CONTENT WARNING: blood (not much)
Eli
I keep blinking, convinced it's a dream until the pouring rain and the scent of rain-soaked stone brings me back to my senses.
There's a bizarre energy of sorts leaking from the portal. When I move my arm forward, there's a warm sensation and a sense of being pulled slightly. The centre of the portal warps the image of everything in the distance behind it into strange wavy shapes.
When Owen walked through it with my sister in his arms, he merely disappeared on the other side. He didn't seem pained or bothered in any way. The light in the centre slowly pulsates.
"So...who is going to take the second step into the 'new world?'" Ellie asks, looking to everyone else. "Anyone?"
Katlego smiles at her and takes a step back away from the portal. Ice pools in the bottom of my stomach, and I try to clutch my fingers tightly to stop my hands from trembling. My older siblings are in there. I can't bear the thought of waiting for them to come out - it's sickening. What if they don't?
"I will."
"Eli? Are you sure?"
"That's if you don't mind someone without magic going before you. I don't want to step on any toes, but you all look a bit apprehensive."
They look at me like I'm a hypocrite, my face flushed warm with nerves. They're right to do so.
"Of course we don't mind!" Kat says, laughing. "If you want to waltz into the door to nowhere before the rest of us, you go right on ahead! Perhaps I'll wait for all of you to go in first."
"Are you sure you're up to this, Eli?"
"If my siblings are in there, I should probably go and find them. Áine risked her life to make this - the least I can do is take a look inside."
I close my eyes, tighten my fists and walk towards the portal. I might not be a witch, but I try to think like one - they dabble with the unknown all of the time.
There's an inviting warmth emanating from it as I move closer, and a sort of humming sound that vibrates through my skull. A strange sensation overcomes me - magical energy surges throughout my entire body, a slight burning and tingling numbness. It's so overpowering that I gain an urge to tear it out of myself somehow. Is this what it feels like to be a spellcaster - to have this eerieness pulsing through your veins at any given second? It's no wonder your own magic can make you sick...
A light flashes nearly bright enough to blind, and I trip over nothing and fall flat onto the ground. I manage to raise myself a little, but not without nearly being sick.
My eyes remain shut. I reach across the floor - it's cobbled stone. I don't feel much here - it's as if there's no air, yet I'm still breathing. It's a comfortable temperature, no breeze or anything like that.
I force my eyelids open. My sight is struck by intense hues of bright purple and pink. I turn around, dwarfed by the portal's stone arch marked with glowing symbols of the three main schools of the magic - the Wolf, the Cat and the Dragon.
The stone circle around the portal is remarkably similar to the one the portal is floating above in reality - albeit less cracked and not worn by time. The three magic symbols glow and pulsate with blue light. I wonder how Owen reacted. I don't see anything to do with Alchemy...
Everywhere I look, there's floating debris and unfinished, broken elements of the world - mostly bridges that look frozen in time, breaking up into smaller and smaller pieces. It's unnerving; I keep thinking all the floating debris is going to fall on my head, but it just floats there. I wonder why it looks like this. Did Áine lose confidence in the spell? Did we not have enough confidence in her? Did she just not have enough time to think the spell through properly? There were little to no remnants left of the crystals, flowers and other components we brought to power her spell, and even all that wasn't enough to generate enough magical power to create a fully-intact realm. It doesn't matter - she's already done something groundbreaking.
I tiptoe to the end of one of the broken bridges and throw a rock that I found on the ground. It drops as it normally would, but it begins to slow as it falls to the bottom. Eventually, it stops moving completely.
There's a sound of rushing water, and a faint sound that's difficult to describe - almost twinkly is the best I can describe it, with a faint high-pitched whistle now and again. The tingling feeling isn't as strong as it was coming through the portal, but it's still there. It still feels like there's something all over me that shouldn't be there.
Trees and flowers are scattered across the landscape. One of the flights of glowing stairs leads to somewhere. Another leads to nowhere. A cascade of water rushes down into the nothingness below, with the water stream slowing down the further it gets to the 'bottom', if there even is one. If I squint, I can see the lower parts of the waterfall seem to be frozen in time.
