Eiden cautiously steered their boat towards the coast. As they got closer, they felt the sea was turbulent. The rocks were sharper and rose like a sea of knives. Getting closer to the island was not a sound idea, Eiden started to circle it.

"Watch for a landing place," he told his friends. Even though he could teleport to the shore, seeing the place was less risky.

"Oh, look, I think it's a patch of flat rock," Nub pointed. Eiden teleported them to the flat rocks, and they fell on it with a thud.

"Auch." Cissa stood up massaging his bottom.

"What kind of place is this?" Clade asked, looking around. The island didn't look very big and a funnel-shaped mountain stood in the middle. From the shoreline, it looked like a steady rise of the ground to the middle of the island where the mountain is.

"These rocks look like someone melted them like caramel." Nub knelt to see the rocky formation.

"And hot," Cissa said.

It was unusually hot in the rocky area which looked like a land of frozen ripples.

"Let's go, we shouldn't be late." Eiden hurried his friends.

They got down from the rocks to the ground. Thorny and hostile-looking small shrubs were growing here and there and the small red squishy plants were quite common too. Far away into the island, they saw clouds of mist rising and rolling. Feeling hot, they removed their outer jackets and wrapped them around the waists.

"I think they are staying near the mountain base." Eiden felt the key nearly vibrating with magic.

"The air smells foul here." Nub rubbed her nose.

They stopped for a break and ate a small ration of the remaining food. Even the water that Eiden conjured tasted foul, probably the smelly substance in the air can dissolve in water. Suddenly Nub froze.

“Something is coming towards us,” she whispered. The boys drew the weapons and stayed very still. Eiden had a shield ready in his fingertips.

“It stopped,” Cissa said after a while.

They cautiously proceeded. Suddenly, they all heard fast footsteps behind them, then, a swish and a very loud screech. With his heart pounding, Eiden couldn't turn around fast enough. All he saw was shrubbery moving like something was running among them.

“Wh..what happened?” Nub stammered.

“Something came really fast at us, and I threw a knife, now it's running back. Let's go,” Cissa explained with a predatory gleam in his eyes. It was clear that his quick response saved them.

They were getting close to the open area where they saw clouds. The area was surrounded by a line of bushes.

"By lord! What magic is this?"

Eiden couldn't hide his surprise. It was a truly magical sight. A handful of small bubbling pools which were glowing in various colors as red, green, pink, and orange in the dark, scattered in the open area.

"It's steam," Nub said, staring at the white clouds rising from the pools.

"Water must be boiling hot." Eiden pondered how to cross the area.

"It's risky, walking across, isn't it?" Clade asked.

"Yes, the ground can be unstable, and that thing Cissa stabbed might come here and push us to a pool, we will be boiled alive." Eiden shuddered at that thought alone.

"Eiden, don't tell such things." Nub smacked his head.

"Easy to skin, though," Cissa said, chuckling. And cried when Nub smacked him.

"Look, how about we teleport into that shrub line?" Eiden asked. The area could be similar to the place they stood. They clutched together and teleported.

"Aww," he cried, entangled in a thorny bush, the area they teleported was cluttered densely with them.

"Don't struggle, Eiden," Clade was trying to remove the branches.

Eiden wanted to burn them, burn them all. But, others heavily objected and called him a pyromaniac. He pouted and whined until Clade freed him. His shirt was in shreds, and in a few places, even the skin was pierced by the sharp thorns. The wounds were itching like mad.

"Err..guys, I think they are poisonous." Eiden started to feel the pain slowly building up.

"Eiden, take off the shirt," Nub ordered while getting the water bottle, to wash the wounds.

"No, water won't work." Eiden managed to say as he ground his teeth in pain.

"Why, we can wash. Eiden, stay awake." Eiden felt Clade shake him.

"Papa. Told. Cleansing fire. Only. Held them back." Eiden stumbled over the words.

With great effort, he summoned a blade of fire and cut through the wounds one after one, all four of them. The smell of burning flesh mixed with the foul air and Eiden's anguish cries ran through the nightly silence.

"Eiden, you crazy puss." Cissa held his weak body as Nub applied medicine to his wounds. The pain was lessened, but not completely gone, still, he felt better.

"This dark magic can corrupt us, remember," he mumbled. He was not going to take any chance when he was so close to finding his parents.

They put their jackets on regardless of the extremely hot air around them and carefully trod through the bushes. Finally, they emerged out of the treeline to another rocky area. Clade pointed to a cluster of rocks.

“Probably your parents are taking cover there," Clade said as he knelt to feel the earth, but instantly took his hand off the earth.

"Dark magic." His expression was grave.

"Let's go," Eiden was feeling better and took the front, as they carefully approached the rocks.

"Oh, there's an opening, almost hidden," Nub whispered. Now, Eiden knew they were at the right place, so they got closer to the opening. Suddenly he stopped and lifted his hand to sign the friends to stop too.

