8ookwrm

[8ookwrm]

Hi everyone.

Hope everyone and their families are safe and happy in this trying time.

Sad to say, I'm putting this story on hold for a little bit while I edit these new chapters I've written for The Forgotten Beast (TFB).

Fret not, for while I am editing these chapters, I shall post a brand new story called "A Medjay's Journey" (AMJ). I'll be posting those pre-written and edited chapters while editing the chapters for TFB.

When I've caught up with the pre-written chapters on AMJ and edited the chapters for TFB, I'll switch back around, putting AMJ on hold while updating TFB.

I have many book ideas (some of them are in the work), but for the time being, I will only focus on these two; TFB and AMJ.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 11

I reached the dome library finding Haley looking through scrolls and Daniel pacing in circles with worry. When they noticed me walk in, Daniel hurried over and wrapped me in a much-needed hug.

"I know it's silly to ask, but are you okay?"

"Would you accept a yes for now?"

I replied with a flat monotone and looking down. Daniel, sensing I didn't want to talk right now, comfortingly rubbed my back and kissed my head.

"For now, yes. We'll talk later. So what now? It was already hard enough with four of us, but three? Hope you like living in a cave."

Haley walked up to us while Daniel was talking and chimed in.

"Not much has changed; Issac had done nothing but complain and be unhelpful since day one. And I like caves as much as the next weirdo, but we can't live here."

"We have to take these problems one at a time. First, the egg."

Daniel tried to lift the egg alone first, but he exclaimed with exhaustion after almost breaking his legs that it was too heavy. We decided to try to lift it together, but Daniel wasn't exaggerating before. It felt like we were trying to carry cinderblocks.

I stayed with the egg while Daniel and Haley stepped aside to discuss our situation. Not too long after Haley and Daniel stepped aside, I heard faint whispers all around me, luring me to the egg. Like a puppet on strings with no control but seeing everything, my hands grabbed the egg from underneath and lifted it with great ease.

As I held the egg, now light as a pillow in my arms, I turned to see my friends,, who now just turned to see me holding the egg.

None of us knew what to do or what to say— even Haley was tongue-tied, so Daniel filled in with barely a whisper and stammered in confusion, "H-how did you? That e-egg weighed a tonne!"

Daniel's voice grew louder in panic as he spoke, the egg warm and light in my arms. Haley finally chimed in again.

"I have no idea. But from what we've seen, Ash somehow has some connection to this place. The cliff face, the egg.  At least we don't have to worry about how to get the egg out. Except for the soldiers, of course."

"I've been thinking about that. If the people who built this amazing place had the foresight to hide it with magic, there must be another way out, like an emergency exit. I doubt that crazy professor or his goons know about it, considering he focused his forces at the front entrance."

I surmised my thoughts on our escape route to Haley and Daniel, though I could only hope they were true. Daniel and Haley looked hopeful after hearing me speak and nodded in agreement.

"Makes sense. But where would they have put it? Hidden obviously, but there were many side corridors. It could be anywhere and look like anything. That'll take hours, if not days!"

"Don't be so negative, Haley. An emergency exit like this would be designed for a fast getaway, so it wouldn't be too hard to notice and not too far away from the egg. Let's start here and then check the library."

We all spread out to search the dragon egg cavern, checking the walls and pedestal for any symbol or sign for the exit.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 10

Haley and I walked back outside into the cavern, with Daniel staying back with the egg to keep it safe. I noticed Isaac had moved over to the bridge and was sitting on the edge. I walked up to him and sat down, explaining everything that happened to us behind those doors.

As I explained what happened; Haley sometimes giving her pieces in between, Isaac's face was utterly stoic, void of emotion. When I finished, Isaac slowly stood up and turned away from us. Isaac didn't say a word for a few moments, but that quickly changed. It was like watching a dormant volcano explode without warning, no smoke. Isaac threw his hands in the air and paced back and forth, screaming as loud and as fast as he possibly could.

"You can't be serious! I-I, we left our families, our homes, our lives! To follow you on some dream-driven suicide mission, and how do you thank us? By lying and patronising us, telling me that all of this was for a Dragon egg! I can't believe this; you're really crazy! But I guess I'm even crazier to believe —let alone follow— you on all of this. I missed my brother's first birthday for this! Why am I here, and why aren't you in a nuthouse!"

I wanted to respond, to shout back, but I couldn't – Isaac's words froze me in place. The cold grip of despair and disbelief filled my body as I watched Haley and Isaac shout at each other, but I couldn't understand their muffled voices; hearing them like I was underwater.

From all of that, it'd be hard to believe he was my cousin.

We used to be close: family BBQ's, texting, calling on a near-daily basis, playing pranks on any poor soul that crossed our path – sometimes even pranking each other if we were in the mood for it.