A moon shines in the sky, with a slight halo around it. If time seems to slow down the further something moves towards the 'bottom, I wonder if there is anything like night and day in this place.
Being so close and yet so distant to the world of magic, it's always full of surprises.
At first, as a young child, I believed magic could only clean things. Then I realised it can create fire, ice, even lightning. Rumour has it that it can call upon the ghosts, even raise the dead. I never once believed it could create a whole reality.
The enormous building in the middle with the double staircase must be the realm. Owen wouldn't have been able to make those stairs with Áine in his arms. That said, I should have bought his cane with me - hopefully one of the others will.
I enter the ground floor door, and the main hall looks almost like a star-lit void, the walls jet-black with twinkling dots all over them. Paintings and tapestries line the walls.
There's an empty spot in the middle, a sort of platform - I bet it'd look nice with a statue of some sort. Maybe of wolves, gryphons, whatever animals Kat and Tsuna associate with. The 'stars' on the floor glow brighter as I step on them, temporarily leaving glowing footprints.
Owen and Áine are next to a staircase. She's laying down, breathing slowly. Owen sits beside her, eyeing her like a hawk.
"Is she going to be okay, Owen?"
"I'm not entirely sure, Eli," he responds, his voice unusually quiet. "What do you think of the place?"
"It's bizarre, but it's beautiful. It's like a dream world."
"The blood from her eyes and mouth...it's kind of like what happens with you, isn't it?"
"Indeed, Eli. I imagine this spell has overpowered her so much that even a powerful witch like her suffered overcharge. I wouldn't be surprised if this affected her in the long run. In a sense, it's lucky her life will be as long as it is, if that's the case."
It's horrific to think that she might develop the same issue Owen has, but at least she has someone who can try and help her work around it.
"Do you think we should tell anybody about this place?"
"For now, no," he says. "Perhaps the other witches might disagree, but I believe it's up to Áine to decide when she's ready." Owen narrows his gaze. "You know, I must say I'm surprised it was you who took the first step."
"You're not the only one, Owen. I suppose I was just worried about you and our sister."
Owen gives me a slow nod, the two of us looking back to Áine. "You're also not the only one, Eli... All we can do is keep an eye on her."
Katlego
I bury the nerves as much as I can - I need to experience this for myself. Eli and Owen both seemed fine going in. The distant hills blur in the warped inner light of the portal. Every time I take a step closer, I bring my foot straight back.
"Ellie! I might need some encouragement."
"Oh - of course! You'll be fine, Kat! ... I think?"
"Wonderful," I reply, with more than a hint of playful sarcasm.
Well, Mischief casters don't follow the rules of life, so I don't see why they should worry about the rules of nature. I force myself through the portal as fast as I can, but I trip on the stonework! I'm blinded by the harsh light as I fall right through the portal. A warm zap of magic rushes over my whole body and I crash into a cool stone floor with all the grace of a baby elephant.
Everything is so pink! And it's very warm here, but there also seems to be no air at all - agh!
My life flashes before my eyes when I see the falling debris! - only it's not falling. It doesn't fall at all, it just stays right where it is, suspended in the sky.
There's a lot that's completely broken up, but that isn't moving. Did something go wrong, or was Áine's plan far too ambitious? Even then, she did something I'm sure no human being in history has ever managed - that's ambitious enough, but her ambition paid off.
The school building looks incredible, something that will always be timeless. The stained glass windows are a magic all of their own, and the magical lights are stunning. Something about this place makes me never want to go home, but I doubt that'd be good for anyone in the long run/ I won't tell them this, but it puts even the Annorin and Viridis mansion to shame.
I think this is enough childlike fascination for now - I am sure Áine is in here. I ought to check on her. I'm sure Ellie and Tsuna are on their way...
