Chapter 8: The Awakening

The night in Sylvara was as serene as it was mystical. The city of nature and magic slumbered under the watchful gaze of the moon, whose light filtered through the grand trees that shielded the city like stoic guardians.

The room where Daniel, Izabelle, and their children slept was cosy, filled with the warmth of the day’s adventures, but an underlying tension had woven itself into their dreams.

As the family drifted into the depths of sleep, something fundamental began to change within them.

Their bodies, attuning to a new world, were about to undergo a transformation that would bind them to the very fabric of this mysterious realm.

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Daniel was the first to awaken, his eyes fluttering open as the first rays of dawn began to pierce through the curtains.

He sat up in bed, blinking against the light, only to be met with a sensation so foreign, it stole the breath from his lungs.

It was as though his entire body was humming with energy—an electric current coursing through every vein, every muscle, every fibre of his being.

“Izzy,” Daniel whispered urgently, his voice trembling. He reached out, his hand trembling slightly as he shook her gently. “Izzy, wake up.”

Izabelle stirred beside him, her brows furrowing even before her eyes opened. She, too, had felt it—the strange, overwhelming sensation of something new and powerful taking root within her.

“Dan… what’s happening? I feel so strange... Oh god, it's like… there’s something alive inside me.” Her voice was laced with a mix of fear and awe as she placed a hand on her chest. It was as though she could somehow reach inside and grasp the source of the sensation.

Diana, their young daughter, let out a soft moan as she, too, began to awaken.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at her parents with confusion etched across her small face. “Mummy? Daddy? I... I feel funny… like I’m full of bubbles. It tickles.”

Daniel exchanged a worried glance with Izabelle.

This was far beyond anything they had ever experienced. The sensation in his body wasn’t painful, but it was intense—like every nerve ending had been lit on fire with a strange, foreign warmth.

“Iz, something’s really wrong. Or maybe… maybe even really right?” Daniel couldn’t tell if the trembling in his voice was from fear or exhilaration. “Whatever this is, it’s not normal. We need to talk to someone who might know what’s happening to us. We need to talk to Merium. Christ, what if we've been poisoned for being outsiders?! She did warn us!”

Izabelle nodded, the worry in her eyes a mirror to his own. “Yeah… let’s get the kids ready and go downstairs. Maybe she can explain what the hell is going on.”

Daniel shook his head, "No, I think I should bring her up here. We will have to tell her where we come from and I don't want anyone nosey listening in."

Izzy nodded, her brows knitted with worry as Daniel shuffled out of the room as his head swam with the changes.

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The Moonlit Tankard, the inn owned by Merium Seda, was still quiet in the early morning.

The sounds of the bustling city outside had yet to seep into its walls. The faint smell of breakfast cooking wafted from the kitchen, where Merium was busy preparing the day’s first meal.

Daniel found her there, stirring a pot of stew, her back turned to the door as he entered.

For a moment, he hesitated, not wanting to disturb the calm of the morning. But the strange sensations within him urged him forward.

“Merium, ” Daniel said quietly, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. “Please, we need to talk. Something’s happened.”

Merium paused, her hand stilling over the pot. She turned slowly, her sharp eyes narrowing as she took in Daniel’s tense posture.

Without a word, she nodded towards a small side room, leading him away from the kitchen.

Daniel hesitated and bit his lip, "Is there any way you can come up to our room? The whole family has an... Issue."

Daniel could tell Merium wanted to make a joke about not being the first person to try and lure her to their room but the desire flushed away as she noticed the anxiety seeping out of him.

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Before receiving verbal confirmation, he turned and walked hurriedly towards their room.

Once inside, Merium crossed her arms and leaned against the table, her gaze fixed on him.

“Alright, Daniel,” she said, her voice a mixture of concern and curiosity. “What’s going on? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Daniel let out a breath he hadn’t realised he was holding. “I... I don’t even know how to describe it, Merium. We woke up this morning feeling… Different. Really different. There’s something inside us, like a new energy or something. I’ve never felt anything like it, except maybe one time when I took pre-workout and thought my heart would pop.”

Merium’s expression shifted slightly; her eyes narrowing as she processed his words. “Different how? Be specific, Daniel.”

He struggled to find the right words and slapped his face, letting out a squeak, much to the surprise of Merium, who graciously didn’t mention it. “It’s like… like there’s something buzzing in my veins. My whole body feels alive in a way it never has before, like I’ve suddenly tapped into an energy source I didn’t know I had. Izzy and the kids feel it, too. We don’t know what it means.”

Daniel shot a glance towards his wife before taking a deep breath. "There's also something we should tell you. We aren't from this place, this world, I mean. Where we are from, magic doesn't really exist, nor do elves and all this crazy stuff. Some guy named Elmstree teleported us here somehow, was kind enough to info bomb me and then die, and now we haven't got a clue what to do except find some woman whose name I've forgotten."

"Liriel, Daniel. It was Liriel." Izzy chimed in, drawing a thankful nod from Daniel.

