Chapter Sixteen: Beyond the Dream
The night was on the verge of devouring the last threads of twilight, like a beast lurking for its final prey.Lloyd departed the borders of the half-beast tribe, his father's sword gleaming in the dying sunlight as if bidding him farewell... or granting him a blessing. His steps were slow, not from hesitation, but because his heart remained tethered to those who had given him a sense of belonging.As the trees swallowed the final silhouettes of the wooden huts, he paused. He turned slowly, gazing at the place that had embraced him as one of its own... then whispered, as if forging an unbreakable vow:"The easy part is over... now the true path begins."The winds rose as if applauding him. Fallen leaves danced around him for a moment, then scattered into the darkness that seemed to open its maw to consume him.He took a few steps... then his chest tightened suddenly.It was not pain... nor fear.
But a faint voice, emerging from the depths of his soul, or from a realm visited only by fate:"Are you... ready?"Lloyd froze.
He glanced around—the forest was silent, the darkness thick as ink.
He gripped his sword's hilt, steadying his breath."Delusion...? Or a call?"The sound of his footsteps on the dry ground grew heavier.
As if the earth itself sensed that Lloyd had embarked on a journey of no return.He pressed on without looking back.
The air grew colder.
And the night—like a mythical being—carved a long path for him, illuminated only by the moon's glow.Lloyd lifted his gaze to the darkened sky, his eyes shining with unyielding resolve:"If this is the path written for me... I will walk it to the end."But the voice returned, this time clearer... closer... as if whispering from behind his ear:"Then you have chosen.
But remember... the road ahead is paved with thorns, not flowers.
And from this moment... you shall inherit the third thing destined for you."Lloyd furrowed his brow, his tone sharp as his blade:"Something destined...? What do you mean? What is this inheritance?"A light, cold laugh... neither mocking nor reassuring:"Some fates are granted... not understood.
But remember this alone...
Beware.
The Land of Dragons does not welcome strangers.
It will not allow you passage... unless you prove yourself worthy.
You will face trials... from which only those whose names are woven into the fabric of fate survive."Lloyd tightened his grip on his sword, his voice hardening like steel:"It doesn't matter...
Everything I face—everything I endure—is a step toward my revenge.
I will not turn back."And suddenly, all sounds vanished.
The forest, the path, the wind... faded as if they had never been.Lloyd opened his eyes to find himself standing in the same place, the moon high above, the darkness enveloping him like a cloak of destiny.He breathed slowly, raising his gaze to the sky, his eyes gleaming with an unbreakable oath:"Wait for me... Father, Mother...
I will avenge you.
Even if it is... the last wish of my life."Then he took the first step toward the beginning of his transformation...
A step that would change everything.With each step, the darkness thickened, as if testing his resolve.
The trees loomed taller, their branches intertwining like the fingers of giants trying to bar his way.
But Lloyd did not stop.The wind's sound became a murmur of incomprehensible words, as if the forest itself spoke in an ancient tongue.
Sometimes he heard his name, sometimes distant cries, but they faded before he could grasp their meaning."This path is not yours alone... it is the road of all who came before you."The echo resounded within him, but he ignored it.
All that mattered now was reaching the Land of Dragons, where the true trial awaited.Suddenly, a narrow river appeared before him, its waters black as night, yet its surface reflected the moonlight with an eerie clarity.
He approached, sensing that the water was no ordinary liquid... but a mirror revealing what lay within him.Images formed on its surface:
His father's face, smiling despite the blood staining his chest.
His mother's face, her eyes filled with tears yet shining with hope.
Then he saw himself... but not as he was now, rather as a shadow bearing black wings.His heart trembled, but he did not retreat.
He extended his hand toward the water; the surface rippled, and a vortex of light erupted, swallowing the visions of the past."The third inheritance... is what binds you to what you have lost."The voice echoed again, this time from the river's depths.
Lloyd gripped his sword tightly, then leaped across the water in a single bound, as if refusing to drown in his memories.On the opposite bank, a green light awaited, pulsing like a living heart.
He drew near and discovered it was no mere glow, but the eye of a small dragon, watching him in silence.The dragon did not attack but merely observed.
Then it exhaled a cold breath that made the trees shiver, as if heralding the start of the trial.Lloyd raised his sword but did not strike.
He felt the battle was not physical, but spiritual.