Tsuna
Back home, we call the heavenly realm of the gods tengoku. When I first step through the portal, it feels as if I have stepped into the heavens themselves. It's beginning to revive the superiority I felt when the people worshipped me as if I were a god myself.
It's a peculiar plane of existence that seems to be partially stuck in time, if the floating broken elements are anything to go by. I try to urge Ellie to come with me as we look around the place. There's three different floating islands in this wondrous void.
Ellie points everything out like a toddler at a market. This place really does bring out a kind of wonder you wouldn't have felt since you were young - a world in a storybook come to life.
The power of the spell itself must have damaged the greenhouse, but even in its disrepair, it's remarkable. The plants that are already here all look and feel real - but I wonder how they might grow here when we plant them - if they will at all?
There's even a quaint island with a fountain and what appear to be shops. I wonder how obsessively Áine thought about this realm for there to be so many different aspects she thought to include...Come to think of it, there's always talk of the factories in the towns and cities taking jobs from people. Perhaps we could hire people to work in the shops? I can imagine plenty of people would be interested in working in a completely new existence, after all.
It's easy for me to find myself overcome with misery over my condition, over my immortality - and yet this place is oddly uplifting. Though this is almost all Áine's work, so many of us came together to ensure a safer world for our kind - her, Katlego, Owen, Xander, the people of the settlements... and many more. Our collective efforts helped lead to this.
I regret almost all of the maudlin things I said to Áine when we buried our friends. The stagnance of my life often blinds me to how lucky I've been to be surrounded by the company I've had over the years. It often means I tend to not see how the world has changed for the better, in spite of everything. A position teaching here at this realm would be perfect for me. If anything, it could even be the answer to my problem - what the Great Dragon hinted at so many years ago. I can still defend Glimmerbrook when needed here.
In fact, if teaching here is what leads to my soul finally resting and passing on to the next world... the thought of it leaves me even more hollow than usual. Immortality is all I've known for the past five hundred years, and I've gotten to know so many wonderful people who come and go. I've been desperate for rest for as long as I can remember, and yet the thought of it unnerves me the longer I think about it.
Owen
Eventually, all of us are gathered around my sister, and all of us are nervous about her apparent condition. For all our sakes, I try to remain positive.
"I've never seen anything quite like this from any witch."
"Severe overcharge, Ellie. It seems from what I understand that it rarely happens to true witches unless they perform incredibly powerful spells. For myself, it happens quite often, and I only have a fraction of your power."
Her breaths quiver and her hand trembles a little. I wiped the blood from her face again earlier, but it is still trickling out of her eyes and nose.
"If I was correct, and this realm is tied to her existence somehow, then I believe we currently have reason to be positive. It's still standing, so she is stable to some extent."
"Do you think that's why the world is broken up the way it is?" Kat asks. "Maybe it wasn't that she didn't have time to properly build the image in her mind. Maybe the spell is incomplete? But then if so, what does that mean for the future of the realm?"
"Potentially," I reply. "I suppose we will have to wait and see what happens."
"So when do we start telling people about this place, anyhow?"
"When Áine is conscious, I believe."
"We don't know how long that will be, Owen," Tsuna says.
"Indeed, but there are many factors we must bear in mind. First of all, it is Áine that created this realm, therefore it makes sense for her to decide how we pace introducing this to other spellcasters without drawing the wrong kind of attention. Not only that, but we know nothing of this world as of yet. All we know is that it is at least breathable and the gravity is relatively similar to our known Earth. We don't yet know the long-term health effects of being here for long periods of time, and I highly doubt that they are pleasant."
"But didn't she do this now instead of later because of the immediate threat to Glimmerbrook? Don't we need to get as many witches here as possible?"
"No, Elijah - not until we know more about this place. For all we know, the debris in the sky outside could collapse to the ground at any moment. I understand this is exciting and breaks all the laws of existence we're currently aware of, but we need to try and think rationally and factually about this before we make any big decisions - otherwise we aren't helping the witches at all."
"I believe I have a possible solution."
