familiar voice was heard, "Lest?" There was another pause, "Go back. I never asked for this. This is not what I want."
"Is that how you really feel?" Lest asked with a frown, but he didn't get a reply, "I know it's not," Lest let out a sad smile, "You're not alone, Venti. I have a rune sphere to save you and a lot of people are involved in making it. Those people who all cared about you…" Lest took out the Rune Sphere, but he still wasn't getting a reply, "Don't you want to go home? To everyone in Selphia?"
"Of course I do!" Ventuswill's sudden reply came with a yell, "But… I can't have you risk your life by using that spell… Didn't you hear it yourself? No human being can control a large number of runes at once!"
Lest shook his head, "But I can't give up. Not when I have the power to save you," Lest lifted his head and closed his eyes while smiling, "The power that was born from the wishes of the Guardians, the past Earthmates, everyone in Selphia, me…" Lest reopened his eyes, "And you as well… It's the willpower collected across generations…"
"If… if I can…" Ventuswill responded hesitantly, "Even if it's just with you, I want to live in that town forever!"
Lest let out a nod before lifting the stone he was holding above his head, "I'll save you, Venti," Lest closed his eyes and took a deep breath while gathering all the energy he could get, "Etherlink!"
Bright white light shone from the stone and spread throughout the whole forest. The blowing wind slowly disappeared, leaving the forest the way it was when Lest first came over a year ago. He released the Rune Sphere from his hands, leaving the stone to levitate in the middle of the forest while the light slowly disappeared from the forest. As the light disappeared, the stone started glowing with in bright blue color.
"Did… did it work?" Lest looked around the forest, but the scenery hadn't changed at all.
Lest called out Ventuswill's name many times, but his wasn't getting any answer. Her presence couldn't be felt in the forest anymore. Her wind wasn't blowing anymore. He couldn't tell if he was successful until he got out of the forest and headed back towards the town to see if his friend had returned.
Lest teleported out of the forest and hopped back into the airship, heading back towards Selphia. A frown never left his face as he got off from the airship, but the positive energy coming from the grateful passing villagers had washed away his doubts and disappointments. Bursting through the villagers, Lest went into a sprint right towards the dragon room. His curiosity had made him run through the Guardians, who were all waiting by the dragon room entrance.
The second he went into the room, he noticed the dark shadow over his head. He stopped his running and looked up while panting, seeing the familiar figure looking down at him. The familiar dragon whom he hadn't seen for over a year, that first friend of him, and that one native dragon who made friends with humans.
"Hey, you were late!" Ventuswill told the Earthmate with a mocking smile, before she noticed the shocked look on his face, "What, did you forget my face already?"
A single tear slid down from his face, "Nope, did you?"
"I haven't forgotten," Ventuswill replied with a smile, "I'd like to discuss all those silly unimportant things with you just like before, but it seems like the whole town wants to celebrate my return first!"
"Right," Lest wiped the tear from his face and laughed, "How about we talk while celebrating? Like the punishment you deserve for leaving your job of protecting Selphia?"
Ventuswill lowered her head to Lest's level and glared at him in annoyance, "Should I eat you instead?"
"I'm not tasty even with the best seasoning!" Lest replied cheerfully before the two of them broke into laughter, laughing as if the events before had never happened.
The next chapters should contain less spoilers or probably none because the game's arc 3 is over. The next one should require less rework compared to this one, but the progress might start slowing down for now while I'm trying to focus on finishing my thesis first.
Okay then, until next time!