1: Beginning
Riptide came into being, appearing as if stepping from a mist, in the middle of the dense forest. What little light came through the dense canopy above danced across the ground as the leaves swayed in the wind. An ever present buzzing of insects seemed to hug his ears, and above that, other creatures hummed and called to one another. They remained hidden from sight, though his eyes afforded him great vision even in the near darkness. There was something about this world that seemed familiar, like he had been there before in a different life, yet somehow completely unknown.
For the first time, Riptide noticed a faint glow emanating from his own form. He held up his hands and examined them. His skin was a deep shade of teal. Lines of bright, luminous orange formed chevrons across his hands and forearms and his nails shone with the same color. He fingered the loose, flowing sleeves of the robe he wore, examining the way his fingers worked. The texture was smooth and pleasant. He felt, also for the first time, muscles in his face contract as a smile formed across his mouth and around his eyes.
The sound of footsteps met his ears, a rhythmic, quiet patting accompanied by the rustle of fallen leaves and underbrush that cushioned the earth. And then a low, gentle voice. “I thought I’d sensed something new here.”
Riptide turned to see a creature approaching. It had four legs ending in clawed feet, and a long, slender body and tail. At first, the only details he could make out through the underbrush were a pair of small green eyes twinkling in the darkness, and glimmering green runes marking its sides. But as it came closer, he could see that its skin was brown and patterned like the bark on the trees. A short fringe of muted green hair grew along its spine, on the back of its legs, and at the tip of its tail. Its face was framed by feathers in the same color and a pair of bony antlers. A tangle of thick, strong vines grew from its shoulders.
As this being came to stop in front of him, he lowered its head to meet Riptide’s eyes. The four delicate antennae growing from the center of his forehead twitched slightly. “My name is Oak. What’s yours?”
“I am Riptide.” Another first, feeling the words start as air in his lungs and transform into sound in his throat, shaped into words by lips. He found the sound of his own voice to be surprisingly pleasant. He was not entirely sure how he knew who he was, the answer came almost instinctively, and this Oak accepted it without question.
“Welcome to the Viridian Labyrinth, Riptide.”
“The Viridian Labyrinth?” Was that the name of this place? And what was this place anyway? Riptide had so many questions, but there were so many new things to see and experience, it did not quite seem like the time for them.
Those antennae twitched again as Oak smiled. “Come with me,” he said as he raised his head and turned back to the direction he came from. “I have a feeling I have a lot to show you.” He began walking away slowly.
Riptide hesitated for a moment. Was it naive to trust this Oak? Almost as if in response to his doubt, this other being stopped and inclined his head back. “You can stay here if you’d prefer, but I only wish to help.”
He looked down at his hands again. This form was so different from whatever it was he had been before, he could probably use some help figuring out exactly what he was now. He took a breath and walked to catch up.
For a while, he walked silently beside this Oak. They weaved their way slowly through the immense trees. The leaves and dirt felt somewhat soothing under his feet and between his toes. Animals skittered out of their path and into the dense brush that threatened to overtake the earth. Everywhere were the sounds, scents, and activity of life. Even the vines on Oak’s back occasionally shifted as if something moved within them.
Riptide was grateful for the lack of conversation. Experiencing so many new things was exhausting. As he became more familiar with his new body and more comfortable in his surroundings, he also became more aware of a strange feeling of impurity. He knew what he was supposed to be. Currents, movement, dangerous waters. But there were other things present, things he could not identify, that he felt he needed to get rid of.
“You’re an elemental of some kind, right?” Oak asked.
“I am,” Riptide replied.
“So when you said, ‘I am Riptide,’ that is the element you represent, right?”
“That is what I am.”
“And that’s what everyone calls you?”
“I don’t know. I have not spoken to anyone else.” Riptide paused for a moment before asking, “Should I be called something different?”
Oak chuckled softly. “I’m a dragon, but no one calls me that. Even our elemental gods have names beside the element they represent. But you can decide that for yourself, no one should tell you who you are after all.”
Riptide was silent for a small time. Did he want a different name? He did not have any idea who he really was yet, he only knew what he was. “If not Riptide, what should I be called?”
Oak’s antennae twitched again. “Lusca,” he answered simply.
“Why Lusca?”
Oak took a moment to respond as if composing his response. “Part of your essence is Water, another is Darkness. The Lusca is a mythical sea monster. I’ve heard tales from dragons of Water that describe it as a giant octopus that has dragged whole clans into the depths, much like a strong current will drag one under.”
