As they finally make it , they enter through the marvelous gates of the castle. The girls are in awe of their scenery. Vernon and his dad remain unfazed. And as they enter, a sea of guards surrounds them, only seconds later making way for their queen. The mere sight of her is enough for the wide-eyed expression to only grow on the girl’s face. She turns to gaze upon them directly, staring straight at the dad.

“Chief Cor,” she says in a firm manner, her voice echoing through the chambers of the castle and further cementing her high status in the eyes of the girls. "Your Majesty,” the dad bows to her. “I've received your letter; what may be so urgent?, that I have to leave.” Without even waiting for her sentence to finish, the dad reaches in his pocket and reveals the dull shard of the gem. She suddenly stops. Her eyes widen. Her mouth is left open. What was once a firm and concentrated look turned into shock and disbelief.

“Shi-” she lets out barely a word before she runs straight to them. She covered his palm, which had the shard in it, with both her hands. Then he moves his arm down. in an effort to hide the shard. “So this is what’s it about?” She asks in a shocked and trembling manner. The façade falls from the girl’s eyes immediately. The person who seemed like they knew it all might just be the most shaken by it all. “. Yes, your majesty,” the dad answers. “Well, we can’t talk about something of this level here!. Follow me,” the queen says as she leads the way through the halls. The rest followed behind.

“Your highness, in the discussion of matters like this, I think it would be better if King Frederic was present, says the dad. “Not a bad thought," the queen replies, her voice regaining some of its firm and reassured tone. She signals for a guard, and as one comes rushing to her, "King Frederic’s presence is required immediately!” she commands. The guard nods and slightly bows, leaving in even more of a rush than when he came in.

Lara’s head follows the guard as he leaves, turning back and asking those around her, “Who are we calling?”. "King Frederic, king of the crescent kingdom." L:“And of what importance...is he?”. "The crescent kingdom were originally the ones in possession of the moon gem." The girl's eyebrows rise and gasp. L: “So really important!”. When she says that, a thought comes sprinting into Maya’s mind: “Well, when will he be arriving? We just called for him now?!”. Without even looking back at who she’s talking to, the queen goes, “Oh, don’t worry, he’s probably already here. All we did was end his little annual tour around the kingdom a bit earlier. God, he’d do anything to prolong the time leading up to the meeting." . The girls eyes lose attention off the queen as she finishes her sentence, straying back onto each other’s faces. Unsure what to make of this, Lyan blurs out the only thought that came to her: “Lucky us?”. A small chuckle escapes the queen's mouth: “You really are lucky this happened in spring.".

As she finishes those words, they find themselves in front of a large door with golden knobs, deep in the castle. The queen puts her hand on the knob, ready to enter, as realization hits her: “Wait, who are you?!” She looks back, finally facing the girls as she speaks to them, but not a second later she turns to Cor. “You know you can’t just bring anyone in here, right?" Lara steps forward to answer, and Cor fast steps in front of her, blocking her way. He answers, "They’re part of this, a major part.” The concerned look that grew on his face as he said that only worried the queen more about what this could be about. She looks back at the girls. “Fine, they can stay here,” she says with a voice a bit shaken, the same as it was moments ago. “But they cannot enter!”.

She opens the door, entering, ignoring the displeased and infuriated look on the girls’s faces. They step forward. "But-” was all that came out of their mouths before they were shut down immediately by Cor. “Just stay here,” he ushers for them still in a calm manner. Vernon goes to enter after his father, with a smug look upon his face. “No, Vernon, you stay here as well,” the queen says, shutting him down as well. "But Ruby!” He tries to retaliate, but to no avail. “Ay-ay, no ruby here! Now you stay, and you stay with them!”. She shuts the door. With an annoyed look on his face, he makes his way to the girls, crosses his arms, leans on a wall, and looks away. The only thing he gets from this is an up-and-down look.

Time starts to pass; the minutes feel like hours, and the hours feel like days. After a while of waiting, they hear sounds. Far at the end of the halls, they get louder as they approach closer. Eventually it gets to them, and there they see a tall man with long caps and a swarm of servants all around him, pampering him. Fixing what already seemed perfect. Two servants run up to the front to open the door, and as they do, all the servants make way, bowing down as he passes them. Lara sees a chance to enter while the door is open. She runs up to it, but the servants close the door the moment he passes through it. Unfortunately for her, that was seconds before she made it. She leans her head on the door and hits it with her hand. “Damn it!” She says, ,While ‘despair’ is eating her inside out. “Wow, that man had a hell of a cape," Maya says, breaking the ‘despair’ as Lara turns around. “Right, something straight out of Broadway and that perfume," she breathes in the scent left by the king. “Whoa! You really have good taste and a strong nose," she says to the maid standing near by while trying to hold in a sneeze. The maid smiles warmly and slowly leaves.

“Sneeze," she couldn’t hold it in. “*inhale*, alright, we can’t wait here any longer; we have to go inside,” she says as she makes her way back, with much determination and little patience in her voice. “We can’t; they said to wait here,” Vernon responds back. L: “We’ve been waiting here for so long!”. V: “It’s been like an hour!" . L: “an hour wasted from my life!”. As these two start to argue, Maya places her hand on her chin and closes her eyes. L: “You know, I bet they’re having tea right now." . Lyan chimes in, "Bialnaenae!”, L: “Exactly!, with the fancy kind too." And as the last words escape Lara’s mouth, Maya opens her eyes. “Alright, it’s settled; we’re going inside,” she says, and starts to make her way towards the door. Vernon's eyes widen in shock. “Not you too!”. “Yes!!,maya!” , While her decision is celebrated by her sisters, who follow her,.

Vernon blocks their path before they can go any farther and asks, "Wait, what's your course of action here?"Maya answers to his frantic and somewhat panicked demeanor, in the most stone-cold face and similar attitude in her voice, and sayss, "W’re going to enter through the door.”. “ *eye twitch*. There are kings and queens in there!, and you’re just going to enter?!”. Lara looks over Maya's shoulder, where she rests her head, and replies, “Yes.” She smiles after she says it. Then begins to make his way through both of them, "Now if you may." . “No!” He steps in the front again. “We can’t just go in there!” "Well then, genius, what do you propose?” Lara says in a condescending tone while raising one eyebrow. A big pout covers his face.

A loud thud echoes through the room. They turn in the direction of the sound to see the girls standing at the door with Vernon crouched down, his face buried in his hands, and the guards pointing their weapons at them. “This is entering quietly?!” Vernon stands up and says to the girls: “Why are these doors so light? They have golden knobs, for gods sake," Lara answers back. The guards move their weapons closer to their faces to threaten them. “Alright, get your shiny weapons away from our faces; we’re with them," she says, pointing at the rest of the people in the room. The guards don’t budge. “*sigh*, let them in," a voice orders from the back of the room. “Yes!, your majesty,” the guards respond and clear way immediately. “See, what did I tell you?” Lara makes a comment as she passes through the guards.

“Vernon!” , The dad calls from the other side of the room. Vernon hears him and starts to make his way through, but before he could make it, its path was cut. “Oh my moons!, you’re Vernon?!” he says, looking up at King Frederic and answering his question, “Yes.”. The minute those words escape his mouth, The king raises his hand and begins to hit his back repeatedly so as to knock the nerves out of him. “Ahahahah, don’t look so nervous, boy; I just didn’t recognize you; you’ve grown so much!” The king crouches down to get a better look at him, squints his eyes to focus on his face, and says, “Well damn the stars and moon, he all you cor!, leave something for the other half!”. Cor gives a small smile in response. “I didn’t know you and dad were friends,” Vernon says to the king in a bit of a shy tone.

"Well, I wouldn’t say we’re friends. The bastard doesn’t even send letters," the king responds, looking straight at Cor as he says it, then turning back to face Vernon. “But I guess we kind of were, back when." Before he could continue, his eyes caught a glimpse of Cor’s face, and the smile that was on it faded and seemed like it had turned into an annoyed expression, but he could tell that there was still old, longing pain in those eyes. He’s forced to stop; he couldn’t possibly continue.

His eyes stray, and they explore the room, looking for what could wash away the sudden silence, before they eventually land on... “Oh, you!” He says this as he makes his way to the girls. “You are the children Cor talked about, aren’t you? You’re the miracle!” "What?” is the only thing the girls could think to say to that. “And know that I see you with my own eyes; you truly look out of this world. With the color in your hair,” he points to the front parts of Lara’s hair, as they are colored blonde, different from the rest of her brown hair. “And I could just tell from here that the material your glasses are made of is different from the one we use here,” he continues, referring to Maya and Lara’s glasses, which both are black; Maya's one had a gold-colored bridge, and both were made out of plastic. “and your attire! It’s truly different!”. “Will strong talk come from the guy that looks like he just walked out of a musical! , with ahh, the hair and the cape and the... mustache!” Lara responds. “I certainly do enjoy theatrical acts that are accompanied by music." . “Please don’t sing; it’s a book; there is no point,” Maya says.

