Places to Chat
The Magic Ones
Chatterbox: Inkwell
The Magic Ones
The Magic Ones
So, awhile ago, I was part of a great RP that finished. It fell to the back pages, as finished RPs do, but I decided to go back and edit it into one cohesive story and post it on here. Shoutout to all the RP members: Catsclaw, Kitten, Aspen, Clockwork Sparrow, and Allie. And an extra-big one to the creator, Lucy B.
http://www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox/inkwell/node/346505 Here's the RP main post.
Prologue:
Xena clutched the fountain pen lightly, watching as it turned into a dagger in her hands. "What does this mean?" she asked.
"You're powerful, Xena. More powerful than this world," Eva said, staring at Xena, who looked very confused. "You can't stay here. You have to go to the Mythical Realm."
Xena looked up from the dagger, silver, with a black hilt, and answered, "The Mythical Realm? That's a myth!"
"Not always," Eva replied, smiling.
Chapter One: Entry
Xena~
Eva leads me behind my house to the forest. "Why do we have to go to the forest? What does that have to do with the Mythical Realm?" I ask.
"It's the only place I can use my power." Eva replies quietly. She continues into the forest, me trailing behind her.
"Wait, what is you power anyway?" I ask, dodging a branch. I stop right behind Eva as she lifts her hand. She sweeps it downwards, and a gold ring appears, the inside leading to a different forest, which is brighter and lighter. I look down at the fountain pen in my hand again, and ask, That's the Mythical Realm?"
"Yep!" Eva replies, winking. "I think you're going to enjoy it."
~Ian
They were chasing him. Fred, Dale, and, worst of all, Evan. Evan had been Ian's best friend until the year before, when he suddenly changed and became ringleader of the "Blood Gang" -or BG- that terrorized the school, including the teachers and principal. suddenly, as Ian rounded a bend, he saw that it was a dead end. he backed up to the wall and looked around for a way to escape, but saw none. "Nowhere to run Ian, is there?" said Evan " We were such good friends, weren't we? now, let's have some fun."
"yeah, NERD!!" said Fred and Dale. as they advanced on Ian, fists ready.
Ian felt a surge of power in his veins. He lifted his hands, and VWOOSH!! a fireball shot out of each of them, hitting Evan in the chest. Fred and Dale looked at Ian in shock, backed away slowly, then turned and ran. Ian looked at his hands in shock, then ran himself. he found himself at the library, where, as he went past the desk the librarian waved at me and said "Hi Ian!"
"Hi Clara" Ian mumbled and found The Mythical Realm book one, which Ian sat down to reread (for the 85th time, give or take) then, suddenly, a woman sat down next to him "hi Ian" she said "I'm Eva"
"How do you know my name?" Ian asked, though the woman somehow emitted a comforting aura so somehow he wasn't really afraid.
"I've been watching you for some time" she said "you're, well, a mythical being".
"uh, what?!?" Ian asked, confused. she smiled kindly "sorry," she replied, "i'm getting ahead of myself, you're not of this world, Ian you're much too powerful. You, Ian are what's known as a Pyrokinetic, a being that controls fire." "what?!?" Ian asked "b-but those are only in myths about the Mythical Realm! and that's, well, that's a myth!!" "usually" said Eva "but not with you."
~two hours later
Ian had arrived at the area of the forest Eva had told him to meet her at. He had packed his bag with his favorite books, and some food. "hi Ian" said Eva, making him jump, "ready?" "uh, no, not really but okay." he replied, "let's go." she lifted her hand, and a gold ring apeared, he looked inside and saw a forest.
Zara~
Will and I sit on the tree branch in silence, each absorbed in our own thoughts, when footsteps from close by rustle the grass. We glance at each other, startled, and Will holds a finger to his lips. Slowly, the footsteps draw nearer, and nearer.
Then the woman comes into view. She's clearly not anyone from around here, and seems to be looking for something. Somehow, I get the uncanny feeling that she's looking for us. She looks all about her, and passes right by our tree. I beckon to Will and drop down to Earth to try and sneak back to the orphanage before the woman gets back. Silently and quickly, Will follows, but just as we're hurrying down the path back, a voice speaks from behind us.
"I've been looking for you." Will and I whirl around, practically in unison. "You--you have?" Will stammers awkwardly. She nods. "I'm Eva. And you must be Zara and Will." How does she know our names? Eva extends a hand, and I shake it reluctantly. "What do you want with us?" I ask suspiciously. Eva replies, "I come from the Mythical Realm, where magic is still abundant. Both of you have special powers. Zara, you can control ice, snow, and frost. Will, you are a Shade, able to shadow whisper and do many other things. You don't relay belong in this world, so I am inviting you to the Mythical Realm. What do you say?"
One glance at each other is enough. "We're coming," Will says decidedly. Eva smiles. She lifts her hand, and suddenly a golden ring seeming to hold a forest inside appears. "Good luck," she smiles, and we step into the portal, with Will going first and me close behind.
Adrianna~
I was walking through the woods, looking at the animals. I saw a squirrel, and I was bored, so I thought, You know what? Go for it. So I focused on the squirrel, and I became one. I ran around and played with it for a while, until it ran away. Then, I became myself again. I turned around to see a woman staring at me. Oh no, I thought, She's going to report me, and I'll get take away! Any normal person would have run. But of course, I was far from normal. Suddenly, she spoke. "Hello, Adrianna. I am Eva. I have been looking for you for a long time."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because you don't belong here. You belong with everyone else with abilities like yours, in the Mythical Realm." She lifted her hand, an a golden ring appeared. I suddenly saw a forest. "Are you ready?" she asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be." And with that, I jumped into the ring.
