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[nevernown]

The Hermit watched the young man closely. From afar he saw him coming. Short, steady pace, and a wondrous sword at his side. There was no doubt that the young man was trying to reach him, the desolate landscape left little doubt. The hermit's cozy home was the only civilization found within days of traveling.

"What would a young man seek from me, I wonder," The hermit mumbled to himself, followed by some incoherent whisperings. He looked at the young man again, his grey eyes shimmering with interest. Then he went inside his home.
"If I am to have a guest, I might as well make a good meal for him", the hermit decided.

Time passed, the sun rose higher, then it began to set again. The young man came closer and closer, patiently pacing on. No enthusiastic running, no tired dragging. Just a steady pace in direction of the hermit's house.
Just so, the hermit was moving too. Mushrooms, onions, rice, a stray leek and a cut-up steak were moved from cellar to cooking pot. A nice soup was to be made. It would be made at a steady pace, no rushing, no lazing.

And that evening, just before the sun set, the young man arrived at his destination. There, the hermit sat, waiting on a crude bench outside his home.
"Welcome, young man, I do not know what you seek, but I offer you a bowl of soup all the same"
The hermit said this with a soft smile, but the warning was there. Of all the people that had sought him out, few had done so with good intentions. The young man however, did not back down.
"I thank you, wise one. Would you allow me to sit with you here, on this good evening?"
The young man smiled back, as he accepted the bowl of soup and sat himself down next to the hermit.

And there they sat in silence, first eating, then thinking. Neither spoke, but both learned from each other. Then, when the last of the sun had set, there was a stir in the air. The hermit looked at the young man, and The young man looked back. The young man nodded as he spoke to the hermit.
"Indeed, but that is not what I seek. Once I did, but I would be foolish to do so now."
"you would", the hermit answered, "but I suspect you yourself are already on par with it."

The young man touched his sword, that now emitted a blackish glow. It was not much of a movement, more like a stir, a comfort. But it was there, the world felt it, and it shivered around the young man and the hermit. The comfort was there for the young man, but the world felt only fear. The hermit simply shrugged the invisible surge off, whispering some incoherent word again. He looked away from the young man, and scooped up a handful of dirt.

"Earth is close to humans," the hermit said, "it's magic is simple, yet powerful."
The hermit watched the handful of dirt closely, and the first green of a plant, perhaps a flower, began to form.
"It is easy to learn for even the simplest of mages. Making a living of it, is not hard either. Yet, you choose to not follow this path, why?"

The young man scooped up a handful of dirt too, in it was the smallest beginning of a sapling. However, when the young man looked at it intently, it withered, and blackened, leaving nothing but a black wisp of smoke.
"Earth is what binds us to flesh, it is what makes us equal, it is the reason we are all the same animals."
The young man shook his head.
"I could never learn about earth, for earth is the fall of mankind."

The hermit nodded and reached for a flask, and let the water withing it wash away the dirt on his hand. After that, he looked at it intently, as it became ice, then water again, and finally steam.
"Water is cleansing, water is what we are born from, and water is what carries our blood," the hermit smiled, "Water is harder to understand, but by far the most useful magic to have anywhere. Yet, you did not choose to learn, why?"

The young man looked sad, and took the flask from the hermit. He poured the last of it's contents on his cupped hand, but the water fell straight through it.
"Water is life, but it carries death in many ways. Water is whimsical, water is not to be trusted." The young man sighed, "Water is naught but false hope, it has no solidness. How could I trust it?"

The hermit nodded again, and then he inhaled slowly, tasting the air.
"Few have noticed the magic in the air, and even less people have mastered it's magic. Yet, those who do, will fly with the birds. None of the masters shall ever drown, nor be crushed by any pressure"
The hermit beckoned a loose leaf with his finger, and it flew towards him.
"The magic of the air would grant you access to worlds unknown to man, yet you did not seek it, why?"

"The air is what we all breath, but it is not ours to keep, we have to exhale again. I am not a thief that I would steal the air, but neither do I want to borrow it, for then it is not mine own."
The young man exhaled, the air in front of him now shimmering, as if it was passing a barrier.

The hermit fell silent for a while, over thinking the curious tale of the young man. Then he stood up, and went inside his house. Once he emerged again, he held a flame in his hand, a cozy orange flame, like you would see in a hearth.
"Fire is warmth and light, but alas, I know your answer." the hermit enclosed the flame with his fist, extinguishing it. "You would tell me that the flame is a devourer, and that the the warmth is treacherous."

The young man nodded and now seemed to project a cold aura.
The hermit looked at the young man, and then looked up. He whispered a word into the night. "naiiryn."

"Is it yours?" the young man asked, looking surprised that the hermit had said it, just like that.
"It is, or at least, it's a part of it."
The answer hung between them, like a thick curtain. Now the young man had to mention his too.
"vadis." he whispered, and the world around him seemed to fade for a moment.

"Then, what do you seek from me?" The hermit asked, knowing that the young man was less of a threat, but more dangerous than he had thought. He would not try to take that what was the hermit's, but only because he had his own.
"I seek nothing that is." The young man simply said.
"I know all of it." The hermit solemnly answered.

And there they sat together, the knowledge of what is not, and the denial of all that is. Naiiryn and Vadis, like brothers, like twins, but divided in many ways.

