A/N: This is an Important chapter that discusses the origins of Alageasia's greatest opponent: The Ravtelr. Enjoy:
(Flashback)
The man encircled a rose bush, eying the flowers petals with an expert gaze. To him it wasn't just a flower, it was a living organism. He, like many of his people, had a deep compassion for nature and often took many hours to simply watch the various wildlife that teemed in the region.
He was looking for a single plant, one that was nearly extinct due to it's deadly properties, causing the authorities to destroy every Jafnän they found. However, the Jafnän, or Infinity, was quite special. Many scientists had marveled over this flower for years, often studying the same one throughout their lifetime. It was able to, even through tough environments and temperatures, remain alive. Even time could not wither it, it was almost as if it were immortal, and that is what drew it's interest. Another ability of the Infinity was that it could uproot itself and travel over land or water in order to find a safer or more fertile field. So it was hard to locate and trace.
The respected scientific community had been secretly searching far and wide for the Jafnän, but to no avail. It seemed as if its species was completely extinguished, that is until one man found small clues that formed a bread-crumb trail.
The man continued on his path, occasionally glancing at his journal where he had written important facts that would help him locate the Infinity. He weaved through the trees with little more than his memory to guide him. He had roamed these woodlands since he was a very young age. His people were fond of the forests, but in recent years no one ever traveled out this far, allowing a certain, endangered plant species to thrive.
Cresting a hill, he broke through a dense curtain of pine needles. Up ahead the canopy thickened, his steps grew muffled due to the carpet of leaves blanketing the forest floor. But something caught his eye, a thin groove in the leaves that snaked further into the woods. It was like the trail of a tiny person, yet the man had other ideas.
He rushed forward in surprise, excited to find what he had been looking for. The trees formed a natural wall and blocked much of an entrance to get behind them. The trail curved between two large trunks and disappeared from then on, but the man circle around looking for another way in.
He found what he was looking for when he happened upon two boulders that were leaning away from each other, pushing the trees outward allowing a small, but reasonable space to invade the gap. He crossed the rocks and stepped into a small patch of grass maybe ten feet across. And there in the center, shrouded in heavenly light from the sun, stood the Infinity.
It was a lonely flower, no companions or one more of its kind. It was nearly a foot tall with a bright green stem that branched off into green leaves that gently faded into a dark purple at the tips. At the top blossomed a beautiful array of long magenta petals that hung in an umbrella shape, centered with long stamens that reached out like bony fingers tipped with pollen covered barbs.
He studied the plant with perceptive eyes and ultimately concluded a decision. He reached out with his mind and felt immediate contact with the flowers stem, from there he followed it down into the rich soil where it shattered into thousands of roots that webbed further down. Among other things he sensed multiple insects and a small rodent burrowing tunnels.
The man studied every part of the plant, all its information was easily gather-able as long as one knew where to look. Eventually he familiarized himself with the Infinity and withdrew back to reality, soon realizing that hours had passed. When it had once been morning it was now under the light of the setting sun.
He was quite surprised at the length of time it had took for him to accomplish his task, but he overcame the emotion and reached into his pocket. From within he pulled out a small, withered seed that, under the circumstances, had died and had been dead for nearly a year. It was the seed of a rose.
A smile lit his face as he remembered the story behind the old shell in his hand, but that was a story for another time. He stooped down and, with his hands, dug out a small hole where he slowly placed the seed into. Seconds passed by, he seemed to forget his mission.
He reached for the magic and whispered a complicated series of spells along with the knowledge he had received upon himself of the Infinity. It was good several minutes until he stopped, after which the seed released a bright, glowing light as he buried it.
Almost instantly a small green stem broke through the surface and unfurled into small leaves that quickly grew in size, slowly flushing with a soft purple color. The stem continued to rise and formed a bud that quickly popped open, large purple petals flowing into shape around the flower as stamens rose out of the growing magenta. The moment the flower's pollen barbs formed a burst of glowing, yellow powder erupted from the top and slowly glided to the ground, noting the end of the plant's growth.
The man stepped back to admire the sight, never before seen within his lifetime, of two Jafnän within the same square foot.
The scene was interrupted when a noise broke the silence behind the man, coming from the boulders. He turned quickly, fearing the worst; a federal guard or maybe a wild animal. But it was neither.
The man that approached was abnormally tall, over six and a half feet, and held a pale color to his skin. The haunting features of his face was his trademark, high protruding cheek bones and sunken eyes that, in the dark, appeared as black holes.
"Why, it's quite surprising to find you here, Tenga." The man said, stepping into the clearing.
Tenga straightened his back, moving his body in front of the Jafnän to block it from sight. "Funny, I am starting to wonder the same thing."
The man stopped several feet away and with shadowed eyes browsed the setting, taking in every detail. He looked amused despite his effort to cover the expression with a frown.
The man laughed, unamused. "I will overlook your condescending tone for now," he glanced behind Tenga. "I see you found the Infinity. Did you know that they're illegal to find, nurture, or even leave it where you found it without informing the government for proper disposal."
"I'm studying them, for scientific purposes. I know that you know what this flower is capable of." Tenga said.
