Inside the Silver Forest. Tearing everything down along the way, I crash through the silver vegetation. Even though I'm already far from the forest's entrance, the force of the blow still sends me flying.
I try to grab onto a tree, but it's useless.
-(What absurd strength!)
The strike the creature landed on me was so powerful it caused internal bleeding, I feel blood spilling from my mouth.
My flight drops lower, allowing me to scrape against the ground. With quick movements, I manage to drive my right hand into the silver soil, slowing myself until I can plant my feet firmly on the ground. I pull my hand free and, with my body already regenerated, I look back at the vegetation I was thrown from.
I furrow my brow.
-Damn it!
-Who the hell shoved me in here?!
I couldn't see clearly, only a massive paw slamming into me at incredible speed. My attention, however, turns to the Silver Forest itself. A mysterious feeling washes over me, almost forcing me to kneel on the ground and beg forgiveness for being here. I don't understand why this sensation appears so suddenly, but I refuse to give in. I stomp my foot on the ground in defiance, refusing to kneel let alone ask for forgiveness.
Then everything changes. The feelings shift completely. A suffocating urgency hits me, my instincts screaming that I've provoked the wrath of something or someone. I can't explain it, but it's deeply unsettling. My mind warns me that I shouldn't be here. Before I can even think, my body reacts on instinct and I start running.
I run with everything I have. I need to. I have to get out of here. I retrace the path I came from at high speed. Even though the silver vegetation is tougher than normal, I can still smash through the trees to clear a way.
I don't stop running, nor do I stop destroying everything ahead of me.
-(I know that blow sent me flying far, but I should've already found the entrance I came through.)
I stop when, right in front of me, a wall of trees blocks my path. I swing my arms and unleash a stream of fire. The trees don't burn easily, but when I increase the flames' output, I manage to incinerate those in my way.
As soon as I destroy them with fire, I see even more trees ahead. I push through the bushes, charring everything around me. I force my Ability to release fire with much greater power, wiping out meters of forest ahead. Even so, all I see are more trees. In the end, I stop burning, because it feels like I'm getting nowhere.
I look back and see the destroyed path has already regenerated.
-What?!
-How?!
When I turn forward, my eyes widen. I can't believe what I'm seeing. The forest is completely intact, as if the flames had never existed.
-(Aren't I burning everything here?)
-(Why isn't there any sign of fire?)
I step forward and place my hand on the vegetation ahead, searching for any trace that a fire ever passed through, but I find nothing. It's as if I never burned the forest at all.
-(It doesn't look like the forest restored itself quickly. Even if it had regenerated, the burn marks should still be visible, soot, smoke, the smell of fire, but there's absolutely no sign of any of that.)
-...
-Rum!
With a leap, I charge at the forest with everything I have, tearing it apart. I kick the ground open, punch the trees to knock them down. Every punch makes a tree fall. I look around at the devastation and wait to see how the Silver Forest will react. I turn my head from side to side, nothing happens. But when I look back, the forest is exactly as it was before, without a single trace of destruction. I quickly turn my attention forward. The ground and the trees are completely intact.
I take several steps back, shaken.
-(This isn't normal.)
I scan my surroundings, hoping to see anything that isn't silver, but I find only massive silver trees. An idea forms in my mind. I decide to climb the trees.
I start climbing.
-(If I can't escape from below, I'll escape from above.)
As soon as I reach the treetop to get a better view, I realize all I can see are silver trees. The mountains, the volcanoes, even the Five Silver Mountains have vanished. The sky is silver, the sun shines silver, and the clouds are silver as well.
Without me realizing it, my blue eyes turn silver.
-What the hell is happening?!
-There's no way I'm so deep in the forest that I can't see anything but trees!
Refusing to accept this, I leap from tree to tree at high speed, trying to find the mountains, any mountains, searching for anything that isn't silver. But it's useless. I spend hours jumping across the canopies without finding a single other color. In the end, I decide to move along the ground.
I jump down from the tree and start running again.
-(Maybe on solid ground, I'll find some clue on how to get out of here.)
….
…
..
.
The silver sun does nothing for the forest, it neither warms nor cools it. It's as if the sun was created purely for style.
The vegetation somehow has its own light, its own rules, almost as if this place doesn't belong to this world at all.
