When the Magic Eye first appeared above the forest, we initially didn’t feel much concern. It was not powerful enough to threaten our daily life, and so for a short time, we continued as we always had.
Before long, however, I began to see changes in the forest. The Magic Eye’s power was growing, as was its influence over our home. Rivers dried up. Trees lost their color. Fruits turned to poison.
The monarchs of the forest, trying to put an end to the spell, began their counterattack on the humans. It was in vain. Every spell inexplicably faded as soon as it passed beyond the borders of the forest. Again and again they tried, but each attempt ended with the same result—and while the monarchs prepared futile attacks, the Magic Eye’s influence continued to spread throughout the forest. By the time we realized it, it had penetrated every last lake and tree. The weaker-willed creatures lost their minds, transforming into savage beasts who attacked their brethren as easily as they did their foes. Strange new monsters appeared, and the forest became unrecognizable as the home I once knew. Many species were wiped out entirely under the Magic Eye’s foul gaze, and those who remained continued to suffer.
Time passed, and we who dwelled in the forest could do little but watch. Over half of the monarchs disappeared in what felt like the blink of an eye, and those who managed to cling to life changed dramatically. As each monarch’s power faded, the Magic Eye grew stronger, and the forest decayed quicker still.
Somehow, in the midst of this vicious cycle, I managed to hold on to my fading presence of mind. One instinctual, primal urge kept me going: the need to protect my brethren. But I was no more immune to the dark power than any of the others had been. I felt my consciousness fading away—felt the savage tug of mindlessness. With my last shreds of willpower, I sealed myself and my remaining children in the sacred lake cave. I knew it would only delay the loathsome power from seizing complete control of the forest. I couldn’t stop it; all I could do was extend our time.
Darkness.
I didn’t know how long I’d been in that place when the light had appeared, guiding what remnants remained of my mind out from the endless black. Warm light washed over me, freeing me from the coiling, crushing weight of the Magic Eye’s chains. Confusion and panic flooded my previously dull senses—particularly when I looked up to find a human. An enemy. A soon-to-be dead enemy. But my attack didn’t land. I was flung backward. The Fenrir monarch growled at me with bared teeth.
A Fenrir was defending a human.
I couldn’t make sense of it. Bewildered, I turned to check on my children; they were just as surprised as me. Those who remained anyway. There were far fewer than I remembered. Still, my final desperate effort to protect us had saved some of my brethren, a fact which gave some small relief to my aching heart.
I was further surprised when the human approached me and gently stroked my head. It was sheer lunacy: No one would have dared to think that a human could be so bold. I froze, entirely unsure of how to react, and the human continued patting me. Warm mana flowed out of those hands and into my body, the same warm magic I’d felt earlier.
Ah, I thought. This magic—this human—is what saved us. Humans are detestable creatures...but this one—this one is different. The Fenrir queen would never deign to protect a mere ordinary human—nor would one be capable of touching me in such a ridiculous manner. But what kind of being does a monarch call master? A god? Perhaps I should consider serving this human too... No. There is no need to consider. The human saved our lives, and thus a life is owed. It is already my master.
I guided Master to the sacred lake, only to find it in a far more terrible state than I’d feared. I closed my eyes rather than look upon it for another second. A bright flash blazed through my eyelids, startling them open again. I stared at the lake in astonishment.
It looks just like it did all those years ago...
The lake had been restored at Master’s hand, just as we had been. This sacred lake was one of the favored abodes of the dragon that presides over all water in the forest. There was no evidence of the dragon here now, but I hoped with all of my heart that it was still out there somewhere.
We left the cave and emerged into the forest. It, too, had started to resemble its former self as it had been before the Magic Eye had cast its gaze on our home. Another surprise awaited me too—an unpleasant one, this time.
Chuearenie.
We called her kind the Gatekeepers of Hell, for any creature who laid eyes on them tended to meet a swift death. Though their leader—who stood before me now—was one of the monarchs who protected this forest, she and I had never seen eye to eye. Bloodlust surged through me at the very sight of her, and her movements revealed that the feeling was mutual.
However, a few words from Master were enough to keep her in check. The bloodlust that had been emanating from her vanished, as though it had been no more than a mere illusion.
But how—? No. Master is powerful enough to control anything, even a Gatekeeper of Hell. It would do me well to remember it.
But to think the day would come when a Chuearenie and I would settle matters with words...