We had sleepovers, annual summer camps to the beach with the whole family, playing video games, which I almost always won – though I did sometimes suspect he let me win when we were younger.

But when we turned 16, his dad started grooming him for the family business – or, so my dad told me – and my uncle took him to the business's main office in France.

Over time, we saw less and less of each other. Eventually, our conversations grew cold and awkward, only seeing and talking to each other at family gatherings. And he soon began acting like talking to me was more of a chore to tick off his to-do list.

I tried to reconnect so many times it hurt, but he didn't even want to try. The truth was, I wanted to be angry, to hate him; but I just couldn't-not after everything we've been through together. I miss my friend.

I wasn't sure how long I spaced out for, but when I looked back up, Daniel had come out and joined the argument and was trying to drag Isaac into the Temple, but he fought back. As they argued, that cold feeling slowly grew hotter and hotter until it boiled.

I felt myself stand up and walk over; though it just felt like someone else was pulling my strings. I put my hand on Daniel's shoulder, feeling him stop, but I didn't look up. I felt everyone stare at me; no doubt Daniel and Haley with concern and Isaac with annoyance.

"Leave us."

I knew both Haley and Daniel were hesitant. But they eventually left and walked back inside the Temple, knowing better than to argue with me right now. My hands clenched in fists as the boiling heat of anger continued to build up in my body until I looked back to Isaac from the corner of my eye. Seeing him staring at me with an annoyed expression, the heat building in my body started to simmer back down.

Old memories of Issac and I playing games, laughing and even some heart-to-hearts flashed in front of my eyes. More recent memories of Issac distancing himself from me for some unknown reason, and his recent cold stares and mean remarks these past couple of months all filled my head. Amidst the chaos in my mind, only one thought was running throughout my head and cutting through the bitter-sweet memories right now- I've finally lost my closest and oldest friend.

I took a breath, still facing the Temple away from Isaac.

"I'm sorry."

My voice was cracking barely above a whisper. It seemed these words threw Isaac off for a moment, not saying a thing in response. I continued, speaking a little louder, though it hurt to do so as I struggled to hold back my tears.

"It wasn't my intention to make you feel that way. This mission is important to me, but you don't have to be a part of it if you don't want to be. No one is forcing you to do this, so."

I turned towards the bridge and pointed to the opening we came through, still not looking him in the eyes, knowing that would break me.

"No one will stop you, but you should probably wait for us to draw the soldiers away. Go, be with your family. Though I'm surprised, that means anything to you since it seemed so easy for you to leave me. And you want to know the worst part of it all? You didn't even say goodbye."

Leaving with those words, I turned away and walked back to the temple door, each step felt heavier every time, as cold silence filled the air.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 9

"A Dragon egg! You can't be serious, how can it be a Dragon egg!"

I realised this would be another famous Haley rant, so I tuned her out a bit. It's better to let her let it out then interrupting her, that's almost as deadly as asking a woman to calm down when she's upset. Liam, however, had guts as he spoke calmly.

"Haley please, that isn't helping, and it isn't going to make the fact that this could be a Dragon egg any less true."

Haley looked over at Liam and must've realised he made sense and stopped ranting, and as she collected herself, Liam leaned over to me.

"Are you sure about this Ash? I mean I agree with Haley on one thing, how can this be a Dragon egg?"

"I know it sounds crazy; a part of me does think that. But I can feel it, Liam, I can't quite explain it, but I know there is a Dragon in that egg. Besides, just about everything we've seen in this Temple justifies that, the statues, the runes, that same symbol of the upside-down triangle with the 'Y' in the middle, it keeps popping up everywhere and now I know why. It's called 'The Dragon's Eye', a symbol often connected with Draconic magick, which means we have found an ancient Draconic temple."

I didn't notice Haley stepped closer to listen while I was talking, but when I finished, she quickly exclaimed.

"Seriously? This place is a Draconic temple. Which, now that I think about it, makes sense. But I thought they found them all?"

"I guess not; Someone or something concealed this place with pretty powerful magic. The magic that won't let anyone through, except for me and anyone I touch apparently."

Now Liam asked the vital question.

"But why you? Of all people in the world, why you?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but we can't tell anyone else. I reckon there are other temples like this, concealed with powerful magic, waiting to be found. Maybe have powerful artifacts or whatever else inside, though I don't think I can open them all."

We all stood in silence for a moment, taking it all in, including myself, when Liam addressed the elephant in the room.

"So, what do we do now?"

I look at him, wondering the same thing. When I had this dream, I didn't even consider the possibility of having to carry something like this back home, or if we would even take it home at all. We had to keep this precious egg secret. Liam continued as I contemplated this issue.

"We found this Dragon egg, which is cool, but what do we do now? We can't just show it to the world like in the Lion King, that would practically be killing it. Is there anything in your dream about this or what to do?"

