WAKFU Origins: A Story About Adamai

In the heart of a tropical rainforest, so dense that the sunlight could scarcely penetrate it, the cries of wild birds resonated in harmony. Chirping, tweeting, warbling, squawking and screeching filled the air. Suddenly, one bird after another flew away amid a heavy rustling of branches. Something was approaching... and it was running. What looked at first like a great pile of leaves scattered into a dozen fluttering butterflies. The branches that remained, suddenly naked, were revealed as stick bugs that also scampered off in all different directions, looking for a new hiding place. Suddenly, huge pinnate and cordate leaves were pushed aside as Grougaloragran appeared, exhausted.  He looked over his shoulder and started running again.

*****

Luckily, the dragon, who had taken the form of an old man, noticed a giant rotted-out stump nearby. He squeezed his way inside to hide. The bark cracked. He might have some trouble getting back out, but it seemed like the perfect hiding place. All that could be seen of him now were two white eyes piercing the darkness of the hole.

Quick little footsteps, much lighter than his own, stopped close by. The tracker pushed the branches aside, rooted around in the bushes for a moment, then sighed.

"Maaaaasterrr! Where AAAARE youuuu?"

There wasn't a sound, except for the cries of the birds as they returned to their perches. Adamai quickly lost patience when things didn't make sense to him.

"Master, I don't understand this practice... What am I meant to learn?" grumbled the little white dragon. "I don't mind running after you to learn to run faster, or catching you to learn how to catch prey or an enemy, but why not have me go after an actual wild boar? Wouldn't that make more sense? Hiding like this is pathet... I mean, it's not appropriate..."

As he nattered loudly away, he fiddled half-heartedly with the plants around him.

"I hope you haven't changed into a Tofu... You're not allowed to transform into anything but an old man..."

• "And you can only transform into a child..."

Adamai turned around in shock. The voice was very close. Where could his master be? He grabbed a stick and began poking around in the undergrowth, accidentally flushing out a mother boar who oinked in his face, blasting him with her fetid breath, before running away with her three babies. The young dragon, barely six years old, threw his stick in rage and burned it to a cinder in mid-air.

"This training stinks! I quit!"

Right in front of him, a stump uprooted itself to reveal two legs underneath. Surprised, Adamai opened fire once again, and the stump went up in smoke. Grougaloragran stood there covered in ash, with a scowl that said a thousand words.

"Oh! I understand, master! You wanted to test my reflexes, didn't you?"

• "Hmmm... no, Adamai. I wanted to teach you... to play."

The old dragon patted his arms and shoulders to brush off the black dust all over him, then headed toward a nearby stream.

"You're not just a dragon, Adamai. You're also a child," he said as he knelt down near the water. "And if you want to leave this island and explore the world someday," Grougaloragran began before rinsing his face with a huge splash of water, "you will have to learn to become a child."

He stopped short.

"Hey, what have you got in your mouth there?"

• "Hmm... uh... nuffin! Nuffin at aw!"
• "Spit out that Tofu, young apprentice," ordered Grougaloragran in a nonchalant, yet authoritative tone.
• SPLOOTCH! The young dragon spat out his snack and watched it fly away. "A child! But... what for? Children are small and... weak! I'll have you know I already know how to transform into a Scaraleaf!"
• "You know a lot for your age, Adamai. But sometimes, one life isn't enough to learn who we really are. You're not supposed to just work and train all the time."

The old dragon stood up and raised his hand toward a butterfly, which delicately landed on his finger.

"Sometimes, simply observing, walking, relaxing and playing can be a learning experience. Every action can become a lesson, but not all actions are visible or external, Adamai. Some things also happen internally. Your emotions are very important as well. They will guide you throughout your life."

• "I don't understand one bit of what you're saying, and I don't want to transform into a child! If you wanted a child, you should have adopted my brother, not me!"

Adamai turned into a Scaraleaf and flew away. The old man looked up to the sky and watched him disappear into the distance. Then he turned his attention to the insect on his finger. It slowly opened its wings, closed them again gently, and then repeated the process, its appearance constantly changing between that of a leaf and that of a butterfly.
 

*****

At the eastern end of the island, at the edge of the forest, a little shack perched high in a crooked century-old tree looked down on a beautiful sandy beach. The sunset and the murmuring waves added the final touches of enchantment to this glorious place. A Scaraleaf buzzed quietly across the landscape and in through the window of the wooden hut.

Inside, crayon drawings covered the walls: portraits of Grougaloragran, childish depictions of insects, plants and animals, a bluish cube, and dragons. But the greatest treasure in Adamai's refuge was easy to spot. Standing majestically before the window which looked down on the beach, the shell of Adamai and Yugo's Dofus, incomplete but identifiable, was backlit by the rays of the setting sun. Three-quarters of the egg's shape had been reconstructed. It looked like a soft-boiled egg which was only missing its top.

Adamai had returned to his dragon form and was now contemplating the egg. His face took on a tender expression. He walked to the doorway, extended his claws, and scratched the tree trunk at a spot where the bark was already missing. He came back with a bit of sap under his nails. He opened a drawer and took out a wooden box. Scattered inside were shell fragments of various sizes. He picked up one of the largest pieces and held it above the Dofus, trying to find where it had originally come from. Once he thought he had it figured out, Adamai brushed sap onto the part he wanted to attach to the rest of the egg, then put it delicately in its place, trying to keep from trembling. He took his hand away from the relic just as delicately and admired the result.

A wide grin appeared on his face. A brown Tofu floating in the air outside the window watched him all the while. It was Grougaloragran, proud of his young apprentice. Although the little dragon didn't realize it, his appearance had changed as he focused his attention on his original puzzle.

For the first time in his short life, Adamai was a child.