🌳 Earth of Desire

[Forest]

Earth of Desire

The first entry of the Prodigy World lore series.

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NOTE: 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎, 𝚏𝚎𝚊𝚛, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙻𝙶𝙱𝚃𝚀+ 𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 (includes relationships) [Rated PG-13]

Viewer discretion is advised. Please enjoy the story!

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📝 Chapter 1: Peace and Surprise

Spruce walked cautiously through the forest. He was trying to get home, where his comfy bed and warm campfire awaited him. The cold season, Winter, had arrived, and some of the earth monsters calmly had shifted into hibernation, ready to slumber away until a warm and rainy spring returned. The forest was…mercifully more quiet than usual.

Spruce wasn’t just anyone walking home; he was a wizard! Powerful and destined to save the universe! He liked thinking this way, but it seemed rather daunting and scary to know that it really did need saving from a horrible, mysterious powerful wizard the world had never known.

His parents, Evergreen and Magnolia were very overprotective of him for this. They knew he was destined to stop the world, along with four other wizards he would meet when he turned fifteen. This made him curious and afraid at the same time. Who are these other wizards? Will they train me, or will they be my friends or something? What if I let them down and they, along with the rest of the world, hate me? He shook his head, unwilling to let those demoralizing thoughts change his attitude. He was going to meet them soon; his fifteenth birthday was in three days.

He finally reached his cabin after turning down another cobblestone road. His residence wasn’t very big, and it wasn’t very special at all. It was just a wooden, hand-constructed house. The glowing light globes inside brightened the evening sunset, and the brown oak chairs and swings that were perched on the porch slowly oscillated in the wind.

“Spruce?” his mother called. He could hear the anticipation and relief in her voice. She sounded like this everyday, like she hadn’t seen him in weeks. He could hear the dishes clattering and the sink water running. “Are you there, dear?”

“Yes, mother, I’m fine,” he said, and just as he did, his father, Evergreen, came outside and gave him a hug. He smiled at his parents gleefully. “Hi, Dad.”
“Are you all right, scout?” Evergreen asked, his tone full of questioning. He helped his mother travel down the doorsteps and she beamed at him. “We heard you had a surprise test today in Herbology today. How did you do on it?”

“It was fine,” Spruce said. “I haven’t gotten my scores back, though.” He took off his backpack, which was heavy with books and notes, and set it wryly on one of the steps. He could hear tiny trampling, and he saw his little pet Sproot hurtled towards them, happily.
“Hi, buddy,” he said, and he picked his pet up. It licked him appreciatively.
“Son,” Evergreen said, the worry not diminishing from his voice. “We—got a letter from the Academy today.”

Spruce’s heart skipped a beat before stopping completely. Oh, no. What happened? Did I do something wrong today? He didn’t remember being scolded or pulled aside by any of his teachers today. Not even in the past month.

“The — academy wants you to — leave tomorrow with all of your things and go and continue on with them,” his mother, Magnolia, said urgently. She took out a tattered scrap of note and handed it to him.

🌱 Chapter 2: The Note

He read the note, and for the first time he noticed he had been dreading this moment. Spruce couldn’t think straight for that long moment before speaking. “But–I haven’t turned fifteen yet,” he sputtered, his voice cracking. This can’t be happening yet. I mean, it’s only three days early, but—I still could be enjoying them before we face the big bad stuff, right? This has to be urgent.

“Well, they want you to come tomorrow morning.” Evergreen looked into the forest, and Shades looked at them in amusement. “We didn’t argue with them, though. If saving this world is important, then we can’t be open to arguments.”

“Besides,” his mother added softly. “I think you’re ready for this. It’ll be tough, for all of us with you leaving, but—we’ll see you again. I hope,” she added, and that quite was unnecessary, Spruce thought, wounded.

“Why now?” he cried, his brain in tangled messes of anxiety and worries. I was ready to turn fifteen! I could be unprepared right now! Are the other wizards fifteen already, and is that why they want to hurry me up? Trees of trouble, this isn’t good. Why NOW? He started crying, his throat tightening.

“It’s going to be OK,” Evergreen said assuringly. He rested a hand on his son’s shoulder. "I know it’s earlier than we expected, but I think you’re ready. You know a lot about the plant element, son, so it should give you someplace to start. I believe they’re training all of you to master your elements, so they can help defeat this powerful wizard alongside you. Then everything could be back to normal, right?" His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of quiet hope and intense fear.

The wind seemed to gust more violently, causing the trees to sway and animals to scurry into their burrows for safety. I have to go, whether I want to or not.

🥣 Chapter 3: A Journey Begins

The next morning, Spruce awoke in his bed feeling nervous. No, that was normal, but today it seemed to have an extra layer of anxiety piled with it, like a continuing pile of leaves in an autumn gust. He reluctantly walked into the bathroom, got himself cleaned and changed, preparing for his momentous day.

After a breakfast of magic cereal and warm cakes, his parents hugged him. It wasn’t just a normal hug; this one had a lot more emotion and love into it, like he was the best thing that had happened in their lives.

“Go and save the world, darling,” his mother said through tears. She wiped them away quickly. “I always knew you would and will.”
“Really? Just me, and not because of anything else?” Spruce asked, crying himself.
“Yes,” Evergreen confirmed. “I would be convinced no matter what goes on. No letter or anything would have convinced me even more. I’ve always known.” He kissed his son on the head and looked into his eyes. “It will be all right, son. Just keep learning. Try your best, and don’t let anyone discourage you. Believe in yourself. Always.”

After another long hug and goodbye, Spruce, along with a map his parents had given him, stepped outside into the forest breeze. It blew softly, and Spruce found that rather reassuring. He smiled. This is it. This is my moment. I’ll miss my parents, the forest, and everything else that I call home. But I’m meant for something bigger, and I’ll make sure we can fix everything wrong with the world. Forever.

He took a deep breath and began venturing toward his long destination.

🏫 Chapter 4: Searching for Archives

Spruce stepped gingerly into the Academy. The chandeliers and bright light illuminated the tapestries and paintings that decked the elegant walls. Torches alighted with flames indicated the halls and their directions, and busy students hurried around, exchanging books, speaking to their masters, and other noisy tasks.

Spruce took out the note from his pocket and looked at it again. It seemed to indicate that he needed to enter…the Academy Archives?

But…he couldn’t. The Archives were forbidden to go into. The academy had endlessly told students the once famous room of chronicles were not to be undertaken. The punishment was explicitly stated: suspension.

He glanced at the nearest merchant. What was its name? He had forgotten, but he mustered the courage to go and speak to him. Awkwardly, he walked over to the small, blinking merchant, who was busily sorting books and cloaks in a calm, quiet manner. “Excuse me,” he said, his voice cracking, and it took quite a moment for the occupied merchant to look up and acknowledge him.

“Yes?” it asked. It considered him silently for a moment, then gestured to the clothing and wands scattered neatly around its selling desk. “Are you here to purchase an item? Perhaps a potion or advice?”

Spruce deflated internally. “No,” he said. “I’m–I’m supposed to be going into the Academy Archives, but I wanted to ask if you happened–to know anything about it.”

The merchant’s expression transformed from patient to suspicious. It gave Spruce a sharp, calculating look. “The archives?” It finally managed to ask, with a raised eyebrow. “Why so?”

“Because,” Spruce said carefully. “I got a letter telling me I needed to go there, and I–just didn’t know if I should, you know?”

The merchant suddenly looked less paranoid. “May I see the letter?”

Spruce handed the tattered note to the merchant, and he noticed his hands were trembling. He had expected the merchant to be suspicious, and handing the note to it didn’t seem like a big problem. But something screamed no! Don’t do that! Ack! You’ll ruin everything and you’ll let the world down! Some things didn’t make sense to him, and this especially didn’t.

“Oh, you’re one of the Chosen Ones,” the merchant said, and its voice was filled with relief. It gave the jottings back to Spruce, and pointed sharply at the Archives. “You have permission to go. I wish you the best of luck, and please bring peace to our world, however you do it.”

Spruce nodded thankfully before slowly approaching the steps of the Archives.

Best of luck. I want that to be reassuring, as it should be and what the merchant intended, but this weird nervous feeling keeps bubbling to the surface. Spruce cautiously started stepping down the steps, and a magical, fulfilling aura and violet glow encompassed him. He was instantly swallowed into a vortex, and before he could scream, he was standing perfectly and free of harm in the first section of the Archives.

He did scream, however, when a figure suddenly careened into him, squeezing him tight.

📜 Chapter 5: Big Introductions

Spruce screamed and dropped his tote bag he was carrying and fell hard to the floor. He wasn’t injured still, but he had suddenly gained a sharp, painful headache that made his brain feel like it was being poked with tiny shards of glass.

To his surprise, someone gasped apologetically and loomed over him, inspecting him. Her expression was suspicious briefly, but then turned into an avid burst of excitement.

“SPRUCE!” she yelped, and she cannoned into him again. This time, he did not scream, and instead he somehow managed to sneak out a confused “what?”.

“You’re here! You’re finally here! This is AMAZING! Wait…” she suddenly arranged her face to look sad, which was kind of hilarious, if you asked Spruce. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to whack you like that, or whatever I did, but it’s SO EXCITING to see you’re finally here!”

She extended her hand to help him up, and he did. Spruce examined himself again. Nope, no injuries, he noticed with pleasure. He brushed himself off and gave his company a confused, yet very suspicious look.

“How do you know my name, and that I was coming?” he demanded.

The girl didn’t seem to lose any of her excitement. “Oh, that! Whoops. I probably should’ve started by introducing myself. I’m Galaxy, the master of the shadow element, if you were wondering. Um. So. Don’t freak out! I can read minds and see the future.”

Spruce didn’t have an immediate reaction. He just stood there, still not processing completely with what she had said. He let the words sink in for a second, then jumped.

“You–what?” he said.

“Don’t worry!” Galaxy exclaimed. “Don’t worry, I promise. I can stay out of your head really easily, but sometimes I can’t help hearing what others are thinking.” She looked at the endless shelves of bookshelves. “I can see the future, though, and that’s how I knew about you, and—I know lots of other things.”