"No... in my dream, I didn't even get in this room. But you're right. We can't let the world know about him, not yet."

Haley stepped up and asked.

"Wait, how do you know the dragon is a dude?"

I gave her a slight smile.

"I don't know. I do. We will go back for Isaac and discuss what to do, cause in case either of you's forgotten, there are over two dozen heavily armed soldiers and a sadistic professor waiting outside for us."

I could see the colour drain from Liam's face as his expression turned petrified. He suddenly began to pace, quickly getting hysterical.

"Oh my God, how did we forget that! We have to figure out what to do with the egg and how to carry it, but none of it will matter now since death is practically waiting outside for us!"

Before Liam could continue or start hyperventilating, I grabbed him by his shirt collar and pulled him in for a kiss, which seemed to be effective.

I pulled back and looked him in the eye.

"Relax, one thing at a time; we aren't leaving the Temple until we figure out a way to carry this egg and what we're going to do with it. First things first, let's get Isaac."

[8ookwrm]

Just a quick note

Hey guys.

Just letting you know I’m gonna post a couple of chapters today to catch up with the version on wattpad.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 8

The dimly lit hallway seemed to stretch on forever; our only assurance it ended was a bright light in the distance. As we walked the sandstone hallway illuminated by torches, I noticed other pathways breaking from the main path, leading to other parts of the temple.

The "explorer" part of me wanted to walk down those side tunnels and see more of this beautiful temple. But I felt a pull leading me down the main hallway, like something, or someone was calling out to me; calling out for my help.

As we continued to walk down the hall, a combined sound of rumbling and clanking gears suddenly echoed in the tunnel around us. The floors and walls shook all around us. I looked behind and saw in the distance a giant boulder fall from the ceiling and rolling towards us, gaining deadly speed.

For a moment, my friends and I froze in fear, but a sudden surge of adrenaline raced through me, and I quickly shouted to my friends as I turned around to run.

"MOVE!"

We raced towards the light ahead, hoping beyond hope that we were fast enough.

As we got closer to the other side of the hall, I saw two side walls reinforced with some foreign metal protruding from the walls, leaving a gap for two people to go through, but too small for the boulder; probably designed to stop it.

With a goal in sight and my energy renewed, I ran even faster. My whole body burned with exertion, my heart racing with me and the sound of my blood pumping so loudly it drowned everything else. I glanced back, thankful to see my friends still following close behind; no doubt terror and adrenaline pushing them. But my terror renewed seeing the boulder not far behind.

Mere seconds after we ran past the side walls at the end of the tunnel, the boulder came to a sudden and complete stop against the sidewalls, breaking on impact. Vast amounts of disturbed dust and tiny ancient debris flew through the air, surrounding us and irritating our throats.

Once the dust and debris settled, I looked back at the boulder, now in pieces and blocking half of the tunnel. But we could still climb over, which was a relief. After checking ourselves for injuries, we turned back towards the light and walked into what seemed like a massive dome-like library with cobblestone walls.

Most of its contents seemed to be missing. But what remained, slightly worn-out books, dusty scrolls and old artifacts were scattered along the cobblestone floor and sturdy oak bookshelves. All lined in a spiral-like pattern around the room; meeting in the middle with two straight paths cutting through the spiral. One was connecting the entrance and another grand door at the other end of the library. The second path cut across the first path like a cross and joined two other entries on our left and right.

It appeared the people who were here left in a hurry, only taking particular necessities and what could've been the essential artifacts and books. On the other side of the dome-shaped library was another intricate door, beautifully strange designs carved into the dark wood.

I walked through the library towards the door, opening it and finding myself in another dome-like room, except this room was much more immense and only had one thing inside.

I walked closer to the middle of the room and saw a giant, snow-white egg with bright gold swirls sitting on a grand black pedestal covered in red runes. The egg was almost half my body's size and shone a more brilliant white in the direct sunbeam above us.

As I stared at the mysterious white egg, I heard a heartbeat that wasn't mine, and yet, it felt perfectly in sync with my own; getting louder the longer I stared at it.

"Ash...Ash-ASHLEY!"

Snapping out of whatever trance I was under after hearing Liam call my name. I turned around, and Liam continued,

"Are you okay? You went quiet for a while, and we couldn't find you. Please don't scare me like that."

I smiled at his concern and quickly hugged him to reassure him. Liam always acted cool and tough in front of everyone, including his parents and me sometimes. But as time went on, he'd become more open with me, sharing secrets he's never told anyone else, not even his parents or best friend, Issac. He could come off as a little over-protective, which of course would get annoying, but I always know it just comes from a place of care, not mistrust.

I leaned back and gave him another reassuring smile. Liam replied by pulling me back in and pressing his lips on mine. I kissed back with all my love, feeling him do the same. I lifted my hands to his head and grabbed some of his coal-black hair, trying to pull him even closer as his hands went to my waist. Before things could go further, we heard a disgusted moan echo in the room, followed by a whiny voice.

