Prologue

“We have two days before that thing crashes,” Queen Selithe gripped her silverflame staff anxiously, “hundreds of lives still unaccounted for, and now you’re telling me that I must sacrifice half of my people out there to finish the veiling enchantment?”

“Half of your people is twice the amount of citizens we have combined, Selithe!” Lord Vyn argued, “If we each pick out 100 of our own people, there’ll be no one left of this land but your creatures!”

“My creatures, as you call them, are just as important as each and every one of your people!” Selithe slammed her staff down on the hard earth, sending silver sparks flying all over the nearby trees and plantlife.

“Selithe,” Baron Ygressa stood up and pleaded, “please. In the name of the Mystic Alliance and… our friendship, reconsider.”

“No!” Selithe snapped, “And I’m not sorry! My people have every right to live. You cannot ask this of me! I have a duty to protect my kingdom till the very end like every one of you!”

“Then who’s going to seal the magical barrier from the outside?” the last member of the Mystic Alliance, Empress Lvanya, demanded, “We’re already giving your people the honor of sealing the enchantment and ensuring the safety of our land. They’ll be remembered as heroes, while the rest of us will be remembered as cowards. But that’s fine with me.” she held her chin high, “They can hate me, but at least I’ll know my people will be safe.”

“You want me to live with the guilt of sending out half of my people for the rest of my life, Lvanya?” Selithe clenched her jaw.

The empress rolled her eyes and looked away, “You’ll still have plenty of creatures left anyway.” she muttered.

Unfortunately, the queen had keen hearing and heard it right away. “Excuse me?” she started forward, her silverflame staff blazing.

“Ladies!” Lord Vyn held out a hand and roots sprung out to wrap around Selithe’s ankle. “Enough! We haven’t the time to argue.”

“Let go of me, Lord Vyn.” the top of the queen’s staff caught fire and let off a strong magical energy.

“Silverflame is not to be used lightly, your majesty.” Baron Ygressa said, taking a cautious step forward, “Please, put it way.”

The queen looked from Baron Ygressa, to Lord Vyn, then finally to Empress Lvanya. Her friends were right. This wasn’t the time to argue with the empress. Any other time will be fine, but right now, their people were in grave danger, and arguing won’t solve anything. So as much as the queen hated it, she called back her silverflame and locked it back up in her staff. As she was doing so, she felt Lord Vyn’s roots releasing her foot and retreating back into the earth.

“Thank you.” Lord Vyn sighed and looked at the two ladies, “Now, unlike you two, who’ve spent the last two days panicking the accepting things the way they are, I’ve prepared a special enchantment that will be able to preserve everyone we send out to seal the magical barrier.”

“What?” Queen Selithe gaped at the elven lord.

“You never told us this, Lord Vyn!” Baron Ygressa exclaimed.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner? We could’ve avoided this argument altogether!” Empress Lvanya said sharply.

“I was getting to that part.” Lord Vyn said with an irritated tone, “Spells are easy to come by and learn, but they are extremely difficult to perform and cast. A spell this powerful comes with a very steep cost.”

“Name it.” Queen Selithe said immediately, “Nothing can be more important than my people.”

“Brave words, your majesty.” Lord Vyn said quietly, “But foolish, nevertheless. Are you willing to seal their fate for eternity?”

Silence fell over the members of the council, and it was Empress Lvanya who spoke up first.

“What do you mean, Lord Vyn?”

He sighed heavily, “This spell’s sacrifice isn’t some dead animal or a piece of your soul. The spell grants the people it enchants safety and a very long life. They’ll be able to keep the veiling enchantment in place, and I doubt the seal will break any time soon as long as this protection spell is in place.”

“Then what’s the price?” Queen Selithe asked, confused.

“It’s…” Lord Vyn bit his lip, “an ancient spell. It will affect everyone the caster wishes it to, so we’ll be able to protect most of the people we send out. Basically, it turns everyone it affects into some form of plantlife.” he paused to see their reactions.

Queen Selithe was blinking, shocked. While Empress Lvanya fell back into her chair, sighing. Baron Ygressa looked away, his eyes clouded with worry.

“Plantlife?” Queen Selithe echoed, “Y-you expect me to turn my people into… trees?”

“If you have a better idea, let’s hear it.” Lord Vyn looked at her calmly.

She scoffed, “I can’t do that! When that thing crashes,” she pointed at the sky, “it will kill off a good amount of people, both mine and yours, regardless if they’re trees or not. So what’s the point in casting this spell?”

“The veiling enchantment requires a fair amount of people to maintain. Once that thing hits, yes, it will kill off many of our people. But their trees will rot into the soil, and their souls will be transferred to new plantlife. Seeds from those who’ve turned into plantlife will carry pieces of their spirits and maintain the veiling enchantment. That thing that’s coming towards us may be big, and believe me, there will be death. But it won’t kill off everything. Some will survive.”

Again, the council fell silent. Lord Vyn knew that they didn’t like it, and he didn’t either. He didn’t want to choose his subjects’ fates for them, but it was for the good of East Borathea, and if they didn’t act fast, the falling star was going to kill them all.

“Fine.” Empress Lvanya said, “I’ll do it.”

“But will they be able to return, Lord Vyn?” Baron Ygressa asked anxiously.

The Elven lord shook his head, “No, I’m afraid not. They will be in a state of unconsciousness. It will be like sleeping for eternity for them.”

Queen Selithe looked lost and weary, but she pushed out of her seat and clung to her silverflame staff, “Then do it.” she whispered, “Make it quick.”

Lord Vyn nodded once and looked at Baron Ygressa, who dipped his head, “If you will.” the ogre baron murmured.

Empress Lavanna started to walk out of the meeting grove when Queen Selithe called out to the sea empress.

“Empress Lvanya?”

She stopped in her tracks.

Queen Selithe continued, “I wish to make a memorial,” she turned to look at the two gentlemen, “in the center of our kingdoms where our borders meet. To honor the eternal guardians of Borathea. If it’s alright with you, I would like a list of the people you sent out.”

Lord Vyn smiled gently, “That is very kind of you, your majesty. I will send a messenger as soon as we return.”

“Thank you, Queen Selithe.” Baron Ygressa bowed, “I, too, will send a messenger.”

“I appreciate it, Queen Selithe.” Empress Lvanya said and looked at the young queen, “But we fishfolk don’t honor the dead.” And with that, she left quickly.

---

“Two hours before the fallen star hits.” Queen Selithe looked at her younger brother, Prince Shozen, sadly.

“Are you worried about the people we sent out?” he asked in his usual calm tone.

“Well, of course I am!” she started pacing back in forth in front of her throne, “I keep telling myself I’m not responsible… and yet… in a way, I am.” her voice grew quieter. “They should’ve had the right to choose.”

“Yes, they should’ve.” Prince Shozen agreed, “But the world isn’t fair, is it? It certainly wasn’t fair to the Exiles when our ancestors were still fighting over boundaries and resources.”

Queen Selithe’s head snapped up, “The world wasn’t unfair to the Exiles! They chose that way of life!” she argued.

“But was it their fault that they were sired to Tempest, the fallen angel of fury and vengeance?”

She stayed silent. He has a point. She thought and walked towards the exit, coming to a decision. “Shozen, stay here. I’m going out for a walk.”

“Your majesty, you forgot your staff.” he called out.

Queen Selithe looked over her shoulder and at her brother, “It’s your staff now.” she said. Are you going to stop me, Shozen? She thought.

No. Those emerald eyes said. I know what you’re about to do, but I’m not going to stop you. You wouldn’t listen to me anyway.

So the prince, now king, sighed and lowered his eyes, “Alphrei neion-duur, requim taela mor.” he murmured. Your death is my birth, your end is my beginning. It was the final farewell that a member of the royal family must hear before going into exile or dying. A tradition that, if forgotten, will end the royal bloodline.

Nothing more needed to be said, so Selithe ventured out of Borathea’s borders and onto Yvela, where the people they sent out were finishing up the spell.

“Your majesty!” a centaur galloped to her, “Please, do not remain here! It’s not safe!”

Selithe held up a hand to calm him, “It’s Selithe, now, just Selithe. I’ve given up my title to King Shezon.”

“You have not been banished, have you?” he asked worriedly.

“No.” Selithe gave him a small smile, “I’m here because I want to.” she looked around, seeing vast forests and mountains in the distant, “I haven’t been queen for very long, and everyone knows that I was never meant to be queen. I don’t have the heart nor the experience to lead everyone back home through this harsh time.” she held her chin high, “But I am the oldest child of the royal family, and I was crowned queen. So as my final decision as queen, I chose to come out here. To be an Eternal Guardian.”

“Eternal Guardian?” the centaur laughed, “Is that what they’re calling us back home now?”

“Yes.” she nodded, “And all of you will be remembered as the Eternal Guardians of Borathea. It was selfish of me to make this decision, but…” she sighed, “I wanted something the people can remember me by. So that I would’ve been someone important in history.”

The centaur looked deep into her eyes before putting a hand on her shoulder, “It’s not selfish, your majesty.” he said solemnly, “And whether you made this decision wouldn’t have changed the fact that you are someone important.” he smiled, “You still would’ve been remembered as the youngest queen in our history.” he said jokingly.

Selithe laughed, “Yes, I guess that’s true.” she clapped her hands together once, “Alright, now, let’s get started. We only have two hours left.”

The centaur nodded, “Yes, let’s get started.”

Chapter 1

“Fire in the hole!” someone screamed.

I looked up from my book and almost shifted out of surprise.

The alchemy kids had just tested their new gunpowder in the courtyard on a boulder they found and rolled from the forest. Apparently, it looked like they fired from the alchemy wing of the school, out a window, and at a boulder that was placed in the courtyard. Shards of rock flew everywhere, and some of them came very close to impaling me, along with a bunch of other students who were hanging out in the courtyard.

The alchemy kids laughed and jumped excitedly.

“It works!” one of them announced to everyone around me, “Our friggin’ cannons work!”

Most of the cheers came from the alchemy kids, but other students just stared at the mess confusingly.

I, on the other hand, stood up and walked away from the courtyard and people, trying to find a quieter space to read. Jesus, isn’t there anywhere that’s quiet enough for me to finish this thing? Well, then again, exams had just finished, leaving the students nothing to do. The kids from the alchemy wing had plenty of things on their agendas, though, and this wasn’t the first time they fired at something from their classroom windows.

I considered going to Alikzandr, my best friend’s, place. But then it would’ve violated school protocol, so I just decided to head back to my homeroom.

When I opened the heavy double doors, I saw a group of kids sitting on the desks and chairs, talking about the festival that was happening this following weekend. But instead of walking up to them and trying to hold a conversation (like I did as a child), I walked past them and sat in the back corner of the room, where I usually sat.

“Hey, look.” I heard one of them say as I opened up my book, “Miss Freak Stampedo’s back.” and the other kids snickered.

I rolled my eyes and hid it with my book, trying to concentrate on the words and the scenes that were happening, but my ears couldn’t help but continue to listen to what they had to say about me, even though most of it hurt.

“I bet she ate three bowls of that frozen yogurt just for a snack.” another whispered, and she didn’t even try to hide it.

“Three?” the third one scoffed, “More like five.” and they laughed in response.

Shut up and leave me alone, will you? I thought. You know I can hear you. But sadly, telepathy wasn’t something I took back in my 9th year here, and even if I did, they would only laugh at what I had to say.

Just ignore them and continue reading. I told myself. If you prove yourself to be a boring person to pick on, they’ll stop eventually. But “eventually” felt more like “eternity” to me.

After a couple more seconds of whispers and giggles, they finally came up to me, and I didn’t even bother to hide my disappointment.

“Hey, fatso!” they surrounded me with smiles plastered all over their faces, “What’s that?”

I didn’t look up from my book and kept my mouth shut. Just bear with it. I kept repeating to myself. They can’t stay here forever. Once the bells toll, they’ll have to go back to their seats and I’m fine.

“Hey!” the boy in front of me grabbed my book and yanked it out of my hands, “Whatcha reading? Trying to look smart?” he gave me a push.

I got up, “Give me back my book!” I said, glaring at him. Great! Terrific! Good job, Eloise! You just gave into their provocations. 

“What’re you going to do?” he laughed, “Roll on me?”

I felt my eyes and nose burn. Dammit! Keep it together, don’t break, not in front of them! But it was really hard not to when you were the one everyone was laughing at.

“Can you please give me back my book?” I tried for politeness and a calm voice.

“Sure.” he shrugged and tossed the book out the window, “Catch!”

I gasped and lunged towards it. Shoot, I have no choice now but to– I shifted into a roc just as I was plunging down the tower and dove down to catch the book. Gotcha! I grabbed onto it gently, trying not to tear it with my talons, and flew to the roof of the tower, where I shifted back into an elf and collapsed on the tiles, the book safe in my arms.

Why do they do that? Was the first thought that crossed my mind. It’s not funny, so why do they do it? I struggled to keep my tears in. Why do I look like this?

After a silent moment, I saw an owl fly towards me and shift into a familiar person once it landed.

“Sir Kioshi.” I blinked, standing up, “I–”

“Miss Eloise,” he said in his usual sharp tone, “in the headmistress’s office, now.”

---

“Miss Eloise, I don’t think I need to explain myself.” Headmistress Darcy said, tapping her claw on the stone floor of her cavern.

“They threw my book out the window.” I said defensively, “How many times do I have to say it? I didn’t mean to!”

“I appreciate your love for books, Miss Eloise.” she said, “But there is a reason why all students who have the shapeshifting talent must not use that power.”

“Yeah, I know.” I slumped in my seat, “Because other kids have gone rogue.”

“Exactly.” the dragon spread her wings and sat up, looking down at me, “Miss Eloise, I understand that you are frustrated about your current situation.”

No, you don’t. I thought bitterly. You don’t understand. Hell, you’re a dragon. Even when you were a kid, I seriously doubt other students had the nerve to even come near you.

“That’s true.” she replied to my thoughts.

I looked up and she held out a talon, “Apologies, Miss Eloise, but your thoughts were practically echoing through my cavern, it was impossible for me not to hear it.”

I sighed, defeated, “Fine.” I looked up, “Are you going to suspend me?”

“No.” she said and reached into her library with her tail and pulled out a scroll made of bamboo strips, “This is a request from the Yin Hua Guild of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley.”

“Yin Hua Guild?” I frowned and took it. The Yin Hua Guild rarely make requests outside of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley. The Elves there broke away from Lady Iracebeth’s rule, right after the Great Sacrifice of the Eternal Guardians over billions of years ago! Why will they reach out to a school in Lady Iracebeth’s lands?

“The answers your questions,” Headmistress Darcy said, “are in that scroll. Your family’s from the Valley, aren’t they?”

I nodded, “Yes.” My grandparents moved from the Valley over hundreds of years ago, because at that time, the Valley was going through a series of guild wars that a lot of elves didn’t want to go through, so they moved back into Lady Iracebeth’s territory. They, along with a couple of other families, were scorned upon because of their “odd” traditions and way of life, but they managed, and eventually, the whispers and jeers stopped.

I opened the scroll and started reading it.

Greetings, Eloise. I’m writing to you as your contact in the Yin Hua Guild of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley. The head of our organization, Prince Tsukki, is humbly asking for your aid. 

Recently, we have come across strange occurrences in the Dragon-Phoenix Valley. And they are happening so frequently to the point where the people’s trust in the Yin Hua Guild are wavering. They are frightening the peasants and even the noble families have started to take notice of these strange occurrences. We do not wish to march onto foreign territory and telling the High Council of East Borathea, nor do we wish for foreigners to come into our land. The peace has been disrupted for long enough.  

I understand that your great-grand parents, Ichika and Asano Yu, were members of the Yin Hua Guild, and if their children had remained in the Dragon-Phoenix Valley, they would’ve been their parents’ successors and continued their work, but they fled during the war and settled in our former lady’s land.

You must know that members of the Yin Hua Guild are not picked or chosen, as they are beyond the valley. Originally, the Yin Hua Guild was founded by five clans, and those clans branched into different families. So when the Yin Hua Guild was founded, only members of those families were allowed to join or be chosen to serve in the guild. Your ancestors were members of one of the families, which means that your grandparents had a duty to continue the family’s line of work.

However, they fled during the Guild Wars, when the rivers ran red with blood and families turned against each other. They dishonored the Yu family by abandoning their fellow guild members during the darkest of times. And under normal circumstances, the head of the Yin Hua Guild would’ve ordered the death of your grandparents for such cowardice. But times have changed, and now, Prince Daisuki is humbly asking for your aid, and I suggest you answer to it. A chance to restore honor to your family is not something to be taken lightly, and his highness has already risked his reputation to give you this chance, so please, take it. I don’t think I need to remind you that, besides this chance to restore honor to your family, you have a duty to serve the Yin Hua Guild that’s bound by blood. But you have also grown up in East Borathea. Your loyalties lie with both East Borathea and your family. Some may call you fainthearted, but his highness and I both think it’s something that should be valued. 

If you decide to accept and aid his highness in restoring peace, make sure to arrive at the Dragon-Phoenix Valley before the full moon. You may bring a companion, but I advise against it. The people have seen and heard enough that a single foreigner in these lands may result in an outbreak of chaos. 

There will be an escort waiting for you just outside of the Dragon City, the capitol of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley, who will bring you to our headquarters, and we will discuss further details in person.

I wish you the best of luck, Eloise Yu, and I hope the decision you make is the right one.

Signed,

Your contact in the Yin Hua Guild.

At this point in time, many thoughts were flying through my head. I knew my family was from the Valley, but… I never knew that my great-grandparents were members of the Yin Hua guild… or any guilds for that matter. 

Headmistress Darcy lowered her head and looked at me, “Well, Miss Eloise?”

I looked up from the scroll slowly and gave her a wry chuckle, “Yeah, but would you let me leave?”

The dragon blinked and rested her head on her talons in front of her, “I’ve seen many cities and empires rise and fall. I’ve seen different traditions and cultures come to pass. And I know enough to acknowledge that this is more of a family matter than anything else, so if you ask me whether you may go or not, my answer is you may.”

“Do they know I’m a student?” I asked. Why would they ask for me? Why not anyone else who’s family served in the Yin Hua Guild?

“Most likely not.” she answered, “But something tells me that, even if they did know, they’d still ask for you.”

“Do they know I’m a shapeshifter?” I asked.

The dragon shook her head, “I don’t know the answer to all your questions, Miss Eloise. You’ll have to find them on your own.”

“Well, that’s if I decide to go.” I pointed out. I’m still not sure if I want to or not. Would this count as risking my life?

Headmistress Darcy sighed, “My suggestion is to go and consult your parents first. They should know more about this than you.”

“And if I decide to go?” I said.

She glanced at me, “Then go.”

---

Well, she said to go see my parents first, but I decided to pay Alikzandr a visit, since I got out of school early.

Alikzandr’s a very… special person. If you ask which kingdom or empire of East Borathea he’s from… well, he’s not from any of them.

Then you’ll probably wonder: Well, is he from west, or north, or south Borathea? The answer is also no.

The continent of Borathea is pretty much divided up into two parts: East Borathea and Beyond the Trench. East Borathea is made up of kingdoms, empires, lands, and all that stuff, and the Dragon-Phoenix Valley is right behind Lady Iracebeth’s kingdom, Elentia, the home of the elves. East Borathea also includes the Borathean Ocean, where Empress Lavanna rules.

Beyond the Trench is literally… beyond the trench. During an earthquake that happened eons ago, it ripped the land apart and a trench was formed. Anyone who tried to cross it ended up either cursed or dead, that was why it was called Dead Man’s Trench.

What’s beyond the trench, you ask? Well, it’s a land that we’ve been at war against since god knows when. Any creatures or people that go rogue are banished there. The land beyond the trench is a chaotic place, full of cursed souls, dark cities, and bloodthirsty creatures (and no, I’m not talking about vampires. I’m talking about creatures that want war).

We know little about the land Beyond the Trench, only what scouts say, and they never go far. Maybe half a mile in, but that alone is enough to tell us to stay away from Beyond the Trench.

Alikzandr isn’t from that place either, even though most of his kin end up settling there, plotting their revenge. But Alikzandr isn’t like that. When he was banished from the heavens, he fell into despair, but didn’t mope around for long. I always liked to think that he was stronger than the rest of his kin, because he shoved away his anger and bitterness and built a life for himself beside the Silver Lake, which was located near my school and home.

I slid down the mossy slope and jumped from rock to rock, making my way across the lake and to the island where he lived.

“ALIK!” I shouted, “I’M BA-ACK!”

The fallen angel opened the door to his cottage and leaned against the door frame, looking confused, “I thought you had school today.” he called out.

“Yeah, I did!” I held out my arms for balance, “But something happened, and now I’m here to tell you what!” I looked at him, “Also, you said I can braid your hair today!” I pointed at his long, silky white hair.

He sighed, looking away, “Fine, fine, whatever. Just get in here.” he went back into the house.

I laughed as I jumped onto the island and went into his cottage.

You’d think a fallen angel would have a castle and thousands of pit fiends as minions, ready to serve him. But Alik… has a cottage and me as a minion (only sometimes, though).

But his house was really nice. It was warm, and it didn’t let in water when it rained, and it’s really sturdy. Most of his furniture was made of wood, since he didn’t want to cause a disturbance at the market when he went shopping for stuff, and if there was anything soft, it was mostly because I spent a lot of my childhood here, to the point where Alik had to make a bed for me so that I could stay the night whenever it go too stormy outside. He would get annoyed, but he never kicked me out.

And when I got older, I realized that it must’ve been hard to live alone, so I started visiting him daily, evening bringing in food so he can eat something other than fish (which I didn’t mind, because he was really good at preparing that stuff).

“Alik!” I poked him.

“What?” he said, keeping his eyes locked on the stove.

“You want to know what happened today?”

“What?”

“I,” I pulled out the scroll, “got a request from the Yin Hua Guild of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley.” and I held it up proudly.

But he didn’t even blink, “Yeah, sure.” he added some spices to the fish he was cooking.

I clenched my jaw. So, you don’t believe me? Well, wait until you see this. I shrugged, “Fine. If you don’t believe me, suit yourself.” I put the scroll back into my bag and went to sit down on the bed he made for me years ago. “What’s for lunch, chief?”

“Lunch?” he looked at me, frowning, “I thought you just had lunch. This is mine!”

I eyed the fish and looked at him, “You’re a fallen angel. You don’t need to eat!”

His eyes widened, “Whoa, okay, hang on a second–”

“Plus!” I interrupted him, “I forgot to eat today. Wanna guess why?”

He palmed his forehead and sighed, “Why?”

“Because I was finishing this book!” I pulled out my book, “It’s so good! You should read it, you know!”

“You forgot to eat, but that’s none of my business.” he went back to the stove.

“Huh?” my voice went up a few octaves, “Aw, come on!” I went over to the kitchen and stood besides him, “This thing can feed both of us.”

“I haven’t had breakfast, so no, it can’t.” he said.

I pouted, “Fine.” I went over to his pantry and started rummaging through them.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked, exasperated.

“Finding something to eat.” I looked over my shoulder, “I shifted today, so give me a break, okay?”

“You shifted?” he stopped what he was doing and looked up, “Why? I thought that wasn’t allowed on school grounds.”

“Yeah.” I stood on my toes and tried to get a basket that was sitting on top of the pantry, “But a couple kids messed with me again, and they threw my book out the window, so I had to change into a roc in order to get it back.” Stupid… argh, why am I so frigging short? I braced a hand on the counter and jumped, but I was only able to touch it.

Alik was silent, then I heard him put the fish on a plate and walk over, “What did they do?” he asked quietly.

“Huh?” I panted, “Oh, nothing much. Just a couple of jokes, that’s all.”

“Are you alright, though?”

His tone made me stop and look at him. His expression said: I can go beat them up if you want.

I chuckled, “Stop with that face. It’s making me nervous.” I punched his arm gently, “Now help me get this thing!” I pointed at the basket.

He looked up and took it down with ease, smirking slightly as he gave it to me.

“Damn you tall people.” I muttered and took it, “What’s this?” I picked up a jar of what looked to be honey.

“It’s mango jam.” he replied.

“Ooh!” I beamed, “Okay, I’ll take it! Where’s the bread?” I walked around, looking for anything that might serve as a butter knife.

“In there.” he pointed at another shelf.

I opened it up and groaned, “What is this? ‘Trolling Eloise Day’ or something? Why do you keep stuff all the way up there?” I pointed at the bread that was sitting on the top shelf.

“It’s not my fault you’re short.” he shrugged and sat down at the table.

I groaned and my stomach grumbled, so I went to find a broom and started pushing the bread down.

“Hey, if you drop my bread on the floor, you’re getting me some more, got that?” he said.

“Yeah, yeah, Alik, I gotcha.” Just a little more… there! I caught the bread as it was falling, “Haha!” I held it up, “Victory is mine!”

He clapped boringly, “Bravo, Eloise the Mighty, you just won against your own height.”

“Shut up.” I mumbled and cut a slice, “Also, if you didn’t believe me the first time I told you the Yin Hua Guild sent me a request, look through my bag!” I pointed at it with the knife.

“Yeah, sure. And then you’re going to call me a pervert for looking into your bag?” he raised a brow.

“Don’t be stupid, why would I do that?” I gave him a funny look.

He sighed and opened my bag, frowning when he saw the scroll.

“See? Told you!” I smiled when he pulled out the roll of bamboo strips.

He read the entire thing while I spread the jam onto my bread, then I joined him at the table just as he finished.

“They’re asking you to return and join the Yin Hua Guild?” Alik looked up from the scroll.

I nodded, “Yep. Headmistress Darcy said that this counted as a family matter, so I was excused from school.”

Alik looked out his window, deep in thought. After an awkward moment of silence, I waved at him, “Hey! Earth to Alikzandr! What are you thinking?”

Alik blinked and looked back at me, his arms folded, “Eloise,” his tone quiet and serious, “something tells me that it’s not a good idea for you to go.”

“Your intuition?” I tilted my head. Alikzandr’s intuition was often on point, so I listened intently.

The fallen angel lowered his amethyst eyes, “Yes.” he said, “They didn’t say what the odd occurrences were, only that they scared the citizens. If it were a murderer, they wouldn’t look outside of their valley to ask for help.”

“You’re saying… something worst than murdering is happening?” I gaped at him. It was hard to believe that something worse than a serial killer was out lose in the valley. Is it a sociopath? Someone who tortures people? A child killer?

Alik shook his head, “Not necessarily, just maybe something more bizarre. Something that’s so different that they need the aid of outsiders.” he tapped a finger against the wooden surface of his table, “It most likely has something to do with magic. Nothing natural can be so bizarre that it scares them into asking aid from others.”

“So… you think this is someone’s doing?” That made sense, but the Dragon-Phoenix Valley was nowhere near Dead Man’s Trench, so that pretty much rules out all possibility of something happening Beyond the Trench.

“Or something.” Alik worked his jaw and thought for a moment, “But, like I said, something tells me that you shouldn’t go.”

“Yeah, but… it’s a chance to restore my family’s honor.” I shrugged.

“I never knew your family was considered outcasts in the Valley.” Alik nodded at the scroll, “Not until I read that.”

I dipped my head, ashamed, “Yeah… it’s embarrassing.”

“No, it’s not.” he shook his head, “You never knew.”

I stood up to put my plates in the washing basin, “But as the youngest member of the Yu family, I still have a duty to restore honor to our name. It doesn’t matter if I knew or not.” I heaved a sigh and braced my hands on the wooden counter, “I’m going to consult my parents tonight, tell them about the situation, and hear what they have to say about my position.” I looked at him, “I’d ask you to come with me, since travelling alone’s kinda lonely, and you never know what type of weirdos we’ll meet on the road, but you heard what they said about strangers other than elves.” I nodded at the scroll lying on the table.

“I can always observe from a distance.” he said and stood up to wash his dishes, “Circle the valley in the sky.”

“Hey!” I nudged him to the side when he tried to crowd over, “Me first! I came here before you, so I get to wash my dishes first!”

But Alik just shrugged, “Okay.” and he put his plate in the basin, “Thanks for washing mine.”

“Hey!” I flicked water and soap on his face and he chuckled, “Wait your turn! I’m not washing them for you!” I continued to scrub my plate.

He jumped onto the counter and sat on the ledge, waiting for his turn.

“I mean, you can, technically, watch from above.” I shrugged, “But I don’t know… would they be able to see you?”

“No.” he looked at me like I just said something crazy, “I’d be up in the clouds. I will be able to sense if something’s wrong.”

“No offense… but that’s kinda creepy.” I gave him a nervous smile.

Alik looked away, “Well, do you have a better plan?” he asked.

“You’re forgetting that you can always stay here.” Even though that journey would be pretty boring.

He gave me a sideways glance, “I have no objections to going with you. I just need to leave your side once we arrive at the Valley.” he said.

“You sure?” I tried not to sound too hopeful.

Alikzandr nodded, “Of course.”

“Well, alright, then!” I grinned excitedly, “I’ll go consult my parents, and then we’re off!”

Suddenly, I felt the atmosphere change. It was like my sixth sense had awakened and told me something was wrong. I started to turn around instinctively, but not before Alikzandr tackled me to the floor just as an explosion sent debris and other pieces of the house flying.

I heard someone scream, and it was probably me, but I was too shocked to say anything. My ears were ringing, and my skin singed.

“Eloise!” someone shouted.

Wait… hang on… what? I blinked and jolted out of my paralysis. “A-Alik…” I stuttered. What happened? Alik? Where are you?

“Eloise!” my eyes snapped to his face and I realized he was on me, his raven colored wings draped around me to shield me from harm. His eyes were full of concern and shock.

“Alik…” my voice was shaky, and I can barely hear what he said.

“Are you alright?” he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Yes.” I managed to say.

He looked up as the smoke cleared and his gaze darkened with anger, “Eloise, stay here.” he said, keeping his eyes on something, “And if something happens, run, shift, do everything you can to survive.”

“Wait… Alik?” I sat up as he took off into the air. What happened? Who set off that explosion? Why did they target us? Who did Alik see?

My last question was answered when I pulled myself to my feet and looked up.

Beyond the smoke and the flames, I could see two figures in the gray, cloudy sky. One was Alikzandr, his white hair caught in the wind and his light gray skin starting to glow. I’ve never seen him like this, and it was both scary and exciting to see him like this.

His opponent had bloody and shredded wings, but he didn’t seem to be affected by it. His entire body was covered with dark green scales, and he had four arms instead of two. The bottom half of his body was one of a snake’s, and his hair was up in flames.

He grinned at Alikzandr, “I never thought I’d find you here, karakzuur.” his voice sent me shivering.

Alikzandr let out an inhumane snarl, “Go back to your king, demon, and leave us in peace. I’ve already told you, I’m not interested in your petty conquests.”

I gasped. Demon? These fiends have came to Alikzandr’s house before? What did they want from him? 

“Uh, that’s where I’m going to stop you.” the demon held up a finger, “Don’t call me a demon when you yourself are one, and don’t you dare call our conquests petty. I’m not here for you, karakzuur, I’m here for the hundreds of souls that were brought here.”

“Hundreds of souls that were… what?” Alikzandr growled, “What are you talking about?”

I slowly got up and started picking my way out of the house ruins. Okay, stay calm. What can I turn into that will help Alik in this situation? It was in this moment did I regret not doing the extra credit assignments they gave us during our shapeshifting lessons, since most of those assignments were about advance shapeshifting and theories on the limit of forms a shifter can take, because then I would at least be able to shift into something decent, like a wyvern or a griffin.

“So you don’t know anything about it?” the demon laughed, “Have your senses dulled so much, karakzuur? You’re turning more and more mortal as each century passes!”

“I will gladly give up my powers to be mortal and rid of the likes of you!” Alikzandr shot back.

“Ha! Really?” the demon held out a hand and grabbed onto a sword that materialized in front of him. The blade was crackling with purple lightning, and on the hilt, replacing the pommel, was a bloodshot eye. “Then,” he pointed at me, “would you gladly give up your powers to become mortal and be rendered helpless as I kill this girl?”

A new expression took over Alik’s face, one of pure hatred. It was the type of face that only demons subjected to the worst of nightmares could wear. When I saw Alik’s eyes, I knew hell was coming. Shoot! Calm down, Alik! I thought as I frantically went through my mental list of creatures that I could shift into. Goblin? No. Ogre? No. Naga? I can’t… at least, I don’t know if I can hold that form for long. I need something that can fly.

Alikzandr opened his hand and a red and gold halberd appeared in his grip. The head of the weapon was in flames, and the tip was a sharpened spearhead that looked like it was capable of impaling three ogres at once. He pointed it at the demon and said in a voice that would’ve haunted my dreams for eternity if I was the demon, “Touch her, and you, along with the rest of your fucking pit fiend family, won’t live to breath another second.”

The demon’s sword hummed louder, as if responding to Alikzandr’s threat. “See, this is why I don’t attach myself to mortals.” he cackled and looked at me, “They’re so weak and fragile. They can break at the snap of my fingers.”

“You said you were here for the souls that were brought here.” Alik snapped, “So leave her out of this.”

Wolf? No! Vampire? No! Come on, Eloise, think! I almost got it!

“Do I detect a hint of protectiveness?” the demon cupped a hand around his ear, “Is my dear karakzuur friend in love?”

His words made me choke, and I looked up to see Alikzandr’s reaction, but his face was masked with anger and a feral hatred. I don’t think he even heard what the demon just said.

“If you want to fight, fine.” he said quietly.

“No!” I blurted out, but the two didn’t even blink.

“But we’re not doing it here.” Alikzandr finished.

The demon laughed, “Why do you care? The entire land of your precious ‘East Borathea’ can be our battlefield! No matter where we go, we’re too powerful to avoid the cities and the civilizations. And I have no intention of holding back, so if you’re going to do that, it’s your loss.”

What he said sent shivers up my spine. I never really thought about how we mortals were so weak compared to beings like him and Alikzandr. They were both once angels, serving no one but the gods and carrying out their orders; commanding their armies. They’ve lived for eons, and even more than that. They probably knew and have experienced what infinity meant, and what they’ve seen can’t be compared to anyone in the mortal world.

But when I looked up at the sky and saw him fighting the demon, I saw a man who’s been stripped of his divine essence, cast out of the heavens to live the rest of his immortal life among lower beings, and forced to watch as his loved ones live and die.

But I also saw my best friend protecting me and willing to put his own life on the line for my sake. He may be an all powerful demon, but he still has the heart of an angel. He wouldn’t wreck havoc for the sake of evil. Alik will never do that.

And then it came to me! The creature that I had to turn into. It was my worst nightmare, but it might just give Alik a chance to win this thing without destroying too much of our surroundings.

So first, I gotta find a way to get up there. I shifted my arms into wings and my feet into talons, then I turned my skin into feathers. My body shrunk and morphed into the form of a falcon. More specifically, a peregrine falcon.

Come on, Alik! I just need you to act as a distraction so I can catch him off guard! I tried to make eye contact with him, but he didn’t look back at me. Fortunately, though, having been friends for years did have its perks. He seemed to know exactly what I wanted him to do and started talking.

“You said something about the hundreds of souls.” Alik and the demon started circling each other slowly in the air, “Why come to me?”

“You really want me to go through all the details?” the demon sighed, “Oh well, I guess it’s fine, since it’s your last request. Who am I to deny a man his death wish?” he grinned and continued, “The mortals of the Yin Hua Guild turned out to be more powerful than we though. They used a different type of magic, one that we demons aren’t used to, and, frankly, I don’t have the time to give myself a crash course on pictographs and characters… oh, and how to recite them? Don’t even start.” the demon shook his head, “Anyway, we heard that the Yin Hua Guild were sending out requests for aid to descendants of former Yin Hua members. Them Valley people… never understood why they wanted to live such an isolated life.” the demon mumbled the last part to himself, “Well, we never expected you, my dear karakzuur, to be here with one of the descendants, so the explosion was set off just to knock the girl unconscious, not kill her. Still, it made you angry, didn’t it?” he smirked.

Alikzandr let out a growl and the demon continued.

“Since you’re here, there’s no point in hiding it.” he then declared his plan proudly, “The plan was to knock them unconscious, take over their bodies, and infiltrate the people in the Valley.”

“But why?” Alik asked, “You still haven’t given me a reason.”

“Well, it’s simple!” the demon shrugged, “These hundreds of souls aren’t from this world, karakzuur! Surely, you must’ve sensed it!” he spread his arms as if to reveal something grand, “The rip and disturbance in the magical energy that flows within us! It felt so powerful…” he said, almost wistfully, “it sent shivers down my spine.” his eyes went to Alikzandr, “Something big happened, karakzuur. Something so bizarre and so… otherworldly! No words can describe it.” his eyes gleamed, “These souls must’ve came from somewhere, and that somewhere is our king’s next target. He’s been ruling over most of Borathea for eons now and is sick of it. A new land will be a great fresh start for all us demons and rogue creatures out there!”

“So… that’s it?” Alikzandr sounded disappointed, “That’s the goal behind this entire charade?” he waved at the ruins of his house, “To conquer more land? Terrorize more people? If you ask me, that’s kind of a dumb motive for someone as powerful as the demon king.”

The demon chuckled, “I can see that even your brain has shrunken, karakzuur. It’s too bad you can’t see the bigger reason behind all this… Oh well, better to kill you now before you dumb me down.” he raised his sword and the purple lighting surrounding it started to crackle louder.

At this point in time, I was already in position in the sky, waiting for the demon to prepare to strike. Now! I dove down 90 degrees and charged towards the demon. Almost… and, now! Right when I was about to crash into his face, I shifted into my worst nightmare.

Eight legs sprouted from my shrinking body, and I could feel myself shiver as I turned into a wolf spider.

Ow! I thought when I crashed into his face. That hurt…ow… but now’s not the time! Come on! 

The demon screamed out of shock, “What the–Get off of my face!” he roared, clawing at me.

Ow, ow, ow! Stop it, will you? I sunk my pincers into the bridge of his nose to anchor myself and dug two of my legs into his eyes. Any time now, Alik! 

The demon shrieked out of pain, and at this point, I was just holding on for dear life. I needed Alik to come and deal the finishing blow.

Luckily, Alik timed it just right. When the demon yanked me off of his face and threw me towards the ground, Alik’s halberd came down in an arc, and the next thing I knew, the blade was lodged in the demon’s skull.

Alright! You did it, Alik! I felt like cheering, but then I realized that I was falling. Oops! Wait–ack! I fell into the water. Shoot! I quickly turned into a duck and swam to the surface. When I came up, I saw Alik murmuring an incantation to finish the demon.

“Uh, Alik–” I tried to say, but it came out as a Quack!

Incantations to destroy demons were usually (always) holy incantations, which meant that Alik may (will) experience some mild (intense) pain.

