The Waver’s Refuge

The dimly lit confines of the Waver reverberated with tension as Valerius, Ziraiah, and Eryndor gathered in Gustein's Waver. Valerius asked, " Where is Kaelan?" Eryndor replies, "In that dark place, Kaelan lay unconscious, his body battered and bruised." Valerius, his voice heavy with concern, asked, “What happened to Kaelan?”

Ziraiah, visibly shaken, answered before anyone else could. “Someone came after us. We were utterly powerless—there was nothing we could do against him. How can someone like that even exist? Even Kaelan couldn’t hurt him.”

Eryndor spoke next, his tone grim yet tempered. “Let us be thankful he had a change of heart.”

But as the memory of the battle resurfaced, Eryndor’s calm faltered. He looked down at his hands, swollen and bruised from the encounter, and clenched them tightly. “That man’s body was as unyielding as steel. As you well know, back on Earth, my strength far surpassed that of any ordinary human. We now understand why—because I am not human. Yet, even with all that strength, when I struck him... it felt as though I were pounding against an impenetrable wall.” He extended his hands toward Valerius, his frustration palpable. “Look at them, Valerius—see how battered they are. I was utterly helpless. I couldn’t protect Ziraiah. It is nothing short of a miracle that he let us live.”

Valerius, seething with anger, turned sharply toward Yelleen. “Yelleen! Why didn’t you help them?”

Yelleen’s disembodied voice answered with an unsettling calm. “There was nothing I could have done. I cannot interact with the physical world.”

Valerius’s tone sharpened. “But you could have warned them!”

“I shall make adjustments for the future,” Yelleen replied, its voice unchanging.

“Don’t blame Yelleen,” Eryndor interjected, his voice steady but firm.

Valerius glared at the empty air as though trying to confront Yelleen’s invisible form. “Is this what you meant by facing our own problems? Does this mean that if such a thing happens again, you will simply let us die?”

A suffocating silence filled the room, thick and oppressive. Finally, Yelleen spoke, its voice carrying a somber gravity. “Rid yourselves of all thoughts of Earth. This is Yilheim, a world wholly alien to the one you once knew. Here, the strong dictate the laws, and the weak are trampled beneath them. The weak may only survive if the strong permit it. Your notions of morality, your ideals of justice—none of these have a place here.

“This world operates by its own rules, its own morals, and its own laws. If you wish to survive, you must adapt. Fortify your resolve and make your will unbreakable. I do not desire your deaths. Whatever it takes, you must live.”

The weight of Yelleen’s words hung in the air, an unshakable reminder of the harsh reality they now faced.

Moments later, Gustein emerged from the dark room, his expression as inscrutable as ever. He surveyed the siblings with a curious gaze. “So, you’re Earthers. Wait... aren’t you Elvheins?”

Without waiting for a response, Gustein rushed toward them with the urgency of a healer. He pried open their eyes, checked their pulses, and even examined their mouths with an air of professional curiosity.

“What are you doing?” Ziraiah asked, pulling back slightly, her voice tinged with irritation.

Gustein laughed, his fascination evident. “Fascinating! Elvhein Earthers! This world truly never ceases to amaze.”

“How did you come by such knowledge?” Eryndor inquired, his voice calm and measured, carrying an air of dignified curiosity.

Gustein chuckled, gesturing at the space around him. “I see no Yelleen here, do you?”

The Journey

“Anyway,” Gustein said, his tone shifting to a more practical one, “you’ve endured quite enough for one day. Get some rest.” He walked to the front of the Waver, where the controls gleamed faintly in the dark. Pulling a helmet adorned with cables onto his head, he gestured toward Kaelan. “Lerius, secure the straps around—”

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“It’s Kaelan,” Valerius corrected, his tone clipped.

“Ah, yes, Kaelan,” Gustein said absentmindedly. He adjusted a few controls before asking with a wry grin, “I don’t suppose Mystvir still welcomes you?”

Without waiting for an answer, he pressed a red button. The Waver hummed to life, its runes glowing. “So, I’ll take you away from here,” he added, casting a sly look back at them, “for a price, of course.”

The siblings exchanged weary glances. “Everyone, take a seat and strap yourselves in. We’ll be in the air for a few hours,” Gustein instructed, and with that, the Waver began its ascent.

As the Waver sped through the sky at sonic speeds, Valerius couldn’t help but marvel. “I must admit,” he said, a hint of awe in his voice, “this world has some truly remarkable creations.”

Gustein smirked, pressing a button on the console. “You’ve yet to see anything,” he said. “Allow me to give you a proper tour of Yilheim.”