"Ugh, get a room you two, before you traumatise me."

I leaned away from Liam as I replied with playful sass, still holding Liam in my arms.

"We had a room; you walked in on us."

"You forgot the sock."

"No door handle! Besides, you're an adult-more, or less-you can handle a little m-fifteen action from your friend and brother who are madly in love."

Haley put her hands up in defence.

"Hey, I don't mind a little m-fifteen action, as long as it's behind closed doors. Keyword; closed. So, are you going to introduce us to your new friend or what?"

I turned back to the egg and walked up to it, Haley and Liam behind me with equal curiosity.

For a moment, no one said anything, until Haley spoke.

"So, what kind of egg is it?"

I thought for a moment, recalling the statues outside, the symbol from the cliff, which is still so familiar, thinking about whoever was here went to a lot of trouble to protect this egg. I replied while staring at the egg.

"Well, whoever was here went to a lot of trouble to protect this egg, meaning it isn't an ordinary egg; suppose the pedestal being your first clue to that, the statues outside would be. But if I had to make a guess. Going by the size of the egg, the runes we've seen, especially the big one we've seen on the cliff. Also considering those giant statues in that cave where we first came in..."

"No, you're not saying what I think you're saying."

"It's a Dragon egg."

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 7

At the top of the boost ladder and with the rope in my hands, I put my hand through the rock, hoping the guards wouldn't notice the light my hand in the stone made. But thankfully, the brighter lamp light the soldiers were holding below drowned the soft glow of my hand going through the cliff.

I put my head through the opening and looked down, seeing a decently sized ledge only a couple of feet down. I brought the rope inside and tied one end to an overhanging rock and slowly fed the line through the opening.

One by one, my friends pulled themselves up and with my help, went through the rock face and dropped down onto the ledge below. Liam, who was the last on the rope, made sure the rope hung inside the cave so the Professor or soldiers wouldn't follow us.

We each pulled out our flashlights and scanned the cave. It was as I saw it before, massive dragon statues hanging over the chasm beneath us, all positioned at different directional points and faded with different colours. I pointed my light down, grateful to see the stone bridge leading to the cave on the other side was only another short drop.

My friends and I walked the long stone bridge connecting the cliff face behind us and the entrance leading deeper into the Temple in front of us. I looked around the Temple and noticed the fourth Dragon right above the stone wall we came through; it was a four-legged, two-winged Dragon with faded red paint, a symbol of fire carved above it.

Excitement and fear flowed throughout my body, excited to finally see the fruit of labour after these last few months, but afraid of what we may find.

We reached the other side of the stone bridge, staring at the ornate jade door, decorated with various symbols and jewelled with many Sapphires, rubies, emeralds and quartz gemstones. A faded golden symbol, the same one from outside on the cliff face, was painted in the middle.

I walked up to the door and was reaching out to open it when I heard Isaac call out behind me.

"You sure you should be doing that? We don't know what's on the other side of that door. It could be dangerous."

I turned back to him and retorted, "Well, that's why I'm the one opening the door. We didn't come all this way to wuss out at this door. If you're just going to complain, you can stand here and do it, keep an eye out."

Isaac glared at me for a moment before walking away and facing the entrance, mumbling something to himself which I only heard part of:

"... complain if we weren't stupid enough to follow you."

I shrugged that off, for now, promising myself to talk to him later about it. I turned back to the door and placed my hand on it, surprised to see it open easily with little force.

As the door opened the cavern brightened behind us in the same shades as the fainted paint on the four statues above. We looked up, staring at the lambent coloured statues and their shimmering white eyes.

My friends and I walked through the door and along the dim hallway, deeper into the Temple. As we walked deeper, the torches lining the sides of the hall mysteriously sparked and burst into flames as we walked on, each torch lighting itself at least two ahead of us.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 6

The cold frigid air of the night pierced our tent and into our skin. All four of us tied together side by side with our hands behind our backs sitting on the hard dirt ground—two guards standing in front of the tent opening with guns in their hands facing us. The frustrated shouts of the Professor echoed in the darkness around us, drowning the beautiful sound of nature.

I looked around for anything to help us escape, taking note of the glass bottles on the floor. All our things, including my communicator, spread out the table on our left but out of reach.

I glanced over at our friends, noticing that Haley was already working at untying her knot, and I saw for a moment, the fear and concern that filled their eyes before it disappeared and was replaced with hope and weak smiles as our eyes met.

The feeling of guilt flooded my body as I looked down, unable to look them in the eye. Knowing it was because of me that they are all here in danger trying to help me because of a stupid dream I had, instead of back home safe with their families.

As I got lost in my growing dark thoughts, the familiar ring of my communicator came from the table. We all looked over, including the guards.