But, despite all this, Alik continued to draw the holy characters with the demon’s own blood. And after a couple of painful seconds, he finished the spell by striking the demon’s chest with his palm and the fiend exploded into a cloud of black and red dust that went up in flames. Alik watched as the fire slowly died out, then he swept down, “Eloise? Eloise!” he shouted, almost frantically.

“I’m here!” I called, which came out as another Quack!

He looked at me and sighed in relief, “You’re alright.” he landed at the edge of the island, “Are you hurt?”

I shook my head and jumped out of the water, shaking my feathers to dry them out.

Alik sat down and took a deep breath, his eyes still clouded with shock, confusion, and anger. I padded over to him and turned back into an elf.

“You okay, Alik?” I touched his shoulder.

He kept his gaze fixed on the wet soil, “I don’t know which is worse.” he said quietly, “Allowing you to go to the Dragon-Phoenix Valley when I know something will go wrong, or you staying here and getting hunted by demons every now and then.”

“That’s why I asked you to come with me.” I said. Strange… I don’t feel shocked or scared. Or maybe… oh wait, no, here it comes! I felt my chest tighten when the emotions I shoved away during the fight came back to me. I could’ve died in the explosion, or when I charged towards the demon, he could’ve turned me into ash if it weren’t for Alik’s distraction. When I fell in the water, what if I had drowned? I touched my face and found it wet with tears.

“Eloise?” Alik looked at me and saw me crying.

“It’s nothing.” I tried saying, but my emotions were overwhelming me with each passing second. My breathing quickened and more tears poured down my face involuntarily.

“Eloise, it’s alright.” Alik said in a hushed voice when I fell into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably. “Nothing’s going to hurt you now. You’re safe.”

What’s wrong with me? Why am I crying so much? I thought as I cried. Maybe it’s because I could’ve died. But why isn’t Alik overreacting? Oh wait, duh! He was an angel. He must’ve seen and fought in more battles than he can count. 

But Alik understood and wrapped his arms and wings around me protectively.

After a few minutes, I managed to calm down and slow my breathing.

“Alik,” I hiccuped, “do you think I should go consult my parents? Even after all this?”

He used his thumb to brush my tears away, “You want my honest opinion?” when I nodded, he continued, “No. If you stay the night, there’s a chance that another demon will find you. They’ll attack and kill everyone in their path.”

There was reason behind his voice, and it was something I tended to listen to.

“Alright, if I don’t go see my parents, maybe I can write them a letter–”

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea either.” Alik interrupted before I could finish, “I think it’s best if you cut all ties with your family for now, before other demons can find out that they’re related to you.”

“So… just leave?” As logical and reasonable as it might sound, I didn’t want to just leave my family without telling them something.

Alik sighed, “It sounds stupid, I know. But I think it’s our best bet at the moment.”

So I can’t tell anyone that I’m going to the Dragon-Phoenix Valley, or else the demons might hunt them down as well. But… what about–

“What about my school?” I blurted out. Despite the bullies and the jeers, there were teachers there that helped me, and they didn’t deserve to die.

Alik looked at me, “Your headmistress is a dragon, Eloise.” he said, “I’m fairly certain that she’ll be able to fight off anything that comes their way.”

Oh, right. I thought. That’s true.

I rested my head on his shoulder and thought about it for a moment before saying aloud, “Should we leave now?” I really don’t want to leave my parents and family, but it’s too risky if I go back. I told myself. It’s going to be alright, Eloise. Alik’s going to be there with you, so you’ll be fine.

Alik did a couple of quick calculations in his head (don’t ask me how I know, because I just know) and replied, “Well, you can’t go like this. And I can get you there in a couple of hours if we fly, which leaves us plenty of time to make preparations before you’re due to arrive under the full moon.”

“And… by preparations, you mean…?”

Alik stood, and pulled me up with him. “I’ll teach you a couple of incantations that you can use if more demons come after you, and until you can shift into something reasonably powerful, like a naga or a basilisk, I need to teach you how to defend yourself.”

“Wait, you’re qualified for that?” I used the back of my hand to wipe my eyes dry.

Alik raised a brow, “Do you have a choice?” he asked back.

We stared at each other for a second before I shrugged, “No, I guess not.” I mumbled.

“Good, so let’s get to work.” Alik nodded and trudged off towards the ruins of his house.

---

The first thing we did was build a shelter out of what was left so that we didn’t need to sleep in the rain, then that was when Alik started to teach me stuff.

“Good, now you practice.” he said once I performed a pain incantation in the air.

I panted. Doing this is harder than I thought! “Great!” I looked around, “On what, though?”

Alik blinked, “Do you see any other demons in sight other than me?” he asked.

I was already shaking my head before he finished his sentence, “No, I’m not practicing on you. You’re my friend!”

“Would you stop being so stubborn,” he said firmly, “and do it?”

“But I–”

He sighed and rolled his eyes, walking towards me, “Go ahead.” he gestured at his torso.

I swallowed and looked at his chest. But… do I really have to do it on you? I thought. Fine, I guess I have no choice.

I cracked my knuckles and started murmuring, gesturing with my hands and envisioning where I was going to hurt him. A rib? No, that may hurt. The skin? Maybe I should do the skin. Just a little sting’s probably enough, right? As long as I can do it. I don’t want to hurt him.

I touched his rib cage and said the last few words. I went silent as I waited for his reaction.

“Ow.” he said in a bored tone, “That hurt so much… What the hell was that?” he demanded.

“Well, I didn’t… I didn’t want to hurt you too badly, so I–” I started to say, but he threw his hands up in the air.

“What’s the point in teaching you a pain incantation if you’re not going to use it to its full extent?” he asked, exasperated.

“Well, look on the bright side. If I can control it, then won’t it be more powerful?” I asked. I just don’t want to hurt you, that’s all.

“Yes, but–” he growled and buried his face into his hands, “Eloise,” he said slowly, “you can’t be afraid to use something like this.” he looked up, “This is your life we’re talking about here!”

“I know, but…”

“But what?” he said sharply, “When your life is at stake, you can’t just give them a zap because you feel bad about hurting them! It’s either them or you, so which one are you going to choose?”

Me, of course. I thought and looked at the ground. I just don’t want to hurt anyone. But I was afraid to say it out loud, so I just kept silent.

Alik sighed and turned away, “Take a break, we’ll finish this later.” he muttered, trudging off.

I looked up and watched him leave. I’m sorry, Alik. It’s not that I want to die, I just don’t want to hurt you when I practice this incantation. And I know you’re going to say that if I can’t perform this during practice, then I can never be able to do it in real life when I’m scared and paralyzed, but there must be another way to practice this without doing much damage, right? Then I pondered over my own question and answered it. Actually, no there isn’t. For god’s sake, Eloise, it’s a freaking pain incantation. It’s not going to happen without someone getting hurt! But if I really don’t want to do this, maybe he can teach me another incantation. One that is just as powerful, but one that I can also practice without hurting anyone.

I went around the trees and found him perched atop a tree branch, staring at a rock.

Is he doing something? I asked myself, but when I saw that nothing was happening, I walked over to him.

“Hey, Alik?” I called out.

He blinked and tore his gaze away from the rock to look at me, “What?” he asked.

“Is there a different incantation that you can teach me? One that won’t inflict any pain when I practice?” I asked.

He sighed and let his head fall against the tree trunk, “Yes, but the pain incantation’s the easiest one. It doesn’t require any real mental fortitude, unlike a paralysis or imprisonment incantation, which both require the person casting it to battle against the opponent’s mind and dominate it.” he said.

“Oh.” I said, disappointed, “Well, maybe we can… I don’t know, try and increase my mental strength?”

“Mental strength isn’t something you can train, Eloise.” he said, “It’s not like the body, which will become stronger if you train it. Depending on the person, a mind can either become stronger or crumble when it faces danger or fear. It’s also best if the person can get over their fears, which is harder than most people think.”

“I see.” I lowered my head, “I…” Well, that’s just great. I’m stumped. And unless I can do something that increases my mind’s strength in less than two weeks, I’ll have to go back to mastering the pain incantation. “I guess I’ll just… go practice.” I mumbled, trying to hide my disappointment.

“Eloise!” he called out as I turned around.

I looked over my shoulder, but not at him, “Yeah?”

He flew off his branch and landed in front of me, “I’m sorry for raising my voice earlier.” he said quietly, “I just got frustrated.”

“Yeah, I tend to have that effect on people.” I tried for humor, but he didn’t smile, so I just kept my mouth shut and my gaze low.

“But you have to understand that, unless if you perfect the incantation, you might die out there.” he said in a serious tone.

“I know.” my shoulders sagged, “Demons are hunting me, so I need to learn how to make them suffer.” I couldn’t help but let some bitterness slip in.

“You don’t need to make them suffer, Eloise.” he shook his head, “Either you kill them, or you inflict enough pain to make them stay away from you.”

Thinking about it honestly made me kind of sad. I tried to convince myself that they’re demons, and they’ve done horrible things to a lot of people over the years. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed to hate giving people painful deaths.

Alik massaged his temples, “Listen, Eloise,” he said and looked at me, “don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I want you to give them slow and painful deaths. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

I kept my mouth shut and my eyes glued to the ground. After a moment of silent, he spoke up again, “Are you still mad at me?”

“I’m not mad.” I started kneading my hands together, “I just… call me a coward and a brat if you want, but I just don’t want to hurt anyone. Not you, or anyone else.”

He looked at me for a while, then walked past me to head back to the shelter, “That’s a quality that very few people in this world have. Make sure not to lose it, but don’t let it get in the way of surviving either.”

Chapter 2

“Hey.” I felt someone shaking my shoulder, “Eloise.”

I groaned softly, “Five more minutes.” I muttered and curled into a tight ball, bundling in the blankets wrapped around me.

“That’s what you said five minutes ago.” I heard Alik said and felt his warm hand shake me again, “Come on. It’s time to get up.”

I yawned and blinked open my eyes. “What time is it?”

“Time for us to start our journey.” he replied and tossed a bag in front of me, “There’s money, clothes, and your scroll in there. It should be enough to last you a couple of weeks.”

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. You’re the one who’s going into the city.” he said and put a plate of fruit in front of me, “Eat, get dressed, and then we’re leaving.”

“Gee, give me a break, will ya?” I stretched and got up, shivering when a cool breeze blew across the lake, “You were the one who made me practice shifting into a chimera until midnight!”

“And who was the one who kept repeating the instructions over and over until you got it at midnight?” he shot back.

I chewed the inside of my mouth, “Fine, fine.” I grumbled, eating my breakfast (or probably lunch) hurriedly.

“Our trip will be nine hours of flight, so you can sleep during that time.” he said.

“Well, what about you?” I asked, standing up to get ready.

Alik shook my head, “I’ll be fine. It took me months of flying before I reached Borathea when I was banished.”

“That must’ve been tiring.” I commented.

“To be honest, I don’t remember much. Just a lot of clouds, stars, and sunlight.” he shrugged, “Now get on.” he turned around and spread open his wings.

I smiled and put my backpack on, “When was the last time you gave me a piggy back ride?”

“Never.” he replied, “Now come on.”

I jumped onto his back and he took off with ease. I yelped out of surprise, but when he started to slow down in the sky and started flying in the direction of the Valley, I looked up and saw a clear blue sky.

It never ceased to amaze me. To see what was beyond the clouds and in the sky had always been something I enjoyed, and with Alik, he made it possible. I remember this one time when I was a little girl. I snuck out of my house at night to visit him, and he threatened to tell my parents, but I stood there stubbornly and told him that I’d return without a single complaint if he would take me to see the meteor shower happening that night, and because it was cloudy that night, I wouldn’t be able to see it unless I was above the clouds. Alik had no choice but to take me up there reluctantly and watch the meteor shower with me. After a few minutes of waiting, I started to see shooting stars, and then suddenly, a thousand meteors started racing across the black night sky. It was my first time seeing a meteor shower and the Diamond Ocean (which was basically the view you get when you’re up in the mountains and see millions of stars lighting up the entire night sky. Sailors called it the Diamond Ocean, and eventually, it was the term we used to call a night full of stars). The view was beautiful, and it was so amazing that I almost fell off of Alikzandr’s shoulders by trying to reach and touch the stars.

Thinking back on it made me smile, and I asked, “Hey, Alik. Would we be able to see the stars tonight?”

“Most likely.” he replied, “Why? Are you going to ask me for another night sky tour again?”

I giggled, “You read my mind.”

Alikzandr sighed, “Well, if we do, and we have time, I’ll stop above the Valley to let you see.”

“Yay!” I cheered and gave him a squeeze, “Thanks, Alik.”

“But we’re not staying for more than an hour, okay?”

“Aw! But…” Remember what you’re going to the Valley for, Eloise. A part of my mind reminded myself and I sighed, “Fine.”

---

I must’ve fell asleep during our trip, because when I opened my eyes and looked up, the sun was already setting.

“You’re awake.” he said.

I rested my head on his shoulder, “Yeah, how long was I out for?”

“About five hours.” Alik replied, “I wasn’t going to wake you for another two hours, but I can see I don’t need to do that anymore.”

I pulled some of his white hair across his shoulders so I can start braiding them. “Alik, what exactly was this bad feeling that you had? About me going to the Valley?”

He didn’t answer right away, instead he flew up higher to avoid a cloud, then he answered, “It was just intuition.” his voice was heavy, “But I felt like something will go wrong if you go to the Valley.”

“Something bad will happen there? Or something will go wrong as a result of me going there?” I asked.

“The latter, I think.” Alik glanced at me, “And the demon’s visit the other day didn’t help either.”

“Do you have any idea about what he meant when he said ‘hundreds of souls’ or something?” I asked him. Thinking back on it, didn’t he also say there was a disruption in the magical essence of Borathea? Did someone arrive from another dimension? Is that why the Yin Hua Guild needs my help? If that were the case, then it’d explain why they were seeing such bizarre things. Things don’t just pop up from other realms for no reason.

“I’m just as clueless as you are, Eloise.” he shook his head, “I never sensed any disruption within the magical essence of the land… at least, I don’t think I have.”

“Hm.” I finished braiding his hair and let it fall across his shoulder, “Well, maybe it’s a demon thing.”

“I am a demon, Eloise.” he reminded me.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” I said, “I know you’re a demon, and that part can’t change. But what I meant was that maybe only demons that have evil intentions can sense the disruption.”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. If it really was as big as he said, everyone would’ve felt it.” Alik looked at me.

“I know I didn’t feel anything.” I shrugged, “Or they can always be making it up just to cause a racket.”

“I really hope that they are.” he said, looking up at the sky, “Because if that’s true, then I won’t need to worry anymore.”

---

Alik let me stare at the starry night sky for about five minutes before taking me down, landing half a mile away from the Valley.

“So keep following this path.” he instructed as he let me off on a mountain trail, “You’ll see a gate that says ‘Dragon-Phoenix Valley’, then that should take you to the villages. Your contact said that there’d be an escort waiting for you outside the capitol, right?”

I nodded, “Yep!”

“Okay, so you can ask the locals for directions. I’m assuming you’re still fluent in Chuan Tong?”

“Eh.” I shrugged, “I’ll manage.” I sighed and looked at the road ahead of me, “Socializing. Fun, fun, fun.”

Alik decided to ignore my remark and extended his wings, “I’ll be looking out for you in the sky, okay?”

“Thanks, Alik.” I nodded, “Also, once I go into their HQ, where will you wait?”

“Don’t worry about me.” he said dismissively, “I’ll know when you’re finished.”

“Okay, then.” I shifted my backpack onto my shoulder, “Well, see you in a couple days, I guess?”

“Not if you get into trouble. Then I’d probably see you five minutes from now.” he said before taking flight into the sky.

I watched him disappear into the black night sky before turning back to the dark path, “Well, Eloise,” I said to myself, “guess you’re on your own now.” I held up my lantern and started forward.

I walked for about ten minutes before the pathway started to become smoother and less twisty. Lanterns that hung from the trees also started to appear, and soon, I didn’t need to use my own.

I kept on walking, my eyes and ears open for any movement an sound. But most of it was either a bird or a mouse, nevertheless, I was eager to get out of the forest and into civilization. The forest during the night gave me the chills.

“Oh, thank god.” I breathed once I saw the tall red and black gate on the top of a stone staircase and between two boulders. The gate had a wooden sign hanging from the top that said Dragon-Phoenix Valley in bold strokes and characters.

Once I stepped through the gate, I saw a dirt pathway leading down to a small village. There was no one, save for a couple of guards that patrolled the streets, armed with curved blades.

I walked down the dirt pathway and called out in the Chuan Tong language, “Excuse me?” Huh, not bad, considering it’s been a year since I last used it.

Three guards looked my way, and one of them started to draw his sword, but the other held out a hand, “Hold your weapons.” he commanded, and the other two obeyed.

“I’m heading for Dragon City.” I explained, holding out my hands in a peaceful manner, “Can you give me directions, please?”

Their leader looked confused and cautious, “You’re a child. What business do you have in the capitol?”

“I…” Should I tell them? I thought. I… I guess there’s no harm in telling them. And even if they attacked me, I can always shift and look for the capitol myself. “I’ve been summoned to the Yin Hua Guild. They said they were requesting for aid when strange things started happening in the Valley.”

When their leader stayed silent, one of them spoke up, “Captain? Should we ask for proof?”

He nodded and looked at me, “Do you have proof of their request?”

“Yes.” I replied and pulled out the scroll of bamboo strips, “This was the letter I received.” and I handed it to him.

He unrolled it and read through it quickly. His eyes narrowed as he went through all the details, then his confusion cleared up, replaced by determination. He rolled it up and gave it back to me.

“Escort this girl to the docks.” he said to his guards, “And make sure she gets to the capitol safely.”

“Yes, sir.” they bowed.

The captain looked back at me, “We’re all counting on you to get rid of these strange occurrences.”

I gave him a small smile and dipped my head, “I’ll try my best, captain.”

He bowed and I returned it. His two men led me to the river where a small shipment boat was waiting. One of the guards spoke to the fisherman and glanced at me, then the fisherman nodded and gestured at me to come aboard.

“You were summoned by Yin Hua?” he asked me.

I nodded, “Yes.”

“Well, thank the heavens.” the old fisherman sighed in relief, “These days have been hard, but I guess we all have nothing to worry about anymore.”

“I’ll try my best, sir.” I promised.

The fisherman made sure everything was in place before jumping into the water and murmuring in the ancient language. At first, I watched, confused. What’s he doing? Is he praying for a safe trip to the… water gods, or something? 

Then, the water around him started to glow bright blue and teal, the river started to churn and out from the waves emerged a green and red dragon. It had long, twisted horns and glowing blue eyes, its body stretched from the boat all the way to the edge of the village. Its scales gleamed under the moonlight, giving it a pale glow, and two of its talons dug into a nearby rock. It was a Valley dragon, different from Mistress Darcy’s species. These dragons didn’t have wings, instead, they used the wind to carry them across the land. And, unlike other dragons who breath fire and ice, these dragons could alter the weather and conditions of the valley however they like. They’re often prayed to by farmers and fishermen for plentiful harvests.

“Guardian Dragon of the Xi River,” the fisherman knelt down in the river and bowed his head, “I ask for a quick and safe passage through the Valley.”

The dragon lowered its head to look at the boat, and when its eyes met mine, it rumbled, “An outsider in the Valley?” his voice wasn’t hostile, just curious.

“She’s been summoned by the Yin Hua Guild.” one of the guards explained, “To put an end to these strange and bizarre occurrences.”

The dragon pulled itself up, “I will grant you a quick and safe passage if she can promise that these strange occurrences will never happen again.”

All three of my companions looked at me and I swallowed, “I-I promise.” I said. God, I’m making too many promises. I need to consult with the Yin Hua Guild members, maybe they can help me.

The dragon dove back into the water and the fisherman got onto the boat, “Hold onto something.” he said to me.

Wait, what– When the boat lurched forward, I yelped and grabbed onto the wooden railing. The wood groaned as the river’s current picked up speed. Water and foam splashed onto my face many times, and every time that happened, I needed to wipe my eyes and face, almost losing my balance in the process.

Is this how they travel by river? I thought frantically. Geez, it gives a whole new meaning to this form of transportation. Don’t they ever lose things like this? I poked my head over the railing and saw the water under the boat shimmering with teal light. Is the dragon pushing us? But I saw nothing when I looked back. He’s not pulling us either… so, what’s this? His power? When I looked back down, I thought I saw a face in the water. But when I blinked my eyes, it disappeared.

“Uh, sir?” I shouted over the wind and waves.

“Yes?” the fisherman replied.

“I saw a face in the water!”

“Oh!” he nodded, “Yes, they’re kappas.”

“K-kappas?” I stuttered. Aren’t kappas dangerous? They live in the water, and sometimes drag people down with them.

“Rest assured, these kappas will do us no harm.” the fisherman assured me, “They serve the Guardian of this river, so as long as we don’t upset the dragon, they will leave us alone.”

I nodded, “Okay.” Well, at least I won’t need to worry about being dragged under water now.

We traveled like this for about half an hour before the river bent to the left. That was when the fisherman called out, “Miss?” I looked at him and he pointed to something, “We’ve arrived.”

I turned around and my eyes widened.

The docks were full of merchant ships and galleys, some of them were so big that they had nine masts. Beyond the docks were streets leading to homes, shrines, markets, and schools. When we got closer, I saw that all the houses had either three stories or more, and they all seemed occupied. Elves had bulls or horses pull carts full of wheat, fruit, and other imports. While the more valuable goods, like silk and jewelry, were loaded onto carriages that were heavily guarded.

It was then did I notice a huge fortress surrounding the palace at the back of the city. Even from here, I was able to see the huge red double doors that led to the courtyards of the palace, and on the fortress were cannons and patrolling soldiers, all armed.

“Can you see all this, Alik?” I whispered softly, “Now this is a capitol city.”

We stopped in between two galleys and I stepped off of the boat just as a member of the city watch came over to me.

“We didn’t schedule any imports from the villages tonight.” he said to me.

“This isn’t a shipment, sir.” one of the guards on the boat called out, “This girl was in a hurry.”

“I’m sorry, but no one’s allowed into the city without documents of citizenship or invitations from a party that reside in the city.” the city watcher shook his head.

I handed him the scroll, “What about this?”

He looked through it, his eyes wide when he realized who wrote this. He didn’t even finish it when he looked up and pointed down the street, “You’ll find your contact in the Pearl Tea House.” he gave me back the scroll, “And please find a way to stop these strange incidents. The civilians are growing weary.”

I nodded, “I’ll try, sir.” I turned to look at the fisherman and the two guards, “Thank you for your help, gentlemen.”

“Of course.” they dipped their heads as they pushed away from the docks, “Good luck on your mission, miss.”

“Thank you.” I turned around and walked in the direction of the Pearl Tea House.

Despite it being the middle of the night, there were a lot of people in the streets, mainly merchants, delivery boys, and guards. But there were civilians dining and talking in the nearby taverns as well. All the houses were lit by red lanterns, and in the second and third stories, there were children playing under the watchful eyes of their nannies. Probably the owner’s family. I thought.

I stopped in front of a house with a sign that wrote: The Pearl Tea House. It looked pretty deserted, but I slid open the door and walked in nevertheless.

There was a woman behind a wooden counter on the right side of the room. In front of me were another set of sliding doors, and the entire room was covered with paintings and calligraphy, and it smelled like jasmine tea.

“Please take off your shoes.” the woman said politely.

I did and stepped onto the smooth, polished wooden floor.

“Um,” I walked up to her, “I’m looking for a Yin Hua Guild member.” I put my scroll on the counter, “The city watch guy said my contact would be here.”

The woman looked at the scroll, but didn’t reach over to take it. Instead, she stepped out from behind the counter and bowed at me, “Please, excuse me for a moment.” and she slid open the door in front of me, “Miss, she has arrived.”

Miss? I blinked. Wait, my contact’s a woman? It’s not that I mind, I just never expected my contact to be a woman. Usually, people who deal with this kind of stuff were men, even though East Borathea went through a lot of changes over the year, including giving women the same equal rights as men.

A young woman in a flowery robe stepped out of the room. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and tied to her waist by a silk sash was a long and slightly curved blade in a wooden sheath. If it weren’t for that weapon, I’d mistaken her as a princess or someone of high status. Her face was pretty and pale. Her brows were thin and long, and her face was slightly rounded, giving her a gentle appearance.

“Hello.” I said, dipping my head.

“I speak Common Borathean, Eloise.” she said in flawless Borathean, “And I know Chuan Tong isn’t one of your strong languages, so we can speak common if you wish.”

“Huh?” I blinked, “How’d you know that?”

“Know what?” she asked, her voice gentle and melodic.

“That… you know, I suck at Chuan Tong?” I said, blushing out of embarrassment.

She waved at me to follow her outside, so I quickly put on my shoes and went with her.

“I can hear it.” she tapped at her ears, “When you spoke to the woman behind the counter, your pronunciation was perfect, it’s just that…” she gave me an apologetic smile, “I could tell your vocabulary was limited.”

I chuckled nervously, “Yeah, I know. Sorry about that.” I mumbled.

“No need to apologize. You grew up outside the Valley, so it’s only natural that Common Borathean would be your preferred language. But you speak Chuan Tong just fine.”

“Well, thanks.” I looked at her, “By the way, mind if you brief me on what’s going on?”

“At the guildhouse, Eloise.” she said quietly, “We don’t want to upset the civilians more than we already have.”

“They’re angry?” But when I looked around, everyone seemed fine to me.

“More weary than angry, but yes.” she nodded, “The Yin Hua Guild hasn’t really done anything about these strange incidents, and their trust in us has wavered. But we needed time in order for us to track down all descendants of previous guild members. We didn’t want to risk any more disturbance by bringing in outsiders.” she looked at me, “I did explain everything in the letter, did I not?”

“Oh, yeah, you did.” I said, “But… I just kind of wanted to know what exactly I’m looking at.”

“You will once we get to the guild.” she said, “And I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Shira.”

“Okay, nice to meet you, Shira.” I said with a polite smile.

“Likewise.” she replied.

The Yin Hua Guildhouse was a 5 story tall pagoda with a stone foundation and multiple red wooden pillars. Each story had balconies, and the roof tiles were painted blue. On the edges of the slanted roofs were statues that depicted dragons, gremlins, and other strange creatures that you can find in the Valley. The only visible entrance into the guildhouse were a set of dark red double doors. Shira grabbed onto one of the golden knockers and pulled, leaning back to move this heavy door.

The first floor was, surprisingly, an indoor garden. The ceiling was painted black to give the room effects. There was a low bridge lit with lanterns that led over a small pond blooming with lilies. The bridge led to an island with a cherry blossom tree surrounded by plants and other wildlife. Underneath the cherry blossom tree was a stone bench that looked like the type of place an old man would play his flute.

“Wait here.” Shira said and walked in, crossing the bridge and over to the tree. She reached out with one hand and touched the cherry blossom tree trunk. The petals glowed bright pink in response.

“Shira, you’re back.” a soft and gentle woman’s voice echoed through the room.

“I’ve brought a descendant of two former guild members, Lady Sakuramei.” Shira said, looking up at something behind the cherry blossoms and branches.

Who’s Lady Sakuramei? Was my first question. Is she the one Shira’s looking at? Why do I have the feeling that that’s not the case?

“You may enter, Eloise.” the woman’s voice said.

I blinked, surprised. How’d she know my name? But regardless, I walked in and closed the door behind me. The entire first floor was lit with lanterns and the pink petals that glowed when Shira touched the tree, but there was enough light for me find my way across the pond and onto the small island where the tree and Shira were standing.

When I looked up, I saw… no one.

There’s no one on the tree, but I heard a voice. And Shira was talking to it! I turned around and opened my mouth to ask, but Shira held up a hand.

“Lady Sakuramei is what you foreigners call a wood nymph, or a dryad, if you will.” she explained.

I closed my mouth slowly and nodded, finally understanding, but still a bit confused. Wood nymphs and dryads weren’t uncommon, especially in the deeper parts of the forests, but usually, they emerged out of their trees in physical forms. Lady Sakuramei was probably the first dryad I’ve met that didn’t come out of her tree as an elf or any other creature.

“I only emerge in my elven form when an evil force threatens this guild and this valley.” Lady Sakuramei said. It felt weird to listen to her speak, it was like listening to someone standing right besides you, but also like listening to someone’s voice echo through a cathedral. “So forgive me if I’m acting rude by not coming out to greet you.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” I said. It’s still weird to talk to a tree. “I get it.”

“Lady Sakuramei, I wish to bring Eloise to our inner sanctum, if you will allow it.” Shira bowed her head.

“I will allow it.” the dryad said softly, “Eloise, as the guardian of the Yin Hua Guild, I welcome you to our home.”

“T-thank you.” I stuttered. “I’ll… try my best to get rid of these incidents for you.”

I heard a quiet sigh and the petals stopped glowing. The atmosphere of the room seemed emptier after that, like a party where everyone just suddenly disappeared.

“Come, I’ll take you to see what we’ve found.” she stepped around the tree and jumped across the pond to the other side of the room with me following her. Shira pulled open the door and walked in. The next room had a wooden staircase leading up and huge golden tapestries hanging from the opposite end of the room that depicted cherry blossom trees and a woman standing under it. I assumed that that was Lady Sakuramei, but I didn’t have much time to contemplate on them, because Shira was already moving.

“Eloise, come.” she beckoned me forward.

“Uh… so, where’s everyone else?” I asked.

Shira led me to a corner of the room before walking out to the center of it. What is she doing? I thought, watching curiously.

“They’re here, if that’s what you’re wondering.” Shira answered, not looking up from the ground. She started hopping from tile to tile, “We just prefer to be left alone.” she looked up at me, “Rest assured, for if there’s trouble, they won’t hesitate to come and aid us.” she jumped off to the side and the ground started to tremble.

I watched in awe as the center of the floor slowly started to sink down, and once it was about three inches down, the floor cracked open, revealing a staircase.

“Whoa.” was all I was able to say.

“‘Whoa’ indeed.” she started down the staircase, “It’s a secret only we guild members know.”

“So, what? A dungeon?” I peeked down and saw nothing but a dark corridor.

“Yes.” she started down the staircase, “That trapdoor’s going to close soon, so come on.”

“Right.” I followed her down the stairs. They led us down to a dimly lit and narrow stone corridor.

The trapdoor closed behind us and Shira continued forward until we stopped in front of a wooden door with metal locks and bolts. She pulled out a couple of keys and opened every one of them before pulling the door open. The hinges groaned, as if they haven’t been opened for a long time.

“How long has it been since someone’s come down here?” I asked.

Shira didn’t look back, “A week.”

“But… don’t you have prisoners?” Please don’t tell me you guys starve them. I thought.

“Yes, we do. And no, we don’t starve them. We have someone come down here every day. That door’s just old.”

We emerged in a huge room full of cages and prisons, and each one of them were full of people dressed in strange clothing. Their faces and physiques weren’t so different from ours, but some of them have rougher features, and they had different shades of skin color. Their ears weren’t pointed, nor did they have two colored eyes.

They all looked up when Shira and I came in. They stayed silent, but I can tell that they were all scared to death.

“They can’t understand Chuan Tong.” Shira explained to me, “And I’ve tried Common Borathean.” she shook her head, “They don’t understand any of our languages.”

“Have you tried the translation enchantment?” I asked.

“That was the first thing we did.” Shira sighed, “Nothing.”

I approached one of the cages. Inside were two kids, both around my age. One of them had a strange black thing on his face that was propped up by his nose. The other was also a boy, but he didn’t wear anything other than his clothes.

I looked at Shira, “What are those things on his face?” I asked. They resemble our spectacles. Maybe it enhances his vision?

Shira shrugged, “We don’t know. He refused to cooperate when we asked him for them.”

I knelt down outside of the cage and spoke to him in a gentle voice, “Hey.” I tried to give him a reassuring smile, “Can I borrow those things on your face?” I pointed at them.

He blinked, mistrust written all over their faces.

Okay. I thought. I can’t blame them, though. If I were kidnapped, I would be scared too. 

“We found them in a strange rectangular object just outside of the Valley. The villagers heard a crash, so we sent people to investigate. That was when we found all thirty of them. Three people resembled adults, but two were dead at the front. One kid was badly injured, so we patched him up and sent him down here with the others.” Shira said, “It was the strangest incident we’ve had yet, and that was when we decided to ask for help.”

I nodded, “Okay.” I turned back to the boy, who was watching us talk, “Hi.” I waved and pointed at myself, “My name’s Eloise. Can I have yours?” I gestured at him.

A girl shouted from the other side of the room and the boy in front of me glanced at her.

“She probably told him not to say anything.” Shira folded her arms, “They haven’t spoken once since they arrived here, so good luck on trying to get them to speak.”

“Well, even if I did, we still wouldn’t be able to understand it.” I replied, “So, what was it you wanted me to do?”

“Right.” Shira started pacing back and forth, “The emperor has asked us Yin Hua Guild members to discuss how we’re going to… dispose of these creatures.” she waved at the prisoners, “How we were going to do it was up for us to decide, and since we thought killing them would be too cruel and impulsive, we agreed to send a request for aid.”

“And that was when I came in.” I said, starting to follow her explanation.

“Exactly.” she nodded, “Dealing with these creatures here is too risky, and it may upset the citizens more, so we thought you can ask for the High Elven Council’s opinion on the matter. Or better yet, assemble the Mystic Alliance council members and decide what to do with them.”

“Uh, not to sound rude, but in case you haven’t noticed,” I pointed at myself, “I’m just a kid. I’m a student, so why would they listen to me?”

“They will listen to the emperor’s request.” Shira said, “We may have broken off from the rest of our kin, but the emperor is still an emperor, and the other rulers will have to listen.”

“Okay…so, you want me to… go back and ask for the Mystic Alliance council members to assemble so we can discuss how to deal with this situation?”

“Close.” she pointed at me, “I want you to take a couple kids with you so that the whole of East Borathea would know how serious it is.”

“Do we know where they come from?” I looked at the people around me.

Shira looked into my eyes, her face solemn, “It’s a long shot, but we think we may have know.”

I frowned and stood up slowly, “Okay, shoot.”

She took a deep breath before saying, “Their bodies seem to carry bits and pieces of magical essence. We discovered that when we tested them for magic particles.”

“To make sure that they’re not demons.” I said, nodding.

“Yes. And at first, that was what we thought. But that was when it got strange.” she looked at the kids, “They were practically covered with magic particles, but not a single one of them had the magical essence flowing through them.”

My eyes widened, “Wait… but that would mean–”

“They can’t use magic.” Shira finished for me, “They could be thrown into a desert of arcane dust, and not a single one of them would be able conjure a single spark from their fingers.”

“Isn’t that impossible?” I breathed, “That theory was proven impossible years ago. Magical essence is lodged into our spirits and souls, so even when we rid the body of all magical particles, they would still be able to cast something.”

“Impossible for us.” Shira said and pointed at them, “But possible for them.”

But… I looked into their eyes, confused. Where did you guys come from? Why can’t you use magic even when you’re surrounded by magic particles?

“Now, this may sound wild,” Shira continued, “but we may have reason to believe that they’re from the Old Homeland.”

I almost choked on my own saliva, “T-the… Old Homeland?” I coughed, “Uh, Shira, that’s not possible. The Old Homeland is a legend. It’s never been proven to be true.”

“Believe it or not, legends in Borathea usually turn out to be history.” she said, “You learned about the legend in school, did you not?”

I nodded, “Yeah, I did.” The legend of the Old Homeland told the story of the original four council members of the Mystic Alliance: Empress Lavanna, Queen Selithe, Lord Vyn, and Baron Ygressa. The story told us how our old homeland was facing grave danger, and if the four rulers didn’t find a way to hide from this apocalypse soon, all creatures and races would die. They had no choice but to slip into Borathea, a small continent where demons were at war with each other. The four rulers settled their people on the east side of the continent while they prepared a veiling enchantment to keep them safe when the apocalypse happened. Unfortunately, the veiling enchantment called for people to cast it from the outside as well, so the four rulers had to send out people to finish the veiling enchantment. It said that Selithe had refused to cooperate at first, but then Lord Vyn proposed another spell, one that will not require any more sacrifices. It would turn people of the caster’s choice into wildlife when they die. It was a powerful and ancient spell, but that was what they decided to do. The story ended with three out of the four rulers building a memorial for the people they sent out, and they were called the Eternal Guardians from that day on.

“Well, I bet they never told you that the veiling enchantment was never truly completed?”

“What?” I gasped, “N-no… the legend never told us anything like that.” Is that why they managed to slip in? Because the veiling enchantment was never strong to begin with?

“It’s a secret that our ancestors’ emperor shared with the Yin Hua Guild. Back when we were still a part of Lord Vyn’s kingdom, our ancestors’ emperor served Lord Vyn as a right hand man. Lord Vyn knew that the veiling enchantment was never completed, and he was the only one powerful enough to sense the slight disturbance in the magical essence of Borathea. He told our emperor as a friend, and together, they worked to find a way to patch the veiling enchantment, but once Lord Vyn died and a new ruler took his place, our ancestors’ emperor broke away from the kingdom and started a new civilization in the Valley. He told us Yin Hua Guild members to guard this secret for all eternity… but our leader has decided to break their promise, because this situation is getting too dangerous, and the other leaders have to know what’s coming, or else the whole of Borathea may be at risk.”

“But… if that’s true.” I said slowly, “Then…” Then that means the legends are true. We have another homeland, one that we had to abandon. I shivered. Are we going to go back? What does it look like now? Why is another race there? That’s our home!

“The legends are true.” Shira finished for me, “Yes, we had another home. And no, I don’t know if the Mystic Alliance plans to take it back. That’s something you’ll have to ask for yourself.”

“But… we have to take it back!” I blurted out, “It’s our former homeland, isn’t it?”

“I admire the courage, Eloise.” Shira said with a slight smile, “But think it through. Is it a good idea to charge into the unknown without a second thought? Especially when they probably outnumber us 1000 to 1?”

I blushed and looked down, “Right.” I mumbled. Okay, that was just plain stupid of me to say. If I remember correctly, there were 7 other continents when we had to hide. We don’t even take up half of Borathea, and Borathea was the smallest continent out of them all, so it’s safe to assume that they literally outnumber us 1000 to 1, maybe even 1 million to 1.

“I agree that it’s our homeland and we have a right to settle there, but for now, we should think it through first.” Shira said, “But back to what we were saying earlier, will you escort a couple of them to the Sharath Castle and ask for the Mystic Alliance to assemble?”

“Well… I mean, yeah, sure.” I nodded. It’s a huge responsibility, but I’ve always wanted adventure, right? So here it is! Let’s just hope that nothing goes wrong…

“Are you sure, Eloise?” Shira said, giving me a look of concern, “I don’t mean to pressure you, but you are representing the emperor in this matter.”

“No, I’m perfectly aware of it.” I held up my hands and shook my head, “But… please don’t remind me. I’ll be fine, and I’ll try my best, I promise!”

