"Chloe!" my mom called out from the living room.

I sprung up off my bed and trotted downstairs. "Yes?"

"I'm off to work now," she replied, walking over to the front door. Keys dangled from her hand. "Don't forget that your father and I are going out to dinner with some friends tonight, so you'll probably be asleep when we get home. There's leftover pasta in the fridge for you."

"Okay. Oh, before you go, do you know where the stand mixer is?"

She chuckled. "Goodness, I don't think we ever unpacked that last box of kitchen supplies. It should be in the attic, near the back wall. Why do you need it?"

"I was going to bake some cookies or something."

"Since when do you bake?"

I shrugged. "It's the weekend and I have no homework to do. Plus, Kadia and the other trainers have a professional development day today, so I don't even have training."

"All right, well, have fun on your day off," Mom said before planting a kiss on my forehead and leaving the house.

The attic was only slightly stuffy as I climbed up into it. There was plenty of room to maneuver around.

Sure enough, at the back of the room, there was one box labelled 'Kitchen' sitting underneath another box. I grabbed the top one but then realized that I had seriously underestimated how light it was. It almost flew out of my hands and I stumbled backwards, trying to regain balance. A few sheets of paper fluttered out from the opening and onto the floor. Setting the box down, I gathered the papers to return them, only to have my eye caught by what was inside.

It was full of old picture albums and some miscellaneous letters. But they weren't just any albums, they were my baby pictures. Ones I hadn't seen in years. Rummaging through its contents more, I even found both my parents' baby books alongside mine. But what piqued my curiosity the most was the letters that were set on top of everything.

They definitely weren't new. Some of their edges were ripped, and they had crinkles here and there. They were more like notes than letters, as they weren't addressed to anyone. I picked one up and squinted to read its faded handwriting.

It was another cold day today! It's only a matter of time before the snow arrives again. I'm still unsure whether or not she likes winter. Though she does enjoy being outside, that is for certain. We're excited to introduce her to ice skating.

She's quite curious about things, too. Sometimes it feels almost as though I'm speaking to an adult! Truly, I can't believe how quickly she has grown... She already knows how to read quite well. I fear if I blink I might miss something. She continues to impress us every day.

More updates to come!

- G

My mom's name, Geneva, immediately crossed my mind. I figured she must've written these letters about me as I grew up. There were dozens of them scattered in the box, all describing what seemed like my progression in life and experiences at different ages.

Attached to the note by a paperclip was a little photograph. It was pretty grainy, and the colours had faded over time, but I could make out the figure of a little girl who looked a whole lot like me. She was standing against a plain background in a light pink dress, grinning widely. I recognized that dress as one I had worn plenty of times when I was way younger. I must've been about three or four when that picture was taken.

Some of the notes had photographs attached, and some didn't. Every photo had the same fuzzy quality and displayed me anywhere between the ages of three and ten or so. There was one where I was playing with some toys, one where I was asleep, and one where I had a bucket on my head, for some reason. I sat there for a few minutes just looking at them all. My mom's always been pretty particular about capturing moments on film so we can reminisce about them later, so to me, this made sense.

Remembering what I had initially come up here for, I carefully repacked the box and slid it aside. The stand mixer was indeed right where Mom had said it would be, covered in bubble wrap. I carried it back to the kitchen and began gathering ingredients.

I had just added the butter and sugar to the mixing bowl when my phone started vibrating from where it sat on the counter. Luke's name appeared on the screen alongside a video call request. A bit puzzled, I propped my phone up against a bag of flour and accepted the call.

"Hey!" he said when the video feed loaded in.

"Hi!" I waved to him with a spatula in hand. "Is something up?"

"Not at all, why?"

"I dunno, usually when my parents call me instead of texting, it's something serious."

He laughed. "I just like seeing people's faces when I talk to them. But I can text you if that's better–"

"No, it's okay! I don't mind. The house is a little too quiet anyway."

"What am I hearing in the background there?"

"That's the electric mixer," I explained. "I'm making cookies."

"Oh, what kind?"

"Lemon sugar."

"Sounds good. I was going to ask what you were up to today."

"Nothing, that's why I'm baking," I chuckled. "What about you?"

"Same here. I was thinking about swinging by the library or maybe going for a walk somewhere. I feel like I need to get out of this house for a bit."