"Yes, and that is why they were forbidden. If anyone decided to use them for their own desires, then there would be dangerous consequences."
Tenga glared at the man. "But there are also good uses for it, if you would just take the time to understand it."
The man remained silent for several seconds, watching with an iron gaze. When he spoke a feeling of relief shivered down Tenga's spine. "Don't worry, I have no intention of telling anyone. If its your best interest to help our people, then I'm all for it. Believe you me, something big is coming and it will change everything."
Tenga smiled. "Listen, your a good friend of mine, so I'll trust you with a secret. I have discovered how to transfer genes of the Infinity into a living organism."
The man froze in place, even, it seemed, his heart stopped a beat. "That's... that's incredible."
"Yes. Tonvrn, it is incredible."
(End Flashback)
"I have to tell them."
10 Days till Alageasia's Downfall:
Tenga spiraled down the stairs of his tree-house, taking careful but quick steps to ensure he reached Ayra in time. He almost ran into the elven soldier designated to guard his "front door" when he reached the ground. The surprise jolted him to a stop.
"Where's Ayra!" He asked, looking between the homes of other elves as if she were about to come walking towards him. "I need to speak with her!"
The elf was stunned for several moments until he stiffened up and replied, "Follow me, she is at the Meona tree."
They left the base of the tree and found themselves striding down a gravel path. The foliage was slightly stronger within this area, as if it was a more luxurious part of Ellesmera besides the Queen's castle. The hedges were fashioned into walls on either side of the trail, and in some sections it was broken by bush-animal that stood tall like guarding sentinels. Even the gravel was detailed into multivalued shades of gray that formed decorative designs.
Tenga was so immersed in the scenery that he barely notice the elf stop several feet ahead of him, near the large wall of bushes that appeared to form a curve in the distance as if they reconnected on the other side to form a circle. In equal intervals stood a large willow tree. The willow tree's branches flowed into the shape of an archway and curtained into a thick covering, blocking the way to the other side.
"Stay here, I'll let her know that you're here." He then turned around and walked into the willow branches.
The curtain of branches seemed to flow around his body, as if they were unable to touch him. Then he disappeared on the other side and the leaves closed back up.
He waited patiently, spending the time listening to the sounds of nature. It was such a serene place to be, away from all the rushing turmoil that had befallen the land nearly a month ago. But even as he listened, he could not escape the whispers of his past telling him of the many mistakes he committed, and finally releasing those secrets would ease his conscience.
It was three whole minutes before the guard returned and allowed him to pass through the hedge-wall. On the other side was a large clearing, maybe a hundred feet in diameter, bordered by the forest. In the center was an enormous tree, it's roots twisted and knotted in and out of the ground, spreading into the surrounding woods. It's branches formed a natural ceiling over the field, spreading out like the ribbed structure to a giant creature.
A circular platform was built around the base of the tree with equally spaced bridges locking the forest with the centered, massive tree. Hanging from the canopy, supported by vines, were different colored flowers that created a soft glow of light. As he passed over one of the bridges he was surprised to find that a gentle sound, almost like music, flowed along the paths of the roots.
Ayra was standing on a podium stretching towards the tree. She appeared to be conversing with it, but as he approached she turned to him and smiled.
"Tenga, nice to see you. Nacrëa said you have something important to tell me." She said, stepping off the podium to meet him half-way.
He nodded. "Yes, it's true. And it involves the creation of the Ravtelr."
(Two hours later)
To believe something can happen is a step of faith, but to believe it will happen is a completely different philosophy. To have faith in someone you trust and to believe what they say without a shadow of a doubt is a sign of friendship. But to apply all these and to refuse to believe is what? Denial? Hardly, it was this way for Nasuada once the first sentence came out of Tenga's mouth.
Yet there was something in her that spoke otherwise. Maybe it was the fact that she had met Tenga at a most convenient time when the Ravtelr showed up at the house in the forest, and now he was playing an important role in discovering who their enemy was. Coincidence?
This was a serious conversation, and no one could be prepared to react professionally to it. But when she caught the sorrowful glance of Angela's eyes as Tenga spoke then she knew that he was being truthful.
What they say is true, Nasuada, Said the voice of Galbatorix. I have known of this for many years.
Nasuada struggled to hide her physical anger. And you never thought to share it with us? She said, forcing a blunt tone towards him.
She felt a slight tinge of betrayal flow from him. I'm sorry, but there's only so much I can do at a time. It was Tenga's place to tell the truth, not mine. On top of that, I have changed the future too many times in order to keep you safe. Besides, if you would have told them instead of Tenga, they would ask how you've come to know and I'll be discovered.
And why don't you want to be discovered? Why are you so keen on keeping yourself hidden? She asked.
She wasn't sure if he was keeping quiet, but before he could reply Tenga continued speaking.
"I know your discovering my racial involvment with the Grey Folk quite unnerving, but that's not why I called for this meeting." He let his words sink in before carrying on. "The enemy we all face now was one that my race tried so desperately hard to keep from ever finding the other races in this world. They are blood-thirsty beings that see them selves as the sole-supreme species, and their beliefs force them to destroy everything until they are all that's left."
