Seed 1

She awoke for the first time in ages and saw a world littered with stars, the shifting energy of souls. There had been a strong shift in those energies, enough to awaken her from her slumber. A rare action outside when she communed with her Children. She looked across existence, overlays of creation, layered dimensions stacked over one another. It was how she saw the souls of her children.

I remember you.

Her soul had found a resting place long ago in the Woven Realm. Burying her body and allowing life to sprout from her ichor, for her soul to find an anchor to grow and guide. Her Children had learned to shape the energies of life to perform miracles, and she wept with joy as she saw the pathways carved into the Human Realm, as they had been since Time Immemorial.

Her kind had blessed the Woven Realm when they laid their bodies to rest upon its virgin soil. Becoming the very bones and foundations of their continents. A thousand thousand husks gave birth to an endless array of Forms Most Beautiful. A cycle of death and rebirth she had watched for countless generations. Stories of the great towering titans of old becoming nothing more than myth to her Children. Their life energies, their mana, orgone, khi, a thousand names for the essence of life and magic flowed freely through her bones and up into the skies. Reaching even into the depths of space in great belts of energy.

So much has been lost.

She focused on that shift of energy, and her eyes focused on one of her Children who had opened a portal to chase after a rogue beast. Heading towards a human settlement, one that held millions of souls. Humans were strange, bearing their souls like all sophont life, but unable to shape their energies into magic.

Many humans had crossed into the Woven Realm before, and she had offered them her blessing as had her distant people, shifting their energies to grant them the joy of shaping reality and themselves to their whims.

Her gaze follows the woman that was born of her soul, one of the millions made from her influence as she begins to cross paths with a human, another empty—

No. Not empty, never empty.

‘Inquisitive, Determined, Void, Anger!’

So much potential in that human soul, and she had Seen the End. The tip of the spear pointed at the weeping heart of all the worlds. A darkness at the edge of the firmament. They needed new blood, a new perspective, a paradigm shift. Ten thousand generations of history was being torn down, forgotten at the behest of a false prophet.

Her wayward witch would cross paths with the human, and change the fate of the realms. But they did not have the power or the means. So she would help them tip the boulder, to be the first domino to build their future. She extended her influence across realities, to See the human as she saw all her Children. Her soul was a glorious thing, draped in a void scattered with stars.

The human will save her creations, her children, and her own people along with them, they would all Remember.

She will save us all.

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May 20th, 2032.

My name is Celia Esteban and I knew logically that I wasn't an idiot.

Idiots didn't learn about the intricacies of biology and evolution at the tender age of eight. Or deep dive into every textbook. Or develop a sophisticated and advanced vocabulary and borderline encyclopedic knowledge of varying sciences. They didn't skip several grades for their genius. For their ability to memorize interesting knowledge. I had been called gifted, smart, a kid with a good future. No matter my odd ‘quirks’ or weird behavior.

So why was I in the middle of a goddamn desert?

“Fuck.” I cursed aloud as I looked around my location with dread.

The Anza-Puerta Desert covered literally a fifth of San Diego county, a great bowl of a desert surrounded by mountains. I was surrounded by palo verde trees, bristling upright branching trees with yellowish green leaves. Plus cacti, and ocotillo that currently looked like large spiny dead leaves.

It is hot as shit and the sun is burning my skin. So stupid!

I rubbed my arms. Hands clutching onto my soft skin and biting my lip as I glanced around. How the hell did I get lost this quickly? I had only been walking away in anger from my mother for what… twenty minutes?

There was a great weight on my shoulders, a sudden pressure like I was about to be crushed, and I— this isn't a panic attack, what is this?

A loud haunting roar filled the air of the desert, and I blinked in confusion. What the hell? Was someone flying a plane over the desert, and if they were what kind of plane could make a sound like that?

The pressure was still there. I shuddered and I held my hand against my neck. The roar got louder and clearer. A strange shrill sound made my brain halt and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Without even thinking about it I threw myself into a roll and avoided snapping jaws that I hadn't even seen. Holy shit!

“Fuck!” I rolled down and away from sharp claws that dug into the ground, tearing through dry vegetation and solid clumps of earth.

“No, none of that!”

There was a flash of light, gold fading into silver. Whatever had lunged at me let out a hissing cry of pain and rage. I flipped over and back to my feet with a pained cough and my jaw dropped.

The claws connected to muscular, scaled, upright limbs. They held up a serpentine body some sixty feet long. Scales patterned like dark brown wood covered in eye spots. It had a fluffy mane of dark blue-green feathers. It also had… a robust fat head like a gila monster opening wide to reveal four pairs of fangs dripping venom that burned into the ground. The monster rose ten feet off the ground. Eyes of amber stared into my soul as it jumped using flaps of skin, gliding towards me in a pounce.