"How come?"

"Ah, my uncle's just getting on my nerves again. I won't get into it." The sound of shifting fabric came from my phone. I adjusted my gaze from the mixing bowl to him and noticed that he looked like he had just woken up not too long ago.

I grinned. "Are you in bed right now?"

"Yeah, it's not that late." He mirrored my expression, then rubbed his eyes. "I'm guessing you've been up for a while."

"I went for a run this morning. Helps to clear my head." I moved out of frame for a second to slide the tray of cookies into the oven. "I've been meaning to go swimming, too, before it gets too cold. Oh, and there's that antique store I wanted to check out..." I turned to Luke. "Well hey, wanna come with me? I could use the company, actually. I think we're both bored out of our minds."

He seemed surprised. "Really? I'd like that."

"Then it's settled! Meet me here in say, thirty minutes? So I can finish these cookies and you can eat breakfast. And bring swim shorts if you're down for swimming later."

"Sounds perfect. See you then."

I waved to him once more, then hung up. After the cookies were baked and cooled, I stuffed them into a plastic bag and returned to my bedroom to change. Soon, my flour-spattered sweatpants and t-shirt were replaced by blue skinny jeans and a dark purple oversized sweatshirt. I tied my hair back into a low ponytail, then studied my reflection in the mirror. A little makeup can't hurt, I thought, reaching for my makeup bag. It didn't take long to apply waterproof mascara, a light wash of blush, and lip balm. I finished with a spritz of perfume, grabbed my crossbody bag, and headed downstairs to wait for Luke. Within ten minutes, there was a knock at the door.

"Ready to go?" I asked when I opened it.

"All set," Luke replied, smiling brightly. "Are we walking into town?"

I stepped outside, then turned to lock the door. "Yeah, it's not that far, right? It slipped my mind that my parents would be taking both cars today... I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not;" he reassured me, "we're in no rush."

"Exactly!" I fell into step beside him and we set off towards town.

Our first stop was the local bookstore.

"Where did you want to look?" I asked Luke when we entered.

He shrugged. "I usually just wander around until something catches my eye. Hasn't failed me yet."

I let him do just that as I ambled over to the teen fiction section. Running my finger across the spines of books on the shelves, I'd occasionally grab one that looked interesting. Sometimes I'd try to guess what the book was about before turning it over, resulting in varying degrees of accuracy. It was pretty much your typical stuff in that section: high school, coming-of-age, vampires and/or werewolves, dystopian settings, mushy romance, the works. I liked a few of them, but that was about it. What interested me was what was being put into the fantasy corner.

I made my way over to that part of the store and began perusing its selection. It was amusing to read all the different ideas authors came up with for the genre. I wondered if any one of them wrote about Emiarhia, or knew of its existence. Or maybe that would be breaking some kind of nondisclosure agreement between the two dimensions, I wasn't sure.

As I scanned novels here and there, Luke's voice drew my attention. "Chloe, you wanna grab something to eat?" There he was, just a few shelves down, a couple of purchased books in his hands.

I glanced at my phone. "Yeah, what did you have in mind?"

"I was hoping you'd have an idea," he admitted.

I smiled and gestured for him to follow. "C'mon, there's a place down the street."

----------------------------------------

Soon, we were seated at a table inside a cozy, little café. It was warm and the air smelled like coffee beans.

"So," I asked Luke after we had settled in, "how long have you lived in San Diego?"

"My whole life, actually," he explained. "Though I've only been living with my uncle since ninth grade."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

He laughed at my response. "Yep. I don't get out much if I'm honest, so I don't know where a lot of things are here."

"What about your friends?"

"We just hang out at their houses. Other than that..." He shrugged. "What about you? You seem to know your way around."

"Kinda. I moved here in July, but I guess my morning jogs really help to map out everything. Sometimes I'll take a new side street or go left instead of right, and yeah. I like exploring." The waitress came by and set our orders down in front of us. I poked a straw through the lid on my peach-strawberry smoothie before unwrapping my club sandwich.

"Where did you move from?" Luke continued.

"Shorewood, Minnesota. My dad's promotion brought us here."

"Wow. Long trip. Are you gonna miss the snow?"

I instantly thought of Nelorismel, whose climate was full-blown winter about nine months out of the year. "I don't know, maybe."

