Chained

What Was Lost

Newly-fallen leaves crunched beneath her, as her well worn slippers touched down apon the wet soil. The wind whipped her golden hair around as it whispered sweet nothingness, and the tall, lucious trees swayed as if dancing.

"You're finally home, Angel," She told herself as a smile crept up on her.

The Nutarian Forest, as it was named 200 years ago, is the central ecosystem of the planet. Its large trees, which are famous from the red 'veins' growing on them, are connected by interlocking roots which span across the entire planet. These trees depend on the ever-changing Life Force found deep below Nutaria to survive, just as Nutaria is dependent on the trees to filter out its inner workings and keep its air fresh.

All this was much too complicated for many people to understand, so Nutarian scholars just told the common folk that it was a place of high spiritual Magick. Which, because of its great connection to the planet, it really was.

"Much too boring," Angel thought with a sigh as she brushed her finger up against a vein belonging to the tree closest to her.

With a small smile and a nearly suppressed laugh, Angel took off running amongst the foliage. She knew it was improper for a princess to be doing such a thing, but she did not care in the slightest. This was her place to cut loose. To escape.

To be herself.

Colors jolted passed her as she increased her speed, sending her cloak tail flying like a cape behind her. Never did her eyes leave the treetops, until she felt the tickling coldness of fog swarming around her feet.

"How peculiar," She thought to herself before continuing forward, choosing to walk this time.

Some of the strange, new formed mist snaked around the trees like large snakes, but most of it stayed near the ground. For miles and miles, the fog seemed to twirl.

Until she found a clear patch.

It was by coincidence that she found it. Angel decided to take a path that she had never taken before when she saw the perfect ring of grass that was untouched by the cold, misty fog.

Other than the obvious clearness of the patch, there was nothing strange about it.

Until she saw the amulet sitting in the center of it.

The amulet was of a normal size, looking small enough to fit in a child's palm. And, the cord in which the wearer would loop around his or her neck was normal enough. It was made of simple, braded cow's hide. But, it was not the general makeup of the amulet that drew it to her attention, but the stone in the middle of it.

It was swirling with a reddish-pink energy, almost as if it was made of lava. On the surface, there were very complex magical symbols that even she had a hard time depicting. And, it seemed to shine brightly, even in the dull, grey light of the forest.

She knew immediately that it was a Guardian Stone.

Guardian Stones were a rare thing to come across in Nutaria. They were magickal gems that held dormant the power of a sleeping Guardian, or spirit. These spirits were much revered in the Times of Old for their ferocity in battle and loyalty to their masters, who they protected without rest.

Many years ago, the Guardian Council began testing the youth's of Nutaria for their ability to control a Guardian Spirit so that in a time of great war, they'd have the power of the Divine on their side. Alas, some of the Guardian Keepers (as the youths where named) decided that the Guardians should be used to over through the Council, but failed horribly.

Ever since then, the Council made sure the Guardian Stones were wiped out, and their Keepers left powerless to age and eventually die.

"But why, if the Council supposedly destroyed them, does this Stone still remain?" Angel thought as she bent down to grab the amulet, only to pull her arm back sharply as she remembered an important trait of the Stones.

They could only be touched by their Keepers. All others would have a great serge of pain throughout their body that ultimately, with enough contact, would completely destroy all bodily systems.

This was not something to be messed around with.

Unfortunately, Angel was not one easily scared, and so once again bent down to grab the beautiful trinket.

'Smooth' was the first word that came to her mind as her porcelain skin came in contact with the Stone, followed by 'Surprisingly warm.'

How strange that it should feel as if it just came out of a person's pocket, when it was a bit more than chilly in the forest.

But, that wasn't the reason the amulet was an oddity, oh no. The strangest thing about the amulet was her ability to hold it in the palm of her hand without the slightest bit of pain.

'And, why isn't the Guardian Spirit inside waking up according to my touch?' Angel thought to herself with much curiosity.

'This is too strange. I had better take it back to the palace and run some experiments on it. Perhaps one of my books can shine a bit of light on the situation.'

She glanced one last time at the warm item in the palm of her hand before taking once again into the sky, flying quickly towards the way she came.

Little did she know that the trinket she found would change her life for the better...

Or the worse.