I walk at a fast pace, yet unable to tell where I've already been or where I'm going.
-Have I already passed through here?
-I've been walking for hours, and the sun hasn't moved at all.
-Is it still in the exact same place?
I think for a moment about whether that's good or bad, but I can't afford to waste time on thoughts like that right now. The only thing that makes me feel a little more at ease is that the awful sense of urgency has diminished considerably. My mind feels calmer, clearer.
I scratch my neck, then my chest.
-How do you get out of here?
For a while, I tried using my Source vision to read the energy of the trees and the ground, searching for some kind of direction, but it was useless. Everything I can see is silver. No matter how much I focus, my Source vision is worthless as a guide here.
I sigh, tired, scratching my forearm and then my hair.
-What a load of crap!
-Damn monster that hit me!
Even as I walk, my mind replays the blow that struck me. The image is clear in my head. That fast, massive, heavy silver paw. Whatever hit me, it wasn't a common attack. That strike wasn't meant to kill me, nor did it come with the intent to hunt me, like monsters usually do. It was precise, deliberate. As if someone wanted me to end up exactly here.
I scratch my forearms again.
-What is this itch?
I look down at my arms and see silver stains.
-...
My breathing slips slightly out of rhythm.
-I don't like this.
I scratch my left arm until it bleeds, making the silver stains disappear. But as soon as my regeneration kicks in, the skin heals, and the silver stains appear again. I notice that my nails are silver too.
My attention shifts to my long hair. It's completely silver. I don't remember changing it to this color. I quickly focus, demanding that it turn black again, but nothing happens.
Something even stranger occurs. My feet feel heavy. When I look down, I see that up to my heels, they're silver. A foul taste fills my mouth. I spit into the palm of my right hand and see that my saliva is silver. A cold sweat runs through my body, but when I look closer, I realize the sweat is silver as well. My breathing becomes even more erratic.
I laugh, almost like a madman.
-ah… ah… ah… ah… ah… ah!
-...
-...No, right?
-This is just in my head.
I start running, desperate.
….
…
..
.
The silver sun remains motionless in the sky. There are no animals, no sounds of monsters, no battles. The wind doesn't stir the leaves. Only absolute silence.
My heavy, sluggish steps, along with my weary gaze, reveal my discouragement.
-...
My steps are stiff, because up to my knees, my legs have already turned to silver. I look at my hands, completely useless, up to my elbows, my arms are silver.
I try to invoke my Abilities. Even without my hands and feet, I should still be able to manifest them through my body. But instead of the expected result, only thick, silver liquids seep out, my Abilities have been consumed by the silver. I close my eyes to see my Source, but it too has been consumed by silver. I open my eyes and keep moving.
I may not be able to see it, but I can feel it. My body is heavy, as if my blood and organs were loaded with lead. The silver has severely contaminated my insides.
My steps grow slower, my body more rigid, and my determination fades little by little.
-(At any moment, I'm going to turn into a silver statue.)
….
…
..
.
The silver sun remains in the same place. Days pass, yet it feels like I'm carrying the weight of entire years.
Heavy and drowsy, I fall to the ground, my face turned toward the sky, ready to become a silver sculpture. My eyes wander over the soil, the trees, and finally stop on my own body. My legs and arms are silver, my chest is silver. Almost my entire body has become metallic. Only my cloak remains black, but that no longer matters.
I feel the sweet comfort of doing nothing. I even manage to form a faint smile. My body grows heavier and heavier, yet by staying still, the weight seems to lessen.
-(It was good while it lasted.)
-(My new life was fun.)
-(I went through many things. I came quite far, too.)
Gradually, I close my eyes.
-(I wanted to see the world, but what for?)
-(I've already seen the world. The world is this forest as a whole, there's nothing beyond it.)
-(Eladreo lied to me. This world has only this forest.)
-(I wish I could yawn before sleeping, but I can't even do that. My throat and mouth are stuck, they must've turned silver too.)
-...
-(Well…)
-(Good night…)
-(Time!!!)
I snap my eyes open and leap to my feet. It's difficult, but I manage to stand, my gaze firm and resolute. Speaking or shouting is impossible, but I know exactly what I want to express. I barely feel my arms, yet I force myself to pound my silver hands against my chest, like a gorilla. My nose and lungs still work, so I take a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling through my nose.
