Gladorian Awakens

Chilled, there was coldness deep in her bones, in her chest, and back, it ran down her legs to her toes, frigid and stiff, she couldn’t move, unable to feel her arms or legs. Her mind was clouded in a heavy fog, thick cobwebs that dulled her senses. She could not recall time or space, who or what she was. There was darkness everywhere pressing against her consciousness. Her body refused to move, stuck, encased in a hard shell. Unable to move or see now came panic, frightened, not knowing or understanding.

Tears were forming in her eyes, cold and wet, stirred by the feeling of complete hopelessness. Sinking deeper into despair she was being swallowed by depression and gloom. In that moment of desolation came hope, a slight tingling, she felt something peeling away from her face, dissolving. The darkness was fading, light was creeping in and clearing her mind. Slowly she was awakening, senses starting to send signals, smells of thick fragrances, a breath shallow and rapid, a mouth dry and tasteless. The sunbeams felt warm, refreshing, like life anew. The warmth was melting the shell around her, freeing fingers, toes, subtle movements causing blood rushing through her body, slowly life was returning. The tension eased, muscles relaxing, she took a deep breath of relief. The light coming in was growing in intensity, instead of seeing a hazy yellowish-brown she saw a soft red glow. Slowly lifting her eyelids, the brightness was blinding. As her eyes adjusted she glanced about, everything around her was fuzzy, colors meshing into each other. The colors came into focus, shapes took form of branches below covered in green leafs. Farther down were flowers of gold, purple and blue. Her heart was stirred by the beauty and life, memories began flooding in, flashing through her mind. Scenes of distant lands, towering mountains, vast expanses of waters, creatures of all kinds. One memory stood out, a small creature, slight of body with transparent wings, she smiles, Gladorian, my name is Gladorian. Her name meant everything, it brought her back to herself. She is one of the magical beings, tied to the spirit and fate of Ligo. The shell encasing her was gone now, she fluttered softly up to the next branch. Looking at the branch below, there was a groove where she had been encased, it looked completely natural.

Sitting quietly she pondered in thought, what had happened, why was she put in a deep and seemingly prolonged sleep. She knew her kind was made of magic, and the magic radiated through her. She could sense magic in other beings, see their aura, feel it flow from and through their bodies. Some of the creatures possessed the ability to magically bond with other creatures, she remembers guiding them to use this ability. Still, she was confused, what caused the sleep? Had the magic faded, was that why she slept, was there magic now? There was one way to find out. Taking a deep breath she calmed her mind and let the magic reach out to sense her surroundings. It came slowly at first, light tingles of sensations from all around, she drank them in, filling her mind, running through her. Some of the sensations were weak and lacked focus, others strong but with single-mindedness, these were life energies, not what she was searching for. She knew that was not a far-reaching search, the sleep was still affecting her. Feeling disappointed her mind wondered, ‘were there any others of my kind left, what if I am the last one’. ‘That just didn’t make sense, why was I awaken and by what, no there must be a reason’.

Rest would help and nourishment. Soaring up to the higher branches, letting the wind carry her along as she drifted up. At the top of the tree the sun’s rays were warm and invigorating. She loved the sun, it always brought her peace, refreshing her soul. She soaked in the warmth, reached out a hand and took the nearest leaf, bringing it slowly to her mouth. It tasted fresh and moist, one leaf was enough to nourish her body. Looking out off in the distance was a reflection, something shimmering in the sunlight. It had an odd look and feel to it, not completely natural. Shaking her head, she shrugged it off and focused on what lay before her. Another deep breath, this time several, she concentrated on her surroundings, and the search was stronger this time. The senses came pouring in, filling up her mind, like waves on a beach, one after another. There was one hidden underneath, a faint and innocent pulse. It felt raw, untrained, yet pure. She open her eyes and saw the lines leading back to the source, light orange in color – the color of a sensing one. She was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and relief. Relieved to know there was magic in the world, overjoyed to have someone on their own using magic. Filled with exhilaration she couldn’t wait to see who had used the magic. Immediately she started following the orange line, it lead to the area that was shimmering.

Down the hill deep in the forest raced Gladorian, her heart was filled with anticipation to find the sensing one. Fortunately her kind had a way of shielding themselves so no other creatures noticed their passing. They were small creatures and would be easy prey for birds or other animals. As she sped along a green glow rose up from her destination, the surprise took her breath away. She stopped to catch her breath ‘so more users of magic, this is wonderful in deed’. With renewed vigor she kept up her frantic pace to find the users of magic.