She pursed her lips, “Very well, then.” she waved at the exit, “Follow me. I’ll show you to your room.”

“Okay, thanks.” as I followed her, I couldn’t help but look back at all the kids in the prison. They watched us leave, their eyes full of fear and sorrow.

Once we figure out what’s going on, we’ll send you back. I couldn’t help but think. And then we can finally decide how we’re going to settle in the Old Homeland.

---

My room was on the fifth level of the pagoda. It had a matted floor and a wooden sliding door. The blanket and mattress were arranged neatly in a corner, and on the other side of the room was a low table with two pillows on either side. There was another sliding door painted with flowers and a pond which probably led to a closet. And finally, on the other end of the room was a window that gave me a perfect view of the city.

“Someone will come wake you in the morning, Eloise.” Shira said, “And they’ll take you to me, where you’ll be given the rest of the information.”

“Okay, thank you.” I nodded, bowing towards her.

She bowed back, “Rest well, Eloise.” she murmured and slid the door shut.

I put down my backpack next to my mattress and leaned against the window, taking in the view around me.

I couldn’t see any streets from up here, only house roofs and maybe a couple of balconies. But most of the action was happening near the docks, were imports and exports were coming and going from the river. In fact, it was pretty quiet up here, the only noises I heard was the wind and the faint shouts from the riverside.

“Well, Alik, looks like it’s more serious than we thought.” I whispered, looking up at the sky, half expecting him to respond, “I don’t know if you can hear me, but if you do, know that we will be escorting a couple people back to Elentia.”

But no one answered me, and I honestly didn’t know why I expected an answer. Maybe it was because he was a creature of great power, and even from this distance, I hoped that he would reply with telepathy, or maybe even fly to my window and talk to me.

“I saw those kids.” I continued to say in a soft voice, “They looked so scared, and I felt bad for them. It’s not like they did anything wrong.” I rested my chin on my hands and stared at the starry sky, “You know, maybe we can… I don’t know, break them out?” Then I laughed at my own plan, “Okay, that was just plain stupid. How would we even do that?”

I never said I was going to take part in it, so the question you should be asking is: How are you going to do it? I could imagine Alik saying.

“Well, if you’re not going to take part in it, fine. I guess I’ll just have to shapeshift into something either super small or super big.” I said. Wait, why am I even talking to myself? Is my brain just making up a conversation now? I thought, but then the other half of my brain, the childish and pretty flawed half, replied. Well, why not? I’m not tired, and it’s probably because of the time differences. Alik’s not here, and since he can probably hear you talk and think, you can tease him by making up things he definitely wouldn’t say.

I chuckled at my own thoughts. “Can you hear me Alik?” I murmured, “Because if you can hear my thoughts, take this!” Alik, can I get all the books in the world?

Of course, Eloise! I’ll even pay for all of them! I made my brain’s Alik sock puppet reply, giving him a high pitched voice on purpose.

Whoa, really? Gee, thanks man! I thought. What about braiding your hair? Can I give you pig tails?

Yes, of course! Anything, your majesty! He replied. I’ll even let you dye my hair neon pink and green.

I giggled out loud when I imagined his silver and white hair dyed pink and green. Would you let me prank you as many times as I want? I asked.

Go ahead. I’ll even act super surprised, if you want. I made him say.

I yawned, and it was then did I realize how tired I actually was. Wow, okay. I wasn’t expecting to be this tired. I felt my eyes drooping and parts of my brain starting to shut down. Well, I’m off to bed. I looked up at the night sky, “G’night, Alik.” I said softly, then flashed the sky a wicked grin, “And don’t think I’m done.” The ‘Eloise is Queen and Alik is Minion’ drama isn’t finished yet!

I slid open the door to the closet, which actually turned out to be a bathroom. Oh, cool. I guess it’s fine. I need a bath anyway. I took a quick shower and came back out, all changed and ready to sleep. When I lay down on the bed, my eyes practically closed on their own and I fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 3

I heard someone knock on my door, but I was already up and ready to go. I went to answer it and I saw Shira standing outside.

I frowned, “Wait, I thought you’d send an escort.”

“Yes, but believe it or not,” she sounded slightly annoyed, “our guild master, a powerful but clumsy man, forgot that we decided to cancel all breaks and holidays that were planned for this month and dismissed most of our members.”

“Wait, what?” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Shira sighed, “Sometimes he can be so…” she mimicked punching a face and cracking open a head.

“Frustrating?” I suggested.

She gave me a look, “Frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

I bit my lip to keep myself from laughing. He sounds like an interesting person.

“But we’re not here to talk about our guild problems.” Shira shook her head and led me down the staircase, “I need to review the emperor’s request with you, and then we’ll have to cast a spell.”

“A spell?” I asked.

Shira nodded, “Yes. I did some research yesterday and realized that I had totally forgotten the Borathean spell.”

“Oh!” The Borathean spell was a permanent spell that gave the target basic knowledge of Borathea, like its language and geography. But because we East Boratheans never used it often, its existence was really easy to forget. “Right! I totally forgot about it too!”

“Well, let’s just hope it works.” Shira said, “The translation enchantment didn’t work because they were from a different realm. But hopefully, the Borathean spell will work.”

“Are you sure it’s safe, though? For them to know any information about Borathea?” I said.

Shira shrugged, “It’s our best bet right now, and besides,” she glanced at me, “I doubt they’ll return any time soon.”

“True.” I admitted. “Okay, I guess it’s fine, then.” As long as they don’t escape somehow and gather their forces and march into our territory. Who knows what type of weapons they have. If they can’t use magic, they must’ve found something to compensate for it. Maybe something even more powerful than magic. 

Shira led me into an office with a table in front of an open window. On the wooden table were calligraphy brushes, paper, inkstones, stamps, and other writing materials. There was also a long, thin wooden box with simple white patterns that didn’t seem to have a lock or opening.

When Shira saw my confusion, she smiled, “It’s a puzzle box.” she explained, “The box is made up of different pieces, and you have to slide them in a specific order and place for it to open. Here, watch.” she demonstrated how to open it, and after she slid different pieces into various places, a piece was finally moved to reveal the inside.

“Whoa!” I breathed, “Now, that’s amazing.”

She chuckled, “Sometimes locks simply aren’t enough. Those you can pick, but no matter what you do to this box, you can’t force it open. Not without damaging what’s inside.” she picked up a scroll wrapped in red ribbon and showed it to me, “This is the request written by the emperor himself. I will teach you how to open this box, and please keep it a secret. It is important for this letter to reach the Mystic Alliance Council.”

“I will.” I nodded.

“Good.” she gestured at a chair, “Sit down and I’ll teach you how to open this.”

---

After thirty minutes of memorizing and experiments, I was finally able to open the box and close it with ease and in a matter of seconds. Shira entrusted me with the box and the letter, then we made our way back down to the dungeon to pick out who we were going to take back with us to Elentia.

“Uh…” I looked around, “Y-you’re asking… me to choose?” I pointed at myself.

“Yes, Eloise.” Shira nodded, “Choose two, please.”

I sighed. I really don’t want to choose. It’s almost like choosing who was going to live and who was going to die. Well, I’m pretty sure that once the Mystic Alliance clears up all this, they’ll be able to go home. Come on, Eloise. You have to pick out two of the kids, otherwise, the council’ll never believe the Yin Hua Guild, and that way, no one will get what they want.

I walked over to a prison cell with two kids in them. One was a girl wearing a loose blue blouse and black jeans. Her black hair was in a messy braid, and her dark colored skin was covered with dirt. She shared the same physique as me, maybe a bit thinner, and she was definitely taller. Her ears weren’t pointed, though, and her eyes were plain brown. The shoes she wore were nothing like what I’ve seen either. They weren’t boots or sandals, they covered up her feet, but that was it. She didn’t resemble any elves that I knew.

The other was a boy. He had sandy blonde hair which curled slightly. He had a sharper jaw and broader shoulders, so he was probably older than me. But unlike the girl, his eyes were blue and almost gray. He wore a loose red shirt and brown shorts that didn’t look like any shorts I’ve ever seen. His shoes looked like the girl’s shoes, only his were black and he wore longer socks. His skin tone resembled most elves that lived in Elentia, but his ears weren’t pointed either.

“Those two, then?” Shira came over with a set of keys in her hands.

I nodded, “Yeah.” and I knelt down, “Hey.” I said, trying to sound gentle, even though they were both my age, “My name’s Eloise, and we aren’t going to hurt you, okay? We just want to help.”

The girl and boy both stood up when Shira unlocked their cell, “Alright, come out.” she said.

“Can we perform the spell now?” I asked, “I doubt they’ll listen if they can’t understand us.”

Shira pursed her lips, “Well, I guess that’s fine.” she murmured a couple words in the old language and drew blue magic circles in the air before pushing them towards the boy and the girl. They disappeared when they touched their bodies, and both of them blinked in confusion and shock.

“Um.” I looked at them, trying to catch their eyes, “C-can you understand me?”

“Where the hell are we?” was the girl’s first question.

“Yeah, and what’s with this…” the boy looked at the wooden beams, “medieval setup? Is this a joke?”

“Well, at least you can understand us.” Shira said, “Can you please come with us?”

“Like hell I am!” the girl snapped aggressively.

“Yeah, man, what the hell’s going on here?” the boy demanded.

I held up my hands peacefully, “Please, can you two just listen?” I said pleadingly, “My name is Eloise, and this is Shira. We aren’t here to hurt or kill you–”

“Yeah, says the girl who was probably behind the reason we’re starving.” the girl interrupted sharply.

“Can you please,” I said in a firmer voice, “listen? Will it help that we’re around the same age? I’m 15, what about you two?”

The girl seemed to calm down a bit and she replied, “14.”

“17, now what’s all this about?” he pointed at me, “What’s with those ears? If this is a Lord of the Rings convention, you got the wrong outfit.”

I blinked. Lord of the… what? Rings? What type of lord controls rings? “Uh,” I decided to ignore his remark for now, “no, I…” I sighed, “can we please step outside first? I promise I’ll explain everything on the way.”

“On the way to where?” the girl said, taking a step backwards.

Shira decided to speak up, “We’re taking you two to the Mystic Alliance Council. Think of them as the ruler of our part of the continent. They will hear you out and find a way to send you back home.”

“Oh really?” the boy raised a brow, “And what’s to keep you from going against your word? Why should I believe any of what you’re saying? Hell, I don’t even know if this is a fucking dream or not!” he slammed his fist against one of the wooden beams.

I flinched, but the girl spoke up.

“If this a dream, Sandro, then why the hell am I here?” the girl said, annoyed, “Everyone in the class knows that you’d only dream of Lucia.”

“Shut up.” he muttered and started pacing back and forth in his cell like a caged lion.

“Okay…” I didn’t know what to say, so I gestured towards the corridor, “I don’t know what I can do to prove that I mean no harm.” I said, “But… it’ll really help all four of us if you agree to come with me back to Elentia.” when they looked up, confused, I explained, “That’s where I come from. It’s where the Mystic Alliance council will assemble whenever there’s trouble.”

“Are we even in America anymore?” the boy named Sandro asked.

“I’m… not familiar with that name, so no, you’re not.” I sighed, “Look, we can either explain everything here, where it’s dark and wet. Or, we can go where there’s fresh air and sunlight.” And please cooperate. We really don’t want anymore trouble.

Sandro folded his arms and looked at me, as if he was deciding whether he should trust me or not. The girl, on the other hand, rolled her eyes, “Like hell I’ll believe all that shit.”

“Um, do you mind if you…” I chewed the inside of my mouth, “just, I don’t know, stop the swearing and all that? Please?”

She looked at me like I was crazy, but didn’t say anything else.

Sandro worked his jaw, “You promise nothing’ll happen to us?” he said. He seemed to be conflicted with different emotions.

I nodded, “Yes, I promise.”

“Are you actually believing this?” the girl’s voice went up a few octaves. She pointed at me, “They’re our kidnappers!”

“Khalia, believe it or not, I’m seriously beginning to think that we actually aren’t on Earth anymore, okay?” Sandro snapped, “And if this isn’t any country we know, and someone offers to help us, well, it’s better than staying stuck here!”

The girl, Khalia, scoffed, “You’re honestly considering their proposal?”

“Yes, I am.” he looked at me, “Just tell me. Where the hell am I?” he no longer sounded angry, just scared.

“You’re in a continent named Borathea.” I said, “Eons ago, the Old Homeland, where you come from, was struck with a fallen star–”

“Wait, wait.” Sandro held up his hands, “A fallen star? You mean…” he let out a dry laugh, “the meteor? Seriously? The meteor that killed the dinosaurs? You were all there before that time?”

“Listen, I didn’t learn this stuff until yesterday, okay?” I said, “So, please, just listen to what I have to say.” when they stayed silent, I continued, “Eons ago, a fallen star struck the Old Homeland, which is where you come from. But before it struck, our former rulers had to hide. So they decided to slip into the continent of Borathea and conceal it with a great enchantment. It was successful… or so they thought. The spell was never actually completed. There were pockets that led back to the Old Homeland, and those pockets are getting bigger. One of the gaps got so big that something must’ve happened and you guys slipped into our world.”

“So that explains all that crashing and weird feelings.” Sandro murmured to himself.

“I don’t know what you went through.” I said, “But we’ll discuss it with the Mystic Alliance. And I need you two to trust me if we’re to do that.”

Sandro and Khalia were both silent until Shira spoke up.

“If you two don’t wish to come with us, then we’ll choose another pair.”

Sandro’s head snapped up, “Fine. I’ll go.”

“What?” Khalia looked at him with wide eyes.

“Come on, Khalia.” Sandro said, “I don’t think they want to kill us.”

“Yeah, that’s what they all look like, until you listen to them!” she spat.

“They said they wanted to help us return to our world.” he pointed at us, “And even though you don’t believe it when they say we’re in a hidden continent, is that what your gut’s telling you?”

“My gut’s telling me a lot of things.” she muttered, “Like cramps and hunger.”

“Yeah, but we both know that we probably aren’t on Earth anymore.” Sandro said, “So going with them may be our best bet right now.”

I watched as Khalia’s eyes shifted from anger to fear to loss. She doesn’t know what to do. Maybe if I talk to her.

“Hey, Khalia?” I entered the cell and stood a couple feet away from her, “Say, do you like reading?”

Her eyes flickered towards me, “No.”

I gave her a small smile, “I think you do.” And it’s true. You seem like the type of person who’ll love to read. “I have an entire book collection at home. I can show it to you while we’re waiting for the Mystic Alliance’s decision.” I know that whenever I’m lost, familiar things always help me regain my footing. 

She looked at me, her eyes told me that she was conflicted. She looked frustrated and lost, and I really wanted to help her. But I didn’t need to say anything else, because she pushed off of the wall.

“Fine.” she muttered, “I’ll go.”

I sighed in relief, “Okay, cool!” I turned to Shira, “Should I lead them out of the city? Or is there a secret exit?”

“There’s a secret boat dock behind the guildhouse.” she said as she led the three of us up the staircase, “There’s a boat there, and you can take into the forest. And once you’re there, you’re on your own.”

“Don’t worry, I have a friend who’s waiting.” I nodded.

“Wait, a friend?” Sandro intervened, “What friend? You never said anything about another person.”

“Alik’s very nice, don’t worry!” I said reassuringly, “He may come off as distant at first, but he’s really kind, I promise!”

Khalia just sighed and looked away. Sandro didn’t look too happy, but he followed us nevertheless.

“Also, I’m assuming you’d want your belongings back?” Shira said to them.

“Yes, we do.” Sandro replied right away.

“Belongings?” I frowned.

Shira nodded, “They came in that strange rectangular object, and they all had bags with them.”

“You didn’t damage them, did you?” Khalia asked.

“No, we didn’t even open them.” Shira said, “We were too frightened to.”

We emerged out of the dungeon and Shira went into a room and came back out with two bags.

“Are these two yours?”

“Yeah.” they took them and slid them onto their shoulders.

“Okay, come with me.” Shira led us around the staircases and to a small door that I hadn’t noticed before. She opened it and we walked through a cave-like tunnel.

The end of the tunnel led us to a forest and a small river. There was a boat next to a slippery slope.

“Take it as far as you like. You don’t need to return it.” Shira told me, “I wish you good luck, Eloise.”

“Thanks, Shira.” I dipped my head, “I’ll try my best in convincing the council.”

She smiled and we bowed at each other before she left, hurrying off into the tunnel.

Once she was out of sight, my two new companions looked at me.

“Okay.” I said. I think I should call out to Alik first. It should be fine for him to appear here. I doubt anyone will notice.

“Aren’t we getting in?” Sandro nodded at the boat.

“We will, first I’ll call my friend.” I looked up at the sky and murmured, “Alik, hey, if you can hear me, come down. We’re ready to leave.” Alik! I stretched my thoughts out far and wide. Alik, come on. Come down from the sky. I’m here!

The two stared at me like I was crazy, then they glanced at each other uncertainly.

He was close! Alik, I’m here. I thought, closing my eyes for concentration. Follow my voice, Alik. I’m here!

Then I heard the flap of wings, and the next thing I knew, Alik was landing on the ground, his raven black wings outstretched.

Khalia and Sandro both jumped back out of shock, their eyes wide.

“Alik!” I smiled and gave him a hug, “Everything was great, but don’t do that! We have new traveling companions, and I don’t want to scare them!” I chided him, poking his shoulder.

Alik looked at Khalia and Sandro, “And judging by their faces, they’ve never seen a demon before.”

“Demon?” Sandro’s voice cracked.

“Yeah, Alik here’s a demon.” I patted my friend’s shoulder, “But he’s really nice, don’t worry!”

Khalia and Sandro both eyed Alik’s wings, which he tucked in and stored away in his little pocket of magic.

“Alik, apologize.” I said, folding my arms.

“Why?” he turned to the boat.

“Because you scared them! Duh!” I grabbed his wrist, “Come on, be nice!”

“Sorry.” he didn’t sound apologetic, “Eloise, is this boat for us?”

“Yeah, I think my contact got the impression that I traveled here alone, so she got us a boat to help us along with our journey.”

“Well, we’ll have to travel by river.” he looked at Sandro and Khalia, “I can’t fly with three people.”

“You can fly?” Khalia blurted out.

Alik gave her a look and I stepped in, “Yes, he can fly. In fact, he flew me here in nine hours!”

Sandro’s jaw was still open, “S-so… those wings were real?” he pointed at Alik’s back.

“Yes.” Alik replied and slid down onto the boat, “Eloise, come on. We have to leave soon.”

“Right.” I gestured at the boat, “Okay, guys. Climb aboard.”

They stepped onto the boat and sat down, taking their backpacks off. I came in last.

“Do you want me to shift into something to push the boat?” I asked Alike once I got on.

“If you want.” he said dismissively.

“Yay!” I looked at our two companions, “Okay, I’m going to shift into something, and I’m sorry if it’s disturbing, okay?” They’ve probably never seen a shapeshifter either.

I jumped into the river, shivering when the cold water touched my skin. Imagine yourself becoming a part of the water. I told myself. A water elemental!

When I looked back down, I saw nothing. My body was now a part of the river. Okay, good. I pushed on the boat.

“Whoa!” Sandro yelped, “What just happened?”

“That’s Eloise.” Alik said, “And she’ll be doing all the work for us.”

Like hell I am! I splashed some water onto Alik and he chuckled softly, taking out an oar and dipping it into the water.

---

We stopped after a couple of hours. I pushed the boat to shore and they climbed out.

“We’ll have to travel by foot from now on.” Alik said, “So we’ll stop here for the night, and continue tomorrow.” he turned to look at me, “Eloise, did you hear me?”

Of course I heard you! I thought and turned back into an elf. I walked out of the river and shivered, “Geez, that water’s freezing.” I mumbled.

“Shift into a duck or something.” Alik said and pointed at Sandro, “You, get firewood.”

Sandro pointed at himself and mouthed, Me? Then he threw up his arms and trudged off.

“And you, go with him.” he told Khalia.

She just sighed and followed Sandro.

“Wait, what about me?” I asked Alik.

“You’re going to sit here and stare at the ground.” he sat me down on a log.

“Haha.” I said sarcastically, “Very funny. But seriously, what am I doing?”

“Well, unless if you’re willing to catch dinner for us, you’re literally just going to sit there.” Alik pointed at our campsite.

“I’ll catch dinner!” I said excitedly, “And you can cook! See? We make the perfect duo.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get in there.” he nodded at the river.

I was about to shift when a question came to my mind, “Wait, Alik?”

“What?” he kicked rocks and twigs away from our campsite to make it a smooth surface.

“Did you… I don’t know, hear anything yesterday?” I struggled to keep myself from smiling, “Specifically last night?”

He sighed and put his hands on his hips, “Yes, I heard everything.” he gave me a look, “All your teases and your ‘Queen Eloise’ declaration.”

I burst out laughing, “That was so fun to do! Did you feel annoyed?” I said in a teasing voice, “Well, too bad! Because you weren’t able to do anything about it!” I gave him a grin.

He raised a brow, “Oh, really?” he cracked his knuckles and advanced towards the water, “Do you see anything that’ll stop me now?”

Oh, shoot. I thought. I forgot. We’re no longer in the city. Why did I just do that? 

But he was already extending his wings and my eyes widened. “Wait, no. Alik!”

He glided towards me and gave me a shove. I screamed as I fell into the cold water. Alik, you idiot! I thought and I resurfaced, seeing him hovering over me, an evil smirk plastered all over his face.

“Stupid.” I grumbled and splashed water onto him. He laughed and dodged to the side. “You idiot! Take this!” I grabbed onto his ankles and pulled down with all my might.

“What the–” he lost his balance and fell into the water.

“Haha!” I held up my hands, “Victory is mine!”

Then I felt someone grab my waist and pull me down. My scream was cut off when I found myself in the river. I felt a familiar sting in my nose and throat and realized that I had water up my nose.

I sputtered when I came back up and saw Alik hovering before me, his entire body wet, but he looked satisfied.

I coughed and pinched my nose, “Great! Thanks to you, I have water up my nose!” Ugh, this sucks…

“That’s what you get for messing with a demon, Eloise.” he gave me a smug look and I clenched my jaw.

“Fine, I’ve learned my lesson, geez.” I said, my voice nasal, “Can you help me out now?”

“Nah.” he shook his head and flew towards land, “You’re swimming back yourself.”

“Some friend you are.” I muttered.

---

By the time we started a fire, I was already shivering. Alik, being a demon, was perfectly fine with being all wet during the night. But I was dying to get some warmth by the time a fire was started.

I sighed and held out my hands, “Oh… thank god.” I whispered, “I’m freezing.”

“You were the one who volunteered to catch dinner.” Alik reminded me, “And the one who decided to pick a fight with a demon. So you have no one to blame but yourself.”

“Yeah, yeah, anymore life lessons you wanna give me, Alikzandr the Moral Demon?” I mumbled.

“No, just that.” he turned the fish over the fire before getting up, “I’m scouting the place for wild creatures. Eloise, make sure they don’t run off.” he said and took off into the sky.

I sighed and collapsed against the tree I was sitting in front of. Sandro gave me a look, “So… you and Alik?”

“Huh?” I turned to him, “What do you mean?”

“You two are a couple, right?”

“What?” I laughed, “Oh gods, no. No, we’re not. We’re just friends.”

“But you two seem pretty close to me.” Sandro pointed out.

“We are.” I nodded, “We’re very close friends. But Alik and I aren’t a couple. He’s not the type of person who’ll want that.”

“Well, what if he does? What would you say?” Khalia joined the conversation.

I felt a blush growing on my cheeks, “Well, if he wants a relationship…” He’d come up to me and say it. But who’ll want a relationship with me? That’s absurd. “No, he won’t.” I shook my head, “I seriously doubt it.”

Those two must’ve sensed my discomfort, so Sandro switched to another topic.

“Okay, so can you tell me where the heck are we?” he said, “We’ve been listening to every order you two give us, so can you at least tell us where we are?”

“Right!” I shoved all the negative thoughts away and started explaining what and where Borathea was.

It took me about five minutes to explain everything, and even when Alik returned, I still wasn’t finished… well, it was more like I had the questions.

“Wait, so… you guys have carriages that pull themselves but don’t require magic?” I breathed, “How… how is that possible?”

The corners of Sandro’s mouth twitched, “I never thought this day would come.”

“A day when you have to explain our world to an elf?” Khalia said.

“Yeah.” he nodded and turned back to me, “It’s… complicated. But we don’t use magic back on Earth. In fact, scientists have concluded decades ago that magic doesn’t exist.”

“Really?” But that’s no true! There is magic back in the Old Homeland! Loads of it, in fact. “Have you… ever considered the possibility that it’s because you can’t use magic?”

“Yeah, but there was never any evidence that supported magic existing in our world.” Khalia explained, “And I wish there were magic. It’d make life much more interesting.”

“So… how does that flying carriage work?” I asked. You said they don’t have wings, and they’re not alive, so how can they fly?

“We use something called science.” Sandro said, “Things like the Laws of Physics and chemistry are part of the reason why we’ve advanced so far since the Stone Age.”

“Science?” I tilted my head, curious, “What are the laws of physics? And what’s chemistry?”

“Do you guys have alchemy in this world?” Khalia asked.

I nodded, “Of course! We can turn metal into gold, and it was one of the biggest discoveries in our history.”

“Wow.” Sandro smiled, “You know, it’s strange. We did the exact same experiment centuries ago, but alchemists from our world never succeeded in turning metal into gold.”

“Well, it does involve a spell.” I admitted, “So, maybe that’s the reason why you never succeeded.” I perked up, “But, can you tell me about… guns, was that the name? It sounds like it’s a weapon that’s capable of channeling the power of thunder and lightning!”

Sandro laughed and Khalia gave me a look.

“Well, in a way, yeah, I guess.” he shrugged, “It’s super loud, but we’re starting to make new guns that are silent when you fire them. It’s hard to explain.” he said apologetically.

“No, it’s fine.” I held up a hand.

“And as for lightning… it doesn’t exactly electrocute the person. That’s what tasers are for. But it can kill a person with one shot if done properly.”

“So… is it like an arrow?”

“Yes, but guns are more efficient.” he said.

“Wow!” They sound so powerful! Maybe I should warn the council before we decide to march back and claim our old homeworld. Or maybe a peace treaty can be worked out? Sandro said that most countries have signed a pact that forbade them from using weapons of mass destruction. 

“But, I have a question for your guys’ world.” Sandro said.

“Go ahead.” I nodded.

“Are there really gods in this world?”

I glanced at Alik, who’s been so silent, I almost forgot he was here. “Alik, care to explain?” I gestured at our two companions.

He looked up from the twig he was fiddling with, “Gods?”

Sandro nodded and Khalia scooted closer to listen.

Alik sighed and looked up at the darkening sky, “To answer your question, yes, there are gods.”

“Cool, so… does Zeus really exists?” Sandro said excitedly.

“Zeus?” I frowned and looked at him, “What’s that?”

“Oh, he’s the Greek god of the sky and father of all gods.” he said, “What? There aren’t any Greek gods here?”

“No.” Alik shook his head, “Some creatures you consider ‘mythical’ reside here, yes, but not gods. The myths that you guys came up with centuries ago are still myths.”

“So, what type of gods are there here?” Sandro asked, glancing from me to Alik.

“They don’t have names.” Alik said, “And mortals here are smart enough not to give them names. They’re too powerful to be comprehended by the mortal mind. You humans say that you have gods that represent different aspects? Well, our gods don’t. They’re the ones keeping the our universe together.”

“Huh.” Sandro looked up at the sky, “So, like, if I shouted at them…?”

“Don’t expect an answer or a prophecy.” Alik finished for him.

The four of us went silent, but thoughts were coming and going through my brain like ships in a dock during harvest season. How should I tell them that it’s not safe for us to go back right now? I glanced at Alik. Hey, Alik? I reached out to him.

I didn’t have telepathy, but being a demon, he was able to sense thoughts if I purposefully projected them towards him. His eyes flickered up towards me. What? His voice echoed through my mind.

Do you really think it’s a good idea for us to march into their lands and claim back our homeworld?

Alik raised a brow. I was not aware of the Mystic Alliance planning a reclamation.

It’s just an idea. I mean, technically, it was our homeland. But then they took over, so I just don’t know how they would react if we suddenly revealed ourselves.

Why don’t you ask them? He gave a subtle nod towards Sandro and Khalia, who were staring at the fire.

They’re students, like me. They have no idea what their leaders are planning. 

Alik rested his head against the tree. But they’re still civilians from their world. They should know how their governing system works. They don’t sound like kids from a kingdom who suppresses ideas. 

I nodded and spoke aloud, “Hey, Sandro, Khalia?”

“Hm?” they looked up.

“I told you how your world is actually our ancestors’ homeland? And that the legend of the Old Homeland is actually true?”

“Yeah, so?” Sandro nodded.

“I…” How should I put this? “I don’t mean to sound hostile, but how do you think people from your world would react if we were to, say, try and reclaim our old homeland?” I asked.

Khalia frowned and Sandro blinked in surprise. “W-Well, I guess it depends on…” he shrugged, “how you approach it?”

“Are you planning on reclaiming it?” Khalia asked me.

I glanced at Alik, who replied, “No. And even if the legend is true, the Mystic Alliance won’t just charge into the unknown without preparations and knowing who they’re facing.”

“Okay, so here’s the thing.” Sandro leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, “If you guys are diplomatic about it, my guess is that we will agree to let you settle–”

“Wait,” Khalia interrupted him, “it’s not that simple.” she looked at him, “Project Mars is almost finished, but that doesn’t mean we’ll just start moving everyone to the next planet the moment their council makes a decision. There’ll definitely be complaints and arguments about it.”

“Yeah, but I’m trying to explain it to them as simply as possible, okay?” when Khalia sighed and sat back down, Sandro continued, “So, I think they’ll let you settle. But like Khalia said, we know there’ll be people who will be against it.” he sighed, “Now, if you attack, on the other hand, they will fight back. And I don’t know how advance your weapons are, but ours are pretty dangerous, so I would advise against it.”

“No, I’m sure the Mystic Alliance will avoid fighting at all costs.” I said, trying to remain optimistic, “And we understand that it’s been your home for a very long time too, so–”

I never got to finish my sentence, because right after the words came out of my mouth, we heard a huge explosion.

It must’ve been just a couple miles away, because I was able to see the smoke cloud from where I was lying. Its force was strong enough to knock over several trees, and different high pitched sounds were ringing in my ears right after the explosion happened. As I was lying on the ground, trying to comprehend what happened, I had a strange feeling of deja vù.

What just happened? I didn’t know how long I was on the ground for, but when I finally struggled to my hands and knees, I saw Sandro and Khalia lying on the ground, shocked. I turned to check on Alik, who was already on his feet.

“Alik?” my voice came out as a hoarse whisper, “What happened?”

His fists clenched and his eyes hardened, “The sons of bitches attacked the Valley.” he growled.

My head spun as I used a tree to pull myself to my feet. Who bombed the Valley? The demons? When I turned to look in the direction he was glaring at, my chest tightened. “Oh god…” was all I managed to whisper.

Billowing from behind the mountains were huge, dark clouds of smoke. Even from here, I was able to see the light of the fires and smell the burning wood. I saw small figures flying in the air, circling the valley that was going up in flames. No doubt they were the demons who planned this.

“Eloise.” Alik’s voice snapped me back to reality.

I tore my gaze away from the smoke, “Alik?” I said, my voice trembling.

His face was grim, “Shift into a roc. We’re leaving.” he opened his wings, “Forget about our bags. We have to get as far from here as possible.”

“B-But… there are people in there–”

“There’s no time for that!” he snapped, then in a heavier tone, he said quietly, “Nothing will save them now.”

I didn’t know if the tears welling up in my eyes were from the guilt of leaving dying people in the valley, trapped in flames, or from the smoke that was slowly starting to spread all across the forest. But I didn’t waste anymore time. I knelt down next to Sandro and Khalia, who were slowly recovering from their shock, and helped them to their feet.

“Hey, guys.” I said, trying to keep the shakiness out of my voice, “Listen, we have to–”

“What the fuck just happened?” Khalia’s voice rose with each word.

“Was that an explosion?” Sandro took one look at the burning valley and stumbled, “Holy–”

“Guys, listen, please!” I said. I can’t panic. Now’s not the time. “We need to get out of here. I’m going to shift into a roc and carry you two out, but you’ll have to trust me, okay?”

“A rock?” Khalia looked at me with wide eyes, “How would a rock help?”

I shifted into a roc and they both jumped back, screaming. I’m really sorry, but please just bear with it! I grabbed them with my two talons and took off into the sky, Alik following close behind me.

Once we reached the sky, Alik took the lead and flew towards Elentian territory, which was a hundred miles up north from where we were.

Sandro and Khalia were clutching onto my talons, and I tried my best to hold them tightly, but giving them enough space to breath at the same time.

I heard a sudden scream from behind us and I turned around to see who it was.

A demon was chasing after us with a girl in his arms. She wore similar clothing, so I automatically assumed that she was from Sandro and Khalia’s world. The demon had the same features as the demon that attacked us a couple of days ago, except this demon had a symbol tattooed onto his exposed chest. I wasn’t able to see what it depicted, but it looked like a pretty complex tattoo.

“Alik!” I tried saying, but it came out as a screech. Fortunately, Alik heard and looked over his shoulder. Once he saw the demon chasing us, he stopped and turned around, his red and gold halberd materializing in his hand.

No, Alik! We have to run! I pushed my thoughts towards him.

He won’t stop until he’s caught us, Eloise. He glanced at me. Go, I’ll be fine.

Alik, please, we just have to get to the Elentian border, and then–

He’s catching up, Eloise. So get out of here! I felt a magical barrier push me away from him. Don’t stop until you’ve passed the border.

The demon stopped a couple feet away from Alik. The girl in his arms had fainted out of shock, but he didn’t seem to care.

“You smell of Muraaz filth, karakzuur.” the demon snarled, “Who have you been talking to?”

Muraaz? I thought. What’s Muraaz? Why is he acting differently than the last demon we encountered?

“Eloise, I said: Get out of here.” Alik’s magical barrier pushed me again, harder this time.

“Tch.” the demon’s nostrils flared, “Fine, if you won’t answer,” he held out a claw at me, “give me the two mortals and I’ll leave you.”

Okay, that’s a first. I clutched onto Sandro and Khalia. He’s a bargaining demon? Maybe his intentions are different from the last demon we met.

“Eloise!” Alik snapped, “I said, go!”

I backed away slowly and the demon lowered his arm, “So be it.” He grabbed the girl by her neck and held her out. Two red and black chains reached out of thin air and shackled her wrists and ankles to an invisible force field.

Then, we heard a rippling sort of noise coming from above. We all looked up and saw a bright blue light shining through the dark clouds. Then, a huge metal object fell from the sky, falling straight at me.

“Eloise!” Alik roared.

I snapped back to my senses and swerved to the left just in time to avoid the huge rectangular object, but not in time to avoid a long scratch from the head of the thing. I let out a cry of pain as blood started trickling down my feathers.

“Jesus!” Sandro glanced down, “That was a freaking bullet train! What the hell is that doing here?”

More blue lights started appearing everywhere, and soon, we were flying through the air just to dodge the otherworldly objects. The demon cursed in another language and pointed at Alik, “This isn’t finished, karakzuur.” he snarled, and the girl he was holding captive was unshackled before he threw her over his shoulder and flew off in the direction of the burning Valley.

Alik seemed relieved to see the demon leave, but his eyes quickly darkened when a huge explosion happened in the forest below as a result of the sudden otherworldly objects’ appearances. “Eloise, come on.” he said and flew off towards the Elentian border, and we didn’t stop until dawn.

Chapter 4

I literally half shifted and crash landed near a river ten miles into the Elentian border, both mentally and physically exhausted. I had barely set Sandro and Khalia down before I let go of my shift and landed onto the hard, cold earth with a THUMP!

“Eloise.” Alik landed next to me, his raven black wings draping over my back, “You alright?”

I panted, barely able to keep my eyes open, “F-Fine…” I whispered, my muscles were burning with fatigue.

“What the hell was that light coming out of everywhere?” Khalia demanded.

“They were disturbances in the magical essence of Borathea.” Alik replied shortly, “Eloise, can you sit up?”

I gritted my teeth, my thoughts slipping in and out of my mind, “No.” I mumbled.

“You have a wound on your side, Eloise.” Alik tried to move my arm from the ground to take a better look.

“It’s fine…” I don’t feel anything anyways. I thought. I just wanna sleep. 

“Eloise.” he sighed and I felt his arms wrap around my shoulders and under my knees.

“Don’t…” I groaned, “You won’t be able to carry me anyway.”

“I’m a demon, Eloise. I can rip down walls if I wanted to.” he said in a reasonable tone.

I didn’t know if I replied or not, but the last thing I remembered was my mind slipping unconscious.

---

“Hey.” I felt someone shake my shoulder, “Hey, Eloise, wake up!”

I blinked open my eyes and felt the familiar warmth of the sun on my skin. Where am I? I thought, still collecting my thoughts as I sat up. But once I tried to, I felt a sharp pain on my side and hissed, lying back down.

“You’re still recovering.” I saw Khalia by my side, “Alik told us not to let you get up.”

I was shaking my head, “No, no, where am I? Where’s Alik? I’m fine.” I protested when she pushed me back down.

“He said we’re past the Elentian border, and he carried you for five hours. He would’ve carried you farther until we reached a city if Sandro and I didn’t insist on resting.” she rubbed her eyes and sighed, “I barely got any sleep.”

I flushed, “I-I’m sorry.” Somehow, I had the feeling that this was all my fault.

“Yeah, fine.” she looked to the woods surrounding us, “And to answer your second question, Alik took off somewhere. He said he was going to keep watch over this region, just in case some more of those demons came after us. And Sandro’s collecting firewood.”

“Oh.” I looked away, and there was a moment of silence before I thought I heard someone humming a upbeat tune. It was unfamiliar, and it didn’t sound like any style that I knew.

“That’s Sandro.” Khalia said when she saw my frown. “He… tends to sing a lot when he thinks he’s alone.” I could tell that she was trying to hide a smile.

“He likes singing?” I perked up. I liked singing as well, but I never really sung anything in front of everyone, mainly because I never had the courage to.

“What do you think?” Khalia raised a brow at me.

I suppressed a smile when his singing got louder and closer to us. He stopped when he emerged out from behind a shrub. He had a pile of twigs in his arms and pair of white things in his ears. They didn’t look like earrings, but he stopped singing once he pulled them out.

“Okay!” he huffed as he dropped the pile twigs and sticks onto the ground. “Done!”

“Seriously?” Khalia eyed the pile.

“What?” Sandro plopped down on a fallen tree.

“Even I know this isn’t enough to last us the night.” Khalia waved her hand at the sticks.

“Well, why don’t you go pick up twigs for an hour?” Sandro challenged.

Khalia glared at him, “I don’t want to.” she said haughtily and I chuckled at her forwardness.

