In Conclusion, I Can't Do Anything

Golden Leaves Don't Last For Long

"Ohh. So you are just a chuunibyou," Siegfried laughs.

"I can kill you right now, boy," growled Solfrid. He materializes a ball of fire in his hand, threatening Siegfried with it. "I may be powerless at the moment, but in the future, you better watch what you say."

The boy jolts. "Eep! Joking! I'm just joking, haha...." He watches the flame closely, the blazing orange of the fire reminding him of that crystal he once found and lost from the lake. "Hey... Now that I think about it..." Siegfried inspects Solfrid's features— long, golden yellow hair that reaches all the way down to his midsection and shines brightly in the sun; piercing eyes the colour of lava; glaring orange eyeshadow that compliment his eyes; red horns atop his head that seem to almost glow; and a blazing yellow tail with orange hues, decorated with spikes from the back all the way down to the tip. At the end of Solfrid's tail is a spike that almost resembles a diamond. "Do you know where that crystal I found in the lake went? You kind of remind me of it..."

Solfrid ponders at the question. "A crystal? No I don't think I have, but I might know a clue."

The kid beams with excitement. "Really!? If we ever do find it, thank you so much! Once I sell that thing, I'm for sure going to become rich. Then, I'll live on my own away from my house. It'll be like a dream from now on!" He puts his hands to his hips proudly, posing like a superhero. "So, do you know where it is?"

"Take a look at the forest around us. What do you see?"

Around them, plants liven up and become more vivid. Stems of flowers stand up straight and some sprouts' growth accelerates. Flowers open up their petals as they become comfortable. Sadly, this is short-lived, as the further away Solfrid walks from the place, the less lively the plants seem. When Solfrid steps towards a location, that location becomes more animated, while as he steps away, the location reverts back to its original state. Siegfried takes note of this. "Plants look... Errr.... Happier when you walk toward them," he guesses.

Solfrid nods his head. "That's right. Because I've been blessed by the Sun itself, my energy looks like the Sun and feels like it. Since plants rely on the Sun and some water, when I move next to a plant, it'll absorb some of my energy and use it as fuel. Hey kid, tell me, what did the lake, when you found it, look like to you?"

"Umm... There were a lot of plants. I remember noting that there was a lot more variety of life as I got closer to Hartlake. I think I also saw an elk next to the lake. But I know for sure that the scenery there was much more different than the outskirts of the forest."

He gestures to the spikes on his tail, "Do these spikes look familiar?"

Something clicks in Siegfried's mind. "Ah! The crystal! Were you the... crystal?"

"Looks like you've finally caught on," Solfrid grins. A fang peeks out. "I think it's highly plausible to think that that crystal you somehow got from the lake was my heart. If so, then this forest—"

"Elkhart Forest."

"—was my resting place."

"Everything makes sense now!" beams Siegfried. "The fact that Hartlake is in the heart of the forest, and how your heart is in the middle of Hartlake.... But, it still doesn't explain why no one has ever captured an image of this lake..."

Solfrid hums. "What do you mean, 'capture an image'?" He finds the kid smirking in the corner of his eye.

"Right, you're a hermit who's been asleep for, I don't know, thousands of years. You definitely don't know what a camera is."

"No, I indeed do not. Care to inform me, boy?"

He takes out his phone from his backpack. The phone lights up, showing the time 5:34 PM on the screen. It is short-lived, though, as the phone crackles and dies out. "Ah..." he sighs in embarrassment. "I forgot it got waterboarded with me. I'll tell you about it another time, Solfrid. For now, we should focus on getting out of here," Siegfried says as he pushes a branch out of the way, revealing a large, open clearing.

Tall blades of grass sway side by side, rolling like a glissando across piano keys. Siegfried laughs; his voice gets lost in the wind that brushes gently across his cheeks. "It's like a dream!" he grins. Multicolor specks dot the field, resembling patches and patches of flowers. He looks back at Solfrid; He's just standing there, staring openly at the sight before him. If you squint enough, you can see just the slightest hint of awe in his eyes.

Siegfried giggles at this. He latches onto Solfrid's wrists, pulling him out of the forest. As he does so, Solfrid thinks of his tribe. Tribe of the Golden Fields, where wheat and grains would cover acres and acres of land. Since everything was out in the open, there was nothing to block the Sun out of its way, therefore allowing the Sun to directly cast its rays upon the land. In this tribe, dragons flourished with the abundance of wheat, making all kinds of foods, like bread. That was the Golden Fields' specialty.

Simply gazing upon the field reminds him of his land before a drought overran the fields, leading his tribe into a state of vulnerability, famine, and poverty. A hot tear trickles down his cheek. This sight alone is enough to make him cry. Solfrid sniffs, and follows Siegfried as they run off into the plains.

Meanwhile, the sun pours the land with a shower of light, before finally settling beneath the horizon to sleep. The sky darkens, the waning gibbous moon rises, and stars dot the night sky like freckles on ones' face. Two boys sleep soundly underneath an oak tree.