Patch of Druid-Chapter 19 – A Strange Dream

The night was cold, though the day had only recently scorched the skin with heat. In the silence of the wasteland, the fire crackled lazily, casting flickering shadows across the sandy ground. All around was stillness.

Alex's body lay close to the fire, shaken by convulsions. He trembled as if his body were fighting something deep inside. Sweat mixed with the sand that clung to his forehead and cheeks. His lips moved silently, as if he were trying to speak.

Lyra knelt beside him, not taking her eyes off him. Her hand kept adjusting the blanket she had draped over him, even though she knew it wouldn't help much. In the other, she held her weapon — ready, though she knew the danger had passed.

She wouldn't let anyone near him. No one.

If not for him... she wouldn't be here. She would've died from the slaver's blade. But thanks to his magic, she survived.

And now he lay before her — weak, defenseless.

She caught herself thinking something that startled her at first: in just a few weeks, she'd grown attached to him. He was no longer just a human. No longer just a companion. She couldn't leave him here.

She looked at his face, lit by the flickering firelight. He was a mage. That couldn't be ignored. That's why she had to take him to her people.

"I hope they'll accept him," she whispered."They have to..."

She raised her eyes to the night sky. The stars above the desert were clear, cold, and unwelcoming.

"My mentor will help. He has to."

She tightened her grip on her weapon. Her shoulders ached from tension, but she wouldn't give in. If she had to — she'd convince the elders. If she had to — she would fight.

She wouldn't leave Alex. Not after what had happened.

///

Alex was dreaming.

He stood barefoot on a soft carpet of moss, surrounded by towering trees whose crowns vanished into a misty sky. The air smelled of damp earth and resin — as if it had just rained. In the distance, there was the gentle sound of rustling leaves — not wind, but a steady, pulsing presence... like the breath of the world itself.

And then, she spoke. Gaia.

"My child..." Her voice was calm, deep, and soothing. "You have awakened magic within your own body."

Alex didn't need to look around. He already knew who was speaking. That voice — he'd known it since the night he first encountered her. She had been a part of his transformation — and something more. A force older than time.

"But you drew too much, too quickly," she continued. "Your body wasn't strong enough to bear it. Be careful, Alex. Your life now hangs by a thread."

He closed his eyes. He felt again the fevered tremors in his muscles, the chills, and the burning pain in his chest.

"You must rest. Magic isn't a flame you can ignite at will. It is life. And life cannot be taken in handfuls without cost. If you push too far — you will die."

He clenched his fists but didn't respond. He listened to Gaia's words with the focus of a student before a master.

"Go to the forest," she said. "Find more of my children. They live among the trees, in harmony with nature. They will teach you how to use this power in a way that does not destroy. But remember..."

Her voice softened, contemplative.

"You are different. My blessing awakened something more in you. Your magic will not function like theirs. It will be stronger, more instinctive. And more unpredictable. In time, you'll understand what that means."

"What should I do now?" Alex asked softly. "Where should I go?"

"At the border between the desert and the forest," she replied, "you'll find the ruins of an old city. I feel an echo of the old days there... a faint trace of my power. A place forgotten by time, isolated from the world. Something still lingers there. Something sleeps."

Her voice paused, then returned with steady warmth.

"If you go there, you will learn things no living teacher can show you. That place holds secrets — ancient, dormant, and difficult to understand. But it may help you discover who you truly are."

"And if... I fail?" he asked in a whisper.

"You won't," she answered without hesitation. "Because you're not alone anymore. You have a companion."

He took a step forward. The greenery around him began to blur. The trees faded, the ground softened beneath his feet, and the light grew brighter.

He was waking up.

But Gaia's voice remained — warm, patient, alive.

He awoke with a scream. His breathing was ragged, his heart pounding in his chest.

For a moment, he didn't know where he was. He lay on warm sand, his body heavy, numb from lying too long. Though he hadn't yet seen the sun, he felt the heat radiating from the ground, growing with every minute. It felt like he'd been lying there for too long. A few steps away, Lyra sat in silence, unmoving, staring ahead. Her presence was calming. It reminded him this wasn't a nightmare. They had truly fought. They had truly survived.

"You saved my life," she said quietly, without looking at him. "Thank you."

He tried to get up, but his limbs were like lead. Every movement ached. He closed his eyes. He still saw that green flash — the power that surged through him. The tingling in his hands when magic had answered his call.

