Chapter 1: The Summoning

Cassian’s eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred and unfocused. He lay on the forest floor, surrounded by towering ancient trees whose leaves whispered in the breeze. He dug his fingers into the earth. It was moist, thick with the scent of moss and earth. Where am I?

Before he fully regained consciousness, abstract images and sensations floated through his mind: the sensation of floating in a void, echoes of voices he couldn’t understand, and a soft, warm light that beckoned him forward. These fragments were fleeting, dissolving as he awoke to his present reality. As they faded away, the only thing he was left with was his name. He couldn’t remember anything about himself aside from that. 

As his vision cleared he looked around. He lay in a circular clearing, surrounded by dense trees, the darkness beyond, impenetrable. He looked up and saw a night sky streaked with a colorful aurora, and bright stars in unfamiliar constellations. The stars shone in odd colors—greens, purples, and blues—casting an otherworldly glow. The moon was much too large, its scars and craters also alien. The vague impression on its surface, that of a woman with her arms outstretched, a goddess ready for his embrace.

This…isn’t Earth?

He pushed himself up onto his elbows, wincing at the unfamiliar ache in his muscles. The memories of his last moments on Earth were hazy, but the pain and fear were still palpable. Had there been an accident—there were sounds of screeching tires, of honking, of lights—and then darkness. I’m dead. I’m dead and this is my afterlife. It’s cold and wet—but 

it’s pretty, so this can’t be hell, right?

“What the hell is this place?” he muttered, his throat feeling parched like he hadn’t used his voice in days. He looked down. His clothes were gone; he was naked, exposed to the elements. But his manhood was intact.  And that’s what matters? Jeez, you’re such an asshole. 

As he stood, a wave of dizziness washed over him, forcing him to lean against a nearby tree for support. It was rough, and smelled weird.  Like metal. No, like pure iron.

And then as his skin continued to make contact with the iron bark, there was suddenly a sense of oppressession, like being in a cramped space and finding it hard to breathe. He pulled his hand away instinctively, but couldn’t help the sensation of something having been taken or…transferred from him to the tree. 

Not sure I like any of this, whatever this is.

Then the iron tree spoke, the ethereal voice melodic, sweet. It reminded him of falling in love. Of warm, wet kisses. Of honey on the tongue.

“Greeting and welcome, young man from a faraway realm. I am Aria. I have been waiting for thee.”

Cassian took a step back, his eyes wide. “Huh… A talking tree. Something straight off the page from a fantasy novel.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Uh, I think I know how this goes. Oh, fair and powerful tree. Why have you summoned me to this realm?”

The tree seemed to shimmer, and before his eyes, a figure emerged from its bark. She was ethereal, her form delicate and radiant, with eyes that glowed like moonlight. She was also naked, except for vines of graven metal wrapped around her arms and body, and connected to the tree, barely covering her nipples and sex. Her pointed ears caught the light, making Cassian think of elves from old stories.

Cassian felt a tinge of heat shoot through him, an echo of arousal at the sight of her exposed flesh. Then he quickly became self-conscious about his own nakedness and tried to cover himself as best he could, which wasn’t so hard because of the cold.  It struck him how ridiculous this was, given that she was practically naked herself, and that he wasn’t convinced any of this was real.

Clearing his throat, he asked, “Are you… an elf?”

Aria’s lips curled into a faint smile, “I am something far greater and more powerful.” She sighed, and it sounded like spring and summer and a glass of whiskey on ice. “Traveler, I have summoned you here, to the world of Sonaris because you have a great destiny to fulfill.”

“Is that right?” Cassian said, sucking air between his teeth, then rolling his eyes. “Yeah, that really makes a lot of sense. I had another thing like that happen to me not too long ago. A blast, really.”

“All will be explained in time,” Aria said, her voice soothing, unaffected by his weak attempts at sarcasm. “For now, you should know that you are safe in my presence. And that I am always with you…in spirit. Your grand journey is just beginning.”

Cassian felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, despite the lighthearted amusement and disbelief that still lingered. It was replaced with a sense of purpose. He felt he needed to trust this mysterious being, to follow the path that had been laid out for him. If he didn’t, then terrible things would happen.

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Cassian blinked at the ethereal figure before him. His arousal returned as she squirmed against her bindings, and he looked away. He pushed at the sudden disorientation and feelings that he was doing this all wrong. Here was a beautiful woman, grossly underdressed and eager to speak to him, and all he could think about was waking up and going home. 

Wait. That thought stopped him in his tracks. He tried to remember. Where’s home? Yet no answer came. He felt the gravity of absence, and he felt alone.

When he looked back at Aria, her presence was both a comfort and a promise. Love. Answers. Belonging.

Her luminous eyes gazed at him intently, as if waiting patiently for him to come to terms with his situation.

