The sun was high, lighting the peaks of the mountain pass. As Ililith climbed higher, the thatched roofs of dwarven houses came into view. Despite the clear weather, snow still covered the pass, becoming denser as she ascended.

  Drawing closer, Ili opened her master’s notebook and read the first entries:

  “As I traveled the mountain pass, I saw a small dwarven village ahead. The locals are good people, though heavy drinkers, as expected of the Iron Gates dwarves. I think I’ll stay a few days...”

  --Lexius Season, Year 4078, Day 37 (1)

  Ili closed the notebook and put it back in her pouch as the climb finished, leading into a softer path, through a small valley. Along the road, not too far away, a dwarven village stood, built on the two sides of the path. The village’s entrance drew nearer, marked by two tall, ornate logs, with a few decorative carvings and flowers placed along the wood. Despite the village’s small size, it was full of joy and noise. Dwarves, humans, elves, and others mingled as merchant carts passed along the single road, the only direct route through the Northern Iron Mountains.

  Ili stepped aside to let a cart pass by, surprised by the village’s liveliness. As she approached the ceremonial logs, a small wooden sign in Dornohyan (2) caught her eye, placed between the logs on some rope.

  “It says ‘Welcome to Heidal,’” a voice spoke.

  She turned to see a dwarf, not much shorter than her, with a braided beard and traditional dwarven attire. He appeared to be in early adulthood (3), judging by his muscular build and dark hair.

  “Name’s Kaeldor,” he said, extending his hand.

  Ili, surprised by the sudden introduction, smiled and shook his hand. “I’m Ililith. My Dornohyan isn’t great…”

  “You’re not from around here, are you, Miss Ililith?”

  “No, not really,” she replied, smiling sheepishly.

  “And I take it you don’t have a place to stay?”

  Ili nodded. “I was thinking of camping somewhere along the road later on.”

  “If you like, I have a cousin here in Heidal. I’m sure he’d let you stay at his house. A roof and a warm bed beat the forests, don’t you think?”

  Seeing Ili’s hesitation, Kaeldor added, “Come on! The Dragon’s Festival is in two days. We have a tradition of inviting travelers to stay with us until the festival ends. It wouldn’t be a problem!”

  “The Dragon’s Festival?” Ili asked, clearly unaware.

  “Wait, you didn’t come for the festival? What do you think all these people are here for?”

  Looking around, Ili noticed others setting up camp or being invited into dwarven homes. It finally made sense why the small village was so crowded. She considered continuing her journey but remembered her master’s words: 'The time you take to finish your journey, and the things you do, are up to you.' With a sigh, Ili’s face brightened.

  “Alright… I guess I could stay for a few days and watch the festival!”

  “Great then! Let’s go, my cousins’ house isn’t too far from here.”

  Ili smiled as they entered the lively village. She was fascinated by the small dwarven settlement, so different from the big stone cities she had seen in her travels. Unlike the imposing stone walls and massive buildings of those cities, the wooden houses with thatched roofs here felt warm and welcoming, full of joy that was rarely found elsewhere.

  “Kaeldor” Ili finally muttered, breaking the silence between them. “What is the Dragon’s Festival?”

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  The dwarf smiled excitedly, as if he was waiting for her to ask that question.

  “Well, it’s said that many centuries ago, a dragon was ravaging these lands. He would burn down villages, destroy cities, and wreak havoc anywhere he went. That, until the great Arch-Wizard of the Six Lights came to fight him! After a long battle between the two, the wizard was able to defeat the dragon, which fell right here in the Iron Mountains, leaving a massive crater! The dragon’s body slowly decomposed with time, but its massive rib cage is still visible, surrounding the crater fully.”

  The girl listened to him, in awe of his story.

  “For three hundred years, every twenty years, this battle is celebrated here. People from all around the lands come here to see the celebration, gathering in the center of the crater and waiting for it to turn dark. When it does, fireworks are fired into the skies, recreating, in a way, the battle between the Arch Wizard and the Colossal Dragon. It’s truly a sight to behold!”