Stellax~
She was glowing with happiness, as well as actual light. Not that she realized this. She was in a brightly lit area, so no one could really tell. “Not bad,” commented Owen, who had acompanied her to the clearing in the woods where she did her painting experiments. “Or should I say,” he paused dramatically. “Stellar!” Stellax rolled her eyes and gave her friend a playful swat. He had been referring to a rough piece of fabric stretched across a wooden board. On it was an explosion of color, results of paint and dye she had made from tree bark, berries, and flowers. Stellax loved painting, especially when the outcome didn’t resemble anything at all. Owen had encouraged her to sell her masterpieces, but she would rather give them to friends. “You know,” commented Owen, chewing on a violet. “Watching you paint reminds me of dancing.You seem so energetic, just how I do when I’m partnered with a girl and stepping in time to the fiddle.”
”Excited about the harvest festival?” Stellax’s eyes sparkled. The harvest festival was not only a cheerful event in their village, it was also a time for giving gifts, and she knew just what to give this year. Owen nodded. “You know,” she said with a sly grin. “I’ve seen Yanna smiling at you for the past couple weeks. Are you-“
Owen’s eyes had been widening, and now he interrupted with flaming cheeks. “Oh, be quiet! I’m not...” A stick cracked in the distance and he trailed off. Stellax was in motion already. She threw waterproof tarps over her artwork. Her painting wasn’t exactly a secret, but since most of the finished pieces were to be presents, she wanted to keep them a surprise. Owen now grabbed a sharpened stick, but soon a deer emerged from the forest. It looked at them with wide eyes. Owen breathed a sigh of relief. “False alarm.”
But although the two didn’t know it, they were being watched with something other than the wildlife at that very moment...
Sky-
I sat in class, trying to stop falling asleep. School is a privilege, my mother always said. Plenty of other children would do anything to be in your place right now. Still, I folded the paper in a stash on my desk and sent it zooming low under the desk to my friend, Zelda. She unfolded the note and grinned at me, nodding. Now if I could only wait until recess.I fidgeted the whole rest of class until the bell rang out it was time for recess. I ran outside and did the familiar routine- jumping over the courtyard wall and throwing a rope to Zelda. Zelda scampered up the rope like a monkey. Jeanne, my sister, had noticed us. I winked, and Jeanne rolled her eyes. Finally, we were over the wall and in the woods.
“So, where do you want to go?” I ask Zelda. Zelda shrugs.
“I don’t know. You’re the one who wanted to go out of the school.”
“How about the ice cream place? We’re the only town in Likminan that has that new invention!”
”But it costs twenty shillings, though. No way we can afford that!”
”How about the woods?”
”Sure, why not?”
With that settled, me and Zelda race for the woods. I get there first, crossing the plaza in leaps and bounds. Zelda rushes ahead of me and settles on a tall tree. She yells down to me,“Check this out! Bird eggs!” I jump up, higher then I ever have before. I grab onto a limb and admire the brown-speckled eggs- but then I hear a gasp. Startled, I let go of the tree and fall down, landing in a sprawled heap and skinning my knee. “Ow!” I complain. Remembering the gasp, I look around. A tall woman with light brown skin and brown hair in a braid curled around the top of her head is standing staring at me. WTD? (Medieval swear- what the devil?)
I wave awkwardly. “Hi, what’s up?”
”I don’t like this,” Zelda whispers. “There’s something off about them.” I back away. I find it best to trust Zelda’s instincts.
“Sky,” the woman says, “jump.”
I stare at her. “What?”
”Jump.” she repeats. “As high as you can.”
I shrug, and push off, aiming for the top of the tree. I make it, and do a inward cheer. This is the best I’ve ever jumped, going way beyond parkour skills.
“This confirms it,” she says. “You’re magic, Sky. Too magic for this world. You need to go to the mythical realm.”
”Can Zelda come?” I ask. I’m still trying to wrap my brain around magic and mythical realm, but I try not to show it.
The woman shakes her head. “No, but you can visit each other. My name’s Eva, by the way.”
”VISIT?” I yell. “I’m going to LIVE in this realmical myth place? What about my mom? My dad? My sister?”
Eva sighs. “Sky, they aren’t your real family. Your real family turned on you when they figured out you had power. This family will turn on you too. Trust me.” A hint of an old anger glimmers in her eyes. “Magic cannot coexist with the real world. That’s just the way it is.”
”Does it have to be?” I ask.
Eva says forcefully, “Yes. Let’s go.” Before I can protest, she creates a golden ring out of thin air, leading to a different forest- a bright and beautiful one. She pushes me through. I land with a thud in a world humming with magic.
Alliya~
Ugh. Why is it always me always gets caught in rain? I mean, today was a sunny day, until Maia pushed me into a pile of mud. And after that, it started raining. Why? Weather must hate me. A lot.
I began walking home covered in mud and drenched with water. I wasn't looking where I was going, and I accidentally bumped into someone.
"Gah, I'm sorry." I said, looking at them.
"Oh, it's ok, Alliya." They responded.
"Wait, how do-" I was cut off as the sun came out. "Woah. How did- That isn't- What is going on here?!"
"Follow me, I'll explain everything. Oh, and my name is Eva." She said.
Normally, I wouldn't follow someone who randomly knew my name, but I'm pretty sure this was an exception. I followed her around a bend, and into an empty butcher's shop.
"So, as you probably already know, you can change the weather using your mind." She said.
"Wait what?!" I was really confused.
"Well, let me explain differentially. A long, long time ago-"
"You mean before my Great-Aunt Suzie was born?" I asked.
"Yes, as I was saying-" She was cut off again.
"You sure? She's pretty old."
"Just let me talk! So, a long, long time ago- even before your Great-Aunt Suzie was born- the people of this world knew about the Mythical Realm, a place where Mythical Folk reside. Now, people here only think of it as a myth, a legend, except for the people who belong there. I am tasked with finding those people and returning them there. And you, Alliya, are one of those people. Got it?"