He took a sip of his coffee. "Do you ever miss living there?"

I pondered on his question for a few seconds. Nobody had ever asked me that, and I wasn't sure if I'd even thought about it myself. I mean, my life wasn't eventful back then, and the fact that I was away from Joy alone brought me comfort. "I don't know..." I repeated. "Not really."

"I suppose that's better than a 'yes'," he said. "Sometimes change is good."

Before I could agree with him, my phone suddenly buzzed from where it was on the table. Without putting my sandwich down, I looked to see what the alert was – a text from Nathan.

Hey, I'm so bored right now

I simply flipped my phone over and kept eating. Luke eyed it curiously but said nothing. It was kind of nice that Nathan was thinking about me, but I figured he was going to ask me to hang out, and telling the truth didn't seem like the best idea considering the way he felt about me. He didn't strike me as the non-jealous type.

Not even thirty seconds later, my phone buzzed again. I pretended not to hear it.

Luke swallowed a bite of his bagel before speaking. "...Should you get that?"

"It can wait," I replied nonchalantly.

"What if it's important?"

"It's not." I let out a small sigh. "It's just Nathan."

"Oh... Is he okay with us hanging out?"

"Not sure, but I don't care either way." I froze. "Wait, why do you ask that?"

His eyes darted around the room. "Because, um... Well, aren't you two dating?"

"No," I said, maybe a little too loudly. "He thought we were, but I set the record straight. ...Hopefully."

"Ah, okay. I kept hearing different answers, that you were, then you weren't, then you were."

"Well, take it from me, the answer is a firm no." At least for now... I thought. I had no idea where this thing between Nathan and me was headed, or if anything would even happen. It was kind of weird. I'd never been in a relationship, but I'd heard a lot about how they can go wrong, so I was trying to avoid drama and heartache whenever I could. Although, something told me that Nathan and I weren't always on the same page about that. We were in this strange stasis.

After Luke and I finished eating, we walked to the giant antique store that I'd been meaning to visit for weeks now. It was my understanding that it was run by a family, but just from the sheer volume of objects, you'd think some sort of corporation was behind it. There was a huge variety of stuff: vintage candy machines, war-era combat boots, figurines, old comic books, instruments, furniture, tin signs, glassware, little trinkets, the list goes on. We had fun guessing what some things were or how they functioned, as some of them were difficult to recognize.

My favourite part was the wide variety of antique cameras they had. From the original Kodak models to the classic Brownie varieties, there was lots to look at. Thanks to my mom's semi-obsession with photography and preserving moments through it, I had become pretty knowledgeable about the subject and how cameras functioned in general. I picked up an old Kodak folding camera and carefully opened it, showing Luke how the film was to be loaded. He was more interested than I expected him to be. I was glad that he was enjoying looking around the store as much as I was. Although I'd never say it to his face, I wanted to make sure he was having fun as well because he seemed like he'd had a rough time at home recently.

Neither of us bought anything, but it was more about the experience. It was like travelling back through time and seeing objects that people used every day, decades ago. The wear or damage on certain items only added to their charm. It made me think about if time travel was truly possible, and if so, when it would be invented. If transporting yourself to other universes in space is possible, then I figured time travel surely can't be that far off.

By the time we were done antiquing, it was almost six o'clock. Since the beach nearest to my house didn't close until two in the morning, we had plenty of time for a swim. Luke and I split up momentarily to change inside the washrooms nearby. I slipped into my pastel blue swimsuit – the same one I'd bought back in summer – before setting my things down at a spot close to the shore. The water was calm that day, and the air was much cooler than it had been months earlier.

I advanced forwards and stuck my feet into the ocean. It was less warm than I was used to, but far from icy, perfect for waking yourself up.

"How's the water?" Luke called out from behind me.

"Pretty nice!" I answered over my shoulder. I then turned around to face him and found myself staring.

He was wearing the same dark blue board shorts and bright grin from when we first met. It was like déjà vu, except something was off – and it wasn't just the time of day. I felt an odd sense of curiosity. It was something about his smile, something just...different.

Luke was a good-looking guy, I already knew that. No big deal. Appearance has little to nothing to do with personality, anyway. And yet, there was something happening in my brain that I just couldn't put my finger on. This time, on this beach, he wasn't just a stranger. He was a friend. I knew so much more about him. He and I had gotten to know each other quite well through school, I realized. We were closer than I thought.