“Oh right, speaking of your appearance, may I see?” The king says this, calming down his excited demeanor. He faces Lara directly and points to the shoulder she’s covering with her sleeve. The queen comes closer to take a look as well, with Vernon and his dad only a few steps behind her. Lara puts her head on the end of her sleeve. The king itches closer as millions of thoughts go through his head that can only be proven or disproven by what he’s about to see, and that moment is finally here. “no!” Lara shouts, turning her right arm away.

Shock fell upon their faces, and an instant response came from many: the dad: “Lara!” and the queen: “You have to cooperate!”. “We have to see it,” the king says, still with a calm tone. “No! I’m not pulling any sleeves before you tell us what’s going on!” Lara responds. “We’re going to tell you, but you have to show us first,” the queen replies. “No! Our end of the deal first,” Lara says with determination in her voice. It was obvious to everyone in the room that she was serious and that there was only one way to get what they wanted.

The room exchanges a few glances. On the luxurious couch, the girls were seated, everyone else standing, with the king in particular standing right in front of them. He takes a deep breath and says, "Get ready to hear the story of this world.”

“Many eons ago, on a blessed day, a meteorite fell upon this world from the sky above. Fast and bright with its light, it looked as if a star was falling from the sky. And as it’s making its way down, it spills, shining with light so bright it could burn. From within its core, two stars shoot, each in the opposite direction, and rain covers the entire world. The cries of the stars were something unmatched; they blessed the land and its people with magic. What was once beyond the realm of capabilities for mankind has become possible, and as the falling stars were discovered and its enchanting and powerful magic became clear to the people, it gave them abilities beyond the imaginable. Kingdoms rose, and the lands flourished. It was the start of a new era!.

And there were three kingdoms in the new era. The crescent kingdom, people of the moon gem. They are powerful and tough. They had abilities to control and summon unbreakable black rocks out of the ground, which they harnessed to build and fight. Their buildings stood high and mighty; they were like no other, beautiful and magnificent yet sturdy and solid. They reached the stars and beyond. Every battle that occurred in the time of the kingdom was glorious. Their armies were fighting with a stone-cold heart; they were resilient and tough, and with unbreakable weapons in hand, their soldiers had the strength to stop the force of a falling star.

On the other side of the land stood the kingdom of dawn, the people of the sun gem. gracious and merciful they were; they had the ability to manipulate the rays of sunshine to their will. Giving them the capability to heal even the worst of injuries, expanding their life span. Gardening and farming were their specialties, and with a touch of magic, Dawn became the most fruitful kingdom of all. They give to those who don’t have. Spreading what they can of the light that has been given to them.

Slowly,weakened.ThefundThe last iunusual;r ,was the most unusual ,it hathe rest,n differences from rest ,moshead oftably at the head the kinZera, whichof zera, ruled a fairyZera . They were the people of the rain , and the only kingdom where humans and faes lived in harmony. Slowly the magic of the kingdom began to fade as the effect of the rain weakens , the kingdom finds itself in a crisis as a fairy's pump with magic. In the midst of something that seemed beyond their capabilities, Zera looks deep down and realizes the answer has been under them all along. The effect of the rain may start to fade from their hands, but not from their lands. She digs down to the most raw of her abilities and extracts pure magic out of the soil. Her discovery was revolutionary; it didn’t just save her kingdom; it gave humans the ability to sway the elements of the earth. But it opened many more doors, and out of them sprouted two more kingdoms.

The kingdom of Aurora, the people of the Phoenix, were taught and protected by it. Their precision and flow in fighting were extraordinary. Fast and airy, just like a dance, yet precise and deadly—the teachings of the phoenix.

And inFatahAnd the kingdom of fatan , its people were specially clever. Incorporating magic into all they could—their homes, shops, even their food. Which had its positive and negative repercussions. But the world was always moving and changing in their hands.

And there stood five kingdoms in the new era, bringing out what they could in this world and moving it forward together. As time went by, the world flourished and thrived, yet with every passing day, it became more dependent on magic than the previous. To some, that evolution was innovation. But to others, it only made the clock of doom tic faster, maybe to all.

A new kind started appearing, or maybe they weren’t new at all; people were unable to control magic whatsoever; in fact, just interacting with it would send their bodies into shock. The non-children of magic. Life as they knew it was a nightmare. Everything was off limits for them; there wasn’t a job they could hold down without magic, but what could they do? Their entire world was practically built against them. So in an effort to improve their lives, they did the only thing in their power. They went out and protested on the streets. They demanded change and to be rightfully accommodated for what’s not in their control. But their efforts seemed to be always lost in vain, as the changes they chanted for seemed unfathomable to this world. But giving up wasn’t an option; slowly, the protests turned into worldwide riots. The peace of the land has been disturbed. But they weren’t going to stop; there was nothing left for them if they stopped.

Then, in one dark, eventful night, An altercation occurs between a non-child and one of the crescent people. The mind wasn’t in the head, as fear held all the strings that night. And with a wave of the hand, rocks are summoned from the ground. Where a usual reaction would be just a step back away from the rocks, the guy stays completely silent, not allowing a breath to be heard. As the dust in the air unravels, it reveals the guy has turned into a stone. Falling right in front of the other guy's face, shattering into a million pieces on the ground.

The news of the incident spread quickly, and so did the fury between people. After that night, the riots became more destructive than ever; entire cities became trenches, and the fire on the streets rose, just like the fire in their aching hearts. The people were outraged, and a war was on the line. And no matter how many speeches they give or how big their troops get, they all knew a war against magic was going to be the end of them. On the day, one of the elderly leaders holds out the troops, saying that there may still be one civil solution. On the battlefield, where the opposing side stood steady, only an elderly woman appeared and requested a meeting with all the heads of the kingdoms. Trying to opt for anything but a war, they agree.

In a meeting of fate, the elderly women. And before the very eyes of staggering heads, she pleads her case. Life was impossible for people like her here. Just the presence of a magic user was enough to make their bones throb. And no matter what small changes they may make, the core of the world will stand the same, and the people will always feel imprisoned in it. So she suggests an ultimate solution. A new world. One where they’d be free of the shackles of magic. That sounded insane to some; others saw it as unfeasible. Then she states that with the power of the three, the moon gem, the sun gem, and the blessed rain, It would be possible to create a cleave in the fabric of reality and open up a new realm. Many argued that it was impossible, but the magic was all about achieving what’s thought to be beyond the realm of capabilities. In fear of a massacre and with no other choice in sight, their ruling was set. A new realm is to be opened.

And truly, with the power of the three, a new realm was opened. The people raced and celebrated all the way to it; it was truly something marvelous. As it has come time to close it, the elderly woman stands in front of it, the last of her kind not to enter. She turns to the leaders and warns, This world is so strong yet so fragile; take care of it, as it will only take a gust of wind for it to fall. And with those last words out, she enters, the cleave closing behind her. For the world to never see their kind again. But never were their last words forgotten.

Now that we are in the new era, the world as we know it has split into two. where some thought that the world would rise into the light at this time, but just as they were warned, the world fell into greed. Wars, battles, and many deaths all in the name of becoming the strongest, the one with the most. And as they fought, the magic began to wither from underneath their feet. People began to lose their abilities; the life that was pumped with magic began to weaken until they were all gone.

And now stood the five kingdoms, all ruled by humans. Fairies cease to exist, people have lost all their power, and the last pieces left of pure magic were the two strongest artifacts, the sun and moon gems. To avoid further distraction and loss, their respective kingdoms lock their artifacts away in the highest, most secluded rooms in their castles, never to be seen or used again. But greed always has a way to make it back into people’s hearts; no matter how much they gain or lose, it'll never be enough. Zera went into war with the Crescent Kingdom for the gem. Saying that they’re wasting their gift and that it would be in actual use in Zero’s hands. The crescent, in retaliation, fought with all their might to protect what belonged to them. Against all their wishes, a fight occurs in the room of the gem, disturbing it. The unstable gem shot into the air, leaving a trail of stones reaching till Dawn. The sun gem flies off in the air in the direction of her sister. As if the trail was called.