The guards walked over to investigate, turning their backs to us. Haley took that opportunity to silently bust out of her ropes and using her switch knife she brought in the Cadajas markets to cut both my binds and David's.

We quickly ran up to the guards still with their backs to us and hit them on the heads with a couple of beer bottles I found lying around earlier.

With the guards knocked out cold, David and I dragged them to the side to hide them while Haley untied Issac and grabbed our stuff from the table.

I peered my head outside the tent and looked around the camp, spotting multiple patrols of at least three armed men circling the base. The rest of the soldiers were sitting around the central campfire, laughing and getting drunk.

I looked towards the cliff face and saw at least ten guards standing around it with the Professor leaning over a table with all sorts of papers. Miraculously, his back was turned to the cliff and all of them at least a few feet away from the cliff face.

I turned back to my friends and whispered.

"Most of the soldiers are distracted, but there are a few patrols near the cliff face, including that maniac. But they are all facing away from it, and they aren't standing close. With no lights, I'd say we have a chance to sneak around and climb into the Temple without being seen. We just have to stay quiet and in the shadows."

Following my lead, my friends and I slowly walked around the camp, only stopping when a patrol walked close.

Along the way, we passed a pile of crates with various supplies and tools lying around; and conveniently, a length of rope tied in a knot. I quickly grabbed it when nobody was looking and continued towards the cliff with my friends.

We reached the edge of the camp, crouching to the side of the cliff face hidden by thick vegetation. I looked back at my friends and silently motioned to follow me to the cliff face and to make a boost ladder when we get there. Thankfully, they all nodded in understanding, and we silently moved towards the cliff.

[8ookwrm]

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[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 5

I looked behind us, and sure enough, a large group of military men holding FN SCAR - L assault rifles, pointing straight at us!

One of the men, a buff, rugged middle-aged man with shaggy blond hair, smoking a lit cigarette in his mouth, and holding a pistol in one hand, walked in front of his men while looking at us; all while smiling an unsettling yet charismatic smile.

"Hello there, children. It's a beautiful day today, isn't it? Please allow me to introduce myself, I am Professor James Xavier, history extraordinaire. I do apologise for this assertive greeting from my friends. Why don't you all come down from there before you hurt yourselves and us grown-ups will handle everything from here?"

Speaking with a smooth, strong voice and waving a Glock 19 pistol in the air while talking.

I glared at him with frustration for a moment, already forming a plan of attack. But my eyes diverted to the two dozen men aiming their guns at me and, more importantly, my friends. I couldn't bear the thought of endangering my friends when it was me who brought them here in the first place; away from their families without so much as a letter of goodbye.

I slowly climbed down and whispering my friends to do the same, all while feeling the cold stares of the soldier's guns and the sadistic smile of the Professor.

On the ground with our hands above our heads, my friends and I stood in a line. Most of the soldiers still pointed guns at us while the Professor and a few other soldiers examined the cliff.

The soldiers and Professor James Xavier used a ladder to get up the Y's meeting point on the cliff face, where my hand went through the stone before.

As the Professor reached out with a big grin on his face, I knew I had to do something before he gets inside the cavern. However, that notion disappeared when to everyone's surprise, including my own, the Professor's hand touched solid stone on the same place my hand went through it. This, of course, angered the Professor. He raced off of the ladder and stormed towards my friends and me with his pistol in hand, his eyes focused solely on me.

David was the first to stand in front of me, followed by Haley and Issac, but James's soldier's quickly dragged them out of the Professor's way. My friends fought back with David fighting the hardest, but there were too many soldiers, all of them far stronger and bigger in size.

Professor Xavier grabbed my hand and dragged me over to the stone wall with a death-grip, marking my skin and making it bleed.

The Professor rammed me against the wall, forcing air out of my lungs and trapping me with his arms on either side of me. James's face was so close to mine; I could see his stubble. His alcoholic breath, mixed with fresh cigarette smoke, burned my nose and throat. My eyes watered as he quietly fumed.

"Considering the circumstances, I believe I've been reasonable to you and your friends. But that courtesy only goes so far, Princess. Tell me how you got inside the Temple, or I will order my men to slowly and painfully kill your friends with dull blades, and you will watch as their life drains out of their eyes, knowing you brought them here to their deaths."

"I-I did-didn't do anything, I just put my hand on the stone, same as you, I swear. Please just don't hurt my friends."

The Professor stared at me with a sceptical gaze, trying to determine if I was lying or telling the truth, but eventually, he stepped away; allowing me to step away. Before I could get too far, however, James suddenly grabbed my hand and started dragging me back to my friends, throwing me to the ground in front of them as guards armed to the teeth surrounded us.

My friends quickly helped me back to my feet, David holding me in his arms. The Professor shouted to his men.