I took a deep breath, trying to regain control of my thoughts, then opened my mouth to say something more but nothing came to mind.

Luke joined me in the ankle-deep water. "It's a little cold, huh?"

Blinking quickly, I forced a lighthearted laugh. "C'mon, it's not that bad. Just jump right in!" I ran farther into the ocean and made a shallow dive. It was delightfully refreshing. There was a brief silence as my ears flooded with water before my head resurfaced.

From the shore, Luke waded out towards me as far as he could, then dove underwater. The sun was setting and the ocean was dark, so I couldn't see him until he came up again. He shook his head and pushed the hair out of his face, sending droplets flying. "You're right," he said, "it's way nicer if you jump in."

I smiled in response. "Good temperature for the last swim of the year."

He shifted his eyes upwards. "Looks like we're in for a cool sunset."

This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

I followed his gaze to the sky, which was a stunning blend of pink, orange and purple. Grey, wispy clouds in shapes resembling brushstrokes marbled the colours together.

"Whoa..." I breathed. I stopped treading water and instead leaned into the ocean so I was floating on my back. Luke followed suit, and we both stayed like that for a bit, just taking in the beauty of the sky above us. "I wish I could swim in the clouds," I said.

"Me too. As a kid, I always wondered what it'd be like to live up there. Pretty sure I was crushed when I learned you can't stand on clouds."

I laughed. "It'd be so much fun. To live up there, to be able to look over everything, with nobody else around. You know, if I could fly, I don't think anyone would ever see me again."

He turned his head towards me. "Then you'd have to take me with you."

I glanced over at him, that weird feeling bubbling up in my chest again as if someone was squeezing my ribs. With the setting sun just above the horizon, a warm glow was cast over the moving water, causing his eyes to occasionally reflect a glimmer of light.

Luke turned away, his lips pursing with a faint smile.

I sighed and smiled back. "Well, I'd still visit you, and Spencer, and my parents... I just meant it'd be awesome to have your own kind of private sanctuary. But for now, this is as close as we can get."

"And that's why I need to get out more. To enjoy moments like this. Simple moments."

I nodded. "It's like hitting the reset button for your brain." That got a chuckle from him.

As I focused closer on the sky, I noticed several stars emerging as the sunlight dimmed. I supposed it was getting a little late for Luke. I didn't want him to miss dinner because of me.

I flipped onto my stomach and swam a bit ahead. "Hey, I'll race ya to the shore."

He gave me a roguish grin. "You're on."

----------------------------------------

The night air felt relaxing as the two of us walked back to our street. I raked my damp hair to the side to let the breeze dry it. My stomach grumbled but I barely noticed over the sounds of our voices.

"I'm telling you, that was definitely cheating," I joked, poking Luke's arm.

"It was not!" he laughed. "I won fair and square."

"Because I gave you a head start."

"I would've won anyway without a head start."

I smirked. "Whatever you say."

We eventually came to a halt at the end of the sidewalk, where the street diverged in opposite directions.

"I suppose this is goodbye for now," I said, sticking my hands in my pockets.

Luke turned to me. "Can I offer to walk you home?"

I was about to agree enthusiastically before reminding myself that I'd already kept him out all day. "Are...you sure? You don't have to do that."

"I know, it's not like I think something's going to happen, but..." His voice grew quieter as he continued. "Well, I'd feel better if I did..."

"Okay," I replied, trying not to smile too widely.

I found myself walking at a slower pace than usual. Despite this, we reached my house in no time, and I was relieved to see that my parents weren't back yet.

"You're gonna eat dinner, right?" I asked when we were inside.

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Luke replied, "but thanks."

"M'kay. Sorry for dragging you around for so long."

"Don't be ridiculous," he beamed. "Today was the most fun I've had in a while."

My heart fluttered, but I quickly shook it off. "I'm glad. I had a blast, too."

"Well, I'd better get going–"

"Oh, wait, one last thing!" I exclaimed, turning on my heel and sprinting to the kitchen. I grabbed the bag of lemon cookies from earlier, opened it, and held it out to him. "Let me know what you think."

He plucked one from the bag then took a bite, and I did the same. I watched as he chewed thoughtfully for a moment. "They're good, really good. Now I'm tempted to eat the whole bag," he laughed.