"Yeah, I guess."
"Good. Now think as hard as you can about snow." She said.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it."
I began thinking about all the times it had snowed. That one time in January , when there had been a snowstorm. The time when it had snowed just a little bit, a thin blanket over the streets.
"There! Look outside!" Eva exclaimed, pointing outside.
I turned and looked. "What? It's snowing!"
"Yes! You have the ability to control weather!" She said.
"Woah. That's cool."
***
I tumble out of bed in our small, three-room house.
"Ouch..." I said to myself, standing up.
Today was the day I was going to go to the Mythical Realm, I remembered. No more evil step-parents or annoying sisters! I began packing hurriedly, shoving stuff in my small travel bag. Luckily, my step father hadn't woken up yet, so I could escape quickly. Quietly shutting the door of the house behind me, I ran into the woods.
Reaching where Eva told me to wait, I looked around for any possible portals that would lead to the Mythical Realm.
"You actually came," Eva said. "I'm pretty surprised!"
I shrugged. "Ok, on to the Mythical Realm!"
~Mira
I trudge home from school. Today was very meh. I am remembering the incident with the spelling bee question that I almost got wrong when a woman seems to appear in front of me.
"Hello, Mira. I am Eva." She's creepy but kind of in a good way. My mouth opens almost against my will.
"Who are you, how do you know my name, and how did you get here?"
"Well-" I get angry. She isn't answering my questions. Then she is.
"My name is Eva, I come from the Mythical Realm, and I have a weird habit of cutting spaghetti with a knife." She looks surprised. "You- you have words."
I will post chapter 2 tomorrow!
submitted by Blue Moon, age 11, Here
(August 6, 2018 - 5:14 am)
(August 6, 2018 - 5:14 am)
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
*Looks atound awkwardly* weel I may be a bit excited for this
(August 6, 2018 - 10:38 am)
(August 7, 2018 - 4:21 am)
Chapter 2: Settlement
Sky~
I grumped my way through the Mythical Realm. A few times I considered running away, but it would be no use- I didn’t know how to get back. I was distracted from my thoughts when we emerged into a large clearing. A house was building itself in front of my eyes! I gasped as the tree grew taller, forming a perfect shape for a treehouse. Bendy branches from the ground wove themselves into a huge circle, which flew up into the tree and settled itself there. Smaller, but still large, branches made sides of this vague bird’s nest, while twigs filled up the cracks and multicolored leaves decorated the sides. Lastly, a sky -blue cloth folded on top and the whole thing, tree and all, seemed to melt together, holding everything in place. I gasped, and despite my misgivings climbed up the ladder of branches into a huge leaf-door. I had no intention of asking permission, but Eva yelled “You can go inside!” making me almost want to climb down again. Still, my curiosity was to great and I peeked inside.
Oh. My. God. Inside was pretty much my dream home. Filled with light from the translucent covering, the room was filled with everything I wanted. A hammock swung in one corner, veined leaf green with the softest of soft turquoise blankets. Pillows made a comfy nest on one side, while the other had a shelf full of books and board games. A futuristic looking stove was in one end, without a fire in sight. A teakettle was whistling on the top, with a few mugs next to it. I wasn’t stupid, though. Nothing could be created from thin air, not even with magic.
Right?
Alliya~
"Well, here's your house!" Eva said as I ran up to the door.
The house was stone brick, with elegant iron-framed windows. I ran inside, and marveled at the interior.
"It's amazing!" I exclaimed, running everywhere. "This is perfect!"
When my energy had finally died down, I walked outside to meet the other people there. After meeting everyone, I turned back to Eva.
"Umm... I just wanted to ask, but what is your power...? I mean like, everyone else has one, but like, why can you come and go?"
Adrianna~
I had heard about everybody's respective houses, but I had yet to see mine. As I walked through the woods, I found it. This place had to be mine. It was a small, cozy cottage with a fishpond, birdbath, and a little grove of trees for if I wanted to transform. I went inside, and it got better. There was an entire library full of books in there! I walked to my bedroom and found a loft with a bed in it. It was one of the best moments of my life.
~Stellax
My tower house is simple yet cheery. In everyroom, large windows accompanied by brightly patterned windows boast views of the outdoors. At the very top is my own workplace, canvas already stretched out on wooden frame. There are pallets ready to be used, and when I run my hand over the desk it is as smooth as a river stone. I watch from my perch as the others gather outside, noting that one of them has a ferocious looking cat. I smile. I think I'll observe the scenery a bit more before going down.
Zara~
I don't even need Eva to tell me which house is mine and Will's. Although everyone else gets their own, ours is combined. We've always been together--why would I want it to be different? That's how twins are. Somehow the house has both of our personalities combined into one that's perfect for the both of us. Will pushes open the door, and we both sling our belongings in on our beds, and make ourselves at home. We're both still silent, but it's one of those times when we don't need to talk.
On a whim, I decide I'd rather meander around outside for a bit and step out into the fresh air. Spotting an opportune climbing tree with big, widespread branches, I take a running leap and scramble up the trunk, situating my self on a good branch.
I survey all the houses, each so different, each suited to its inhabitant. the door of the one with the translucent roof opens, and a boy who looks a year or two younger than I am walks out. Sky, I think. To my surprise, he saunters over toward my tree, and is about to hoist himself up when he notices me.
