The Fountain of Life - Prologue

Instructions

It was dark outside. The only light in the forest was the yellow, glowing lantern that Akasho held in his cold hand. The lantern’s glow illuminated a few metres around him, but in the rain and shadows, it was almost impossible to see anything a few feet away. Occasionally, Akasho would swing around the lantern to see what creatures could be lurking out there, but he would find nothing except the leaves that scattered the ground, the debris that covered all of the welcoming path that he was walking on. Soon, he came to a sudden clearing. Even in the storm that continued to rage on, Akasho found the meadow peaceful. Over the hill were the ruins of the Three Castles; the Three Castles were once where the creators of the forest lived. There was one to the right, one to the left, and one in the middle. They were placed in a moon shape, so that there was a view of the forest from the middle castle. In the first castle lived Angel, the leader of the wind and the light. She always had on a tight pale blue mini-skirt and a white half-shirt with net leggings and grey ankle boots, and her long, straight blonde hair complimented it all. Angel was beautiful and kind, gentle but strong, harmless and dangerous at the same time, just like the elements that were entrusted to her care. Her castle was decorated with the most beautiful flowers, hand-woven tapestries, and, of course, the breeze that carried around the light and the petals that were scattered across the floors. In the second castle, the leader of water and the sky lived. His name was Jak. He had jet-black hair and always wore a blue cloak that covered everything on him, except for his black, casual shoes. Jak kept to himself mostly, but he was trustworthy and honest. His castle had small waterfalls everywhere, with flowers floating in them, and the floor was thickly covered with the softest grass and petals so that you could sit down anywhere to relax and just let go of all your problems. In the third castle was the final element: Earth. The leader’s name was Tiko. Tiko had dark brown hair, not too dark and not too light, and wore green robes with leaf patterns. He was open and kind, but could be very hostile at times. His castle had soil patches everywhere that grew plants and trees and had the most calming scents of flowers. Each of them had an amulet, which contained the element orbs; grey for Angel. Her amulet held the orb of air and light. Blue for Jak. His took care of the orb of water. Finally, green for Tiko. Tiko’s had the orb of the earth. They needed the amulets to access the stronghold, which was the small, calm, peaceful building in the center of the castles. There were three paths leading to the stronghold, all connecting in the circle around it, each path coming from a castle. It had a bamboo roof and pure white walls, with flowers draped across like banners, and blossoming vines that hung over the doorway. On either side of the main entrance, which faced out into the wilderness, were statues of a pair of wings scattered with petals and leaves, and sprinkled with morning dew. Inside the stronghold, there was the small fountain that had four simple letters etched into the rim, big and clear: L I F E. That’s what the fountain was. The fountain of life. The leaders guarded the fountain of life with their own lives. If the fountain was destroyed or disabled, the castles would crumble, the orbs would release and float away, and the gift of life would be a curse. But Jak’s orb also knew its old master wanted to protect the fountain, so if it had gone away, it could have taken the water of the fountain with it. If the fountain crumbles and the water disappears, then life wouldn’t be a special thing we all receive. If the fountain crumbled, life would be something to be ashamed of. But if the fountain’s water had survived, then the amulets could be found and handed over to the descendants of the three strongest guardians of the fountain, or as the prophecy says.