  Kaeldor’s eyes filled up with nostalgia. Ili was even more excited for the festival now that he told her about it, but something still bugged her out...

  “Kaeldor... What are fireworks (4)?”

  “Oh, you’ll see! I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you, but what I can tell you is that they are spectacular! You won’t regret it!”

  The girl sighed, but then, her smile returned to her lips. “Alright! I guess I’ll have to trust you then!”

  After a bit more time, the two were drawing closer to the house. It was the last house in the village, at a little bit of a distance from the others, elevated higher on the small valley. It was a small, wooden house with a thatched roof, same as the others in the village, with a stone chimney at the right side of the roof. A small, cobblestone path was branching from the main road, leading to the house. Besides the road, thick snow was covering the long and dense grass that usually grows at this altitude.

  In front of the house, on a wooden chair, was a very small and old dwarf. His feeble body and thick, white beard were showing that he was way past his better days. He was sitting there, holding onto a wooden staff with both his hands, his eyes barely open, looking at the light blue sky.

  “Old Man Kal!” Kaeldor smiled with excitement at the sight of the feeble elder.

  The old dwarf slowly turned his head down towards the road, seeing the two people that were approaching him. As he saw Kaeldor, the elder’s expression brightened.

  “Kaeldor boy!” the old man said, in a voice matching his feeble appearance. “You finally came back! How was the war?”

  Looking at Kaeldor, Ili finally noticed the weapon on his back, which seemed to not catch her eye before. A large battle axe, with dwarven symbols on its handle and edge.

  “Oh, nothing much. We were sent on a campaign to The Other Half (5), but we didn’t go in too deep. Besides, the Dark Legions there weren’t much of a problem. Kaeldor had a very proud expression on his face, as he straightened his back and closed his eyes, his head tilted upward.

  The old man smiled, but didn’t say anything. Kaeldor’s prideful expression faded soon, as he opened his eyes and looked at the old man, a bit disappointed in the lack of reaction.

  “Uh... Old man?” Kaeldor snapped his fingers in front of his face.

  A quiet snore was heard from the elder, making Ili chuckle at the whole scene. Kaeldor smiled, but this smile had a hint of sadness. His tone got softer.

  “Old Man Kal has been in this village for longer than anyone else. It is said that he was one of the strongest mages in our lands, a couple hundreds of years ago. But he’s never been the same since his wife died... I was once standing here, at my cousin’s house, when we were kids. His dad left to hunt in the forest. He came home very late, carrying on his back an old man, no taller than a child... My cousin’s dad said that he found him deep in the mountains, in a field of flowers, looking at the sky, all alone. He wouldn’t respond to anything, nor did he have any food or water with him. So, my cousin’s father decided to take him home to us and give him some food and something to drink. As time passed, the old man started to grow accustomed to our village, starting to get along with the locals and us, and even started talking a little. And, well, I guess he has remained here ever since…”

  Ili’s face saddened after hearing the story, glancing back at the old man, seeing him in a different light now.

  “Well, don’t be too sad for him. He may not look like it, but the old sack of bones is a lot tougher than you may think!” Kulhun chuckled. “Alright, enough talk. Let’s get inside, shall we?”

  Footnotes:

  1 - The year in these lands was composed of 20 months, each with 40 days. In this case, Lexius was the 5th and last season of the Summer.

  2 - The language spoken in the Iron Gates Kingdom, as well as other smaller kingdoms and dwarven villages.

  3 - Between 100 to 150 years, as dwarves usually live up to about 400 years.

  4 - The chemical elements in this world are similar to ours, but not exactly the same. Because of a difference in sulfur’s composition, it couldn’t be mixed with other elements to make gunpowder, making fireworks as we know them impossible to be created.

  5 - Referring to the lower half of the world. The lower half of the world is very different from the top half, as it has been completely corrupted by the powers of the crystal of darkness. Using the ever growing Legions of Darkness, the crystal of darkness seeks to corrupt the rest of the world, being met by the strong resistance of the united forces of “The Alliance”.