"Wards." He sensed the protective family magic, at least two layers of wards, and took a moment to think.

His parents might have gone mad and can attack him. Or they could attack him mistaking him to be something else. Still, he didn't think yelling for them was a good idea. Even if it was risky, the best action was to walk past them.

"Let's go, we will trip the wards. They might attack, so prepare to defend yourselves, alright?" he instructed his friends and got ready to throw a shield at the slightest of movements. The way was dark, they lit it up with their lamp and Eiden told them to hold on to each other.

They entered a small damp cave, with a lower ceiling, and saw there was a small opening at the far end. A little gleam of light was coming from it. They went closer to it, and Eiden gestured to his friends to keep to the wall. If someone attacked, then it would be through the door.

"Stay," he mouthed at them, and got closer to the other wall. His key was thrumming with energy.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Mother, it's Eiden, can you hear me?" Eiden called whoever was inside the cave. But, he didn't get a reply.

"It's Eiden, please don't attack me, okay," he spoke clearly and softly. Cautious and silent, he stepped through the doorway.

It was a larger chamber than the outer cave and was purified. It was illuminated with a yellow-orange glow from a few torches that stuck to the wall. At the far end of the cave, his mother and Ravik, his father's friend, were standing with their weapons drawn. He saw that they were defending someone.

Keeping his hands open and in front, so they could see them clearly, Eiden approached them.

"Stay back," Ravik ordered, his voice was husky. Eiden felt their distress. But, it was very faint. They were wearing magic concealing wards.

"Mother, Ravik, I'm Eiden, See, I got no weapons.” Eiden paused to see their reactions. They seemed exhausted, but still thoroughly defensive.

"Look, I know this is the shadow dimension. Mother, there was an explosion that made us separate and you came here. I lost my memories of the accident for a while. But, I found Papa's brother, Stravros," he took a step forward.

"Oh, baby," His mother tried to come towards him, but Ravik grabbed her and pulled back.

"Show some proof that you're Eiden," he called. Eiden heard his mother's sobs and her blade almost wavered.

"Right, here, the bracelet, see. I'm taking it off and sliding it over to you." Eiden took off his dragon bracelet and gently threw it over to the other side, and watched as Ravik stopped Mother reaching for it and picked it up himself. For a long minute, he stared at it holding it in his palm, and gave it to his mother.

The moment she touched it, Eiden saw her face change into unprecedented joy. They both rushed at each other and fell into their outstretched arms. Eiden sobbed into her chest, and he felt her mother's tears soak through his jacket, her murmuring of 'my baby' was the sweetest word Eiden heard for a long time. They stood basking in their magic for a silent moment.

Eiden drew himself out and looked behind his mother. His father was lying on a mat, with his eyes closed, a blood-soaked cloth wrapped in the middle. Next to him, his grandfather too, sickly pale, stretched out on the mat. And there was another man, old, oh, the Palace librarian, in a sitting position, leaning on the wall.

"Eiden, baby," His mother touched him softly as if she was waiting for him to melt and disappear. Ravik was still standing frozen behind them.

"Mother, it's okay, everything is okay." Eiden patted her on the shoulder looking at her tear-streaking face.

"They are hurt," he nodded his head towards his father and others.

"How did you come here?" His mother was coming out of her dreamy state, he thought as she shook him. Eiden laughed. It was pure joy, even though they were hurt, they still worried about him.

"I came with a plan, not like you," he said in a mock scolding voice.

"I came with friends." He peeked at Ravik.

"Don't attack them, I'm calling them inside."

Ravik nodded.

"Guys, come inside." Eiden raised his voice.

His friends rushed inside, with their weapons drawn, but seeing Eiden holding his mother's hand, they put them back into the belts and came forward. Eiden felt his mother tense and saw Ravik clutching the blade tight.

"This is my mother, and this is Ravik, father's friend." Eiden introduced quickly, and there was a chorus of hellos from his friends.

"This is my friends, Clade, Cissa, and Nub," he pointed. Then, he dropped Mother's hand, knelt at Father's side, and touched him. He was burning up with a fever.

"Young master," Ravik called him.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We need to leave now, no time to talk, we can talk on the other side." Eiden turned to his friends and saw they had already started unpacking the ready-made sequence of the portal.

"Star, you have a way to go back?" Mother asked.

"Yes, but we are going back to a fight," he said with a sigh.

"Eiden, we set this up here?" Nub called behind.

"Yes, this seems ok," he answered and looked at Mother and Ravik.

"Like I said, I found Papa's brother, he's on the other side. What we're going to do now is, open the doorway, and get out. We're going to a safe house."

"Trust me, I got this." Eiden took Mother's hands in his and peered into her eyes. His mother nodded.

"Ravik, is your shoulder injured?" Eiden asked.

"Yes, young master, but, it's my left, I can still use the blade," he answered, lifting his blade.