Eragon stopped him, "If you were against them, then how did you come to learn so much about them? And why are you telling us this now?"
Tenga's breathing shortened as if he were worried of the outcome of his next statement. "Is it not wise to go against someone knowing nothing? No, we learned of them... we made sure that..."
"Your lying." Said Murtagh, his tone jolting everyone in the room. "Tell us the truth."
Tenga sighed. "Sometimes the truth isn't supposed to be told. But... I know so much about them, because... I helped to make them."
The members in the room froze, whether by fear or caution. They looked upon Tenga as if he were a contagious sickness.
"Now before you do something you'll regret, let me explain." He said, almost pleadingly. "Before I bear upon you the history of the Ravtelr, we must first travel farther back to a time when the land was new and magic was just discovered:
"When the Grey Folk were young as a species, they discovered a revolutionary element in the world, magic. When the first spell was used, when the magic was released, it expanded. The energy that was broken free escaped into the land and changed everything. Every creature within a close proximity to the energy was transformed into a new species.
"But, despite the rewards from the magical release, there were some bad things. The Grey Folks' normal life-span would stretch beyond several centuries, but the magic altered them and extended that time. This gift, or curse as man saw it, wasn't free. Many of the Grey Folk lost the ability to reproduce, on exteremly rare occasions had there ever been a child.
"Due to the lack of repopulation, we sought to change ourselves. We knew that magic was the cause, but we fought for control over it and finally bound it by words. What had become a curse became our salvation. We used magic to aid us in scientific studies. Like Elves we grew facinated to plants, but not for the reasons that they do.
"Many plants had the ability to regenerate lost limbs or repair itself after being trampled on or even survive for many years through harsh conditions. Our race was in a definite need for repair, and we hoped that by studying and learning how plants worked we could then replicate those same factors within ourselves.
"The proccess we took was quite difficult and usually took a span of three years to complete. We would aquire any organism, or a base so to speak, preferably a plant because they can be easily manipulated and shaped with magic. Then we would alter the plant based off our own appearance, replicating genes, DNA, anything that defined us as ourselves. We created a new body for our own desires.
"Our hopes were that we would create a new body that would be able to reproduce again. But it failed. So when we were on the verge of death, we would spend the next few years creating a new body. Our hope was in keeping ourselves alive for years to come. But it wasn't working.
"The proccess was wearing us down little by little. It started with our strength, we began to get weaker, then our minds, we slowly lost the ability to cast complicated spells. But I wasn't going to give up.
"There was an ancient, but extermely rare, flower called the Jafnan. It was immortal by trait and I sought to discover the reason for it, for if I could then I could replicate those traits into our bodies and live forever.
"The Grey Folk was a scientific race and concluded most of their beliefs on what they were able to discover. But like every superior creature, there is one who wants control over the others. One of our scientists became corrupted by greed and power.
"His name was Tonvrn and he was one of the most impressive spell-casters I've met, far stronger than Galbatorix while he was upon the throne."
Excuse me, Said the voice in Nasuada's head.
"Without our knowledge he went and began creating a new body for himself. But one thing he overlooked was that emotions made up most of the creation proccess; and he was imputting a lot of anger into his creation. What we didn't know was that he figured out how to speed up the proccess, and he implemented my scientific findings to build the first Ravtelr.
"We didn't expect what he was planning, and soon he convinced almost all of the Grey Folk to follow him. Then there was a war. It destroyed our home and spread to the elves, we all fought back. But then the Humans and Urgals got involved. This war took a huge toll on every race in the world, and pushed the survivors to escape to the last place of security. I am rightfully to blame for the Ravtelr's creation, and for nearly causing the extinction of all living things.
"But never did I expect them to find the survivors of that great genocide. But here they are, and if they accomplish their task, then Alageasia will be the gaurding place of life on this world no more."
To be Continued:
A/N: Well, wasn't this an eye-opener. It was really a thought out idea I had since the beginning of this story. I hope it reveals some long awaited answers for you all, and that it explains the origin of the Ravtelr well enough. What do you think of Tenga's role in their creation? And is there anything I could have done to explain it better? By the by, I have put up a drawing of Tonvrn on my Twitter page Skoilr if your interested in checking that out. Woah, do you hear that? Today is the One Year anniversary for this story! Let's celebrate with with millions of reviews guys and girls. Lol jk. Now I guess I have to enter surious mode:
Enter soft jazz*
This year has been the greatest because of you guys. You've made this story prosper the way its has, and I couldn't have done that on my own. I still remember sitting in AP World History class, listening to a lecture about the birth of ancient society, when an idea popped inside of my head. I immedeatly began writing it down on college ruled, loose leaf notebook paper. That was when I started this story. And now, after thousands of notebooks filled front and back with chapters and ideas, I have finally reached the day of Celebration of the Anniversary of the Birth of Alageasia's Downfall, or #CABAD for short. I want to think you all for a wonderful year and, maybe, many more to come. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for sticking around.
-Skoilr
End soft Jazz*