“Nope.” There was a shockwave through existence. Upsetting my balance when a bright blast of flames in gold, violet, and green smashed into the face of the reptile with all the wrath of a god.

In a single blink, someone was standing between me and the monster. I was caught between the throes of a panic attack and a complete and utter fascination with my savior.

She was an older woman wearing a black cloak lined with swooping patterns of gold. The cloak parted to reveal a chocolate brown wraparound tunic and black tights, pointed boots clicking against the hard ground. I could see glimpses of white hair, and little curls escaping the confines of her hood.

She took a combative stance, and there was something odd in the air, as she took deep long breaths that made the air shake and rumble and heat, everything around us caught on fire, a ring of power surrounding us as she charged her attack.

I just watched as the gigantic reptile backed away, and she pushed both her hands forward, the rings of flames following, rolled into a whistling ball, a contained firestorm that—

The world was torn apart at the seams as a stream of pure white flames struck the serpentine creature head-on.

I was thrown back by the explosion, and heard a quiet cry of alarm as my eyes rolled back and unconsciousness took me under its spell.

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There was a gentle heat running into my skin. Like the kiss of sunlight on a warm day, running down into my bones. I felt my head start to clear with some strange memories.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Did I dream that? I know Puerta Springs has a ton of myths of weirdness going back to the Kumeyaay and Cahuilla, but I think magical ladies and giant monsters are a bit much. Then again… they do have myths about the mirage peoples.

“Are you alive? I know humans are a tad more fragile without access to the Craft, didn't think my flames would do that kind of damage.” A loud yet gentle voice coaxed me awake, and my eyes slid open to a wide blue sky.

“Huh?” I said dumbly. There was a sigh of relief and I was pulled up and onto my feet. I blinked rapidly as I adjusted to not being flat on my ass.

I turned my head towards the voice, and choked.

She's… she's not human.

I stared into a face that was at first glance, a lot like a human’s, but the hint of Other was clear. Her skin was dark like polished brown moonstone in texture, eyes shining a pale silver, and a gentle smile revealed three pairs of robust fangs. Long, slightly pointed ears covered in a thin layer of fur pivoted and twitched, reminding me of little angel wings as they flapped.

“You’re you're… one of them, aren't you? The mirage people, an Other.” I stuttered, my heart rumbling in my chest, sweat dripping down my foreheads as I tilted my head up to meet her in her silver eyes. “I thought you were just stories for gullible tourists.”

She just smiled. “Little off the mark but not by much, I might have some fire folk in my blood, but it doesn't make me an Other. I'm a witch through and through, one of the strongest there is. My friends call me Ultima Grimshaw, and you're awfully young and pale to be out in the sun like this.”

I square my shoulders and furrow my eyebrows. “I'm almost seventeen, what does it matter?”

She raised a delicately trimmed brow, offering a mysterious smile. “So you wanted to go out into a hot desert miles away from civilization?” There was a dry tone in the question, and I felt my face turn hot.

I sighed. “No. But I don't think this kind of thing involves being attacked by giant monsters.”

Ultima laughed. “Fair. Serkala don't tend to pop up in the Human Realm, luckily for you, it wasn't fully grown.”

“That’s a juvenile?” I said, pointing to the still body of the sixty-foot-long predator.

“Sub-adult, the average adult is about half again as long and over three times heavier, and their magic is more sophisticated and lethal.” The witch rolled her shoulders, walking over to the dead monster, scaly skin scorched and burnt by the attack as if it had been at the epicenter of a tactical nuke. “This one was a witch-eater and was using cracks between the realms to hide between meals. Only a matter of time before it’d sink its teeth into human flesh.”

Oh.

“So magic is real, witches and mythical beings are real and they’re here in San Diego County of all places?”

Ultima blinked. “Yep.”

I twitched, a hint of anger making its way into my brain and I stopped and thought. Magic was real, magic was real.

Something a part of me had craved my entire life, a power of wonder and imagination, something I could learn that was new, impossible.

Something that could make me happy. Maybe I could make my mama proud if I said it was science. Do more than just be a disappointing waste of space, a waste of a prodigy.

“Teach me.”

Ultima paused, ears flicking in my direction. “Come again?”

I felt my emotions flare and her eyes widened as I took a step towards her, a rush of heat and pressure escaping my body.

“You know magic right? Can you teach me it, teach me magic, how it works, what it can do, why it does what it does, what it can't do, what it could do if we knew how, and how it affects the world around it!”

“Human-kid, take a breath.”

Was I breathing too hard or was it just me?

