“I feel sick. Kind of dizzy but mostly like I’m gonna-” Isabella was unable to audibly finish her sentence before involuntarily leaning over and emptying her breakfast onto the vibrant crimson grass at her feet. Remaining keeled over for a moment, wondering if her stomach was going to stop disobeying, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d just wasted food. Considering the morning’s banquet in honour of seeing them all off, Isabella was almost certain that she may never get another taste of such fanciful cuisine again. At least not any time soon. Yet here she was, tasting every waffle, every piece of meat she had greedily wolfed down. Her gluttony didn’t come without warnings from some of the other Rangers. They mentioned that food and guided Freefalls work in tandem to make your first transfer incredibly unpleasant. The convulsing began to stop, and staring at the pile of stomach porridge made her more melancholic than nauseous. She straightened back up, at last noticing her new surroundings. The anxiety continued to fill her abdomen like ink into water. Have you ever leaned back on a chair and nearly fallen? Anxiety is the same feeling of panic, but it doesn’t go away, and it gradually gets worse. Her stomach convulsed once again, but nothing came out, and she still reactively put her hand to her mouth. Her first Freefall didn’t go as expected, but at least she arrived in one piece. Even though her insides were still trying to split.

This was a pocket. A small self contained piece of existence that is very hard to find unless one has been there before, or possesses a guidance beacon to make the transfer. Isabella looked at her restriction bracelet, where the light strip encircling it was illuminated in a deep red. These were worn by every Wayfinder while they remained on their home planet of Jyetsere. They were a piece of technology that stopped the wearer from Freefalling, and contained their normally destructive expiry to the individual. This ensured that no one else would be physically affected by the now miniscule explosion. This self destruction was something Wayfinders hadn’t been able to solve. However, it seemed to become more likely under extreme stress, exhaustion, and the older you are. Their mental state was the key in some way. The bracelets were an invention of Isabella’s family lineage. They were illuminated green when working properly, blue as a psychological warning, and red when deactivated off world. They also served as guidance beacons, making it possible to Freefall into specific coordinates without having been there before.

Finally able to stand up straight, she came to recognise her surroundings. This place was identical to the grove mentioned in an old Wayfinder bedtime story about the sacrifice of the Fae. Until today, she was under the impression it was nothing more than a fairytale, and so too were Faery Folk.

Isabella was standing in a grove filled with row after row of blue leafed cherry trees. Releasing a small torrent of azure leaves whenever the wind blew, disappearing before they landed on the grass. A gigantic tree stood far into the horizon. Its red leaves covered in a hazy mist. Each tree was filled with ripe, shiny, scarlet red cherry’s. Each one was like a tiny work of artistic temptation. With the intention of picking one, Isabella delicately squeezed the stem and pulled. It didn’t budge, and neither did the tree. Harder, she dug her heels into the ground in an attempt to yank and twist it off. Instead of pulling free a piece of delicious fruit, Isabella’s fingers opened on their own, and she fell with an audible *THUD*.

The ground felt like it was made of concrete or solid iron. Her tailbone felt bruised and the wind was knocked out of her as she hit the floor. However, on later inspection, the patch of grass she fell onto was soft and lush with green clover, contrasting against the crimson grass. Those of her peers that saw her little tumble only waited a small window of time before they began to stir. Some covering their mouths in an attempt not to laugh, others forgetting all manner and subtlety, simply laughing with tears beginning to grow in the corners of their eyes. Embarrassed, she tried to get up as quickly as possible and made another misstep, this time falling on her back. Her peers continued as they watched Isabella rock back and forth on her giant overstuffed backpack. She looked very much like a flailing tortoise. Finally, one of the younger Rangers, a boy she knew as Kalei went over to help her up. Kalei was short for his age, but full of pride. His chin was held high and his shoulders back as they kept stride with the speed of his feet. There were only a few volunteers who weren’t wearing the embroidered Reality Ranger uniforms, and Kalei was one such case. His attire matched theirs in essence of universal useability as galactic adventuring gear, but the difference was striking in the sense that it bore the gold lined navy fabric of high born bloodlines. His jacket had a single sleeve rolled up to the forearm, with the other arm strapped to an orange and black piece of armour, which was contoured to the muscle and surrounded his fingers like a glove. Something shiny also hung on his belt, but it didn’t come off as cumbersome.