Wow. That makes sense, how she knew my name and everything. But seeing the future and the inside thoughts of other people? It would seem fun and cool at first, but sometimes people think very disturbing things, and seeing the very dangerous things in the future and what people think….that can’t be easy for her. I wonder how she’s this bubbly and excited, knowing all of those things.

Galaxy was looking at him intently. She uprighted herself with an apologetic expression. “Sorry,” she said. “I couldn’t help hearing that, but I understand. You’re right, some things I see are pretty dang scary, but I know we can do this and we can prevent all of the bad things from happening. Right?”

Spruce didn’t know how to respond to this. What was the reassuring thing to say, without saying it wouldn’t be that easy or simple? He thought, and after quite some moments, he knew what to say.

“Um, right? Yes, absolutely?” Hm. Yes, that wasn’t quite as majestic or super reassuring as he had intended.

Galaxy giggled and started tugging his arm. “Come on, you need to meet the others.”

They ventured down a vast hallway, which was alighted by flames on torches. Emblems and pictograms were engraved into the walls, history you could see and touch freely. Every now and then, an opening would appear in the walls and one could float into a room that was stocked with bookshelves and studying tables. Some rooms even had billboards with old notes scribbled on them, and papers were ransacked on the floors messily. One room even had a podum with lots of seats, where students could give presentations based on their findings for student presentations.

Spruce and Galaxy then came to a dead end.

“Um, is this the end of the hallway?” he asked, a little nervously.

“That’s what they want you to think,” Galaxy said excitedly. She tapped lightly on a brick that was slightly darker than all of the others and pushed it out then in, and a door suddenly appeared, revealing a large, domed room filled with papers, bookshelves, studying tables and comfy chairs, and chatting strangers.

Spruce walked slowly into the study hall, gazing at the organized shelves of literature. Each was marked neatly with scrolls and books, with maps being pinned to the walls with more pins marking certain locations of the island. The tables were made of warm, tempered glass, and he could see his reflection as clearly through a super-reflective mirror. Mobile lights illuminated the room, and fancy-looking tapestries and paintings of wizards and monsters added depth and illusion to the place.

“Um…hello?” he mumbled, and all at once, the others turned and considered him and Galaxy.

“At last,” one of them said, and he looked like a storm-type wizard. “He has arrived.”

“FINALLY,” a louder voice said, and her clothing was dripping with cool, blue patches and ice emblems. Ice. “I can talk to SOMEONE else besides this boring lecturer.”

“Maybe if you were a bit more intelligent,” another voice said, sounding amused. “You wouldn’t be so bored. But no, your brain is the size of a green pea. Hello, new one.” His uniform was of brown and cafe colors, with emblems of physicality patched into his body. He was the physical one.

“Nice job, fighting in front of our new guests,” another one chimed. She had blue, long hair and radiated calmness and tranquility. She created a small bubble of water, which floated over to the ice wizard and burst onto her head. The ice wizard glowered at her, the erupted into giggles.

“Who are you?” asked another. He was so clearly the fire wizard, with clean, cut red hair and eyes the blazed warmer than the summer sun. “Don’t be afraid. We’re pretty much harmless.”

“Well, most of us are,” said the ice wizard.

“Really?” Galaxy said. “Truly?”

“Pretty much,” said the storm wizard. He was reading a book, half-listening.

“Well, I’m Spruce,” Spruce introduced himself. “I’m the earth wizard.”

“Yes,” Galaxy said. “I saw him in my vision. We’re all going to do wonderful things, essentially.”

“Nice to meet you,” the ice wizard said nicely. She pointed to herself. “I’m Diamond.” Cordially, she pointed to the fire student, then the storm one. “Ash, the fire wizard, and Raiden, the magical storm dude.”

“I’m Brooke,” said the water wizard kindly. “And this is Martial, the physical wizard.”

“Nice to meet you all,” Spruce said.

“We have two primary masters that will educate us,” Martial offered. He looked around the room, then looked disappointed as if he had expected them to suddenly pop out of thin air.

“They were here earlier, but they went to go collect some copper coins to get some food for us.”

“That was two hours ago,” Diamond pointed out. “And they still haven’t come back.”

“Give them a break,” Raiden said defensively. “You know how rare those things are. It’d probably take about five minutes to find a single ounce.”

“Precisely,” Martial said calmly. He considered Galaxy for a moment. “Did you break the news to him?”

“Oh! Yes, that. I did!” she said.

“Well, he doesn’t seem alarmed at all about it,” Brooke noticed. “I mean, isn’t it kind of creepy to hear what others are thinking? And see what’s bound to happen in their lives?”

“That’s not a fair way to think about it,” Galaxy whispered defensively. “Sure, it can be. I absolutely agree with that, but I didn’t choose to have those powers. It chose me.”

“Right,” said Brooke. “Anyway, let’s get to know each other more, shall we? If we’re destined to save thousands of thousands of lives, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page.” She produced a long, sheet of paper, and started scribing something on it with ink.

“What are you doing?” asked Raiden.

“Making a game,” she said excitedly. “Now, quiet, I’m making eight copies of these, so be quiet, or else I’ll summon some squids to squish your heads.”

“Pages of peril,” Spruce said nervously. “Can you actually do that? I’m guessing and hoping no.”

“She’s joking,” Martial said reassuringly. He put a hand on his shoulder, and he immediately felt more relaxed. “Brooke is always saying threatening stuff like that, but she’s actually softer than a cuddly kitten.”

“Two done!” Brooke exclaimed, then she handed one to Ash and one to Raiden. They both looked at their pieces of scroll with confused expressions, scanning the pages curiously.

After Brooke made a couple more, Spruce received his own and looked at the ragged handwriting. Galaxy had also received one, and she was humming to herself.

“So…you want us to write our names, our goals, and what we plan on doing when we get older?” Ash questioned blandly. “I hate to burn your bushes, but you already know, like, some of this.”

“Well, tell me again,” Brooke said voluntarily. “I might have forgotten, and it’s not just for me, you snail. Hurry up and fill it out.”

“Oh, that’s what it is?” Spruce asked. He couldn’t seem to understand, but not what it was trying to get him to do. “I mean, I can’t really read this…or make out this handwriting.”

“Ouch,” said Brooke.

“Sorry,” Spruce blurted. “I didn’t mean to be mean, but it’s just—I don’t know. I can’t really read this. It’s a good thing Ash explained it to me, though, so it’s good.”

Brooke smiled. “No worries, I was just joking.” She finished another scroll and handed it to Martial. “I do admit I don’t have the best handwriting in the world, but it’s fine, right?”

“Of course,” Spruce said, smiling back.

“All right, this last one is for me,” the water wizard said. She scribbled the same lines for the eighth time, then tore it off from the larger pad of paper, then threw it into the nearest bookshelf. Books that were tottering on the edges fell to the ground, crushing the pad promptly. Martial gave them a wistful look.

“Now, as Ash helpfully explained,” she began. “Write your names, your goals, and what you want to do when you become older.”

“Yeah, we knew this already,” said Diamond coolly.

“All right,” Spruce said. He began writing with his favorite green pen, confidently writing his sentences. His handwriting was good, naturally, and he had always received several compliments on how it was. He also always got good grades on all of his writing assignments in class, and even better ones on handwriting tests, where you filled out papers with predetermined topics and lessons to help with writing.

“You have really good handwriting,” Galaxy said loudly. Spruce nearly jumped.

“Thanks?” he said. That’s normal. Galaxy isn’t, which I like. She isn’t quiet or nervous like me, or most of my other classmates at the Cottage school, but she is sometimes, especially when it comes to….certain things. He couldn’t figure out what, but he could notice that from her.

“DONE!” Brooke shouted. “Ha, I beat all you slowpokes.”

“This was a race?” Ash said, his voice loaded with playful sarcasm.

“Yes,” she said. “And you still lost, even when I gave you all a head start. That’s disappointing.”

“You sure are competitive,” Martial said calmly. “I assume you want us to share our results? That sounds highly logical, even though you probably know some of the answers already.”

“I’ve known you for ONE DAY,” Brooke said. “I don’t know much, and besides, like I said, I’ve probably forgotten everything you’ve ever told me.”

“This suddenly seems like a huge potential waste of time,” said Ash.

“I’ll go,” Galaxy said. “I’m Galaxy, obviously, and I want to end this war and save everyone. My goals are to be an astrophysicist and help others learn how to use the shadow element properly. Because, frankly, all I’ve seen younger ones do is use it to scare their chameleons and turtles!” She giggled.

“Cool,” Brooke said spiritedly. “Me next!” She ahem-ed and began.

“I’m Brooke, the water wizard. My goals are also to end the world skirmish, and possibly help restore Shipwreck Shore from pollution. I want to be a teacher at the universities one day, or any other type of school where they provide education. I also want to clean up everywhere that needs cleaning.”

Ash went next. “I want to fulfill this prophetic dream. Save the world. All of that jazz. Really. And, when I have time, I want to study food and beverages and become a chef to serve everyone. In Bonfire Spire, we had so many chefs there, which is probably more than other location on this island. I want to feed the poor and hungry, too, and we can give them jobs and warm shelters to live in.”

Then, it was Diamond. “Ending the war is most important before anything. I want to become a designer, so I can do anything that has to do with infrastructure and fashion. I did study wizard care in Shiverchill Mountains, but there’s nothing really there to dress up besides sneaky Rukuses.”

“I’m Martial. I want to be a historian and study Prodigian history. Once I collect a certain amount of information, I will publish articles and books so any wizard can access this information. Besides this, I can be a regular writer, too, and write several stories and biographies so I can make gold. Free copies for all of you, along with special big discounts, if you want.” He paused, then remembered. “I want to stop this evil wizard, and probably teach self-defense as well to some wizards with the physical element. NOT to bully your friends or sisters, either, which can be dangerous.”