The walls of the Waver began to fade, becoming translucent. The siblings gasped as the view unfolded before them—a vista so marvelous it seemed like a dream.

They saw waterfalls defying gravity, cascading upward toward floating islands. Seas of lava, oil, and water stretched out in dazzling arrays, with one sea of water suspended midair, glistening like a jewel. Trees of unimaginable size towered above them, their colossal branches stretching kilometers into the heavens. Flying creatures of all shapes and sizes soared past, their wings slicing through the air like graceful blades.

“My God,” Eryndor breathed, his voice hushed in reverence.

“Look at that,” Valerius said, pointing. “Ziraiah, the sea—it’s in the sky!”

“How is this possible?” Ziraiah whispered, her voice trembling with wonder.

Before their astonished eyes, a family of Skyarcs—magnificent bird-like creatures—flew gracefully with their young. Eryndor smiled faintly. “Even they have families. Look at them, Valerius—flying together with their little ones.”

But their awe was abruptly shattered. Without warning, a massive creature emerged from the void, its maw opening wide. In one horrifying moment, it devoured the entire family of Skyarcs.

Ziraiah gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. “It came out of nowhere!”

“Don’t look this way, don’t look this way, don’t look this way,” Valerius muttered under his breath, panic creeping into his voice.

The creature turned its enormous, scaled head toward them.

“Shit,” Valerius cursed, his face contorted with dread.

“Gustein!” Eryndor shouted, his voice sharp.

“I know!” Gustein barked in reply. “Strap yourselves in—now!”

The siblings hurriedly obeyed as Gustein pushed the Waver to its limits. The runes glowed brighter as the craft broke the sound barrier, a deafening boom echoing through the air.

“What was that?” Ziraiah cried.

“A sonic boom,” Eryndor explained, his voice strained. “We’ve just surpassed the speed of sound.”

"I can't breath," Valerius cried.

"As a result of the sudden acceleration, your chest is currently experiencing high levels of G-force," Eryndor explained. "Endure it."

The creature, undeterred, pursued them relentlessly, its enormous form weaving through the air with terrifying speed.

Eryndor, his voice tight with urgency, shouted, “Gustein, if that thing catches us, it’ll swallow the entire Waver whole!”

“I know!” Gustein snapped, his focus unwavering as he guided the ship toward the massive trees ahead.

“Why are you heading for the tree? We’ll crash!” Ziraiah exclaimed, her voice rising.

“We’ll thread through the branches and leaves,” Gustein said. “Hopefully, it’ll lose us in the process.”

The Waver plunged into the dense foliage of the colossal tree. The branches, each spanning kilometers, became a labyrinth through which Gustein expertly maneuvered. Behind them, the monstrous creature struggled to navigate the tight spaces, its enormous size working against it.

“Come on,” Valerius shouted. “Go find food somewhere else.”

Gustein laughed grimly. “The curse of being big.”

Suddenly, Ziraiah squinted at a distant figure weaving effortlessly through the branches. “Is that... a person?”

The figure moved with unearthly grace, leaping through the air as though it were their domain. They wielded a sword, and with one fluid motion, unleashed a shockwave that cleaved the creature in two.

The siblings and Gustein stared in stunned silence, their jaws slack with disbelief. The Waver shuddered violently from the aftershock, but none of them noticed, too entranced by the scene.

The creature’s blood and remains rained down upon a distant town below, sending its inhabitants into a panic. “The world is ending!” someone cried.

“Gustein!” Eryndor shouted, snapping out of his daze.

But Gustein, still stunned, failed to react in time. The Waver collided with a massive branch, sending it careening downward.

“You could have been more careful!” Ziraiah scolded, her voice weak from the impact.

“Stop pressuring me!” Gustein snapped back, wrestling with the controls.

The Waver crashed through leaves and branches before Gustein managed to regain partial control, landing in the middle of a bustling town. The ship skidded to a halt, leaving a long crater in its wake.

Eryndor unstrapped himself, checking on his siblings. “Is everyone all right?”

He gently tapped Ziraiah’s face, her eyes fluttering open as she struggled to focus. “Ziraiah, look at me. How many fingers am I holding up?”

“What fingers?” she murmured groggily.

Valerius groaned. “Thanks for asking about me.”

Before they could regroup, the back door of the Waver opened to reveal a battalion of soldiers, their long ears marking them as Elves. They raised their weapons, aiming directly at the group.

"State your business---or face the wrath of Ignir!"

To Be Continued...