In Conclusion, I Can't Do Anything

Running Away From Home Is A Solution - Tried And True

When your tribe's territories are fought over and annexed by the enemy, what do you do? What will you do if your land is overrun by famine and drought and the people are wallowing in despair? What could you do if you, the strongest of your tribe, the leader of your tribe, is defeated by your rival, your archnemesis?

These are the sun dragon's last thoughts as he lies on the dry, barren soil of the last remaining territory of the Golden Fields tribe. Looming over him is the menacing figure of his archnemesis, Caraluna. The dragon born beneath a full moon on the day of the winter solstice. Solfrid feels nothing but remorse as his consciousness begins to slip away.

"You really haven't changed, Solfrid."

Caraluna walks away towards a blood moon.

. . . . . .

"I never want to be here again!"

Bang! Behind him, the door slams shut. Siegfried holds onto the straps of his backpack, running off from his home. He'd just recently gotten into a fight with his family earlier, and now he's packed up his items and running away. His travel backpack contains items like: sandwiches, a wallet, a jug of water, his phone, and an extra set of clothes.

In front of him is a deep dark forest, a forest so deep your eyes could get lost just by staring at it. That there is the Elkhart Forest, the main forest and one of the famous geographical features of Elkhart. It is rumoured that deep within this forest, you could find a magnificent lake harboring plants and animals of all kinds in the heart of the forest. Thus, the name "Hartlake." But, the thing is, there are no incidences of a clear, blue lake in the middle of Elkhart. No drone has ever managed to capture a picture of this "Hartlake." Multiple people have explored the woods in an attempt to find "Hartlake," but it was futile. That's why, Siegfried doesn't believe there's such a thing as a "Hartlake" in the heart of the Elkhart Forest.

Siegfried runs to the back of his backyard, and leaps over the slatted wood panel fence using a stool. He runs off in a frenzy, losing himself within the woods. "Finally! I'm free!" he exclaims, grinning ear-to-ear. His moment of excitement is short-lived, though, as he realizes the circumstances he's in. Siegfried looks behind, and notices he's gone too far into the woods and he wouldn't be able to find his house's fence no matter which direction he went. A sinking feeling settles in his gut; he feels he's lost at this point. No matter, because he has his trusty phone with him. Although there's no data in the forest, some apps can be used offline, and that's the case for the compass app on his phone.

He points his phone to the direction he's currently facing right now, which is south. Siegfried decides to continue walking south, because south is where Eden is, land of luscious soil, rivers, and rainforests. He hopes that maybe if he continues walking towards Eden, he could reach the border. But before that, he needs to learn how to actually escape this forest first.

After a few minutes of mindless walking, his legs tire out and he checks the time on his phone. It's 12:04 PM. The sun would be at its peak right now, shining its brightest, though Siegfriend wouldn't be able to see because of the thick canopy overhead. He takes a swig from the jug of water he'd brought with him, then continues his trek once he's drank enough. As he traverses deeper into the Elkhart Forests, he takes note of the surroundings around him. Bushes and plants become more varied as he moves forward step by step. The air becomes increasingly clearer as well. Light begins to seep in through the cracks of the canopy overhead, until it all turns into one large clearing.

In the clearing, he finds a waterbody. To be specific, the rumoured "Hartlake" he's always denied the existence of. Siegfried's mouth hangs wide open in awe as he stares upon the shining beauty of Hartlake. The sun, at its highest in the sky, beams its rays upon the lake's surface, allowing for it to gleam beautifully. "No way... This is real?" he mumbles to himself. He stands there, stunned as he can only take in the sight before him.

Siegfried looks down at his feet. Rocks poke against his shoes stained by dirt and mud from his hike. He steps forward once— twice, then just a little more. His knees are submerged in the lake's clear, blue waters now, small waves brushing against his clothes. He could feel the roots of the lily pad and lotus pads that decorate the surface of the lake. He finds himself giggling, feeling the ticklish feel of dirt being kicked up as he wades in the water.

A while later, Siegfried is completely submerged beneath the surface of Hartlake, holding his breath. Since he was a competitive swimmer at his school, it's no surprise that he could manage to hold his breath for periods of time. He manages to swim all the way out to the middle of the lake, until he decides to do something stupid. What was this "stupid" thing he decided to do, you ask? Swim to the very bottom of this lake. It was outrageous, Siegfried knew that, but a challenge is a challenge, and he was a competitive swimmer after all.

He breathes in a deep breath, then dives underwater as he begins to make his way down. As he does so, he feels the water pressure push against him from all sides. It feels weird, but nothing he hasn't felt before. He can see the brown dirt at the bottom, and he extends a hand out to reach it.

His hand pushes away debris and soil, until suddenly, he finds something glowing beneath the dirt. Jackpot! he thinks to himself, as he snatches the blazing orange crystal from the earth. It feels cold and pointy in his hand, but it doesn't matter. His feet start to kick, and he finds himself moving upwards to the surface. The thing is, he's starting to run out of breath, so when he's almost there, his legs give out and his head spins. He's got little to no stamina left in his system to continue swimming, so he lets himself float as his consciousness slips away.