“I’m Raiden,” the storm wizard had said. “I want to do whatever you guys want to do with saving the world, whatever that takes. I want to be a meteorologist and study the weather, so I can predict natural disasters so we can modify our environment to prevent any big damage and save lives. I also want to be a biologist, study the earth and its animals, and then keep them protected.”

Then, it was Spruce’s turn.

“Hello, I’m Spruce,” he said nervously. Beanstalks, why am I so NERVOUS? “I master the earth element, or plant, more accurately. I love plants, and I would like to be a botanist, so I can grow plants and vegetables and fruits to feed our family and anyone else. I also want to be a doctor, and use medicinal herbs and healing techniques to make sure everyone is safe. I also want to end this war. It’s what I was meant for, and whatever I have to do will be done, and then things can be better forever. Too many lives are being lost, and we need to stop that.”

The others were startled into silence for a minute, each letting his small speech soak in.

“Wow,” Galaxy breathed, gasping for air in amazement. “How committed. I want do be like that, too.”

“Great job, Spruce,” Brooke grinned at him. “Now, let’s discuss our favorite foods! Mine, is salmon.”

As they all talked and laugh, Spruce felt less nervous and more comfortable being around them. They all had interesting backgrounds and personalities. They genuinely seemed to like him, too, which was great to him. Maybe they would all be great friends. He especially liked Ash. He was very open-minded.

Then, suddenly, the brick wall burst open, and two tall wizards loomed in, one with a beard longer than a giraffe’s tail.

“Students, hurry! You need to hide.” One of them said, ushering them down into a secret valve.

“What? Why? What’s going on? Spruce asked, his nervousness rushing back like an impending tsunami.

The wizard looked into his eyes, his eyes were bluer than the sky, and spoke into his ear, his voice sending a calm yet anxious vibrance into Spruce’s veins.

“The evil one…is coming.”

🕴Chapter 6: Eavesdropping the Evil One

Spruce’s heart pounded with fear and he and his new friends crowded desperately into a designated evacuation space. They all moved so calmly, but the urge to stay alive added more of a rushed and hurried vibe to their escape.

“We can hide here,” the other master said softly. She had golden hair and astral emblems all across her wardrobe. She carried a yellow, durable staff, and Spruce could see the magic pulsing through it. It’s kind of comforting to know that she has something at least.

Behind him, he could see Galaxy, her eyes scrunched shut and her forehead contorted in agony. She looked like she was concentrating on something but not knowing completely how much she was.

Then, it hit Spruce. Galaxy was a mind-reader. She could hear the thoughts of all of them right now, and he couldn’t guarantee they were calm, collective thoughts. They must be blasting her with panicked, screaming pain and death ones, and she looked like she was crippling in pain.

Before he could ask if she was all right, Diamond spoke.
“Can you hear anything?” she asked softly, helping her walk with the rest of them.
Galaxy shook her head. “No, not yet, but I can hear some of yours, and there are a lot of new, confusing visions seeping in. I can’t completely tell what they are, but they aren’t good.” Martial gave her an apologetic look.

“Keep listening, but remain quiet,” the neutral master said. “Aurora, stay in control of yourself. We don’t want you blasting astral spells around everywhere, and we’re trying to maintain a low profile.” His aquamarine, teal-colored hair and eyes glowed with genuine worry and trust.

“All right, Sage,” Aurora said. “Make sure you have your rejuvenating abilities intact, because if anything happens to these students…”

“Shh…” Ash said, and abruptly they all fell silent just as they heard voices.

“Where are they?” an authoritative voice boomed, and Spruce’s bones shook.
“We don’t know, sir,” another voice said warily. Spruce could seem to practically hear the servant squirming.
“They were supposed to be HERE!” the voice shouted, and the walls seem to shake with fear themselves. “I even asked the merchant where they were, and it said it had no idea!”
“Well, what if it’s lying?” the servant asked.
The Evil One paused, considering. “Well, it’s too late, because I killed it.”

Spruce couldn’t even describe how he was feeling at that moment. It made him sick, but he felt to blame for even speaking to the merchant. If he hadn’t been such a coward and followed the map, the poor, little seller would have still been alive. He could feel the warmth of Ash beside him, and also his soft breathing beside him. It kind of comforted him, but by a little.

“Can you hear anything?” Brooke whispered to Galaxy.
She shook her head. “I can’t read the evil guy’s mind, but the poor servant’s one is blasting all of these worried, confused ones. He has no idea where we are and is starting to wonder if he is going to kill him.”

“Well, it doesn’t matter,” the Evil One snarled. Spruce and Galaxy both jumped when the Evil One had seemed to respond to what she had said. Thankfully, he didn’t continue by stomping around with rage to find them and then ripping apart their hiding spot and then began doing something even worse. Instead, he seemed to crush something between his hands. “They were here, but they’re gone now. They can’t stop me. Anyone who does will face a fate similar to the little merchant.”

“Where are we going now?” he asked, curiously.
The Evil One seemed to smile wickedly. “First, we’re going to Firefly Forest. We need to conquer them, first. We’ll plan a siege or capture in three days.”

“If you’re sure…” the servant started.
“Oh, I’m sure. We’ll attack…in three days.”

😱 Chapter 7: A Battle Begins

Spruce’s heart was pounding even more than ever. They’re going to attack Firefly Forest, where my family is, my school, my home, and everything else I’ve loved. He can’t. I have to go there. I have to get back to them and warn them and make sure they’re all right. I have to go there RIGHT NOW.

“The coast is clear,” Sage said. He nodded at Galaxy. “Right, moonbud?”
“Of course, we should be safe. I don’t hear their thoughts anymore, so we should be good. Is everyone all right?”
“Yes,” Diamond said.
“Yeah, I think so,” Martial and Brooke said simultaneously.
“Absolutely,” admitted Raiden.
Ash didn’t answer. Instead, he looked confidently at Spruce, and his eyes said, Are YOU all right, because you know I am.

“Spruce?” asked Aurora, worriedly. “Are you OK?”
“I have to go to Firefly Forest,” Spruce said, not answering. “I have to. If the Evil One plans on attacking my home, I have to go there.”

Sage didn’t answer immediately. He considered Spruce for a moment. “I completely understand, Spruce. I have family there, too, and a lot of people I know there that have helped me along in my life, but it’s not a good idea to go there now. We’re going there eventually, especially before the Evil One strikes, but we can’t go right now.”

“It’s not safe,” Aurora added. “I’m sorry, but we’ll wait three days. There are some things we want to teach you, and you can’t go there without knowing any of it.”

“I think that’s what he wants us to do,” Ash said. “The Evil One, I mean, about us going there early. He probably knows we’re hiding in here, listening, and he expects us to know. He thinks we’ll try and help the Firefly Forest wizards and pets evacuate early, and then he can go and capture us and them. He wants to get us anyway. It’s best if we wait, then go slightly before then, so we can be prepared to help and defend.”

Spruce wanted to argue, wanted to tell him that was a bad idea and the Evil One COULD still be lying, but Ash’s calm voice wasn’t something he felt like arguing against, and he was just very exhausted and traumatized to disagree.

“All right. Fine,” he said, and he looked at Sage. “What do we do now, then?”

Sage unlocked the ledge they were hiding behind. “We’ll stay here and learn some things. We’re not going to go to Firefly Forest just yet, as I’ve said. We’ll help them eventually, but it’s not safe now. Get to know each other and we’ll let you know what’s going on next.”

“But…what about–?”
“Please, stop worrying, Spruce. I’ll send a message to Flora and Florian, and Gerald can probably protect them until further notice. I know you’re worried about your family, but as long as we let them know ahead of time, they’ll be safe. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Spruce stopped pleading abruptly. He surrendered, not because he was tired of asking, but because he knew there was no way to change their mind. He walked awkwardly out of the crowded space. He didn’t feel completely comfortable leaving his parents’ lives in Gerald’s hands. He was literally an enchanted pile of rocks who had once been summoned by a long defeated evil wizard’s magic all those years ago. What if that happened again, and Spruce wasn’t there to protect his family, and his home?

Just stop worrying. Everything is going to be alright.

💞 Chapter 8: Kindling Desire

No matter what he told himself, he always knew he’d end up worrying later on. But for now it worked.
He went to his assigned room, which he, immensely appreciated, was sharing with Ash.

Ash was busy writing and reading something, whistling casually to himself. His bed was on the right side, Spruce’s on the left, with earth decorations and a piece of paper with welcome greetings on it. He had a duffel bag with clothing, books, papers and pens; everything Spruce would have needed for an entire school term. Some of the books were ones he personally liked, and he wondered if his parents somehow messaged the masters and told them.

He had a sack he had brought with him himself, and he casually unloaded his items from home: even more books, his magic laptop, some cool toys and items he liked playing with, and a small photo of him posing with his family in a picture. He smiled sadly at it, and set it on his own drawer, which was wooden and reminded him of the porch of his cabin.

He started reading a book about healing spells for a while, and was satisfied doing that on his bed. Ash seemed to notice him and stopped what he was doing, then walked casually over to Spuce. The earth wizard didn’t look up to acknowledge him immediately, and he, startled, looked up to see Ash’s grinning face. Do I smile that much? Have I ever? Do I really?

“Hey,” he said, his grin fading a bit. “May I?”
Spruce tried to process his question. Then, understanding, nodded serenely.
Ash sat down next to him. Maybe a little closer than he would have liked. He could feel his warmth spreading onto him, like a spoon by a fireplace.

“So… are you good?” he asked Spruce, looking completely serious.
“Um, yeah. Absolutely, yes. I am completely fine.”
“You sure?” Ash asked. “You seemed pretty frantic back there, but you seem OK now. Pretty funny.”
Me? Funny? Absolutely frantic, but not the slightest of funny at all. Not on purpose or intentionally.
“Hey, you know, I’m sure your family will be alright,” he continued, his voice full of compassion. “I know it’s scary, but when these things happen, hope is all you’ve got to have. Or you’ll have nothing left to hope for. It’s always better to hope for something.”
Spruce, not at all bothered, noticed Ash’s hand was resting softly on his. The warmth sent warm tingles through his body, but he didn’t even mind. It was….nice.
Ash, apparently looking indignant, quickly removed his hand from his. “I’m sorry,” he said. “If that was weird. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, you’re fine,” Spruce said. He looked into his eyes, which seemed to say anything but. “It’s all right. I didn’t mind at all…”
There was a little silence for a moment, which became uncomfortable promptly, then just before any of them could say anything else, Galaxy burst into the room radiating cheerfulness and joy.