"Get these brats out of my sight. Set up camp and tie them together in one of them, I want two guards watching them at all times. Do not kill the girls, but if any of them try to escape."

The Professor paused for a moment to look me dead in the eyes with a cold and challenging gaze.

"Shoot to kill the boys."

[8ookwrm]

After a few moments, I put my hand back on the stone, and my hands went through the rock again, a slightly golden glow covered my wrists, and a tingling sensation went through my whole body. I pulled my hands back again and quickly climbed down, my friends followed suit, not realising what just happened. Daniel concernedly asked

"Are you okay? What did you find?"

I didn't reply; instead, I walked to the cliff face and placed my hands on it, but my hands only met solid stone. I turned back to my friends and finally replied

"I'm not entirely sure. I place my hand here, and I touch solid stone, but when I put my hand up there, near the meeting point. My hand goes through the stone like it isn't there. I know that sound's crazy, but I know it happened, and I need you guys, please."

My friends looked at me like I was crazy at first, but as always, Daniel came to my rescue and walked up to me with a supportive smile and saying.

" Yes, that does sound crazy, but you aren't crazy, we will help you. Any way we can."

Thankful to have such amazing friends, I pulled them all into a group hug.

We all ran over to the cliff face and made our boost ladder again with me on top. I placed my hand in the same place as before, and the same thing happened again. My hand fell through the stone like it wasn't there. I could faintly see my hand on the other side like it was underwater. The distortion in the stone revealed a path behind the rock face.

I did a leap of faith and put my head through the stoneface, and what was on the other side, screamed deja vu for me.

Inside was a massive sandstone dome-like cavern with stalactites all over the roof of the cave and multiple torches lining the dome. A single bridge stretched in front of me, it was a few feet wide and almost twenty feet long, starting from a small platform on this side of the cave to a distant tunnel entrance with more torches lighting the way.

Along the walls of the dome-like cavern were three enormous statues of different types of dragons and a significant symbol above them carved into the cavern's walls, each one positioned at a compass direction.

To the north is a wingless drake with the earth symbol above it, to the East is a wingless Wyvern with the air symbol above it, and to the west is a sea serpent with the water symbol above it. All of the statues were pretty worn out and faded, but some colour was still visible enough to know that the Drake was green and maybe brown, the Wyvern was white, and the Sea Serpent was blue.

A faint shout of my name broke me out of a trance induced by this place. I pulled my head out of the dark cavern and into the bright light of the outside world. Daniel looked up at me with great concern and fear, whispering to me.

"We are not alone."

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 3

Almost an hour went by searching this cliff face, and nobody has found anything. I felt a headache coming on, frustration was building, and my hands balled into fists. But before I could lose my temper, I felt a big hand on my shoulder.

I looked behind me and saw Daniel with a supportive smile on his face as he gently spoke.

"Don't worry, we will find it, but maybe we should take a break? Some of us have practically memorised every mineral of this cliff. You'll feel better after taking a step back and taking a breath."

For a moment, I was angry at the fact that Daniel thought it was okay to waste time to take a breath, but then I realised he had a point; we are all useless right now, burned out like this. I relaxed my hands and smiled back at him.

We walked away from the cliff face and sat on a nearby log, drinking from our canteens and nibbling on some food. I looked back at the cliff face, not able to shake a feeling that we're missing something, that we're going about this the wrong way. But I couldn't figure it out.

I decided to break off from the group a little bit to meditate, maybe clearing my mind with meditation will help find the answer.

I sat down on a dry patch of dirt and closed my eyes, breathing in a slow rhythm and focusing on my surroundings. The rustling leaves in the breeze, the scuffling of nearby animals in the undergrowth looking for food, the feel of the warm sun shining on me, and the calls of nearby birds.

I then began to focus on my breathing, and as I did, the sounds around me became muffled. I focused my thoughts on my dreams and an image soon began to form in my mind, slowly coming into focus until it became the image of a part of the cliff face, like in my dream.

Still, there is a particular detail on the cliff face I didn't notice until now, carving marks that formed a straight diagonal line meeting at two different points, like a side of a triangle!

My eye's burst open in surprise. I jolted up and ran to the cliff face, looking for that carving from my meditation while I called out.

"Guys! I figured it out. The symbol, it isn't small at all. It's huge! It covers the whole cliff face. It's the entrance to the Temple in my dreams."

Everyone quickly ran over to me when Daniel beamed.

" That's great! Knew taking a step back would work. So what are we looking for?"

"In my dream, I entered through the middle of the Y..."

I trailed off as a thought suddenly came to me and I quickly asked.

"Daniel, what did you just say?"

"Um, I asked what we were looking for?"

"No, before that."

"I said I knew taking a step back would work"

Those words, they give me an idea.

"That's it! Daniel, you're amazing!"

I turned around and kissed Daniel in thanks, and fast-walked backward away from the cliff.

