The third chapter was written by a scribe who found this tome. He was a talented bard, who used the pages to compose a ballad about his journey. Unfortunately, it was written in another language, so it will take some time to translate.

The translations were indeed difficult, however lines from the ballad were lost with the tome's old age. I had no choice but to fill in the blanks. I believe the third chapter went like this.

A soothing breeze of salt, In the crisp morrow air, The crashing waves had yet to halt, A cry rings out the crow's nest. Twas finally in sight, A parcel of land, With sand of light, A place to stay we thought. Yet with a mighty quake, The ground did rumble, A beast had awake, Scales of emerald it did have. In the light our swords did gleam, To face the giant lizard, On our skills we did lean, For a mighty foe it was. With a might blow it fell, We lost our captain, Yet we live to tell, This story and many more.

To be honest this tale doesn't seem to be written by a talented bard at all. Even if he was talented, perhaps his reputation was slightly exaggerated. The scribe never left his name, and traveling to islands makes me sea sick so I won't be researching this tale. The next chapters look like a simple matter to translate now, so I will get to those soon.

The fourth chapter is about the daughter of a very talented tailor. It too is faded in places, so this is what it says.

Penny String was a beautiful young lass, but very boyish in attitude. Despite this, all the animals in town seem quite friendly with her. Even the king's unruly stallion settles down after hearing her sweet and soothing voice. Her talents did not go unnoticed, as she was also very gifted in holy magic. Many priests offered her a position in the church as a priestess, but she always refused politely. The king hired a man to spy on her, as he had suspicions about her. Eventually Penny decided to travel through the woods, and unbeknownst to her the spy was close behind. She seemed to be talking to the animals, almost as if she was holding out a complete conversation by herself. One day, a ferocious dragon landed in the forest. The spy reached for his sword, but just before the dragon could release a lethal firery blow... Penny spoke to it. Suddenly, the dragon was ominously calm. It was so calm, that the spy ran right to the king and claimed that Penny was a Daemon spy. The king and his men searched far and wide for Penny, but found no trace of her.

In the entry, the new author of this tale noted the location of a dragon nest which had a human caretaker. When I visited this place, I was greeted by a young boy who told me his name was Drake String. He had only heard tales of his ancestor from the oldest dragon. I was hoping to meet this dragon, but was sad to hear that it had passed away quite recently. Aside from the tale itself, Drake struck me as quite the magic genius. He healed a dragon that was critically wounded by passing knights in just seconds.

The fifth chapter tells of a tale that even I cannot believe.

One day a humble farmer was tending to his chickens as usual, until he noticed something strange. One of his chickens had laid an egg of pure gold ore. The farmer was arrested as the bandit who stole a local miner's hard earned haul. However, when he told the townsfolk his tale, it only worsened the situation. The farmer was imprisoned, and his property was given to his daughter. The daughter liked to walk with the chicken into town, and suddenly the townsfolk saw an amazing sight. The chicken had laid gold ore right in the middle of the town's square.

I visited the town mention in this tale, only to find that it had become a kingdom. The townsfolk had heard of this tale, but there seem to be four different ends to this tale. The first half claimed that the chicken truly laid gold ore, which was used to expand the town into a kingdom. The second half claimed that the chicken had attacked the miner and ate the ore thinking it was food. The third half noticed that history reported that the robberies continued after the farmer was imprisoned, and claimed that the family was in on a big hoax. The fourth half just thought that the chicken was sick and the waste was just exaggerated.

The sixth chapter explains a very intriguing legend.

In the Kingdom of Rarlf, there is a fountain. This fountain lies behind the church, hidden by a garden and weeping willows. They say a woman of common birth was proposed to by a nobleman in front of this fountain. She was very honored and overjoyed by this, as she and the nobleman were secret childhood friends. When the woman was presented before the nobleman's father, she was decapitated on the spot. The father was very strict on tradition, and ordered his son to an arranged marriage. The years passed by, and the nobleman began to see a face in his child's face. The face of the one he loved. Eventually he was overcome by grief, and so he walked over to the fountain. Yes, the fountain behind the church was where they first met. When you visit that same fountain, they say you can hear a man sobbing... right before you hear the clang of a dagger hitting the ground... and a sickening thud follows right after.

This tale is frightening indeed, but to find the truth I visited that kingdom. The fountain remained, but held no water. The church had begun to crumble, and the garden was overgrown with ivy as if it had been abandoned. At exactly midnight with no one around, I heard the sounds of a very distraught man. What happened after that I cannot tell. That is because... I ran away. Aside from my cowardice, a nobleman's servants claim to hear the sound of a woman screaming at night. They look all around, but no one was in sight. The nobleman was said to be ill in bed, tormented by visions of a woman in white. The servants refused to share these visions, but they must be terrifying. There are no records of the commoner nor nobleman, as if the father had erased thier existence.