"Hi. You the ice girl?" I scowl. Sarcastically, I reply. "Glad you noticed." "I'm Sky." he says. "What about you?" I roll my eyes. Can he possibly get anymore annoying? "I'm Zara. Happy?" Sky grins and shrugs. "Maybe. You don't seem to be, though." This kid has no social clues! "You think?" Why doesn't he leave already? He doesn't seem to be able to pick up any hints! Or you know what, he probably does know I'd rather be by myself and he's pushing my buttons just for fun. "You certainly seem to be in a great mood today." Sky says, with playful sarcasm, but I can tell he's an easygoing type. I seem to have run out of good sarcastic replies. "What are you poking at, anyway? You can't have come over here for no reason," I mutter. "Well, I was going to climb a tree, but..." Sky trails off and grins again. "So this is entirely pointless unless you're determined to push my buttons for the sake of doing it for all eternity." I reply. "Suit yourself, Zara." Argh. This guy! "Whatever." I mutter, and at that, Sky saunters away to find another tree to climb.
Huh, weird. He's probably the only one who's ever tolerated my prickliness for that long. What's up with him?
Sky~
I've been wondering about where these other kids come from. I've never seen any of them before, and I know pretty much everyone in the town where I lived- live, I correct myself. Maybe all these kids don't mind staying here, but I want to go home. A shadow of doubt crept into his thoughts. This place wasn't evil- it just seemed to be getting better and better. Well, enough boring thinking like some book characters,I thought. I'll go talk to some other kids. I had already talked to Zara. My brain lingered on her for way too long, but eventually I got out of the tree and run across the field. The first kid I spot is that weather kid, the one who's way older then me. I wave at her and make my way over. "So, hey. Alliya, right?"
"Yeah...why are you asking?"
"I figure if I'm going to be stuck with everyone here because Eva sucks, I might as well get to know them better," I answer.
"Eva doesn't suck!" Alliya replies.
"Oh yeah? She didn't drag you away from your friends and family and tell you you can 'maybe visit them sometimes', did she?"
Alliya looked at me oddly. "I chose to come here. This is like my dream world."
"All right," I say. "So, can you show me your power?"
"Sure..." She concentrates, and it begins to pour.
"Wow," I say. "I wish I can do it. All I can do is jump high."
"Actually, that's not true." I whirl around to see Eva watching us. "You can fly."
(August 7, 2018 - 4:30 am)
Sky~
”What?” This is all too crazy. I can fly? “What about all the times I’ve fallen out of trees? Wouldn’t that make me fly, as like a reflex or something?”
Eva considered for a while. “It should’ve. Flying is a very temperamental power, and you are highly unusual for a mythical being.”
”Unusual? What do you mean?” I say nervously.
“For one thing, you openly used part of your power. For another, you’re popular and well liked. Also, you aren’t very careful.”
”So no other mythical being is popular?” Alliya said drily. I had forgotten she was there.
”Well, it is uncommon. The most important thing, though, is that you are comfortable where you are. If you don’t accept who you are, you’ll never be able to fly.”
My mind swirled. I love the wind. I love heights. But how could I leave my family, my friends- just for a power, for this stupid ‘Mythical Realm”, for Eva? But what about the other kids here? I barely know them, but I can’t just leave them!
Eva sighed. “I suppose I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to tell you, all of you- Sky, Ian, Adrianna, Mira, Zara, Xena, Alliya, Stellax, Will- about the greatest evil ever known.”
”Who?” asked Stellax uncertainly.
”It’s time to tell you... about Caracpezec.”
Ian~
When Ian had arrived at the...campsite? Village? there had only been two other people (counting Eva) now there was 5 more. "Eva?" he asked "w-why are we here? why are we so powerful?"
"Ian," she replied "ian, i was hoping i would not have to tell you this now...but it looks like i have to...i would have had to anyway... Everybody, come here, i need to tell you something."
She sighed. “There is an ancient evil called Caracapezc..he was a member of the race of the Sun Elves until he was corrupted by power) he worked at building his powers until he was thrown out, which only gave him a lust for revenge. he gathered an army and waged war against all of the creatures of good. the war raged on for three hundred and fifty years before all of the creatures of good gathered for a grand council. they decided that the Great Sorcerors (the Sorceror of Change, the Sorceror of Fire, the Sorceror of Storm, the Sorceror of Shade, the Sorceror of Ice, the Sorceror of Light, the Sorceror of Water, the Sorceror of Flight, the Sorceror of Morph, and the Sorceror of Word, trap him in the Prison of Carakatash, where none have escaped. the Sorcerors died in the attempt, but Caracapezc was imprisoned."
Sky~
"What does that have to do with us?" I asked nervously. I was beginning to get a bad feeling whatever it had to do with us would not be good.
"You are the reincarnations of the great sorcerors," Eva answered.
What?
Eva continued, "You, Xena, are the Sorceror of Change, you, Ian, of Fire, Zara of Ice,
Stellax of Light, Allya is Sorceror of Storm, Marisa of Water, Will of
Shade, Sky is the Sorceror of Flight, Adrianna of Morph, and Mira of
Word. Caracapezc's 100,000th birthday is coming, and on that day, the
height of his power, he will escape, his armies will rise and you, YOU, must stop him, he will not be trapped this time, you must destroy him. Or he will destroy the world."
We all stared at her. I think everyone was having the same thought. If the originals could barely do it and died in the attempt, what will happen to us, just kids facing him at the height of his power? Will the same thing happen to us, or worse? Will we die?
Finally, Ian asked, "So when's his birthday and how do we train?"
"You'll learn all that in the morning, when you follow me to the Training Grounds." Eva answered. "I thought you all would be older, more ready to face him. But I suppose we'l have to work with what we've got..."
When everyone had left to their homes, I sat and thought. I would be renouncing my home if I accept my ability to fly. Leaving Zelda, Jeanne, my adoptive parents. But if I don't, then they might all be doomed, and the world might be destroyed. Flying is my only chance to succeed against Caracapezc. I am a mythical being. I accept this. We can save the world.
I stood up. "I can fly!" I yelled into the wind. "I can fly!" with that, my feet left the ground, and I soared.