The gems collide beautifully in the air, with light so bright it could burn before flying into the air, just as magnificent as when it first came. Now the world is only left with the remanence of magic to remind it of what it was once.”.

whichAndThe king ends tebyory, and stealin my job, with his eyes closed. As he goes them,pen them expecting an amazed look on the girls faces, he’s mwhat canith wonly can be described as a shocked yet disturbon look of their Yous. “ you should writ,coLaura.” ,Lara says as she nods her head slowly.Oryan: “oranga!” , she chimes, Lara continuing a.erYeah yeahhhh, you seem to have a lot of imagination fthat.hat” She gets up and walks away from the couch , that feels like they have been sitting on it for centuries. “ and you know that’s what they like—a rib and a creative mind,” she says to him. "Hah, would you look atthe fact that the child doesn’t believe me?” the king responds. “Yeah, sorry, it doesn’t; in fact, none of them do. You can reveal the hidden cameras now!, we’re done!, it’s a very nice set, I applaud you”, she says with confidence in her voice as she looks around the room, waiting for it to all be revealed—a TV prank or anything else that would make the slightest bit of sense—but nothing happens.

The dad approaches them, holding Lara by her shoulders. “I know this is hard to grasp, but it’s the truth.” Disbelief still wears on her face. She shakes her head slowly in refusal and pushes the dad's hands off her shoulders. “Enough of this!” The king shouts as he takes the now-glimmering shard out of the dad's hand. “If you want them to believe you, you have to show them!” He shouts before unleashing huge stones from the ground all around the room. Many screams can be heard from all around the room. A loud laugh leaves the king’s mouth, filling the room as he stops his little display. Turning around to see the irritated look on the queen's face. “Oh, don’t sweat it, just send the bill," he says, brushing off the anger of the queen. Then, turning around to the girls, “Well, what are your thoughts now, kid?" He stops to see Lara has fallen down, hands on her face, looking at the ground, and she says, "Omg, are you telling me, we’ve been Isekai-ed!!” She shoots as she gets up with her hands on her head. “Ahhhhhhhh!!” Lyan yells and starts to run back and forth. Maya’s eyes widen. She puts her hand on her mouth, unable to move, stunned in the place she was. The only thing she could muster was to raise her fist and punch Vernon's shoulder, who was standing right beside her.

Lara began to walk back and forth, messing with her hair as she mumbled to herself, "What does this mean for us? Do we have to go through a hero’s journey? God, I can’t handle a hero’s journey.” "Uh girl?” says the king, trying to break the mumbling. “Do we at least get the harem? Say we get the harem!” She shouts at the king, but before even giving him the chance to answer, she continues, “Actually, I don’t want it; if it starts with him,” she points at Vernon, “then I don’t want it!”. “What’s a harem?” Vernon asks Maya, "You don’t want to know,” to which she responds, still aimlessly staring into the ground.

"In every isekai, there’s a way out, so there must be a way for us to get out, right?” she asks the king in a desperate manner. “Well, in the past, there was a device, but no, that’s not possible anymore. Ah, will the tales state that it took the power of the three to open the realm? Maybe if we’re able to get the same power back, it’ll be possible to open an entrance back!” The king responds and starts to examine the stones. “But that’s impossible; the magic is gone. Even if a little shard somehow regained power, that doesn’t mean that the magic is back." The queen says that, making her way to the king, he gets closer and directs her attention towards the rocks. “Look at the direction the rocks are pointing; they’re all aiming the same way. The gems always yearn for each other; if the moon gem is leading somewhere, it is to the sun gem.". “You can’t be sure!” The queen responds, "Can’t you see? The age of magic is back!” The king shouts.

Their conversation is interrupted by a guard that comes bolting through the halls and says, "Your Majesty!" The guard calls out, sounds of footsteps following. And before the guard could even take his breath, a horde of people came bursting into the room, screaming and crying and yelling all over each other. Their attire is similar to that of the girls. The guards tried to stand in their way, but they were no match for this many people. The people made their way through them, breaking their weapons like small twigs off a tree.

The dad hides Vernon behind his back. Lara steps in front of her sisters, covering them with her arms. The king steps to the people and says, "Please, nice folks, control yourselves!” He orders them. “Where are we?! How did you get us here?!” A panicked man steps in front of the king's face and demands answers. With a smile on his face, the king answers, “Oh, will you good sir? You are in the kingdom of dawn, and you most likely were summoned here by some sort of magic.” He’s cut off by the man gripping him from his shirt, violently pulling him closer, "What kind bullshi?" . The king pulls a sword, slashing the man’s arm and causing him to fall to his knees. “You show respect when talking to your higher-ups,” the king says with sharp eyes as he towers over the man. Panic ensues among the crowd. “Guards escort them out of the room, but keep them in the castle,” the queen commands. Running over to King Frederic, standing in the way between him and the man, refusing to let any more of this altercation go on. Head blurry, but heart burning with anger, the man jumps to attack whoever is in front of him. Before he could lay a single finger on the queen, Vernon dashes in between them, shooting him in the face with unknown powder. The man falls straight to the ground, not moving a single muscle.

The queen from behind holds Vernon’s hand and roughly pulls something out of it. She approaches the man, kneeling down and getting closer to his head. “Don’t hurt him!” Lara yells out. “I’m not,” the queen replies as she reaches to check his pulse, her facial expressions relax, she stands back up, and the guards carry the man out. The queen turns to Vernon’s dad and stretches out her arm to give him a small, glass test tube. “I have entrusted you with this; don’t make me regret my choices. ”With a stern and irritated tone, the dad reaches his arm and takes the tube. “Yes, my apologies, your majesty," he responds as he bows down.

The king, putting his sword back, states, “What savages?” with disgust in his voice. Irritated looks fall on the girls faces. Not taking the king’s comment too well, Lara says with fury in her voice, “Well, you weren’t no merciful saint either; you slashed a man's arm open!” looking at her from the side of his eye with a sharp look, "When the people step out of line, they must be put back.” He responds, “You say crap like that, then have the nerve to call THEM savages!” She yells back. He waves his sword out at her face, raising the tone of his voice. "The arrogant ones who stand in front of their superiors and forget themselves only end up with their tongues off." . Threatened by what he said, she holds back for a second before trying to talk back, but before she can get a word out, she feels a hand on her shoulder; it was Maya’s. She turns her head to see a look on Maya’s face that urges her to stand down, and as such, she does.

“ Frederic!” The queen calls out, and as he turns in her direction, she sees the commander of the guard standing near her. With a worried look on his face, it's obvious that his mouth holds bad news. The king makes his way to them. “Cyrus,” he greets the commander. “Your highness," the commander bows in greeting back. “My deepest apologies for interrupting, but this is critical. Many unknown people have started to appear in huge numbers around the outskirts of the town. No matter what or who we asked, they all seemed to be lost, with no recollection of how they made it here.”.

Their expressions tighten. "It looks like the situation is a lot more critical than we thought,” the queen says with worry in her voice. "Well, then you must excuse me; I’ve got to get back; if they start to appear here, I doubt they won’t everywhere else; after all, ‘the non-children’ were people from all over the land,” the king says as he starts to make his way to the door. "If that’s only reasonable with the circumstances at hand, then we’ll just have to reschedule. It was an honor. I hope to see you again, King Frederic,” the queen responds as she goes to check the documents in the commander’s hands. “Farewell then,” the king replies, making his way out of the room, but before completely leaving, he stops. With his back turned to them, he says in a somber manner, "Trouble will ensue if not controlled. With all due respect, I must say the ‘dawn way’ may not be the most effective course of action moving forward." . The girls turn their heads toward the queen with a distressed look on their faces. They didn’t know what the ‘dawn way’ was, but they knew if it came out of his mouth, it couldn’t have been good.

All eyes on her, all awaiting her response, the queen says, “I appreciate your concern for my people, but ‘the dawn way’ must be honored no matter who the kingdom deals with!. Now a carriage will be waiting for you at the gates,” with a fierce yet clam tone, shutting the king down. With no more than a breath leaving his mouth, the king takes a step out and off on his way.

Not having a second to waste. “Alright, everyone, we must move!” the queen says as she starts to dole out everyone a part. “Cyrus, I need troops all around the town to control and bring in the people; we can’t leave them out like that, and you may bring in the s.s. if you deem necessary." “The strongest soldiers too, got it!” The commander responds, then continues before rushing out the door. “And honey, take care,” he says in a delicate tone of voice. She responds, “You too,” in the same serious manner. Loud sounds start emerging from outside as the queen starts making her way to the balcony. She yells out, “Cor, Vernon, I need you down with the generators this instant." "Ye, “ yes your majesty," they respond, leaving in a hurry right after.

The noises from outside begin to get louder and louder by the second. The girls began to worry, knowing that it couldn’t be any good. They leave in the direction of the queen, who has already made it to the balcony. To see a gut-renching site, people just like them were crying, begging others on the street for an answer or an explanation, and some others started to get violent, starting fights, and resisting the orders of the guards with their fists. Those who hid in the corners frightened, the kids sobbing, howling for their parents on the streets, and the people who began to swarm around the castle, trying to break in, chanting for an explanation. All of them had only one thing in common: they were all lost.

