Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

deities and ancient gods still exist, heroes daily accomplish their heroic deeds and villains are straight out of your worst nightmares. I know it’s a little complicated and it might be hard to accept at the moment, but for now, know that from your perspective, you are basically in a legendary tale from your world. You’re like a hero of a bedtime story. Well, maybe not the hero, but one of the characters. A secondary character, most likely. Though not the kind who dies first, in order to make the bad guy look really evil. Anyway, there I go again, babbling on and on! Sorry about that. Where was I?”
    Samuel could hardly believe what he had heard. Another world? A place where all the legends took place? That was absurd.
    “Oh yes, before I forget. This is rather important. You have to know that some regions of Metverold, like this one in particular, are a lot like your own world, in the sense that nature is very similar and so are most of the physical laws. You won’t be able to fly or breathe underwater, I’m afraid. Not by yourself, anyway. So don’t do anything foolish because you think you’re invincible; you’re not. Quite the contrary. Just take it easy, at least for now.”
    “How come you’re flying?”
    “Well, of course I can fly, silly head. Look, I have these cute little wings on my back to help me.”
    “What exactly is a fata? I’ve never heard of them in any legend that I know of.”
    “You’ve never heard of the Unshakable Angeline? Ouch! That hurts. Then again, you people tend to change all the names, once you are back in your own universe. I’ve been referred to as a fae or a faerae, a sprite and a pixie, even as a guardian angel or a genie. I never know the latest term for my species where you come from.”
    “So you’re like a fairy or something like that?”
    “A fairy, you say?” Angeline’s wings started to beat rapidly, lifting her in the air, over the tabletop. She looked at herself, examining her arms and legs. “Is that what they call us these days? I sort of like it, it has a certain cuteness. A fairy. Angeline the Fairy. I like the sound of that!”
    “Do you have magical powers?” asked Samuel.
    “I wish! I do have limited powers, but nothing like the kind you’re talking about. In a nutshell, I’m here to help you, the Keeper, so you can do your part and accomplish what you need to do. Each Keeper has a fata—a fairy—and we are like little guardians. My role is to guide you and keep you on the right path. To do that, I have some powers that I can use.”
    Samuel was as confused as ever.
    “So you’re not going to help me get home?” he asked, a little afraid of the answer.
    “Oh heavens, no! Not yet anyway. You have to do your part first, but I will help you in your task. I’m like a personal assistant. I’ll remind you of what needs to unfold and what must be prevented from happening. I’ll tell you where to go and who to meet, but know that ultimately, all the decisions have to be made by you, the Keeper.”
    “Now hold on a minute,” intervened Samuel. “I hear the words you’re saying, but they don’t mean anything to me. You keep calling me a Keeper. What exactly do you mean?”
    “Right, sorry about that. I was just getting to that part. Like I said, there are a lot of things to explain. This is why I hate getting assigned to newbies. No offense.”
    “None taken.”
    “Well, my dear Samuel, you’ll be pleased to know that you now bear the official title of Lorekeeper. I say ‘Keeper’ because I’m lazy by nature. Your role is to maintain the integrity of the legends and myths you find yourself in, like this one. You see, in Metverold, every myth and legend that is told in your world happens for real, over and over again.”
    Samuel was not sure he understood exactly what Angeline meant by that.
    “You mean that you relive every myth and tale endlessly, over and over again? Why?”
    “Why not? Do we need a reason to exist the way we do? Your world keeps evolving and changing, never satisfied with what you have and always wanting more. Is it so much better than being content with what we have here and sticking to it? Our world is not so bad—you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”
    “But don’t people want some changes from time to time?” asked Samuel. “What about the ones who end up dead or banished over the course of a story? Wouldn’t they want a different ending or a more merciful fate?”
    Angeline burst out