So he closed his eyes, letting his heart confront the challenge.Within him, he saw a long path strewn with thorns, as the voice had described.
But he also saw a single flower growing amid the thorns, small yet radiant.
He approached it, touched it, and the pain in his feet vanished, as if it granted him new strength.He opened his eyes to find the dragon drawing closer, then touching his sword with its claw.
In that instant, the blade ignited with green light, as if acquiring newfound power."This is the third inheritance... the unbreakable strength of the spirit."Lloyd smiled, for the first time since his departure.
Then he whispered:"Then... I will not walk this path alone."The dragon ascended into the sky, leaving behind a trail of green sparks that traced a path before him.
Lloyd stepped onto that path, his heart growing firmer, his eyes gleaming with indomitable will.The entire night seemed to bow before his determination, and fate slowly opened its doors to him.
And so, he pressed onward, toward the dawn of a new chapter...
A chapter that would transform him from a mere son seeking revenge into a legend woven into the fabric of fate.Lloyd's steps along the green path were like knocking on the gates of destiny.
Each one ignited the ground beneath his feet with a brief flash, then dimmed swiftly, leaving an indelible mark in the darkness.The night around him was no longer just a veil; it had become an entity watching him, breathing with him, testing his fortitude.
With every advance, the air grew denser, as if the forest were transforming into a living labyrinth.Suddenly, a faint voice rose from between the trees:"You who bear the inheritance of blood... will you withstand the inheritance of fire?"Lloyd halted, his grip on the sword unyielding, his eyes blazing with a defiance that knew no retreat."What other inheritance...? If I must face it, I will see it through to the end."At that, the earth split before him, and a pillar of flame erupted, illuminating the forest in a sinister crimson hue.
From the heart of the blaze emerged a massive shadow, its wings spanning like clouds, its eyes glowing like embers.It was another dragon, larger than the first, but its features were not hostile... rather stern, like a judge brooking no argument.Lloyd took a step forward, the heat nearly scorching his skin, but he did not falter.
The dragon lowered its head slightly, then breathed a short burst of flame at his feet, as if drawing a circle of fire around him."This is the circle of trial... If you step out before it is complete, you will be erased from the fabric of fate."Lloyd clenched his fist tighter, then entered the circle without hesitation.
The flames rose around him, but they did not burn; instead, they formed a wall separating him from the outside world.Inside, voices echoed in his mind:
Cries of war, the groans of the fallen, and the sound of his father collapsing, drenched in blood.
Each one pierced his heart like a stab, but his eyes remained steadfast."I will not let memories break me... I will make them my fuel."Then, before him appeared a specter identical to himself, but with darkened eyes and a bloodied sword.
The specter smiled mockingly, then said:"I am you... but without mercy. If you wish to continue, you must defeat me."Lloyd raised his sword, the green sparks still shimmering on its blade.
The specter raised its own, and the air filled with the clash of steel before the battle even began.The first strike was like lightning, its echoes rebounding off the fiery walls.
Lloyd sensed that every move of the specter revealed his own weaknesses, as if he were truly fighting himself.But in a moment, he recalled the voice's words:"The third inheritance... the unbreakable strength of the spirit."Lloyd offered a brief smile, then changed his approach.
He no longer fought with fury, but with steadiness, as if facing a mirror rather than an enemy.The specter began to retreat, its blows losing power, until it dissolved into black sparks, leaving behind a final echo:"You have chosen to be yourself... not your shadow."The flames extinguished abruptly, the circle vanished, and the dragon raised its head high, then proclaimed in a voice like thunder:"You have passed the first trial... Now, you may proceed toward the Land of Dragons."Lloyd bowed slightly in respect, then continued along the green path stretching before him.
The forest began to open up, the trees bending as if clearing his way, and the night grew quieter, yet more enigmatic.Each step was a new declaration: He was no longer merely a son seeking revenge, but a bearer of an inheritance transcending human limits.He lifted his gaze to the sky, the moon above, the stars shining as if witnessing his journey.
Then he whispered in a steady voice:"Father... Mother... I have begun the path. I will not stop until I reach the end."The wind passed by his side, carrying a distant echo, as if to say:"The road is long... but you have chosen to walk it."Lloyd smiled briefly, then tightened his grip on his sword, and pressed on toward the unknown.
Whatever awaited him there... would be the beginning of his transformation into a legend written in the fabric of fate.End of Chapter Sixteen