I joined in with his laughter. "In that case, I'll let you go get some real food."

He stepped off of the porch while I stayed leaning against the doorframe. "Take care, Chloe."

"You too. And hey, um, think you could text me when you get home?" I could barely believe the words coming out of my own mouth.

His eyebrows raised in surprise, but then he smiled in a way that was more charming than I was accustomed to. "Sure thing."

Finally, we said goodnight to one another. As I shut the door, a grin spread across my face, and that stupid expression wouldn't stop even when I was simply microwaving leftover pasta for dinner. I wondered if it was something I had done or something Luke had done. I didn't know if I was just imagining things. What I did know was that I liked hanging out with him. I decided to let it go. It was as simple as that, and I was probably reading too much into it.

About five minutes later, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I'm home now. Night :)

----------------------------------------

The next day, training on Emiarhia was going to be longer to make up for the hours that were missed. I didn't mind though, because I knew what the end goal of all of this was. Plus, it's a great way to take out your frustration. I had to work hard; I knew I had to push just a little harder every day. Even if it was gruelling at times, I found myself enjoying it more and more. I even arrived somewhat early that day.

I began training with Morgina. We were focusing on my agility, which basically meant a whole lot of dodging. While she threw an endless onslaught of fake punches and kicks, I simply had to duck and weave as best as I could without letting her hit me. It was a little strange not fighting back, but I felt I was pretty good at it.

"You almost resemble a standing serpent," Morgina joked, her bubblegum pink hair swaying as she advanced forwards.

"The result of flexibility, I suppose." I tilted my head to the side, letting a punch fly over my shoulder before ducking under the next. "All this is thanks to you guys."

"Trust me, I know. Behind every excellent student is an excellent teacher!"

I laughed and continued dodging her hits, moving steadily backwards as I was instructed.

Morgina stopped and put her hands on her hips. "You've become quite skilled at this, you know."

I relaxed, exiting my defensive stance. "Really?"

"Absolutely!" she nodded. "Am I right, Reyshore?"

He grinned from the table where he was sharpening a set of standard daggers. "I'd have to agree."

"Your reflexes are already great," Morgina went on. "You're nimble, too. Very in tune with your body. You've got good... Damn, what's it called..." She snapped her fingers. "Spatial awareness! Knowing if something will hit you or not, and how to maneuver around it if it will."

"Geez, that's a lot of compliments... Thanks."

"But there's always room for improvement!" she reminded me. "Anyway, the others haven't arrived yet. Why don't you take a quick break? We'll be doing some climbing exercises in a bit."

I complied and headed over to the benches, groaning internally. I liked climbing, but my hands were still kind of jacked up from last week. With such intensive training that was not only increasing in difficulty but also in similarity to real life, it left little time for my body to heal. It's not like I didn't have other cuts and bruises here and there, but hands are the worst because there's barely any muscle or fat to act as cushioning.

As I began rummaging around my satchel for my rolls of hand wraps, my mind lingered in the memories of last week. More specifically, what had happened with Ashkan. I'd been thinking about that day on and off, but it still didn't make sense to me. Was it even supposed to make sense? Was I searching for something that was never there?

"Brielle?"

It was like attempting to read in a language you can't speak or trying to solve a math problem you don't know the formula for. No matter how you look at it, it simply can't be done. As if my train of thought was hitting a wall, but maybe there wasn't even anything behind that wall. I honestly couldn't figure out why it puzzled me so much. The way Ashkan had looked at me as if he'd just poured half his heart out onto the ground... And then before I knew it, he was holding my hands. Well, he wasn't holding them just to hold them, but because my fingers were about to freeze off due to my forgetfulness. He was just being nice. I would've done the same.

"Brielle..."

He had probably seen the damaged state of my hands and felt bad. Or maybe he was grossed out. No, because then he wouldn't touch them... And he had some scrapes on his, too. What would that whole thing have been like if I hadn't forgotten my gloves? Or if I hadn't stopped by Ysante's? Or if we just happened to hate each other since the first meeting? That was a scary thought. I really needed to stop overthinking.

"De Mavset!"

I yelped in alarm, shooting straight up out of my seat, only to become face-to-face with the exact person I was thinking about. "Oh, Ashkan! Didn't see you there..." I stumbled over my words before clumsily sitting back down.