But it was a riot—one that couldn’t continue on. At the sight of the dire situation, the queen shuts the doors of the balcony, but the cries of the people can still be heard even so. The queen starts to walk back into the room, making her way to a storage cabinet. The girls are afraid of what a site like that can make her decide to do to the people. Lara goes with a shaken voice, “Hey listen, I know they’re acting a bit crazy down there, but I promise you they’re just scared!”. The queen, leaning on the captain, eyes locked on the documents she had put on top of them, doesn’t answer.

The silence only frightened the girls more. Lyan yells out with tears in her eyes, “You can’t hurt them, Ruby!" The queen slams her hand on the roof of the cabinet, cutting Lyan off. The girls remain silent, waiting for the queen to say a word,, then she goes, “I’m not going—I can't." . She raises her head from the papers, turning to the girls. “I need your help, girls,” she says as she makes her way to them. Shock fills the girls, but their entire attention remains with the queen as she asks, “What can I tell these people that would clam them down and they’d believe?” ” Lara mutters with confusion as the question seems weird to her. The queen further explains, “These people want an explanation; they want something to make sense of this bazaar situation for them. The truth would be completely nonsensical in their eyes, just as it was to you," her words start to put things more in perspective for the girls. “Right,” Lyan says in a low voice. "So, what can I tell them?” The queen reiterates. I was hoping that the girls could come up with something—something that would deflate this entire situation.

Maya looks up, and the queen immediately shifts her full attention to her, anticipating the solution. “Nothing!"” Maya yells out, and the queen’s face immediately falls. “There's nothing you can tell them that they’d believe!” As Maya says that the same realization hits her sisters, Lara goes, “She’s right! There is no lie we can tell they’d believe. The only thing we can do is show them the truth,” she says as she turns her head to the shard, now illuminating a faint blue light.

The queen stares at Shard with a grim look, as if she wishes there was another way but the options at hand were clear. She turns her head to the girls and says, “Will it at least clam them down?" . “It will shock them,” Lara responds. “Give me strength,” the queen mumbles under her breath before she starts pushing the girls out of the room. “Now I need you out,” she says as she continues pushing. Before the girls could get a word out, she continued, “I’ll send you a maid to lead you to your new rooms; just don’t go outside!”. *Thud* The queen shuts the doors. The girls are now standing in front of the gold knobs again. They don’t move a single muscle; they just stand and stare at their reflection, the only thing in their eyes that has remained the same after entering that room. Their entire world view is shaken, maybe even broken; everything they have known is the opposite, and the entire world felt so surreal. Before they could even get half of their heads straight, the ground started shaking and trembling. Lyan falls to the ground; her sister runs to help her, and just as she gets up, the shaking stops. “An earthquake this strong lasting only a couple seconds like that, it’s weird," they thought to themselves. But no matter how strenuous they thought it was, they knew they couldn’t stay here. With a tight grip on each other's hands, they start to run through the halls, unsure of where they’re even headed, just letting their steps lead the way.

The state of the town becomes worse with each passing second. The people became harder to control, no matter who they brought out. Streets are blocked, and shops have closed. The injured guards or people are forced to lie to the side as they are unable to reach the castle for medical attention. There is only one thing that could fix this mess, or perhaps destroy it.

There stood the queen, facing the doors of the castle’s main balcony. One that rained over the entire town. Her advisers are behind her. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, are you sure about this? "You, most of all, are well aware of the dangers this exposes Dawn to,” one of the advisers says. “The miracle has fallen upon us; it is our duty to announce it,” the queen responds, determination and certainty clear in her voice. “As you see fit, your majesty, he bows down, “your majesty!” The rest of the advisers follow suit. The queen pulls the hood of her cloak up, opens the doors of the balcony, and takes a step out. The voices of the crowd rise; they yell and shoot varying phrases in many tongues, but the sentiment remains the same.

“You asked for answers, and I shall deliver them to you!” The queen yells out to the crowd, getting their full attention. “You are no longer in the departed realm; you are in enchanted lands!”. The voices of the crowds ascend in anger and frustration. Now everything seemed to them like a little unfunny children's prank. The anger that came upon them at the moment was enough for the people to be able to breakdown the gates of the castle.

As they start flooding through. The guards and soldiers start to move to protect the castle. The queen holds out her hand, ushering for them not to move. They stand down as they’re told. The queen then extends her right arm forward, putting her hand in the left arm. “Allow me to demonstrate." A blue light starts orbiting around her arm, moving forward till it reaches the very tip of her hand, then she rises her arm up, summing enormous black, sharp rocks out of the ground; they extend as far as the tip of the castle and act as its shields. The girls stop in front of a window, dumbfounded at the sight of the towers that just appeared before their eyes.

The people began to run sporadically, frightened by what they had just witnessed. The queen continues. The rocks then began to appear from behind them, just as tall, and the people had no place to run. The towers slant and curve, meeting at one point, creating a sort of dome around the people. The queen then backs her arm, and it takes a breath before moving it back forward and up. Creating the highest tower of them all in the center, shattering the meeting point, and causing the rest of the towers to fall to the back. But before the rocks could hit the ground, they started to sink back into it. The queen puts her arm down and ushers for the soldiers to move. Now in a state of shock, the people don’t resist. “As the eyes of the world stand before me, I deliver; the era of magic is back!” The queen yells out her final message. Turning back, the rope of her cloak flying behind her, she makes her way into the castle.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

Stunt in place, the girls were. A maid taps on their shoulders, snapping them back into the present. Leading them to their room at the request of the queen. I am now standing in a humble room on the second floor. with three beds inside. The girls began to walk around, taking in the room. “Wow, look at the..uhh..nice wooden frames,” Lara says as she slides her hand against the frame of the bed. "Yeah, shiny,” , Lyan responds with a somber tone of voice, without even looking up at her sister’s face. Her eyes were just aimlessly hovering over the ground. Lara, noticing her sister’s sadness, goes to sit down on one of the beds, tugging down on the mattress with her hand. “These mattresses are pretty bouncy," she says, jumping with her back on the mattress, bouncing up and’ down. Lyan turns her head at the sound of the mattress. “Come, you should try this!” Lara calls out for her. Lyan, intrigued, makes her way to the bed. Tugging down as well, “yeah!” she said before jumping on the bed, bouncing along with her sister.

Joyful laughter escapes their mouths. “Come on, Maya, you’re missing out,” Lara calls out. In a cheerful manner. “Stop," Maya responds, irritation in her voice. “What?” Lara says, in confusion at her sister’s response. “Stop! Stop acting like this is some sort of trip! We’re in a different realm with no idea how to get back; we’re lost!” Maya cries out, crouching down on the ground and covering her face with the palms of both her hands. “Whoa, hey-hey, I was just trying to cheer you guys up,” Lara says, walking away from the bed and towards Maya. “What is there to be cheerful about?” Maya says in a grim tone.

Panic and sadness have truly started to hit her. obvious to her sisters, Lyan moves next to her, leaning her head on her shoulder, her arms holding her in an embrace. Lara kneels down to face her. With a sincere and warm tone, she goes, "It all feels hopeless, doesn’t it? It’s not! We might be in different realms on our own, but there is a way back!. What the broadway jerk said, with the power of the...”. “He said with the power of the three!” Maya raises her head as she says, "Are you trying to be gross on purpose?”. Lara, with a smirk on her face, answers, “Will it’s the only way to get you to raise your head up?" Maya pushes her shoulder gently. Lara chuckles, then takes Maya's hand, pulling her up. “But what matters is that there is a way back. And after the events of today, I’m sure they’ll want nothing more than us back,” Lara says. “ yeah!” Lyan yells in support, raising her fist in the air.

They all chuckled. A smile finally covered Maya’s face. But the moment doesn’t last long, as the sound of footsteps comes hurtling in from the floor below. “That must be the guards bringing the people in,” Lyan says in excitement. “Let’s go and meet them; maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll find someone we know!” Lara says this before pulling her sisters and bolting out of the room.

Following the sounds of the steps, they’re led to a room with many maids inside, offering help to the people, and guards standing outside of it, shielding the room. The girls make their way in to find most of the people sitting with distressed looks on their faces. But nonetheless, the girls go up to each other. They start looking around the room for anyone even slightly familiar; they question the people as well, hoping that someone may recall how they’ve ended up here. Much to their disappointment, there was nothing of use in there.

The girls leave the room with nothing more than a letdown. As they stand outside with tight expectations on their faces, they notice a cloaked face lurking around the entrance of the room. Lara, leaning closer to them, says, “Hello?"” . The person turns around in an instant,, revealing themselves to be "ruby!”. “ shhhhh!” The queen whispers, putting her index finger in front of her mouth. Maya and Lyan go up to Lara to see what’s going on as they hear her call out, “Ruby!” They both shouted out. "Why do they keep calling me Ruby?" She mumbles underneath her breath. “What are you doing here?” Lyan asks her. “Oh nothing, I just came to see how they’re holding up,” the queen responds, turning her face towards the people. “Have you spoken to them by any chance?” She asks.