***
I fly for a long time, laughing into the wind. I zoom by birds and, as the night goes on, a few bold-feeling bats. I turn flips and somersaults. Eventually, I flit in through the door of my bird's-nest and collapse into my hammock. It's only the first day in this Mythical Realm, and already I can fly! But... it's my first day in this Mythical Realm, and already we're being expected to fight a giant ancient being? Jeez... I wonder what the heck will happen tomorrow.
~Ian, 9:30 PM that night
Ian was sitting on top of his turret (the "house's" were all different, Ian's was a turret with a fireplace and a lot of torches) when Xena came up "Hi," she said "um, how are you doing?" "good" i replied "you?" "good, ey um, i was wondering, you just seem so... confident and the rest of us are about 10 times less confident...are you really that confident." "To be honest?" Ian replied i'm really, really not! i just... feel that someone has to seem confident so that the rest of the group doesn't feel as scared... and nobody else was doing that." she walked away, satisfied.
(August 7, 2018 - 4:41 am)
(August 8, 2018 - 9:11 pm)
Chapter 4: Training
Mira~
When I get to the Mythical Realm, I find my house immediately, grab a book from one of the many bookshelves, and don't look up until I finish my book and hear voices outside. I follow their sounds to a crowd of kids around Eva, discussing something about Caracapezc and how we're supposed to defeat him, somehow.
Training begins the next day. It's hard. I've never tried to convince somebody to do/say something that I don't particularly care about. Why does it matter what people's secrets are? It's not like they're going to let me hear them anyway. It's so much more fun to just read. Eva gets mad at me when I do that, but I DON'T CARE!
The first time she asked me to stop reading, I simply told her that reading is good for the brain, and she left me alone. She came back a minute later and I did the same thing. I didn't realize she was tricking me into practicing until the third time, at which point I ignored her.
Sky~
I sleepily open my eyes. The sun is filtering in through the ceiling and making my hammock a patch of sun. I sigh contentedly and stretch. Then, I realize that I’m in the Mythical Realm, that I’m supposed to fight a evil old monster elf, I can fly, and I’m supposed to start training today. Hurriedly, I hop out of bed and get dressed- these clothes are awesome, beautiful tunics and comfortable denim things that feel as soft as a cloud. I brush my teeth and shower in a shower that was NOT there before, then I pull on a cloak and scamper down the tree. A pavilion has built itself in the middle of all the houses. It’s part of the woods, with big birch trees stretching up for pillars and making a leaf canopy over the forest floor, with large benches and tables made of the same material and a simple kitchen near the middle. As I watch, the last bench slides into place. I sit next to Zara and start drowning my pancakes in jam, maple syrup, and whipped cream.
”How can you even eat those?” Zara asks after my plate overflows onto hers.
I grin. “Easy. You cut it by sawing with your knife, then you pick a piece up with your fork and slide it into your mouth. Then you chew by moving your jaw up and down. Here, I’ll demonstrate.”
Zara rolls her eyes and turns back to her brother.
After breakfast, we go and train. Eva makes me practice taking off without jumping off something. I concentrate on a bird above my head, and imagine myself soaring with them. It doesn’t work. The fourth time, I put my hands out to feel the wind and move into a strong gust. I rush forward and push off. That doesn’t work either. Then I try combining my ideas. I didn’t see where I was going and fell on my face. The sixth time, I feel myself lifting off. Yes! Then, the bird flies away and I drop three feet to the ground. I rub my smarting nose. “Can’t I just find a tall rock to jump off of?”
Despite my fails, I feel pretty proud when by the twelfth try I manage to take off.
“Great!” Eva cheers. “Now, practice until you take off five times in a row, then we can start on flight maneuvers!”
”AAAAAAGGH!”
Alliya~
Training was awful. The ability to summon rain clouds and other stuff like that isn't as cool as you'd expect it to be. I flopped down on my bed. Everyone got cool abilities--except me. And learning about this 'Carpet Cat', or whatever his name is was pretty boring, to be honest. and who's want to live 100,000 years? He's probably really easy to defeat, judging by how old he is. Not that I'd be able to help with defeating him, unless he really hates rain.
I walked back outside to the training grounds. Couldn't hurt to have a bit more training, I thought. Who knows, I might even summon more than a raincloud!
Adrianne~
Training is much harder than I thought it would be. I guess I never realized, but it is extremely difficult to transform when there's nothing to focus on. I've found that one of my favorite things to turn into is a bird. Just the feeling of being free, floating through the sky without a care in the world. It's amazing. But right now, I just want to relax. I grab a book, flop down on an armchair, and begin to read.
Zara~
I flop down on a cozy armchair in the front room of Will's and my house, exhausted after the difficult training. Eva is pushing me further than I've ever tested my powers, blocking with ice shields, shooting ice shards, making minature gusts of blizzards swirl and dart...
The door opens and closes quietly and Will walks heavily in, sinking into the chair next to mine. "Well, that was..." he begins. "Pretty much a complete fiasco." We sigh at exactly the same time. Neither of us laughs because it's so normal for Will to start a sentence and me to finish it.
How much harder will tomorrow be? Next thing I know, Eva's gonna expect me to whip up a full on blizzard. That would... stretch me beyond limit. I don't know what would happen to me if I had to do anything that powerful, of that size.... but the Ancient sorcerers... didn't they pull it off to do great things like that?
I pull out a book titled History of the Mythical Realm that I've been flipping through some lately, and turn to Chapter 68, The Sorcerers' Downfall. They DID manage to do stuff that powerful... and perished, fighting Caracapezc or whatever his name is. It makes me wonder... what will happen to US when we have to fight him? Will we die, too?