"Good, but there might be no need, a few imperial guards are defending us, outside. Can you carry the master?" Eiden asked while moving to the old man. He checked the pulse, which was weaker, but steady.

"Yes, young master," Ravik replied.

"Clade, Cissa," Eiden called his friends.

"Clade, you're the strongest, take my father, he's the heaviest. Cissa, take Grandfather, right? Ravik takes the master, Nub and I take Mother."

He stood up and went to Nub, who was getting ready to create the portal. Leaving others to discuss and he completely focused his attention on the portal. His mother was hovering behind him.

"Mother, I need your magic to power this up. Are you up to it?" he asked without looking up.

"I think so," her voice was tired, but he heard the relief, making him smile. It wasn't his first time using the sequence, so he felt confident. Completing the writing, he stood up and took half of the key still attached to the chain.

"You have yours right?" he asked his mother. She took a similar chain with the key concealed as a stone. Eiden took the vellum from his inner pocket.

"I found this half, do you have the other?“ he asked.

"Star, you don't remember?" his mother sounded confused, removing half of a torn vellum that she had concealed in her necklace.

"I only remember a little bit, not this one." He matched the two halves of the vellum. His friends crowded around him.

"Oh, it's really the other half, oh, Eiden, read it," Nub begged.

Two must remain to guard and guide, the two halves of a key will be lost and found,

Many lonely years ahead, to wait and hope for the love and salvation,

The shadows will rise and call, the treacherous may hear and fall,

The Precious for one must be given for free, the First tree will wake and bloom.

"What does that mean?" Eiden asked, but no one seemed to have an answer.

He asked his mother to assemble the key. They watched in amazement, as the two prisms flawlessly merged into a star-shaped key, which his mother added to the chain.

"No, Mother, you need to keep it." Eiden refused the key, and now completed vellum. Thinking, it was safe with Mother, and gave one last check-up to the runic sequence,

"Clade, you first, go to Marcus, Ravik next, Mashu will take you, Cissa next, to Gorga. Nub with Mama, straight to Ivar, I'll get to Simon. Right?" Eiden took the command.

He instructed his mother how to use the key to close the portal. He knew the only reason his mother readily agreed to his work without asking a thousand questions was that his father and others were sick and she herself was weak and injured.

So, he didn't say it would take some time for the portal to close after the key activated the closing sequence. He was going to get chewed up when they got home, and he inwardly winced.

Clade easily picked up his father, making Eiden marvel at his strength as he draped Father's body over his shoulder. He helped Ravik to pick the master up and Cissa picked Grandfather's body to his shoulder. Eiden and his mother started powering up the runic circle. The portal to home wasn't a black mass of magic, it was a clean off-white, and iridescent vortex.

"Clade, Go," Eiden gave the command. After Cissa, Eiden grabbed Mother's hand and Nub and stepped into the portal.

The ride back to home dimension was less bumpy than the previous. But, they stepped into utter chaos. With too many guards attacking, the ring of fire was going to break soon. Eiden urged his dazed mother to use the key to activate the closing sequence. He looked around to see everyone's paired up.

"Ivar, go,"

With Eiden's shrill command, Ivar together with Nub and his mother teleported away, and others except Simon and Papa followed their lead. Eiden trusted Papa and Simon to keep the defense until the door closed. He on the other hand had to keep the door covered with his shield to stop anything from invading the home dimension.

Suddenly, a new wave of guards, one by one appeared around them.

Swish!

He barely had time to deflect the fiery knife thrown at them. Another one swished past Papa, Simon had deflected it, but not completely, and Eiden saw blood spilled from Papa's hand. The ring of fire collapsed as Simon and Papa tried to shield them from a barge of new spells. Eiden saw Papa stagger, too weak.

"Simon, Go," he cried.

Simon didn't waver, as he seized Stravros and they disappeared. With an enraged cry, someone sent a sharp blow to Eiden's shield, over the door, making it crumble down.

"No, don't," he yelled.

Damned fool. The backlash sent Eiden to the knees. He threw another shield over it, but the magic from the backlash had fed the doorway, and Eiden felt its struggle to stay open. As his new shield broke, the air around it was sucked into the portal, and Eiden saw some guards stop attacking. Eiden was dragged closer by a few feet before his second shield covered it.

He thought they would stop, no one sane would attack an unknown doorway in a dark magic-riddled city, because people have common sense. Covering himself with another shield, he struggled to keep his focus on both when he heard someone scream in the distance.

"No, don't, my lord,"

He suddenly saw Evan, with an anguished cry, jump in front of him, lifting his hand with his sword.

"Evan, no," Eiden screamed

But his warning was too late or Evan was too angry to hear, Evan's blow on Eiden's shield broke his focus and the force sent him right into the almost closed portal. He saw that he was not alone, someone else also was on the path, Eiden tried weakly to cast another shield to stop others from falling.

But, his back touched the vortex and once again he found that he was falling through the darkness, one bump and two bump and three, he knew no more.