“Geez, then don’t complain.” Sandro grumbled.

Another long stretch of silence. Then, I decided to speak up, “You have a great voice, Sandro.” I said, flushing. Why did I just say that? I’m so stupid! He’s going to think I’m some weird, creepy stalker type of girl.

He looked surprised and he looked up, “Oh, you heard that?” he smiled and lowered his eyes, “Thanks.”

Khalia made a gagging noise and I stifled a laugh.

“Do you sing?” Sandro asked me.

I hunched over, embarrassed, “Y-Yeah, I do.” I mumbled, feeling ashamed and not knowing why.

“Cool.” he saw me glancing at the two white things in his hands and held them up, “You’re wondering what these are?”

I nodded again, “Yeah.”

Sandro thought for a moment before coming over and sitting down next to me, “Here, put this in your ear.” he said, handing me one of them.

I took it tentatively and tried to push it into my ear, but it didn’t fit. Sandro chuckled, “The other one.”

I blushed and put it into the other ear, this time I was able to push it in, but not without feeling a bit awkward.

“Alright.” he pulled out a small disk smaller than his palm from his back pocket, “This is an Iphone 27.” he explained, showing it to me, “It’s… well, I can’t really explain what it is. It has a lot of stuff in it, like files, pictures, videos…” he trailed off when he saw my blank stare. I had no idea what he was talking about.

“You’re trying to tell a girl from a world of magic what an Iphone 27 is?” Khalia said, folding her arms.

“Well, yeah.” he said with some indignation. “It won’t hurt her to know. Anyways,” he turned back to me, “an Iphone is a special type of device that’s been around since the beginning of the 21st century. It’s like a mini computer.”

I blinked in confusion, and he stared at my for a moment before sighing, “Ah, well… just listen to it.” he pressed his thumb against the small disk and a bluish-green light suddenly lit up from the device. In the light was some sort of projection with 20 different square images with foreign words written in white below each one. Sandro tapped on one with a black symbol and the projection changed into a list written in the same foreign words as the previous projection had. He flicked his finger and the list scrolled down until he stopped. “Okay, you ready?” he looked at me and I frowned. For what? Then he pressed one of the sentences.

At first, there was nothing, but then, from my left ear, I heard a loud BOOM, as if someone were playing a drum right next to me. I jumped and almost bolted for the woods, but Sandro held up a hand to calm me down. I tried to relax as I heard a choir join in with the drums, and someone seemed to be speaking in a different language in the background. The music built up until a soloist took over. It was music, but… it definitely wasn’t the music I was used to. I was pretty sure my eyes were as wide as saucers when I listened to this strange music.

Khalia ducked to hide her smile, and Sandro looked at me, “Well?” he asked a couple seconds into the music.

I didn’t know what to say. I had too many questions. There’s no one here, but I can hear them as if they were playing right next to me. How is this possible? How does it work? I just gaped like a fish and Sandro laughed.

“It’s cool, isn’t it?” he tapped on a symbol next to the sentence and the music stopped abruptly, “Sorry if it startled you.”

“I-It’s fine.” I still didn’t know what to make of all this. I reached up to my ear and slowly took out the white object.

Sandro smiled, “They’re called Air Pods, and they’re connected to my Iphone.” he showed the disk in his hands, “You just listened to a song from an anime.”

“Anime?” I frowned.

“It’s…” Sandro tried to explain, but to no avail, so he scooted closer, “Here, I’ll show you.” he looked at Khalia to silently ask if she wanted to join us, but she shook her head.

“I don’t watch that stuff.” she said.

“Okay.” Sandro shrugged and the projection coming out of the disk went back to the squares. He pressed on a square that had a triangle in it and the projection went to another list, “Let’s see… oh, how about this one?” he tapped on one of the sentences and the projection went black. I frowned, but then gasped when someone’s voice came out of the disk. There were sentences in white appearing at the bottom of the projection, but I wasn’t able to read them.

“Uh, Sandro? I can’t read nor understand what they’re saying.”

“Oh, shoot!” he glanced at me, “Um… you mind if I translate?”

“Sure.” I nodded.

“Okay, so basically…” And that pretty much summed up what we did for the next hour or so.

---

We watched three “episodes” before Alik came back. But I didn’t notice until I heard Khalia say, “She’s watching anime with Sandro.”

I looked up and beamed, “Oh, Alik!” I tried to get up, but winced from the pain and sat back down. Sandro paused the episode and turned off his Iphone. “It’s so cool!”

“What is?” he asked, confused.

“Everything from the other world!” I said excitedly, “Sandro showed me what their music sounded like, and, like, their anime! I never knew drawn pictures can be turned to life!” I knew I sounded like an excited child, but I didn’t know how else to phrase what I just experienced.

“Right.” Alik blinked, and I knew he was confused, but he didn’t ask anymore questions as he sat down on a log. I felt kind of disappointed that he didn’t find all this exciting. Then again, it was Alik. Alik was almost never excited about anything.

“‘Right’.” I mimicked him and laughed when he shot me a glare. “But Alik, it’s so cool!”

“You said that already.” he said in a bored tone.

I grumbled, “Geez, you can at least act more excited.” And I turned back to Sandro, “Can we continue watching?”

“Yeah, sure.” he nodded.

We stayed there for another two hours before the sun started to set. Alik then told us to turn the device off because it’d be easier for demons to find us if we were blaring anime and music in the middle of the night.

“I’ll take the watch.” Alik told us, “All of you, get some sleep.”

“But, Alik,” I looked at him, “you’ve been watching the forest for hours. Don’t you think you should get some rest?”

“I’m fine.” he said in a dismissive tone.

“Hey, I may not be observant, but I know my best friend. You’re exhausted.” I pointed at him.

Alik gave me a long look before turning back around, facing the dark forest, “Go to sleep, Eloise.” was all he said.

I chewed the inside of my mouth and got up slowly, hissing from the pain. He looked over his shoulder, “What are you doing?”

I braced a hand on the log he was sitting on and sat down next to him, “I’m taking watch with you.” I said in a matter-of-factly tone.

“No, you’re sleeping.” he said, nodding at Sandro and Khalia, who were settling down next to the small fire.

“No,” I argued and poked him, “I’m taking watch with you. And nothing you do nor say will make me move from this spot.”

Alik raised a brow as if challenging me, but I ignored it and he sighed. “Fine. Whatever.” his halberd materialized in front of him and he started to pick at the handle with his fingernails.

“Can I hold it?” I asked him.

Alik blinked and handed it to me. Once I grabbed it and he let go, I yelped, “Whoa!” It was heavier than I thought. Way heavier. “Jesus, what’s this thing made of? Solid rock or something?”

“It’s made of Tainted Celestial Steel.” he said, “It was my weapon of choice as an angel, and once I was banished, the metal became tainted, making it Tainted Celestial Steel.”

“Your weapon of choice, eh?” I was barely able to lift it, “Does it have a name?”

“Once.” he replied and I handed it back to him, “But I can’t say it anymore. I’m forbidden to say it.”

“So, what? It’s nameless?” I asked.

Alik nodded and his halberd disappeared back into his little pocket of magic.

“Hm.” I leaned against his shoulder and yawned, “So, if your weapon of choice was the halberd, then if I give you a crossbow, would you suck at it?”

“I would be able to hit a branch from a mile away, but yes, I would suck at it.”

“Geez, you just had to add that in, didn’t you?” I poked him again, “Stop showing off.”

“I’m not.” he claimed.

“Yeah, you are.” I mumbled, “Normal mortals can’t do that. Heck, I don’t think anyone can see a branch from a mile away.”

“I’m a demon, Eloise.” he reminded me.

“I know.” I looked up at the stars, “But a good demon. That sounds so weird.” I replied to my own remark.

“Yes, it does.” he agreed.

After a moment of silence, I swallowed and said in a quieter voice, “Alik, why did they attack the Valley?”

He sighed, “I don’t know, Eloise. I can read mortal minds if I wanted to, but demons are too powerful for those things.”

“Well, they looked like they were after,” I lowered my voice, “them.” and I nodded at our two companions, “And the rest of their friends.”

“The demon that attacked us a week ago wanted souls from the other world.” Alik said, and I suspected he was thinking out loud, “Sandro and Khalia must be who he was referring to.”

“But…” I frowned, “is it just me, or did the demon from yesterday seem… different?”

Alik nodded, “Yes, the one who attacked us a week ago served the demon king of the south, Muraaz.”

“Wait, wait.” I held up a hand, “Muraaz? Demon king of the south? How the heck do you know all this?”

“I used to be an angel, Eloise. I fought in the wars. I know who the demon kings are.”

“Oh.” I nodded slowly, “Right, keep going.”

“Muraaz, the demon king of the south, has one enemy, and his name is Grakzuur of the North. They have been at war with each other since… long before you guys arrived on Borathea.”

“This was before the Eternal Guardians?” I whispered.

Alik nodded his head once, “Yes. Between their two territories on Borathea is the Bloody Desert, which is used as a battlefield for the two kings. Demons who serve Muraaz hate demons who serve Grakzuur, and vice versa.”

“So… you’re thinking that both Muraaz and Grakzuur want these people because…?” I let him continue the theory.

“Because they want to claim the Old Homeland for themselves.” he finished.

“You’re confirming that the Old Homeland exists, then?” I said.

Alik rubbed his eyes, “After these past few incidents, I’m sure that the Old Homeland exists.”

“But then, if that’s the case,” I breathed, “wouldn’t that mean that… the demons who are the first to overrun the Old Homeland would have a greater magic supply than anyone else?”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Alik said in a heavy voice, “If any of the demon kings get their hands on the greater continents of the Old Homeland, then we can forget about any chances of winning this thing.”

“Winning?” I echoed, “You think we’re at war right now?”

“By attacking the Valley, they’ve declared war on all of East Borathea.” he said to confirm my fears, “Now, it’s just a matter of whether we can find a way to seal the magical barrier before demons start sending their brethren to the other world.”

“But even then,” I whispered, “if we seal the barrier, wouldn’t we be locking ourselves up with two enemies who’ll kill us in a blink of an eye?”

Alik turned to face me, “Eloise,” his expression showed concern, “what…” he faltered when a tear escaped my eye. I quickly reached up to wipe it away, but more started sliding down my face.

“Sorry.” I said, my voice breaking, “I’m just…” Why am I crying? It’s just a possibility. Nothing is set in stone just yet, so why am I so scared? 

He didn’t say a word, but he held out his arms and I leaned into him, trying to control my emotions. “I’m sorry.” was all I was able to say.

“It’s alright.” Alik said in a gentler tone, “I get that you’re scared, but we can’t lose hope. It’s too early for that.”

I rarely saw this side of Alik. Usually it only showed if I was really upset or sad about something, but I liked it when he showed this side of him. It told me that, underneath that cold and hard shell, was a close friend who never turned away from me.

“Right.” I hiccuped and pulled away, drying my eyes, “I-I need to focus.” I slapped my hands against my cheeks and squished my face a couple of times before taking a deep breath, “Once we get to the Sharath Castle, we need to show them the Yin Hua Guild’s request.” my voice trembled when I said the guild’s name, but Alik gave my hand a gentle squeeze and I continued, “And they’ll summon all members of the Mystic Alliance. Then… our job is finished.” But I didn’t like to leave Sandro and Khalia in the hands of the council. I knew that, after all they’ve been through, the last thing they’d want would to be stuck with a bunch of leaders who discuss politics and war. And I’ve developed a relationship with both of them, so to say that I’d drop them off and leave without another word would be a lie.

“I doubt it’ll be that easy.” Alik said.

“Well, yeah, but what else would they have us do?” I asked, looking into his amethyst eyes.

“If they decide to fight back,” Alik heaved another sigh, “it’ll become way more complicated.”

“You really think we’d be called to arms?” I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. I really had to stop crying whenever war was mentioned.

“You’re still a student, so you won’t be.” he said, and he went silent after that, but we both knew what he actually meant.

“Alik, they can’t–”

“Yes, they can, and they will.” he closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“They can’t force you.” I insisted.

“Eloise, I’m a demon.” he said through gritted teeth, letting some of his built up stress slip out, “When they find out, they’ll put me in the front lines without a second thought. They’ll think that having a powerful creature by their side would turn the tide of war.”

“Would it?” But I already knew the answer.

“What do you think?” he asked back.

I pursed my lips and touched his arm, “Alik…” But what can I say? He was a billion year old demon who’s seen more wars than anyone can keep track of. I knew he probably didn’t need comforting, but just by looking at the stress and anger on his face made me tempted to say something, anything that might help in any way.

“I’ll be fine, Eloise.” there he goes to putting on his emotionless face, “I’ve survived more wars than I can count. If a war comes, I’ll survive.”

“But…” I faltered when he shot me a glare that told me not to press it.

“Go to bed now, Eloise.” he said, turning away, the exhaustion and stress obvious in his voice, “You need it.”

You need it more than I do. I thought, and pushed it towards him, but if he heard me, he didn’t show it, so I sighed and winced as I stood up. “Goodnight, Alik.” I whispered, reaching out to touch his shoulder before lying down on the cold, hard forest floor. I shivered from the cold, but we had no choice but to sleep without blankets, since we left our bags near the Valley.

Just before I fell asleep, though, I saw Alik, his shoulders shaking and face buried in his hands. And the pain in my chest was still there when I woke up the next day.

---

“Eloise, wake up.” I heard Alik say my name and I felt a warm hand shaking my shoulder.

“Five more minutes.” I muttered and reached out to grab onto his arm.

“Eloise, what are you–” he stopped when I wrapped my arms around his forearm, cuddling it like a stuffed animal.

“Mm, it’s warm.” I mumbled. After a night of sleeping in the cold forest, I longed for something warm to hold onto.

I heard him sigh and tug his arm away, “It’s time to get up.” he said.

“Oh, fine” I made myself sit up groggily. “Ow.” I winced and clutched at my side when a sore pain came from my rib cage.

“Watch it.” Alik said to me while waking the other two, “Don’t reopen it.”

“I won’t.” I yawned and looked around, “So, breakfast?” I chirped.

“Get up.” Alik said to Sandro and Khalia, who were groaning and rubbing their eyes. Then he stood up and walked back to me, “We have to wait until we get to the Sharath Castle.”

“Aw, man!” I heard my stomach rumble and I tried to ignore it, “This is literally the worst camping trip ever.”

“It’s not a camping trip, Eloise.” he kicked dirt over the fire to smother what was left of the embers, “Can you shift?”

“Yeah, I just need to be careful not to bump anything.” I said.

“The castle’s only a couple miles from here. We should make it in a few minutes.”

“Mm, good.” Sandro joined the conversation, “Because once we get there, I’m taking a nice long bath before sleeping for twelve hours.”

“Same.” Khalia groaned.

“You two can bathe and sleep after we convince the High Elven Council to listen to and consider the Yin Hua Guild’s request.” Alik said.

“Man, give us a break, will you?” Sandro stretched his legs and arms, “We were stuck in prison, dragged out by her,” he pointed at me, “witnessed the bombing of the Valley, attacked by a demon, she was hit by a bullet train, and we just slept on the freaking forest floor.”

“And you two were talking last night.” Khalia added.

“Yeah, so, can we take things a little slower?”

Alik and I looked at each other before looking back at them.

“I’m really sorry.” I said, “But… we have to to report to the High Council. We have to make sure no one gets hurt, and that everyone knows what’s going on.” And I had a feeling that it wouldn’t end with the Mystic Alliance.

“If you want to get this over with, we need to go.” Alik said and his wings shot out. Khalia and Sandro jumped at the sudden act. “Eloise, come on.”

I shifted into a roc, my muscles still sore from keeping up this form for so long. Then I picked Sandro and Khalia up before joining Alik in the air and heading towards the Sharath castle.

---

We had to fly over a mountain range. But once we past that, the silver castle of Sharath came into view. It had seven towers, the one in the center being the tallest, and six surrounding the center tower. The stone walls were white cobblestone, and the rooftiles were painted gray and blue. From a distance, it looked silver, but as we got closer, the castle started to look whiter than silver.

Once we landed, the guards at the front doors tensed up, their weapons at the ready. Alik’s wings gave away the fact that he was a demon, but I was more concerned about getting into the castle right now.

“We have a request from the Yin Hua Guild.” I said once I shifted back into my elven form. “Please, we must see the High Council.”

“The Dragon-Phoenix Valley was attacked two days ago.” one guard snapped, “You couldn’t have gotten a request from the guild.” his eyes went back to Alik.

I pulled out the puzzle box and opened it in a couple movements. I pulled out the scroll and handed it to the guard, “Read this. It’s from the guild master himself.”

The guard’s partner leaned over his shoulder to read it. Once they both finished, they looked at the four of us and signaled at the patrolling guards on the wall, “Open the gates!” he shouted and handed back the scroll.

“Thank you.” I nodded at them, “Come on, guys.” I said to Khalia and Sandro as we entered the castle.

Once we entered the castle’s courtyard, we were greeted by another guard, who we explained the situation to. He escorted us into the castle’s throne room, where there stood 7 thrones, one for each council member. They were empty, but the guard told us to wait twenty paces away from the thrones while he went to look for the council members who resided in the castle.

Once we were alone, Khalia spoke up, “Do you know what type of questions would be asked?”

I shook my head, “No, sorry.” I paused, then added, “If it makes you guys feel better, I can stay here.” I looked at my friend, “Alik?”

He shook his head, “No, I need to go do something after this.”

“What?” I blinked in surprise, “You never told me. What, you work for someone now?” I said sarcastically.

“Don’t worry about it, Eloise.” he said dismissively, “Stay here with Sandro and Khalia during the questioning. I’ll be back in a day.”

I nodded, “Okay.” I said, not bothering to hide my reluctance. You need rest, Alik. I couldn’t help but think. You’re stressed and angry, and it’s not good for you, even when you’re a billion year old demon. 

“Would they throw us in a dungeon again?” Sandro asked.

“I’ll make sure they don’t.” I promised.

We stood there, waiting, for ten minutes or so. I was starting to get jumpy and nervous. What if I mess up my speech? Why can’t they hurry it up? If I don’t get this over with soon, I know I’m going to freak when I see them! 

“Eloise, stand still.” Alik scolded.

“Well, I’m sorry.” I said, throwing up my arms, “But it’s not every day I need to speak to the most important people in Elentia.”

“I’ll say it, if you really don’t want to.” Alik said, reaching out for the scroll, but I kept it out of his reach.

“No! Shira entrusted me with this.” I said, then in a quieter voice, “It’s the least I can do to honor her.”

Alik pulled back his hand and nodded, “Very well, then.”

We moped around for another ten minutes before the doors behind the seven thrones opened.

Finally! I thought.

“… so, I demand an explanation!” one man was yelling.

“Lord Gaelroth!” a middle aged woman snapped, “Guard your tongue. You may be his royal majesty’s right hand man, but I am his cousin. I will not have you speak to him like that!”

“Can, like, both of you just chillax?” a third voice asked. He was far younger than the other two council members, and once they emerged from behind the thrones, I recognized him as the king of Elentia, King Eldrik.

King Eldrik, to my surprise, was wearing what looked to be night clothes. But even his night clothes were fancier than what most people can afford. They were white and gold, and they fit loosely on his body. The top three buttons of his shirt were also unbuttoned, showing off a part of his well toned skin. His hair was black, long, and tied up in a ponytail.

The woman by his side must’ve been the woman who claimed to be his cousin. She was at least several years older than him, and unlike the king, she wore an elegant green and silver gown. Her black hair was done in a tight bun, and on her satin sash was a silver pin with a green and blue rose, symbolizing her position in the royal family. Silver pins were given to the second child of the previous generation, and the rose was always for the first child of that family.

The man who was yelling at King Eldrik had a heavy looking cape draped over his shoulders, and his entire body was clad in silver armor. He had a huge long sword hanging from his belt, and hanging from his neck was a long necklace with the Elentian insignia engraved in the gold pendant. Judging by his outfit, he must’ve represented the Western region, where half of the Elentian army came from.

When the three of them saw us, their eyes went instantly to Sandro and Khalia. The guard who escorted them here whispered to the woman, who paled.

“Your majesty,” she tapped his shoulder, “they’re…” I didn’t hear the rest, because she leaned over and murmured the rest into his ear.

When she finished, the king grinned, “Seriously?”

That was definitely not the reaction his two council members were expecting. The king took his time to walk up to his throne in the center of the room and sat down, crossing one ankle over his knee.

Alik nudged me and I snapped back to my senses. “R-right.” I mumbled and knelt down, “Your majesty.” I bowed my head, and Alik did the same. Sandro seemed confused at first, but did the same.

Khalia, though, looked at the king, her back straight and her chin up.

He raised an eyebrow, “It’ll do you good to do the same as your friends.” he waved at the three of us.

I glanced at her, “Khalia, he’s the king!” I whispered urgently. I don’t recall a time when the king executed someone for not showing respect, but you never know what they’ll do! 

“I don’t know him.” Khalia kept her eyes fixed on the lazy looking elf, “So why should I?”

“How dare you–” the woman started standing up from her throne, but the king held up a hand.

“Relax, Merelda.” he said and sat up, his eyes glimmering with amusement, “There’s no harm done, and she’s right. She doesn’t know me.”

The woman sat back down and sighed, glaring at Khalia, who returned it.

“Rise.” the king said to the rest of us and we did. I was flushing out of embarrassment. “So, whaddya got for me?” he clapped his hands together and rubbed them, “Runaways from another realm? Or an unexplained vortex that swaps citizens from either side?”

I never expected the king to act like this, so it took me a while to take in his question, “N-No, sire.” I stammered and showed him the scroll, “The Valley was attacked, but right before it happened, I was summoned to the Yin Hua Guild.”

“Wait, seriously?” he uncrossed his legs, “I thought only Valley citizens were allowed to join that guild. Hell, even I can barely get anything out of their emperor.”

I blinked, “Right, um…” I approached the thrones, but a guard stepped in front of me, gripping his weapon. Alik’s hand wrapped around my arm instinctively, and from the corner of my eye, I saw his halberd start to materialize in his hand.

“Hey, hey, back off!” the king snapped his fingers at the guard like he was a dog, “Seriously, what is it with you guys and ordinary people approaching me?” he muttered and rolled his eyes.

I eyed the guard, who kept his eyes on me, and looked back at the king, “Your majesty, this is a request written by the emperor himself.” I held it up with both hands and he took it.

“Alrighty, then. Since I’m obligated to read this.” he unrolled it and scanned the paper. He blinked and handed it to the woman next to him, “It’s a request for aid. Isn’t it kind of late for that?”

“Yes, but there’s also a description of the strange occurrences that have been happening there in the past few months.”

He nodded, “I know. I can read.”

I frowned, confused by his reaction, “Um, so…” I didn’t know what to say. “Aren’t you going to do anything about it?”

“Well, what do you want me to do?” he asked, propping his head up with an elbow.

I certainly wasn’t expecting this, and I glanced back at Alik, who was staring at me.

“Looking at your demon friend doesn’t answer my question.” the king said.

I flushed, “I thought maybe you could assemble the Mystic Council? Maybe… discuss what’s been going on and figure out what you guys can do about everything?”

“The Mystic Council only assembles once every thousand years, little girl.” the man besides the king finally spoke up, “We don’t intend to summon every member in East Borathea for something like this.”

I blinked, and from the bottom of my heart, I felt a hint of annoyance, “With all due respect, your majesty,” I turned back to the king, “the Valley was attacked by demons. From Beyond the Trench. Demons haven’t attacked any part of East Borathea for thousands of years, but just the other day, they did. On the Valley. The one place where the occurrences were taking place!”

“And you’re saying that these occurrences and the attack are connected?” the king asked.

I nodded, “Yes.”

King Eldrik considered it for a moment, then leaned back in his throne, “Prove it.”

My jaw dropped. I would’ve understood it if they were reluctant to send people in against the demons, but they were discussing this like it was just another day in Elentia.

“Two demons attacked us in the past few days, your majesty.” Alik stepped up from behind me, and I felt my shoulders relax with relief. Thanks, Alik. I pushed the thought to him to thank him for his support. “The first demon revealed his plans to us because he thought he would kill us both.”

“And you killed him?” when Alik nodded, the king chuckled, “Wow. Some demon he was.”

“And the second one had followed us right after we left the Valley. It broke off from the rest of his group while they were attacking the Valley to pursue us.” Alik said.

“They wanted Sandro and Khalia.” I added, pointing at our two companions.

“And by the looks of it, they aren’t elves?” the king turned his head to look at them, “Or any creature from Borathea for that matter?”

“We’re humans.” Sandro said. “From Earth.”

“The demon who pursued us wanted them.” I continued, “And we also have reason to believe that there are two groups of demons, and both sides are fighting to collect more people from the other world.”

“And why is that?” the king asked us.

I shook my head, “I don’t know.”

“So, wait, let me get this straight.” the king sat up, “You’re saying that there are two groups of demons who are both fighting to get more of these so called humans–”

“Don’t speak as if we’re not here.” Khalia snapped.

“Hey, hey, relax, will ya?” the king smiled and Khalia rolled her eyes. “Anyway, and they bombed the Valley to take them away?”

“Yes.”

“And have you figured out their motive?”

“We didn’t need to.” Alik said, “The first demon said they wanted to take over the other realm.”

“What?” Khalia and Sandro both exclaimed.

But Alik ignored them and continued, “They had sensed the rip in the sealing enchantment, and knew that, soon, Borathea’s veiling spell will wear off.”

“Hang on.” King Eldrik made the “pause” signal with his hands, “You sound sure of yourself, mister demon. Are you confirming the legend of the Old Homeland?”

Alik held his head high and nodded, “Yes, sire.”

“Wow.” the king sighed, “That’s deep. This is getting complicated.” he waved his hand and rubbed his temples, “Go on.”

“I believe that the Old Homeland is true because I can’t think of any other reason why the demons would choose to attack now. We are nowhere near weak, and they know better than anyone else that we will put up a fight. It won’t stop them,” he admitted, “but the demons are impatient creatures, and they’ll grow annoyed with our conquests if they attacked now. So, if the Old Homeland is real, then it’s also true that it has a bigger supply of magical energy. And since these humans,” he waved at Khalia and Sandro, “can’t use this magical energy, the magical essence in the Old Homeland would have been untouched for the past billion years. That’s a lot of magical energy, and extremely dangerous if either of the demon kings get their hands on it.”

After a moment of silence, the king held up a hand like he was in class, “Question,” he said, “how do you know humans can’t use magic?”

Alik and I both glanced at Sandro and Khalia, who looked surprised.

“Uh, well–” Sandro stuttered, but Khalia cut in first.

“Scientists from our world have proven that magic doesn’t exist.”

“No offense, but that’s a pretty obnoxious declaration.” the king said.

“Well, excuse us for not being able to use magic.” Sandro muttered.

Khalia ignored him, “So we use science instead.”

“Huh, interesting.” the king tapped his chin. “And one more question: If you’re so convinced that we won’t be able to stop these demons, why should we assemble the Mystic Council?”

“Would you give up on your people so easily, sire?” Alik asked quietly.

King Eldrik laughed, “You make a good point.” he pointed at Alik, “I like you.”

My friend’s face remained blank.

“So, will you assemble the Mystic Council?” I asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

King Eldrik gave us a long look before folding his arms, “Alright, I’ll do it. But number one: I will not say a single word. Once the council meets, you’re on your own. And two: You officially owe me a favor now!” he sounded more excited about the second condition.

“I-I…” I stuttered. Come on, Eloise. You have to say yes! You owe it to all the restless spirits in the Valley. Who will fight for them if you won’t? “Deal.” I said in a determined voice.

The king grinned, “Alright, then it’s settled!” he snapped his fingers at the woman next to him, “Merelda, get the Arcane Fire ready.” he ordered.

She didn’t look happy, but she stood up and bowed to the king, “Yes, sire.” she said quietly and left without another word.

“Gaelroth, you…” the king chewed the inside of his mouth before waving his hand dismissively, “Eh, you can just stay here.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, sire?” he snapped indignantly.

“Exactly what it sounds.” King Eldrik stood up and yawned, “I’m going back to bed. Hey, guard, show them their rooms.” King Eldrik started towards the door, then turned around and pointed at Khalia, “Khalia, right?”

She pointed at herself, then her eyes hardened, “What do you want?”

He wasn’t fazed by her harsh tone. Instead, he smirked, “I’m officially inviting you to dinner. Be there.” he winked and spun around on his heels, leaving for real this time.

I gaped at Khalia, who looked just as stunned as I was.

“Did he just…” I pointed after him.

“No, he didn’t.” she shook her head, “Like hell I’m going with him.”

Sandro grinned and nudged her teasingly, “He likes you.”

“Shut up, Sandro.” she rolled her eyes.

The guard beckoned for us to follow him. I turned around, “Alik, make sure to come back tomorrow, okay?”

Alik nodded, “I will.” he said and headed towards the front doors.

Sandro, Khalia, and I followed the guard down a secluded hallway. And during the entire trip to our bedrooms, Sandro was laughing at Khalia.

“I can’t believe he had the guts to say that.” Sandro chuckled.

“You know, I think you should go with him to dinner.” I suggested, joining the conversation, “To give him a chance.”

“He’s an arrogant and uptight king whom I don’t give a fuck about.” she snapped, “Why should I?”

The guard’s head snapped back, and I mouthed an apology to prevent any fighting. He clenched his jaw and looked back at the hallway that stretched before us.

“Khalia, don’t insult the king.” I said pleadingly, “I know you guys may not have a reason to respect him, but he’s done a lot for us, and I would really appreciate it if you guys kept your ill remarks to yourselves.”

“Yeah, Khalia!” Sandro said, nodding.

Khalia snorted and rolled her eyes, “Well, there’s no way that I’m going to eat with the king.”

“Well, at least show up and decline politely.” I suggested, trying my hardest not to get on her bad side, “Just to be nice.”

“Uh, in case you haven’t noticed,” Sandro leaned over and pointed at Khalia, “She isn’t exactly your typical nice girl.”

“I can be nice if I wanted to.” Khalia said, putting a hand on her chest as if she was offended, but I saw a hint of a smile on her lips, “It’s just your stupidity that makes it really hard for me to show my good side.”

“My stupidity?” Sandro let out a short laugh, “Have I done anything in the past to piss you off?”

“You copied my homework for Trig.” Trig? “And you never study for history tests.”

“I have better things to do.” Sandro defended himself.

“But it’s freaking history!” Khalia waved her hands in front of her and looked at Sandro, “You don’t even need to study for it. Just look at the textbook, and boom! You got it!”

“May I remind you that not everyone is a history freak like you?” he pointed out.

“I’m not a history freak.” she muttered.

“Yeah, like hell you aren’t!” Sandro said sarcastically, “Who memorizes the entire first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence? For fun!” he added when Khalia opened her mouth.

“It’s not that hard.” she shook her head.

“That’s ’cause you have, like, a freaking 5.0 GPA.” he said, looking at me like he couldn’t believe her.

But I had no clue as to what they were talking about, so I just smiled and listened silently.

“Well,” she chuckled and flipped her hair, which I had to flinch back from to dodge, “I can’t say anything about that.”

“See?” Sandro pointed at her accusingly and looked at me, “Not your typical nice girl! She’s full of herself!”

“You brag about how long your–” she cut herself off and waved at his pants, “thing is.” she finished. I choked on my own saliva and covered my mouth to hide the grin. Khalia smirked, her eyes shining with satisfaction.

Sandro’s eyes widened and his face was flushed deep crimson, “What the fuck…” he ran a hand through his hair and looked away, “No I don’t.” he mumbled.

“Yeah, right. All guys from our school does the same thing.” she told me and I muffled a giggle.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s crazy.” Sandro said to me and I laughed some more.

After a moment of cackling from Khalia and flushing from Sandro, he changed the subject, “So, like, what do you guys do here? Do you go to school too?”

I nodded, “Yes, but we don’t learn… trig.” I didn’t even know what that was, “And… our history’s really different from your guys’.”

“So, no English, science…” he trailed off when I shook my head.

“No, we do study Borathean and all its different texts, but no science.”

“Wait, so you guys know what science is?” Khalia asked me.

I nodded, “Of course! But… you guys refer to science as ‘chemistry’ and ‘laws of… psychics’?” I frowned. That didn’t sound right.

“Law of Psychics.” Sandro laughed, “If only. But yeah, we do.”

“Well, the ones who studied this ‘science’ have proclaimed long ago that it’s inaccurate.”

“Wait, seriously?” Khalia said, frowning.

“Yep!” I nodded, “Science around here can be contradicted with magic. That’s literally what the definition of magic is: A force that contradicts the natural laws of science.” when I saw their confused faces, I explained, “So, if we drop a rock onto the ground, we can always apply magic to the rock and make it float. But for you guys, I’m pretty sure it just falls, right?”

Sandro raised a brow, “It’s Newton’s Law, but yeah.”

“Newton?” I blinked and shook my head, “Anyways, yes, magic contradicts everything the natural laws of science says, so even if we wrote all this down and did experiments to prove them, it would be a waste of effort because magic, something we use every day, can change those laws. And what’s the point of writing down a law if it’s going to be changed in infinite ways, right?”

Sandro and Khalia nodded slowly, as if digesting what I just told them. I never thought I’d ever have to explain the properties of magic to someone. But then again, I’d have never expected the legend of the Old Homeland to be true.

“So… you guys learn the art of fighting?” Sandro asked.

“If you want.” I shrugged, “Usually, in your first few years of school, there are only a couple of options a student can choose from, and they’re all under one field: the study and practice of magic. Then, as you continue school over the years, the things your classes cover will get more complicated and detailed. So, if you wanted to be a telepath, you could choose a class that’ll cover how to channel your magic into something useful as a telepath or learn how the brain works. Either way, you can still become a telepath.”

“Is a telepath actually a profession?” Khalia sounded like she didn’t believe any of this stuff.

“It used to be, but not so much anymore.” I admitted, “Telepaths were useful back in the old days, when they’ll use them to interrogate prisoners of war. Now that there isn’t any war,” at least no yet, “telepathy is usually something that people study for fun.”

“So, like music?” Khalia said.

“Hey!” Sandro looked at her, “Being a musician is a profession! What do you think I’m becoming?”

“An uptight, snobby, self centered brat who thinks he looks hot?” Khalia said and I covered my mouth just as a laugh slipped through.

Sandro grinned, “Take the uptight, snobby, and self centered brat part away, and you’ll have the most accurate description of me, Sandro Castele.” he said.

“Haha.” Khalia snorted and looked at me, “You see what I mean when I say he’s uptight, snobby, and self centered?”

I nodded, unable to suppress my smile, “Yeah.”

The guard, who’s remained silent up until right then, stopped in front of a set of brown, wooden double doors with golden handles and knockers. He turned to us, “This’ll be your room.”

We glanced at each other before Sandro pointed at himself, then at the two of us, “Wait, for me, or for them, or…?”

“All of you.” the guard replied.

“What?” the three of us exclaimed.

“No way in hell am I staying with this lunatic!” Khalia said and pointed at Sandro.

“Same!” Sandro nodded, “Aren’t there anymore guest rooms? I mean, this is a castle! There must be something–”

“His majesty doesn’t like having guests in his home, so when he redesigned this place, he made sure he only had, at most, three guest rooms. Two are for Lord Gaelroth and Lady Merelda, so the last one is for the three of you.” the guard started to take his leave, but Khalia wasn’t finished.

“Hold on a second!” she snapped, “You can’t honestly expect us to stay in the same room!”

“I can.” the guard corrected her, “And that’s your problem, not mine.” he said and left without another word.

The three of us stared as he left, then I opened the door to see if the king had designed these rooms with only one bed.

“Hell, no, I’m not sharing a bed with you.” Sandro held up his hands and shook his head.

“Good, because you aren’t.” Khalia muttered and walked into the bedroom, “You’re sleeping on the floor. I can get the bed.”

“Excuse me? No way!”

“You are excused. And yes way.” Khalia surveyed the room before sighing, “I can’t believe this…”

I wanted to sleep on the bed too, but I didn’t want to end up in an argument and take sides, so I just silently walked towards the couch and sat down, exhausted.

“I just spent days in a cell and sleeping on a freaking forest floor!” Sandro said angrily, “So I’m taking the bed!”

Khalia rolled her eyes, “In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve gone through the exact same thing!”

“You know what?” Sandro threw up his arms, exasperated, “I’m tired and I’m fucking losing it, so I’ll stay on my side if you promise to stay on yours.” he collapsed onto the bed and curled up on the edge.

“No, get off!” Khalia grabbed his arm.

I stood up, sick and tired of having to hear this while I was trying to have some peace and quiet. “Both of you, shut up!” I yelled out the last part.

Their heads snapped towards me, and for a moment, I saw surprise in their eyes. I almost never lost my temper like this, but right now, I was tired and cranky, and all I wanted was to sleep. I’m sure they did too, so I decided to take it upon myself and tell everyone to settle down so we can take a decent nap.

“Listen, I don’t care what type of history you two have.” I took a deep breath to calm myself, “But right now, we’re all exhausted, and fighting won’t change that, in fact, it’ll make it worse. So why don’t we each do ourselves a favor and stop squabbling like a couple of five year olds?” I pointed at the bed, “Sandro, you get the right side, and Khalia, you can take the left. I’ll sleep on the couch, and there’ll be no more complaints for the rest of the day, do you understand?” I was out of breath by the time I finished my speech.

“But–” Khalia started saying, but I cut her off with a glare. I wasn’t normally like this, in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever lost it like this before, but I was sick of hearing them fight, and I thought we can talk this out after a good, long rest.

“Just go to sleep, guys.” I said, my voice wearier than before, “None of us have to energy to fight over this anyway.”

I turned around and collapsed onto the couch, and just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard Khalia and Sandro get into bed without another word.

---

When I woke up, I wasn’t able to tell what time it was. I heard the steady breathing of my companions and was reminded of where I was and why. I tried going back to sleep, but after two unsuccessful attempts, I sat up slowly and yawned.

Well, at least I got a long rest. I thought to myself, my mind clearer than before. I hope Alik gets back soon. 

I didn’t know what to do, and I didn’t want to go exploring through the castle without permission, so I just sat there and stared at the wall for what seemed to be hours.

Then, after an eternity of contemplating on the couch, I stood up and opened the door to take a peek out the windows in the hallway.

“Shoot!” I screamed in a whisper, “Khalia! Khalia!” It’s freaking sunset! It’s dinner time! “Khalia, wake up!” I shook her shoulder.

She groaned softly, “Go away.” she muttered and turned around.

“Dude, you have dinner, remember? With the king?”

She opened her eyes groggily and glared at me through her drooping eyes, “So what?” she grumbled annoyingly.

“So what?” I repeated, freaking out, “You need to show up! Get up, now! Hurry!” I practically hauled her out of bed and shoved her towards the door, “You can’t be late! He’s the king!”

