lowfantasy prompt: Deep within your soul resides an insatiable desire, craving to possess the very essence of a mythical stone revealed in your slumber. Will you dare to seize it and the extraordinary power it holds?
A few months after the Atlantic, Evangeline found herself panting as she dodged scattered logs and protruding rocks of the very dense rainforest of Xishuangbanna.
"It'll be fun you said," Malik heaved as he ran beside her, pausing to fire a couple of aimless shots behind him in an attempt to scare and slow their chasers. "It's easy, you promised."
"And you believed her?" Jackson gritted out, tugging the cloth tighter around his wounded arm as he leaned against a tree for a brief moment of respite. "We never learn."
"This is actually good news!"
Incredulous, Jack blinked at her as they bolted again. "What?"
"Them attacking us," Evangeline panted, "means we're on the right path. We're posing as a threat to them because they're looking for it. That also means," she grinned, "the stone is more important than I originally–"
Evangeline yelped when the ground beneath them dipped into a camouflaged, steep slope. All three of them tumbled down, grunting and groaning in their descent until they lay sprawled in a mess of aching limbs and heavy breaths.
Her eyes fluttered shut, her vision hazy and black until a beacon of light cut through the darkness, filling her soul with warmth and her bones with tremors.
The stone gleamed with an otherworldly luminescence. Its multifaceted surface reflected a spectrum of hues, shifting from fiery reds to deep, azure blues. Every time Evangeline reached to touch it, she could feel a faint thrum of energy coursing through it, a shield of power and protection encasing it in an ethereal radiance.
Ever since the Atlantic expedition, Evangeline had been plagued by incessant, consuming dreams of a gem so beautiful it stole her breath away even in the lands of slumber.
However, as soon as her fingertips graze the gem, flickering lights would burst so bright they'd leave her momentarily blind before bathing her surroundings in jade green and golden specks.
Then, she'd wake up heaving and soaked with sweat. This time, though, Evangeline awakened with a newfound determination to seek out this legendary artifact, to possess it and unlock the extraordinary power it promises.
Something deep within her obsessively called to it, filling her with an insatiable desire to get her hands on it.
She sat up, her gaze sweeping around their dim surroundings. Carvings stretched endlessly across walls damaged only by time. Staggering to their feet, the two men watched Evangeline run from one wall to another, her eyes sparkling and her teeth showing.
How could she stop smiling when discovering a place no human has ever stepped foot in before?
Evangeline's eyes followed the abundant plants covering most of the paved grounds and cracked walls. Dust and cobwebs littered the place.
"She's loco, I'm telling you."
Malik rolled his eyes and went about reloading his gun while Jackson patched himself up again before both scouted the area.
After dusting off whatever she could reach, her fingers traced the weathered carvings, feeling the rough texture beneath her touch. The ancient texts seemed to come alive before her eyes.
"Jack, c'mere."
As soon as he approached her, she tossed him a camera and motioned for him to shoot as many pictures as he could and cover almost everything he could see while she worked to decipher as much as they can in what little time they had.
As she worked on the intricate symbols, Evangeline's heart quickened with anticipation. This place held secrets, and she was determined to unravel them. She pieced together fragments of the past, gradually uncovering the history of the gem she had been dreaming about—the Drakonite.
Evangeline's eyes widened with realization. Contrary to common beliefs and rumors, the mythical stone wasn't a stone forcibly taken from the head of a living dragon or created from its brain. Though there was no killing involved, the gem was the physical embodiment of a dragon's soul after a natural death that's why it held so much power.
Malik and Jackson exchanged a glance, their skepticism slowly giving way to a cautious interest.
"What does it say?" Malik asked.
Evangeline took a deep breath, reducing her excitement to a smug grin. "According to these carvings, the Drakonite is very much real. And I believe we're standing in the very place where it can be found."
Jackson's eyes narrowed. "But where is it? We've been through so much already. Those assholes out there could be closer than we think this time."
With a smirk, Evangeline trudged to a nearby altar, adorned with remnants of offerings and ancient artifacts. "I believe the gem is hidden here, right under our noses. There's a hidden chamber, a sacred space where it's safeguarded."
Together, they began to search the area, meticulously examining every nook and cranny, following the clues left behind by the ancient texts. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of removing dust, webs, and vines, they stood before a small stone door carved with intricate dragon motifs right below the steps of the altar.
And there, resting on an ornate tiny pedestal, shimmered the Drakonite looking exactly like it did in her dreams. Its beauty surpassed all expectations, captivating her with its iridescent glow and the promise of untold power. As Evangeline approached the gem, a surge of energy coursed through her body.
It was faint but delicious still, tickling a dormant part of her.
Slowly, the blue and red receded until green appeared. Yet, nothing else happened. Furrowing her brows, Evangeline's heart stuttered with disappointment. Where was that sudden surge of power she saw in her dreams? That relentless pull, guiding here...for what?
She'd expected it to be the stepping stone to finally unlocking her draconian blood's potential. Did they miss something?
However, one confession broke her out of her trance.
"Is that it? Why is it transparent?"
Jackson frowned, "Uh, yeah, looks like a regular rock."
Before she could react, rushed footsteps and hushed voices alerted them to an approaching enemy and all three scrambled toward an unknown exit.
Word count: 1000.
MEANING OF THE WORDS USED:
Drakonite: [DRAY-kohn-eye-t] English name meaning beautiful, regal, mythical, and also Dragon Stone. It could also be spelled Draconite which is more common. Drakonite is unusual, but it's a familiar term for fantasy buffs. It's a mythical gemstone in a dragon's head harvested while the creature is still alive. It could be a stone dimply removed from their head or, in different tales, a gem that's created from a dragon's brain or harvested from their head after killing the dragon.
I tweaked that a bit for this story.
The Rainforest of Xishuangbanna in the Yunnan Province of China is one of the largest forests in Asia at 19,223 km². It's one of the most species-rich forest ecosystems in China. This area is also one of the biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities of the world.