As I neared the tree line, I finally saw it, the symbol from my dreams. It was covering the whole cliff face. The carving is just so old it looked worn out and blended in with the stone. I walked up to my friends and said

"I found the point, but I can't reach it, Boost ladder?"

Daniel, Haley, and Issac nodded and walked to the cliff face. Being the strongest, Daniel stood at the bottom, facing the wall with his hands on the wall, next was Haley, the second strongest, climbing onto Daniel's shoulder's and finally, Issac climbed onto Haley's shoulders. I carefully climbed my friend's shoulders until I reached the middle point of the Y.

I studied the meeting point as I tried to recall my dream, but all that happened in my dream was I just walked through it. I put my hands on the stone, but when I did, my hands fell through!

I quickly pulled my hands back in shock, trying to process what just happened.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 2

After another couple of hours of walking, my friends and I came to a big ravine surrounded by lush vegetation. We all walked through the ravine until we came to what looked like a dead-end. Certainly not the cliff face we're looking for from my dream. And of course, Issac - the complainer of the group - was the first to complain.

"Are you kidding me! We have travelled halfway around the world, hustled by too many people to count, trudged through this death trap of a jungle, only to come to a dead-end! All of this was all a waste of time. We should all go home."

Thankfully my boyfriend, Daniel, punches him in the arm.

"Shut up, will you? This trip wasn't a complete waste of time. Ash wouldn't drag us around half the world for nothing. She said she's been having the same dream for months of all of us in this jungle helping her, that isn't a coincidence. Ash says the dream is important, that it can't be ignored or passed off, and I believe her; even if I don't fully understand. Because that's what friends do, it's what you should be doing instead of complaining because that isn't going to help either. She's the smartest person we all know, so stop your whining and help her."

I don't know how, but that silenced the unsilenceable as Issac looked away in shame. It was like seeing a unicorn for the first time, incredibly rare, almost impossible to witness but so magical all the same.

I hugged Daniel and pecked him on the lips in appreciation; thankful to have such an amazing and supportive boyfriend who wasn't a bad looker either. With a height of nearly six feet, towering over my five-four, and a messy mop of black hair, lightly tanned skin, dimples, and ocean blue eyes.

I turned back to the dead-end and studied it carefully, walking back and forth to see if there was anything hidden.

After a few moments, I noticed a small opening in the middle of the rock face, only seen from a certain angle. The gap seemed to continue behind the other half of the rock face.

I walked towards the opening and took a few steps through it, spotting a small sliver of light on the other side of the broken half of the rock face.

I turned back to my friends and motioned them to follow me, and with trust in their eyes, save for Issac, who had a little scepticism, followed after me through the hidden pass.

When we got through to the other side, a glen of sorts surrounded us with towering trees with gigantic roots, plants grown in a variety of vivid colours lined the valley and spread along the ground, on the trees and through them. On the other side of the glen was a massive cliff face.

As we walked closer to the cliff face, an unknown feeling filled my body and forcefully pulled me towards the cliff face; I was almost running towards it.

I walked up close to the cliff face and studied it, desperately trying to find an answer that was most likely not there; and the weirdest part was the longer I stared at it, the more familiar it seemed like I've seen it before.

As I continued to stare at the cliff face, the sounds of the jungle, the buzzing bugs, rustle of the leaves and calls of birds, became muffled, and I began to hear a faint heartbeat calling out to me. My other best friend, Haley, put her hand on my shoulder and nearly shouted my name, which snapped me out of whatever that was.

"You okay, Ash? You spaced out for a second."

"I'm okay, but something about that cliff face sticks out to me somehow."

At this point, Daniel walked closer and joined in

"In what way? Is this the cliff from your dream?"

"I'm not sure. There was a symbol on the cliff face; we will have to have a closer look."

"We'll help Ash. What does the symbol look like?"

I looked over at Issac, who was standing behind Haley and Daniel, and realised he said that. Now I have seen everything. I smiled and replied

"It looked like an upside-down triangle with a Y inside it. It looked like someone carved it into the stone."

Daniel, Haley, and Issac walked to the cliff face with me, and we began looking in different parts of the face.

[8ookwrm]

The Forgotten Beast - Chapter 1

The humid air and scorching sun high in the clear sky made it difficult for me to breath in this God-forsaken jungle. Towering verdant trees grew all around me, creating a natural maze and blocking the bright sky above with lush foliage; providing a safe-haven from the sun's burning gaze. The tree's mossy roots sticking out of the hard ground, ready to trip anyone over. Long, thick leafy vines were hanging from the branches above reaching down to the ground, as if to snag anyone foolish enough to get close.

The natural choir of loud crickets, singing birds, creaking wood and other animal voices echoed around the trees and added to the wild atmosphere of the jungle.