“Dude, what’s with the commotion?” Sandro snapped, propping himself up with his elbows.

“Khalia has dinner with the king!” I said, freaking out, “Hurry, let’s go!” I dragged her out of the room and down the hallway.

“I’m not eating with him!” she yanked her wrist away.

“But you have to!” I protested.

“No!” she whined, shaking her head, “I don’t want to eat with him! Besides, none of the food he puts there would appeal to me anyway.”

“Wait, seriously?” I gaped at her, “The royal family gets the best food in Elentia! I’m sure that–”

“Ugh…” she stuck out her tongue like she just tasted something disgusting, “I don’t like food in general.”

“Huh?” my voice went up a couple of octaves, “No way!” How can someone not like food? I get that some foods aren’t as delicious as others, but she must have something that she likes. “You serious?”

“I like cauliflower.” she said.

“C-Cauliflower?” I wasn’t sure I heard her right. Who likes cauliflower? It doesn’t taste like anything! In fact, there’s no taste at all!

“It’s bland.” she explained.

“You… oh my god.” I started laughing, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“What?” Khalia folded her arms, “I like it! It has no flavor!”

“That’s exactly it!” I clutched my stomach as I laughed, “It might as well not be a food!”

“It is a food!” Khalia argued, but I saw a smile slowly spreading across her face.

“Why the heck are you guys arguing about cauliflower in the middle of the hallway?” Sandro muttered as he stepped out of our bedroom, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Sandro, tell her that cauliflower isn’t a food!” I said, pointing at Khalia.

“What?” she tugged at the roots of her hair, “It is!”

“Imma side with Eloise on this one, Khalia.” Sandro said, “Cauliflower doesn’t really have a taste.”

“Of course you’ll side with her.” she rolled her eyes.

“Excuse me?”

The three of us turned around and saw a man dressed in servant clothes. He looked at the three of us, “Which one of you is Miss Khalia?”

“Her.” Sandro and I both pointed at Khalia just as she said, “Me.”

“Miss Khalia, his royal majesty asked me to escort you to the dining hall.”

“Oh, no way.” she started to turn away, but Sandro and I caught her.

“Yes way, Miss Khalia.” Sandro grinned, “Go on! Your king boyfriend is waiting for you!”

“Sandro, I’m going to deal with you later.” she pointed at him threateningly, but he just laughed it off.

“Um, if you will, miss–”

“No, I’m not going!” Khalia interrupted the poor man, “He doesn’t tell me what to do and what not to do!”

“Um, he is technically the king–” I tried saying, and the man looked relieved that someone was on his side, but Khalia cut me off.

“He can be a god for all I care, but no way in hell am I eating with that arrogant–”

“Arrogant, you say?” a smooth voice said from behind us.

We all spun around and saw none other than his majesty, the king, standing with his hands in his pockets behind us. He had changed out of his nightclothes, and he looked like he was ready to attend a gala. He smirked at Khalia, “I knew you’d put up a fight, so I followed him here.” he said when he saw our confused and shocked faces.

“I’m so sorry, your majesty, please, forgive me–” the servant started rambling, but the king waved a hand at him.

“Go. You’re dismissed.” he said, keeping his eyes on her. The servant scrambled off, leaving the three of us with the king.

“Like I said, I’m not going.” she snapped when she finally found her voice.

“Aw, please?” he bit his lip and pouted, but I saw amusement glimmering his eyes.

“No!” she said firmly.

“But dinner would be boring as hell without you.” he made his eyes big and pleading.

“I’m sure hell is anything but boring.” Khalia shot back, “Besides, don’t you have other girls to annoy?”

“Nope.” he beamed, “Just you.”

I stifled a giggle and Sandro looked away, the corner of his mouth twitching. Our king really likes her, doesn’t he? I thought to myself.

“Well, bother Sandro or something.” Khalia nodded at Sandro, who raised a brow.

The king glanced at him, “He’s not my type, sorry.”

He’s completely shameless. I thought. Wow. Now, that’s something you don’t normally see. 

“No offense taken.” Sandro replied.

“Just one dinner?” the king asked, “I’ll buy you something!”

“What?” she rolled her eyes.

The king looked at us for an answer and I blurted out, “A book?”

Khalia’s eyes snapped to me, then she looked at the king. King Eldrik blinked, “A book?” he crossed his chest, “Sure, I’ll get you a book.”

“I want 3.” she pressed.

I gaped at her. Part of me cheered for her because she was so brave, but the other half of me was screaming at her not to bargain with the king.

But to my surprise, the king nodded, “Sure!” he grinned, “I’ll even let you choose.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Khalia looked like she was going to be sick as the king came over and put a hand on her back.

“Shall we?”

“Get your hand off me.” she shrugged him off and walked down the hall.

The king just laughed and waved at us as he followed her. Sandro called out, “Have fun!” and Khalia flipped him the finger, which only made him laugh harder.

---

Sandro and I watched a couple episodes of Royal Defiance, the anime he introduced me to, but as we sat in bed watching, we jumped when we heard a crash and the palace shook.

“What the–” Sandro’s voice was drowned out by an inhumane roar.

I was already running down the hallway when another tremor shook the palace. I grabbed onto the nearby windowsill to steady myself.

“What was that?” he asked me, as if I knew the answer.

I gaped at him, unable to answer. The roar came from the throne room! I picked myself up and bolted down the hallway, Sandro following close behind me.

We heard guards shout and rapid pounding of heavy footsteps in the other corridors. We were just about to turn down a corner when something outside caught my eye. I skidded to a halt and gasped.

One of the towers was coming down. Its structure was crumbling with each passing second, and a split second later, I found myself staring at a pile of rubble and ash. Thick smoke billowed out from all corners of the city and I was instantly reminded of what happened to the Valley.

They must’ve tracked Sandro and Khalia down! I started panicking, and if it weren’t for Sandro tugging on my arm, I would’ve collapsed right there and then.

“Eloise!” his voice snapped me back to reality.

“You have to hide!” I heard myself blurt out, “They’re here for you. You have to hide!”

“What?”

But I shoved him through a pair of doors. I didn’t know where he was supposed to hide, but at the moment, I had nothing else to hide him in.

“Stay here.” I said and charged towards the window, shifting into a roc as I crashed through the glass and took flight into the sky.

Maybe I can’t fight. I thought, my fear and adrenaline taking over my mind. I won’t be of any use in battle, but I can still save those people!

I swooped down, trying to be as discreet as possible. But with all the chaos happening above, arrows flying and spells unraveling, it wasn’t hard.

I scanned through the city ruins to look for any survivors. The first few were kneeling next to a boy who seemed to be stuck beneath a collapsed roof. I dove down and grabbed the edge of the rubble. Careful, careful, I don’t want to hurt him! I shoved the wooden beams off of him and grabbed him with my beak. Him and his family started screaming out of terror, so I tried to be as gentle as possible to show that I meant no harm.

Once he was secure in my beak, I picked up the rest of his family with my talons and took off towards the forest.

I can’t put them too far away, because then it would give me less time to save the others. I’ll put them next to that river, and I’ll pick up a boat from the docks.

I set them down next to the river and they scrambled back once their feet touched the ground, but I didn’t have time to take in their reactions, because I was already back in the sky, heading towards the burning city.

Hey!

My head snapped up when I heard a woman’s voice ring through my mind.

A telepath? Was my first thought. Who are you?

A friend. That’s all you need to know. I’m also a shapeshifter, and I saw you rescuing those people. Look up.

I did, and I saw a wyvern gliding towards the docks.

A wyvern? My eyes widened. She must be powerful!

You’re getting a boat, right? She looked at me. Good, do that. I’ll get as many people as I can and meet you next to the river where you dropped the others!

Okay! I took a sharp turn and flew towards the lake. I don’t know her, but right now, I need all the help I can get. 

I grabbed onto the biggest boat I was able to carry and started heading back, but not before rescuing a couple more people who were running from a nearby fire. I put them into the boat and picked it up. Oh god, this is heavy! I let out a screech of surprise as I lifted it up and flew as fast as I can towards the river.

The wyvern shapeshifter was already there. She helped me put the boat in the river and shifted into a blond hair middle aged woman. Her skin was calloused and cracked, but she looked as strong and as healthy as a bull, and she had a determined gleam in her gray blue eyes.

“Get as far from here as quickly as you can.” she told the trembling citizens, “If any of you can use magic, use it. Defend yourself if necessary.” she shifted back into a green and blue wyvern. Come on! 

I nodded and gave the boat a push down the river before joining her in the sky.

I saw a couple of stranded people in the middle of a fire. She told me as we approached the city again. You get as many people as you can from that fire, and I’ll get a boat. I can carry heavier stuff than you anyway. She didn’t give me a chance to reply as she broke off towards the lake, leaving me alone amidst the chaos.

Stranded people in a fire! Okay, okay, I can do this… I took a deep breath to calm my pounding heart and dove down towards what looked like a circle of fire.

Everyone in the circle was hiding in what was left of a tavern. There were children among them, so I took the families first and came back for the rest later. The woman was already there with a boat when I came back a second time.

I didn’t know how long the two of us have been flying back and forth, rescuing people and putting them on boats, wagons, whatever we can find, but it all passed by really quickly. I was running on pure adrenaline and instinct, and most of it was a blur. All I knew was that I had someone who was helping me rescue these people, and that if I didn’t rescue them, the attackers (who I was already positive were demons) would kill them all.

I was probably on my 10th or 100th rescue when I felt someone fall on me, which made me drop the people I was trying to save. I crash landed into the ruins of a house, breaking a bone when I hit the rough pavement. I let out a scream of pain as I lost control over my roc form and shifted back into an elf.

The figure who loomed above me was a demon completely clad in shadows. I was able to make out a pair of black wings, a black sword dripping with blood, and a pair of glowing green eyes, but the overwhelming presence he gave off was enough to tell me that he was a demon.

Oh god, I’m going to die here! My first instinct was to get up and run, but when I tried to, a cold pain shot through my leg and I screamed, hot tears running down my face. There was blood on my legs, but I knew it wasn’t mine. This pain was something else. Something much more serious.

The demon took two steps towards me and raised the sword above his head. And the last thing I remembered was a flash of red and the cold metal slashing through my flesh and bone.

Chapter 5

You were impaled.

I’m dead, aren’t I?

You idiot! Why? Why did you do it?

She’s dying! Get the healer!

I’ll do it.

She’s different than you. She can’t.

I don’t give a fuck! Just do it! Give her my blood!

---

I didn’t need to open my eyes to know that I was awake. But I wasn’t welcomed by the soft mattress or warm blankets of a bed. Instead, I seemed to be on something lumpy and hard. Something was poking at my lower back, and the only warm thing was the hard, warm pillow under my head.

The soft voices of different people filled my ears, and I wasn’t able to understand what they were saying, so I stayed silent.

“Eloise!”

That’s my name. My brain recognized that name as my own, so I tried to move my finger to tell them that I heard my name, but my finger didn’t seem to want to respond.

“Eloise.” I felt a warm cloth brush my hair away from my face.

Who’s this? I cracked open my eyes, seeing nothing but gray and red. Who’s calling me? Am I dead? Have I arrived where dead people go to after they die? Where do they go after they die? Curious, I forced myself to open my eyes completely and take in my surroundings.

It didn’t look like a room. There was a shadow next to me, and I saw the flickering of a small fire from the corner of my eye. My eyes wandered to the dark clouds above me and caught a glimpse of a star behind the cloud. That was when I realized that I wasn’t in a room.

I was out in the freaking city!

Suddenly, everything came back to me. My hand went to my temples instantly and I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

“Eloise!” the shadow next to me moved and I looked to see who it was.

“Alik?” I groaned.

I was able to make out his face and his amethyst colored eyes. They were wide and full of fear.

“Eloise, you’re awake.” he loosed a breath and lowered his head, “Thank the gods…” he whispered.

I never saw him like this, and it confused me as much as it warmed my heart. Alik’s here! And that thought alone was able to slow my pounding heart. I don’t know how or why, but he’s here with me.

“I never thought you’d say ‘gods’.” I chuckled, but it made my abdomen sore, so I tried to keep it in.

“Eloise…” when his eyes met mine, I found worry and shock, “Why? What the hell were you doing in the city during the attack?” he clutched my shoulder.

“I…” I looked away, “I rescued them. I rescued some of the people.”

“You risked your life!”

“Alik,” I was too tired to argue, “my life is worth no more than anyone else’s, okay?”

“Yes, it is!”

“To you.” I looked at him, “But I’m sure that anyone here would choose their loved one over my life. It’s okay, Alik.” It felt strange to comfort him when I was the one who was injured, “No harm done, right?”

“No harm?” he repeated, his eyes darkening with anger, “You fucking broke your leg, got impaled by a demon’s sword, and got charred by the fire. If you call that no harm, then you must’ve lost your mind as well!”

“I meant that I’m still alive.” I said, trying to calm him down.

“No, you weren’t.” he gritted his teeth, “When we found you, your arms were burned by the fire, and your leg was in an odd angle.” he drew a shaky breath, “I found you with a fucking sword in your chest!” he growled, “And you were literally at death’s door. If it weren’t for the surviving healers, you would’ve been burned with the rest of the corpses after the attack!”

“Hey,” I reached up with my bandaged hand and touched his face, “Alik, I know it must’ve made you extremely angry to find me like that–”

“You think?” his voice cracked and all the anger behind it was gone, replaced by despair.

“But I’m alive now.” I tried for a smile, “And I’m recovering, okay? I’ll be fine.” then I frowned and dropped my hand, “Wait, where’s Khalia and Sandro?”

“They’re safe.” he said dismissively, “Don’t worry about them.”

“What about the people we rescued?” I asked, “Are they safe?”

“We don’t know.” he shook his head, “But I’m sure they’re fine.”

I closed my eyes and sighed, “I really hope they’re okay…” I whispered, “Or else that rescue operation would’ve been for nothing.”

There was a long stretch of silence. The only sounds were the voices of other survivors that were resting around the corner and the crackling of embers from our fire.

“Alik?” he looked up when I said his name, “Are you sure the healers were the only ones who saved me?” What I really wanted to ask was: Were you the one who saved me?

But he knew me too well, so he answered my unasked question instead, “Yes, I was the one who saved you.”

“Aw, thanks.” I gave his hand a squeeze.

“Yeah, yeah.” he pulled his hand away, “Get some rest.” he said, “I’ll keep watch.”

“Hm… I feel like that’s all you’ve been doing these days.” I mumbled as sleep quickly took over.

He didn’t reply, but I was already asleep, so I wouldn’t have caught what he said even if he did reply.

I woke up to the smell of bacon. The first thing I did was call out, “Alik? What’s for breakfast?” That smells so good!

“You were just killed by a demon and rescued a whole bunch of people, and you’re asking what we’re having for breakfast like this is a camping trip?” he sounded amused and concerned at the same time.

“Yep!” I chirped, trying to push away all the memories of the city on fire. One thing at a time, Eloise, step by step.

Alik sighed and handed me a cracked plate with bacon, “They handed these out earlier this morning. You can have mine.”

“But–”

“Eloise, don’t argue with me right now. Eat.” he pointed at the plate in front of me.

I bit my lip but complied quietly. Alik, what’s wrong? I pushed my thoughts towards him. Are you still stressed about the fact that I died? Or are you wondering why the demons attacked us? I knew they were here for Khalia and Sandro. They were practically ripping down the place looking for the two humans.

My thoughts kept wandering back to my two new friends. Were they alright? I shoved Sandro into a room, and Khalia was with the king the last time I checked. I really hope they’re okay! Hopefully, none of them have been captured.

When I glanced at Alik again, he was staring at the fire. To break the tension, I reached over and slowly poked his cheek, letting my finger press down on his cheek. He blinked and looked at me.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing.” I shrugged and ate the rest of my breakfast, “Just bored.”

He sighed and shook his head, “I’m going back to the palace to check on his majesty, Sandro, and Khalia.”

“I’m coming!”

“No, you’re not.” he said firmly, “You have a broken leg and a ripped torso. I’m not letting you risk anymore injuries.”

“Oh, right.” I had gotten too excited, I forgot about my healing leg and chest, “Well, should I just stay here?” I asked.

“Yes. There should be ships coming from all parts of Elentia in a few hours. The king had called for aid, so it should be safe.” he looked at me, “In any case, if you’re ever in trouble…”

“I’ll give you a hoot!” I smiled.

“Right.” his wings shot out of his back, “I’ll be back soon, and don’t think about doing anything stupid while I’m gone.”

I smiled sheepishly, “Okay.”

Once he was gone, my smile faded. There were still so many questions burning in my mind. Why are the demons capturing the humans? How did Sharath fend off the demons? How did they track us down here? How many people have died in the attack? Are Sandro and Khalia alright?

I couldn’t even stand up and pace around to sort these questions out one at a time, so I just sat there frustratingly, trying not to break down crying or yell out into the smoky sky. Luckily, though, someone joined me.

It was the shapeshifter and telepath from before. Her skin was bandaged and her face was covered with dirt and ash.

“Hey.” she smiled and crouched down, “How’re you feeling?”

“Fine.” I shrugged, “I broke a leg, died, came back to life, you know, the usual.” I said sarcastically, trying to hide my distress and pain.

“Well, at least you’re joking. That’s a good sign.” she sat down in front of me, “You know, when I saw you rescuing those people, I thought you were one of the bravest people in the city at that moment.”

I flushed, “Really? T-Thanks…” I mumbled.

“And you were young, I could tell. Is a roc the most powerful creature you can shift into right now?”

I nodded, “Yes, but I’m working on the chimera.”

“Good, that’s a good start.” she nodded and reached over to give my hand a squeeze, “We haven’t been properly introduced. My name’s Elisa.”

“Eloise.” I replied and gave her a half smile, “Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.” she rose to her feet, “Well, I need to go check on the others. Get some rest, okay?” she ruffled my hair before leaving me alone.

Well, at least she’s alright. That’s one person off of my hundred page list of possible dead people. If only I can walk, then I can go around to see if everyone else is alright. 

I started tracing patterns in the dirt as I thought back on everything that happened in the last 24 hours.

The elven mages probably fended off the demons by drawing a whole bunch of holy symbols and divine spells. I was only able to catch a glimpse of some of the demons, but it’s already really hard to fend off one demon, let alone several! How did they do it? Did they coat the tips of their weapons with celestial gold? 

The loud and clear ring of a horn disrupted my thoughts. My first instinct was to stand up to see who it was, but because of my leg, I straightened my back to get a better look.

Children started running down the streets, and grown elves followed them hurriedly to catch a glimpse of who they were.

“Excuse me!” I called out and an elven boy around my age stopped. “Who was that?”

“The Tuulmar elves!” he replied, “From the North Grove!” and he left.

Tuulmar elves? I frowned. They’re the ones under Prince Aramor, the king’s younger brother’s, rule! I’ve always thought the Tuulmar elves kept to themselves and stayed out of everyone else’s businesses. I guess that rumor was wrong. 

A couple minutes after the horn was blown, I saw lines of elves on horses bringing in supplies, medicine, and food. The one leading them was an elf that couldn’t be any older than 16. He wore silver plate armor, and on his cape was the Tuulmar insignia: A song bird perched upon an outstretched olive branch.

But unlike his brother, he looked like your typical king. His golden wreath rested on top of his head, and his light blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail. His sword was strapped to his back, and he never slouched.

I found myself staring at him, and when he caught me staring, my eyes instantly went to the ground. Shoot! He saw me! That was so embarrassing…

The prince made a signal with his hand and the line of wagons and horses continued forward as he broke away.

Wait, why is he coming towards me? My heart started pounding. Oh god, what’s he going to do?

“What’s your name?” his voice was authoritative and clear.

I looked up slowly and found him and his horse standing right in front of me. I swallowed, “E-Eloise, sire.” I stammered.

“Eloise, do you have a demon friend, by any chance?”

My head snapped up, “Y-Yes, sire, how did you–”

“I studied Celestial and Abyssal auras in my youth.” he answered, “I can see if someone’s been interacting with a higher being in any way.”

“Oh.” I looked down, “Yeah, I do.” Does he intend to hurt Alik? Why is he asking me about him?

“My brother asked me to bring the girl who’s friend was a demon, so I can only assume that’s you.” he dismounted his horse and knelt down next to me, “Are you severely injured?”

“I broke a leg, but… other than that, no.” There was no point in telling him I almost died.

“Can you stand?” his hand touched my makeshift cast gently.

I winced, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Can you move at all?”

I nodded, “Yeah, a bit.” I braced my palms on the gravel road and pushed myself up to shift my legs.

“Here,” he put both his hands around my injury and I yelped out in pain and surprise, “don’t move.” he said and pressed down on my leg, blue light coming out of his hands.

“Ow, ow…” I hissed and gritted my teeth. But as seconds passed, the pain slowly subsided to a dull sore.

The prince removed his hands and I moved my leg slowly. It was no longer broken!

“I healed it.” he said and stood up, “You should be able to stand on that leg now.”

“Thank you.” I stood up slowly, putting more weight on the uninjured leg, “Thanks a lot.”

“Don’t mention it.” he nodded towards his horse, “Get on. We’re going to the palace.”

“Oh, okay.” I stepped onto the strap and swung my other leg over its back. I shifted to the back of the saddle so that the prince can get on, but to my surprise, he took his horse by its reins and started walking down the street.

“Wait, your highness!” I reached over to stop him.

He turned around, blinking.

“Aren’t you going to get on?” I asked.

Prince Aramor shook his head, “No. My horse cannot carry two people, and you’re injured, so you’re riding my steed.” he said like it was a normal thing to do.

But he’s the prince! This isn’t right, he should be the one on this horse, not me! “B-But–” I started saying, but he cut me off.

“It’s alright.” he said, “I may be a prince, but I’m still just an elf. It won’t kill me to walk half a mile.”

I swallowed and nodded reluctantly. That still doesn’t mean I won’t feel bad about it, though. I thought.

It was until then did I see what the castle looked like. It was barely a castle anymore. Only one tower remained standing, and even that one looked like it was about to crumble at any moment. Pieces of the pillars and walls surrounded what used to be the Sharath Castle. Spaces were cleared for the injured soldiers and mages, and in the center of all that rubble was a makeshift tent which was probably where the king and Alik were.

Once we got to the tent, Prince Aramor helped me off of his horse and I followed him into the tent.

King Eldrik, along with the two council members, Sandro, Khalia, and Alik, were gathered around a half burnt wooden table with engravings of a map on the surface. They seemed to be discussing allies and battle strategies when we came in.

“Eloise!” Sandro and Khalia both exclaimed.

“Thank god you guys are okay!” I sighed in relief, “You guys weren’t hurt, right?”

“He shoved me into a cellar and locked me there until the attack was over.” Khalia glared at King Eldrik, “But other than that, no.”

“Eloise, what are you–” Alik stopped abruptly when he saw who I was with.

“Aramor!” King Eldrik walked over and put a hand on his younger brother’s shoulder, “Thank you for coming to our aid.”

“It was the least I can do.” the prince looked around, “And it was also the right choice, it seems.”

“Your highness!” Merelda bowed, “We’re eternally grateful–”

“Not right now, Merelda.” Prince Aramor walked over to the table and looked at the map, “Who attacked you?”

I walked over to Sandro and Khalia, whispering to Sandro, “Sorry about shoving you into a closet.”

He snorted, “Yeah? Well, I’m actually kinda thankful you did that. Otherwise, I’d be halfway across the continent by now.”

“I told you to stay there.” Alik said in a low, urgent voice.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have much of a choice!” I pointed at the prince, “He said King Eldrik wanted to see me!”

“Eloise!” the king beckoned me forward.

I pointed at myself and mouthed: Me? When he nodded, I joined the circle , avoiding any eye contact whatsoever.

“Care to explain what happened here?” Prince Aramor.

“W-Would you like me to start at the beginning, sire? Or–”

“Beginning.” Aramor said curtly and sat down in a chair.

“Okay, well…” I proceeded to tell him the events of the Dragon-Phoenix Valley, and why we arrived here, asking for the Mystic Council to assemble, in the first place. Then I told them about Alik’s theory about the Old Homeland and how it’s all tied to the demon’s attacks these past days.

“I already sent for the members of the Mystic Alliance.” King Eldrik said in a low voice, as if he was afraid of someone eavesdropping from outside, “They should be arriving in three days’ time.”

“Three days is enough for the demons to rally and strike again.” Prince Aramor said and rubbed his temples, as if he had a headache. I kind of felt sorry for the young prince. He had so much to worry about at such a young age.

“No, it’s not.” Alik spoke up.

Everyone around the table looked at my friend and he continued, “They struck with all they had yesterday, hoping to find Sandro and Khalia. I could tell that they were getting weary by the end of the battle, when they retreated. They won’t be coming back for another week or so.”

“How do you know this?” Prince Aramor asked challengingly.

But Alik was unfazed by his tone, “I was an angel. I’ve fought demons, pit fiends, and whatever other abyssal creatures your minds can conjure up of. I know for a fact that these demons aren’t going to come back for a while.”

“Wait… but aren’t there two groups of demons?” I asked, “What if the other group takes advantage of the other’s and our ragged state and attack?”

“So far, only one group of demons have been launching full scale attacks on East Borathea: Grakzuur’s minions.” Alik joined our circle, “The only time one of Muuraz’s demons attacked was before we went to the Valley.”

“So, do you think that was a distraction?” I asked.

He was silent for a moment before he said, “I think,” he put a hand on the table and stared at the map, “that Muuraz has already found a way to the Old Homeland.”

I heard Sandro and Khalia gasp. Gaelroth and King Eldrik both looked away to hide their pained and frustrated expressions.

But Prince Aramor remained calm, “Is there any proof that indicates the fact that they found a way there?” he asked.

“They give us a distraction.” he said slowly, as if putting his thoughts together, “Which was the attack on me and Eloise back home. The demon admitted that he wanted to infiltrate the Yin Hua Guild, but couldn’t because of the ancient magic they used to defend their city, so he wanted to use Eloise to capture the humans from the Old Homeland.”

“You still haven’t given us a reason why they would want the humans.” Prince Aramor pointed out.

“I don’t know.” Alik shook his head, “There are no spells requiring a human’s blood, and, according to the legend, Lord Vyn didn’t use any humans to seal off Borathea, so technically, none is needed to reopen it either.”

“Maybe for interrogations?” I suggested, “The demons probably don’t know anything about the Old Homeland, so they need information about it before they launch an attack?”

“Even then,” Alik shook his head, “how did Muuraz figure out a way there?”

“Guys?” I heard Khalia speak up.

Everyone turned around to look at her. “I think, right now, we should focus on fending off the demons rather than figure out how Muuraz found a way to Earth.”

We looked at each other and Merelda nodded, “The human is right.” she said, “Now’s not the time for questions. Right now, we need to figure out a way to defend ourselves while waiting for the members of the Mystic Council to arrive.”

“I brought 190 battleships.” Prince Aramor said and looked at his brother, “That’s all I can spare at the moment.”

“How many soldiers is that worth?” King Eldrik asked.

“90 of them are manned by warriors, which gives us 900 in total.” he replied, “And 100 of them are manned by mages. They should be enough to cast and maintain a big enough defense spell for the city.”

“Alik,” King Eldrik turned to my friend, “what do the demons use when they launch attacks? Weapons, spells…?”

“Grakzuur likes to use alchemy, so expect a lot of explosives and poisonous gas.” Alik said, “Muuraz prefers the traditional hand to hand combat, so he likes to send in wave after wave of demon foot soldiers.”

“So, Grakzuur using alchemy would explain why all the attacks started off with bombs and fire?” I said and he nodded.

“Are there any weaknesses in a demon army?” Prince Aramor asked.

“In general?” when the prince nodded, Alik said, “I can think of two that apply to both sides. One: They get distracted easily. Two: If they don’t think it’s worth it, they’ll quit.”

“Uh…” I looked at him, confused, “Distracted?”

Alik glanced at me, “They like to toy with their targets. If a scared mother defending her children amuses him, he will continue to scare them and make them suffer. He will completely forget about why he’s there, because demons seek pleasure above all else, whether it’s from hurting others or from sating their desires.”

“What about the second weakness?” Gaelroth finally spoke up.

“When they think a reward’s no longer worth the hassle, they’ll quit. They will literally break ranks and just leave.” Alik braced both his hands on the wooden surface.

“So whatever they promised their demons must’ve been something big.” I murmured, “Well, then again, an endless magic supply and the promise of terrorizing people is a pretty sweet deal for a demon.”

“Why don’t you send us over?” Sandro asked the king and his brother, “We can convince them–”

“Yeah, right, Sandro.” Khalia rolled her eyes, “You think they’ll take us seriously?”

“Well, we can take Alik to the White House or something!” Sandro pointed at my friend, “He can show them his wings, and then we can convince the president!”

“And then what?” Khalia folded her arms and glared at Sandro challengingly, “They would throw him into a lab and prop him with needles. Heck, I’m sure that the freaking science department will decide to saw his wings off just to see if they’re real!”

I gasped, horrified. Is this what they meant when they said humans weren’t all rosy and happy? Is this their darker side? Worried for my friend, I touched his arm.

“Gee, at least I’m trying to come up with something!” Sandro snapped, “If you’re so smart, you come up with something!”

“Guys, enough!” I stepped in between them, “Listen, as much as I appreciate your help, I can’t let them take Alik–”

“Eloise–”

“And I’m sure the king wouldn’t want to risk more people turning on us, right?” I looked at King Eldrik, who nodded. “You guys said that humans weren’t always peaceful and diplomatic, right? Well, that’s probably the reason why we don’t want to expose ourselves to the rest of the world just yet.”

“But you guys are dead anyways.” Sandro muttered.

“No, we’re not.” I said firmly, “We aren’t dead until the last of us are killed. Until then, we can’t give up.”

It sounded cheesy and cliche, but it was the truth. We can’t risk the demons and humans attacking us all at once. We’re overwhelmed as it is, and we can’t take any more chances. Not until the Mystic Council decides otherwise.

But Sandro wasn’t having any of it. He clenched his jaw, “Fine, then.” anger obvious in his voice as he walked out of the tent.

We watched as he left without another word. King Eldrik sighed, “Leave him be for now. We need to focus.”

We all nodded silently and went back to planning our next strategy. But even with the king constantly reminding us that we needed to concentrate on the task at hand, I had a feeling that none of us were really focusing after what happened.

---

As the meeting continued, more and more allies started to show up. Those who shared borders with Elentia were the first to arrive. They came with ships or caravans full of supplies and warriors. Soon, half of the Mystic Council had arrived in Sharath, and I tried (and failed) to learn all their names.

It became a little too crowded in the tent, and since I felt like I wasn’t going to be much help after three more members arrived, I decided to excuse myself to find Sandro.

Khalia came with me, and Alik stayed in the tent, providing the rest of them with information on demons.

“I feel kind of bad for pissing Sandro off.” I mumbled as we walked out of the tent.

“Don’t be.” she said, “Sandro’s always had a temper, and it’s not your fault. If anything, it’s that douchebag’s problem.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at what she called him, “Douchebag?” I asked.

“What? He’s a freaking douchebag!” she said, as if justifying what she said.

“It’s not nice to call other people douchebags.” I said, laughing.

“Yeah, well, bold of you to assume I’m nice!” she flipped her hair and I had to dodge it… again.

“Bold of you to assume I assumed!” I shot back and she laughed at my poor comeback.

“Sorry, but I’m better at comebacks.” she said, giving me a look.

“Comeback, scumback, whatever.” I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help but smile. “Let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“Sure.” she gave me a smug look, “We can change it so that it’s about me!”

“No way.” I shook my head and stuck out my tongue playfully, “We’ll talk about books. What books have you read?”

“Throne of Glass, Six of Crows, the Land of Stories–”

“Yeah, no, I don’t know those.” I shook my head.

“You should read Six of Crows! It’s so good!” she said, her eyes lighting up.

“How can I read it if I don’t know it?”

“Oh, right. You’re not from Earth.” she shrugged, “I can write it! I’ll make it even better!”

“Yeah, right. I would prefer to read the original, thank you very much.” I said.

“But Six of Crows is so freaking amazing! Kaz all the way!” she pumped her fist.

“Kaz?” I shook my head, “Alright, anyways! Moving on!”

“Kaz is the best character in the book, period.” she said, her voice carrying a hint of finality.

“Are you going to let me talk about books from here or not?” I stopped and looked at her.

“No.” she chuckled and I threw up my arms, sighing. Then she shook her head, “Fine, fine, go ahead. If you insist on making me suffer.”

Suffer? Yeah, right. I continued walking, “You should read the Starcross series and the Bloodheart trilogy, which are both by the same author.”

“Bloodheart sounds cool, tell me about that!” she perked up.

“Well, there are three books in the series: Bloodheart, Bloodbound, and Bloodbone.” I explained, excited to have someone to talk to other than Alik, “Bloodheart starts off with a girl who’s life is pretty much… miserable. But then a drunk mage cursed her accidentally, thinking she was a succubus in disguise. So then she needs to go visit the Cursed Prince, which is the only mortal in the world that can lift such a powerful curse from her, and he’s also the main antagonist of the story. He told her that he’ll lift the curse if she finishes a series of tasks for him, and she agrees. That’s basically the prologue, and the actual story line focuses on her trying to finish the tasks so that she can finally be free of the curse. But as she completes each task, she realizes that there’s more to them than a simple monster or treasure hunting. They’re actually connected, but she can’t turn back now, so she seeks help from her friends to find a way to undo what she’s done to the world.”

“Wow.” Khalia nodded, “That sounds interesting.”

“It is!” I nodded with a big smile on my face, “You should read it! It’s pretty dark, but it’s still really good!”

“Dark? Is it as dark as my soul?” she let out a maniacal cackle.

“Pfft.” I waved a dismissive hand at her and looked around, “Where the heck is Sandro, anyway?”

“Probably moping around because he misses Lucia.” she snickered.

“Who is Lucia?” I asked, curious. Is she his crush from back home? I only heard them mention her once.

“Ooh!” Khalia started nudging me teasingly, “Is someone getting jealous?”

“What? No!” I gave her a push, “No, I’m not jealous!” That’s ridiculous! “I’m just curious.”

“Yeah, sure!” she winked at me and I groaned.

“You know what? Never mind. Forget I even asked.” I muttered.

She just laughed and told me who Lucia was, “She and Sandro are practically a couple, but they still deny it.”

“Oh.” I tilted my head, “What’s she like?”

“Eh.” she shrugged, “I don’t know. I don’t hang out with her. I guess she’s okay. Nice enough, kind of annoying, though.”

“How so?” I asked.

“She doesn’t know when to stop asking questions.” Khalia said, “And they’re not even questions that require a lot of thinking. I guess she just sticks her nose into people’s businesses too often.”

“Oh.” She’s that type of person. “And Sandro likes those types of girls?”

“Apparently.” she snorted. “And… there he is.” Khalia pointed at Sandro, who was sitting on a piece of rubble and staring at the lake where the ships were docked.

“I’m going to talk to him.” I said, “You coming?”

“No.” she shook her head, “Like I said. It’s his problem. If you want to talk to him, go ahead.”

“Stop being so mean.” I poked her.

“I’m not being mean, I’m just saying,” she shrugged, “he wasn’t the nicest guy in school.”

What? Was he a bully? Or the type of person who didn’t care about school? I wanted to ask my questions, but Khalia had already left.

I turned back to Sandro and worked up the courage to sit down next to him, “Hi, Sandro.” I said with a small smile.

“Hey.” he didn’t even bother to hide his frustration.

“What happened back there?”

“What happened,” his tone sharp, “was that I lost my temper. I’m sorry, okay?”

You don’t sound sorry. But I didn’t want to point that out. Instead, I nodded, “Alright, that’s okay. Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

So much for talking to him. I thought, suddenly feeling stupid to come and talk to him. Since when did teenagers talk to other teenagers about this kind of stuff like it was a drama? Since the years of Never, that’s when.

So we just sat there in awkward silence, neither of us knowing what to do. Finally, when I couldn’t take it anymore, I stood up, “Alright, then, I guess I’ll leave.”

“Wait, Eloise!” he reached out and grabbed my wrist.

I turned around, “Yeah?”

Sandro lowered his eyes, “I… I guess I have something I want to say.” he mumbled.

I sat down slowly, “Okay, what is it?”

He buried his face into his hands and heaved a sigh, “Listen… I know that… this would sound selfish to you guys,” he looked up and stared into the distance, “but you guys are forgetting that we have problems too.”

“Problems?” I frowned. What do you mean?

“Sure, demons are invading East Borathea, and everyone’s scared, but once they’re finished with this continent, they’ll move on to destroy Earth. And I know for a fact that we humans won’t stand a chance against them and their magic.” his voice shook ever so slightly and I bit my lip.

“I guess what I wanted to say is that…” he leaned back on his palms, “I want our military to finish them off here, where there’s less magic and the demons are less powerful. Because if we don’t stop them here, we can say goodbye to any chances of winning.”

I nodded slowly, and another silence settled between us.

He’s right. We won’t have any chances of winning if they break past our ranks and march their armies into the Old Homeland. I glanced at Sandro. We forgot that we weren’t the only ones who were going to be effected by this. 

“Do you think your armies are powerful to defeat the demons?” I asked.

“Huh?” he looked at me, “Oh… well, why not? We can just drop a nuclear bomb on them.” he mimicked dropping something and made a small exploding noise, “And boom! They’re gone.”

“But they have magic.” I pointed out, “And I told you guys what the definition of magic is. If your bomb is made out of resources found in the Old Homeland, and explodes because of scientific properties, they can always change it, you know.”

“Not if they don’t know how it works.” he countered.

“Hm.” Now that was interesting. “But I’m guessing that they don’t just leave these bombs around for anyone to pick up and throw at people?”

Sandro let out a chuckle, “No, god no, they don’t do that. If that were the case, half of the world would be gone, and it wouldn’t be because people are angry at each other. Nuclear bombs are that dangerous.”

“Wow.” I nodded, “That’s pretty impressive. How long did it take you guys to perfect that weapon?”

“Oh, a couple decades.” he shrugged, “But they swore a pact to never use any nuclear bombs on each other ever again. After what happened in World War 2, they didn’t want any more cities destroyed.”

“What happened?” I asked in a hushed voice, like a child listening to an ancient legend.

“Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened, that’s what.” he said, and when he saw my confused expression, he added, “America, the country I came from, bombed two cities in Japan, which is another country, because Japan decided to attack Pearl Harbor, which was in an American state.”

“Oh.” I lowered my eyes, “That’s horrible.”

“Yeah, well, the World Wars were among the worst things we humans decided to do.”

I wanted to know what happened, but now didn’t seem like the right time for a story that sounded like something that’ll take hours to finish, so I switched back to the previous subject, “Do you want to tell them? Your thoughts, I mean, about how it may be better to let your soldiers attack first.”

“Would they listen?” he asked, his tone skeptical.

“Maybe.” I shrugged, “You never know.”