Merium’s eyes widened slightly, and she drew in a sharp breath, her tone dropping to a near whisper. “Well, I'm no scholar of Aethermancers, but it sounds like your aetherial systems have awakened. If you say there was no magic or aether where you're from, maybe your bodies are adapting to it. I know aether is absolutely everywhere here. That’d be my bet.”

Daniel blinked, confusion and concern flickering across his face. “Aetherial Systems? What’s that?”

Merium sighed, rubbing her temples as she prepared to explain. “Every being in this world—every person, every creature—has an aetherial system. It’s like a network within the body that allows you to… I dunno, use aether? I honestly don't even know how you were alive without it, but that's not the point.”

“It’s how people perform magic and stuff. It’s as natural to us as breathing, but it’s something you’ve never encountered because you come from a world where aether doesn’t exist—at least, not like it does here, I guess.” she shrugged.

Daniel’s mind raced as he tried to absorb this new information. “So… what? We just suddenly developed these systems overnight?”

Merium nodded slowly. “Again, I'm not qualified for this but it's the best guess I have so, yes. My guess is that when you were brought here, your bodies began to adapt to this world. It’s a survival mechanism, I suppose, but it’s also a gift.”

She paused for a moment, scrunching her brows in thought. “Maybe your aetherial systems were lying dormant, waiting for the right conditions to awaken. When kids are born, their bodies normally don't activate their aetherial system until they're around 2 years old. Never heard of something like this to happen so suddenly, it normally happens over the course of a few weeks, but then again, everything about your arrival has been… unconventional, if you're telling the truth of it all.”

Daniel’s thoughts spun as he processed her words. The idea that his body had somehow developed a system to harness magic—real, actual magic—was almost too much to comprehend. But the sensations coursing through him were undeniable proof and logically, her story made sense.

Izabelle looked between Daniel and Merium, the gravity and wonder of their situation setting in. “So... Magic? We can use magic now?”

“Well, maybe. I feel like you’re ignoring the part where I actually don’t really have a clue what is happening.” Merium replied, her tone serious, “but it’s not just about casting spells or being strong. Your aetherial systems are tied to your very essence—your life force. If someone were to end up in a vacuum without aether for a long enough period of time, they could get extremely ill—or worse...”

Daniel felt a chill run down his spine. “Are we in danger, Merium?”

Merium shook her head, though her expression remained stern. “You’re not in immediate danger, but you should consult someone more knowledgeable in these matters to actually confirm what’s happening.”

Daniel exchanged a look with Izabelle, seeing the same mixture of fear and determination in her eyes that he felt within himself. This was a lot to take in, but they had no choice but to adapt.

Merium placed a comforting hand on Daniel’s shoulder, her voice softening. “I’ll help you, Daniel. I know people here in Sylvara who can guide you and your family. You won’t have to face this alone.”

Daniel nodded, feeling a swell of gratitude towards the innkeeper. “Thank you, Merium. I honestly don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Merium gave him a rare, warm smile. “Give me some time to talk to some people I trust. We’ll start working on this together, and before long, this will feel as natural to you as breathing... Probably.”

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After Merium left their room, Daniel watched Diana and Felix playing quietly, their small hands busy with the toys Merium’s staff had brought them.

Izabelle was sitting on the bed, her expression a mixture of concern and resolve.

“I wonder if Felix adapted or if it will happen when he is two?” she asked as Daniel closed the door behind him.

He took a deep breath before answering. “Man, I don't even know anything right now. I'm glad it's probably not poison though." he replied, still pondering the strange sensation.

Izabelle’s eyes widened as she processed his words. “So… this is real? We can actually use magic?”

Daniel nodded. “I guess, but it’s more than that. This is literally a part of us forever now.”

Diana looked up from her toys, her big eyes filled with curiosity. “Daddy, are we like Spiderman?”

Daniel couldn’t help but smile at her innocent question. “Yes, Di Di. We are exactly like Spiderman...”

Izabelle reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. “Whatever this is, we’ll deal with it. We’ve been through so much already… We can handle this.”

Diana crawled onto the bed between her parents, resting her head on Daniel’s lap. “I'm scared, Daddy.”

Daniel chuckled softly, running a hand through her hair. “No need to be scared, my little superhero. This could be really fun actually!”

Izabelle leaned in, wrapping an arm around Daniel and Diana, pulling them close. “We gots this,” she said softly, her voice filled with love and resolve. “Whatever happens.”

As they sat there, the strange sensations in their bodies began to feel less alien and more like a part of who they were.

The fear of the unknown was still there, but it was tempered by the knowledge that they were not alone in this.

They had each other, and with this change, they somehow felt more a part of this strange world and less like waiting for the dream to end.

Daniel stood up abruptly, surprising the rest of the family. "Crap, I have to go wake Jamie and tell him before he freaks out!"

With that, he bolted out of the door and across the hall to Jamie's room to apprise his brother of the revelations.