Kalei grabbed hold of Isabella’s collar and forearm before lifting her tiny frame and placing her right side up, backpack and all. The armour piece emitted a noise that sounded like a small power drill as Kalei walked back to the group, now congregating for further instruction. Isabella went to thank him, but the words didn’t come out. Not for the first time, nor the last, she began to anxiously wonder if her insistence on joining the Reality Rangers was completely mute. She couldn’t see herself being of any use if she remained unable to simply get off the floor without help. Her eyes began to mimic glass with the promise of tears. Was this really a mistake? For that small moment she thought it was. Until she felt a tug. Something was pulling her towards the group of volunteers, and subsequently further into the grove. Feeling a little more sure of herself, Isabella took a deep breath and made her way over her peers.

Everyone stood in a close knit semicircle under a low murmur while one of the tall stocky Rangers made a stage to stand on out of a few equipment boxes. The laughing had come to a complete stop when Isabella joined the group unnoticed. It was hard for her to see the front, as everyone stood taller than her, and her quiet attempts at an “Excuse me” fell on dull ears. The crowd parted when a taller woman walked right through the middle and scolded a few of them for being so rude. Isabella hadn’t any idea it was in reference to herself until the woman kindly grabbed her hand and spoke in a tone that alleviated her anxiety entirely, “Come to the front Bells, the best stuff happens where you can actually see. Don’t worry yourself, you’re exactly where you need to be. Only those that are in the alignment of great events are allowed into Dawns Grove. This place chooses its guests.” Her eyes radiated an intoxicating deep purple that seemed to slowly rotate and change shape as her gaze continued focus on Isabella. Who followed her to the front of the crowd. Entranced, now wondering how this person knew her mother’s nickname for her, and if her mind had somehow been read.

Once Isabella removed her bag and sat on top of it, the meeting got underway, with the woman taking to the makeshift stage. The stocky Ranger stood in front of the box with his arms crossed and his body rigid. The female Ranger tapped him on the shoulder, “Stop being so uptight, relax brother, we’ve got this.” The man flashed the same purple eyes and lowered his shoulders slightly upon an exhale. It was in that interaction Isabella’s mind clicked, and she realised that they were twins. Fraternal twins often don’t look like each other, but upon closer inspection, they looked like two versions of the same person.They had slim facial features, pointed noses, with the man taking a slightly larger jaw, and their ears matched into rounded points at the posterior of their helix. While the man’s hair was cut short and stood up with product, the woman had hers in a long ponytail. A purple shimmer went through their black hair in sync. Their clothing matched the Reality Ranger uniform in every fashion but colour, a striking jet black.

The lady on stage opened a red case from her pocket and put on a set of oval glasses framed with red trim. As they rested on her nose, the glass lit up blue and she began to speak, “Okay everybody let’s all quiet down this band of brothers and sisters. I know we’re all excited and anxious, but it’s imperative that we stop and explain why we’re here, and how we will proceed with our mission as a collective. Some of you will be going out on your own, and others will be split into teams when we leave here. You won’t be learning who is in your team until you take another guided Freefall after our task here is complete.” She gave a look around the crowd, pausing a second for the possibility of questions and then continued, “If you have taken your restriction bracelet off, you will need to put it back on for the guided jump out of here. Even if you think you know what you’re doing when it comes to Freefalling, don’t be arrogant, just follow the process as it’s been laid out at this point.” She eyed the crowd of misfits before her, and as a hand went up near the back, her eye twitched a little, prompting continuation, “Next! My brother and I are twins, as such, we have split up the leadership. This is due to our extensive experience throughout our current cosmos as well as the ribbons separating the others. If you don’t know us already, I’m Lumina, and within my terrifying shadow down there we have my much older brother Leighte.” Who mouthed the words "We’re twins" but didn’t interrupt, choosing instead to shake his head, and allowing Lumina to speak unhindered, “Welcome to Dawn’s Grove,” the crowd began a murmur. Leighte passed Lumina a piece of some sort of dried meat. She accepted it without a word, took a bite, and continued, “Let me answer the obvious question. Yes, this is THE Dawns Grove from the bedtime story you’re all familiar with, and yes it is very real. I won’t go retelling the story, it’s included in the adventuring kits you’ll receive soon. The important thing is that we’re here, and we have a job to do. Everyone who has ever left our planet have all had two things in common. Firstly, their restriction bracelets were unlocked, allowing them to use the genetic ability we all carry. Secondly, they have all left here with a cherry from one of the trees here. As I’m sure you’re now aware, these morsels can’t just be taken easily in vast quantities. Old magic created this place, and it still protects the fruit from being picked by the incorrect person. The cherries here, when consumed, will give you a hint into your journey’s future. For some it’s direction, other’s are premonitions. It’s rare for the cherries to get things wrong, but whatever you receive, take it lightly and keep it solidified in the back of your mind.” Confusion read on the faces of some, arrogance touched others, Isabella sat silently with a look of determination aimed at Lumina, “This task could take minutes, days, or months dependent upon where your cherry is located in the pocket. We don’t have that kind of time up our sleeves, so Leighte and I devised a way of fixing that issue.” Lumina gave Leighte a pat on his shoulder and sat cross legged on her stage, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and continued chewing her last bite of dried meat.