“Nah, they won’t listen.” he shook his head, “Besides, even if they did, we still don’t know how to get back, right?”

“No, sorry.” I said quietly.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault.” he stood and started pacing, “But the demons have figured out how to do it, so why can’t we?” he sounded so frustrated.

“Maybe it was just chance.” As much as I hated the idea of the demons getting lucky, I still had to acknowledge it as a possibility, “A big enough rip appeared in Muraaz’s territory, so he plans to send his demons through.”

“But out of all the rips that happened throughout Borathea,” Sandro shook his head, “you really think the one that just so happens to be big enough lands in the demons‘ territory?”

“They could’ve casted a spell.” But any spells ancient enough to undo the enchantment that the old Mystic Council put on Borathea were all secrets that were well guarded in the Library of Selithe, named after the queen who died with her people outside of Borathea when they sealed the enchantment.

“This is all messed up.” he sat back down and huffed, “I just hope that we’ll actually survive this, and we can return to Earth.”

I looked at him. His face was weary, and his eyes were darkened with something I, too, was familiar with.

“You’re homesick.” I said it as a statement, not a question.

“Duh, I’m homesick.” Sandro lay down on the rubble and sighed, “I miss my dog, Choco-Pie. My friends back home, my mom.” he let out a short laugh and rubbed his eyes, “Hell, I’m even missing my annoying younger brother.”

I smiled, “Yeah, that’s when you know that you’re really homesick.”

He chuckled softly and looked at me, “Do you have any siblings?” he asked.

I nodded, “Two. One sister and a brother. And believe me, they are the worst.”

Sandro let out a laugh, and it made me happy to see him like this. Just a few minutes ago, he sounded like his temper was about to snap, and now he was laughing like the demons never existed.

“Yeah, I get it.” he rested his elbows on his knees, “Siblings can be hell. They never get blamed for anything, and you have to take the fall for everything they do.”

I smiled, “And they always get the attention. For some reason, you’re always the one who’s stuck with the worst.”

Another silence settled between us, but this time, it was a good silence. A peaceful one. Sandro had a faint smile on his lips, and I felt relieved and grateful that he decided to talk to me. It wasn’t until now did I realize that I never really talked to anyone except Alik and my family. It was nice to finally be able to talk to someone my age who wouldn’t judge me because of my appearance or Alik’s history.

“Who’s Lucia?” I suddenly blurted out. You idiot! Why did you just ask that? He’s going to think you’re a creepy person or something! I mentally kicked myself in the shin for being so curious and straightforward.

Sandro looked surprised for a split second, but then his shoulders relaxed and he looked back at the lake, “Lucia… I’m assuming Khalia told you about her?”

“Not much.” I admitted, then added hastily, “It’s okay if you don’t want to answer! I get it, and it was kinda rude for me to ask, so…” I trailed off when he smiled.

“No, it’s fine. I probably won’t be seeing her in a while anyway.” he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, “Lucia’s… a friend, I guess. Actually, I wouldn’t even call her a friend.” he shrugged, “We dated last year for a couple of months, and most of the school still thinks we’re together, but to be honest? We’re not. She decided to end things because… I guess life got in the way.”

I waited for him to continue, but he didn’t seem very comfortable, so I nodded, “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk. I’m sorry I asked.”

“It’s fine.” he shook his head, “I’m actually glad that you brought this up. I wasn’t able to talk to anyone about it back home, and none of my friends would take me seriously if I started talking all somber and stuff.”

“You guys don’t talk about any topics that are considered serious?” I asked. It wasn’t surprising. Most teenagers here did the same thing. Everyone thought it’d be dramatic if someone started talking like this, and it was awkward for everyone. But I had expected humans to be different, maybe more empathetic and mature about it.

“No, we do.” he nodded, “Occasionally. But we’d make jokes about it to lighten up the mood. Kids in my school don’t really talk about this kind of stuff.”

“Oh. Well, it’s the same here, so I guess I can relate.” I shrugged.

“Yeah.” he picked at the dirt in the cracks of the piece of the wall we’re sitting on, “But thanks for listening. I appreciate it, really.” he gave me a gentle smile.

I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked away, “I-It’s fine.” I said. Get ahold of yourself, Eloise, will you? He’s a tad bit more handsome than most guys, so what? Stop blushing! I mentally slapped myself, but the other half of my brain continued. But he seems nicer than those other guys. Ack, no! Shut up! Begone, my other half of the brain! Shut up and sit in a corner where no one can hear you!

“Eloise!”

I stood up when I heard that voice, “Alik! Hey!” I beamed.

He saw Sandro, who stood up as well, and stopped in his tracks, “Am I interrupting something?” he asked.

“No, it’s fine! What’s up?” I asked.

“They just finished the meeting, and they want you both to be present for the announcement.”

“Cool… so, what announcement?” Sandro asked.

Alik nodded towards the tent, “They’ll explain.”

We joined the members of the Mystic Alliance in the crowded tent, and I saw Khalia already standing there, waiting.

“Good, the last of us have arrived.” King Eldrik nodded and looked around, “So, any questions on what has happened over the past few days?” When no one replied, he continued, “Okay, then. Now we’ll start giving out different tasks to our people. We’ll meet in three days’ time, understood?”

Everyone nodded and King Eldrik straightened, “Alright, let’s get to it.”

Every Alliance council member, Prince Aramor, and the two members of the Elven High Council present left the tent quickly to inform their warriors and mages of the news, while the four of us stayed in the tent with King Eldrik.

“Sandro, Khalia, I’m putting you two with Lord Gaelroth. He’ll train you well.”

“Wait, you’re putting us at the front lines of battle?” Khalia said, her voice rising.

“Look, at this point, we don’t have a choice, okay?” the king sounded weary, “We need every man and woman on the field. You won’t be in the front lines, but make sure to expect to fight.”

Khalia and Sandro’s eyes were widened with fear and shock. I worried for them and myself. Gods, if they’re given the task of training for battle, then what would they make me and Alik do? I’ve actually studied in an Elentian school, and Alik’s a freaking demon!

“I’m sorry.” King Eldrik sighed and turned to me and Alik, “Eloise, you’re to meet with the other shapeshifters and report to my brother, Prince Aramor. Alik,” he looked at my friend, “you’re going to the front lines.”

I felt my heart stop, “No, Alik can’t! He–”

“Understood, your majesty.” Alik said, his face remained impassive.

I was still gaping at the king and Alik, not knowing which one to talk to, when the king nodded, “You’re dismissed, and good luck.”

Alik left the tent without another word and I followed him, jogging to keep up with his long strides. Once I caught up to him, I grabbed his wrist, “Alik, listen–”

“No, you listen!” he stopped so abruptly that I practically walked into him, “You need to stop worrying about me and let me do my job. I’m a demon, and I’m more powerful than you can imagine.” he growled, “If the king thinks it’s best that I go to the front lines, then fine, I will. But you need to stop treating everything that happens to me like it’s a death sentence.”

“But it is!” I screamed, letting go of my anger and fear, “You could die out there–”

“Or I can survive.” he countered in a harsh tone, “Sending me to the battle doesn’t mean I’ll end up dead!”

“But this isn’t an ordinary battle.” my voice trembled, “You’re facing an army of demons, Alik! You said it yourself that you’re more powerful than I can possibly imagine, so if you’re fighting against your own kind, then you’re facing someone just as powerful!”

He yanked his wrist out of my hand, “Enough, Eloise.” Alik’s tone was dangerously low, “You focus on your task, and I’ll focus on mine. We’re done talking. Don’t come bothering me again.” he pushed past me and walked off.

I wanted to scream and break down crying at the same time, but neither came. I just stood there, staring at him until he was out of my sight. I was shocked and hurt that he shoved me away like he always did.

I just want to help you, Alik. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. I know that you’re a billion year old demon, but you can still get hurt. I’m worried for you. 

I didn’t know how long I stood there for, but by the time I snapped back to my senses, the entire area I was in was empty. I started walking towards the city where they were starting to train their warriors or figure out battle plans.

I need to get to Prince Aramor first. I kept telling myself, but my thoughts couldn’t help but wander back to Alik. And I must’ve walked around in circles, because a group of mages called out to me.

“Hey, Miss?” one of them said.

I looked at them, “Hm?”

“You’ve walked around here 3 times already. Are you lost?” another asked.

“Oh, yeah, actually.” Get ahold of yourself, Eloise! Focus! “I’m looking for Prince Aramor and the other shapeshifters?”

The third pointed down the street, “I think they’re down there somewhere.”

“Okay, thank you.” I started down the street.

The small training camp Prince Aramor had set up was in the middle of a burnt down manor. There were still remains of the walls that separated the rooms, but everything within the manor seemed to have burned down.

I stopped at the very edge of the training camp like I always did whenever I was in a class full of people I didn’t know. Besides, the prince was talking, so I didn’t want to draw any attention to myself. But as I scanned the crowd, I saw Elisa. She met my gaze and waved, smiling. I waved back politely and she gestured for me to join her.

I looked around uncertainly before inching towards her.

“Hey.” she whispered, “I was wondering where you were.”

“Sorry.” I mumbled, looking down, “I was… busy.”

“Well, at least you’re here.” Elisa nodded at the prince, “His highness was just telling us how this training’s going to work. All the younger ones under 18 years old are to train with the official shapeshifters.” she smiled at me, “Wanna be partners?”

Since there was no one else that I knew here, I nodded, “Okay, sure.”

“Alright.” she cracked her knuckles, “But be warned,” her smile turned into an evil one, “my students always regret training under me.”

I swallowed, “That’s cool.” was all I managed to say. Is she strict? Oh gods, I hope she’s not the type of teacher who makes her student run a thousand laps per day. I can’t keep up with that!

“Are we all clear on the plan?” Prince Aramor asked, and everyone was silent, “Okay! Move out!”

“Follow me.” Elisa nodded towards the ruins behind us and I went after her.

She led me through what once was a manor. Now, the walls were all scorched and the ceilings have crumbled, leaving us in a maze-like complex. We stepped out into a clearing and she turned around.

“Okay, our training would be divided up into two parts.” she held up two fingers, “One, you’ll be learning about different creatures and training your body to shift into them at will. And two, which is something I enjoy teaching you kids, you’ll be learning the Sarquath Technique.”

I blinked, “W-Wait… the Sarquath Technique?” I squeaked.

She nodded, “Yes, the Sarquath Technique. There is only one. I assume you know what that is?”

“Of course I do! I’m a shapeshifter!” I said with some indignation. The Sarquath Technique was a super advance technique that only the powerful shapeshifters master. Sarquath was a legendary shapeshifter that decided that being only one creature during a battle or a dire situation can be frustrating, so he started shifting into different creatures in battle, changing into a snake when he can’t dodge an arrow, then shifting into a bear to kill multiple enemies at once. The Sarquath Technique requires a lot of focus and will power to master, and it’s definitely not something they normally teach in school.

“You’re never too young to learn, right?” Elisa winked, “Alright, let’s get started!” she clapped her hands cheerfully.

I groaned softly. This is going to be the longest week of my life. I thought, already dreading what was to come.

Chapter 6

“Again!” Elisa said for what seemed like the millionth time today.

My joints were aching, and my entire body was on fire… literally.

“Can’t we do something other than a fire elemental?” I rasped, struggling to catch my breath.

“No.” she shook her head, “You can still talk, which means you still have some energy left. Until your legs give out and your voice no longer works, you’re going to keep at it.”

I wanted to scream in frustration, fatigue, and pain, but after four days of training with Elisa, I figured out that no amount of screaming and crying would get me out of it.

At least today was something easier. Yesterday was my first Sarquath Technique training session with Elisa, and I could’ve sworn I saw angels coming down to collect my soul.

“Eloise, I warned you that it’d be hard.” she helped me up, “But in a few weeks, you’ll thank me.”

I don’t think we even have a few weeks. I said to myself.

“I heard that.” she sat down on a rock, “Now, shift.” she clapped her hands once.

I gritted my teeth and felt the fire slowly consume my body. The temperature around me started to drop, making it even harder for me to keep up my fire elemental form, but Elisa looked at me intently.

“Hold it.” she said in a hard voice, “Don’t give in.”

My finger nails dug into my palm as I stood there, my body rigid.

“Almost.” Elisa stood up, “Keep it up.”

Come on, Eloise, just a few more seconds! I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on my fire.

“Release.”

I gasped as I shifted back into my elven form and collapsed onto my knees. The gravel dug into my legs, but all I felt was the burning ache in my muscles and bones. Tears started to trickle down my face, but my hands no longer had to strength to reach up and wipe them away.

Elisa chuckled, “Not bad.” she walked over and brushed the tears away for me, “That was better. You’ve improved.”

I wanted to open my mouth and speak, but my voice no longer seemed to work.

“We’ll stop now for today.” she said, and I never felt happier to hear those words. “Now get up.”

“I…” I whispered, “I-I can’t.”

“Yes, you can.” Elisa started to walk away, “If you can’t get back on your feet after a tough match, then you won’t survive.”

I groaned as I braced my hands on the nearby rock and pushed myself onto my feet. They were so sore that I had to limp and use the wall for support. “Ow, ow, ow…” I hissed.

“See? You did it.” Elisa smiled.

“Barely.” I grumbled.

She shrugged and said, “It’s still better than giving up.”

---

“Whoa, Eloise!” Sandro’s eyes widened when Elisa and I walked into the makeshift food hall (it’s more of a food clearing, but we call it the food hall). “What happened to you?”

“She trained under me. That’s what happened.” Elisa said proudly.

I rolled my eyes and limped to the table.

“After just four days?” Sandro shook his head, “Man… no way am I going to train under you.”

Elisa laughed, “You’ll regret it.”

“BOO!” someone gave me a push.

I didn’t have the strength to react, so I turned around and saw Khalia with a big smile on her face.

“Wow!” she looked at me up and down, “What happened? You look dead.”

At this point, it would make more sense if I were. I collapsed onto a piece of rubble.

“This is the result of training under me.” Elisa clapped my back and I winced in pain, “But don’t worry! Soon, she will surpass both of you.”

“Sure.” Khalia rolled her eyes.

“I’ll leave her in your capable hands.” Elisa patted my shoulder and left the three of us alone.

Sandro took a bite of his sandwich, “You hungry?”

I looked at him with my glazed, dead eyes, “No…” I mumbled.

“Nah, I don’t believe you.” he picked up my hand and placed an apple in my palm, “Here, you can have this.”

“Thanks.” I opened my mouth and bit into it.

“Thanks to his majestic holiness,” Khalia made air quote marks, “I’m now training to wield a sword. A freaking sword! Do you know how heavy those things are?”

“At least you don’t have to stare at targets all day.” Sandro rubbed his eyes, “Hell, I’m seeing bulls eyes everywhere now!”

I just stared into open space while chewing my apple slowly. Most of their words went through one ear and went out the other, so by the time I swallowed the last of my apple core, I was already half asleep.

“Eloise,” Sandro pointed at my empty hand, “did… did you just eat that apple core?”

I blinked and slowly turned my head to look at him, “Hm?” I mumbled.

“I said,” he put down his sandwich, “did you eat that apple along with its core?”

“Yeah… so?” I rubbed my eyes.

“So… you do know that the apple core’s poisonous, right?” he gave me a funny look.

“Yeah… so?” Why was he talking about apple cores being poisonous? Is my apple poisoned? My mind literally felt like goo.

Khalia laughed quietly, “She’s dead, Sandro, so leave her in peace.”

“But who eats the apple core?” he shook his head, “That’s so weird.”

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Khalia pointed at me, “this girl isn’t your typical teenage girl. Look,” and she picked up my hand, “no nail polish.” and she dropped my hand back onto the wooden table.

“Don’t promote stereotypes, Khalia.” Sandro finished his sandwich.

“All stereotypes have a ring of truth to them.” she pointed out.

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean everyone likes them.”

“Does it look like I give a crap?” Khalia gestured at herself.

“You can be nicer, you know.”

I was practically falling asleep on the bench, and I think I was nodding off, because after slipping in and out of consciousness, my two friends finally noticed.

“Eloise, don’t you think you should go rest now?” Sandro asked me.

“Mm… yeah.” Using the last of my strength, I pushed myself to my feet and winced when the familiar ache in my legs made me stumble, “Ow…” I muttered.

“You need help?” for once, Khalia looked serious and genuine.

“No.” I shook my head, “I’ll manage.” Somehow.

I walked back to one of the shelters that were set up in the city, limping and dragging my feet like an undead. People who passed by me stared, and some even asked if I was okay, but I just brushed them off. I was too tired to talk to anyone. All I wanted to do was to sleep like a rock for the next 24 hours.

When I got to my bedroll, I practically collapsed onto it and fell into a deep sleep.

---

I woke up with a sudden jolt. My memories were still a bit fuzzy from the fatigue, but at least I felt better. When I looked up at the sky, I saw the moon above the city, and that was when I realized that I’ve been sleeping for at least nine hours.

“Sandro!” I perked up when I heard Alik.

“Oh, hey!” I saw Sandro and Alik emerge from opposite ends of the street. They were too far away for me to hear their entire conversation, but I picked up bits and pieces.

“How’s Eloise?” Alik asked in a quieter voice.

“She’s doing fine. Why?” Sandro asked.

Oh right. Sandro and Khalia don’t know about the fight Alik and I had earlier. I thought and slowly got up, trying to get closer to them.

“Nothing.” Alik said in a dismissive tone and looked away, “Listen, I needed to talk to you about something.”

“Is it serious?” Sandro folded his arms.

“In a way, yes.” Alik stepped closer to him and started murmuring in a soft but serious tone.

I couldn’t quite see Sandro’s reaction to what Alik had to say to him, but judging by his opening and closing mouth, I knew that it wasn’t good.

“You know, I can tell this to King Eldrik.” Sandro finally said.

“Yes, you can.” Alik stepped away, “But I’ll likely be gone before you can reach the palace.”

I gasped softly. Leave? Where are you going, Alik? Why?

Sandro let out a long sigh and rubbed his temples, “This is messed up, man.” he opened his eyes and looked at Alik, “What would she say?”

“Eloise doesn’t need to know.” my friend said, “She’s been through enough.”

I wanted to run up to him and demand to know what he was talking about, but a part of me knew that I wouldn’t want to know.

“You know, as your best friend, she deserves to know.” Sandro said, and there was a hint of accusation in his tone.

Alik let out a long, slow sigh and leaned against a wall frame behind him, “She will know… in due time.” he drew something out of his pocket, but it was too dark to make out what, and gave it to Sandro, murmuring something to him while doing so.

Sandro shook his head, “No.” and stepped away from my demon friend, “The least you can do is tell her yourself.”

Alik’s eyes lit up into two dangerous, purple flames, a subtle sign of his power, “I can’t.” his voice was low, “Because if I do, she would do anything to stop me.” then, in a less harsh tone, he continued, “I don’t want to see her get hurt because of me.”

“Then don’t do it!” Sandro snapped, “We can figure something out.”

Alik let out an inhumane snarl, “You don’t know shit, human.” his entire body let off a black, demonic aura, “These creatures are more powerful than your minds can comprehend. They were banished from the heavens for a reason, so you’d better believe me when I say that this is the only way we would stand a chance against them.”

“Alik…” I whispered, gripping the half burnt wooden beam beside me worriedly.

He must’ve heard me, because his shoulders suddenly stiffened ever so slightly. It was too small a movement for Sandro to see, but I certainly did, and I knew he heard me.

Alik took a step back and spread his pitch black wings, “I need to go.” he said curtly.

“Wait, Alik–”

But my friend shot off into the starry night sky and flew in the direction of the mountains. Sandro stood there, his hand stretched out halfway, and his eyes still fixed on the black clouds above us.

I swallowed and quietly walked up to Sandro. He looked up when he heard me, his eyes widening, “Eloise?”

“Sandro.” I decided not to suggest anything right away, so instead, I asked, “What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”

“Huh?” he certainly wasn’t expecting that question, but he quickly straightened and smiled, “Oh, nothing, you know, just taking a walk.” he stretched, “Actually, I couldn’t sleep.”

I bit my lip, “Yeah, me neither.”

“Yeah…” there was a silence, then he asked, “Are you feeling alright? You were literally half asleep the last time I talked to you, so…”

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine.” I gave him a reassuring smile, “Thanks.”

“You don’t look fine.” Sandro pointed at my face, “Even from here, I can see the dark shadows under your eyes.”

I didn’t even notice I had those, and I reached up instinctively to touch my face, “Really?” I blinked, “Well… I guess that’s normal. I haven’t been sleeping much, even though I’m exhausted at the end of every day.” after a pause, I added, “Then again, I don’t think anyone’s getting any sleep these days.”

It was true. I could hear the soft chattering of restless elves in the distance, and there were faint lights dancing on the wall ruins of the city.

Sandro just nodded and stayed silent. I was tempted to ask him what Alik told him, but I thought it was better if I stayed silent about it for now.

“Do you…” a slight blush tinted my cheeks, “I don’t know… want to take a walk or something?”

To my surprise, Sandro shrugged and put his hands into his pockets, “Sure.”

He fell into step next to me as we walked down the ruined streets of Sharath. We passed by several sleeping elves, but most of them seemed restless. They gave us weary glances as we passed by, and we nodded back to them in return.

I kept my eyes on the road, avoiding the potholes and pieces of rubble, while my head spun. What was Alik doing? What did he tell Sandro? Why doesn’t he come to me? We had a fight, and I feel bad about it, but the least he can do is to apologize, then we can work it out from there. 

“Hey, Eloise.” Sandro said quietly.

I looked at him, “Yes?”

“You don’t mind if I take this conversation down a serious turn, right?”

“Of course not!” I gave him a small smile, “What’s on your mind?”

He huffed and let his shoulders slump, “You probably know by now that… Khalia and I aren’t fighters.” he swallowed, “And yet, your king has asked us to fight in the front lines.”

“And this bothers you?” I finished for him. Even though it was obvious, I still asked.

Sandro’s eyes darkened, “Yeah, and…” his bangs fell across his forehead, “I guess I just wanted to talk about it.”

No one has the strength to bottle everything up, Sandro, it’s okay. I wanted to say, but then I realized how cliche it might sound, so I just nodded silently for him to continue.

“I just never thought I’d actually be sent into battle.” Sandro blurted out, “Everything about my life was normal and very typical back home, and sure, I’d ask for an adventure once in a while, but nothing like this!” he shook his head, “I mean… this was everything I wanted. To finally fight in a battle with magic and creatures we considered ‘mythical’ back home.” he glanced at me, “I… I know that this sounds ridiculous and stupid, but we don’t have magic back home. There’s nothing left on Earth that’s unexplored or uncharted, and… well, you already know why we call your creatures ‘mythical’.” he rubbed his eyes, “Almost everyone back home wanted this type of adventure at some point in their lives, and now that I’m actually experiencing it…” he faltered as his voice broke.

“You realize you don’t want it?” I finished for him.

Sandro stopped in his tracks and so did I. “It’s not that.” his voice was soft, “I just never thought I’d feel this scared.” he kept his eyes on the ground, and he almost sounded ashamed just then.

I approached him hesitantly, not sure what to say, “Well…” I chose my words carefully, “you’re not the only one here who’s terrified.”

His eyes flickered up to me as I continued, “I’m sure Khalia’s scared to death, and I certainly know I am as well.” I gave him a gentle smile, “There’s nothing wrong with being scared.”

“I’m 17.” he said heavily, “Most heroes in the books and movies have been through worse than this before they even reached 17.”

I know. I thought. You have no idea how many times I’ve told myself the exact same thing. “But most heroes in the books aren’t real, are they?” I said quietly.

I could tell that he was really thinking and processing everything that was happening around him, and as much as I wanted to ask him about Alik, I let him take his time.

“I know this sounds stupid and ridiculous,” Sandro finally said, “but I don’t want to die. Going into battle’s the last thing I want to do.”

“I don’t think that’s stupid.” I said, and when his eyes snapped back to me, I continued, “I think that’s very honest, and again, you’re not the only one who thinks that.” I waved at the ruined streets and houses around us, “You think that any of us are willing to go to war? Against demons?”

“Some of you might consider it an honor to die protecting your home, while I,” he let out a short laugh, “am probably going to bail at the the first sign of trouble.”

“Well, those who consider it an honor to die for their country have a reason to believe so.” I reached out tentatively and touched his shoulder, “But a lot of people would rather see to their own survival.” I shrugged, “It’s just our nature as mortals.”

He looked a bit surprised to hear me say that, “You aren’t going to lecture me on honor and duty? Isn’t that what you fantasy novel characters do?”

I chuckled, “First off,” I held up a finger, “I’m not a novel character. I am an elven being, and I would like to remain an elven being, thank you very much. Second, you’re a victim of circumstance. No one expects you to be willing to fight for something you know nothing about. You owe Borathea nothing, and Borathea owes nothing to you.”

“I owe you and Alik, though.” he looked into my eyes, “You saved me and Khalia.”

I felt a blush tint my cheeks red and I looked away to hide it, “I wouldn’t call it saving.” I mumbled, “That business in the Yin Hua Guild was supposed to be… business related, I guess you can call it.” I was tasked to choose two humans and bring them to the Mystic Council. It could’ve easily been two other kids in that dungeon, and what happened after we left the Valley was purely coincidental. To say that Alik and I “saved” you and Khalia doesn’t really sound right. I thought.

He shrugged, “You still saved our lives when that demon came after us.” he pointed out, “And you promised to make sure we weren’t to be thrown into a dungeon after we were finished with King Eldrik.”

“But if they did,” I sighed, “I don’t know what I would’ve done.” Probably break my promise because I don’t want to be executed… like a typical coward.

“You probably would’ve shifted and tackled the guards.” Sandro said, his smile teasing.

I glanced at him, “You think so?”

He shrugged, “You shoved me into a closet and jumped out the window to save the people when the demons attacked… you risked your life, so yeah, I think so.”

I felt my heart start thundering in my chest, and I mentally slapped myself. Calm down, CALM DOWN! Gods… this is so embarrassing. I ducked down to hide my flushed cheeks, “Oh… well, thank you.”

“Wait,” I heard the grin in his voice, “are you actually blushing?”

That only made my face a deeper shade of crimson, “No.” I squeaked, “Definitely, absolutely not!” but I couldn’t keep myself from smiling.

He laughed, “Aw, that’s cute.”

Cute? My eyes widened. Did… did he just call me cute? I felt like I was going to die right there and then. A hole. I need to find a hole… to bury myself into… and DIE! 

“Yeah, yeah.” I turned away, “Let’s… let’s talk about something else.” You idiot! Why did you just say that? You basically just confirmed the fact that you have a tiny, atomic, microscopic crush on him! RIGHT IN HIS FACE TOO! 

“No, no,” he chuckled, “I’m perfectly fine with talking about your crush on me.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, “I-I…” I stuttered, “I don’t have a crush on you.”

“Oh, come on!” he stepped in front of me and smirked, “Admit it! You like me.”

I wanted to scream and run off, but I knew that he would only come back to tease me in the morning, and avoiding him would be a difficult task, since we have lunch at the same time. “I don’t.” I whispered, but it was like convincing myself not to read my favorite book for the 200th time.

I dared to glance up at him, but when I saw him looking directly into my eyes, my gaze snapped back down and he laughed some more.

“You know, if you really want to, we can probably work something out–”

“No, stop!” I shrieked and pushed him away before covering my ears.

Sandro flashed me another grin and leaned in close enough for me to hear him say, “Physical contact is also a sign that you like someone!” he held up two fingers for me to see, “That’s twice now that you’ve touched me!”

“I swear to the gods, Sandro, if you don’t change the subject now…” I warned.

“You’ll slap me?” he winked, “And make it the third time you’ve touched me?”

I groaned and threw up my arms, “Forget it! I tried to be nice!”

“And so did I.” he followed me as I started speed walking down the street, he caught up to me fast with his long strides, “I said that you were a nice person, and you blushed.”

“Just because someone blushed when you complimented them doesn’t mean they like you, Castele!” I shot back at him.

“Ooh!” he gave me a look, “She used my last name! She’s really serious!”

“And who made you a love expert?” I added.

“Experience.” he declared proudly and flipped his light brown locks, “Duh!”

“You know, you’re the splitting male image of Khalia.” I tried to speed up my pace, but he kept up just fine.

“Actually–”

“Actually.” I mimicked his tone and rolled my eyes.

“Most people find me an easy going guy.” he continued, ignoring me, “While they say Khalia looks… scary.”

“Scary?” I made a face, “Nah, she’s actually pretty funny. Granted, she can be childish, but I think she’s fine.”

“Pfft.” now, it was his turn to roll his eyes, “You haven’t seen her in school. She literally glares at everyone.”

“Well, have you ever wondered that maybe you guys did something to earn those glares?” I asked.

“See? This is what she says whenever I point that out!” Sandro pointed at me, even though there was no one to witness our conversation, “And you call me the splitting image of Khalia?”

I laughed, and so did he. It actually felt good to finally be able to talk to someone and laugh with them. Alik was always a good listener, but he rarely laughed. He would smile sometimes, and I always loved to see him smile, but then I would remember that he was a eon year old demon who’s seen so much more than I can imagine. Sandro was closer to my age, so I guess that was probably why it was easier to talk to him… and have an almost non-existent crush on him.

“I’m still going to act like you have a crush on me.” he said after we walked for a while, “And tease you about it.”

“Oh, gods, spare me.” I muttered sarcastically. I already have Khalia nudging me whenever I see you. I don’t need you to do it too! Especially when you’re actually right about it! 

He just chuckled, and we walked in silence for a few moments before my brain decided to blurt out the stupidest thing ever, “But am I your type?”

Sandro looked shocked for a moment, then that devilish grin returned to his face, “I told you you had a crush on me.”

I chewed the inside of my mouth and looked away.

“Alright, fine, fine, to answer your question,” he put his hands into his pockets and thought for a long moment, my heart beating a million miles per second; then he finally opened his mouth and said slowly, “To be honest?”

I sucked in a breath and held it.

“I think you could be.”

I gasped softly.

Sandro looked at me, “I mean, you’re nice and shy. I’ve dated and hung out with a couple extroverted and outgoing girls, but to be honest? I think…” his cheeks tinted red, “I think I have a thing for quieter and shyer girls.”

We were both blushing, but he continued after swallowing several times, “I don’t know.” he shrugged, “It’s just… something about their silence appeals to me, and usually, I find myself wanting to know what they’re thinking.” he looked at me.

I blinked, “Is this your way of asking? Because I’m a shy girl?”

He smiled, “Maybe.”

“It really depends on the person, you know.” I shrugged, “Some of us like to daydream.”

“Are you one of them?” he asked.

“Yes!” I said with a smile.

“Care to share?” he asked with what I assumed was a puppy face.

“Mm.” I looked away and rubbed my arm, “It’s kinda… private.”

“Ooh…” he pressed up against me and I flushed, “Are they inappropriate?” his voice low, “Does the innocent Eloise have dirty thoughts at night?”

“Stop it!” I covered my mouth to suppress my giggles.

“I bet they’re about me.” he whispered into my ear.

I stepped away, “You creep!” I gave him a playful push.

He held up three fingers to remind me of the physical contact, which made me roll my eyes, and said, “You’re the one who has dirty thoughts, and you’re calling me a creep?”

“I never said I have dirty thoughts!” I defended myself, “You were the one who made that up!”

“Tell me,” he licked his bottom lip, “are you on the top or bottom?”

I flushed, “What?”

“In your fantasies.” he said, “Are you usually on the top or bottom? Do you like it rough?” then, he got closer until our faces were inches apart, “Because I can make it rough for you.”

I let out a shriek and jumped back, “Sandro, enough!” he just laughed. “We’re not going to talk about… dominance or… whatever.”

“Dominance!” he laughed harder, “What is this? A porn movie now?”

“You made it one!” I pointed at him accusingly, “And by the way, my daydreams have nothing to do with any of that!” Okay, well… maybe a little, but still! It’s not like I think about it every day!

“There’s no shame in admitting the truth, Eloise.” his eyes glimmered with amusement.

I shook my head, “You boys… you never change.”

“Wow. Promoting sexism, are we?” he raised a brow.

“It’s not sexism.” I defended myself, but to no avail. Sandro just looked at me with that smug look on his face, so I decided to change the subject, “You were learning how to sharp shoot, weren’t you?”

To my relief, Sandro didn’t continue teasing me, instead, he nodded, “Yep.”

“Can you show me?” I asked.

Sandro shrugged, “Sure.” he smiled.

I followed him back to the sharpshooters’ training area. Several replacement targets made of hay and wood were set up on one end of the training area, and above them were white markings that read: 10 meters, 15 meters, 20 meters. I looked at the other side of the training area and saw corresponding marks on the ground.

“Hey, Thomas.” Sandro called out.

An elf around Sandro’s age looked up, his body slouching against the scorched stone wall. “Oh, hey, Castele.” he stood up and stretched, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.” he looked at me, “Just showing a friend how sharpshooting works.”

The elf named Thomas looked at me. I gave him a polite smile and waved my hand, which he returned with a acknowledging nod of his head. “Go ahead.” he said and sat back down, “It’ll be the only interesting thing that happened to me all night.”

Sandro opened a box with his name written on it and pulled out a heavy crossbow. My eyes widened, “You actually shoot with those things?” Weren’t they, like, 20 pounds?

“Yep.” Sandro stood on one leg and rested the crossbow on his thigh as he loaded it, “It was either this or the longbow.”

“Castele here chickened out when he saw what the bowstring could do to noobs who don’t know what they’re doing.” Thomas said with a smirk.

Sandro flipped him the finger, “Fuck off, Thomas.” and he glanced up at me, “I chose the safer and more accurate weapon.” he emphasized on those words and shot Thomas a look.

“Yeah right, more accurate?” Thomas chuckled, “Keep dreaming Castle. You can’t even hit the bullseye from 10 meters away.”

“I was able to hit the ring around the bullseye consistently, Thomas, within 1 week of training. ” he finally finished loading and rested it on his shoulder, giving his elf friend a smug look, “Which is better than when you started off, if I remember correctly.”

Thomas clenched his jaw, “Fuck you, Castele.”

Sandro laughed and stepped behind the white line of the 10 meter bullseye. I sat down next to Thomas to watch.

Sandro raised the weapon and narrowed his eyes at the target in front of him. His breathing was even and shoulders were relaxed. I watched with wide eyes as he fired the first bolt.

“Not bad.” Sandro mused and lowered the crossbow.

Thomas and I leaned over to look at where he hit.

“Wow, you actually hit the bullseye!” I smiled, “That’s pretty impressive!” I clapped my hands.

“Suck on that, Thomas.” Sandro grinned cockily.

Thomas grumbled and picked up his longbow, “My turn.” he jumped over the railing and drew back an arrow.

We ended up spending more time than we planned at the sharpshooting range. Sandro even offered to teach me the basics of sharpshooting, which ended up being the case.

“Relax your shoulders.” Sandro murmured and pushed down gently on my shoulder blades, “You’re going to miss if you tense up like that.”

But I was only half listening. Most of his words went through one ear and out the other, while most of my focus was on the physical contact we were making. My cheeks were heated, and my heart was pounding hard and fast. Thomas must’ve noticed, because he took one look at me and chuckled softly to himself.

“Eloise, are you listening?”

“Huh?” I squeaked, snapping back to reality, “Y-Yeah, I am.” I blurted out.

He stepped away from me and I flushed at his cocky grin, “Were you enjoying that?”

“Enjoying… enjoying what?” I asked innocently, even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

“You know what I’m talking about.” his voice was low and his gaze saw right through me.

Come on, brain, think! I panicked. Make a witty remark! Continue playing coy! I don’t know, just do something! 

But the only thing that my stupid brain decided to make me say was, “Uh…” with a gaping mouth.

Thomas didn’t bother hiding his laugh this time, “Looks like you have an admirer, Castele.”

“It would seem so.” Sandro kept his eyes fixed on me, those stupid, charming chocolate colored eyes that made my heart flutter.

For some unknown reason, I was able to hold his gaze, and we stared at each other for god knows how long. Unfortunately, it was long enough for Thomas to cough uncomfortably.

“If you two lovebirds are finished, can we go back to target practice?”

I flushed, “R-Right, sorry.” I mumbled.

But even as we continued to practice, I still felt his eyes occasionally glance back at me, giving me sassy grins every now and then, which I responded with a flush or an eye roll.

---

I don’t know why or how I got into this situation, but now that I am, I seriously hate my past self for getting me into this situation.

After another long day of training, a couple elf teenagers thought it’d be funny to laugh at me, so they waited until I was walking back to my friends alone, and they surrounded me.

“Uh…” I blinked, “Can I help you?”

The tallest one, an elf girl, cracked her knuckles, electricity crackling in the air around her; a symbol of her power. “You’re a shifter, aren’t you?”

She studies elemental magic. Was my first thought. The second was: I’ll need to shift into an elemental if I want to survive this. I’ve been through enough bullies and taunts to know that a group of people gathering around you, especially if you weren’t popular, can never be a good thing.

I let my body heat up ever so slightly, just in case they didn’t mean well. “Yes, I am.” I answered and smiled politely, “Can I–”

“Ew, don’t do that.” she shielded her eyes, “You’re face is already messed up, don’t make it worse by grimacing.” her eyes glittered with cruel amusement.

So that’s why you’re here. My smile instantly disappeared, and the familiar knot started forming in my chest. “Fine.” I looked away, “What do you want?”

“Just to tell you this,” one of her friends smirked, dark green vines coiling around his feet and ankles, “let the real warriors and magic users fight. I mean,” he shrugged, “you might be able to scare the enemy away with that face of yours,” he pointed at me, and I had to resist the urge to wince, “but, like, would you be able to charge onto the battlefield with us?” he asked with mock concern, “You sure you won’t get asthma after one step?”

Tears stung in my eyes and I lowered my gaze instinctively, “Don’t you have better things to do?” my words came out low and shaky, but they didn’t seem to hear my voice tremble, instead, they must’ve thought my quietness came from trying to suppress my anger.

“Hey, if you’re going to go all barbarian mode on us,” a third person said, “do you mind if you go somewhere else to do it? I don’t want to witness an angry, obese elf going into a rage.” she then continued cheerfully, “Oh hey, guys, did you know that an angry, obese elf going into a rage was actually one of the 7 horrors of the world?”

“Really?” they all gasped.

Please, just stop already. I was struggling to keep my tears in. Keep calm, Eloise, don’t let their taunts faze you. They’re just words. They can’t hurt you. 

But they did. They cut through what little self esteem I had left and shredded my confidence into pieces. I had spent so long trying to piece them back together, sometimes with Alik by my side, and now… it was all gone.

Alik can’t be by your side forever, Eloise. A voice behind all my thoughts whispered. One day, you would have to face the world on your own. Don’t you think you’ve relied on Alik long enough? 

