Escape From Ember Peaks🔊

Inhabitants of the quaint town of Dunbridge called it Ember Peaks - the menacing, impassable mountain range that loomed to the north, emitting an eerie red glow when the sun sank below the horizon. Nevertheless, it was not the eerie glow that made the villagers reluctant to cross the range. Instead, it was the ancient prophecy which foretold of a terrible monster that resided within the mountains. No one dared to venture into Ember Peaks, until came the year of the Great Famine.

In this period of insurmountable hardship, the previously lush fields lay barren and fallow as the unrelenting drought took toll. The once gushing river trickled listlessly, its life-giving bounty all but dried up. Many believed the cause of such a disastrous famine was none other than the monster of Ember Peaks. So started the story of a young villager named Phelan who decided to risk it all.

Phelan was an unassuming lad of seventeen, who had lost his parents during a cholera outbreak years ago. He was no hero, no warrior, instead, was a mere apprentice to the local blacksmith. But the famine had ignited a spark of courage within his heart. He felt helpless seeing his fellow villagers being devoured by despair and famine day by day, hour by hour. So, with the dawn of one desperation-fuelled morning, he decided to cross Ember Peaks and face the dreaded monster.

Phelan equipped himself with a sturdy iron-cast sword and filled his worn satchel with the sparse leftovers of the summer's harvest. He traced the foreboding peaks with apprehension in his heart and determination in his stride and set out along the dangerous path. As soon as he entered the Ember Peaks, the eerie red glow cloaked him like a devious mirage. The passages twisted and turned with cryptic patterns, misguiding and disorienting him. Yet, he resolutely skulked through the labyrinth of rocks.

On the third day, when hope was almost outweighed by hunger and exhaustion, he chanced upon a narrow passage. The path ended in front of a colossal door, ominously illuminated by the glow of Ember Peaks. Gathering his last bit of strength, he pushed the door to reveal a cavernous space, and face-to-face with the feared monster.

The room was filled with an oppressive stifling heat, and in its very heart, the monster resided; fiery, monstrous, spitting rage and flame. It was a living volcano. The Monster of Ember Peaks was nature itself. The villagers had misunderstood the prophecy all this while; it was a harbinger of climate change, of shifting boundaries between humanity and nature. But there was a silver lining, the prophecy also mentioned a way to pacify the monster and restore the lost balance.

Phelan, remembering the words from old tales implied seeds of 'Ever-Frost' were to be offered to appease the wrathful creature. He rummaged within his satchel, revealing the remaining seeds his villagers had stopped planting ages ago, labelling it as a cursed crop. He planted them into the volcanic soil around the monster hesitantly. Almost instantly, the intense heat started dwindling, the monster’s rage seemed to be subsiding. The fiery figure dimmed until it was nothing more than a dimly glowing ember.

A gush of clear water burst forth from the rocky cavern, breathing life back into the once desolate Ember Peaks, creating a roaring river that flowed towards their village, promising a bountiful harvest and an end to their agonizing famine.

Phelan returned home a local hero, carrying seeds of the Ever-Frost, teaching his villagers to coexist with nature. With a deeper understanding of the prophecy, the villagers realized that in their ignorance and desire for advancement, they had ignored the ancient knowledge which had once maintained the harmony between man and nature. The monster of Ember Peaks was no more a harbinger of doom, but a symbol of balance and respect towards nature.

In the years that followed, not only did the village flourish, it became a beacon of balancing agricultural growth with respect for nature. Phelan’s tale passed down generations reiterating the message of respecting the delicate balance of nature, and the villagers lived with the eternal flame of wisdom, lit by the light of the Ember Peaks.