Leighte uncrossed his arms, but decided not to step on top of the box behind him, “It’s true that this place was created by old magic, but it doesn’t remain here just to protect the grove itself. We’re going to ask politely for its help, so that time isn’t a factor during each of our individual searches. Both Lumina and myself will be participating as well.” Leighte saw that Kalei was tinkering with his arm, so he stopped talking briefly in order to get his attention back, “This is going to be different to anything you’ve experienced before. Pay attention, and do exactly as we say or you could find yourself stuck. We’re going to be temporarily avoiding the natural progression of time within the pocket. You shouldn’t feel physical ailments like hunger or exhaustion. This will allow us to have as much time as we need to find our individual cherries and make it back here. Lumina?”, He looked over at his sister, who was cleaning the lenses on her glasses before she stood back up to give instruction.

“Alright, form a circle people. Give yourself some space between each other, but ensure you’re close enough to be able to comfortably join hands.” Lumina jumped off her box and went over to her brother. Isabella watched them high five, fist bump, and then click their fingers before they made their way over to the large circle filling the clearing they had arrived in. Lumina squeezed her way in beside Isabella and gave her a wink, “Everyone join hands and walk backwards until your arms are taut,” a torrent of wind and leaves pushed outwards from the centre of the circle; both Lumina and Leighte grew an identical excited grin on each of their faces, causing their eyes to sparkle, “Stay in this exact spot and cup your hands in front of you as if you were holding water within them.” Leighte then took over instruction.

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“Once we begin, you will find yourself standing behind your own silhouette. Find your cherry and return to yourself with it in your cupped hands. Touching yourself will then return you to the present. Don’t screw around here, it’s imperative that you find your fruit or you won't be able to make it back. This place is designed to help you in your search. Use your intuition to help guide you, and if that fails, follow your nose.” The group began to murmur again, and several hands shot up, “I’m sorry, but we won’t be answering any questions on this. If we give you too much information you might be led to the wrong tree, you might not find anything, or the grove itself might deem you unworthy. Fate was incredibly important to the architects of old magic, so we all need to exercise respect. Lastly, we will be giving extra supplies to the first one to make it back as a little competitive incentive.” Leighte and Lumina then revealed clear crystals hanging around their necks from behind their clothing, “Cup your hands. Now shut your eyes and keep them shut until you feel your ears pop.” They all fell silent. As eyelids dropped, the group heard nothing but the wind and the synchronised words of the twins, repeating each phrase carefully.

“We ask a favour through a promise of respect. A discrepancy in our chronology. Sacrifice within its creation, may we accept Dawn’s gifts with reverence and elation. Halt the thread through the loom, and leave the ribbons to speak no doom. Yuunt itrir aeo Raylii.” Isabella took a peek and saw Leighte’s eyes a ink-like black while the purple pattern shone bright in the open air around his head. The crystal upon his neck, now wreathed in radiating gold. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the same palette next to her and squeezed her eyes shut again. The pressure in her ears released, and she heard a loud pop. After a few seconds she opened her eyes and took a step back. In front of her was the circle of figures she recognised as her peers, except that it was exactly as Leighte described. Almost each and every one of them were like a mannequin consumed in a black shadow. Their eyes were closed, all identically posed with their hands cupped as if they were holding something precious. However, two of these differential mannequins weren’t black at all. They were white, on opposite sides of the circle, and each of their cupped hands contained a deep red cherry. One was right next to her own silhouetted mannequin, and Isabella could make out her facial features to be that of Lumina.

It was at that moment a humanoid figure ran out from one of the rows of trees. It was an indistinguishable shadow running right towards her. Isabella froze, as it ran at her with a closed fist. She dropped to the ground and screamed just as it sidestepped her and ran into one of the mannequins, causing it to reflect the figures of Lumina and Leighte, turning white, and receiving a cherry. Isabella lay there for a while, shaking, adrenaline making its way through her abdomen, and a pit in her stomach, quietly sobbing. She was doing her best to not break down entirely, remembering that everyone from her homeworld were counting on the Reality Rangers, and therefore her, to protect others throughout the multiverse above all else. At that, she rolled onto her knees and stood up with purpose. Wiping away her falling tears, fighting the anxiety in her stomach, which was screaming for her to run home and hide. She felt something bite her right hand. Not hard enough to pierce the skin, but enough to shock her out of the psychological spiral filling her being. Isabella couldn’t figure out what had chomped on her. However, it was exactly what she needed to get out of her own head. There was no way she was about to be left behind. Not again.