Riptide repeated it again to himself. “Lusca.”
“It certainly roles off the tongue better than Riptide, if you ask me,” Oak added.
“I like it.” Lusca smiled to himself. Currents, water, and darkness. It fit. He looked up to meet Oak’s green eyes. “Thank you!”
“Don’t mention it,” Oak smiled warmly, “Lusca.”
They were quiet again for a while. Lusca still did not know exactly who he was, but he felt he now had an identity. If he could rid himself of these impurities he felt, he was sure he would discover more about what he was and who he was supposed to be. He was beginning to feel that these traces were actually pieces of other elements. How many others were there?
Oak had mentioned deities in this world that commanded elements. But he gathered from Oak’s initial greeting that they were not like him.
Lusca addressed Oak again, curious now about elements in this world. “You said have elemental beings here?”
“We do,” Oak responded. “Eleven elemental gods, each presiding over their own region of Sornieth. Every dragon is born with an elemental alignment. Usually this is according to the region where their egg is hatched, but like all rules, there are exceptions to that.”
“And what element presides here?”
“Our deity is the Gladekeeper, she represents Nature, Life, and Growth.”
Lusca thought for a moment. “And you mentioned dragons from Water, that’s another region in Sornieth?”
“The Sea of a Thousand Currents lies South of here.”
They fell silent again. The Sea of a Thousand Currents sounded like the perfect place for the exploring Lusca needed to do. He wondered how far away that was and how long it would take to get there.
He followed Oak around another curve, under some low-hanging branches, and through an expanse of tangled green thicket. The vines and brush parted ahead of them and closed behind them, and he walked closer to the dragon to avoid being swallowed by the aggressively growing flora.
As they emerged from that stretch of bushes and bramble and onto another path, Lusca heard the faint sound of rushing water. He felt a rush of excitement, his first strong emotion. His heartbeat quickened, his breath came faster, and there was a pleasant tingling in his fingertips and his toes. He looked up at the dragon accompanying him and Oak beamed back at him.
“I thought The River might interest you,” he said with a small chuckle.
They came after several minutes to a narrow river that cut through the forest, seemingly in defiance of the flora that grew so aggressively around it. It did not look as dangerous as it was. Lusca could feel its energy, it was deep and rapid. Instinctively, he knelt at its edge and reached out a hand toward it, but paused to look back over his shoulder at Oak.
“I feel you’re where you need to be,” Oak said softly. “The River widens and divides into a system of streams called the Gladeveins that flow out to the ocean. If you wanted, you could follow the water there and then along the coast of the Sunbeam Ruins to a river that leads to the Sea of a Thousand Currents.”
“Thank you.” The emotions that arose in him felt as tangled as the brushwood they had passed through to get there. He was very grateful for the help Oak had given him in the very short time they had known one another. He had given Lusca his name, the beginning of discovering his identity, and he had brought Lusca to a river. He was sad to be saying goodbye so soon, but the excitement at being so close to his element, the essence of his being, and anticipation of what that meant still flowed through him.
Oak smiled again. “It’s my mission to help all beings within my realm, whether they are from this world or not. You have an exciting journey ahead of you, but if you ever feel like visiting again, you know where to find me.”
“I will,” Lusca promised.
Oak smiled. “Then goodbye for now.” The dragon bowed his head, and disappeared back into the trees.
Lusca turned back to the water before him and skimmed the surface with a finger. It was somehow warm and inviting, but also strong, cold, swift. Heart beating even faster now, he stood. And with no hesitation, he jumped in.
It was like being immersed in warm light, a feeling of pure bliss and belonging permeated every magical cell in his body. His hair and robe floated in the water, but he seemed otherwise unaffected by the current. A part of Lusca had expected to be swept away and taken down the river, but another part of him had seemingly known that would not happen. He was simply suspended as if in a still pool. The current, the movement, the energy flowed through him and around him. He raised his hands in front of his face for a third time. He had thought those orange chevrons were glowing before, but they had been dull in comparison to the way they glowed now, reacting to the power around and within him.
This is what he was. Strong. Cold. Swift. Movement and power. An untameable force.
As Lusca floated in this dangerous water, surrounded by his essence, immersed in this experience, this revelation of what his power felt like, those small traces of impurities began to melt away.