He settled beside me, chuckling, and hunched over to tie his boots. "Coin for your thoughts?"

I could feel a warmth creeping across my cheeks. "Don't bother."

A silence formed between us. I watched as Shaye entered the arena and I gave her a quick wave before she scurried off to change clothes. I then focused back on wrapping my hands, realizing I'd stopped completely while being lost in thought. One end of the elastic fabric was held between my teeth as I tried to create a snug fit on each hand.

"Oh, and..." Ashkan sat up to face me. "Toast, by the way."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Huh?"

"That's what I had for breakfast today. Toast," he said.

The pieces finally clicked in my brain and I let out a laugh, causing the fabric to fall from my mouth. "Nice, I had cereal."

"Don't worry, I don't intend to limit our conversations to that subject."

"After last week, I hope not."

Ashkan's smile faded and he turned back to tie his other boot. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but I swear I saw his cheeks turn faint pink. I instantly facepalmed in my head. The meeting we'd had was all good in the end, but it was undeniably pretty emotional. For all I knew, he could've been embarrassed about it. Perhaps he was a little worried he was being judged. Hell, if I was in his shoes, I probably would've felt similarly.

He cleared his throat. "How are your hands feeling?"

"Fine, thanks. Good thing this place is heated."

"I didn't really mean temperature-wise." He stood up but kept his eyes on me.

I shrugged, turning my attention back to my hands. "They'll be all right. Just some minor cuts, that's all."

He pointed to a knuckle on my left hand. "That bruise looks new."

"Yeah," I laughed, looking at the red-purple blotch. "I stumbled while sparring with Reyshore yesterday, tried to catch my balance and, bang! Hit it square on the metal rim of his shield." I rose to my feet and began walking over to the climbing wall. My shoulders then slumped in irritation as I realized my hand wraps had loosened and I now had to start all over again.

Ashkan caught me by the arm. "Mind if I offer some assistance?"

Surprised, I simply shook my head.

He stepped closer. "The key is getting the tension right. You'll want to wrap firmly, else they slip around and create gaps. May I...?" I held my hands out in front of me. Ashkan took my right and swiftly unwrapped it. "Okay, the thumb loop is in a good spot. Keep your wrist straight, too. It's better if you go around there first. For stability," he explained. "As long as there are no wrinkles, it'll be fine. And then wrap across your palm twice or so, like this. Then do your thumb, and between your fingers after. Finish with wrapping your hand once more, paying attention to the knuckles. Secure it with this tie-tab here, and you're done."

"Wow. Where'd you learn that?"

"I mean, I've been training for years. You learn some tricks along the way. So, how's it feel now?"

I made a fist, flexing it back and forth. "Perfect. Could you do the other one?"

He smiled slightly. "If you want." I watched curiously as he repeated the same process on my left hand, but much faster. It was as if he'd done it thousands of times. "There," he said. "I hope it doesn't seem like I'm ridiculing you. I just figured you'd want to avoid more scrapes."

"Not at all! Thanks, Ashkan. I'll start practicing so I don't have to get you to do it every time."

He shrugged, digging the heel of his boot into the dirt floor. "I wouldn't really mind."

I chuckled and shook my head. "Trust me, it'd get annoying."

The two of us made our way over to where the trainers were gathered. I greeted Shaye as I approached, noticing the look of confusion on her face.

"Brielle, have you seen Kadia?" she asked.

"No, I came straight here," I replied. "I thought she'd be here already; she's never late."

"I saw her this morning. And Thorne was with her a bit earlier," Tyrath said.

Morgina made an 'uh oh' kind of expression.

Reyshore waved his hand. "I'm sure she's just busy. She'll be here soon."

"My apologies," Kadia exclaimed from the other side of the arena. The door shut loudly behind her. "Training will have to be postponed for now."

Tyrath folded his arms. "What do you mean?"

"Is something wrong?" I questioned.

"No," Kadia said, "but the Elders wish to speak to you three immediately. We must take leave, now."

Shaye, Ashkan and I quickly changed back into regular clothes before following Kadia to the royal stables in Nelorismel. Since we were trying to be inconspicuous, we wore cloaks with the hoods pulled low. It worked like a charm – I couldn't remember the last time I could walk around freely without calling attention upon myself.