Xena~
I get up after the first day of training, still tired from yesterday. I look in a drawer and find a coral-colored shirt with a word written on it in cursive: Dreamer. The material looks nothing like what I used to see at home. I look in another and see long pants made from yet another material I can't explain. I put on those clothes, and slip my fountain pen into my pocket.
I go outside, where some of the others are already starting today's training. Eva immediately sees me and says, "Oh, Xena! You're up! Come here, today we'll be doing something a little different."
I shrug, and walk over to her. I wonder what "different" means. Yesterday, we mostly focused on figuring out how to get an object to transform. I did get the hang of it a little, but I mainly focused on my fountain pen, which is in my pocket right now. "What are we doing? Is it more difficult than yesterday?"
"That depends on who you are," Eva says, "But I think, for you it will be very difficult."
Why, I wanted to think. But I follow Eva anyway to a table with several objects on it: a paintbrush, a vase, a folded piece of fabric, a necklace with a red heart-shaped jewel on it, and a book. I look at the items, confused, as Eva starts to explain. "Two of these items are magic. Now, I want you to find which ones are magic and what they transform into without actually transforming them."
"Wait, what? I was barely able to transform something other than my fountain pen yesterday, now you want me to predict what it will be before doing that!?" I exclaim.
"Yes, try taking hold of one of the items and trying to find magical existince inside it. If you can't, it's not magical." Eva says simply. "If you need any help, call me." She says as she walks away, probably to help another one of us.
I look at my choices, and finally decide on the necklace. I carefully lift it by the chain, and close my eyes. I immediately see a glimmer of lightin the center of the darkness of my vision. It morphs into different shapes, mostly ones that are incomprehensible. I watch it, and as soon as it started moving, it stopped. The light glows pale pink, and takes the form of a sword. I open my eyes, and put down the necklace. I pick up the vase, one hand on the bottom, and one holding on to the part near the top with the smallest circumference. I try the same thing, but I see no spark of light.
At the end of the day, I found my strength dwindling after trying the lamp an additional two times, the fabric five times, the book once, and not touching the paintbrush. After trying the book, there was magic in it, but I couldn't find what it could change into.
Mira~
I am so tired. This morning when I wake up I completely forget where I am and start reading. Only when I hear the others getting up do I reluctantly set my book down, do my morning-wakey-uppy things, and head outside.
"There you are!" Eva says frustratedly when she sees me. "Eat some breakfast quickly, and then let's get started. We're doing something different today."
I grab a bagel and follow Eva to a table with three books on it.
"Today I'd like you to change the words in these books," she says.
"What? How?"
"I know you can do it, Mira." She walks away, leaving me to stare miserably at the books. I pick one up and concentrate as hard as I can. My eyes squeeze closed, almost of their own accord, and I see something blooming in front of me. A spiral of words. I try to read the words, to change them, but they're moving so quickly. Eventually I can tell that it starts with 'once upon a time'. I feel my hands squeezing the book even tighter as I try to change the 'time' to 'dime'.
I feel a spark, and a splitting headache takes over my mind. I am able to open the book and see that it changed before I collapse on the ground. Eva walks over calmly. She picks up the book and sees what I did.
"Congratulations," she says coolly. "Now change what the book means, not just one letter at the beginning." She then walks away as if she doesn't have a care in the world. I feel anger spike inside of me. How does she expect me to do that. Why? I HATE her!
Alliya~
To be honest, I haven't been putting much effort into my training. I've just been doing as little as I possibly could to improve.
I stood up from in front of the fireplace in my house, and examined the room for the millionth time, studying the walls. Something was slightly off about the room. It just... Didn't seem natural, for some reason. Well, whatever it was, it would have to wait for tomorrow, as it was getting late. I walking up to my room, stopping only to adjust a painting that was slanted to the side.
A Few Hours Later
Waking up in the middle of the night is not very fun, I can tell you that. The sun hadn't even risen. I trudged to the window. The camp-- does this place classify as a camp?-- Looked exactly as it always had. I was about to go back to sleep, but something caught my eye. A small object with wings was fluttering in the sky, and it appeared to be hurt. It suddenly stopped flying, and fell to the ground.
Running outside and into the woods, I wondered what it could be. A bird? Maybe, but birds don't have tails that are that long. It was probably something else. Something more powerful.
I dashed into a small clearing, and realized what it was. I gasped for breath, after the long run. Once I had caught my breath, I slowly approached it. It made a noise of distress as I cautiously picked it up. It whirled around and sent a jet of water flying into my face.
"What was that for?!" I whisper-shouted. I took a closer look at it, hoping it wouldn't spray me with water again. It was a dragon. It's scales shone in the moonlight, making it look like it was a lantern.
It slumped down in my arms, and the scales seemed to glow a little bit less.
Please don't be dead, please don't be dead, I thought desperately as I hurried back to the camp. I hoped people wouldn't wonder why I randomly came out of the forest with a dragon in the middle of the night.
(August 19, 2018 - 12:38 pm)
Chapter 5: Revelation
Sky~
I wake up the second full day in the Mythical Realm. I’m a lot less excited then I was last time. Yes, flying’s cool, but I shouldn’t have to train so hard! And didn’t Eva promise that I could visit Zelda? I climb down the tree rebelliously- I won’t fly unless Eva makes me.
In the dining hall, Ian sits on one side of Zara and her brother on the other. Hmph. Ian’s not even talking to Zara, they’re just talking to Xena. Why are their names so similar, anyway? I grumpily plop down across from her, next to Mira. Unfortunately, scrambled eggs don’t go with maple syrup. Happily, toast does!
“I wish I hadn’t come here,” Mira complained. I look at her in surprise. I thought everyone except me thought this was a paradise. “Eva makes me train really hard, and it’s not even really going to do anything. Being able to change the words in a book won’t kill Caracapezc.”
