The golden hues of sunset draped the fields in a warm, honeyed light, casting long shadows across the gently rolling hills of the countryside.
As crickets began their nightly serenade, the lingering aroma of roasted roots and wild herbs wafted through the air after dinner.
Roran sat on a low wooden stool in the yard, puffing thoughtfully on his long-stemmed pipe.
Beside him, Maris reclined, her legs stretched out and head tilted back to savor the gentle warmth of the evening breeze.
For once, her apron was folded neatly beside her, tonight was free from chores and healing herbs; it was a night for family.
Kaelion lounged cross-legged in the grass, with little Elira climbing over him like an especially determined squirrel.
"Kael! Tell me again about the lightning tree!" she squealed, tugging playfully at a lock of his hair.
He chuckled and let himself fall backward with an exaggerated groan. "You've heard that story six times already," he protested, feigning struggle against her weight.
"Seven!" she corrected with a cheeky grin. "And it gets better every time! Come on, pleeeeeease!"
Nearby sat Joren on a small cushion Maris had sewn for him, quiet as always, chewing on a stalk of grass while hugging a wooden horse figurine.
He peeked over at Kaelion and Elira, smiling softly at their playful chaos but staying just outside their whirlwind.
"Elira," Kaelion said with an arched eyebrow aimed at the girl perched on his chest, "you are quite the menace, a whirlwind! A pestilence upon this peaceful land."
She gasped dramatically. "How dare you! I'm the bravest hero this village has ever known!"
"More like the loudest," Joren muttered under his breath.
Elira whipped around to face him, scandalized. "Did you just sass me?"
Joren looked away quickly, cheeks flushed. "N-no."
Kaelion propped himself up on his elbows with a grin. "Alright then, brave hero! Get off my lungs so I can tell you that tale one more time."
With a dramatic flop onto her feet and dusting imaginary dirt from her skirt, Elira leaned in eagerly as her eyes sparkled with anticipation.
**Once upon a time, Kaelion began, "when I was wandering through the enchanting eastern valleys, I stumbled upon a hill where the wind danced endlessly, regardless of the season.
At its peak stood a magnificent tree, its bark shimmering like silver and its leaves shaped like sharp blades.
The locals whispered tales that it had been struck by lightning a hundred times yet had never once caught fire…"**
As he spun his tale, the children listened with wide-eyed wonder, Elira hanging on every word, gasping at dramatic pauses, while Joren quietly inched closer, his curiosity overcoming his natural shyness.
Kaelion observed them as he wove together threads of truth and fiction. To the children, every word was pure magic.
Behind them, Roran chuckled softly.
"He's got a bard's tongue, that one," he murmured to Maris.
Maris nodded thoughtfully, her arms folded over her chest. "He has the eyes of someone who's seen too much. But he still remembers how to smile, that's rare."
As stars began to twinkle in the night sky, the family fell into a comfortable silence.
Elira yawned dramatically. "Okay, I'm tired but not *really* tired."
"You're always 'tired' when it's your turn to wash dishes," Joren mumbled with a smirk.
"That's because washing dishes is boring! And my fingers are delicate!" she protested playfully, wiggling her fingers in front of him.
Kaelion tousled both their hair affectionately. "Off to bed now, little warriors! Tomorrow we'll build that tree swing you've been pestering me about."
"Really?" they exclaimed in unison.
"If you go quietly now," he teased.
They scampered inside the cottage, laughter echoing as they elbowed each other along the way.
Kaelion watched them disappear into the warmth of their home; something warm coiled within him, a blend of pride and joy.
He turned to Roran and Maris who shared knowing smiles as if they were all wrapped in this moment of peace together.
"Good night," he said softly.
---
The cottage soon fell silent; everyone had long since drifted off to sleep.
Kaelion lay beneath his woven blanket with his gaze fixed on the rafters above but sleep eluded him.
His breath slowed as night deepened around him until suddenly, a chill raced down his spine like ice water coursing through his veins.
In an instant, everything shifted…
---
When Kaelion regained consciousness, he found himself in an entirely different realm, a cemetery cloaked in eerie stillness where no sound dared disturb the air.
He stood barefoot on smooth obsidian stone surrounded by darkness, not just any darkness but one that pulsed with life and untapped potential.
All around him was darkness, but not the cold, empty kind.
This darkness pulsed with life, brimming with potential and power.
As Kaelion looked around, he found himself in a vast expanse filled with colorful stars, like a breathtaking canvas painting of the universe. The sheer beauty left him in awe.
But what truly took his breath away was the colossal object looming above him, a tower so immense that Kaelion's neck nearly snapped as he strained to see its full height. It wasn't just colossal; it felt eternal.
Crafted from some divine and ancient stone that shimmered with stardust, the tower rose into the sky until it vanished into distant galaxies.
Its outer surface shifted like liquid metal, constellations burning within its grooves. It pulsed with an ancient power, old and timeless.
Tentatively, Kaelion took a step forward. To his surprise, the ground came alive beneath his feet as symbols lit up with each movement, a language he couldn't decipher but somehow understood deep down.
When he regained his senses, he realized he stood before an enormous gate that dwarfed him; at that moment, Kaelion felt like an ant in its shadow.
Just then, the gate creaked open slowly, releasing an intense light accompanied by an ancient aura that washed over him like a warm wave.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stepped insid,and was immediately blown away.
What lay before him was unlike anything he had ever seen in his entire life! The ground floor of the tower wasn't merely a hall; it resembled an entire universe!
The floor stretched infinitely before him, reflective like black glass yet dotted with constellations beneath its surface as if the cosmos had been captured and laid flat for all to see.
Giant pillars carved from glowing crystal floated upward toward a ceiling resembling a swirling nebula, deep purples and radiant blues interspersed with golden sparks spinning gracefully above in slow motion.
It wasn't just a ceiling; it was a sky of its own!
Kaelion could feel the pull of this magnificent tower resonating within his very soul.
He stood there dazed and wide-eyed, like a country bumpkin stepping into the city for the first time, overwhelmed by wonder.