"what will I find?" the young man asked.
"You will find what you need," the hermit said, "but it might not be what you want."
"Then I will find something," the young man concluded, "because I want nothing."

Then, a bird started to whistle. In the far off distance, a campfire was lighted.
"It seems that I will have more guests," The hermit said, "Please stay in my home this night, young man, something might come your way."
"Then so I will, wise one." The young man answered. He stood up, and followed the hermit inside.

The night passed on quietly, it seemed to have forgotten the horrors of that evening, and the spells that were woven and unmade again. Only solemn silence remained, the silence as you would find it anywhere. Then morning came, unaware of anything that would happen. It let the sun rise, just like the day before.
And this day also, there was someone approaching the hermit's home. Except this time it was a young woman. her pace was light, but not rushed. With her, she carried a simple wooden staff, a rope was wound around it for grip. The ground around the staff seemed to bloom and wither in quick succession, every time it touched the ground.

Time passed, the sun rose higher, then it began to set again. The young woman came closer and closer, lightly pacing on. no rushing, no tired dragging. Just a light pace in direction of the hermit's house.
Just so, the hermit and the young man were moving too. At least, the hermit was. The man just sat still, peeling the potatoes in front of him with great precision. The hermit got a chicken and the last onions. They would make stuffed potatoes. The dish would be made at a steady pace, no rushing, no lazing.

And then, in the early noon, the young woman arrived at the hermit's home. There she was greeted by the hermit and the young man, who had just finished stuffing the potatoes.
"It would do us great pleasure if you would join in on the meal, girl." The hermit said to her.
"Then, I will do just so." the young woman answered as she stepped inside the cozy home.

Inside, the hearth fire was burning softly, lighting the room just enough to make movement safe. There, the hermit, the young man and the young women sat. First eating, then thinking. No one said a word, but they learned from each other more than any of them knew.
After a while, the young man stood up and went outside, where he sat himself on the crude bench.

Inside the house, the hermit looked at the young woman. He closed his hand, and opened it again, revealing a ball of pure light.
"Light is all that fire lacks. It is pure, it will not grown out of control, and nothing would be hidden for you," the hermit spoke "yet, you chose to not find it, why?"

"Light is the source of all illusion, it is not only what uncovers, but also what hides. Many entitle light as good, but even so many are deceived by it's looks."
The young woman shook her head.
"Light is just for show, why would I even seek it?"

The hermit closed his hand, the light vanished. Then he opened his other hand, and in there lay a darkness deeper than the night.
"Darkness keeps us safe, it's cloak hides us as we seek secrets in her depths. Yet, you do not dwell there, why?"
The young woman smiled.
"You already know why, darkness is the absence of light, but that does not make it less decietful. Only, instead of enveloping, it just swallows, and I do not wish to disappear."
The hermit nodded again, as he had done so many times before, and then he fell silent again.

The young woman then stood up and went outside, where she sat herself next to the young man on the bench. The young man looked at her, and held out something that looked like a piece of metal, sparks seemed to trail over it.
"Electricity is what carries information, it is what makes life possible. He or she who masters it, would never fall ill. They would bring down the biggest foe with a sleight of hand. Why did you not choose it?"

The young woman shook her head.
"Electricity is what keeps us going, how would I master it without draining myself of all life? There is no honor in being undead, so I did not choose this."

"Fair enough," the young man said, "then what about this?"
He held out his other hand, showing her a bird, sitting there in full trust.
"The magic of understanding living things is the hardest of all, ever-changing and never the same. Those who master it, however, will never call for aid in vain. Why did you not call on this power?"

The young woman took the bird, and in her hand appeared a skeleton and an egg next to eachother.
"Controlling other lifeforms is not one's own strength, even thought it is the hardest magic to master, it is actually nothing at all. you are still weak."
The young woman looked at the young man, and whispered a single word. "xem."
The sound of the word echoed around, as if the world answered to it's commander. The stars turned over their heads, and a new day broke. Just then, the hermit came outside.

"The only truth I found was the flow of time, so time is what I will command." The young woman said.
The young man nodded.
"I searched for trust, and found nothing. therefor, nothing is what I will command." the young man replied.
The hermit smiled at the sight of them, and then looked up.
"The knowledge of all the world seemed foolish to me, thus I learned to know what is not of this world." The hermit sealed their conversation.

----

Magics woven in this world.
Fire, water, earth and air.
Current, darkness, light and life.
But not for us, 'tis what we share.
We were left, but didn't care.

Knowledge knows, that, without doubt.
Unknown worlds, unending wide.
Be denied by blackened soul.
Long forgotten other side.
is remembered by time's tide.

----

And thus the story of the three ends, as will all things one day.

[nevernown]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NQwWSc1N6s

 

I read, you listen

 

//Sorry for all the spelling errors, I wrote and read it in one take D:

[Lucy97]

I really love this! The ideas and the concept behind it, everything! I felt that there were some sentences that was a little weird/awkward, but it does not decrease the the beauty or awesomeness of this story. It is really good.

 

Can't wait for your next work!

[Chilled SDK]

That was really interesting to read. The mysterious and deep philosophy behind it kept pulling me in.

 

Thanks for advertising. XD Would like to read some more from you in the future.