"Yes,,actually,s actually” the"Really? Didlly!?, did you perhaps learn anything from tem?” . Lyan gives her thumbs down as she says “whomp, whomp." “Sigh, well, much more will be coming in; maybe they’ll know something. And also, the spring meeting has been rescheduled a week from now; in that time, I’ll need you to talk to these people and collect any information that could be of use,” the queen requests of the girls. The girls exchange brief glances before Lyan steps out and asks, “Why us?”. “Well, they’re your people; they will be more comfortable talking to you than to any of us. And you are the only ones from them who are even remotely compliant with us. Now can I rely on you?” She stares straight into their eyes as she asks that.

They glanced at each other one more time before they all nodded in acceptance. “Good," before the queen could complete her words, she fell to the ground as the floor started to shake and tremble again. It stops only a few seconds later, imitating exactly the last one. “My stars! What’s happening with them down there?!” The queen says before she orders one of the guards to go and check out on the situation. Lara, intrigued to find the cause of the mysterious earthquakes, whispers to her sisters, “Let’s follow the guard." Then, just as the guard was far enough away, she pulled her sister, running in his exact direction.

Trying to follow him carefully so as not to get caught, the girls slow down, hiding behind walls and watching his every move. He turns around, they pin themselves to a wall, then look back out; just like that, he was gone in the blink of an eye. They run out to the halls. “Damn it! We lost him!” Lara shouts out. Maya: “*sigh*, too bad, another mystery unsolved." Lara: "Nah, it doesn’t matter; I just didn’t want to go back to the room,” she responds, looking down and kicking her feet in the air.

“Girls!” a sound from the distance calls out. They turn to face the direction of the sound. Maya: “Oh, Vernon," Lara: "It looks like we’re not going after all,” and Lyan: “Hiiiiiii!" She yells out to him, waving her hand in the air. Vernon makes his way to them in a hurry, one of his hands behind his back. "*panting* Hello, *panting* Excuse me, I was looking all over for you girls." "Really? Why?” Lara asks. “To give you this," Vernon extends the arm behind his back forward to reveal a basket. The girls lean back in a bit of surprise before leaning back in to see what the basket holds. “Oh!, a food basket?” Lara says as she takes the basket out of his hand. It seemed to contain two pieces of meat wrapped in paper, eggs, milk, cheese, many more dairy and grain products, and a bottle that contained a strange green liquid inside of it.

"Yeah! My dad put it together for you; he was worried you wouldn’t have enough food. Even though I told him they’d probably give you food, I mean they won’t starve you, right? -right?. Well anyways, he persevered, and oh!, all the food is from the castle’s kitchen, so it’s all top-notch.” As he was talking, the girls began to examine the contents of the basket, passing it over to each other and exchanging glances. glancing at each other one more time before turning and responding, Lara said, “Ahhh, how do I say this nicely?”. Maya: “We’re not accepting your gift; we have no where to store it, and it will go bad with us." . Lara: “Exactly!”. A confused expression wears Vernon’s face as he says, “What?!”. “I’m sorry, Vernon. It’s a very thoughtful gift, but it’s true it will be a waste in our hands. We have no way to cook it and definitely no fridge to store it,” says Lara, handing the basket back to him.

Not wanting to see the disappointment on his dad’s face if he comes back with the basket, he says, “I can store it for you in my lab here, if you want." . “Shut up!” Lara responds in a stern manner. Vernon: “No!”. Lara: “You do not have a lab here too." Vernon “ indeed, I do” . Lyan: “no way!”. Lara: “Why?!”. A grin falls on his face before he answers, Well,"I wasn’t going to mention it, but since you’ve asked, it’s because I, Vernon, am the royal scientist-engineer!” He says in a very confident tone that just to hear *giggling*, the girls have begun to giggle and chuckle among themselves.

Vernon turns to them with a confused yet offended look on his face. “What’s so funny?” He asks with irritation in his voice. Lara takes a breath, stopping her laughter, and responds, “Sorry, you are the ‘royal scientist-engineer’?” She says she's looking him up and’ down. “Yes!” He responds with the same irritation. The chuckling continues. “What about it?! You don’t believe me?”. Lara: “It’s not that." Maya: "Y.” She says she’s cutting her sister off. “Unbelievable,” he responds, crossing his arms. Lara raises her arms, moving them up and down, ushering in for her sisters to calm the laughter. “Hey, come on, maybe he is really ‘the royal scientist-engineer’, I mean, we don’t really know the child labor laws here. But there is no way there is another lab here; I mean, it’s an office at best." Vernon raises his arm, grabs hers, and starts dragging her through the halls.

I am now standing in front of a big metal door. Vernon opens it with one hand while pulling Lara in with the other. “Would you stop with the pulling, god?” She’s taken away from her words by the sight of the huge lab before her, filled with all kinds of equipment and different machinery.

“ Woah!!” Lyan shouts out before running inside. Maya walks behind her, turning her head left and right, taking in the lab “neat.”. Vernon throws Lara’s arm out of his hand. He says in a condescending manner, “Is it a lab or not?" . Lara, fixing her stand and raising her head, responds, “Well, it’s definitely a bit more than an office." . She starts making her way in. Vernon shuts the door and follows her in.

Sitting down at his desk, Lara jumps up, sitting on top of the desk. She looks around, observing it, and says, You like your space like that, don’t you?” Lara says in a sarcastic tone, looking over at Vernon. “It’s not that I like it; it’s just that when you put your head on one thing, it becomes hard to pull it out of focus on the other,” he responds. A slight laugh escapes both Lara and Maya’s mouths. He glances at both of them and says, "**sigh* What now?” He asks in an annoyed tone. “Oh, it’s nothing; our dad is a professor; he says stuff like that all the time,” she responds, smiling a genuine smile and staring into space. “Man, dad would have loved this place!” Maya says it with warmth in her voice. "Right! He would be taking notes and pictures of everything, then he’ll come home and show all of it to Mama." “Then, ehhhh,” Lara yells out as she stands on the desk, her arms clutched close to her chest, one leg up, and all heads turned to her. “Pam! There is a rat in one of the photos!”. They all laughed, filling the room with joy. Lara sits back down and leans towards Vernon. “I hope you don’t mind me standing on your desk,” she says. “Don’t worry, I’ll just burn the whole thing,” he responds playfully. She squints her eyes at him with a look of vengeance, then chuckles.

“Oh right, this whole talk reminded me.” Vernon gets up and reaches for the basket, grabbing the mysterious bottle. "Here,” he says, giving it to Lara. “My dad said to rub it on your arm. It will help with the side effects of the magic." . She follows what he says, and suddenly enough, the cracks start to fade, the colors become dull and faded, the skin turns back into its natural color, and most of the cracks are well concealed. “Well, thank him a bunch for me, alright,” Lara says. Vernon nods with a smile on his face. “Where is he anyway?" Maya asks. “He had to go back; he couldn’t leave the village for too long." . “Yeah, it would probably break their hearts if he did,” Maya replies with sarcasm in her voice. As Lara places the bottle on the desk, she notices a notebook. “What is this?” She says this as she reaches her hand out. “It's just a notebook with formulas,” Vernon responds. “Then what is this?” Lyan asks as she goes to press down on a button that was on one of the many pipes in the room. “Don’t touch that." "mtlmsyhwsh," both Lara and Vernon yell out at the same time.

Lyan backs slowly. “You’re the oldest, right?” Vernon asks Lara. Lara: “Yes, how did you know?”. Vernon: “You know, I just figured with all the bossing around," Lara: “It’s bossing for their sake," Maya: “Sureee," Lara: “It is, and you know it!”.

Vernon: “And Maya is the middle one; Lyan is the youngest, right?” Maya: “Precisely." Lara: “But that’s just obvious,” she says as she continues to flip through the pages of the notebook, her face growing with more confusion on every page. “Hey Vernon, can I ask you something?” Lyan says, continuing to move around the room. “Sure,” he responds. “Where do all these pipes lead?” She asks, looking up at the pipes that extend all along the walls and the ceiling. “to the generators," all their heads turn to him immediately. “The generators!” As Lara says, the ground starts shaking again, even more violently than the last time.

Vernon gets up and runs to a side door in the lab. He opens it to reveal an enormous room filled with even bigger water generators, all in unstable condition. The girls go after him, but they are stopped at the doorway as he yells, “Don’t, don’t come in here!”. At that moment, a guard comes bursting through the metal door and says, "Sir, you’re not allowed to be here!” He shouts. “We’re with him,” Laura points to Vernon, who’s in the next room over, trying to explain to the guard, but no matter what, the guard continues just as aggressively, "You must leave this instant! Your refusal to cooperate is punished by law!” He shouts again, and without giving the girls a chance to react, he grabs Lyan by her hair, pushing her forward.