Her walk soon turned into a sprint. The adrenaline was causing her body to experience tremors unless she expelled the excess energy. There was no wind, and she didn’t seem to feel tired like she usually would, only slowing down to notice that the cherry tree leaves weren’t falling to the ground, they were staying suspended in mid air. Isabella concluded that this was what Leighte meant when he mentioned avoiding the natural flow of time. She wasn’t sure where she was aiming for, or the direction she was headed. But did her best to go in a straight line to make it easier for her to find her way back. That said, she did notice a large gap in the clouds in the direction of the circle, and hoped it would stay there as a landmark while she was looking for her tree.

Isabella had been searching for about an hour, doing her best to follow her intuition like Leighte had said, but kept coming up short. It proved difficult to follow her intuition with all of the mixed emotions and anxiety she was still feeling, and following her nose didn’t seem to help at all. She even pulled at a couple of random trees and the cherries just wouldn’t budge. She was getting closer and closer to the gigantic cherry tree in the centre of the grove. With each step, she found herself more unsure of her current direction. Suddenly, she spotted someone. It was one of the shadows matching the form of one of her peers. It didn’t seem like they had found their prize yet, but instead of walking towards them, she decided to hide and see if they were doing anything different to herself in order to pick the right tree. It really seemed like they weren’t looking at all. It was more like they were waiting. But for what?

The space in front of the figure seemed to dent and was forced open like a set of blinds being pulled back. Velveteen smoke made its way through the gap in an outline of the window, pooling on the crimson grass, turning it to a brown sludge. Isabella found her heart begin to race, and fear gripped her being as she heard a muffled voice slither its way through, towards the unidentifiable shadow of the Reality Ranger. The Ranger nodded several times and placed three cherries into a glowing bag with what looked like a pair of garden shears. This was met with a thin white hand pulling it into the window. The Ranger bowed as his muffled speech was humbled. Just before the window retracted the being hissed a few words. The Ranger looked over to where Isabella was hiding, and began to walk towards her.

Isabella looked away and pressed herself against the tree, holding in a breath. Panic set in as she looked around for something, anything that might be able to help her. She knew whatever that thing had said, whatever that Ranger now wanted, it was directed at her, and it wasn’t going to be good. She was hoping that it was a coincidence, wishing that she could just stay still and quiet to avoid a confrontation. She had to move. Whatever was going to happen would transpire within the next few seconds. Releasing her lungs she gripped a rock by her foot and ran in the opposite direction of the window. Acutely aware of a force slowing her down. Gasping for air, she looked up from the floor. The humanoid collection of shadow was already standing in her way, waiting. She couldn’t move. Frozen in her tracks, it was already too late. Now making its way towards her again, arm outstretched, baring menacing black claws dripping with a shadowed icur.

Her feet were stuck. No matter how much she begged and pleaded with her body they wouldn’t move. She managed to throw the rock she had, but it went right through the torso of the shadow, forcing its way ever closer. “This is it,” she thought, “The bedtime story was better.” The shadow grabbed her by the neck and scraped her right shoulder with three of its clawed fingers. Isabella let out a pained scream causing the shadow to perform a distorted laugh. The cuts on her shoulder seared pain through the muscle, leaving transparent shadowed marks.

Grasping at the hand around her neck, she knew that she was going to pass out any second. As the shadow raised its clawed hand again, something latched onto its arm, causing it to release Isabella. Forcing the shadow to step backwards as it clawed at what seemed to be a black cat, intangible to the villain. Losing its guise, the creature was no longer recognisable as a fellow Ranger, taking the form of a malnourished skeletal figure in a ravaged cloak. Isabella began to cough and gasp for air. The cat had caused the shadow to fall to the floor a few metres from her. It dashed over to her and began biting at something between her feet, that she now saw as chains holding them to the floor. The chains cracked and disappeared, and the cat gave a meow in response, now pulling at her pant leg, indicating that Isabella follow quickly.