Before I begin to tell the seventh chapter, I wish to know who dares hear the continuation of chapter two.

I stumbled upon these pieces of parchment deep within in the kingdom's library. Perhaps not knowing the truth would have been better.

Never before had we thought our king would betray us. For many decades, he sent his troops to protect the people when they needed it. When the marketplace seemed useless, he invented new ways to turn a profit. For many sieges he defended the front gates, putting his honor and pride aside. When drought struck, he told the architects to build wells. When war was declared and all seemed lost, with a mighty swing of his sword he sliced through the enemy forces with a mighty wind magic. Then one year we no longer saw him. He had holed himself up in the castle, and his servants refused to tell us why. For another decade we were worried for his health. When we heard the news that our king would be at the coliseum we were elated. Our king... no, our hero had returned. I was just a young lad at the time, so I had heard all these stories from my parents. I wanted to see how criminals fight, but I wasn't allowed in. I was too young, they had said. This didn't deter me, instead I had decided to sneak in. I hid out of sight, and thought the battles were cool at first. Then, after the final match I had to stop myself from crying out loud. When I saw the king order his men to not let a soul leave the coliseum, I also saw a horrific scene. Nothing can describe the senseless killing of your own people. One by one, all the townsfolk were felled by the king's once heroic sword. I was bursting with tears, my hand over my mouth in complete silence when he reached my parents. Everyone I knew was gone, and he didn't even leave their souls! No one would be reborn, and not even his own soldiers were spared. I know not what happened to make our king turn evil, but I do know that he was more or less... a heartless vampire.

The seventh chapter tells another intriguing tale.

A young ward met a newborn cat, who had also been abandoned like him. This little kitten was his only companion, and he cared for it deeply. This young ward had a dream. He wanted to go on a journey and slay a dragon. However, he was very unskilled in both swordsmanship and magic. One day a girl his age arrived in town on horseback. She also had a dream, a dream to open up a sweets shop in a small village like this one. The young ward had an idea. Although he loved his dear cat, he offered to trade it for the girl's horse. After that, he gathered a bow, quiver, and plenty of arrowheads. If he ever ran out of arrows, he knew how to craft them from scratch. Thus began his journey. Much to his surprise, he found a hidden cave. Within this cave was a very complex maze, and he had wandered so far in that he was nearly exhausted. To his relief, he came across a small pond. When he reached his hands into the water, he pulled out a chalice. Pleased to have an easy means to drink, the young ward drank from the chalice. When he returned to the village for supplies, he was shocked to see that two years had passed. Yet, he had not aged past one year. Time passed on, and that girl he had met was now an old lady, with a proud and plump cat sitting by her side in front of her shop. As for the young ward, he had already left town. They say that he still retained his youthful appearance, as if he had become immortal.

I searched for any pieces of parchment that may have more details about this young ward. However, since he had no family, the local scribes paid him no mind. Who he was, where he went, and if he was really immortal is unknown. The chalice he found was nowhere to be found. Was it the chalice that gave him immortality, or the pond within the cave? When I went to visit the cave, I found that it had collapsed. I'm afraid I cannot verify this tale.

As the artwork within this tome is too faded to see, I would appreciate any sketches fellow researchers have come across. I may be a cowardly landlubber, but I do look forward to any feedback.

A merchant I often exchange information with recently visited my town with a tale. He said that kingdoms near the dragon nest had become brave, and decided to declare war on dragons. The reason behind this was due to a mysterious attack on livestock, and royalty thought the blame laid on young dragons which were often seen near the outskirts of the forest. The kingdoms were five, with soldiers numbering a total of seventy five thousand. There were two hundred dragons, and they seemed to be unable to live through the battle. However, when Drake String entered the battlefield every dragon had completely healed and regained their strength. His gravity magic put a complete halt to the movement of the human soldiers, and then he spoke. "The culprit you seek is a monster called lizard man, and if I catch you harm my family again I cannot guarantee the safety of your kingdoms." With that speech, the dragons flew away with a mighty gale wind in their wake, and Drake went with them. After that the five kingdoms swore to never let adventurers with ill intentions wander near the dragon nest.

The eighth chapter will take a while, as the lettering is very faded.

The eighth chapter is a relatable story.

I did not write this until now, but I first met a young ward who aspired to become the world's greatest mage. We spent a month in town together, dabbling in various studies. I was worried when he told me that he would be leaving town, but I had faith in him. I met him again in a desert, and he had just turned nineteen. He then boasted about defeating a giant sandworm, and showed me it's teeth as proof. We met a third time in the same town we had first met each other. He was now old, but not as old as I am now. He told me that even after his swordsman heyday, he still went out to defeat any wolves that wander too close to town. Although he agrees with me that no longer being able to travel far is sad, he says he was able to meet a woman he fell in love with and they started a family. I felt both happy for him and envious of him.