Upon arriving at the stables, I met up with the pegasus that was gifted to me, Taphira, for what felt like the first time in forever. The Gypsy Vanner mare was exactly like I'd remembered: mouse grey with white hair and smoky blue wings. I also recognized Kadia's pegasus, Sadora, the dark bay Shire mare that had black hair and violet wings.

Shaye's and Ashkan's pegasi were new to me, though. I read each of their plaques beside their stables to familiarize myself. Ashkan's pegasus was named Pyracos, a dun Arabian gelding with dark hair, crimson wings and a black dorsal stripe. He was an interesting juxtaposition beside Shaye's pegasus, Winphiy, a cremello Akhal-Teke mare with ballet slipper pink wings and white hair that matched the diamond-shaped marking on her face.

After tacking them up, we flew off to the small town of Ymsirene, Lyuethyr in Adares. During the entire trip, it felt like my stomach was doing somersaults. I knew the Elders were going to help us. I was just worried they had bad news.

----------------------------------------

"Here," Kadia began when everyone had landed. "Take these."

I stuck out my hand, then examined what she had dropped into it. There were two pieces. The first resembled a white earplug with one flat end. It was somewhat teardrop-shaped and if I looked closer, I could see dozens of tiny wires and mechanisms inside it. The second piece was a round, white disc. One side of it had a metal screen that mimicked that of a microphone. The other side had an array of holes drilled into it.

"What are these?" Shaye asked, holding up her own set of objects.

"The reason why I was late," Kadia said. "I learned that your friend Elliott is somewhat of an artificer. These are his inventions. The earpiece will translate the Elder's ancient language to Qy'shaklei for you to understand. In turn, the mouthpiece can translate your speech into a language the Elders will understand. It is much easier for you to ask questions this way."

As we headed over to the temple in Rayāshu, Kadia explained how these devices worked. I was excited to talk to the Elders, but still a little nervous.

When we entered the temple, the six Elders gestured for us to take a seat on the many large cushions around the centre of the room. One of them handed out little ceramic cups of tea to each of us. I switched on the earpiece and set it in my ear.

After everyone was settled, one Elder spoke up. "Welcome back to our humble home, saviours." Her voice was a little raspy but kind. The four of us bowed our heads in gratitude. "Now," she continued, "alloweth us not delay this meeting. The war foretold in the Tremaium prophecy grows nearer every day. We wish to provide thou with some insights as to what thou must do, now that thy skills are developed."

I listened attentively as the six of them took turns speaking.

"As thou all know, we hast the ability to speak directly to the gods and goddesses. And yet, we may only speak with the deity we were chosen by, and not to each other's. Alas, we hast not been able to fully communicate for many hundreds of years. We believeth that thou art the solution."

"But in order to understand the future, one must understand the past. And so, we must tell thou the origin story of Emiarhia."

"Over six hundred years ago, the dimension of Emiarhia came to be. The only living beings who had knowledge of this new world, and were birthed with it, were the gods and goddesses – the very ones who live in the sky to this day. So, these deities soon decided to transform into six immortal, holy creatures we call 'Qhuviae'. They are very large, quadrupedal animals with fur, scales, wings and horns like no other organisms. Our deities chose the form of Qhuviae so they could create diverse environments, different biomes, realms with specific traits they took a liking to. They are the reason why Emiarhia is so varied. Thus, each god and goddess has their own respective realm."

"Afterwards, Emiarhia continued to develop and thrive. The six deities lived harmoniously with one another. Then, before each realm was completely finished being sculpted, they sent down a man and a woman to every realm, members of six new races created to their likings, and they became the very first kings and queens of that territory. They then sent down more people, little by little, to inhabit the new dimension, and let them reproduce naturally from there. Finally, the gods and goddesses fabricated a divine sceptre for the King of Winithas, which had apace grown to be the most populated, progressive and influential realm. The sceptre had six blessed gemstones embedded in it that were respectively tied to each deity and each contained their powers. By doing so, the King could control the Qhuviae to his will, asking them to improve land in ways he saw fit."

Shaye leaned forwards and spoke into her translator. "If I may ask, why did the gods do that? Why did they allow the King to control them?"

"'Twere a sort of...offering of trust," the same Elder replied. "The King understood ne'er to berattle that power, and he used it most rarely. Wherein he did so, he consulted with the gods first."