“Hi, guys!” she said ecstatically. Galaxy looked at them in embarrassment like she knew she was interrupting, but then there was a mischievous glint in her eyes, as if she’d figured out what had just been going on.

Galaxy planted herself right between the two of them, causing the bed to shake, and grinned at both of them. “So…how’s it going you two?”
“It’s—going fine,” Ash muttered, nervously. “Um…we were just reading. Studying stuff, really.”
“I bet you were,” she said, and she winked at Spruce, which made him cringe in embarrassment. Ash also seemed to look resentful, but he managed to remove it from his face surprisingly quickly when Galaxy turned back to him. “Well, we’re having dinner in about ten minutes, so get ready!”

“Sure thing,” Spruce managed to squawk. Galaxy giggled.
Ash went to wash his hands in the bathroom, and Galaxy waited for him to close the door behind him. Then, after it locked, Galaxy turned to him, smiling more than he had ever seen her do before.

“OOOOOOOOOH,” she said. Spruce shrank back, unsettled.
“Oh my gosh, you guys are SO cute,” she said. Spruce couldn’t believe what she was saying. He actually wanted to deny it, anything he was feeling, but he knew here was no getting out of it. Galaxy could probably read his mind, if she hadn’t already. It started to worry him, that she could just hear it like that.

“You’re not in denial,” she said, less avidly and shifting to seriousness. “So you already know you do."
“Well, I can’t be—I just met him!” he said indignantly.
“I know,” she said. “But you know you do, don’t you? That’s cute. Anyway, I’m not gonna butt in and ruin anything for you, because I’m so happy for you.”
“Don’t make assumptions,” Spruce countered defensively. “We just met each other, and…I don’t know. Things like this are new to me, so don’t add to anything else to make me worry. We should be focused on saving Firefly Forest, along with the rest of this troubled universe.”

“You bet!” Galaxy said, beaming. At that moment, Ash had finished washing his hands and had started approaching them. Galaxy waved him off, gesturing towards the dining room.
“Go on, we’ll meet you there.”
Ash, blinking in confusion, started towards the kitchen.
“Don’t worry,” Galaxy said. “I’ll make sure no one else does the same, butting in, I mean.”
“You don’t have to. We–it’s fine. It’s nothing. Please.”
“Don’t worry!” Galaxy repeated. Then she leaned into his ear, and Spruce nearly strained himself trying to hear what she had to say.

“You two’s future together is very bright."

🍴Chapter 9: Dinner Dilemma

Dinner was something particularly different than Spruce was used to. At home, he was accustomed to him and his parents sitting at a small, wooden table with in chairs, chatting and eating small portions of food and vegetables, with their Sproot cuddling beneath their feet, enjoying its own dinner of treats and fruit.

But here, in the wide and expanded space with a table longer than the Old Road itself, there was definitely a lot more room for food. And people.
And a little more noise than Spruce thought was strictly necessary.

“Why should YOU be the only one who can master storm spells?” Brooke demanded, stabbing her fork into her salad. "I bet I could be better at controlling them then you probably ever will!”

“I beg to differ,” said Raiden incredulously. “I am already mastering them already! I have at least sixteen spells I can cast right now that won’t ever be inaccurate!”

The water wizard lifted her fork and directed it at him pointedly. “I beg to differ,” she said.

“Hey, slow down,” Sage said cautiously to Martial, who was scarfing down his pizza. “I know you’re hungry, but you can’t eat like a Trondle when we’re like this together.”

Spruce failed to stifle a laugh, knowing exactly what a Trondle ate like. Martial grinned at him.

“How about you and your water spells?” Raiden challenged. “I bet you don’t know what’s the first basic rule when learning aquatic spells!” He smirked with triumph.

Brooke walked over and tapped him on the head teasingly. “Well, there are no rules for casting water spells,” she said, then smiled mischievously. “Your brain didn’t tell you that already?”

“Hey,” Aurora warned. “No teasing anyone! We’re a family, right? Remember?” She was eating soup with chives, complete with a side of bread and lemon tea. Sage nodded agreeably with her, frowning at the quarreling students.

“Sorry,” Raiden said apologetically. “She was just acting like a know-at-all. As usual.”

Brooke smirked. “I know what I know.”

Spruce started picking at his food. Any other day, he would’ve been thrilled to have dinner. But that was with his…well, family. It wasn’t that he didn’t consider these people his family now. It was just that… he was already missing his parents and pet, that was all. And his home.

His home that was getting attacked in three days, according to an evil and mysterious wizard, that was.

“Hey,” Galaxy said, poking him with her spoon on the side. Spruce turned to her. “Why are you acting like such a sad sprout? We are having our first official dinner together! Exciting!”

Spruce considered her for a moment. “Nothing,” he said. Then, as if he felt differently, he added, “I’m just missing my family, that’s all.”

Was that empathy in Galaxy’s eyes? “Oh,” she said with a highly noticeable amount of decreased enthusiasm. She bowed her head a little. “I understand.”

There was an uncomfortable silence for a second. Between them, more accurately. There was still plenty of yelling and conversation erupting in the background.

Spruce decided to approach this differently. “Do you…miss your family, too?”

Galaxy didn’t lift her gaze. She kept her head down, working her hand through her constellations of purple and dark colored hair. “Um…I think so. I haven’t really thought about them too much, honestly, but of course I miss them.”

Spruce’s heart sank with some feeling he couldn’t describe. Pity? If it was that, he wasn’t quite sure. Why did she say she hadn’t thought about them much? Did that mean ever, or did that mean she hadn’t recently because of how excited she’d been to be here?

Maybe she doesn’t want to talk about it, he thought with immense empathy. She probably misses her parents, or….maybe something else is going on and she doesn’t want to mention it.

Well, whatever it is, I probably shouldn’t talk about it, if it bothers her.

When he focused his gaze on her, Galaxy’s eyes were wide, as if she hadn’t expected something. She shook her head and smiled a little. “Well, I miss my family,” she said, “but recently I’ve been too focused on everything and the whole…mission we’re doing now.”

Spruce’s heart sank, and Galaxy noticed. “Um….” she began awkwardly. “How about we not talk about that right now. Let’s finish our food.” She glanced at the greens and fruit gathered collectively on his plate and pointed at it. “Um…what are you eating?'“

He looked at his meal. “Salad. Caesar salad and fruit salad. Two of my favorite things.”

Galaxy nodded thoughtfully. “So you’re a vegetarian,” she assumed accurately.

“Yes,” confirmed Spruce. “I am.”

Galaxy nodded again and turned back to her own dinner, and that was the end of that conversation. But not the end of the noise.

“LAST ONE TO BED IS A ROTTEN OYSTER!” Martial bellowed, beckoning to the bathrooms. Everyone’s head snapped up and looked.

“That’s it!” Sage bellowed. “Everyone, dinner is officially over.” Everyone fell silent. Then, surprisingly, their instructor smiled slyly. “But yes, whoever gets into bed last is indeed a rotten stonefish themselves…”

“Oyster,” Brooke said, tossing her head.

“Whatever,” Aurora said dubiously with a sigh. “Everyone, get to bed…”

🌑 Chapter 10: A Dark Dream

That night was one of the worst of Spruce’s life.

He tossed and turned for all hours of darkness, having a dream he couldn’t interpret and didn’t dare want to be real.

It started with Spruce standing in Firefly Forest, having an ordinary day walking home from school. He was whistling a cheerful tune, knowing he had no homework assigned for after school, and he was prepared for a day sitting by the campfire enjoying a new book, with Sproot at his feet.

Then, all of a horrifying sudden, a demonic portal ripped through the air, casting a dark layer over the entire forest. Spruce fell back in terror, and one by one, evil enchanted shadow spirits left the egress, shrieking and enveloping everything in darkened magic.

It was a terrible scene. Innocent monsters and families screamed and gathered their belongings, fleeing their homes. The shadow spirits blasted orbs of dark spells, destroying everything within their reach. Beautiful trees became towers with globby splotches; people ran, frightened; worst of all, homes and habitats were demolished, people still screaming and dying.

Spruce wanted to run with the rest of them, but for some reason he couldn’t move. He tried, but it was no use. Then, one of the evil shadow ghosts spotted him and approached him slowly, levitating in the air with a terrifying purplish aura surrounding it. It was now close enough to him where he could feel the pulse of its heart.

Slowly, it opened his mouth. Spruce still couldn’t move.

It began to swallow him, and he screamed.

And kept screaming. And screamed some more.

Except, he was sure he wasn’t asleep anymore, and that someone was now shaking him in alarm, trying to wake him up.

"SPRUCE,” someone familiar said, still shaking him. “Are you all right?”

Spruce opened his eyes and saw Ash at his side, his expression worried.

“Yes,” he muttered slowly, slowly registering the world around him. He touched his hand to his temples, grimacing. “I just had the most terrible dream, that’s all…”

“That’s all?” inquired Ash, the disbelief apparent in his voice. He raised both of his eyebrows. “It sounded like you were being possessed by a ghost or something.”

Spruce gasped at his friend’s accurate guess. “Actually, I sort of was.”

Ash looked at him dubiously. “All right,” he managed to say. “Well, tell me everything.”

So Spruce did, starting at the beginning. In excruciating detail. When he was finished, Ash looked quite petrified himself.

“So… that sounded spooky,” said Ash wryly.

Spruce nodded. “It was.”

"Do you think this means anything?” Ash asked spiritedly. He looked at the nightstand, where Spruce’s picture of him and his family was perched. "Like, is this some crazy vision of the future?”

Is it? Spruce thought with paralyzing horror. He hadn’t thought of that. If this was real and was hinting him about something, he didn’t want to know about it, especially if it involved his home being destroyed and people dying…not to mention the part where he was swallowed by some demonic entity he had no idea was.