The hot sand beneath him felt like a bed he couldn't rise from. His eyes wandered, searching on their own. Daylight was creeping across the landscape in shades of ochre, and he barely registered his surroundings.

The sand under his back was soft, yet treacherous — too comfortable to rise from. But he knew rest was over.

Lyra eventually stood and began searching the area. She checked the fallen slaver's belongings, his weapons, and his bags. She worked efficiently, without rush. Alex watched her silently. His body rested, but his mind raced, trying to make sense of it all.

After a while, Lyra returned. She carried a rolled-up map and several pouches. Sitting beside him, she spread everything out.

"We have enough food for a few days. One of them had a desert map. If we want to make it to the edge of our land, we've got several days of walking ahead. We'll need to avoid the main path and plan carefully — we need shelter every evening. If not... we won't survive the night."

Alex nodded, still overwhelmed by the night's events. As he tried to piece it all together, his thoughts circled one question — the runes, the magic, the monsters that attacked them.

"What are those creatures?" he asked. "Where did they come from?"

Lyra hesitated, weighing her words. Then she sighed and spoke, her voice soft but clear.

"For as long as I can remember, those creatures have appeared every night. In my homeland, they looked a little different, but they acted the same — bloodthirsty, attacking anything not like them."

"The only defense is runes — remnants of the ancients. But you already know that."

Alex frowned.

"Are they different in any way?"

Lyra nodded. She looked toward the walls of the ruin and pointed at them.

"In the big cities, you can still find the original runes — the first ones, carved into stone by those who truly understood their power. Those are what protect people. The runes here are just fragments. They form a barrier, yes, but a weak one."

"What happens if they fail?" Alex asked.

"Then what's outside gets in," she said bluntly.

A heavy silence followed.

"There are other places that repel the monsters," she added. "Like the forest of Edirn. Its magic keeps them away."

Alex stared at her, trying to organize his thoughts. Monsters, runes, magic... It all sounded like bedtime stories — the kind told to frighten children. But here, in this world, where inhuman shrieks filled the night and walls glowed with mysterious light — the stories became reality.

"Can't they be killed?" Alex interrupted.

Lyra turned to him slowly. There was something strange in her eyes — sadness, weariness, resignation.

"Many have tried," she said. "Some even succeeded. But sooner or later... they all fell."

"What do you mean?"

"Their bodies... changed. After death... they became the very things they fought."

A chill ran through Alex.

"So they can't be destroyed?"

"Not in the way you understand," she replied. "Our weapons are useless against them. Once, mages could destroy them, but..."

She paused, uncertain.

"But what?"

"But mages are nearly extinct. Hunted by everyone — as if they're the cause of all this."

Alex held his breath.

"Why do people hunt them?"

"Because they're afraid. And people always destroy what they fear."

He stared at the runes for a long time, as if trying to absorb everything Lyra had said.

As he watched, one of them seemed to pulse. He tried to stand, but collapsed again.

"Can you help me? I don't have the strength, but I want to see them up close."

Lyra helped him up. He leaned on her slender, steady form. Together, they walked to the ancient wall, standing like an eternal sentinel. Lyra guided him along it, stopping by a familiar rune.

He reached out, barely feeling his arm. The moment his fingers touched the rough stone, the rune lit up — green light filling the space between them and the wall. Power flowed into him. Energy surged back into his limbs. He let go of Lyra and stood on his own.

She stared at him with pure fascination.

"That's never happened before," she whispered, barely believing it. "No rune has ever responded to touch. It's impossible. How did you know? Were you born a mage? I have to take you to my mentor."

There was a sudden hope in her voice Alex couldn't ignore.

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"Your mentor?" he asked, hand still tingling with energy, now less foreign — more like a part of him.

He looked at Lyra, trying to read what she truly meant.

"Of course." Her eyes were steady, full of conviction. "He's never seen anything like this. I think he'll take you as a student. He could teach you how to really use your powers."

"You think... he'd accept me? I'm not an elf," Alex said, his voice tinged with doubt.

"Of course he would," she said without hesitation. "My mentor would love to meet you."

"So?" Lyra looked at him, eyes bright with rising light."Will you come with me to Edirn — to the forest where I live?"

Together, they began planning their journey. With a new goal glowing between them, leaving the desert no longer seemed impossible. They were on the same path again, now seeing each other in a new light. In the morning's glow, Alex felt like he might finally learn who he truly was.