A variety of vibrant coloured flowers grew on the jungle floor, covering the tree's roots and trunks; some harmless, others deadly only to insects, the rest deadly to all.

The pungent combined smell of animal droppings and flowery scents filled the air, stinging my nose; drawing in unsuspected prey or chasing away predators. The soft-touch of the harmless flowers and moss tickled my skin as I walked past and brushed my hand over them.

The sound of dead wet leaves squelching beneath my heavy combat boots filled my ears as I swung my machete and cut any vines that blocked our path. Swarms of bugs buzzed around our heads and sometimes bit us, but both my friends and I knew we had to push on.

The dream I've had every night for almost two months now is too big to ignore, the jungle, the Temple, it all has to mean something! Running from home and local authorities, weeks of travelling, research, questioning locals, and trekking through this God-forsaken jungle, it all can't be for nothing.

I pulled out my multi-purpose, long-distance communicator designed by my tech genius friend, Rory, who used a technology similar to Touchable holograms. Still, it's more advanced, powered by a powerful and long-lasting lithium-ion battery and has both better signal, sound and resolution. I called Rory, and within a couple of seconds, a small hologram of Rory appeared from the small projector.

"Hey Rory, can you hear me? Figured out here in the middle of nowhere, the signal would be a little weak."

"You insult me, Ash. This communicator has the best reception possible anywhere in the world, and no one can trace it! Well, it works almost anywhere, except next to a fridge. Need to kick that bug out. But I doubt you'll run into any fridge's out there in the Amazon Rainforest."

"True, but you never know: illegal dumping and all. The guide said the cliff face was about a two-day trek north of the Parana Arara river. Can you do a topographic scan of the area with a ten-kilometre radius? I don't want to miss it."

Rory nodded with a smile. A three-dimensional topographic map with a ten-kilometre radius from our location quickly replaced Rory’s hologram face. Rory's voice spoke through the communicator over the map.

"Seem's pretty flat for most of it, except for a huge cliff face almost eight kilometres north of your location. Should get there just before midday at a steady pace. But please be careful."

"I know Rory, giant snakes, quicksand. I did my research."

The hologram changed again back to Rory's face as he continued.

"Giant snakes and quicksand are the least of your worries; I was talking about Professor James Xavier. I've done some research of my own, and I've found some pretty nasty dirt on the guy."

The hologram changed to another face, short shaggy hair, a strong bone structure and a couple of jagged scars along with his check and left eye are all I could tell from the hologram. Rory continued with a little venom in his voice.

"Strong, good-looking, charismatic but extremely nasty with a side of an explosive temper when he doesn't get what he wants. Grade A Villian born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He has a PhD in ancient societies and a minor in billionaire."

The hologram changed again to a marching patrol of Navy soldiers as Rory continued.

"He has a private army, and he puts it to good use, he controls a lot of the villages around the Amazon with an iron fist and trades weapons with other warlords in Brazil."

Changing back to Professor Xaiver, Rory fed me more information about this character.

"Most of the authorities are too scared to face the guy and leave those villages to fend for themselves. The rest who are brave or stupid enough to fight him, often go missing for weeks if not months and found dead floating down the river looking like it fell through a hillside of jagged rocks and cacti. But there isn't any evidence tying him to any of it."

The next hologram image to pop up was an image of an old temple, very similar to the one in my dreams.

"Rumour has it he's been looking for an ancient temple related to the Old Magic; which is the only thing he's interested in aside from money. The same temple you've been dreaming about."

While the guy's face was definitely unsettling, I couldn't let him get inside the Temple. I dreamt about this for a reason, and it could be to make sure this guy doesn't hurt anybody with anything he might find in the Temple.

"Okay, he sounds like an interesting guy. We'll just steer clear and keep an eye out."

"Yeah, doubt that. You're in one of the Professor's 'hot spots', an area his army patrols regularly. The cliff is just outside of it, but he's expanding his territory every day. You do not want to run into this guy Ash, or his goons. Be honest Ash, is all of this that important?"

"It is Rory, if this Temple is related to the old magic and that bad dude wants to get his hands on it, then all the more reason. The authorities sure won't do anything. We have to make sure there isn't anything he can use to harm people."

"Okay, just be careful, alright?"

"When am I not?"

Rory stared at me with a sarcastic judgemental look as if to say 'do you want me to answer that?', I shook my head and spoke before he could.

"Nevermind, don't answer that. We'll be safe; I'll call you when we reach the cliff." I turned off my communicator, and we started walking north again.

[8ookwrm]

Hi there!

You probably guessed from my username I’m a major bookworm and an inspiring writer. I write fantasy fiction with a mix of thriller, action-adventure, romance, sci-fi and more. I’ll do my best to post on a semi-regular basis, though it does depend on my lifes schedule, and when I do post it will be an array of things but mostly my writing journey, I hope you stick around :)