This tale was damp in spots, almost as if the scribe has been crying.

The ninth chapter is written in curly handwriting, almost as if it was by a girl.

I cannot help but think that I have no place in this town. I am not a mage, a swordsman, bard, or a craftsman. That is why I am setting off on a journey. It eases me to have something to write about how hopeless I feel, or else I would go crazy. I have no skill in hand to hand combat, so I must be aware of my surroundings at all times. I have tried to coax a rabbit to come near me, but it just runs away like a rabbit normally does. In this forest I am searching for my talent, but it still hasn't shown up... not even in a new town. With every passing village I am able to stock up on food and water. What I lack is what I am seeking. I swear, I have done everything I can think of. As I stand here writing in this tome I notice something. The sunset is beautiful, but I am a horrible scribe so I cannot describe it. The map I bought in the last town was either inaccurate, or I still am unable to navigate correctly. The destination itself is not something I am aiming for anyways, so I continue to practice everything from swinging a stick to sewing up my torn boots. The boar I roasted seems to taste better than the one I made last time. I decided that maybe it would be better to head into another town and find a shop to work at. I had nearly spent all the money my family had given me, and so I picked a bakery. It turns out that I have a talent for picking the right spices. It sounds like a lame talent, but my food sells for much more than anything else in town. It turns out that the right spices add something called a rating, which will have various effects on people. I remember vomiting after my first roasted boar attempt. That sends shivers up my spine to this day.

The tenth chapter no longer looks like it was written by a lady, so it seems as if the Tome has passed hands yet again.

I grew up in my mother's bakery, but I set out to sea for only one reason. It sounded fun. One day some brawny men visited mom's bakery to buy supplies for their trip over the ocean. Travel over the ocean has not been possible for ages, and so I asked them where they would go. They said that they heard a story of how there was some sort of treasure hidden on a far away island. Rather than bringing the treasure to the king if they found it, they had decided that their guild would set up a new kingdom. The island would make a great port town and trade route, and they might be able to island hop from there to get to the next continent. I told them that I wanted to join their guild and help out. The jobs they gave me were checking clothes storage and carrying some cargo onboard. The cargo was surprisingly light. It has been almost a month since we set sail. We have plenty of fruit and other food left, but our water is running a bit low. Just as soon as I thought that my life would end in an endless ocean, I heard the words that we had all been waiting for. Land was spotted, a large island on starboard side. Unfortunately we had run into a problem. Our scouting boat had spotted a coral reef in front of the island, so all our supplies would have to be moved one by one in a tiny little boat. It took us a week after anchoring to completely unload all cargo and men. Our captain and scout stayed behind to find a place to dock the boat. The island was like a tropical paradise of coconuts, fruit, a small waterfall, and even wildlife. It would be a waste to make a large castle here, so we built houses in the tall trees. Our tree houses not only were sturdy, but we had a great view of the rest of the island and the sapphire blue ocean. The trees here were only strong enough to build the rope ladder rungs and connecting bridges we needed for our tree houses. When our captain returned, we were hit with bad news. There was not enough supplies on the island to last us a trip to the next continent without tearing down the whole forest. We only had enough to survive at least a decade. The heat here is excruciating, so much so that we demanded a return trip. The captain said that without us to care for the boat after so long, it would not be seaworthy. This Tome may be the last thing I talk to. Our captain died from heatstroke, and all the other men drowned themselves trying to get to the boat. The forest on this island blocks out some of the heat, but it still burns me unless I take a dip in the water. My only clothes are skinned deer and palm tree sandals. I want to go home.

The eleventh chapter has me amazed at how many hands this tome has passed.

I found this tome when searching this island on My Lady's orders. My Lady is quite an infamous person in Elyria. She is known as 'The Brutal Rose Of The Sea And Sky'. She nearly refused to take this tome with us, simply because it is filled with silly fantasies. I suppose I should explain a bit more about My Lady. She was born a ward in the slums of the wealthiest kingdom, and was not afraid to use her feminine wiles to her advantage. Even the toughest soldier would fall for her with any trick you could imagine. It was not long before she was nicknamed 'The Succubus Bandit.' Despite having a bounty on her head, she had managed to gather a small gang. It was with this gang that she had built a ship capable of flight. This ship could only fly at a certain height, and the distance was limited as well. Lucky for us we had a navigator who knew how to both fly this thing and land it safely for sailing at sea. My Lady does have a name, but we as the crew find her too amazing to disrespect. After all, she had managed to gather two wind mages and a fire mage to make sure this ship could escape a naval battle. Her attitude may seem like she disrespects our demands or complaints, but I have seen her draw out new plans all night long in her cabin. You may question why we would follow her, but it is because we all seek adventure and treasure. This treasure is said to be the long lost inheritance of a kingdom swallowed by the sea. No one has seen records of this kingdom, but it has been told that the king had angered the gods and his kingdom was claimed by a sea god. It may seem like an impossible dream, but My Lady has also recently recruited a ward who can swim deeper in the water than anyone else. Oh, right I almost forgot about the fact that we are on an island right now. My Lady had decided to land here and check the ghost ship for anything of value. There was nothing in it, but there were some valuables on the island. When I brought them back to My Lady, she seemed a bit disappointed. After we had enough supplies to restock, our youngest wind mage jumped off the rope ladder. I always love watching our mages work together to produce enough lift and wind current for the ship to take off. They almost never get left behind in the process. The wind gently brushing against my face reminds me about how much Our Lady means to us. Without her, we would all be locked up in prison with nothing to do but waste away.