Instantly screaming and yelling ensue, Maya and Lara jump immediately to their sisters aid. Trying to get her out of the guard's grasp, Maya elbows him in the stomach, causing him to let go. Lara quickly snatches Lyan. The guard falls to the ground, taking down with him a table filled with glassware and lab equipment, creating a thunderous thud that echos far throughout the halls of the castle. Vernon, in a hurry, comes out of the room to see what caused such loud rackets. Rising his goggles off his eyes, he’s unable to comprehend exactly what went down, so he goes to ask, "What happened?”. “What is the meaning of this?!” a voice shouts at the top of their lungs. It was an advisor standing in front of the doorway of the lab, fuming with rage.

He starts to make his way in. “The ground is shaking, people are terrified, and you're out here doing what?!” He shouts in Vernon’s face. “I was just-” Vernon was cut off before he could explain himself. “Don’t!, I don’t want to hear it. Are the rest of the help inside?” The adviser asks. Vernon nods. “Then go in with them!” He yells again. V: “It’s just-”. "Just what?!” He says this as he hears the guard groaning and sees the girls standing in front of him. His eyes widen in anger. He pulls the guard off the ground and shakes him, yelling, “What the hell is the reason for the state you’re in?”. “ them!” The guard points to the girls and continues, “They’re not allowed to be here. I ordered them to get out, but they refused, then they attacked me." . “You didn’t give us a chance!”. “And you attacked first!” The girls yell out. The adviser throws the guard to the ground and turns to the girls, “Why are you here in the first place?! All other-worlders must remain in their assigned rooms until further notice!” He yells out, not giving an opening for the girls to respond. And it seemed like he didn’t intend to. “They’re with me!” Vernon screams. As the adviser hears that, he ushers to the guard, “Hold them down.”.

The guard immediately pins Lara to the ground, holding off her sisters as they try to release her. “No!, they really are with me,” Vernon says as he tries to make his way to the girls, but the adviser blocks his way, and in rage, he goes, “You moron!, have you learned nothing? What happens when you bring innumerable people here? Or are you determined to burn this place down?”. “They came here with me, and they are not innuminate; they have just met with the queen herself!” Vernon shouts back at him. "You truly expect me to believe they have met the queen." . "Yes!, and they can even testify for it themselves,” they turn to the girls. “Let go,” the adviser says to the guard. He lets go. Her sisters kneeled down to help her. Lara is now on the ground; her breath quickens, her pulse increases, her eyes move frantically all across the board, and the sweat is falling down her face like rain. She raises her head off the ground, looks straight in the direction of Vernon and his adviser, and hardly but surely says, “We’re leaving!”.

“What!” Vernon says, shock filling his body, “Tsk.” The adviser lets out a noise of pure judgment. In his eyes, another foolish decision has been made. She pulls her sisters and starts sprinting to exit. The ground begins to shake harder, and the pressure on the pipes starts to rise. so much so that they start to collapse, falling off the wall, the pressure of air inside them tossing them left and right. Vernon looks up just above the exit and says, “No!,, Lara, stop!” He cries out. but to no avail. The increasing pressure in the pipe starts to weigh it down, and until it falls right on the girl’s heads, they barely dodge it. The pressure of the air sends a piece of metal flying through the air. heading straight at them. Lara stands up, covering her sisters, as soon as she turns to face forward. The piece of metal flies directly into her face. Sending her backwards into the air. Then it’s all pitch black.

As the harsh chaos of the morning sets, comes the peaceful night breeze cleansing the air. To their rancor, the girls find themselves back in the dingy room. Lara is lying down on a soft mattress, dozing off into space. The echoing silence doesn’t go on for much longer, “Lara, are you okay?" Lyan asks. Bringing her sister back to earth. “I'm fine, don’t worry,” Lara says in an exhausted tone of voice. “ And the...""Maya chimes, asking. her finger hovering over her cheek. “Yes, that’s fine too, as long as it doesn’t leave a scar,” Lara responds, touching the now patched wound on her cheek. “Good, good,” Maya says. The room goes quiet again, only this time muffled crying sounds can be heard from under the floorboards. It was the floor below and the people below.

Not allowing the silence to go on for much longer, “Do you think Vernon is ok?” Maya says. “Vernon is fine,” Lara says, turning to her side, an annoyed expression on her face. The sounds got a bit louder. “Are you sure? That guy seemed pretty mean,” Lyan asks, tapping her hands on the mattress and increasing slightly in speed with every passing second. “Don’t worry about that guy. Didn’t the shaking stop? and no one got severely injured.” Lara says. “Yes..” Lyan expresses nervousness in her voice. "Will he then get nothing more than a slap on the wrist for bringing strangers into his lab?” Lara responds. The sounds got even louder. “But,” Lyan tries to say before being cut off by a wretched cry. No one dares to speak after, but the silence no longer consumes the room, as the cries of the people block out the tranquility, but these are not the only noises cluttering the room. the quick hand tapping, the cracking of the fingers, and the heavy stress-induced breathing. All there, the air felt dense, suffocating even. Lara looks over at her sisters, noticing their state. The annoyed look fades from her face as she lays flat on her back. She raises her arms and starts to move her hands back and forth. “Come here, you two,” she calls out for her sisters. They sit up on their beds and exchange a single glance before sprinting right to her and laying down next to her.

She wraps her arms around them. “Here-here, they’re going to be fine,” she whispers in a soft tone. The sound of the cries continues. Lyan: "Lara." . Lara: “Yes?”. Lyan: “I want mama,” her voice aching as she says that. Lara smiles a tender smile. “Oh no problem, I will get back soon, then you can have mama all for yourself,” she pinches Lyans cheek. She chuckles, lighting the atmosphere. The two girls begin to fall asleep, but before completely dozing off, Lyan says, “And when we go back, we’ll take everyone with us, so they won’t cry anymore, right?” She’s drifted off. “Yeah, when we go back.” Lara say’s. pain in her voice yet also determination. She puts a stern but brave look on her face and shuts her eyes.

The girls are woken up by a maid. She hands each one a tray of food. She informs the girls of when they should go down to start working on what’s needed for the meeting. The girls finish their food and head on down. To mark the start of a new week, a long one of the same tedious routine. The hope that it was all a dream only grows with each passing moment. Carrying the feeling of complete helplessness is torture that is carried within them each day in this world, one that couldn’t go on any longer. and finally, what this week has been leading up to—the deciding moment of their fate. The spring meeting.

A light head, blurry vision, and muted sounds all around. A call from a man can be heard from a distance, getting closer and closer. “ Lara!” A shattering scream comes, bringing everything back into view. Lara turns to her right in confusion. Lyan subtly points to the distance. She turns to see an adviser staring at them. With a condescending look on his face, he reiterates, “Would the honorary guests like to say something before the meeting begins?”. “Uhhh,n-no… Thank you,” Lara responds, her head still slightly dizzy. “Thank God,” the adviser mutters under his breath. He looks up and continues, “The honorary guests are the only ones gracing us with their presence at this meeting; unfortunately, King Frederic of the Crescent Kingdom couldn’t make it. on account of unforeseen events. The meeting will carry on without his presence, with the crescent kingdom taking their share as last year. That is all." “Thank you,” the queen replies. He bows, then sits back down.

“Now may we start the meeting with the reporters of our states?” As the queen finishes her request, many papers start to fly onto the circular, sleek grand table. Lara’s head starts to clear as the room starts to move. Her eyes wander, looking at the faces of the people around, spotting the familiar face of Vernon. They exchange a brief glimpse of each other before he looks down, avoiding staring back in their direction. Puzzled by Vernon’s reaction, her eyes stray away, stopping at his dad. He notices her staring and smiles a kind smile. She gives a slight smile in response. "Chairman Cor, are you positive that all your reports are present?” The queen asks as she checks his file, getting his attention back on the meeting. “Oh, my apologies, your majesty; here is the rest, just as great as last year,” he says. In a somewhat embarrassed tone. The queen takes the rest of the files.

As the entire room awaits a word from their queen, Maya notices one of the men on their right glaring at them from the side of his eye. She leans over to her sisters and whispers, “Hu dil alfari qaeid ya bihalq fiiinaa lih?”. bringing their attention to him, they gave him back the same glare. He turns forward and says, “Your Majesty, may I object?” He asks the queen. Confusion fills the room in an instant. A muddled expression falls on the queen’s face as she asks, “Object?” She asks in a skeptical manner. Precisely,""he replies. “What is there to object about? These are the usual procedures of every meeting,” the queen answers in a calm voice.