Kill... will we have to kill them?
Now Xena’s talking. “Eva makes me figure out what something’s going to turn into before I change it!”
”Why do I have to transform without having to concentrate on an animal? Can’t I just find a squirrel or something?”Adrianne adds.
Good, they’ve all finally seen sense. I add my voice to the discussion. “Eva makes me try to fly from a standstill! Why can’t I just jump off a rock, or a tree! That works every time!”
”Well, I don’t see what you’re complaining about,” Ian says, striking a heroic pose. “Me and my cat Pyro will be ready for anything!” We all stare at them. Pyro starts washing his face. Ian gets off the table where he had jumped up on for drama and rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. “Yeah, training’s not going so well for me either. But I’d rather be here than home, that’s for sure.”
“Maybe we could- maybe we could stage a revolt.” Mira offers.
“A revolt?” Will asks dubiously. “How would we do that?”
”Like a strike.” Mira says. getting into the idea. “When Eva wants us to do what we don’t want to do, we leave and go to, say, that clearing over there.” She points. “Then we just stand there and shout things like ‘No Magication Without Representation!”
”... magication?”
”Yeah, well- who wants to revolt?”
”I do!” I say, hearing everyone else declare the same thing. Everyone but... Alliya? Where is she?
I look over to her house and see her run in from the woods, holding a some scaled creature. Is that what I think it is?
“Alliya, did you find a dragon in the woods?” I ask, my voice heavy with disbelief.
She looks at me with a grin and nods. “Yep. What have you guys been doing?”
Mira~
I am sooo excited. We're actually going to do this revolt thing! So then, of course, I get overexcited and blurt out something about magication without representation. The second it's out of my mouth, I know everyone's going to think I'm really weird. Which I am! So good for them!
Luckily, that whole fiasco ends quickly, and we get back to planning.
"So, when Eva asks us to do our training, we all stand go over to that clearing and start arguing to her about why we don't want to do this?" suggests Xena.
"Yeah, and we should have a plan for what to say," adds Adrianne.
"Words are my specialty. I can plan that part," I say, and start writing under the table in my favorite little notebook.
"No."
"What? Who said that?" asks Will.
"Me," says Ian. "I'm not revolting against Eva. She's my sister!"
Ian~
"WHAT?!”, everyone yelled. "SHE'S YOUR SISTER!?”
"Yeah...I read in these weird old scrolls that Pyro showed me that a woman named Eva Wilder was the Great Sorceror of Bridging, and the Great Sorceror of Fire's sister. Also, she was Caracapezc's girlfriend,”
HIS GIRLFRIEND?!”
“Well, yes, but at the time he went by Tom Stone,"
“Hmm..." Xena said, "How do you know she's the same person?"
"Because of this," Ian unrolled a picture of all the grand sorcerors together. "There's Eva, right there."
"Whoa."
***
And on THAT note, the roof exploded. Well, not on its own. Seventeen bolts of dark lightning hit the roof, and through a high electron reaction...ANYWAY, the gist of it is, the roof exploded. Kaboom. "WHAT THE-" Ian yelled "WE'RE BEING ATTACKED!"
"NO, WE'RE NOT!" yelled Sky. "SEVENTEEN BOLTS OF DARK LIGHTNING HITTING THE ROOF OF WHERE ALL THE REINCARNATIONS OF THE GREAT SORCERORS ARE GATHERED IS PERFECTLY NORMAL!"
"GOOD POINT!" yelled Ian in response, a grinning a little despite himself, then growing serious "SHOULDN'T WE FIGHT WHATEVER IT IS?!"
"YEAH!" was the response of all the kids. Ian grinned again, until he saw exactly what was attacking them. "Um," he said "Is that a two-hundred foot tall stone golem, imbued with some extremely frickin' powerful MAGICAL ABILITIES, or am I seeing things?"
"It looks to be the golem." was Xena's response. Ian gulped.
“PREPARE TO DIE, FOUL BEAST!" he yelled at the Golem, his voice cracking embarressingly on 'die' and continuing to stay high-pitched for the rest of the sentence.
Sky grinned. "Is it just me, or did your voice crack?" Ian sighed, but was saved from answering by the golem blasting a stream of fire out of his hands at them.
Marisa attempted to block the fire with a wave and slowed it down considerably, but lost a lot of energy. Ian attempted to stop the fire with more fire (the saying 'fight fire with fire'has never been more true) and succeeded, but lost even more energy than Marisa had, and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Pyro then swooped (literally) in and gave Ian his own Fire energy, which made him unable to breath fire. Ian sat up, than groaned and turned to Pyro. "Could you get my sword?" he asked, "I need it to be able to defeat this," -he glanced at the golem- "Thing."
If Pyro was capeble of grinning, he would have. "Nah, don't need to! Just say 'I summon thee, oh sword of fire' and..."
Ian groaned "Okay...I SUMMON THEE, OH SWORD OF FIRE" he said dramatically, then caught the sword as it apeared next to him. "Cool!" he said, then raced off into battle, Pyro following. "You okay?” asked Xena and Sky as he swooped in between them "Never better!" he said. "Well... you know what I mean."
Then Ian swooped in and slashed the Golem in the eye.
Mira~
And of course the roof has to cave in right when Ian drops a bomb in the middle of our revolt planning. But Ian's announcement is nothing compared to this. It's totally a coincidence that a bunch of dark lightning strikes where the most powerful group of sorcerers ever are gathered, right?
Then we see what caused the lightning. A 100-foot tall stone golem? Could this get any worse? So of course we try to use our powers on it, which ends up with a bunch of us collapsed in the floor from over-exertion. I try yelling at it that it doesn't want to attack, but all that I get is a giant hand swinging at me, and I join my friends on the ground.
Suddenly, something flies in and starts attacking the golem. Alliya looks up and smiles.