The shadow was getting up and she needed to act fast. She looked down at the cat, its green eyes pierced through everything she was feeling, forcing her into a second of clarity, causing an all out sprint. She knew the shadow wasn’t far behind, now gliding after her, quickening her pace and keeping her eyes on the feline darting ahead. Her body was getting heavier the more her shoulder throbbed a stinging and piercing pain. Time was irrelevant. Somehow exhaustion was now creeping up on her. They came upon a tall hedge wall growing flowers with purple petals and yellow centres. Glancing above, Isabella almost slowed at the sight of red leaves illustrating the gargantuan branches of the central cherry tree. The cat jumped at the hedge and disappeared. A gutteral screech of malice came from behind Isabella. She took a leap of faith into the hedge, while the creature met its demise in a shower of ash and smoke.

Thick grass cushioned her fall as if she had just landed on a soft mattress. The creature pursuing her didn’t make it through. She relaxed after a few moments, only to notice that the cat had been sitting beside her, staring with those emerald eyes. “I’m really not sure what that horrifying creature was, but thank you for helping me.” The cat mewed loudly and rubbed itself against her arm, slightly soothing the pain in her shoulder.

Standing up and turning around found Isabella gobsmacked, “No. No way. I have to be seeing things,” she rubbed her eyes and pinched her cheeks. Standing before her was an enormous tree. Its shadow engulfed the area, and its branches, covered with beautiful red leaves, stretched past the sky and into the unknown. “This is Dawns-” the cat called out again and scratched at the base of the tree. Isabella hastily walked over and took note of what the cat was scratching at. Someone had engraved a name below a heart. It read ‘Raylii’. Her mind was racing. Filled with excitement she began to ramble to herself, “This means that the whole story is true. The Fae exist. Once upon a time they were actually a part of our universe. Dawn and Raylii really gave each other up and sacrificed their place in our multiverse. Does that mean that this is where Dawn has been all this time?” Isabella wiped away the tears forming on her cheeks and touched the engraving.

A sparkling voice trickled into her head like champagne into a flute, “Looks like Kuro found you. We’ve been waiting quite a while for you to show up,” Isabella couldn’t seem to form a reply of any sort. Instead her intuition, now working again, told her to simply listen, “I’m sorry for what you’ve already had to endure, and I’m sorry for the journey to come. Bells, you are important beyond measure. There is a single cherry left upon this tree. It was the first to sprout, and the last to ripen. It’s yours. If ever it looks too attractive to resist, you’ll know it is the right time to indulge.” Her hands cupped together without even a thought, and a cherry the size of an apricot fell from the branches above and landed without fault. It was azure in colour, like the leaves on the trees outside of the hedge wall. “Please, take Kuro with you. He has a role to play, and you’re too young to be alone in this. Rely on each other, and do what you believe to be right. An age ago I was unable to protect my people from a poor decision that was thrown out of our control. Over the long centuries I’ve been doing my best to guide travellers in need through the multiverse. The Wayfinders have truly grown, and it fills me with hope that a group like the Reality Rangers has matured and come to fruition. You’ve all become so selfless and responsible. Even making steps into filling the ancient Fae role of protecting and guiding the multiverse. Thank you for coming to see me. Just remember, Raylii’s waiting.” Suddenly Isabella became aware of her surroundings again and she fell to the floor, cushioned once again by the grass. She closed her eyes, unsure of how long, but when she opened them she found Kuro taking a nap curled up on her chest. She gave him a scratch on the top of his head. He then opened one eye and began to stretch.

Kuro jumped through the hedge, and Isabella took one last look at Dawn, still in complete awe, silently mouthing the words “Thank you” before passing through the hedge herself. She didn’t appear where they had both entered outside the hedge. Instead they were transported incredibly close to the circle of mannequins. Over half of them had turned white, with a single one a blood red. “That’s not good” Isabella whispered, and Kuro replied in the same tone before jumping onto her shoulder with his front paws hanging over it, and his rear clinging to her back. Her other shoulder stinged, and she hoped that it might disappear once she returned to the present. She then cupped the cherry with her hands and walked into her mannequin self.

Time resumed with Isabella opening her eyes and looking towards Lumina, who was staring at Kuro and her azure cherry. Lumina managed to get in a “How interesting,” before a number of their peers screamed in shock and horror. The circle broke and pooled over to one side, where Isabella could see the charred corpse of a skeletal creature with a clawed hand, in the same spot where the blood red mannequin had been. Lumina covered Isabella’s eyes just as she felt her heart rate skyrocket. “Leighte we’ve got a problem!” called Lumina, just as a commotion made its way through the group. Isabella’s shoulder still burned with a stinging pain.