"Around that time," another continued, "each deity chose a human to become their assistant, a gateway for them to communicate with the people while they themselves inhabited the skies. We are those humans from so long ago. We were selected and then graced with eternal life. Only by our own deity's hand may we die. Such are the laws of this universe."

"What can we do to help you contact the gods?" I asked.

"The saviours but first must retrieve the holy gemstones. Someone threatened to purloin them so long ago. Our gods felt they were not safe anymore and hath decided to encave them."

The Elder beside him slowly nodded her head. "Thou mayst be wondering who hath threatened to steal them. We canst not say for we are not certain. Though, we believe that our deities hast been subdued. They are slumbering somewhere, trapped. Ere we lost contact, every one of them left us with a sort of clue. We believe these riddles shall guide thou to each gemstone. The last meeting was very brief and panic-stricken. They didst not say to us exactly what was occurring."

"And...where do these gemstones go?" Ashkan queried.

"They first must be set back into the sceptre, then returned to their god or goddess, only after which they will likely awaken through the sceptre's power. Alas, we have no knowledge of where the deities are located now. Although, thou may be pleased to learn that the necklaces thou three possess are each imbued with a potent rune that shall provide fair protection and strength. It allows one to draw magic from the land as an aid. This spell was set onto them after they were invented, as a mark of appreciation."

"Be sure to wear thy necklaces when thou retrieveth the gemstones. Because the gods and goddesses seemed to hast transferred a great deal of their powers to the gems ere they disappeared, they shall be quite overwhelming when held. The runes on the necklaces shall weaken this effect so thou may take them, yet thou may still become fatigued. This reason is also why only the saviours may fulfil this quest."

Shaye tapped her chin with her finger, clearly deep in thought. "None of the stones have been found?" All six Elders shook their heads in unison. "I suppose that's logical," she said. "They certainly wouldn't be easy to find. Not to mention that virtually nobody knows of their existence, or that they're missing... The best protection they can get is probably where they rest now."

"But if they fell into the wrong hands, they'd probably grant unimaginable might. And even if not, that person could still try to keep them away from others," Ashkan added.

"What about the sceptre? Is it safe?" I asked.

"The deities shattered it before they vanished. It now sits inside the Winithinian palace as one of their many artifacts. All the pieces are there, but they hath yet to be reassembled for caution of what may happen when it is restored," one Elder explained.

"You said you were given clues regarding the gemstones' locations? From the gods?" Kadia continued.

I watched as the same Elder fished a roll of parchment from the pocket of his gold-trimmed robes. It was tied with a white ribbon and the edges were slightly frayed. "Indeed," he said before handing the parchment to Kadia. "We recorded them here."

I sat up straighter, my mind swirling. "So, you don't know who is behind all this?"

"Naught is for certain. I presume thou art familiar with the butterfly effect, yes? Elders must ne'er meddle within prophecies. We are but simple messengers. Thou must discover sooth thyselves."

"Sounds like we have plenty of research to do..." Shaye mumbled, exchanging glances with Ashkan and me.

Kadia carefully stood up. "Well, we know that you all must be busy, so we shan't take up any more of your time. The saviours should resume training. Many thanks for allowing us to pose such questions. We shall begin searching for the gemstones as soon as possible."

The four of us thanked the Elders before bidding them goodbye and making our way back to where the winged horses were waiting. A heavy silence hung over everyone during the flight back home as we all processed what had just happened.

For the past four months or so, I'd just been preparing for this strange augury that I didn't know much about. It seemed like nothing would happen for a while; it seemed so far ahead in the future. Now, I realized 'preparing' entailed much more than I anticipated. I had to help stop some person from taking over Emiarhia by getting to what they probably wanted first. And I wasn't sure if I was ready.

By far, this was the biggest mission I'd ever been assigned. I knew I was going to struggle, that it wouldn't be easy. I would have to face all my true fears, fears I'd never been able to fully experience before. I was getting so overwhelmed by the enormity of what was going to happen. It was impossible to predict anything. All the stories I'd heard, all the hopes and plans I'd made, all the expectations I had...

Time was of the essence. My mind was racing. I couldn't stop thinking, This is happening; what's next? How bad is this going to get?

But one thing rang clear in my head.

As it seems, my only remaining options are to fight or surrender.

So I will fight.

Until the end.