Tales of the Lorekeepers 01 - Rise of the Red Dragon

of being drowned in it; as though the story would eventually swallow him whole and never spit him out. He wished he knew what to expect for the following day. He wished he could be better prepared to face whatever danger lurked in his future.
    The next morning, Samuel woke as soon as the first rays of the sun touched his face and gently warmed his cheeks. After opening his eyes and stretching silently, he stood and looked around, making sure everyone was still sound asleep. The day was serene, the morning air cool and moist. Without making a sound, Samuel collected his sword and dagger and quietly walked away from the camp. He was hoping to find a quiet spot to gather his thoughts and maybe have a chat with Angeline.
    As he followed a foggy path that led him deeper into the forest, covered with wet leaves and slippery roots, Samuel took the two strange dice from his pocket. In all the excitement of the previous days, he had almost forgotten about them. He recalled the first time he had seen them in the store, a moment that now seemed to belong to a previous life. Rolling the dice in the palm of his hand, he saw the burning symbols on each side and wondered what they meant. He remembered the art class in which he and Lucian had tried to paint the faces and first noticed the strange sigils.
    If only Lucian could see him now.
    He returned the dice to his pocket. After fifteen minutes of walking through the branches and delicate spider webs spangled with dew, Samuel emerged into a small clearing. It could have been the same one he had stood in a few days earlier, but he could not tell. He took a few more steps forward and then stopped, shutting his eyes.
    Under different circumstances, he might have felt overwhelmed and even frightened by the situation he now found himself in. However, this morning, he felt peaceful, as if he belonged here. In fact, he almost felt privileged to be a part of this adventure. He now realized how fortunate he was to experience firsthand what children from his world could only picture in their minds and through staged events. The closest any teen his age would ever come to being a true hero was through computer games and controlled simulations. He, on the other hand, was living the real thing. What’s more, he was not a mere passenger, an obscure character who did not make it past the first five pages of a storybook. He was much more than that. He was a Lorekeeper. He was a hero.
    “I’m glad to see you are finally embracing your new role, Lorekeeper,” said a soft voice behind him.
    “Today is the day, isn’t it?” he asked Angeline, without opening his eyes.
    “Yes, I’m afraid it is. This day will be the final chapter of this story. This is the time when everything will come to a dramatic conclusion, when heroes will rise and fiends will be cast down. If everything goes well, you could be home tonight, back in your own world and among your family and friends. I would have thought you would be thrilled to see them again.”
    Samuel looked at the ground beneath Angeline, focusing on a single leaf, which gently danced in the morning breeze.
    “I guess you’re right. I should feel excited. Truth be told, I am excited at some level, but I’ve also grown accustomed to this world. Even though I have only been on Metverold for less than a week, I’m actually starting to enjoy myself. I’ve met amazing people and developed strong friendships, and the idea that I might never see them again is sad. Don’t get me wrong. I will certainly welcome with open arms a break from the constant danger and the ever-present fear of dying, but I think I’m actually going to miss this place and the people. A don’t forget, I also get to have my very own fairy, which is pretty cool.”
    Angeline blushed slightly.
    “All right now, no need to get all sentimental here,” she said, trying to adopt a more serious look. “There are more pressing matters we have to attend to. We need to talk about what’s going to happen today.”
    Samuel did not fail to notice that the fata’s tone had shifted to a slightly graver one. He sat down on a fallen tree to hear what she had to say.
    “With the approaching end to this myth,” continued Angeline, “I am growing ever more concerned, and I’m sure you share my worries.”
    “Yes, I do. To be honest, these thoughts have not left my mind since we left the abbey. With everything seemingly going according to the story, we are no closer to finding the