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It can’t be. I’m not Galaxy,” Spruce mumbled. Galaxy was the only one who could have visions of the future, not him. And also, he didn’t want to admit that he didn’t want to believe the vision could be real.

Ash looked at him with genuine concern for a moment. “Well, if you have it again, let me know,” he said. “All right? If it happens repetitively, that could mean something. But it could just be you worried about what’ll happen to your home.”

“I know,” Spruce said. He felt Ash’s hand rest over his, and he smiled. “Thanks.”

Ash grinned back. “Always.”

Spruce let himself relax back into his bed. It was only about midnight; he hoped he’d have some peaceful rest of a night. Except… he could hear footsteps in the hallway.

Someone was coming towards their room.

Summary

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🗨 Chapter 11: Dream Discussion

Spruce held his breath just as soon as Brooke entered the room, staring at them quizzically. She put her hands on her hips and sighed.

“All right, what’s going on in here?” she demanded, approaching them. Ash looked like he wanted to disappear into the darkness outside. Not that he could see the outdoors in their bedroom; there were no windows in their living quarters.

“Uh…Spruce just–had a bad dream…?” Ash replied, sounding more like he was guessing as if it was the truth.

Surprisingly, Brooke relaxed, and her eyes went wider than the moons. “What?” she exclaimed, then bounded over to them. “You had a bad dream too?”

“Whoa,” Spruce started. “What do you mean, you too?”

“I had a flipping terrifying dream just now, too,” the aquatic wizard replied. She flipped her sea-blue hair back and continued interrogating them. “What was yours about?”

“Oh, just about my home being destroyed,” Spruce said. “People screaming, monsters dying, shadow spirits shrieking and flying everywhere, that sort of thing.”

Brooke let that sink in for her for a second. As she was processing, she mumbled something to herself.

Ash and Spruce exchanged glances. She had a dream, too. About what?

“I had a dream about Shipwreck Shore being in danger,” Brooke began. “It wasn’t as stress-inducing as yours, though, but it was pretty bad. Water monsters were being kidnapped, and Eve was missing, I think. It was bad…” She closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead.

“Do you think these visions are real, or just bad dreams?” Ash asked her. “Because if you both are having nightmares at the same time on the same day, that means something, doesn’t it?”

Brooke stopped rubbing her forehead and turned to him. “I’m not sure,” she said seriously. “I just talked to Galaxy about my dream, and she said she hasn’t had visions like mine, but they could also easily be probable.”

“When will this happen?” Spruce asked significantly. “Two days?” He thought with pain again at his home. His family and home was in danger, terrible, life-threatening danger. If they didn’t do something soon, everything he knew and loved would be destroyed.

“There’s no perfect way to predict when these things could happen,” Brooke informed them, “but visions do indicate they are most probable. So they have a good chance of happening, but things can always go differently.”

Spruce rubbed his forehead, digesting the implications. So my family and home really could be in danger, he thought with a jolt of terror. We have to do something to save them, or protect them. Whatever makes sure no one dies.

“You should get some rest,” Brooke told them, looking at Spruce initially, then Ash. “Sage said we’re going to visit Firefly Forest tomorrow, and they’ve already started silent evacuation.”

Silent evacuation? Spruce thought with alarm. They couldn’t do that now; not when other islands could send them resources and help they needed! Additionally, he wanted to speak to his parents, and if they left too soon he wouldn’t get the chance.

“They’ll be fine,” the water wizard assured him as if she could read his mind. “Get some sleep, and we’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

And that’s what he did. And he still worried.

How many people and pets are going to die in two days?

Then, just before he closed his eyes, thought, Are we going to be some of them?

☄ Chapter 12: A Portal to Home

The next day, as promised, Spruce and his new friends were preparing to go to Firefly Forest. Within an hour, he was already the first one packed up and ready.

“Do you have ants in your pants or something?” Martial joked, plopping his items down next to Spruce’s, staring at him, amused. "I assume you’ve been waiting for this moment?”

“You bet,” Spruce said fiercely. Then, his excitement faded, and he looked down. “I hope everyone was able to evacuate safely, including my parents.”

Martial smiled at him. “Aw,” he said affectionately. “You are so cute about your parents, it makes me think about my own.” Then, his usual half-mocking tone faltered and became grave. “I’m sure they did, despite them being worried about you. Flora and Florian probably already have them somewhere safe, and we might check on them.”

I hope so, Spruce thought with overwhelming hope. “All right,” he said. “Thanks.”

Martial grinned at him. “Anytime.”

As soon as he walked away, Sage and Aurora materialized behind him, waving their arms for attention. “Everyone, is everything prepared? Do we have all of our necessary items and equipment? Wands, spell books, etcetera?”

“You bet!” Galaxy said excitedly, and she nudged him with her elbow. He jumped.

"All right,” Sage said, after everyone else nodded. He bustled over to a bookshelf filled with books and encyclopedias and pulled out one from the middle row. It was a book about the geography of the continent, Spruce could see. The shelf made a loud sound like stone being scraped, then it slid outward towards them and then to the side. Where the shelf was before, a wooden door appeared with a lock in the shape of a book imprinted on it. I can guess what that book is for.

The healing instructor inserted the geographic encyclopedia into the lock and turned it, which made this time a clicking sound. With a flourish, the door twisted inside and out, making popping sounds, then revealed a dimensional portal.

“I can handle this part,” Aurora said confidently, advancing towards Sage. He stepped aside, and the astral instructor, now wearing a pouch around her neck, produced a golden marble and whispered something into it. She tossed it into the teleportation portal, and there was Firefly Forest: as real as ever.

“Whoa,” Raiden breathed.

“Winds of winter,” Diamond said, pointing and gawking at the portal. “Is that actually Firefly Forest? I’ve actually really never been. It looks…green.”

“It looks beautiful,” Ash said, and grinned at Spruce, and he smiled back.

“OK.” Sage clapped his hands. “Everyone, one by one, enter the portal, in an orderly fashion, if you will.” Spruce didn’t think twice; he was the first one to catapult inside, exhilarated by his homesickness.

But something went wrong. Before he could set foot down on his earthy home, there was a warp in the universe, a bending feeling he couldn’t comprehend. He whirled around, and all of a sudden he was tossed from Firefly Forest and transported somewhere else. Somewhere dark and mysterious and somewhere definitely not the picturesque and unconventional home he was expecting.

Then, when he was able to set foot down on flat ground, he came face to face with someone that looked familiar.

And that someone was the Evil One.

🌙 Chapter 13: Test of Temptation

Spruce couldn’t believe what was happening. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t think, and he didn’t think he was breathing, either. Where am I how did I get here what is HAPPENING where is everyone else? Spruce contemplated worriedly while the Evil One watched him with a calculative expression.

Spruce turned around, but all around him was darkness. It was the scary kind, and he could whispers saying “you are worthless” and “you don’t belong” and unsettling more threatening things.

“Where am I?” Spruce asked out loud to the Evil One.

The Evil One chuckled maniacally, not answering. Spruce tried to concentrate on what the figure looked like, but the villain’s distinctive appearance deemed imperceptible. There was an obscure aura that emitted from the wrongdoer, and that seemed to conceal his garb.

Wait… the Evil One suddenly flickered somehow, as if there was a lamp or light source shining through him. Spruce tried pivoting to see what was behind his predecessor, but as he looked, he seemed to have been thrown backward, as if he was leaning into somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be.

Groaning, he rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. So, that wasn’t happening. The Evil One happened to be controlling what was around him. He still couldn’t move forward or any other direction, so he let his muscles relax. Although, indifferently, his breathing wasn’t.

When he was done practicing steady breathing, he opened his eyes and saw the Evil One’s eyes staring at him. No, he was looking through him, as if everything about Spruce was laid out in front of him, and he was trying to put them in order to make a documentary scroll. It was strangely unsettling, but somehow Spruce didn’t feel afraid. He felt… quite outraged. Slowly, he looked into the mysterious wizard’s red, conspicuous eyes.

“Where are we?” he asked, taking more glances at the darkened landscape around him, and fighting to keep the tremor out of his shaking voice. He knew it wasn’t real, and that his abductor had somehow created an illusion of space around him. He was probably standing in Firefly Forest right now, or still venturing through that portal Sage had made.

“Somewhere other than you want to be,” the Evil One smirked, and Spruce could see a little more of who he was. He wore a long, floppy cloak that had several pockets and buttons. Strange, scarlet-red emblems were stitched neatly along the arms and edges of it, and he assumed there were several different spell cards and miscellaneous items inside each of his numerous patches.

“Obviously,” Spruce said back, waving his arms at the galactic dimension around him. It seemed to stretch forever, and he almost lost hope that he’d ever find a way out of it. Don’t panic. You can get out of this. Someone is probably coming to get me right now or figuring something out. I’ll be OK.

The Evil One sniggered disconcertingly. He made a movement with his gloved hands, and suddenly the universe around him shifted, lurching forward so fast that it felt like they were traveling at the speed of light. Which we easily might be, Spruce thought with a wince. He understood that some wizards were capable of such magic, but he was baffled at how some of them could handle it. Traveling that fast– it could crush anyone if they weren’t careful. He wondered how the Evil One learned to control it, and what shadow or astral instructor managed to teach him.

Suddenly, there were a distinct popping sound in the air, and Spruce found himself standing in Firefly Forest once again. But, instead of seeing his friends around him, there was no one, and chances were he was standing in the most outer outpost of the earth elemental home. Sequoia and oak trees with doors carved into them towered around them in all directions. Bushes and ferns filled gaps in between. He even saw Shades and Cloakers hiding mischievously above, waiting for a clumsy wizard to walk by and drop acorns on their noggin. It was an almost perfect simulation of Firefly Forest.

But it wasn’t perfect enough.

