The Book of Lush: Chapter Two

The next morning, Elizabeth woke up on the cliff’s edge, overlooking the beautiful waters below. Taking in her surroundings, she climbed to her knees and looked around. Aside from the birdcalls in the forest around her, there was no other sign of life. He must have left overnight she thought. I pang of sadness entered her heart. Such a handsome knight…

Climbing to her feet, Elizabeth stretched in the Cirrus sunrise. All around her, life was beginning to awaken. Flower blossoms opened, soaking in the sun, while the chirps of the Linden Birds began to fill the atmosphere. Elizabeth removed a pouch from her neck. Loosening the strings, she withdrew a single seed. Even in the morning light, it seemed to carry a faint glow.

Falling to her knees again, Elizabeth began to dig a small hole in the ground. She dropped the seed in, and patted the dirt back into place, humming as she did so. She could feel the ground below her pulse with power as the seed entered its veins. Beaming proudly, she stood again.

Following the path she walked with Martin, Elizabeth found her way back to the first seed she planted. From the upturned ground was sprouting a small, glowing bulb, a little smaller than her fist. Within it were dancing lights, glowing softly in the shadows of the trees. They seemed to glow more as she approached.

“Hello little one,” she murmured, extending her hand to the bulb. The glow grew stronger as she touched it, sending shadows dancing along her arm. She remained that way for several minutes, captivated by the sight. After quite some time had passed, she stood and began her walk back to the castle.

The Book Of Lush: Chapter One

“Little flower in the night,

Do not fear evil’s might.

With nature’s fury we will fight,

Darkness will flee at our sight.”

“That’s a very nice song, Elizabeth.”

Elizabeth jumped at the sound. Looking behind her, she found Martin looking down at her, clad in his knight’s armor. On his face was his usual smile, teeth glistening brightly in the setting sun. Elizabeth muttered a long string of fumbled greetings, blushing slightly. This only seemed to amuse the warrior even more. Looking beyond, he noticed the small pile of dirt behind her feet.

“What have you been doing all this time?” he asked curiously.

“I’ve been planting a seed,” she replied, still blushing.

It wasn’t a complete lie, though there was much more to it than that. Of course, Martin wouldn’t believe her, even if she did tell the truth. Regardless, the warrior seemed to accept her answer.

“That’s nice,” he said, pushing his dark brown hair away from his eyes. Elizabeth couldn’t help but be mesmerized when he did that. His eyes, glistening like radiant gems…

Realizing that she was staring, she began to stammer apologies. Martin just shook his head and laughed. Taking her hand, he led her out of the forest. Shocked at his gesture, Elizabeth stumbled several times before restoring her feet to working order. She asked him where they were going, but he avoided the question each time.

They walked like this for several minutes, until he stopped in a clearing, quite some distance from where Elizabeth had been planting. They stood at the edge of a steep cliff, with a small stream running below. Martin gestured for her to look over the edge. Confused, she did as he said, crawling to the edge to carefully look over.

“Wow…” she breathed, taking in the sight. Even in the Cirrus sunset, the waters below glowed a brilliant blue. Crystal clear, she could see to the bottom, even from such a height. Plants and moss extended for several feet from the water’s surface, giving the cliff face an emerald-green coloring. From behind her, Martin chuckled.

“It’s beautiful!” she cried, still taking in the sight. As the skies grew darker, several smaller tree-like plants began to glow. She closed her eyes, allowing the sound of the stream to envelope her.

“I thought you might like it,” Martin whispered from behind her. Elizabeth could only nod. He fell to his knees and joined her at the cliff’s edge, watching the stream with her. And so they remained for several hours, oblivious to the passing time.

Chapter 2

Having wet clothing is bad enough, but when you have to walk in it, it’s probably one of the most annoying things in the world. With my journal in hand, I continued to walk along the cliffs. The sun beat down upon me, which helped the clothing situation, but also made it very hot and tiring to continue walking. Eventually I had enough and found a small cave to hide from the sun’s rays.