Infuriation growing on his face, he answers, “Indeed, that would be the case in the usual circumstances, but nothing about this is usual, is it?. Your Majesty, if we are meant to adjust to the sudden, huge change in the number of people these resources are to cover, then the statistics become completely useless!. The only thing they tell us is that we’re short on every conceivable end!. And those months of work went down the drain for a bunch of strangers." Chatter immediately arises, the room has been shaken, and the disorder grows. The queen only takes a single glance at the papers before she stands up. The sound of her chair creaking on the marble floor quiets the room in a split second, turning the attention back to her. The queen calmly sits back down and reaches for a first , second, and third file. Swiftly rearranging each one. The room silently watched. The queen then slides a new file to each of the members of the table. breaking the silence, she then goes, "Ignoring your awful tone of voice, I’m glad you have brought up that point, but I have an objection as well. The files are not useless; in fact, they are nothing short of useful. They will act as a base for us. What we have, what we need to have, and how to have it”. Enticing the curiosity of the members of the table. They began to glance at each other before one went, "How so?, your majesty.”.

Without even lifting her head, the queen answers, “The files are in front of you." . Each one of the members reaches for their perspective files and begins to browse through them. The queen continues, “They each have complete details of what’s needed, in how much time, and how." “An increase of over 200%?!, in the matter of two weeks?!, how would that even be possible!?, your majesty,” one of the ministers says in pure shock, cutting off the queen. In response, she raises her head, remaining in a calm, collected manner. She rejoinders, "The urgent refugee housing that was ordered isn’t mostly complete.”. “Yeah, five out of the ten intended buildings, but..." Q: “That’s making 50%; when the other five are finished, which will be in approximately a week, that would make a 100% increase." . Minister: “For sure, but the other-”. Q: “Inns and hotels all over the kingdom have been contacted to start taking in people by today; all rooms were paid for by us. The castle gates have and will remain open, taking all those in need in, and many, many awfully generous residences have opened up their homes to help the kingdom in this kind of time. All of this combined would make about a 100% increase. In fact, just as we speak, we have already reached a 150% increase." “I-I.” is the only thing the minister musters to say before falling back into her seat. “What else? Whoever has any more questions, speak now!” The Queen raises her voice as she speaks to the members.

M: “Well, about the food, your majesty, how do we plan on such a huge increase?" . Q: “The cattle that are ready will be processed immediately rather than waiting for the best market season; the kingdom of dawn is not looking to sell in the meantime; all the resources must be utilized by the kingdom. As for the crops, luckily we are in the time of the spring harvest, giving us a great start, but we must stop. Right after the harvesting of the current crops, newer ones must be planted immediately. The focus will be on the four main agricultural villages. There will be reinforcements coming from all over the kingdom to help. I trust you will be able to see over them, chief cor?”. Cor: “Of course.”.

Questions keep coming, and the queen answers each and every one of them in a swift and intelligent manner. M: “Well, what about the security of us, our nation, and the people?!”. Before the queen is able to answer, she’s beat by Cyrus, who takes the question, “All guards, soldiers, and any servicemen are working overtime to ensure the safety of everyone in the kingdom, and they are placed strategically all around to guarantee control all over. So there’s nothing to worry about in terms of security."Q: “Thank you, Cyrus. “My pleasure, your majesty,” he says, looking over at her with a warm smile on his face.

The room goes quiet at his answer, but not for long as whispers break it. turning the heads of the entire room toward them. “I think they’re married; there is a ring on her finger." “But not on his." “I think it under the glove," the girls stop as they notice the various dumbfounded eyes on them. “Am I at least right?” Lara asks the commander. He nods and answers in a delicate voice, “Yes, it’s under the glove." “Ah, well, you should probably wear it above; I mean, you don't want anyone to think you’re not married to the queen, right?” Says Lara. "Do you think so?” And as the conversation goes on for longer, the adviser rubs his eyes, muttering, “Unbelievable.”.

“May we get back to the point, please? I mean, what about the earthquakes? We have the first victim right here in front of our eyes!”. “I’m not a victim,” Lara says. “Will your face say otherwise?” responds the minister to her before facing back the queen and continuing, “In sight of these uncontrollable machines posing danger to civilians, I vote we shut them down!”. Chatter commences once again, with discussion of whether or not. And as the noise rises, Vernon’s face drops, filling with sorrow. “We don’t have to shut them down; there hasn’t been an earthquake in a week!” Cor yells out. “Tsk, obviously you would say that,” the minister responds in a patronizing manner. A frustrated look wears Cor’s face, but he does not stand; he does not move. He takes a deep breath and turns his head to the queen at the sound of her calling, “Order, order!”.

The room quiets down, waiting for the queen's judgment. “I will not deny that what these machines were causing was alarming at first, but the kingdom has greatly grown dependent on the hot running water these machines provide. Before we go any further, I’d like to hear the experts ' opinion.. As those words escape her mouth, the atmosphere shifts instantly. People didn’t turn their heads; they only stared from the side of their eyes as Vernon raised his head, his eyes still locked to the ground, and said, "These machines are nothing to be concerned about." What happened was a sudden overload. The generators were trying to keep up with the sudden high increase in demand, and that’s what caused it. But I fixed it! I can assure you, your majesty, that even if there were another increase, there would be no more earthquakes or... victims.”.

“Tsk” is the sound that followed up the moment he was done. "Will, that’s reassuring to hear. The machines will remain operating until further notice,” the queen says. Which is followed by a note of silence and a few displeased looks, but in the midst of the glum air. shines cor as he waves at Vernon with a big smile and two thumbs up.

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, may I point out a flaw in our plan forward?” one of the members speaks in a firm tone, one that completely matches the atmosphere. “You may,” the queen answered with the same calm attitude. “It’s impermanent, your majesty, in every possible corner. The housing, sure, and refugee buildings will stay up, and the gates of the castle may remain open. But for how long are people truly expected to keep strangers in their homes and inns before they start losing future business? We’re only so lucky for such events to occur during the spring harvest, giving us a good starting point, but if we are required to double the number of crops we get during the spring harvest, then we risk exhausting the soil and the people. And as for the cattle, Dawn can only go on for so long without selling. The same points apply to everything we’ve brought up except the'perfect’ machines, I guess”.

As he finishes his statement, the attitude of the queen shifts, resting her elbows on the table, her hands crossed in front of her face with a more thought-full look upon her face. “Let me be honest with you for a moment. I’m aware of this issue; in fact, I have run into it several times as I was arranging the plan. and I have narrowed our possible solutions to two. We either slowly integrate these people into the workforce or find a way back for them. And that’s where you come in—the ones who know the most about these people, their own kind. What do you think should be done?” She turns to face the girls, and so does the entire room.

Without a hint of hesitation, they answer, “We should get them back!”. Then, with the same unwavering manner, Lara continues, “These people have families and friends that they long for. Their own world, our world, would surely suffer without them, and they would too. It would be for the best to get them back home.”. “And how do you plan on doing that, child?” One of the ministers asks. The girls stand silent in front of his question, turning their eyes to the queen for aid.

The queen goes after “well, relying on a past remark of King Frederic’s, if we’re able to obtain the power of the three, then there is a chance for a portal to open between the worlds. a cleave, just like the stories state." A look of pure skepticism falls upon the members faces at the sound of such a suggestion.

"Your Majesty, you're apparently not proposing that the way to solve this crisis is to follow urban legends!”. One of the advisers cries out. immediately follows after him another rejoins, "Even if so, who could possibly have the time to chase after legends and lose chances when the entire kingdom is on duty?" An answer to that question lays heavy on the queen's tongue. but it does not linger on for long. “We!, we can go!” Lara yells out, what seemed to be an unthinkable idea. The eyes of the members began to glance at each other—not a word had been spoken before. “We can’t possibly let-”. “I like it”. “ what?!” The discourse begins to rise again between the members of the table.

"If they want to take the matter of getting back to their own world into their own hands, Then why should we stop them?. It’s not like any of us want to do it instead.". “I guess you’re right..." . Cyrus: “But with the limited knowledge they have about the world and the magic, it would be pointless to send them on their own." Q: “Someone must accompany them." As that point is made evidently clear, the discourse only got more heated, the noise levels only increased, and it became harder to think and focus, but in the midst of the chatter, a minuscule one in the eyes of its receiver catches Lara’s ear. “Maybe it could be one of us.”.

As she hears that her eyes suddenly light up as if revelation just dawned upon her, she turns to her sister in a rush and says, “I have an idea!, but we just have to shut them." Before she could even finish her thought, Maya took her chair and flung it across the room. Getting the complete attention of the table back to them. Lara follows, “Maybe Vernon can a company us." . Vernon turns in shock to face the girls. “He has finished all his work, right? And he’s surely as knowledgeable about this world as needed, right?”. Cor's face fills with excitement as she turns to the queen and goes, “Yes! Yes, he is; he’d perfect your maj." Before he could continue, he'd be cut off by the doubtful thoughts of the members.