"What?" I say. "Do you know what that is?"
"It's my dragon," she replies, still smiling.
"When did you get a dragon?"
"A couple of days ago. I found her in the woods."
I look at her, slightly worried. "Is she going to help us?"
"Probably."
Xena~
My thoughts rush as the roof falls in. It's a giant stone golem, along with seventeen bolts of black lightning. Black lightning? Is that a thing? If black is darkness, is black lightning --
My thoughts are interrupted by a piece of roof almost hitting me. I snap out of it and look at the golem, and the moronic words slip out of my mouth before I can stop them. "It looks to be a golem."
"PREPARE TO DIE, FOOL!" it shouts back.
My left hand rushes to my pocket, where my pen is, and I pull it out. Energy crackles between my fingers and my pen, and it morphs into a dagger so fast it almost cuts my leg. I pull it in front of me, my hand shaking a little. I shake the deeper thoughts from my head, and run at it. It must not have noticed me, because it doesn't do anything as I sneak around behind it. I jump as high as I can, reaching almost all the way up it's back, and rake cuts in the stone. It bellows in pain, turning around to try to see the thing attacking it, with me hanging on it's back. I'm halfway to cutting my second slash when a violent turn and a bad handhold connect, and I fly off the golem's back.
I hit the ground with so much force I can't breathe. I hear three, no four cracks -- or is that just my ears ringing? I'm aware of the dagger in my hand, and the pain in my breath, as the world grows dim, then, like a candle, fades to darkness.
Sky~
What. The. Heck. A giant stone golem? I fly around, avoiding its attacks. Several people are exhausted from their efforts and I try to fly them out of the way, resulting in me dropping Marisa onto the strawberry jam. Oh well- at least she’s awake now. I fall up to get to its face, thinking I can get to a sensitive part. The stone golem’s mouth has a bit of foam dripping out of it as it yells “Down with the Sorcerors! Caracapezc will rise again!”
”Yeah, can we talk about the Down with the Sorcerors part? Because I’m not really feeling good vibes about that right now,” I stall, trying to distract it. “Now, if it was Down with People just randomly Attacking Us? That would be good.” I then quickly swoop in and conk it on the head. I need a awesome sword like Ian. As it is, I’m reduced to kicking it in the face. Suddenly, the golem reaches his hand out and catches me by the hair. “Ow!” I yell. “What did you do that for! Now Jeanne will have a great argument for me needing to cut my hair!” I fly in circles, trying to ge tour of the golem’s grasp. I see a huge hand coming down to hit me... and then a sharp slice of ice flies in and cuts my hair so I can get away, leaving the golem just a few white-blond strands waving in the wind. I look down to see Zara grinning up at me before she zooms into battle, throwing knives made of ice. Stellax is doing something odd- is she forming something? My question is answered when she throws a glowing bow up to me, then fights her exhaustion to make a flail for Adrianne and a sword for Will. The quiver slides on perfectly as I nock an arrow, aiming for one of the golem’s eyes. I miss the eye, but still hit the golem. Hang on... these arrows are made of metal, so... and the golem’s the tallest thing around for miles... “Alliya! Can you try to hit the golem with lightning?”
”Wha- I’ll try.” Alliya answers, concentrating hard. I fly in and shoot the golem again, then kick it in the stone-gray cheek. A lightning bolt shoots down and hits the golem hard. Ian scorches the golem’s feet, and Zara freezes the golem’s chest. Adrianne scampers as a squirrel to the golem’s shoulder, then turns human again and slams their flail into the golem’s neck. Stellax blinds them with a flash of light before collapsing on the ground, and Mira distracts the golem from a small dragon shooting jet-cutter speed water at the golem’s back.
And.
The.
Golem.
Falls.
“We-we just killed someone.” I say in a quivering voice, then fall from the sky.
Zara~
"We- we just killed someone." Sky says weakly. I stare at the Golem on the floor, still with ice on its chest as I brush a bit of rubble off my gray tunic.
"Well, this is going to be fun cleaning up," I remark dryly. "No kidding." Alliya grumbles. I turn to notice Xena still unconscious on the floor. "C'mon. Xena needs help first." I say, and kneel next to her on the floor, shaking her shoulder gently.
"Xena? Xena, you okay?" I call softly. Xena's eyelids flicker and she lets out a low groan. Ian walks up and gently lifts her off the ground. "I'll, uhh... take her back to her house." He mumbles. There's a very... interesting expression on his face as he's carrying her towards the pile of wood where the door used to be about 12 minutes ago.
Suddenly, I realize how draining that fight has been. I sway a little on my feet, feeling a little dizzy after such a taxing excercise of my powers. Someone steadies me from behind. "Easy there, Zara." I turn my head. It's Sky, with a slight smile on his face, and is he... blushing slightly? "I'm fine, I'm fine," I mutter, and realize that my face feels a little warm.
Will eyes me curiously with an expression on his face that I can't quite read, and the ghost of a smirk flickers across his features for a second. "C'mon, guys. We better start cleaning up this mess. Dunno how we'll move the golem, but... I guess we can leave it there for now." He says, and everyone goes to work.
Ian~
As Ian put Xena down, she woke up "ow." she said, grimacing "that...ow."
Ian couldn't help smiling "well, that means you're not dead." "true...wait, did you um, carry me here?"
"yeah"
"oh." she tried to move. "YOWCH!" and put a hand to her chest.
"Stay still, i think you might have some broken ribs." said Ian "do you have a magical healing kit?"
“yeah, it's in the kitchen."
Ian went into the kitchen and rummaged through the cubboards "Found it!" he finally exclaimed and gave it to Xena "i'm gonna go help with cleaning up the Dining hall."
"alright."
(August 19, 2018 - 12:59 pm)