“Oh.” I started taking in the air again, and the blackness at the edge of my vision began to fade until I was… rational again. I was grabbing her by her cloak, and let go with a growing flush. “I’m sorry, I just… it’s magic, it’s something amazing and new and—”

Ultima laughed. “I understand, the Craft is a thing of beauty, a power of soul, mind, and body all in unison, technology and art in equal measure.” I could feel the pressure she gave off, it felt warm, shielding me from the burning sun. “And your resolve is enticing, I've never taught a human before. Not even sure it's possible, to be honest.” Her eyes gleamed brighter, as if seeing something that I couldn't.

“Does that mean you’ll teach me?” I asked hopefully.

Ultima’s answer was short and to the point. “No.”

I glared, crossing my arms over my chest. “What? What do you mean no?”

“I can see you've got the determination, but you're human, and teaching you would involve my world and not this one. A world full of monsters like that one.” She gestured towards the serkala. “Plus you've got to have a family looking for you. Because I’m quite sure you’re a minor”

I flinched. “Just my mom, my dad is out of the picture.” I didn't explain how. “But…” I trailed off. She was an adult, and there was no point. She'd never listen to me anyway.

“Kid, Celia. I'm not… always been the best with people younger than me. So I still have to ask, what exactly are you doing here all alone?”

My tongue felt heavy in my mouth. “I… I had a big argument with my mom. I snapped. I sort of… walked and walked and walked and walked until… I was here in the middle of nowhere and oh god what is wrong with me I—”

“Hey.” Her voice was soft, and broke me out of my spiral.

I'm so tired, was my main thought as I clutched my phone with an iron grip. I loved my mom so much. She had raised me, taken care of me. Had helped me even when she didn't fully understand me. I had still run off like an idiot.

“You’re safe at home right?”

I bristled at the unspoken accusation. “No! She's not… not that. She just encourages me to put my all into education, so much I skipped three grades. I know everything I need to know about the world, enough to not need people!”

I might have been a weird kid. Too intense, too focused, and in her own little world. My words were blunt and socially braindead, or soft and fake sounding. But I didn't need it, didn't need people.

Maybe schoolwork got harder, and my perfect grades dropped bit by bit, not enough to fail but enough to disappoint my mama and my teachers. Maybe things slipped out of my grasp, with little lapses of attention. But I was fine. I graduated early. Maybe I had made no connections, no friends, no people to share my victories and successes, or to comfort me when I failed.

Why did it hurt so much?

Ultima gaze softened, seeing something I couldn't understand. “Right. What did you two fight about? If you don't mind me asking?”

I must be really desperate huh?

“I've been… kinda struggling for a long time now. She was suggesting colleges over the last six months. Said I could make up for all the shit I pulled in high school with a new start. It doesn't make me anxious, or cost me hours of sleep everyday. I am fine.”

It didn't make my head flushed and my heart heavy. It didn't make it beat so fast I couldn't even breathe. I handled high school. I could handle this for my mama.

It was just a few lab incidents, being so tired I brought a beehive to school, or alienating people with my weirdness. I wasn't having meltdowns where there was so much noise I broke down into crying fits anymore. My temper had cooled down too, I was… better. I was.

This time didn't count, right?

Ultima stared intently at me, silver eyes flashing oddly. She nodded with satisfaction. “Tell you what, I've got some cleaning up to do. I can use magic to avoid attention, but I made a bit of a mess here. There are things we need to get in order first. I'll take you along, don't need you getting tied up by human authorities wondering about a huge explosion. Not for my own overkill. If you can convince me, I'll consider teaching you something alright?”

I stared at her. “That. Okay.” She hadn't rejected me, hadn't said no without giving me a reason. “Wait, take me along to where?”

Ultima smiled and pulled out a staff from under her cloak. Which was covered in strange carvings and chains of runes, glowing with power. “Hmm, there's a thinnie here I can use, this area is full of them.”

“Thinnie?” I asked.

“Areas where the barriers between our worlds grow thin. Some are safer than others. Makes it easy to travel around without your human authorities bothering me.” She swung her staff and the world broke apart like glass to my eyes.

For an instant, I saw a layer of infinite worlds folded on top of each over, woven together by energies I couldn't begin to comprehend.

In a blink, the blue skies of Earth were gone, replaced by a rusty red sky, like an endless sunset even as a great yellow sun rose overhead. My feet hit black sand, and the desert was replaced by a massive sea, steaming and boiling and bubbling like a cauldron. The corpse of the serkala had gone with us, and I gasped as I realized I was in another world.

“Where are we?” I asked, hoping I hadn't suddenly been kidnapped and was gonna get eaten by a witch.

Ultima smirked, slamming her staff into the black sand. “Welcome to the Woven Realm human.”