“We’re not really here,” Spruce said calmly, looking the Evil One in the eye. He pointed to a stripped piece of bark that had fallen off one of the abode trees. “That’s not the correct kind of wood for this tree; I know someone who lives here, and they live in an evergreen tree. This bark is pine.” He picked up the carved segment of wood and turned it between his hands. “Nice try, though, but you’re going to have to do more if you want to fool me.”

“Clever and stubborn,” the Evil One sneered, slithering closer to him. Spruce felt like taking an involuntary step back, but he firmly held his ground. He clutched the pinewood in his hand and stared back defiantly. “I knew you’d be able to decipher whether this environment was unreal, and you happened to do so. But you made one crucial mistake–trying to stop my plan for this place too early. You and your little friends have almost fallen right into my trap. Well, just you.”

Spruce closed his eyes and dropped the wood. “Let me out of this place, and I will ask my masters to spare you.”

The Evil One laughed, cold and maliciously. “Hilarious,” he snarled, taking another step toward him. Spruce didn’t open his eyes, nor moved. “You really think they could do something about me?” He heard a sound like a twig being snapped off a tree. “Foolish. I could crush them easily.” The enigmatic villain rubbed his chin for a moment, then lurched them forward again into time. Spruce still had his eyes shut.

“Speaking of your little puny instructors,” the brute mocked, “I figured we’d better check on them. Things are about to get a little violent in your pathetic home.”

Spruce tried not to let that statement expose how much that made him afraid. What did he mean, things were about to get violent? Violent as in destruction, or violent as in a lot of death?

Don’t think about that. Focus on getting yourself out of here. Spruce knew he could somehow untangle himself from the mindspace, or whatever this was, but it was dangerous. Even more risky than traveling at the speed of light. It was powerful magic that could alter the composition of the universe. But he had to, if there was any chance of saving his home, protecting his family and friends, and stopping the Evil One. He took a deep breath.

Shadow magic was something most casual wizards avoided learning, if it wasn’t their primary element, but oftentimes one or two spells wouldn’t hurt learning. One of them was the strongest dimensional altering spell in the world. It was named Neptune’s Freedom, a spell every young wizard was forbidden to cast. Even the most prominent warlocks never did.

“Spruce?” a familiar, heartwarming voice called. The longing in Spruce’s heart almost made his eyes open. It was Ash, but he knew it wasn’t really him; The Evil One was just trying to mess with him.

“Come on,” not-Ash pleaded, sounding so much like he actually did. The gentle demeanor was almost impossible to ignore. “I need your help. You have to help me.”

“You’re not real,” Spruce heard himself say. “And you don’t need my help.”

“But I am,” the impersonated Ash interjected calmly. “And I do. Please, Spruce. I need you.”

Spruce wanted to scream and bury himself under hundreds of layers of dense bushes and algae. He wanted to hide forever and not hear or be tempted by any of this. But what if Ash really did need help? It was unfortunately likely, and he had no idea where he was or if he was all right.

Just focus on casting this spell, he thought, closing his eyes tighter. He could feel Ash’s heat wafting over him, like he was physically standing by him. As close as he was the night he had awoken from his nightmare. Now that he was here, in this difficult space, he’d prefer in a heartbeat to have that nightmare over whatever he was in right now.

He concentrated, summoning magic. He could feel the radiant power glowering through his hands, the danger of messing up one little thing all through his body. Carefully, he recited the instructions to himself in a low whisper, repeatedly.

When he was prepared, he took a deep breath.

I can do this. I have to do this.

🪄 Chapter 14: Escape to Escape

“Ah, here we are. Firefly Forest,” the Evil One said coolly. “I can’t wait to initiate this plan. I wonder which part of the forest I can conquer first.” The dark wizard seemed to consider Spruce for a moment, but he had expertly turned his body around so that the precarious wrongdoer couldn’t see was conjuring magic.

“Oh, I have a brilliant idea. Once my extraction is complete, I can–”

The Evil One’s train of thought was cut off abruptly as Spruce was thrown violently out of the mindspace. He could hear the sounds of his home as he slammed into the earthy landscape with a thud. Leaves floated around him, welcoming his arrival, and he could already feel the cheerful mist circling around him.

“SPRUCE!” he heard someone shout, thrusting them self onto him. He could guess who that was.

“Hi, Galaxy,” he said weakly, hugging her back. He was relieved, so relieved to be physically back in reality. He smiled at her and she untangled herself from him.

“Spruce? Is that you?” Aurora, the astral teacher, asked. Beside her, as usual, was Sage, who looked at Spruce with a disappointed expression. Trailing behind them were his other friends, with Ash in the front, who looked definitely more dismayed than the others.

“Yes,” he said a little guiltily. He could guess why Sage was frowning at him.

“What were you thinking, son?” Sage demanded, his aquamarine colored hair ruffled, as if he was exasperated and had been tearing apart the entire forest looking for him. “You had to wait for our count for you to go jumping inside that portal. No doubt the Evil One was just waiting for you on the other side.” He reached down to examine him. His tone softened. “Are you all right? You’ve been gone for…say, hours.”

“I’m fine,” Spruce answered honestly. He looked at Ash, who had relief printed all over his face. “And, actually, the Evil One did get ahold to me, though.”

“WHAT?!?!!” Brooke and Martial cried simultaneously in outrage. They paused, casting bewildered and puzzled glances at one another before turning back to Spruce with their hands over their heads. “You WERE**?**”

“Yup,” Spruce confirmed indignantly. “But I…managed to escape him. Somehow. Miraculously.”

“But how?” Brooke charged, barely sputtering the words out. “How did you escape his mindscape? No one should be able to do that! Nobody!”

“Nice to see you have faith in our fellow brother,” Raiden chimed in from the back of their line.

Brooke whirled around to glare at him, eyes narrowed.

“It’s possible,” said Diamond contrastingly, nodding at Spruce.

“But only if,” Destiny started, then gasped. “You–you didn’t…”

“Yes,” Spruce said, understanding her shock. “I did.”

“YOU CAST NEPTUNE’S FREEDOM??” Brooke bellowed, her amazement scaling up ten times higher.

“Hey, enough with the hysterics, mind you?” Martial asked, swatting her on the arm.

“I’d be hysterical, too,” Aurora cut in, walking through the group of young pupils. She turned to face Spruce, and he looked up at her. “You really did? You managed to cast that spell, and didn’t alter or destroy anything?”

Spruce considered the question for a moment, looked around, and shrugged. “I think so.”

“Thaaat’s the enthusiasm I was expecting,” said Raiden.

“Mighty impressive,” Sage said, nodding respectively at him. Spruce smiled proudly.

“Hey, I hate to rain on this parade,” Diamond said seriously, “but we’ve got a problem. I see something big up there.” She pointed above them.

Spruce didn’t have to look up to see she was right. A huge shadow swallowed their own, and overhead the frightening figure of the Evil One and other unfamiliar accompanying wrongdoers hovered. Then, a flame of fire erupted from the Evil One’s hands, and it immediately headed towards them.

“Get down!” Sage yelled, and they all fell to the ground. The fiery missile that had been launched at them suddenly took a narrow turn, smashing into one of the big trees that was home to dozens of monsters.

More fire dropped from above, and then there was the screaming. Earth wizards and monsters shrieked with terror, gathering their belongings and wands preparing for battle.

No, no, no, Spruce thought with inevitable terror. This can’t be happening already.

The nightmare Spruce had had, and the Evil One’s planned siege of Firefly Forest, had officially begun.

🪴 Chapter 15: Finding Flora

Fire. Screaming. Pain. Everything Spruce despised and feared his whole life was crashing down in this moment. Sage started pushing him and his friends somewhere, and all he could do was oblige. Flames were erupting form the trees, and smoke started filling the air, choking the once beautiful home he had thought never would be harmed.

Sage led them into a bunker under the Big Tree, which marked the south easternmost checkpoint. This was where Flora lived, the master wizard of the earth element.

“Stay here,” he said to them.

“No,” Spruce said.

Sage frowned down at him. “Spruce..” he started.

“Let me come with you,” he insisted. “This is my home. I have to protect it.”

“It’s too dangerous for you,” the neutral wizard said worriedly. “And..”

“If I can escape the Evil One’s demonic magic,” countered Spruce, “then I can survive this. I don’t want to waste my opportunity hiding out instead of protecting my home. I need to use it to protect it, and save my parents, no matter that it takes. Even if I die in the process, at least I can say I tried.”

Sage regarded him, doubt written over his face. Dubiously, he lifted Spruce out and shut the bunker on the other wizards. Briefly, before he did, he saw Ash looking at him in a way that melted his heart. Hope, sadness, and that desperate grasping feeling he felt when he was trapped in the mindspace. It was desire. How he already loved him, and how he would give up the Earth just to make sure he could be with him.

I will, and I would, but I have to make sure it exists first.

He ran with Sage, trying not to look at the destruction around him. It was heartbreaking, infernos engulfing his home. Some wizards were already fighting back, casting gusts of earth spells, but the impending flames seemed to battle them back, and they alight everything with dominant strength.

Suddenly, Sage took a sharp turn, then led him into a staircase under another bunker. Spruce followed with a determined expression, and the healing master shut the trapdoor behind them a quiet creak.

Slowly and cautiously, they crept down the wooden, unblemished staircase. When they reached the bottom, Sage blew out the torch he was carrying, tossed aside the flambeau, and knocked deliberately onto a wooden door. On it, there were golden letters written into the name, “Flora,” and tangling vines with budding flowers hugged the front of the door gently.

When there was no answer, Sage twisted the golden doorknob after knocking once again, and entered the room. Spruce followed, feeling an unwanted sense of uneasiness.

Directly ahead of them, a young green fairy sat at a table with notes and papers ransacked over it and on the hardwood floor. The fairy had green pale skin with short, chop-sided green hair. In her hair she wore a small cherry blossom flower, and she wore a plain, light blue-green shirt with a rounded petal neckline. Her green wings fluttered busily, and her pink slippered feet tapped thoughtfully as she studied the dozens of papers and maps sprawled around her.