Even with my lips sealed by silver, I express my rage.
-(Give up?!)
-(When did I fall this far in my dream of seeing the world?!)
-(Is the world really just this?!)
-(How could you, Nagaro, even think something like that?!)
-(I climbed mountains, crossed countless biomes, faced every kind of monster I never even imagined existed!)
I may not notice it, but my eyes, once silver, turn blue again.
-(And you, Silver Forest!)
I look at the vegetation.
-(You're just another biome, a little stranger than the rest. Nothing special.)
-(I'll pass through you like I passed through every other place.)
-(My leg stopped working? No problem. I'll crawl like a worm. But I will never give up!)
I turn my face toward the sky.
-(And you all! Silver sun, silver sky, silver clouds, and Silver Mountains…)
-(Silver Mountains!)
I can't believe what I'm seeing. It's a miracle. The five mountains.
I don't waste time. I need to get out of this forest now. I move my body. The weight of the silver still oppresses me, but I advance, step by step. Every movement carries my will and my determination to escape this place.
When I realize it, I spot a green forest. An intense emotion overwhelms me, and I start walking faster. My body finally crosses the Silver Forest. I fall face-first onto the ground, but I don't care. I'm so happy that I even kiss the soil and the grass full of poisonous thorns where I fell.
I take a deep breath, feeling the scent of the trees. I lift my head to look around. I see a black orchid releasing dark pollen. I smile broadly at the orchid. My ears catch the distant sounds of monsters fighting. I missed that too.
Before I notice, my body is no longer stiff. I can stand up without difficulty. The silver color fades from me. My hair turns black again. Immediately, I test my Abilities, I can invoke water and fire through my arms and legs without any restriction. I close my eyes for a brief moment, testing my Source vision. The result is as expected, I can see the Sources and their white and light-gray colors.
After several minutes of happiness and even finding it amusing that I ever thought of giving up, I take one more look at the Silver Forest. But I don't let my guard down, just in case that monster with the huge paw throws me back in there again.
I remember something.
-My goodness…
-(I should apologize to Eladreo.)
-(Eladreo, I don't know if you're watching me, but if you are, I'm sorry for thinking you lied to me.)
I know he'll hardly ever know about this, and even less likely respond to my thoughts, but I feel at peace after apologizing. I look at the normal forest I'm in. The tall trees cover the canopy and prevent me from seeing the mountains I'm heading toward. I decide to launch a fire attack, opening a path ahead and allowing me to see the volcanoes, the normal mountains, and soon after, I manage to find the Five Silver Mountains once again.
I walk toward them.
-(I can continue my journey.)
Even confident and refreshed, I can't stop thinking about the events that led me to the Silver Forest. What kind of forest was that? How did I manage to escape? The monster that shoved me in there… why did it do that? What was its intention? And what about the place I'm heading to now, those silver-colored mountains, could there be a connection?
I have many questions, but no answers. All I can do is move forward and discover for myself whether this path is, or isn't, the way out.
With firm strides, I advance deeper into the forest.
….
…
..
.
At some point within the Silver Forest, at the edge of one of its entrances, a colossal monument rises, forged from silver scales and pure silver. This sculpture was not created for lesser beings to gaze upon, but for a giant and powerful race.
The inscriptions carved into it cannot be read or interpreted by just anyone, only by the vertical eyes of that race. Upon it, the following words are written.
"A Forest of Silver Determination, Argenthyr."
"Created by the First Silver-Scaled Dragon Emperor, Argyron."
"Eras ago, when the world stood on the brink of ruin, the need arose to strengthen the conviction and determination of young and newly born dragons. The Final Blight was drawing near. Battle was imminent, and no dragon could evade it."
"With effort and sacrifice, the First Silver Dragon Emperor consumed what remained of his life to create two sacred places, meant to sustain the future of our race."
"The Silver Mountains, where dragons would live and recover their strength."
"And the Forest of Silver Determination, a place of trial and training."
"Therefore, young dragon, tread this forest with caution. If your determination and confidence are not strong enough, you will become nothing more than another silver statue."
….
…
..
.