"The final Fate? What do you mean by that?" I asked nervously. Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. "I suppose you will learn in time. Here, take this golden apple and eat it. You should see the effects with time." the dragon stated. Hesitantly, I took the golden apple. As I held it in my hand, I could admire it up close. The texture felt like a polished glass ball, yet when I bit into it, it was like biting into a normal apple. "Run along now boy, I'm going to destroy the tree and I don't want you caught in the crossfire," he told me, which confused me even more.

"Why must you destroy the tree though?" I asked. The dragon paused for a minute, stared at the tree, and back at me. "That is because it has done its last duty. Now, off you go. You should head to the Capital and live there. Wherever you came from, it isn't suited for you. The Capital is North West from here, it shouldn't be a rough journey. There are some small towns on the outskirts that you can stay in on your way there. Now, place this gem on your palm and let it sink into you." the dragon said. Carefully, I placed the gem on my right palm and waited. Suddenly, the glistening item seemed to absorb into my hand, sending a wave of energy into my entire body. "W-what did this do to me?" I questioned nervously. "You have bonded with the child I have left behind. Take good care of him for me. Off you go now! Be safe, and good luck." the old dragon said.

Leaving the tree behind, I couldn't help but wonder about the events that unfolded before me this past day. Although I had no family to return to, with my mother going missing 5 years ago, I still wanted to return to my world eventually. However, now was not the time. I had another journey set before me, one that would surely take a while. I heard an explosion, and as I turned around, I saw the tree set aflame. The old dragon, still coiled around the tree, saw me gazing at him. With one last smile, the dragon would turn to ash and be carried off into the wings until the end of time.

Heading North West proved to be rather easy. About half a mile past the wastelands was a field of grass that was easy to tread through. Further along my path, I began to notice the increase in clouds. Rain clouds to be exact, just my luck. I can't go any further, the numbness in my foot is starting to fade away, and the pain is starting to rise once more.

The open field was no longer a desire of mine, so I started to head towards the dense forest to my left. I had to head there eventually anyway, might as well go now. That's when the rain started pouring, causing me to get wet. Let's look on the bright side here, I can clean the wound on my foot now. As I took off my bandage, I noticed the hole punctured in my foot was completely healed over.

After I emptied my bowels, had some dried jerky, and the rain stopped, I continued on my way towards the capital. The ground was wet and muddy, and my boots kept serving their purpose, although the hole created by the spike made me a bit peeved. Suddenly I heard the sound of rushing water. Heading towards the source, I found a waterfall, something I've never been so happy to see before.

Stripping down completely nude, I jumped in and started to clean myself off. The filth I've gained through my journey thus far was immense, and quite frankly I wanted to shed my skin off somehow. "I have never been this happy to get into water before," I said aloud. That was when I heard what sounded like someone dropped something. Turning around, I was met face to face with a girl around my age, beet red in the face, hastily picking up the basket she dropped.

"I-I'm so sorry!" she said as she ran off. Does this mean I'm close to civilization? Hurrying to get out and put my clothes back on after attempting to dry myself off, I watched the direction the girl went. Northwest; I must be getting closer to my destination.

Running in the direction she took, I finally found her a bit ahead of me. "Wait up!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, hoping she'd hear me. To my surprise, she slightly turned around and back again, then bolted towards her original direction. Shit, I didn't think I'd scare her off...

Catching my breath, she lost me. The only hope I had now was to continue in that direction. Damn, I can't believe a girl outran me... I haven't worked out in a while. Running through the thicket proved to be rather easy. Looking down, I noticed a distinct path created by lots of traffic through this specific direction I'm taking, making things much easier.

I started to hear noises. Not of running water or birds, but of people. Starting to speed up from the sudden motivation of finding other people, I found the source of the noises soon enough, and that's when I saw it; a town bustling with activity.