In the room, there weren’t any windows, and the light was lit by only a large lamp shaped like a wilting rose. There was a large, detailed map of the Prodigy Island taking up nearly an entire wall in the back, and calendars, photographs of citizens and tamed monsters took up much space on the other walls. The one lateral to Spruce had a note with “forest evacuation plan” written on it, but without many ideas of how to do so.

She’s been busy here, he thought sadly to himself. She knew about the Evil One’s plans, but what does she plan on doing about it? Why is she down here alone? Does she even know that her forest is being attacked right now? Where is the keystone? Does the Evil One plan on taking it?

“Hello, Flora,” Sage spoke aloud, cutting through Spruce’s anxious contemplation. The neutral wizard approached the earth master wizard slowly.

Flora turned around slowly, and her face lit up. She flew up from her perch and greeted them both with open arms, beaming. “Sage! Spruce! You both are here!”

“Hi, Flora,” said Spruce, easing a little. He waved at her, and she waved back. Her wings were buzzing as she floated in the air, considering them both for a moment.

“Uh oh,” she said, her wings drooping. “Is something wrong?” She glanced at the staircase in the background with a peculiar expression, then back at the both of them. “What’s happening?”

“Firefly Forest is being attacked by the Evil One,” Sage said without preamble. “He’s been doing so already, after summoning Spruce through our portal to get here.”

Flora gasped. “But…already? I thought we had at least another day!”

“No,” Spruce said. “I gather that’s what he wanted us to think. He probably knew we were eavesdropping on him the day he burst into our headquarters. He wanted us to believe it would be three days, and that we would wait, but we ended up going early. Now we’re here to witness everything.”

“He captured you?” asked Flora in disbelief. “How did you escape that?”

“Strong magic,” Spruce answered, holding up his hands honestly. “I’d rather not say much more than that.” He looked up at Sage. “What we really need to do is make sure the citizens evacuate safely, then try fending off the Evil One. He’s probably put one part of the forest in flames already, and we need to make sure there are no casualties.”

Flora paced anxiously. “I know,” she said softly. Her head snapped up. “But why didn’t I know this was happening? My top advance messenger should have came to me with this news the moment before anything was even considered wrong.”

“My guess is that they are probably dead,” Sage replied. “If your advance messenger hasn’t come to you yet, then the Evil One must have purposely got rid of them somehow. There’s no time for debate, though. We need to make sure everyone’s safe.”

Flora nodded and gathered up all of her essentials, including her wand and spellbook. She bustled over to the messaging panel, dialed in something, and whispered to the panel.

Perplexed, Spruce watched her. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Messaging the other master wizards and hopefully the wardens,” she answered. “We might need their help if we’re pondering defeating the Evil One.” When the panel beeped, she closed it, strapped a bag around her shoulder, and motioned for them to go ahead. “Go,” she said. “I’m right behind you.”

Sage and Spruce clambered up the stairs, and the noise of the battle gradually got louder and louder the further they ascended back up. Sage twisted the trapdoor open again, then pulled Spruce out. Flora flew out herself, and as soon as she saw the destruction around her her face crumpled.

“This is unbelievable,” she said sadly, and even angrily. She opened her bag and pulled out a scroll. “I’m going to face him directly, and Sage, you need to go and start rounding up everybody. Lead them to the easternmost checkpoint; that leads to Lamplight Town.” She sighed. “Where is the Evil One?” she whispered to the scroll she produced from her satchel, and words sprawled almost instantly on the page.

“At Firefly Crossing,” she read aloud, and she looked at Spruce with wide eyes.

My family. My home. In the deeper parts of Firefly Crossing was where Spruce and his family lived. If the Evil One was there, his parents were in danger. He had to go there, right now, or his family would die.

“I have to go there,” Spruce said to Flora. “I have to go and make sure my parents are all right.”

Flora didn’t argue, and she nodded. But as Spruce turned around, he felt an arm pull him back in a steely grip. He turned around and saw Sage holding him back.

“Spruce,” Sage said in a warning voice. “If you…”

“I have to,” Spruce said, pulling away. He could hear Flora reassuring his instructor as he dashed away, driven by the unmistakable danger his parents were in.

I have to get there. I have to protect them. This is my earth, and this is my desire. I’ll use all my magic if I have to, to make sure my parents are safe. A picture of handsome, kindhearted Ash flashed through his mind. And I’ll do the same for you, Ash.

He accelerated. No matter what I have to do to stop him.

🔪 Chapter 16: The Confrontation

Firefly Crossing wasn’t too far away, Spruce knew. He was already there in three minutes. This was the fastest he’d ever ran in his entire life, and as he got deeper into his living quarters, the destruction decreased. The screaming and sound of flames crackling were almost distant. That didn’t mean it was in less danger, Spruce knew.

And there he was, on the road he had walked so many times. From his small school, where he had almost no friends but was content that way. He saw his wooden house, as smooth and placid as it had always been, ahead. He forced a small smile, wishing he could stay in there forever, away from all of this danger and the pressure of saving the world and the forest.

He scrambled desperately on the front steps and knocked on his door. The curtains were closed from inside, and the once exquisite wooden doorstep was now marked with small markings, as if his Sproot had tried clawing its way under the home to see if Spruce was hidden there. He felt a pang of despair. Whenever he knocked on the door from school, his small pet was always there to greet him.

This time, though, he didn’t hear a sound. I have to go see if they’re all right.

He slowly turned the doorknob, which was thankfully unlocked. There were no lights on; it was complete darkness. His living room was sort of ruffled, as if someone had tried sneaking through here and weren’t very successful. His favorite books were knocked from the shelf, and the television was cracked.

“Mother? Father?” he called, leaving the door open just a crack behind him. He went inside his home deeper, and the kitchen was a complete mess. The fridge was knocked over, and there were broken dishes everywhere. He barely managed to carefully avoid the small pieces of broken glass from their breakfast bowls and drinking glasses.

“Mother? Father” called Spruce again, walking slowly into the family room. Where are they? His worry shot ten times higher, and he stepped into the room, which looked exactly the same, contrast to the others.

He took another step, but as he did, he felt something sharp and menacing thrust into him. He collapsed in pain, tumbling down. He weakly managed to look down at his shirt, where a bloodstain was already spreading.

“I got him, boss!” a voice said from behind him. Spruce couldn’t tell who he was, but it sounded vaguely familiar. As his attacker walked in front of him, holding a sharp knife with a bloody edge, Spruce recognized him as one of the Evil One’s companions who had been with him the day they heard his plan to conquer Firefly Forest.

“Very good,” a sinister voice rumbled from ahead. The Evil One materialized from the shadows, grappling something behind him. Or someone behind him. Spruce could barely concentrate on seeing who it was.

His heart sank as he saw who it was.

Bound and gagged in chains, struggling desperately, was Spruce’s mother.

“You monster!” he yelled fiercely, trying to stand up. The minion by Spruce knocked him down, and his head hit the floor hard. “Why are you doing this?” he said, momentarily nearly losing consciousness. “What do you want with her?”

Spruce’s mother tried leaping forward, but she was chained to the floor. Her hands were also restricted with metal bands around her wrists. She let out a sob, and Spruce tried crawling towards her.

“I don’t think so,” the Evil One said cruelly. He walked over to Spruce, pinned him down with one foot, and reached into his pockets. He retrieved Spruce’s enchanted wand, turned it between his hands, and snapped it in half, and it crackled pathetically.

“No,” groaned Spruce weakly. He reached toward his only weapon, but the Evil One kicked it away.

“Pathetic,” the despicable wrongdoer said inexplicably. “You really thought you’d be able to save your parents. The answer to that is no, little one. You’re nobody. I am taking over Firefly Forest, then the rest of the world, and loser nobodies like yourself have no chance of stopping me.”

His mother lurched forward again, but she couldn’t get far enough. The Evil One didn’t even glance back at her. Instead, he leaned down to look into Spruce’s eyes.

“Finish him off,” he rumbled to his minion, who nodded. His servant raised his knife menacingly, and the Evil One backed away, chuckling.

“I don’t think so,” a voice said from behind Spruce.

The minion shrieked, and he immediately was slammed aside, killed instantly. He went up in flames, and Spruce managed to turn around to see who had saved him temporarily.

It was Ash.

✨ Chapter 17: Light and Love

“YOU!” the Evil One snarled, noticing Ash, who stared back defiantly. Ash hurried over to the villain’s partner without taking his eyes off of the Evil One. He took the knife from the perished partner’s open hand and melted it with intense heat that Spruce could feel at his feet. It was so hot, so dangerous.

When he was finished, he turned to the Evil One, and Spruce could see fierce flames reflected in his eyes.

“You leave us alone, and stop attacking Firefly Forest,” he said boldly. “I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish, but I’m not letting you take this home away from innocent people and monsters.” He looked down at Spruce. “I’m not letting you hurt him, either.”

They stared at each other for a moment. There was a lot of unspoken emotion there. There was what are you doing here? And thank you and I need you and everything is going to be OK, especially as long as I’m with you.

“Never,” the Evil One spat, slithering towards Ash. “You think you can defeat me? You’re just was unrealistic as Spruce here. You’re nothing…” There was an uneasiness to the Evil One’s voice, as if he was uncertain of what he would do next.

“If I’m nothing,” Ash said, “then how could this happen to you?”

That’s when Sage and Aurora burst into the room.

Sage knelt down immediately and started to heal Spruce. Ash also knelt down, holding Spruce up with strong arms and beating heart. He leaned into him, and Spruce did, feeling better. His warmth felt good, and Sage was reciting a healing spell to himself.

Meanwhile, Aurora created a glaring beam prism that immediately made it seem like they were standing in the sun. It was so bright, that if Spruce had closed his eyes one second too late, he’d be permanently blind. The Evil One was engulfed immediately in the blazing light, and he yelled in outrage.

“Whoops,” Ash said. Likewise, his eyes were closed. “I should’ve warned you that she would do that, and that you should’ve closed your eyes.”

Spruce smiled for the first time in a while. “You didn’t have to. I’m smart enough to have noticed that.”

Ash smiled back, pulling him closer. “I already knew that.”