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to cut out their laughs and jeers. Alik… what do you think of me? I know we had a fight earlier this week, and I knew you didn’t mean to say that I was annoying… or did you? For a short but dreadful moment, I felt all alone. What if he had always found me annoying? Wait, no! No, Eloise, now’s not the time to think like that! You have to face the truth! Alik wouldn’t be by your side forever. One day, you would have to go your separate paths, and you can’t expect him to drop out of the sky every time someone laughs at you! 

“Who here bets that her tears are made of pure fat?” one of them hollered.

His words were like a knife, cutting and shredding my self confidence to pieces, but in doing so, I realized that he also touched something else. Something that I rarely displayed or felt.

For the first time in my life, for the first time in the years the other kids laughed at me, I felt a spark of anger. As they continued to laugh at me, that spark slowly turned into a flame, and from a flame into a fire. My head was still bowed, so they didn’t see it, but it was there. Through the pain, I felt anger and frustration. Anger towards anyone who ever laughed at me, and frustration towards myself for never having the courage to fight back.

Even now, I was reluctant to fight. Fighting and hurting anyone was the last thing I ever wanted to do, but that anger was the perfect fuel to my flames as a fire elemental. I let myself slide a little deeper into this void, the void that had always been empty until now… the void that was now filled with fiery rage.

When they saw fire burning through my skin, their laughter instantly ceased and their smiles faltered, giving me a taste of pure satisfaction.

“Stop it.” I finally said through my clenched teeth, “Stop laughing at me.” saying those words only made me angrier, and let me fall deeper into the void. My hands balled into fists at my sides, “What did I ever do to you? Why do you laugh at me?” the words seemed to be tumbling out of my mouth, and I had no power over them.

“Hey, you’d better watch it.” the leading girl finally found her voice. She probably never expected me to fight back.

The fire that consumed me continued to burn, and was burning brighter and hotter than ever before. “Does it make you feel powerful?” I looked up and into her sharp gray eyes, “Does laughing at me make you feel good about yourself?” my voice was quiet and almost inaudible over the roar of my flames.

They were speechless, but that only made me angrier. Say something, dammit! My fire elemental form continued to burn. Give me an answer! All those years, I just wanted to know why… why all of you found it so funny to laugh at me or anyone else. The pain and sadness that I had built up over the years was finally breaking out. The tears sliding down my face disappeared the moment they touched my scorching fire.

The girl’s electricity shot forward and hit my chest. I felt the blow, but it didn’t faze me. Electricity can’t harm fire, but it can cause a fire, which was exactly what I wanted: a boost.

“Tori!” the girl snapped, “Conjure some water! NOW!”

My flames were starting to burn higher and hotter, to the point that the wooden beams of the house ruin next to me started burning too.

“I-I…” another girl’s voice stuttered.

Vines grabbed my ankles and arms, but they were instantly turned to ash. Someone’s telekinesis made the rocks around us float and fly towards me, but they never made it past my outer wall of flame. That was how hot my fire was, and how angry I felt at that moment.

Even though my muscles were aching and screaming at me to shift back into my elf form, I held it and took a threatening step forward towards the tall girl, “Just leave me alone.” my voice trembled, from anger or from pain, I didn’t know, “Because the next time you laugh at me,” I raised my hand and pointed a finger at her, “I don’t think I’ll be able to keep myself from hurting you.”

Her eyes were wide with fear, and a part of me twinged with guilt, but I didn’t have the chance to say anything else before she fled. The girl, along with her friends, ran off down the street, each one pushing and shoving the other out of fear.

I stood there as I watched them go. For some reason, I couldn’t let go of my anger, and my flames continued to burn. It was like my body had detached from my mind, and the only thing that was keeping me from collapsing onto the ground from fatigue was anger and sheer willpower.

“Eloise!” Elisa’s familiar voice rang across the street. “Eloise, what–”

“What the hell?” Khalia!

“Is that… she’s on fucking fire!” Sandro!

Hearing their voices gave me a sense of peace, and that, along with my body, was enough to yank me out of the void filled with raging fire and snap me back to my elven form. I was still shifting as I fell to the ground.

“Eloise!” a hand touched my forehead, then it was gone, “Jesus! That’s hot!”

A silhouette appeared before me, “You’re going to be okay, Eloise, alright?” that voice was fading, “You’re going to be safe…”

---

I didn’t open my eyes when I woke up, but whoever was with me when I did must’ve known I was awake, because they brushed my hair aside and sighed. I took a deep breath and knew who it was.

“You’re awake.” Alik’s voice was quiet and almost guttural.

I didn’t have the energy to ask him my questions, so I just nodded.

“They told me what happened.”

That caught my attention. I slowly opened my eyes and saw the demon sitting against a stone wall with his knees tucked into his chest and his arms resting on his knees The setting sun was casting shadows across the city, its light slowly giving way to the darkness of night.

“And?” I whispered.

Alik’s head hung, his long white hair fell across his shoulders and his amethyst eyes glistened, “I should’ve been there.” he worked his jaw, “I should’ve…” his knuckles whitened when he clenched his fists.

I felt drained, but I sat up slowly and scooted over to sit next to him, “You know,” I started and gave him a small smile, “it was because you weren’t there that I found something I never had until now.”

He didn’t even look at me. All he did was sigh again and close his eyes, resting his forehead against his arms, “And what’s that?”

I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently, “I found my courage.” I said gently and shrugged, “I know that it’s not much, but… at least it’s a start… right?”

He sat as still as a statue and stayed silent. I bit my lip and slumped against the wall, “Listen, Alik…” I faltered when I saw him stiffen. “Is… is something… bothering you?”

“No.” he said, his voice distant and hard, “I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” I brushed a thumb against his shoulder, “And, by the way, I’m sorry for… you know, screaming at you the other day.”

“Why are you apologizing?” he muttered, “It’s not your fault I snapped at you.”

“It is my fault for pushing you to answer me.” I lowered my gaze and let my hand fall from his shoulder, “We’re all under stress, and… I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.” To be assigned to fight at the front lines, where it’s most dangerous. “So, I’m sorry.” I smiled and tried to make eye contact with him.

Alik’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t say a single word. I felt frustrated and sad that he wouldn’t talk to me. I always thought we were best friends, and we could tell each other anything (at least, I always told him everything), but I guess that wasn’t the case for immortal beings like him.

“Can you at least tell me what’s bothering you?” I asked quietly, trying not to sound too insistent.

“I said I’m fine!” he snapped and I recoiled, eyes wide. Even Alik himself looked shocked that he reacted this way.

I felt my tears stinging my eyes, but before I could reach out to him and ask anything, he shot to his feet. “I’m sorry.” he wouldn’t meet my gaze, “I… I need to go.” his wings shot out of his back.

That’s what you said last time. I thought sadly. When you realized that I heard you the other night. My hand fell to my side and I took a step back, “Alright.” I tried to sound understandingly, “It’s okay, I get it.”

He must’ve sensed my pain, because he looked over his shoulder, “Eloise…”

I turned away and walked off. I needed to find Sandro. Only he could have any idea on what was bothering Alik. Only he could tell me–

His hand caught my wrist and pulled me into a hug. I gasped as he wrapped his arms and raven black wings around me, his head resting on mine.

“Alik, what–”

“I’m sorry.” his voice broke, “Eloise, I’m really sorry.” he whispered, “All those times when I ignored you and hurt you… I truly am sorry.”

Then tell me what’s been bothering you. I swallowed. As much as my heart warms to hear you apologize, I want to know why you’ve been so distant these days.

He must’ve heard my thoughts, because he continued in a shaky voice, “I… I know I haven’t been at my best lately, but that’s because I don’t want anyone getting hurt, least of all you.”

What do you mean, Alik? You’re not making any sense. How would interacting with me or anyone else bring harm? 

“I know this is all confusing to you,” he took a deep breath, “but please… please, just trust me on this.” Alik’s wings slowly pulled away and he straightened, his arms loosening, “Trust me.” he pleaded.

“Trust you to do what?” I asked, gripping his forearm, “Alik, you can’t ask me to trust you if I don’t even know what you’re planning to do!” I said desperately.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” he swallowed.

Why are you asking this now? “Of course!” I blurted out, my answer was genuine and sincere.

Alik’s amethyst eyes held my heterochromia ones as he reached up and ran a finger down a lock of my hair. Not in a possessive way, but in a caring and gentle way. “Then you’ll know that, whatever I do, is for your sake. Yours, and East Borathea’s.” he rested his forehead against mine, “Trust that I’ll do the right thing.” he whispered, “Can you promise me that?”

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I had so many questions, but when I tried to ask them, nothing came out. He continued to hold my gaze, his eyes pleading and desperate. I took a shaky breath and nodded silently.

The relief in his eyes warmed my heart. “Thank you.” he breathed and straightened, his wings spread high above his head.

Those were the last words I heard from him before it happened.

Bright and sinister looking purple lights suddenly lit up the gray, pink, and dark gold sky above the Borathean sea. The ocean churned under the light, and thunder shook the earth and sky while lightning split the sky into pieces. Out of those cracks came hoards of flying creatures. It didn’t take me long to realize that those flying creatures were none other than the demons we dreaded.

“Fuck.” Alik snarled.

An alarm sounded across the city, and all elves ran to the docks, weapons and magic ready.

“Eloise–”

“No.” I gritted my teeth as I shifted into a bird (a roc was a little too much for me at the moment). I’m coming with you, Alik, whether you like it or not. 

He clenched his jaw, “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

And I don’t want you getting hurt either. He opened his mouth to retort, but I cut him off. No, Alik, you listen to me. I know that I may not know more than you when it comes to these things, but I know enough to tell you that we can both die out there on the battlefield tonight. I looked into his eyes. If it really comes down to a battle, Alik, I want to die alongside you. Sitting here and watching as others sacrifice their lives for our home is worse than dying with your friend.

He let out an inhumane snarl, “And what if I do live? What if you die and I live?” he pointed at himself, “I have a better chance of survival out there! The last thing I want is to find myself still standing after the battle, and realize that my friend didn’t make it!”

I shifted back into an elf and approached him calmly, reached up, took his face between my hands and squeezed it. He made no move to stop me. His eyes were darkened with sorrow and pain.

“That’s the last thing I want too, Alik.” I said and gave him a small smile, “But let me do this. Please. Let me do this, so that even if I die, I can die knowing that I did something for this world.”

He didn’t have a chance to answer, because a thunderous roar shook the city. “King Eldrik,” the voice rang across the entire city of Sharath, “the demon king, Grakzuur, has decided to strike a bargain with you. Show your face so that the deal can be done!”

Alik’s eyes narrowed and he took off into the sky with me following close behind him.

Their army of demons were hovering above the ocean, but none of them dared to touch the sea. Wise move. I thought. Empress Lvanya isn’t someone you’ll want as an enemy. But as we got closer, I realized that each and every one of them had hostages in their arms. They were all elves or faeries, and they all looked terrified.

“They dared to attack the Grove?” Alik cursed.

I gasped, “They’re from Prince Aramor’s…” I faltered.

The biggest demon was clad in black armor, his sword strapped to his back, and a whip coiled at his hip. Beneath that black helmet was a red light that told me this demon had no physical body. He was too powerful for one. His bat-like, shredded wings flapped to keep him in the air, letting off flames with each powerful buffet of his wings. In his arms was none other than Lady Syline, Prince Aramor’s significant other.

I landed next to Alik at the edge of the cliff that dropped down to the ocean. We all watched as the demons waited for our king and prince to arrive.

“SYLINE!” we all turned to see the Prince unsheathe his sword, “Let her go, you son of a bitch!” he roared, his eyes blazing with fury.

“Aramor?” the Lady coughed, blood trickling down her jaw, “Aramor…” she looked relieved to see the prince.

“Brother, wait.” King Eldrik grabbed Prince Aramor’s arm.

“Let me go, Eldrik!” the elf prince snarled, “That’s Syline up there!”

“Listen to your brother, princeling.” the demon’s voice echoed, “Attacking me will mean risking the life of the one you love.”

Prince Aramor growled and struggled to break free of his older brother’s grasp, but the king held onto his arm firmly and looked up at the demon, “What do you want, demon?” he demanded, his voice cold and calculating.

“Just a trade.” the demon shrugged casually, “The precious lives of the people of the North Grove,” he pointed at us, “in exchange for the two humans.”

I gasped, lost for words. Those bastards. My anger started bubbling to the surface. How can you force anyone to make that choice?

“The answer is easy, king.” I could hear the smirk in the demon’s voice, “Just hand over the two humans and we’ll let all of your people go.”

I couldn’t keep my eyes off of the hostages in the demons’ claws. Some of them were screaming and begging the king to save them, some were just crying and sobbing, and others were shouting at the king to let them go and keep the humans safe. Lady Syline happened to be one of them.

“King Eldrik!” she shouted, then her voice broke when she said, “Prince Aramor… please, don’t. They want the humans for a reason, don’t give them to these–”

The demon holding her clamped his hand over her mouth, silencing her. Prince Aramor bared his teeth, but King Eldrik stepped forward, keeping his brother in check, “How do I know you won’t kill my people the moment I give you the two humans?”

The demon chuckled and put a hand on his chest, pretending to be offended, “Do you really think I won’t honor our agreement, your majesty?” something about the way he called King Eldrik “your majesty” sounded like a mock.

“As a spawn of darkness itself, yes.” King Eldrik then smirked, “Forgive me if I sound forward, demon, but I’m not used to hellspawn ravaging my city and terrorizing my people.”

The demon cackled, and it was a horrible sound, like chalk against a blackboard. “You have courage, your majesty.” he pressed a knife against Lady Syline’s throat, “But I’m afraid your courage alone won’t save your people.”

King Eldrik ignored that remark and, instead, asked, “Why do you want the two humans? Why don’t you just attack us?” he tilted his head, “Won’t that be easier?”

“It would certainly be easier.” the demon nodded, “But… we prefer watching you mortals suffer. To watch you stand at the sidelines, helpless, as we tear your world apart, is much more satisfying than spilling blood on this day.”

“You seem pretty confident.” King Eldrik mused.

“I am.” the demon didn’t deny it, “And if you were in my position, you would be too.” he pressed the knife against Lady Syline’s throat, “I’m growing impatient, your majesty. Give us the humans, or your people die, and then we’ll take them by force.” he shrugged, “Whichever you prefer, but please, hurry up and make your choice.”

The next few seconds might as well have been an eternity. Even from here, I could see the pain in our young king’s eyes. Prince Aramor’s fists were clenched by his sides as he waited for his brother’s command.

The city literally fell silent. Everyone’s eyes were on the King, and his gaze was on the demon. Even under so much stress and conflicting emotions, our king was still able to hold his own against the spawn of darkness.

The king drew in a slow, steady breath and closed his eyes, “Fine.”

My legs gave way, and if it weren’t for Alik catching me, I would’ve collapsed then and there. That’s it. My thoughts were coming faster than I can sort them. The king’s made his decision. Nothing can change it now. My heart was beating uncontrollably, and several emotions started overwhelming me.

“You can’t…” I gasped, anger finally clawing its way to the top, “You can’t!” I said, louder, “Khalia’s your friend!”

“Eloise, Eloise,” Alik put a hand on my shoulder, “let it go now.” his face was grim, “I know it’s hard, but–”

“They’re my friends, Alik!” I suddenly had the urge to throw up, “I can’t watch them die! I can’t!” so many things were happening, but I had so little time to process what was going on. My vision blurred and my legs turned to jelly.

“Deal.” the demon held out a hand, “Hand them over, and I’ll let your people go.”

If it wasn’t for Alik holding me back, I would’ve been halfway across the field and attacking the king of elves himself. But a part of me said that I would just stand there and do nothing, because deep down, I knew that his decision was the more logical and reasonable one.

To hell with logic and reason! I clenched my jaw so hard that it hurt. Sandro and Khalia are living beings too! What right does the king have to sentence them to death when they haven’t done anything wrong?

Don’t forget that the people of the North Grove are living beings as well. Alik’s cool and calm voice swept over me like a breeze on a hot summer day. Right now, with all the chaos happening around us, Eloise, logic and reason are the only things we have left that are keeping us sane.

My bottom lip trembled, and I had to bite down to suppress my tears. “I-I can’t.” I can’t let them die. Just imagining Khalia and Sandro being tortured or imprisoned in the demons’ territory made me sick. They’re the few friends I have. I can’t lose them now! No one may give a damn about them, but I do!

King Eldrik snapped his fingers and the two closest elves standing beside him shifted into wyverns.

“Bring me Khalia and Sandro.” he said heavily, any trace of authority was gone.

The two shifters flew off, and after several seconds, they landed with Khalia and Sandro in their claws.

“What the fuck is going on?” Khalia demanded, “Did you literally just send two shifters for us?”

“Hey, let me go, will you?” Sandro yanked himself out of the shifter’s claws and stumbled forward, “What’s this about?” he looked up at the sky full of demons and paled, “What… what are they–”

The demon made a sign with his fingers and I watched as my two friends were picked up by an invisible magic. They thrashed and struggled against the clutches of the demon, but to no avail. They shot into the sky and stopped right in front of the demon, who was still holding Lady Syline hostage.

“Eldrik, what the fuck are you–” Khalia never finished her sentence. The demon growled quietly and waved his hand. Two wisps of black smoke coiled around my friends and snapped around their mouths, gagging them.

“Enough shouting, will you?” the demon turned his attention back to our king, whose fists were clenched and eyes darkened with pain, “Wise choice, your majesty.”

“Let my people go.” our king snarled, “And leave this place.”

The demon threw his head back and laughed, “Very well!” he looked over his shoulders, “You heard the king! Let them go!”

The wicked cackles and laughter filled the air and echoed through the city. Alik’s eyes narrowed.

Then, in one swift motion, the demons let the elves go. I watched in horror as the citizens of the North Grove fell to their deaths, screaming. Some who practiced magic used their powers to save themselves and others, but there just wasn’t enough to save even a quarter of the people.

“Dammit!” Alik cursed and shot forward, wings outstretched. Following behind him were other shifters that turned into winged creatures to save their fellow Elentians.

I stood there, paralyzed for a split second, before I felt someone grab my hand and pull me forward.

“Now’s not the time to hesitate, Eloise!” Elisa shouted and jumped off of the cliff, shifting into a wyvern.

I shook my head, “R-RIGHT!” I slapped my own face and jumped down with her, changing into a roc.

Apparently, it was harder to grab falling elves than most people made it look like, and the books didn’t help either. Timing was one thing, but catching them and breaking their fall was a completely different matter. After I caught an elf girl by swooping under her, I let out a cry of pain. I can’t catch them like this. I thought and dove down, the girl clutching onto my feathers for her dear life. Come on… I narrowed my eyes and reached down to another falling elf with my claws outstretched. Careful, careful! I kept repeating to myself as I caught him with my talons. He was still screaming, but at least he was safe.

I was able to carry 4 at most. One on my back, two in my talons, and one in my beak. But catching someone with my beak wasn’t exactly the best idea either, since I had to be extra careful not to break a bone, so I ended up carrying and saving three at a time instead.

But when I set the three down on the edge of the cliff, I looked over my shoulder and realized that there was no way we were able to save them all in time. Some were already in the water, swimming or drowning. A couple of our shifters went down to save them, but that left us a few dozen more shifters to save everyone who was falling, which definitely wasn’t enough. And there was also the matter of saving Sandro and Khalia, who were still up there with the demons that watched us, cruel amusement in every single one of their gazes.

Just as I was about to take off to save more people, though, we heard an earthshaking roar… actually, several earthshaking roars. I’ve never heard them before, but no one in East Borathea needed to have heard them to know where they came from.

Everyone looked up as five magnificent and majestic creatures swooped down, killing off dozens of demons with a single fire breath, and saving groups of elves at a time by stretching out their wings and breaking their fall.

“Dragons!” someone screamed, and that was when all hell broke loose.

Some fled in the opposite direction, others stayed to watch these dragons. I was going to be one of the elves who watched the dragons, but then, a voice echoed through my mind.

Miss Eloise! 

I blinked. Mistress… Darcy? My attention went to a red dragon fighting 8 demons in the far side of the battlefield.

So you made it out of the Valley safely? I felt her relief. Oh, thank the gods. When I heard them bombing the Valley, I thought I had lost a student for good!

I stared at her. Uh… shouldn’t… shouldn’t you be focusing on killing those demons? Are you alright?

Oh, don’t worry about this old dragon, Miss Eloise. She roared and swiped a talon, throwing a couple demons off balance while doing so. I’ll be fine. These demons will die soon enough. I felt her eyes fall on me. You’d better go save those elves, though, Miss Eloise, and quickly.

Right! Feeling more confident now that the dragons have come to aid us, I took off into the air and dove down to save the elves’ lives.

After a couple trips going back and forth between the cliff and the battlefield, I saw the ocean starting to swell and rise. The waves crashed against the cliff relentlessly, and, as if my night wasn’t weird enough, I found myself staring at an army rising out of the sea.

Merfolk warriors, water spirits, and other bizarre manner of sea creatures came out of the ocean, wielding weapons and magic alike. The merfolk warriors were clad in silver and blue scale armor, teal helmets, and tridents or nets. The water spirits were basically… glowing globes of water, but they were the ocean’s magic users, and they mastered all forms of water elemental magic. They approached the drowning elves and kept their heads above the water as they brought them to the shore.

Then, from behind the army, came a Kraken Rider, one of the sea’s deadliest warriors. The Kraken itself was already a dangerous creature. It had the power to summon storms or whirlpools, and if they felt like it, they could sink an armada of ships with their hundred-foot long tentacles. The Kraken’s Rider would have to be just as dangerous, and have the Kraken’s permission to ride it, and be its partner in battle.

The man riding on the Kraken looked like one of Lvanya’s generals. He had the tail of an electric eel, and his spine was lined with spikes that seemed to grow out of his light blue scales. He wasn’t wearing any armor, but his weapon was, surprisingly, a lightning bolt. He raised his lightning bolt, and as if to respond, the sky darkened, lightning flashing above the black and gray clouds. Bolts of lightning struck the demons in the sky as his Kraken’s tentacles shot out and saved the falling elves.

With the help of the dragons and Lvanya’s warriors, we were able to save every elf that was captured from the North Grove, and finish off every single demon. Some proposed to keep the demons imprisoned, but the dragons disagreed, saying that the demons were too unpredictable to keep, so they ended up killing them.

I crash landed onto the cliff, shifting into an elf as I tumbled onto the rocky ground. It was probably because I turned into a fire elemental yesterday, and then a roc today, because I was practically half conscious by the time I hit the ground.

“Eloise, you okay?” Elisa’s hand went under my arm, “Come on, you have to get up.”

I groaned, but I pushed myself up and tried to focus on her. I blinked, “Elisa… y-you have a…” I pointed at a long gash on her cheek.

She shook her head, “I’ll be fine. Come on,” she knelt down, “up you go!” and we both got up. I stumbled, but I managed to steady myself by leaning onto her. Elisa stroke my hair soothingly and patted my head, “You did well out there, Eloise.” she murmured, “I’m proud of you.”

I took a shaky breath and nodded, “Thanks.” and gave her a weak smile.

The dragons landed one by one at the edge of the city. The last one set Sandro and Khalia down gently before landing. I gasped, “Sandro! Khalia!” and I ran forward, my arm outstretched.

“Wait, Eloise!” Elisa held me back, “They’re covered in unholy magic.” she nodded at the scene, “Wait until your demon friend says it’s clear.”

I looked and saw Alik landing next to Sandro and Khalia. His hands reached out and touched both of their foreheads. I watched with wide eyes as the black smoke released Sandro and Khalia and latched onto Alik’s wrists. His shoulders were tensed and his eyes were squeezed shut, as if he was trying to concentrate. The black smoke slowly seeped into his pale gray arms and he took a sharp breath through his gritted teeth. I saw a dark, ominous glow flash through his skin, highlighting his veins, and disappearing. Alik’s breath was ragged as he lowered his arms and stood up slowly.

Elisa let me go and I stumbled forward, “Alik!” I fell to my knees next to Sandro and Khalia, “Guys! You okay?” Please, answer me! 

“They’ll need rest.” Alik sounded like he was in pain, “You can talk to them after this night ends.”

I looked up, “What about you, Alik? You okay? You sound like you’re–”

“I’m fine.” he said dismissively and looked up, “Besides, we have more important matters to attend to.”

I turned and saw the ocean rising until it was leveled with the cliff, and down from that wave stepped none other than the empress of the ocean herself, Empress Lvanya.

Chapter 7

Empress Lvanya’s clothes flowed like the water… in fact, I think that her clothes were actually made of water. Her skin was a normal tone, but it had this shiny glow to it, as if she had just emerged from the water, which she had. Her hair tumbled down her shoulders and onto the ground, wetting the sand and dirt. Resting atop her head was a crown made of coral, pearls, and other treasures of the sea. A veil made of white seaweed covered her face, and the only things I was able to see through that veil were her glowing green eyes. Her gown was adorned with blue and green gemstones and shells, and her scarf glittered silver. But when I took a closer look, I realized that it was actually a small stream of water with a school of fish in it. I didn’t realize until then that her entire gown was actually a mini ecosystem.

Following close behind her was the Kraken Rider. He slithered onto land like a snake, his lightning bolt still in hand.

“Empress Lvanya.” King Eldrik bowed, his voice hoarse, “To what do we owe the pleasure–”

“Oh, enough with the formalities.” Empress Lvanya snapped, her voice cutting through the silence like a razor sharp blade, “You all know why I’m here! Why the hell did your elves decide to all take a dive into my territory at the same time? It’s not summertime!”

“Empress, I think it’s very clear as to why there were elves in your territory.” King Eldrik said calmly.

“Eh?” she shook her head, “Speak up, boy! I can’t hear you!”

“Um, your majesty?” the Kraken Rider tapped her shoulder, “He said that–”

“Oh, shut up.” the empress batted his head away, “You think I’m deaf? I can hear the land-walker just fine!” she rolled her eyes.

The Kraken Rider just huffed and stepped back, “Yes, your majesty.” his eyes lowered, but then he saw me. I gave him a sympathetic smile, to which he grinned and made a face to the empress behind her back. I stifled a giggle.

“What’s with the dragons?” Empress Lvanya nodded at the five creatures who hung out in the back.

“They came to our aid, your majesty.” King Eldrik explained slowly, “They were the reason why we won today.”

“Huh.” Lvanya looked at the five dragons, who stared right back at her, “Well, thank you.” she bowed her head.

Rumbles came out of the dragons throat as a sign of acknowledgement.

“My brat of a great-grandnephew here,” Lvanya gripped onto the Kraken Rider’s shoulder, “was riding the tide back to his manor when he saw all this.” she waved a hand across the crowd of elves, “And told me immediately. I came to see what the commotion was all about.” she sniffed, “Then he sent his army to help. Seems like he did the right thing,” then, in a lower voice, muttered, “for once.”

“Well, we appreciate your aid, Empress Lvanya.” King Eldrik bowed again. “Your and the dragons’ help was actually needed too.”

We saw. A huge male black dragon lowered his head. You didn’t stand a chance against the demons, your majesty. 

King Eldrik sighed and nodded, “Yes… I know.” he looked up, “So, thank you, again. On behalf of Elentia and my people, thank you.”

We’re not finished yet, king. The male black dragon took a step forward. Something tells me that the demons didn’t come and attack you just for the fun of it. 

“You still owe me an explanation, Eldrik.” Empress Lvanya snapped, “So, you’d better start talking.”

Our king looked weary and stressed, but he stood his ground and straightened, “I will.” his voice strong, “But please, can we discuss these matters away from my people? They’ll need their rest.”

Very well. The dragons’ wings snapped out. Your palace it is, King Eldrik. And they launched into the sky.

“Your palace?” Empress Lvanya growled, “Your palace is on the other side of the city! You expect me to walk a mile of land? I’m the empress of the sea for a reason, you know!”

“Your majesty, if it really makes you uncomfortable–” the Kraken Rider started saying, but the empress waved him off.

“Oh, shut up.” she waved her hand in front of her. The water from her outfit trickled onto the ground and made a small path of water. She stepped onto it, “Rothraan.” she snapped her fingers at the Kraken Rider, “Gather our warriors and go back to the palace. Send escorts to me when I’m finished with this meeting.”

The Kraken Rider, Rothraan, bowed, “As you command, your majesty.” he turned around and stepped onto the wave without another word.

---

I never thought this day would come… but then again, I never thought I’d play a part in determining East Borathea’s fate either.

I stood next to Alik in a circle formed by our king, Prince Aramor, a dragon, Empress Lvanya, and the rest of the Mystic Council. The dragon had lit a fire for us, but the night only grew colder and darker.

“So, let’s summarize.” the king clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention, “The Valley reported odd occurrences, which got them to make the decision to request for aid. To do that, they needed a messenger, so they asked Eloise and several other descendants of the Valley people.” he gestured at me, “Once Eloise got Sandro and Khalia as proof of the strange occurrences, the demons attacked the Valley, capturing the other humans who were held there. Eloise, Alik, Sandro, and Khalia came to Sharath to give me the message. I agreed to summon the Mystic Council to discuss this problem, but the demons attacked our city the next day. We barely survived, and that was when I sent out the urgent message for all members to arrive as quickly as possible, bringing their army if they can. Prince Aramor,” he looked at his brother, “was the first to arrive, then as days passed, more than half of the Mystic Council showed up. Unfortunately, we still don’t know why some haven’t come, and we can only hope that their cities haven’t experienced the wrath of the demons.” he straightened, “Anyway, we rallied our forces to prepare for another attack, but none came until tonight. This time, they held Prince Aramor’s citizens hostage and demanded for Sandro and Khalia, the only humans they haven’t captured yet. I…” he faltered for a brief moment, then continued, “I did what I thought was best for the people and gave Sandro and Khalia to the demons. Once they had them, they let Prince Aramor’s people go, but we never thought they’d literally let them go. Our shifters saved some of them, but in the end, it was the dragons and Empress Lvanya who saved them.” he looked up, “So thank you.”

The empress, now serious, nodded, “Yes, of course.”

The dragon just blinked.

“So,” King Eldrik’s eyes swept across the circle, “thoughts?”

The dragon was the first to speak. We think we may have an answer to why the demons want the humans so badly.

Everyone gasped and looked up. My eyes widened. Mistress Darcy… My gaze fell onto the familiar red dragon. You know why they’ve been targeting Sandro and Khalia?

The red dragon nodded. Yes, Miss Eloise. Listen to Strom. He knows more than I do. 

“Any information or insight would be useful at this point.” King Eldrik said, “So please.” he gestured at the rest of us.

Few of you know this, the dragon started, but we dragons reside in the southwest corner of Borathea. South of the demon spawning grounds and west of Muraaz’s territory. And because we’re so close to Muraaz’s territory, we’ve always been aware of his movements and actions. The dragon narrowed his eyes. And two months ago, he sent half of his armada to the deserted island south of our territory. This was unusual, even for a demon king like him, because the war between him and Grakzuur was still raging. Sending half of his armada to the island would almost guarantee his defeat… unless if there was something on that island that would ensure his victory. The dragon heaved a sigh. We were curious and suspicious, so we sent a small party of dragons to spy on the demons. When they returned, they told us of the intense magic radiating off of the island. The demons were casting rituals and marking stones on that island. The symbols were ancient, but some of our elders were able to recognize them. Apparently, the markings were taken out of an old tome. The tome, as some of you may guess, belonged to the Royal House of Elentia. The dragon’s eyes met King Eldrik’s. Your family, majesty. Lord Vyn, the one who sealed the enchantment that hid Borathea and created the eternal guardians, learned those spells from the tome. But other than the two enchantments, there was also one more spell that tome contained. It was the tethering ritual, the only known spell that could counter the effects of the sealing enchantment. Unfortunately, the tome no longer exists, but the markings and symbols still exist in the memories of those who lived eons ago. Somehow, Muraaz’s demons were able to get ahold of these memories and start the ritual on this island. The dragon’s eyes landed on Sandro and Khalia. This is where the humans come in. 

I unconsciously scooted forward a little.

We dragons knew nothing of the tome or the spells within it, but because of the demons, we were able to learn a good amount of information. The first thing that I figured you would want to know is that the demons want these humans to act as anchors when they perform the tethering ritual.

King Eldrik opened his mouth, but the dragon held up a claw. I will explain. What that means, and I’m speaking from what we know, so don’t expect a complete and accurate explanation, is that the humans are essential to the tethering ritual. Anchors are objects or creatures from a different place. When a person casts the tethering ritual, they’re usually summoning a portal to a different place. That place can be on the other side of the continent or world, but in order to complete the ritual, they need an anchor, or several anchors if they want to maximize their chances of success. Our guess is that the demons want to slip through Lord Vyn’s sealing enchantment and start their conquest on the other side of the veil. In order to do that, they need an anchor who’s essence is tied closely to the outside world. Since Borathea’s been hidden from the rest of the Old Homeland for eons, nothing they can find on this continent would serve as a strong enough anchor to complete the tethering ritual. So when the humans came, they saw this as an opportunity to collect strong enough anchors to summon portals to the Old Homeland. He paused, then continued. They’ve opened one or two portals already. 

There was a long stretch of silence. Everyone seemed to be deep in thought or in shock. I was both.

“So they captured the humans because they needed them.” Prince Aramor said slowly.

The dragon nodded. It would seem so. 

“Have the demons sent anyone in yet?” King Eldrik asked.

We haven’t seen anyone go in yet, no. Nor have we felt any major shifts in the enchantment. But we have seen things come out of the portal. 

That caught everyone’s attention. I blurted out, “What type of things?” Iphones? Bullet trains? Streetlamps?

The dragon looked at me. All I can say is that they are very bizarre and strange, indeed. 

“But then,” a member of the Mystic Council spoke up, “that would mean they have several items at their disposal to use as anchors, wouldn’t it?”

They haven’t used any of the things that came through the portal. The dragon answered. My guess is that they’re too scared. Even when you’re a demon, things from another world could still frighten you.

“But that doesn’t mean they won’t use them.” another mused quietly.

According to our spies, the portals aren’t exactly the most stable things in this world. No matter how strong your anchor is, travelling by portal has never been safe. They’re probably waiting to find more ways to ensure their arrival in the Old Homeland.

King Eldrik folded his arms and sighed, “I think we all know what we need to do.” his eyes flickered and looked into every one of our gazes.

Lvanya raised a brow, “You really plan to stop them?”

“What choice do we have?” King Eldrik stood up, “We owe it to the people who gave their lives for the sake of East Borathea, and I’m sure none of us want to watch as the demons ravage the land and enslave our people.”

Everyone bowed their heads and lowered their gazes. No one seemed to want to speak, but almost everyone here was a leader or a ruler of some sort. They knew that it was their responsibility to make the final decision, and that they were responsible for their people. They sealed their fate the moment they were crowned.

“Fine.” one council member, the Duke of Southwood if I remembered correctly, said, “I’ll come with you.”

I watched as the leaders murmured in agreement one by one. Soon, we had most of East Borathea agree to stop these demons.

King Eldrik looked up at the dragon, “Will you help us?” he asked.

The black dragon straightened. We don’t wish to be more involved than we already are. We came here to investigate, and we risked our people by shedding demon blood tonight. His wings stretched out, and his fellow dragons did the same. We wish you the best of luck, however. His eyes glimmered. And perhaps sometime in the future, when your army wears down both demon kings, we dragons will come and deal the finishing blow for you. 

The young king looked disappointed, but he nodded his head nevertheless, “If that’s your decision, then we shall respect it.” he bowed deeply, “You have our eternal thanks and gratitude.”

Good luck, King Eldrik. The black dragon let out a roar and launched into the air, his companions following close behind him.

I frowned. Mistress Darcy, aren’t you going to–

No, I must return to the school. She said and leaned down until her snout pressed against my head. I wish I can help my student, but I’m afraid I cannot. Not without endangering East Borathea further.

I smiled, “That’s alright.” I reached up and touched her nose.

Best of luck to you, Miss Eloise. She straightened and flapped her wings twice. And to all of you. And with that, she shot into the sky, flying back south to my school.

After a pause, King Eldrik looked at the empress of the ocean, “That leaves you, Empress Lvanya. Where will you stand?”

The old empress folded her hands neatly on her lap and looked up, her eyes shimmering like sunlight on the ocean waves, “I’m sure that, even if I refused to help, you would try to convince me, right?”

Of all the answers we expected her to give us, we never expected this one. King Eldrik blinked, “Well… if you really don’t wish to join the battle, that’s alright. We will respect your decision.”

“I wasn’t finished, boy.” she snapped and everyone flinched at the harshness of her tone, “By Leviathan’s Maw, you young people are too impatient.”

King Eldrik decided not to answer to her remark, and the empress continued.

“But, after living for eons, I think I know myself better than anyone out there, and I’m sure that if I avoided this fight, as I have avoided other wars over the years, I would regret it.” she sighed, her eyes swimming with memories, “I owe it to my old friends.” she looked up at the king, “Lord Vyn, Baron Ygrissa… even the young, naive, and hotheaded Queen Selithe… I owe it to them.” the old empress straightened, “So it doesn’t matter if you ask me to join this battle, because, like it or not, I’m in.”

The corners of King Eldrik’s mouth twitched upwards, “I was hoping you’d say that, your majesty.”

I couldn’t help but smile as the empress waved her hand dismissively, “Yeah, yeah, keep your comments to yourself, boy.”

Everyone chuckled, and for a moment, the world seemed at piece. It was strange, and powerful, what a simple smile or a laugh can do during the darkest of times.

“There’s one more matter to attend to before we send ourselves to Death’s doors.” Prince Aramor spoke up once the laughter died down, “Who are we going to send?”

Another heavy silence, this time, the fear was almost palpable. My heart was hammering against my chest as I pleaded to the gods above. Please, not Alik. I know you gods hate him for what he’s done, but please, just this once, spare him. He’s been through enough.

But, like all the legends and Alik say, the gods are merciless in their work and duty. One Alliance member raised his hand, “Send the demon. He’s powerful enough to survive.”

Alik stiffened and I stepped forward, “Wait, Alik should have a say in this–”

“Fine.” my heart sank when I heard that word come out of my friend’s lips.

“Alik, are you sure?” King Eldrik frowned, “You know, you have every right to refuse–”

“I’ll do it.” he interrupted the king.

I gritted my teeth, “Alik, listen–”

“We’ll discuss this later, Eloise.” he said, his voice low and almost dangerous.

For the first time in my life, I glared at Alik, not even bothering to hide my fear and anger. But he returned it, and when his eyes flickered with a dark purple light, I clenched my jaw and looked away. Fine. I thought. We’ll finish this later.

“Our priority, once we get on the island, should be to destroy the markings and stop the rituals. Once we’re done with that, we need to ensure they never open another portal.” Prince Aramor said.

“How? By killing the humans off?” Princess Avika of the Goblin Clan asked. She didn’t seem too happy with that suggestion.

