Episode 1: The Awakening

Part 5

Steve had to risk. He couldn't leave his father behind, he HAD to find him and make sure he was safe. "Ok Mira, I'll come with you", he told her. Mr. Derrick shouted at him: "Please Steve, please listen to me. It's far too dangerous, your people need you alive to save them. Don't risk it, your father is a brave man, he'll be safe", but the little hero simply wouldn't listen. Mira took his hand and together they went in search of their parents, while Mr. Derrick followed, worried that something might happen to them. They ran as fast as they could, successfully dodging every arrow and monster they saw coming. It was hell in there: all the wood was burning, all the festoons had fallen down and too many people's lives were being taken away by the monsters. Mira's shoe got suddenly stuck in a tree root. "Steve, help me!". Steve's bow wouldn't suffice to cut the root. He actually needed a sword. "Don't worry. I'm here", said Mr. Derrick, starting to cut the root with his axe. As he started chopping, he realized they didn't have enough time; the monsters were behind them and they would have reached their location at any moment. The sage tried to chop faster, but the wood was too resistant. Just as he managed to free Mira's foot, a skeleton cought his leg. Steve tried to use his new bow, but his aim was still weak. "Go", said the sage. "No, there's no way we are leaving you here!". "I SAID GO! Can't you see there's no way you can free me? Go find your parents, before these monsters get you too!". The two children left him, regretting the fact that they hadn't listened to him before. Lance finally reached them and Mira took the chance to hug him. "Dad, I was so worried. We were looking for you, but Mr. Derrick…". "Don't say anything… I saw what happened. You're safe now. I'm here to protect you." Lance took his sword and defeated the monsters one by one, helped by the king's soldiers. As soon as that horrible nightmare was over, Steve asked Lance if he had seen his dad. "Steve… Your father…", "What? My father what?". He noticed two corpses surrounded by the king's soldiers. One of them was the king, while the other one was Richard, his father. "No… No… How did this happen?", Steve asked crying. A soldier approached him. "Your father died a honorable death, trying to save the king. You can only be proud of him."

The night passed, and as the sun came out of the horizon, Steve went out of his home with his mother, ready to attend the funeral. The colored landscape looked grey at the eyes of the sad child, and not even his mother or friends could make him feel better. Lance was already at the location of the burial, were two graves had been dug. He was ready to make his speech, in front of people from the whole realm. "We are here to recall the loss of two great men; our beloved king, who reigned well for decades, who gave us a worthy and proud life, and Richard, our dear friend, a real hero, who sacrificed himself for the sake of his people. May they rest in peace, and may the world bring justice to this misgrace.". After giving the condolences to Steve and his mother, he said " My dear Steve. I know that telling you this soon after what has happened might seem inappropriate, but trust me when I say there's no time. We've never come across such a strong attack, with so many monsters. This can only mean that the Ender Dragon has awaken, it's now a certainty. You are the chosen one, and you need to bring peace to this realm. In order to do so, in order to stop this catastrophes, you need to kill the Dragon. I know, it might seem too much to ask from a little boy, but you have a gift in you, a gift that will spare many lives. Are you up to this? Do you feel ready to take revenge on the Ender Dragon?". Having dried his tears, Steve said " Yes, Lance. Now more than ever." . " Very well. Come see me at the training grounds when you want. I've seen you throw those arrows and I've noticed that, before taking on your journey, you need to practice… a lot. Of course it might take us some time, and the more time passes the more the Dragon becomes stronger " .

Episode 1:The Awakening

Epilogue

"Can't we speed things up?"Steve was inpatient, "We'll have to make you as powerful as possible" "But you said yourself that the dragon might get stronger" "And you'll get stronger too" "Sorry Lance but i need to to this as soon as possible"

"Steve if Lance says trainning first is better then you should listen to him, remember that you're just still a kid " Steve's mom advised

One of the royal knights approached them"Actually, the Dragon must be very weak right now, i heard one of the sages in Capital City say that if we act fast there might be a possibility of defeating the dragon even without fighting him, if you and your mom,want i can take you to Capital City where you'll start the journey, i can also provide you a house there".

"You heard that mom, i can defeat the Dragon without training, can we go to Capital City"

"sigh There's not too much left for us here, and if you can actually defeat the Dragon, i guess we can"

"Ok then, get your things ready because you're traveling with me to Capital City tomorrow at dawn"