“Geez,” Sage said sheepishly, his eyes scrunched shut as well. “It’s very hard to concentrate on conjuring this spell when I can’t see what I’m doing.”

Aurora turned to face them, finishing the spell. “Right,” she said. “As if you haven’t mastered the art of healing for ten years.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t have to see,” Sage said appreciatively. He finished the spell. “All right, it’s done.”

Spruce looked down at his chest, where the bloodstain what was once there was completely gone. He sighed with relief, and Ash hugged him.

“I’m so glad you’re all right, you idiot,” he said. “I mean, what were you thinking going out into this dangerous forest, thinking you wouldn’t get hurt. I mean, three times.”

“I’m fine,” Spruce assured him.

“I know the light is almost done, but could you tone it down in here?” Sage asked Aurora. He gestured to the prism that was still floating miraculously in the air. “I’m gonna start crying if you don’t.”

“It’s done anyway,” the astral instructor confirmed, laughing. She held up her hands. “Off you go.” The prism vanished abruptly, and the Evil One was gone.

Spruce stood up, brushing himself off. “Where’d he go?”

“I sent him through another dimension,” explained Aurora confidently. “We shouldn’t see him in a long time, if not ever again. Let’s go and help your parents.” She nodded at his mother, who was still chained and looking at them all in mystified shock.

Ash burned out his mother’s chains, and Sage went to look for his father. As soon as his mother was free, she hugged Spruce fiercely, tears falling down her face.

“Are you all right?” he asked her, pulling back. “What happened?”

His mother looked down at him, wiping away her tears. “That ghost villain broke in while we were writing you a letter,” she began sadly. “He had this other friend who immediately started attacking us, and he managed to drug your father. That’s what the mess in the kitchen and living room was about.” She pointed to the kitchen and the broken glasses. “Your father cut himself a lot accidentally before he was captured, and the ghost villain probably drugged me as well and chained me up. I screamed for help, but nobody came.”

“I’m sorry that happened to you,” Spruce said to her.

“It’s all right,” Magnolia said. “Thank you so much, darling,” she added with a grateful look at Ash, who smiled. “What’s our lucky angel’s name, anyhow?”

“I’m Ash,” he said. He shot Spruce a grateful look, and held his hand. He smiled back.

“Well, Ash, thank you,” his mother said spiritedly. “Your father is here.”

Spruce saw his father stumble inside with multiple bleeding cuts. He was also limping, and his left foot was an awful bloody mess that would take hours of specialized healing from Sage to fix.

“Son,” Evergreen said weakly, reaching forward to hug him. Spruce hugged him.

“Are you OK?” he asked.

Evergreen nodded, and Magnolia walked over to him and hugged him. “He’s fine. Indestructible.”

Spruce hugged them all again, happy that they were safe.

“We can take him to the doctors in Lamplight Town,” Sage said. “Flora is sending all of the other civilians in her area in that direction, and that’s where they’re going to evacuate until we get all of this sorted out.” He pointed out the window at the farther side of the forest, which was still significantly damaged. “They have really famous and well-known doctors there, so Evergreen can heal there.” He looked at Magnolia. “You’ll be safe and taken care of, and Florian will be with you.”

The couple nodded and began walking slowly towards the front door, with Aurora guiding them.

Summary

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Sage looked at Ash and Spruce. “Good job, you two,” he said proudly. “As much as I worried you two were going to be in danger, which you were, you did very well surviving.”

“Thanks,” the two of them said simultaneously.

“So, let’s go and meet up with our team, and we can determine what we do next.”

🏁 Chapter 18: Back at the Start

After taking several more quick checks on Spruce’s parents and himself, they sent them down to the portal Flora made to teleport them to their evacuation residence. The optimistic fairy had told them to be careful, and she even gave them some healing plants in case anyone else needed them. Evergreen and Magnolia willingly obeyed, helping each other walk to the portal.

“I’ll have to stay here and make sure everything else is in order and no one else is left behind,” Flora said, watching them go with a wistful expression. She stopped floating in the air and dropped to the ground beside Sage and Spruce, her combed ponytail bouncing as she landed. “It’s my responsibility to make sure everyone is safe, and this forest is going to take a long time to recover.”

“Do you need my help?” Spruce asked. He hesitated, and Flora considered him for a moment.

“I think,” Flora said, “that it’d be best if you stayed with your group and continued saving the rest of the world. That’s what you were meant for, and you did great here. If you can escape the clutches of the Evil One, you can do anything.” She hugged him, smiling, and then let go.

“All right,” said Spruce. He really did it. He managed to make sure his parents were all right, and stopped the Evil One from hurting anyone else.

Speaking of anyone else, Spruce had discovered Sproot had been hiding under the balcony of his home the entire time. He had sent him off to live in hiding with his parents, after cuddling with him for a second.

His family and pet were safe, thanks to him. And Ash. And Sage, Aurora, and Flora. I didn’t do this alone, and we all contributed to stopping the Evil One. We really all saved my home, and I’m so grateful.

Maybe I’m not living the peaceful life I was content with, but I’m part of something bigger now. These kids are my brothers and sisters now, my family now. And I will do everything in my power to protect them, and this earth I have a desire of saving.

He looked at Ash. I will always do the same for you, too.

Flora waved goodbye, and Spruce and his companions walked back to where they had started. The forest was quiet now, and monsters were already crawling back into their homes, relieved and saved.

When they reached their destination, the big crowd was already there waiting for them to congratulate

Summary

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them. Spruce immediately was hugged and swarmed by all of his new family.

“You really did something super spectacular AGAIN, dude,” Brooke said appreciatively. “Like, how? First escaping the mindspace, then stopping the Evil One and saving your parents! Amazing!”

“Indeed,” Martial smiled. “Very impressive.”

“Thanks,” Spruce said, grinning at the both of them.

“Now, we can move on to our next task,” Aurora announced, clapping her hands. “We’ll still actively support Flora in her quest to restore the forest, but we have another achievement waiting. We must–”

“Wait,” Diamond said, glancing around her at everyone. “Where’s Galaxy?”

There was deafening silence for a long moment as everyone glanced around, looking for the ecstatic shadow wizard. Spruce looked around himself, but there was no sign of his gifted friend.

Then, all at once, everyone gasped.

“I’m terribly sorry to announce,” Sage said, “that Galaxy is missing**.**”

🔴 Epilogue

EPILOGUE

Through hundreds of dimensions, several portals and tangles of the universe combined cohesively. Gateways to the islands of the world and gateways to past events were all interconnected in this fiber mindspace. Anything could really happen here.

Time before, a mysterious figure had been reported drifting through these fibers, not alive for sure.

But over time, this figure had been collecting energy from the galactic fibers. Dangerous, unstoppable energy that could demolish everything in its path.

The floating figure stopped abruptly and landed in a portal to the present world. It was a cave in some unknown, unstudied area, in particular. The force must have been significant, because what happened next would be considered quite ironic.

The supercharged figure’s ruby red eyes opened, veins radiating in power.

The Evil One had returned, but this time more dangerous any wizard has ever been before.

📝 Author’s Notes and Acknowledgements

Thank you to whoever has supported this book as it is finally complete! It took some time writing and developing, as the character development and main plot was something I had problems with at first. I hope you enjoyed the story and the characters, as well as the writing style. Please let me know any improvements or suggestions you have for the future, and keep your eyes peeled for the next exciting entry in this Prodigy World series!

This series will continue in a new heart-wrenching adventure….

BOOK 2: Shadows of Hope, coming to the Lore section very soon!

© D.M., this story is under copyright law and details to be disclosed by @Forest only if the author and publisher feel like the need is to do so.

[ARMADILLO]

That’s amazing so far! Nice work. I just realized that we need to continue our tag-team, so I’ll work on that.

[Epi320]

Wow.
And I thought I was good at writing.

[pestoanchovi]

This lore stuff sounds like magic.
Although I am unfamiliar with prodigy itself.

[Forest]

I am bumping this so everyone can read this.
Add your comments of your rating, suggestions, and predictions for the plot!
I encourage propositions so I can make better future lore books for the series!

[Not_Dangerous_Pill]

Awesome so far!
I didn’t expect Spruce and Ash to be ship though!

[Not_Dangerous_Pill]

Suggestion: Spruce learns the Shadow element

[Catsxmath]

Nice!

You should get Brooke and martial together

[Forest]

All right. I just finished Chapter 12.

Now it’s getting kinda good….

Or ish.

Enjoy..

[Forest]

The heart-wrenching and suspenseful first entry of the Prodigy World series is finally complete! Thanks for the support and I really hope you all enjoy my lore debut novel! It took me a long time to write and plan, and the ending is good, I think. BOOK 2 is coming soon, so I’ll keep details posted!

***

ANOTHER NOTE:

I will be posting polls probably and questions regarding how you guys thought this story was! Like, what was it like reading from Spruce’s perspective? Who was your favorite character? (stuff like that,) and community discussions. Which character do you think’s perspective is next? Do you think the villain returns? What do you want to happen in the next book? That sort of thing.

As always, thanks for your love and support! I’ll see you all tomorrow!

[Catsxmath]

I can’t wait!

I am definitely excited to see how Spruce and Ash’s relationship develops,

and to see if any other main characters find love….

[Forest]

Yikes! I want to bump this because I just wanted to let you all know that I would be starting Book 2 of the series today! But first, I wanted to see if the support for the series was enough, so if you will, please answer these exclusive polls:

Did you like the story?

• Yes! It was amazing!
• Yeah, it was fine.
• It was kind of meh.
• Not particularly.
• NOPE! I HATED IT!

If so, how could the next one be better?

• MORE ACTION AND DEATH!!!
• MORE CHARACTER DEPTH & EXPLORATION!!!
• A little bit of both… AND/OR just more suspense
• NOTHING! IT WAS TERRIBLE! (please don’t pick this; it’ll hurt my feelings…)

[Forest]

Also, just letting everyone know: you can read Shadows of Hope now.

I highly encourage you all to vote for the poll if you read this already!

Thanks! I’m writing more of Book 2 here today, and once again: make sure to VOTE for the next admin if you haven’t already!