Before his brother could reply, King Eldrik cut in, “We can decide on that when the time comes. For now, we should focus on stopping Muraaz’s demons at all costs.”

“For that, we’ll need to foil his plans… which means destroying the markings.” Archduke Reilyn said in a low, smooth voice, “We will need to send in our best mages if we want that to happen.”

We all looked to the Archmage Dialaan, who was the head of the most prestigious and famous magic school: Exus de Mahj, Zion. He graduated top of his class and was the founder of the Dialaan Trick, a simple technique that made even the weakest of mages look strong. But when he found everyone staring at him, he blinked, “Y’all wanna send me in?”

“Well, you and a couple of your best mages, Archmage Dialaan.” Lord Kaino said, “But yes, we want to send you in.”

“Aw, shucks.” Archmage Dialaan sighed, “Fine, fine, have it your way. I’ll go. The world pretty much depends on it anyway.”

“Then it’s settled.” Lord Kaino turned to King Eldrik, “Archmage Dialaan will go with his best mages.”

“Good.” our king nodded, “We would also need people who specialize in holy practices and magic.”

“Believe it or not,” Lady Hawk of the East Grove pointed out, “the clans and tribes up North have quite a few who specialize in those areas.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Princess Avika demanded hotly.

I started getting nervous. Tensions were already running high, but Lady Hawk’s remark might’ve just pushed the representatives from the North over the edge.

Lady Hawk raised a brow, “Exactly how it sounds. Did I offend you, princess?”

“Just your choice of wording, my lady.” Princess Avika growled.

“Watch your tone, princess.” Lady Hawk inspected her nails boringly, “You wouldn’t wish to anger the family of the East Grove.”

“And you wouldn’t wish to feel the wrath of the Goblin clan.” she took a threatening step forward, but the other representative from the north, Tribe Leader Shuri, held her back.

“Enough, Princess Avika.” Tribe Leader Shuri said firmly, “No sense in arguing amongst ourselves, especially during times like this.”

“Thank you, Tribe Leader Shuri.” Lord Kaino nodded, “Now, back to the subject of mages who specialize in–”

“I will send my priests.” Tribe Leader Shuri cut in, “The tribes of the North are very superstitious, so any of their priests would be powerful enough.” she looked at King Eldrik, “Does it matter what deity they worship, your majesty?”

“No.” he shook his head, “At least… I don’t think it should matter. Divine magic is divine magic, regardless of which god it comes from.”

Tribe Leader Shuri nodded, “Very well. I will also send in a few Exorcists, if you don’t mind.”

“We would need all the help we can get, so no, of course I don’t mind!” King Eldrik exclaimed.

“We’re up against demons, so if anyone else has any fighters or mages who specialize in divine energy, step up.” Prince Aramor said.

Because every kingdom and province had at least one temple or church, the Alliance ended up agreeing to send over 30 exorcists and priests, all who’ve mastered divine energy and holy magic in some way.

“We’ll need warriors as well.”

“No.” Alik spoke up and everyone looked at him, “You don’t. Warriors will only act as handicaps in this battle. Anyone who doesn’t have some form of divine magic or energy should remain here.”

The Alliance was silent until King Eldrik spoke up again, “Very well, then. We will send in exorcists and priests. With the exception of Alik, no warrior or mage without any experience with divine magic will join this expedition.”

Wait. I felt my hand twitch instinctively. But that would mean… I glanced at Alik. He didn’t move, but I could tell that he noticed.

The other Alliance members murmured in agreement and that was how the meeting ended.

Of course, I wasn’t finished, and this time, Alik didn’t run away. In fact, he turned around and walked towards a more secluded spot. I followed him.

The silence between us was painful. Even when we stopped, he didn’t talk right away. I couldn’t help but wish, for the 100th time this month, that none of this ever happened. Our friendship was so simple, yet we were so close. But ever since the demon attacked Alik’s home, I realized how little I really knew about him. It was like the man I spent most of my life teasing and talking to was only his outer shell.

He took the lead, “Eloise, how many times do I have to tell you? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Sending me to battle doesn’t mean I’ll come back dead.” he didn’t sound angry, just weary.

I lowered my gaze, “And how many times do I have to tell you that you always have a choice?”

“Not in this battle.” he turned around to fully face me, “Choices are a luxury very little of us have in this battle.”

“It’s not a luxury, Alik.” I tried not to sound too emotional, “It’s a right. All of us have the right to make a decision.”

His eyes glistened. “Not for me.” he said bitterly, “I never had that right. Not when I was chosen to become an angel, not when I was banished from the heavens, and definitely not when the gods decided to put me in this situation.”

I was taken aback. Never in my lifetime have I heard him complain. But when I thought about it, I realized that he had every right to be bitter and angry. He was an angel who did what he thought was right, but was still punished for it. He was cast out from the celestial ranks, marked as a fallen for the rest of eternity. But even then, he didn’t succumb to rage or revenge. Instead, he accepted the cold, hard truth that he was no longer a being with divine essence, and instead, built a home for himself among mortals. For centuries, he lived alone with nothing but the animals to keep him company, until I came along. But then, the demons attacked, and he had to fight for East Borathea and the gods above, even when he owed the land nothing. Life and fate had been unfair to him, but even then, he never said a single word. He only accepted it and moved on.

“Well, it may seem like that at first,” I said slowly, “but when you were cast from the heavens, you did have a choice.”

“Oh really?” he let out a short, cold laugh, “And what was that?”

I looked at him, “You had the choice to succumb to your rage or push it aside and move forward.” Alik’s amethyst eyes looked away and I continued, “You could’ve decided to join Muraaz or Grakzuur, and it would’ve been easier if you did. To let your rage fuel your thirst for revenge must’ve been tempting. But you chose not to and decided to stay here.” I folded my arms and tried to catch his eye, “That was a choice, wasn’t it?”

He stayed silent, his eyes fixed on the scorched wooden pillar at the side. He didn’t seem to want to talk, so I walked up to him and gave him a hug. Alik’s muscles stiffened ever so slightly out of surprise, but I squeezed him gently as a caring and playful gesture.

“Remember that you’ll always have a choice, Alik.” I murmured, my words muffled by his torso of iron, “Never forget that.”

He sighed heavily and put his arms around me too. “You still worry too much, Eloise. I’ll be fine.”

“Uh huh.” I rolled my eyes, “And the sky is made of candy.”

“I’m a demon, Eloise.” he reminded me in a surprisingly gentle tone, “I’ve fought in more wars than you can imagine. So when I say I’ll be fine, I’m pretty sure I know what I’m saying.”

I rested my chin on his chest and looked up, “That still doesn’t mean the unexpected won’t happen.”

He flicked a finger across the bridge of my nose and I scrunched up my face, “Hey! What was that for?”

“Don’t you ever wonder if it’s just you?” he asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

“No.” I frowned, “It’s normal for people to worry about their friends.”

“Yeah, but normal people don’t have fallen angels as friends.” he said.

“True, but you act like any other 50 year old elf, so what’s the difference?” I asked teasingly.

Alik raised a brow, “Did you just call me old?”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” I bit down on my lip to keep myself from laughing.

He gave me a look and I stared right back at him, but it was really hard not to look away, since I’m literally a foot shorter than him.

“I wouldn’t really want to see myself as a nostalgic grandfather who smells like mothballs.” he admitted.

I couldn’t help but giggle, “Spoken like a true grandpa.”

His eyes glimmered and his mouth tugged upwards, “If that’s how you want to view me, fine.”

I made a face, “No way! You look way too young to be a grandfather.”

“I can only assume that’s a good thing.” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, from afar, your white hair could give others the impression that you are a 100 year old martial arts master. But once they see you, they’d think you’re just a teenager who had nothing better to do than to dye your hair white.”

“My hair used to be blond, you know.” he said.

I let out a squeal, “Really?”

Alik brushed a lock of hair away from my face, “Yep.”

“Ooh.” I stared at him with wide eyes, “What about your wings? They must’ve been white, right?”

“White feathers that shimmered gold, but yes.” he said, his eyes full of amusement at my reaction.

“So, did you wear this white dress that showed off your abs and well toned legs?”

Alik blinked, “Is that really how most people viewed us?”

I nodded, “Yeah, pretty much.” Even I hadn’t thought much about your life before your banishment. 

“Well…” for once, Alik seemed to be lost for words, “we… we didn’t exactly have… clothes.”

My jaw dropped, “Wait, you guys were naked–”

“No, no.” he held up his hand and made a face, “We didn’t really have a physical form, and when we did, it was usually for a more symbolic purpose.”

I flushed at the thought of seeing Alik… nude. “Let’s change the subject, shall we?” I asked, my voice a couple octaves higher.

“Actually, Eloise, I might have to go now.” he said.

“Huh?” I looked at him, “O-Oh… right.” I couldn’t help but feel saddened, “You have to get ready for the expedition.” I let go of him and stepped away, shivering as the warmth of his body left me.

“Eloise–”

“It’s okay.” I faked a smile, “Besides, I’m pretty sure you’re tired of me lecturing you, right?” To be honest, I wanted to lecture him. I wanted to convince him to stay here, where it was safer, but I knew him. He was stubborn, and he was like me in that sense, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to convince him to stay even if I really wanted to.

“Eloise, listen–”

“No, really, it’s alright. I’ll be fine.” The words kept tumbling out of my mouth. Maybe it was because I wanted to stall, or maybe I just didn’t want to hear what he had to say because I knew I would break down crying. “Y-You just go on, Alik. They need you more than anyone–”

His wings flapped twice and he landed in front of me, taking me into his arms and hugging me tightly. “A-Alik?” I gasped.

“You promised you’d trust me to do the right thing.” he murmured, resting his chin on my head, “So don’t say goodbye to me like that. It makes me feel guilty.”

This time, I couldn’t help but let some tears roll down my cheek. “How do you want me to say goodbye?” I asked, trying to keep the shakiness from my voice.

Alik stroke my hair gently, “Like you’re going to see me the next day, well and very much alive.”

I laughed, even though my nose was stuffed and my eyes were overflowing, “Alright, dummy.” I squeezed him as hard as I could, “See you later, Alik.”

My best friend patted my head and pulled away, “See you later.” he repeated, giving me a small, reassuring smile, before he took off into the sky.

---

I didn’t even bother going to the farewell ceremony. I heard the distant cheering and prayers as everyone said their goodbyes before they left. I already said goodbye to Alik, so I decided to stay and practice my shifting, even though I wasn’t in the right mood or mindset.

Come on, shift! I stiffened my muscles and concentrated on turning my flesh into the scaly hide of a wyvern.

A tingling sensation washed through me as my skin turned rougher and harder. For a moment, I felt like my skin was too tight, and a cry of pain slipped out of my mouth.

“What the–”

I gasped out of shock and instantly shifted back into an elf, the pain I just felt was now gone.

“Oh. It’s just you.”

I looked up, “Oh, hi, Khalia!” I tried for a smile, but she didn’t return it.

My friend looked away, “You’re practicing shifting?” she asked quietly.

I could tell something was wrong, but I didn’t know whether I should push it or not, “Yep.” I held out my arms, “Elisa’s making me do a wyvern this week.”

“Mm.” was all she said as she sat down on a piece of rubble.

Heck it. If I don’t ask now, she may never get better. “Khalia,” I chose my next words carefully, “are you doing alright?” when she gave me a sideways glare, I swallowed, “After… you know, King Eldrik decided to…” Give you up for Prince Aramor’s people.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t even look at me, and it made the situation even more awkward. I didn’t know what to do, and she didn’t seem to be listening to me anyway.

“Khalia–”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” she said in a quiet tone.

But you need to talk about it. I thought, and felt my chest tighten when I saw a teardrop roll down her face. No matter how strong you think you are, you’ll still have a breaking point. But I knew she really didn’t want to say anything, and since I hated it when people kept talking to me, especially when I’m feeling down, I decided to leave her alone. I’ll come back later, Khalia… when you’re ready. 

I reached over and patted her shoulder before shifting into a bird and taking off into the sky.

The city of Sharath lay in ruins below me, but even in ruins the city still looked peaceful, especially from a birds’ eye-view. I didn’t have a particular destination. I just wanted to fly; to feel weightless in the sky.

I thought back on the night when Alik approached Sandro. When he said he was leaving, was he referring to this? If he was, how did he even know an attack was going to happen and we were going to investigate the island as a result? I almost chuckled out loud when I considered maybe my friend could see into the future, but I pushed the thought away. Don’t be silly. Angels and demons can’t see into the future… can they? 

I spotted a familiar face and I took a U-turn to make sure it was who I thought it was. I dove down and landed on the wooden door frame he was leaning against.

Sandro sighed and ran his hands through his hair, looking agitated and troubled. I didn’t know if I should bother him or not, but curiosity got the best of me, so I flew down and shifted a couple feet away from him.

“Whoa!” he looked surprised to see me.

“Hey, Sandro.” I gave him a smile.

“Oh, it’s you.” he heaved another sigh, “Hey.”

“How… are you feeling?” I asked, hesitating.

He chuckled dryly, “Like complete and utter shit.”

I wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not, so I decided to play safe, “Anything I could do to help?”

“Not unless you can send me home.” he said.

“You want to go home?” I said softly.

Sandro gave me a look, “Of course I want to go home!” he snapped all of the sudden, “What? You think I said that for fun?”

I swallowed, “I-I’m sorry, Sandro, really.” I nodded, “It’s alright if you don’t feel like talking.”

Sandro rubbed his eyes and slumped against the door frame. He looked drained, like he had just recovered from a sickness and was forced to run a mile.

“It’s not you.” he opened his eyes, “This entire situation is just fucked up. Eldrik decided to send me and Khalia to our deaths, and if it weren’t for the dragons, we would’ve been killed… by the hands of demons.”

You’ve both been through a lot, I know. I thought, feeling guilty that I hadn’t taken their feelings under consideration. You’ve been teleported from your home against your will, thrown into a dungeon, chased to the capitol city with a demon at your heels, witnessed another attack on the city, and earlier tonight, you were given to the demons in exchange for the lives of elves you don’t even know. 

I approached him slowly and reached out hesitantly, putting my hand on his shoulder as a supportive gesture. “I know you’re angry, Sandro.” I said quietly, “I just saw Khalia, and she was angry about it too.” I gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, “If you want to talk about it, I’m always here, okay?”

I turned around, and was about to leave, when he caught my wrist.

“Eloise, wait.”

I looked over my shoulder, “Yes?” Would you like to talk about it now?

Sandro looked like he was trying to make a really hard decision. He worked his jaw and looked away, “You remember… that night when I showed you how to use the crossbow?”

The night I saw you and Alik talking. I thought. And the night when I might as well have blurted out that I have a crush on you. I nodded, staying silent.

“Well…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Alik came to talk to me about… something.”

I was dying to ask him what that entire conversation was about, and it took me all the willpower I had to stay silent and frown as if I didn’t know, “And?” I said calmly.

Sandro’s eyes were clouded with conflicting emotions, and he opened and closed his mouth several times before finally continuing, “I’m supposed to keep this a secret. He didn’t want you to know what he planned to do.”

“Planned to do?” the words came tumbling out of my mouth, “What do you mean? What does he plan to do?” my voice started rising and my heart started beating faster.

“I…” he looked guilty, “I’m really sorry about this, Eloise, but…”

“But what?” I demanded.

“His original plan was to sneak away and finish off the demons by himself.” he blurted out.

My hand went to cover my mouth. “He–” Dammit, Alik! Why do you always fight battles alone? I wanted to cry, but I kept the tears in, “And you think he’s going to stay on the Island of Dark Fire once this mission is complete? Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

Sandro’s expression was pained, but he said nothing. Instead, he pulled out a sealed letter, “He wanted me to give this to you after…” he swallowed, “after he left.”

I took it with trembling hands, and for a moment, I was tempted to rip it open and read it. Sandro saw my hesitation and said, “Aren’t you going to read it?”

I stared at it, then I shook my head, “No.” I said, my voice strangely determined, “Reading it would mean I’ve accepted the way things are.” He can hate me for going after him, but the way I’m feeling right now, I’m going to punch him so hard he wouldn’t even have time to glare at me!

“Eloise,” Sandro’s voice was weary, “don’t. That isn’t what Alik would want.”

“I don’t care!” I snapped, already heading towards my tent, “He can kill me after I’ve knocked some sense into that freaking thick stubborn skull of his!”

“Eloise!” Sandro caught up with me, “I told you this because I felt you deserved to know, not so you can run straight into death’s door!”

“I don’t give a damn about who’s door I’m running into!” my stride didn’t falter, “He will listen, and he will come back!”

Sandro stopped, and for some reason, I stopped too, “Do you think he’s doing this because he wants to?” he asked.

“The way he’s been acting these days certainly supports that theory.” I muttered, clenching my fists.

Sandro ignored my remark, “From what I’ve seen, Alik doesn’t seem like the type who’ll charge into battle mindlessly. I think he knows exactly what he’s getting himself into, and he’s more than willing to fight to the very end.”

I laughed bitterly, “And if you’ve seen Alik, you would know that charging into battle at every opportunity is sort of becoming a habit for him.” I knew I didn’t mean it, but I felt so angry and betrayed that I didn’t care anymore.

“My point is, Eloise,” Sandro continued to ignore my remarks, “maybe this is what Alik wants. Maybe sacrificing himself to give us a chance is something he wants to do. Don’t you think that, as his best friend, you should respect that?”

For a moment, my anger faded away, replaced by determination and sadness. “If your best friend was charging to his death, wouldn’t you try and stop him? No matter the cost?”

Sandro kept his mouth shut. That’s what I thought. I turned around and continued walking. This time, he didn’t follow me.

Chapter 8

Water bottle, check. Food rations, check. Extra clothes, check. Healing kit, check. Compass, check. Survival Guide for Dummies, check. I rummaged through my backpack for what seemed like the fifth time today. I was nervous, and every now and then, I’d still have doubts about my plan. But then I would see Alik’s letter and remember what would happen if I didn’t do something.

I also went down to a group of exorcists that were chosen to guard the city and asked them to give my hands a couple of holy enchantments, telling them that I’d feel safer if I had some sort of protection against the demons. They were even nice enough to give me a small flower charm that, supposedly, warded off evil spirits. I usually didn’t believe in that sort of thing, but since I was heading straight into demon territory, I felt like every little bit would help.

I waited until sunset to leave, since it would take me roughly 1 and a half days’ time to get there if I shifted into an air elemental. I wanted to land when the demons were the weakest so I wouldn’t have to expect heavy resistance.

I sat near the edge of the cliff, staring at the setting sun and waiting for night to fall. When I get there, the first thing I’m gonna do is hit that stupid bastard!

“Eloise.”

I looked over my shoulder and sighed, “What do you guys want?” Even though I already had an idea of what they wanted.

Sandro and Khalia both had bags slung over their shoulders. From behind Khalia’s shoulder, I could see a part of a sword hilt sticking out. And Sandro had his crossbow hanging from his shoulder and a case of bolts on his belt.

“We thought Eldrik deserved a beating after what he did to us.” Khalia said casually, her humorless eyes told me not to take that as a joke.

“No, you guys, it’s dangerous–”

“You think we don’t know that?” Sandro asked, tilting his head to the side questioningly.

“Yes.” I said with some indignation, “I’m about to go into demon territory, and anyone who’s in their right mind would turn around right now!”

“Are you calling yourself crazy?” Khalia raised a brow.

“Maybe I am.” I certainly feel like it. I’m about to walk onto the Island of Dark Fire, but the only things I’m feeling right now are anger and betrayal… towards Alik. 

“Well, if you really are crazy, you wouldn’t mind us coming along.” Sandro shrugged and walked towards me.

I recoiled, “I don’t have to help you, you know.” I said, even though I knew I would.

“Would you help us if we told you our world is as stake too?” Khalia asked, close behind Sandro.

I… had actually forgotten about that. I realized. I’ve been focusing on Alik so much that I forgot about them. I promised I’d listen to them, yet I haven’t even taken their feelings under consideration when I planned this trip. They were right too. Their world was in as much danger as ours, and they have every right to fight for it.

I turned around and sighed, letting my bangs fall across my face, “You guys realize you can die out there, right?”

“So can you.” I felt Khalia’s hand on my shoulder, “But we have a greater chance of survival if we go together.”

I stepped away from her and looped the bag onto my ankle, “Fine.” I decided and shifted into a roc, lowering myself so they can climb on.

---

I didn’t need to see the Island of the Dark Flame in order to know we were near, because that piece of land was radiating so much magical energy that I almost lost control over my roc form.

When the island came into view, the first thing I noticed was a huge mountain peaking above the dark clouds, sticking out like a sore thumb. On the top of the mountain was a bright fire that lit up in the darkness like a beacon. I guess that was why they called it the Island of the Dark Flame.

“Geez, I’m getting the shudders.” Sandro rubbed his arms.

“Same.” Khalia leaned down, “Hey, Eloise! Are you feeling okay?”

I nodded. It was strange, because even after a day and a half of flying and maintaining my roc form, I didn’t feel fatigued. It was probably because of the magical energy coming from the island. The magic didn’t give off an evil aura, like I expected, but it was exceptionally powerful and unstable, like those artifacts in the stories which, if fallen into the wrong hands, would cause irreversible damage to the entire world.

I landed on one of the rocky shores of the island and shifted back into an elf. I looked around to see if anyone noticed our arrival, and after a moment of silence, I decided that it would be safe… for now.

“Wow.” Sandro said in a low voice, “This place is…”

Sinister, evil, mysterious, unstable, powerful… yeah, I know. I untied my bag and slung it onto my back, “Alright, you guys, come on.”

They followed me towards the tall, dark mountain. Someone probably lived there, and that someone was most likely a demon, and where there were demons there were portals, and where there were portals there was Alik.

“So, if we’re ambushed by demons, what’s the plan?” Sandro spoke up again.

“We run.” I said in a sarcastic tone, even though I meant it in a serious way.

“Sounds great to me.” Sandro said, “And… what do we do if they catch up to us?”

“Use your own brain for once, Sandro.” Khalia said.

“Hey, I’m just trying to lighten to the mood with conversation.” Sandro said helplessly, “But obviously Khalia doesn’t want that, because she enjoys contemplating in the dark.”

Despite our current situation, I couldn’t help but chuckle. Khalia made a face, “That’s what you simple minded mortals think!” she said in a very posh accent, “But in reality, I’m planning something grander! Far grander than anything your minds can come up with!”

I smiled. Seems like Khalia’s back to her old self. I really hope those two can remain that way. We’ll need high morale if we want any chance of surviving this. 

With all the dark clouds above us, it was impossible to tell if it was broad daylight or the middle of the night beyond the island, but when I started to feel sleepy, I knew it must be near nightfall back home.

“Hey, I think we should stop here today.” I suggested, slowing down.

“What? Already?” Khalia exclaimed.

“Yeah.” I blinked, “Aren’t you guys tired?”

Sandro and Khalia shared a look of confusion, “Uh… no?” Khalia said.

“Wow.” I rubbed my eyes and yawned, “How late do you guys sleep?”

“Eleven or so.” Sandro said casually.

“After twelve.” Khalia answered.

I paused, not sure if I heard that right, “Wait… what?”

“When do you sleep, Eloise?” Sandro asked.

“Nine.” I said. Doesn’t everybody?

“What the heck?” Khalia’s eyes widened, “How does anyone fall asleep that early?”

“That’s crazy.” Sandro shook his head.

“No it’s not.” I defended myself, “I should be saying the same thing about you! Who the heck sleeps that late into the night?”

“Literally, every single teenager who ever existed.” Khalia said and sat down on a rock, “But I guess it’s fine. I’m tired too.”

“Oh gee, thanks.” Sandro dropped his backpack to the ground, “So it’s only okay for us to rest if you’re tired?”

“Well, I am the superior here.” she said in her haughty voice, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards.

“Nah, that’s never going to happen.” Sandro chuckled, “Maybe when it comes to math and history, but when it comes to everything else, I’m afraid you’re the inferior.”

Khalia looked like she was about to retort, but I held up my hands, “Alright, children, that’s enough. I think we should stop bickering and start building camp.”

“No one asked for your opinion.” Khalia said jokingly.

“But I think she’s right.” Sandro said.

“One: Of course you do, you’re practically lovers.” I flushed at her comment. “And two, no one asked for your opinion either, Sandro.”

“A wise guy once said,” Sandro said in a deep, accented voice, “one does not simply dismiss another’s opinion, because usually the guy who voiced the opinion is right.”

I giggled at the way he said that, and Khalia rolled her eyes, “Stop ripping off from the Lord of the Rings.”

I was about to take out my blanket when I stiffened and my head snapped up. What the–

“Holy shit!” Sandro sprang to his feet, his wide eyes staring at something behind me.

I spun around and found myself face to face with a red and black eyed imp. Its flesh looked like it was rotting off of its skeleton, and its wings looked shredded. It was a miracle that this imp was still alive… alive and baring its fangs at me.

I jumped back and almost tripped over myself if it wasn’t for Khalia catching me. I watched in horror as more imps gathered around us, their flesh mangled and bloody, and their eyes gleaming hungrily.

“What the hell are those?” Sandro’s voice cracked as he picked up his crossbow and fumbled to load a bolt.

“Imps.” I answered, my own voice shaking. Imps were considered small fry creatures beyond the Trench, but to us elves, they were still demons.

“I don’t care what they are.” I heard the familiar metal scraping metal sound as Khalia unsheathed her blade, “Just tell me they’re easy to defeat.”

The leading imp didn’t seem to like what she said and snarled, its eyes starting to glow. The other imps’ eyes turned bloodred as they started to advance towards us.

Looks like we have no choice. I really wanted to shift into a roc and grab my friends to leave, but these imps had wings. As shredded as they may seem, they can still fly, and the last thing I wanted was to be chased around an island inhabited by demons.

So instead, I used the rocky terrain to my advantage and turned my skin into rock. Shifters don’t always have to full transform into a different creature. Elisa had told me during one of our many training sessions. What a lot of people don’t know is that shifters can always use their surroundings to their advantage and adapt. You don’t have to transform fully, just enough so that you’ll be safe. In my rocky form, the imps wouldn’t be able to inflict any fatal wounds on me, plus I can defend Sandro and Khalia if it comes down to it. The only downside is that I’ll be slower, but at this point, I was okay with anything as long as none of us would get severely injured.

The imps didn’t seem to care if I was all bulky and made of rock. They flung themselves onto my shoulders and back and started scratching and biting. I felt them, but instead of the sharp, piercing pain that I was expecting, they only came as dull sores, like someone was trying to punch me with tiny fists.

Even though I wasn’t getting hurt, my friends were, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move fast enough to defend them, and the imps just kept coming wave after wave. That was one of their strengths. Small fry demons like them weren’t so powerful individually, but together, they can be near unstoppable if they wanted to. Plus their seemingly never-ending numbers can lower even the greatest army’s morale.

I growled in frustration as I shook off my attackers and launched myself forward with all my might. Every second counts. Elisa’s voice rang loud and clear in my head. When you’re caught in a battle, there is no time to think! Act on instinct, because instinct is the only thing that can save you now! I threw myself in front of a trio of imps who jumped towards Sandro’s unguarded side. My sudden act stunned the three of them, and that was all I needed, a single second. Just as they were falling to the ground, I brought up my arm and slashed at them with a knife hand made of solid rock. The force of my attack was strong enough to send them flying and knocking over another group of imps that were just about to join in the fight.

“Khalia, to your left!” I yelled.

“Got it!” she brought up her sword and slashed at an imp, its already mangled flesh exploding into pieces all over the place. If it wasn’t for the imp gnawing at my leg, I would’ve groaned in disgust. Sandro seemed too distracted to say anything either, even though his face was literally covered in blood.

I couldn’t shake the imp off of my leg, so I grabbed it and chucked it at its nearest comrade, which happened to be the one Sandro was having problems with.

“Thanks, Eloise.” he gasped.

The imps fell back for a short moment, giving me time to think. Okay, okay, first, where are we? I looked around. We’re on a rocking terrain, right! Is there anything here we can use to our advantage? Yes, rocks can act as fortresses. We can retreat to the corner, and I can act as a wall while those two attack from behind. I looked around to see if I could find anything that can serve for that purpose. And to my right, I saw a group of boulders that sort of curved inward, making an alcove of some sorts.

“Guys!” I shouted over the imps’ growls and yips, “Over there!”

They glanced at the alcove I pointed at and nodded, “Right!”

Sandro and Khalia fought their wave through the wave of imps and I followed close behind, keeping our attackers away as we made our way to the alcove. Once there, Khalia put her sword down and took out a knife. I didn’t have to ask why she switched to a different weapon. I mean, what would you do with something as big as a sword in a tight place like this?

“Eloise, what are you doing?” she asked me when I stood in front of the alcove, grabbing and tossing imps as they came.

“I’m the nearest one to invulnerable here.” I said, panting, “But I can’t hold them off too long! You guys would need to kill them while they try to get past me!” My arms were starting to burn with fatigue, but I stood my ground, remembering Elisa’s lessons. Don’t give in. She would always repeat to me. Don’t give up! 

Sandro’s bolts whizzed past my ears and sometimes over my head as they took down our enemies one by one. But I knew he would run out of bolts eventually, and without his ranged attacks, we would have to resort to hand to hand combat, which was something none of us would have the energy to do.

An imp screeched and came flying into my face. I brought up my arms instinctively to fend it off, but then I heard a different shriek that made me glance over my forearms.

An imp was attacking its own comrades, and he didn’t seem to be holding back either. But this imp looked more like a hybrid. It had a bigger built and a more… complete body, and by that, I meant that it didn’t have a body that looked like it was just put through the shredder.

“What the…” Sandro looked over my shoulder.

The three of us watched as that rogue imp went berserk on its fellow imps, ripping limbs and biting off heads, blood and guts showering all over the rocks and ground.

By the time I came back to my senses and accepted the fact that I was surrounded by several demon corpses and one berserk (possibly hungry) imp hybrid.

But the imp didn’t attack us. Instead, it blinked at us and sat down, as still as a rock.

I frowned, “Uh…” I didn’t know if I should approach it or not, but it turned out, I didn’t need to. Someone came out from behind the rocks, and I didn’t need to look twice to know he was a demon.

This demon had roughly cut dark red hair and his skin had a sick gray tint to it, like Alik’s. His eyes were bright yellow and reptilian, reminding me of a snake’s. He didn’t wear a full suit of black armor like the other demons we’ve encountered. Instead, he had metal gauntlets on his forearms and black leathers strapped across his chest. In one hand he wielded a black halberd similar to Alik’s, except this one had purple lightning flickering across its blade, and in the other hand was a bright red crystal about the size of his palm. The demon had to be at least 6 feet tall with broad shoulders, a warrior’s built, and one hell of a handsome face.

“Elves?” his voice came out as a soft but dangerous growl, “No. You two don’t have any magic whatsoever.” he pointed at Sandro and Khalia, “But you…” his reptilian eyes narrowed at me, “not only do you have a magical aura…” he stiffened and gripped his halberd, “who have you been associating with?”

He must mean Alik. I thought, but before I could reply, he raised a brow as if he heard my thoughts, and his next words confirmed that suspicion.

“Alik?” he chuckled dryly, “Alikzandr? You’ve been talking to that son of a bitch?”

“Don’t call him that!” I snapped. Don’t you dare call him that! 

But the demon wasn’t fazed by my words or tone. “Of all the places he could’ve settled, he chose a place near a mortal settlement?”

“You know that guy?” Khalia asked.

The crystal in his palm glowed and the imp disappeared. Once it was gone, the demon tucked the crystal back into his pocket, “Yes, I know him.” he looked at us, “I was one of his comrades… until I was banished, of course.” he shook his head, “I never would’ve thought Alik… out of all angels, he was the last one I’d expect to fall.” he came towards us, and I suddenly had the urge to flinch, “But regardless, what in the name of hell are you three doing here?”

I swallowed, “I can’t answer that. Not until you give us a reason to trust you.”

“You’re face to face with a demon, mortal.” his voice low, “I wouldn’t bargain with a higher being if I were you.”

Something tells me you’re not like those other demons. I thought, but I kept my mouth shut, knowing he heard those words.

The demon’s eyes glowed, “Hm… you’re an interesting one.” he mused, “Well, since you seem to be close to Alik, I’ll tell you my name.” he said, “It’s Rothaire.” Now tell me, elf, what are you doing in the middle of an island infested with demons?

“Alik’s here.” I said, “And he plans to sacrifice himself to stop Muraaz, the demon king.”

Rothaire let out a thunderous laugh, “Muraaz? That asshole is planning to challenge Muraaz?” when I met his eyes, I saw them glimmering with power and amusement, “I’m sure Alikzandr’s told you about the two demon kings, but he hasn’t told you the whole story, has he?”

“What whole story?” Sandro demanded.

Rothaire’s smile was dangerous and almost cruel, “You mortals think demons are what fallen angels like me and him become, right? But not those two.” he shook his head, “Muraaz and Grakzuur are the incarnations of evil. They were forced into this realm because the soul of hell itself wanted some amusement.” he leaned on his halberd, “Even if I had Alik by my side, I wouldn’t dare to challenge Muraaz or Grakzuur. So tell me, elf, what’s his real plan?”

“I already told you.” I said, keeping my voice strong, “Alik wants to sacrifice himself for the sake of East Borathea. As his best friend, I came to stop him, or at least convince him that there must be another way.”

“Ah, Alik.” Rothaire rubbed his eyes, “Noble and fair to the very end, huh?”

“What are you doing here, if I may ask?” I said.

The demon straightened, “Not all demons want death and destruction, but not everyone wants peace and happiness either. I’m one of the rare people who don’t want either, so I’m just here to make sure Muraaz’s troops don’t destroy more than they already have.” he turned to leave, “Tell Alikzandr that I said hi, will you?”

“Wait!” I called out, gathering up the courage to take a step forward, “Can’t we work something out?”

“No, elf.” he didn’t stop walking, “You decided to come here, so you’re on your own.” he glanced over his shoulder, “But you can do something to help both of us and Alikzandr.”

I swallowed, “What’s that?” Judging by his tone, I knew it wasn’t something I’d do willingly.

Rothaire’s gaze darkened, “Destroy the magic circles and keys. Every portal has its own assigned, unique key. Destroy the key, and the portal can never be used again.”

“And… how do we find those keys?” Khalia asked, narrowing her eyes.

The demon blinked, “From what I’ve seen, they look just like you.” he pointed at her, “Except their faces have been tattooed with seals and enchantments. Break those seals, and you break the key.” he came over and hand us his bright red crystal, “Here, take this. His name’s Inaldo, and he’s a changeling. He should be able to help you if those portals are guarded. Just call out his name and he’ll come. Show him the crystal and he’ll return.”

“Wait,” I frowned, “how are we going to return him to you once this is over?”

“Just leave him wherever.” Rothaire shrugged, “I’ll come and collect him once you guys are gone.” He turned around, and this time, he really left, leaving us alone in the middle of a bloody battlefield.

---

“Break the seals?” Sandro repeated after Rothaire was out of sight, “Wait, so… what does he mean by that?”

I already knew what Rothaire meant when he said that, and it made me sick, “You don’t want to know.” I grimaced.

“We don’t really have a choice.” Khalia wiped the blood off of her face, “But judging by your face, it’s not good, is it?” she asked grimly.

I sighed heavily and sat down on a rock, putting Inaldo in my backpack, “It doesn’t require any magic. Anyone can do it.” I said slowly and quietly, taking and accepting this information one word at a time, “And it’s simple. He literally meant what he sounded when he said ‘break the seals’.”

Khalia started to catch up to what I was trying to say, “So…” she clenched her jaw, “we’ll have to… cut open their faces?”

A heavy silence fell upon us. Sandro looked pale, and Khalia looked like she was about to throw up. I didn’t blame them, because I felt the same.

“They don’t have to be alive, right?” Sandro finally asked, his voice trembling.

I shook my head, “I don’t think so.” But either way, it’s sick. 

“We don’t have a choice, do we?” Khalia looked away, “I guess we’ll have to do it, one way or another.”

“Yeah, but…” I looked at her, “cutting open their faces?” Even though the fate of Borathea depends on it… it still paints a gruesome picture.

“We don’t have a choice.” Sandro repeated Khalia’s words firmly and picked up his backpack, “If worst comes to worst… maybe we can give them to the imps. They’re bound to pick them clean if we can’t bring ourselves to do the deed.” But his pained voice told me that he wanted to do anything but give his fellow humans to the demons.

I stood up, “Come on, guys.” I said wearily, “Let’s go. I don’t want to sleep with a bunch of demon corpses.”

They nodded, and together, we left the battlefield.

---

I didn’t know how long we wandered across the island, but when I woke up one morning (or night, I don’t even remember), I realized that we’ve been here for quite a while now, around a week or two.

For some reason, we’re still alive, and we haven’t found a single portal yet. I could tell Khalia and Sandro were weary but restless, and a part of me felt guilty for letting them come out here with me, but I knew I would’ve been driven nuts if it wasn’t for their company.

As I fidgeted with Inaldo’s crystal, I saw, from the corner of my eye, Sandro waking up. He had dark shadows under his eyes, a sign of his fatigue. But he’s been tossing and turning all night, so I wasn’t surprised to see him rubbing his eyes and groaning softly.

“Hey, Sandro.” I didn’t have the energy to give him a smile, but I tried.

“Mm.” he looked around, “Nothing?”

I shook my head, “Nope.” I huffed, “Let’s just hope this streak would keep up. I guess we scared the other imps off by killing their comrades.”

Sandro stood up and stretched his legs, “How are you feeling?”

“Perfect.” I said sarcastically. “You?”

“Like shit.”

I chuckled, “Well, let’s just hope we can end this soon.”

“We’ve been wandering around this fucking wasteland for god knows how long.” he muttered, “And we still haven’t come across any fucking portal.”

He’s crankier than usual today. I thought, but I didn’t say anything, letting him continue.

“You know, maybe that demon was sent just to lead us into a death trap.” Sandro started pacing back and forth, “Because it’s been weeks, and we still haven’t seen a single thing other than rocks, dirt, and rocks!”

I reached over to my backpack calmly, “Sandro, maybe you should eat something.” I said.

“No, I’m not hungry.” he growled.

“Your behavior tells me otherwise.” I went up to him and picked up his hand, “Eat this, maybe go take a walk, then come back and talk to me. You’ll feel better then.” I said as gently as I could.

Sandro’s weary eyes met mine, and for a moment, all I felt was his gaze and his warm hand touching mine. But then he tore his eyes away from me and stepped back, “Fine.” he grumbled, trudging off, taking Khalia’s knife with him as he left.

I sat down next to Khalia and continued to fidget with Inaldo’s crystal while thinking. Rothaire said there were portals and keys, but we haven’t seen any yet. Is Sandro right? Was he just saying that to lead us into a trap of some sort? But he didn’t seem like any of Muraaz’s or Grakzuur’s demons… unless if he was faking it, which would be the most logical assumption.