I’m not exactly sure what happened next, but my best guess would be that I fell asleep. I remember waking up to a loud clap of thunder, and what felt like a mini-earthquake. Stretching a little, I took a peek outside. Rain was indeed falling from the sky, and heavily. Glancing upriver, my heart stopped.

Coming straight at me was a massive wall of water, thundering down the narrow valley. Reaching back into the cave, I grabbed my journal and began attempting to climb to higher ground. Unfortunately this battle was lost before it even started, as I realized this too late when the incredibly powerful wall hit me at full force. The next for moments were a series of blurs, but somehow I managed to grab onto a tree that was somehow resisting the urge to drift away.

After a minute or so, the river began to slow and lower. I set foot on the soggy ground and examined by journal, which I had been clinging to since I was swept away. Other than being a little damp, the water-proof seal was holding up well. Losing a few journals to the river in the past definitely teaches you a few lessons. After making sure I was okay, I stepped to the edge of the cliff I was standing on.

At that exact moment, a massive wave hit the valley wall. The ground beneath me began to crumble. I tried to step back, but it was already too late. With a scream I fell into the river below and knew no more.

Chapter 1

Writer’s block. It’s a funny little concept that has plagued me since I was a small child. All my life I’ve wanted to write a book, but it always seems like I lose the words as soon as I pick up the pencil. Every day I sit down to write, and every day I give in to the block. It never seems to make sense; the words always flow perfectly in my head.

My name is Colinnn, and if you haven’t caught on, I’m a fan of writing. Books have been a part of my life since the very beginning, so it’s no surprise that I want to make them someday. Every summer I would come down to the Lush River, tucked safely away in the valleys, and read until I often fell asleep. But something inside of me always wanted to be in control of the stories that get passed on through the years. So when I decided to walk through the Valley of Lush one day, I wasn’t expecting to become one of the characters in a greater story that started at the beginning of time.

But as with any story, you don’t just get thrown into it. You’re slowly pulled in until you look back and realize how far you’ve come. So when I dropped by beloved journal as I walked along the Cliffs of Lush, I should have known that this was only the beginning of a very long adventure.

“Dangit,” I muttered to myself as I watched my journal slide down the cliff. Now I’m not the most agile person in the world, but I am capable of pulling a few stunts. So I leapt off my narrow walkway and began to slide down the inclined wall of loose dirt, desperately chasing my journal as it slid away from me.

Just a little more speed I thought as I grew closer. And just as I thought that… my journal stopped. And then I realized that it had hit a small rock sticking out from the slope. Just as soon as I was thankful it stopped, I realized that I was heading for this rock at full speed. My attempts to slow failed, and I ended up tripping on this pathetic rock. With a few seconds of airtime, I landed, somersaulting down the hill. Having no idea where I was rolling, I closed my eyes in dizziness.

At that point, the icy yet refreshing chill of the river hit me. Thankfully the current wasn’t strong, so I was able to recover quickly and tread water there. Letting out a sigh of relief, I climbed up the bank and back up the slope. Dripping wet, I picked up my journal.

“Not a scratch,” I mutter as I climb back up the hill. Little did I know, this would only be the beginning of my adventures.

Prelude: The Creation of the Atmosphir

In the beginning, there was nothing but the MiSt, which covered the Skybox with authority. The gods, who made up the MiSt, had a passion to create something within this empty space. And so they began, starting with the construction of the grid. From there they created blocks to fit perfectly into this grid. And for a time, all was well.

Time passed, yet this world of blocks never moved or changed in any way. The MiSt grew impatient, and began to devise a new plan. That is when one part of the MiSt, named Dave, stepped forward with a plan. “Let us send one of our own to the world, to lead a new age,” he said to the rest. The MiSt agreed to this plan.

“But who shall be the one?” they began to ask. Much debating followed, until a thunderous voice erupted, overpowering every other voice. A man wearing a green robe stepped forward.

“I shall be the one.”

The rest of the MiSt fell to their knees, whispering his name. Cameron. Dave stood up and placed his hands on the shoulders of Cameron.

“Lead the people of this world, my friend,” he said. Cameron nodded and stepped back. Colored fog began to gather around him, and with an explosion of light, he was gone from the MiSt.