“Who are you?” Cassian asked, settling on the fact that questions were the most logical path forward. “And where am I?”

Aria’s form flickered, the glow of her body pulsating with a rhythm that seemed to resonate with the forest around them. “I am Aria, a guardian of this realm and a seeker of restored balance. You were brought here because your fate is intertwined with the destiny of Sonaris.”

“Sonaris,” Cassian repeated, the name feeling foreign on his tongue. “Is that the name of this forest?” 

She laughed again, a terribly beautiful sound. “It is the name of this world. The forest you currently stand in, is known by many as the Forest of Whispers, although its true name has been lost to time. If you are concerned with geography, then I should tell you that this forest is in the country of Eldara, on the border of Seraphis, and on the continent of… Oh? Have you lost interest, traveler?”

Cassian was rubbing his temples. There were too many names. Too many thoughts. Too many everything. Too much naked lady’s…presence. 

It’s not like he wasn’t a man who enjoyed that sort of thing. He was. It just felt like thinking with his John Wayne right now revealed a lack of priorities and character. Then again, damn was she beautiful. In the middle of his inner conflict, Aria leaned forward, her movements graceful and fluid. 

She kissed him.

Nice. Not helping, but nice.

Warmth and calm coursed through him again, and he could think clearly. Like everything in the world had aligned and was finally starting to make sense. At any rate, John Wayne was pleased.

 “You possess a unique potential, young man from a faraway realm. One that I have not seen in many lifetimes. Your arrival was foretold, and your presence here is a great boon. Thanks to you, order will be restored to this forest, Eldara, and in time, to all Sonaris.”

Cassian frowned, pragmatism overcoming that blanket of blind faith that kept wanting to creep over him. “I hate to sound ungrateful, pretty lady, but why me? I’m nobody to you. I’m not saying I’m planning to, but what if all this was too much for me and, say, I walked away? What if you put in all that work to summon me and I turned out to be a dud?”

For the first time, Aria flashed with a new emotion. For an instant, he thought he saw in her eyes an infinite, roiling flame, a bottomless cauldron whose depths knew no end to their fury. 

“You. Will. Not. Fail.” Aria’s tone brooked no argument. “Our fates are intertwined, far-away traveler. Should you refuse my call, then we both shall surely die. Then Sonaris will see a thousand years of darkness. Do you understand?”

When she finished, her words were the silence after thunder, the promise of a gathering storm. She would not be denied.

Cassian raised his hands in front of him to ward off the blow. “Yes, ma’am. I understand. I won’t ignore the call. I just wanted to get a sense of the stakes. That’s all.”

Her eyes narrowed. Perhaps she was considering whether he needed further encouragement. Then she blinked, and serenity was all that remained. “Seek out Professor Lyra Nyx; she will guide you to find the academy, where you must follow your heart and find your magic. When the time is right, you will understand the significance of the contract.”

Cassian sighed in relief. She was beautiful, but there was something terrifying about her presence as well. Maybe he didn’t want to piss off someone with infinite cosmic power. 

Then he realized what she’d implied. “Wait, you’re not coming with me?”

Aria floated away from the iron tree, only for the vines that twisted around her legs, arms and chest to pull, tighten and yank her brutally against the trunk of the iron tree. She began to fuse into it, her skin turning raw where it touched iron. For once her expression was something new. She was delicate, weary, vulnerable and in pain. Aria squeezed her eyes shut tightly. When she opened them again, her expression was sad, almost resigned. “As you can see, traveler, I cannot. Go now, please. At the Eldara Academy of the Arcane, you will find the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill your destiny…and, to free me.”

Cassian opened his mouth, not even sure what he meant to say, but before he could speak, the iron tree, and the spectral lady bound to it vanished. 

Goosebumps rose on his skin, and he shivered involuntarily. The cold seemed to coil around him like frigid snakes. 

Nice going, Cassian. You had five minutes to talk to the pretty lady about your quest and you spent it being a jerk. Now you have no idea what to do. “Figures,” he said aloud. 

Then a cute trilling mimicking him. He turned around to find a will of the wisp bouncing around in the air.  Again, it said: “Weee-wuurrh,” humming something that resembled figures.

“Hey you. Are you…friendly?” Will-o’-the-wisps were known to help lost travelers. At least that was his takeaway when Merida followed them.

The wisp twirled and did something that was close enough to nodding. Then hung suspended in the air, wiggling in a way that left no ambiguity that it was waiting for him. 

“Okay, little guy. I’m sold. Lead the way.” Then off it went, bouncing in the air as Cassian followed close behind.

There was a lot about the night that had been strange.  As he followed the adorable ball of wispy light, he reflected on what he knew so far. 

He had a quest: to learn magic so he could save the world and rescue Aria.