"II don’t know about your majesty; wouldn’t be risky, looking at his previous re-." Cor cuts the minster off, slamming his hands on the table. “Your majesty, my son has shown nothing but loyalty and full obedience to the kingdom; he deserves to at least have the chance to accept or refuse this honor, seeing as he is the only one eligible for it!” He yells out, shaking the room to its core. The queen, in response, “Order!, order everyone!. *takes in a breath*. Chief Cor is right on this matter; there is no reason left to doubt the royal scientist in any way. He can be fully trusted with this duty. But as it stands, he still holds a vital role in this kingdom, one that only he himself can deem necessary or not for it to stay under his supervision. The acceptance or rejection of this offer depends on that. On what he decides”.

Vernon remains silent, his eyes wandering the room, catching the many faces in the crowd. The queen's hopeful and trusting face; his dad’s cheering and calming face; the various doubtful and skeptical faces; and on the other side, his eyes land on the desperate faces of the girls. His eyes wander back to him. A million thoughts go through his head in a second before he looks up and utters his final choice.

"It would be an honor to fulfill this duty." The cheers of the girls echo through the room; a proud smile falls on his father's face as he makes his way to him; a thankful smile falls on the queen's face as she says, “Excellent!. The preparation for leave starts now, and they’ll take off in a few hours!. I call the end of the meeting." All the members of the table stand, then bow down to the queen, and the girls follow suit. excitement flowing all through her body, Lara sneaks a brief glance at Vernon’s face. only to see the same glum look on his face.

The preparations for the leave were in full motion. As Vernon was packing in one of the castles rooms, he heard a knock on the door; he did not answer it, then turned the handle. Someone slowly walks in. “Hi,” Lara greets, a slightly awkward smile on her face. "Hello,” Vernon answers in a monotone voice without turning to face her. He continues to pack. “Well, crazy meeting, right?” Lara says, continuing in the same awkward manner. “Not really,” Vernon answers, his voice unshaken. “Not really?!” Lara replies, "What do heads usually do in these meetings?” She uses sarcasm in her voice. Vernon remains silent. “But honestly, it's not too hard to believe with those jerks in there.”.

Vernon stops for a second before immediately returning to packing, now in a more aggressive manner. "It's like they were overreacting at every turn, especially when it came to your machines; it’s like they had it out for you or something." He slams the roof of the suitcase shut. Turning to her, he says in an irritated manner, “Lara, what do you want? Why are you here?”. Taken back by his attitude but not wanting a fight, she tries to keep calm. “Well, we’re cutting to the point, I guess. Uhh, I just wanted to say I hope this will be a nice and easy trip and that we could all... You know , get along." She gives a smile at the end. “Will you do it? Now you can leave. Don’t you have stuff to pack or something?” he continues to answer in the same irritated manner.

The strange attitude only seems to confuse her more. "No, not really. Dude, why are you mad?” She asks. Vernon only continues packing, the same irritated on his face. “ what? Is it because they kept giving you the stink eye in there? Come on, man, that’s the snobby folks favorite move. It shouldn’t mean anything to you!. Just look at the amount of wrinkles they have gained from making that look. And between you and me, you have definitely got the best-looking skin out of the bunch.”.

“Lara, would you shut it?” He yells out. Stunned in place, Lara was shocked by his reaction. “You come here with all this jerk talk, when you’re the reason they’re acting like this!”. “Excuse me?” Lara says it in a low yet frustrated tone. “How could I possibly be the reason they’re acting like this!?”. Immediately, with no hesitation, he answers. “the lab." An answer like that only seemed to fog Lara’s perspective even more.

"That cannot possibly be the reason you’re acting like this, so what if you got a few stink eyes and a slap on the wrist?" “A slap on the wrist!?” He stands and turns to face Lara. “That incident has single-handedly erased any progress I have made!”. Lara: "What progress? Are you serious?!” . V: “All I needed from you was one word!”. L: “I was tackled down by a guard!”. V: “You were let go!”. L: “I was frightened!”. Vernon doesn’t answer. He goes to pick up his bags. “Enough of this pointless arguing; let’s just get on with this trip,” he says, starting to make his way out. “Your damn right, it’s pointless,” she yells at him. He rolls his eyes at Maya and Lyan, who were standing next to the doorway, listening in. He continues out while they make in to Lara. “What happened?” They ask their sister. “I don’t know.”.

Standing outside of the back of the castle, as the leave is announced in front of the entire town. Servants are going in and out of a new carriage, preparing it for the long trip. The girls are playing with the horses, and the queen is steadily making her way towards them. She stands before Vernon, two servants behind her, with the gem elegantly on a cushion. “As the current head of our nation,I formally bestow upon you the moon.” Before she could finish, Vernon reached, grabbing the gem off the cushion, and went, “Yeah, yeah, you’re the queen; you’re giving me the stone; I won’t lose it, and I promise to serve our nation and find a way for them back." . An offended look falls on the servants upon hearing his tone of answer. “May you excuse us,” the queen requests, and the servants leave in an instant.

A wrathful look on the queen's face as she goes, “Vernon!. You need to fix your attitude, boy,” she says, kenneling down to eye level and fixing his hair. “This is professional work!”. He gently pushes her hand away from his head, fixing his hair back into place as he responds, “Well, we wish everyone like that." . "Oh, come on, boy,” she replies, then places her hands on his shoulder, getting his full attention. “Now listen, you’ll do great, alright, and whatever happens, remember, Dawn is your home." . A childish smile falls on Vernon’s face, cutting the sober edge of the conversation. “I’m going to come back, Ruby; what happened with ‘her’ isn’t happening with me,” he answers. “Stop with the ruby, boy!. It’s starting to rub off on them,” she responds in a playful tone.

The dad comes sprinting through, stopping in front of the girls with a big bag in hand. “Alright, I thought you girls might not have much of the necessities, so I brought this for you.” He opens it and begins to showcase its contents. “Hairbrushes, toothbrushes, clean rags, and for the clothes, I honestly didn’t know what to pack exactly—some old clothing, some of Vernon’s clothes—” "Dad!” Vernon shouted out, "They’re old!” He shouts back, turning to the girls and whispering, “They have never been worn before.” They giggle. “Oh, and also," he’s cut off by a smile and the words from Lara, “thank you, sir; we’ll take a look at it on our own time later; better leave some surprises for then." The dad smiles back, “Right." . As Maya goes to pick up the bag, she’s pulled back by its weight. God,"that’s one heavy surprise,” but none the less, she makes her way in by dragging the bag along.

“Will I better leave you to it? You’ll be leaving pretty soon." “Sir!” Before he could leave or even get the chance to finish, he’s cut off again by more of her words. “Sir, with all good intentions in mind, all of them. I just really have to ask, Why are you helping us?”. The dad remains silent as he looks down with a soft, longing smile on his face. “Is there no rhyme or reason?” Lara responds to the look on his face. “Some people are just good,” Maya states as she passes by. “No, there is a reason, actually." As these words exist in his mouth, the girls turn to listen keenly, waiting for the anticipated reason.

"Back in my day, I actually knew someone, someone very dear to me. That was in your exact situation. them and their entire family were. And back then, I didn’t understand how it felt to be far and long for your home. I didn’t help at all; in fact, I think I only made it worse. To this day, I still look back on those times and wonder, What could I have done differently? Why couldn’t I’ve done it differently? And I guess I didn’t want to repeat the same mistake with you." . The girls do not utter a word after. The breaker of the silence is Vernon, who says, "Really? How come I have never heard this story?” He asks his father. “Well, son, after the events of the story, the fate of this someone remains unknown even to me; with time, it becomes painful to recall the story." The dad raises his head to see the somber and grim atmosphere he has created. Trying to immediately salvage what he can, he says, "But, uh, I’m sure your situation is going to be completely different, and you will come back and..." His frantic speech is broken by the sound of a call coming from far back: it was time for the leave.

He gives his son a last hug, handing him a small bag. “Take care of yourself and them, Vernon.” The dad turns to face the girls and says “Good luck” with a cheery smile on his face. When all was set and done, The girls close the doors of the carriage, and Vernon sits in the front. They began to move. The goodbyes and waves of the crowd faded, and what was once a tall and magnificent castle began to seem small and insignificant in the distance. As the carriage begins to pick up speed, Lara puts her head outside of a window, hoping that the air will wash the worrisome look off her face. But no matter the only question that remains on her mind, is what fate truly holds for them? And what lurks in the shadows, waiting for them?

:)