This tale is either lovesick, or suspiciously exaggerated. I went to a local prison and searched for any records of a beautiful thief with a large bounty on her head... but found nothing. I may have to travel for a long time in order to find more information. I mean really, even in this era a flying ship is just... not possible.

My favorite merchant dropped by today with more news. Drake String and the dragons still have themselves sealed up in their nest behind a magic barrier. The townsfolk seem to be at ease now that young dragons no longer wander beyond the nest. The forest has also grown closer to the kingdom for some reason. I am glad the people are at ease, but just once in my life I wanted to talk to a dragon. Just once... life is so unfair. Oh my, I almost tore a hole in precious parchment. I decided to put my own tales in a book I bound myself... but it is not a diary! I swear it is NOT a diary, but oracle keeps teasing me by saying that it is.

Before I continue with further chapters, I would like to explain the current situation.

One morning the head priest visited me with a request. Oracle is not allowed to leave the church without an escort, and she wanted to visit town. I was hired to protect her, just in case any bandits were roaming around the pathway. Her sky blue eyes shone, and her golden hair glittered in the sunlight as she skipped ahead of me. It was in an instant when I let my guard down that she was hit with magic. Her body vanished, her bracelet fell to the ground with a clang, I reached for my sword, and searched for the culprit. He ran away quickly, but I could tell that he was a strong mage. If I chased after him and fought him myself, I would not stand a chance. I sheathed my sword and returned to retrieve oracle's bracelet. I knew that she could walk the planes herself, but her body should have been there. As I stared at her bracelet, I saw her standing behind it. Although she was more like a ghostly apparition than anything else. I asked the head priest about this, but he said that he could not see oracle. He also told me that the ability to see the planes without being a soul is just a mythical talent, and that I was over thinking it. The only type of mage that could have separated a soul from a body is a necromancer. A necromancer may sound like an ordinary mage, but it is just another existence shrouded in legend and myth. I began to doubt myself, and thought that maybe oracle was just killed by a fire mage and all this is in my head. After all, her body did vanish. She has no grave, so I decided to wear her bracelet in her stead.

It is very difficult to find myths on necromancers, and even more so for plains sight. Yet... I can still her right in front of me. Am I really seeing things right? If it was truly a necromancer, then what happened? Will this tale continue with comrades to join the story, or is it already over?

The twelfth chapter is about the origin of magic.

Long ago, the gods smiled upon us. The blessing they gave us was magic. Magic first existed only in it's purest form, which we call 'origin'. Every living creature was blessed with the ability to harness the magic within themselves and their surroundings. It was when our ancestors first desired the ability to see that a new magic was developed. The magic of 'light' opens the path so we can see, heal, and discover. When the first night passed, both 'fire' and 'dark' magic were developed. Those who sought warmth and comfort used fire magic, and those who desired the world to be covered in pitch used dark magic. As time passed, a great conflict arose. Those who used the flames of fire magic became quick tempered and irritable. Those who used dark magic lost their will to the chaos, and wanted to destroy those who used light magic. It had appeared that the light may have been extinguished forever, as the light was outnumbered by the fire and dark mages. From this conflict, new magics were born. Water and wind did not control the environment, but rather worked together in harmony with light to provide Elyria with soil. From this soil came the magic to control Elyria itself. Mages of light, fire, water, wind, and earth were magics with conflicting purposes, but they decided to put their differences aside to vanquish the dark. It is said that the final dark mage created another form of dark magic with his dying words. "With necromancy, my will lives on... the graves below your feet will avenge me!" In the aftermath of the battle, the gods frowned upon their creations. They did not give them a blessing to settle conflicts, but rather to create new beginnings. Upon this reasoning, the gods removed the blessing of magic. Without this magic, our people nearly perished. Having pity on our ancestors, once again the gods blessed us with magic. However, very few people were bestowed this right in order to maintain the light.

I myself have heard different versions of the origin of magic, but have yet to see this tale passed on.