As he walked across the desert, the words that had sealed his fate, merely 3 weeks ago, still echoed in his head:

“A mere bird is not enough. A fighter you might become, a summoner... you will not.”

And that was the last day in that school, the place he had entered a year ago, where we would develop his skills and with the guidance of the mages, become powerful; the day where his dream of becoming a summoner came to an end.

Angry and confused, he spent the following weeks roaming around the forests of Anumun, thinking about how all his plans went wrong.

A mere bird.

Indeed. And a vulture. A noisy vulture, was the only creature he had ever summoned. Not a powerful beast, or a magical elemental... just a bird. True, the bird always came, after the first sucessfull atempt. But deep inside, he knew that was too little to show, after one year.

Could I simply not be talented enough? That was the question he asked himself the most. His pride wouldn't let him answer “yes”, thow. And as his anger grew, so did the desire of power. There was one place, thow, where he might get it... even if it meant crossing the desert, and embracing a way of life he had always despised. The dark mages were less picky on who they allowed in their ranks, or at least that was what the rumours said.

So there he was, crossing the small Kyint desert, up to the arid mountains where it was said dark magic was practiced. Part of him thought it was madness. Power, yes... but at what price? But with his emotions in a turmoil, his other part, the one that craved the magic and power, commanded his will.

The desert was hard to cross, but fortunately small enough to be crossed in one day. And by nightfall, the failed summoner had reached the base of the mountains. He then realised he had no idea where to look, or what to look. So, he decided to look for shelter nearby, and begin his exploration in the following morning. Tired and a little hungry, he fell asleep as soon as he found a suitable place.

He woke up when the sun was already high. Almost noon, he calculated.

The first thing he noticed, as he started to explore his surroundings, was the almost absence of life: No birds, no reptiles, none of the forest sounds he grew up with. The second thing he noticed, was the smell. A foul smell, almost imperceptible at first, but that increased in intensity as he kept advancing into the mountains.

The feeling of unease grew as he kept advancing. His thirst for power was still there, but more and more he felt all of that was a mistake. And suddenly, the scream.

A long, dreadful scream.

He didn't knew where it came from. It just echoed across the land. But he knew what it meant.

Pain.

And almost at the same instant, he came to his senses. The anger he had builted inside simply vanished.

He could never become a summoner using dark magic. He treasured life and compassion enough; coming there had been a mistake, and that was now perfectly clear. But as he turned around, a voice froze him where he stood.

“Going somewhere, boy?”

On his left, a grotesque figure appeared. The smell was horrid. The creature seemed human, but part of his flesh was gone, and some kind of beast was crawling on it.

“I... I'm not supposed to be here.”

“Indeed, boy. But here you are.”

The boy couldn't tell who was speaking, men (or what was left of it) or beast. One more similar creature appeared, a little behind the first one. Fear started to grow on him; but he was able to control it, and slowly resume his way back. For every step he took back to the desert, thow, the creatures took two in his direction.

“I am. Coming here was a mistake, now I realise it. And so, I'm leaving.”

An evil laugh echoed around him, as yet another one of those creatures appeared.

“We've seen quite a few like you, boy. Craving power, and keen to learn the dark arts. But for the ones that don't start the dark journey, being for lack of talent, or will... there's no coming back.”

The ex-future summoner had no doubt who had spoken. The once human mouth hadn't moved at all while the voice was being heard. And he immediatly realised what those last words meant.

Those creatures were coming for him.

It a heartbeat, he grabbed the nearest rock and tossed it to the closest creature, the one that had spoked. It wasn't enough to send her to the ground, but the quick gesture provided a small window of opportunity to do the only thing that could keep him alive: run.

And so he did.

As fast as he could, he raced down the small hill, in the desert's direction. Fortunately, speed was one of the things he was good at. He only dared to look back as he entered the desert, and what he saw made his heart sank.

Over a dozen of those part man-part beast were chasing him.

They weren't fast, but he wasn't gaining that much distance too. And there was a whole desert ahead. The following hours were of terror; he kept his pace as fast as he could, but as the lack of food and water started to be felt, the creatures started gaining some distance.

An angry scream spread across the desert.

And when the boy allowed himself to look back, tears almost came to his eyes.

A vulture rised again to the sky, and one of the creatures stood motionless on the ground. As their eyes, met, the bird gave a loud screech.

He was there. The only creature he ever summoned, came to his aid.It was only one, thow, and his fighting skills were close to none. So, he kept running.

The death race continued, and every time he heard another screech, an angry scream was heard as well. And he knew the vulture had claimed another victim. It was almost as he knew which creature was most vulnerable.

By then, the boy's strenght wouldn't allowed him to run no more. But he kept dragging his feet through the sand, as the scattered trees that market the desert's end were almost at sight. Only 4 creatures remained in the chasing raid. But they were close. Oh, so close.

3 creatures left. Then 2.

And as the green fields became so close, it happened. The loud screed was heard, but the screeching continued.

The boy looked back, and saw how the creatures had grabbed the vulture. He was fighing for his life.

He took another look back to the trees. They were so close. But in his heart, he knew there was only one thing to do.

He rushed to the creatures. It was time to fight, even if it meant his life.

Both vulture and boy fought bravely. The bird's screeches were defening, as he struck with beak and claws, while the boy punched and kicked as hard as he could. And when one of the creatures finally fell, the vulture seemed to gain renewed strenght, and a couple of minutes more, the fight was over.

The boy looked at the vulture. He was badly injured.

“Don't worry, brave friend.” The boy said. “I'll take care of you.”

He grabbed the bird as best as he could, and slowly made his way back to the trees. He was injured as well, and worried with the vulture, didn't noticed who approached, until he heard the voice.

“A young boy, with a good hearth.”

He turned scared, only to see a Spirit of the Forest, only a few meters away. She slowly raised her hand, and a wave of light surrounded them, as both boy and bird felt their strenght coming back, and their wounds closing.

The vulture gave an even louder screech, and rose to the skies.

Then. before the boy could say a word, the Spirit spoke again.

“Anger is not a good advisor.”

The boy looked down, ashamed. The Spirit continued:

“There's no shame in what you did. Sometimes, bad things happen for a reason. Now you know that you have a good heart. Not all can become summoners... but we all have our part to play to fight evil in Anumun. Come and seek me in the morning, I'll help you find your way.”

That night, for the first time since he had left the school, he had a resting sleep. And when he woke up, felt what he hadn't felt in a long time: joy. A new stage of his life was ahead.

Still haven't joined Steemmonsters? In what planet do you live in? Click the banner below and join the fun! (It has my referral link; you can go directly to the website if you don't want to use it; either way... join in! 😎 )

@steemitportugal, a supporter of the portuguese community, is now also a witness! If you would like to give your support to this project, please click on the banner below to cast your vote: