Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

lonelier in this strange word. Angeline was the only being in this universe who knew the truth about him. Without her, he would be lost in Metverold, trapped here, with no one knowing how to send him back home. Looking up around him, he saw dozens of men working hard, bringing down tree after tree. None of them paid any attention to him and he decided it was the perfect opportunity to try again to summon his guardian fata. He pretended to need a bathroom break and left the group, without anyone even acknowledging his request.
    After a few minutes, Samuel found himself out of sight of anyone, alone in this forest of tall trees and damp soil. Without wasting a moment, he whispered the name of his fata.
    “Angeline …”
    A bird answered him, as if mocking his request.
    “Angeline!” he repeated, a little louder.
    Still nothing. The loneliness grew even stronger in his guts, exacerbated by the giant trees and dark rocks around him.
    “Angeline, please, if you can hear me,” he pleaded,” I could really use your help here.”
    “All right, all right!” he heard behind him.
    Finally, the little fairy had shown up.
    “Angeline! Where the heck have you been?” asked Samuel, his voice trembling.
    “I’m sorry, but I do have other duties, you know! I had to report to my boss on your progress on Metverold.”
    “You have a boss?”
    “Everybody has a boss, Sammy. Well except maybe for the parcae. Still, even they could have one, who knows!”
    She flew a little closer, taking off her crown, which magically disappeared in a minuscule cloud of smoke.
    “I was planning on coming to see you later today, Sammy. You have to be patient!”
    “Patient? I’ve been walking in the mud with an army of strangers for two days now. I’m chopping wood in the middle of a world I didn’t know existed only a few days ago. And I still don’t have any clues as to why I am doing it! I think I am being patient!”
    The last sentence was uttered with a little more anger in it than he had intended. Angeline looked him straight in the eye and frowned, pressing her tiny lips together. Then, with a snap of her fingers, she disappeared.
    “If you’re going to address me with this tone, I’ll come back later, when you are calmer,” he heard her voice say.
    “No! Wait! Please don’t go. I’m sorry. I did not mean to sound angry. Please understand that this is a lot for me to take. Please, I beg you, don’t leave me alone.”
    He waited a little bit. After a few moments, Angeline gradually reappeared in front of him.
    “Look,” he continued, “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to sound mad at you. Please understand that it is very hard for me to assimilate all of … this. I’m still not entirely convinced I even believe this is all happening for real. Maybe it’s all a long, very realistic dream, from which I’m having trouble waking up. I need your presence to remind me that there is a way out. I need you to remember I’m not stuck here forever, in a world where I do not belong.”
    Angeline hovered before Samuel, her little butterfly wings whirring. She wiped a tear from his cheek, took his nose in her hands and looked him in the eyes.
    “Samuel Osmond, I will never abandon you here. You can trust me. Don’t think I have not been watching over you constantly during the past two days. If I have not appeared to you since the fight at the camp, it’s simply because you did not need me. You are doing well, my friend, and I was very proud to report your progress to my superior. It appears the dice have made the right choice for this legend’s Lorekeeper. Now is not the time to let your heart fall into despair and fear.”
    Another tear rolled from the corner of Samuel’s eye.
    “What exactly do you expect of me, Angeline?” he asked. “What am I supposed to do? Why am I here?”
    “The time is very near, Sammy. Soon, the path you need to follow in order to protect this story will become clear to you, but for the moment, I cannot reveal the plot.”
    “Why not? Why is the story kept secret from me?”
    “Because that is the way it has to be! Why must you question everything? I don’t make the rules, and neither do you. We must simply follow them. All I know is that I can only reveal to you what is necessary, in order to accomplish your goal.”
    “Save the legend …” replied Samuel.
    “Yes! You are a Keeper of the Lore. You have to make sure the legend stays intact and goes as it’s supposed to