All heads swivel to Katlego, whose traditional Mischief-caster-esque outside-the-box thinking is always warmly welcomed.
"Some of us are going to need to stay in the settlement to protect it anyhow. Even with no-one there, the threat in Henford will likely lead witches to head for Glimmerbrook in the hope of a place to stay. With our own settlement now empty, as devastating as that may be, we have to think of other witches in need and how we have the space to welcome new people there.
Owen, for now, I don't think you should remain here in the long term for your own wellness. I believe Tsuna should remain at the settlement, and I think Ellie and I should be there to lend a helping hand."
"I could stay here," Eli says. "I'm currently caught up on commissions, and I don't have anything else to do for the moment."
"Hmm, if we're going to invite anyone else here to begin with, it should be someone we definitely know she'd welcome here, and someone who would be happy to try and take care of her. Why not ask Reynold?"
"But what about the full moon outside, Kat?"
"It's not real, so I highly doubt it would turn him. And if it does, he knows all of us., so we'd be fine. We'd just have a grumpy guard wolf skulking around for a while."
"What?! I'm not being stuck here on my own with a werewolf!"
"No, no, that's an excellent idea, Kat. We can trust Reynold completely." That, and he too has experience with overcharge - he'd better know how to help her, with any luck. "And perfectly capable of guarding the realm whilst we make the necessary preparations." I give Kat the most sincere smile I can give her. "Where would we be without your input?"
She giggles to herself. "I don't think you want to know the answer to that one, Owen."
Reynold
She did it.
By a combination of both her own immense arcane skill and something of a miracle, Áine had managed to do exactly as she said she'd do - but not without the physical backlash of overcharge sickness.
I tell Eli that it sounds almost entirely similar to what happened when I tried to defend the monastery, though I pray to both the Watcher and Lunvin that she has not suffered the fate that I did. Eli is relieved to know I woke up the day after, and I can only hope the same goes for her. Still, how could someone as powerful as her become afflicted? Someone not only well-trained in the ways of magic since childhood, but someone with the life force of another witch within her? Just how much did it take out of her?
"It's amazing...and rather ominous."
"You'll be fine," Eli says, with an uncharacteristic confidence. "You might feel a bit nauseous coming out of it later on, though. I'll be there with you. We need to find out how it affects people being there in the longer term."
"And you don't mind being the magical equivalent of a laboratory mouse?"
Eli shrugs. "Someone has to do it, and it means I won't have to do any commissions for a short while."
My insides freeze up just thinking about it. I imagine Eli felt the same - apprehensive at wandering into a ring of pure magical energy having no idea where he'd end up, but also concerned for ![]()
Áine.
"Reynold, I have a question - if you turn into a wolf, will you kill me?"
"What on Earth are you talking about, Eli? It's the middle of the afternoon!"
"There's a full moon in there, that's all."
"It's not the real one, so I think we'll be fine. Come on- let's go check on your sister."
I force myself through the portal, and the change in temperature is immediate. It's much warmer on the other side. There's a strange vibration all over my skin, and I force my eyes shut to protect them from the blinding light. Eventually, the pink and white light dulls, revealing something extraordinary beyond it.
Never in my life did I think I would see something like this. It's an odd place - I'm breathing despite there being little to no air here, and the swirling pink void seems to go on forever. There's nothing in the distance other than some other islands. There's even flora growing here, goodness-knows how many miles away from our Earth. Even the light is different here - it's softer, and everything is cast in a slight pinkish glow. Could it be something to do with the aether that scientists talk about? Could it be different here?`There's time for questions and answers later, I suppose.
Eli is right - there is a full moon here, though I note by the craters that it looks quite different from the usual one. To look straight into a full moon and feel no draw to it, no ire, no fiery aching in my muscles, no fur all over me - it takes me back to when I was severed from my magic. I try to think of better times to offset the dread.
"Must be strange to stare into a full moon for as long as this and still be... well, you."
"Definitely. It's been a long time since I've seen it properly without turning."
The school building is enough to make the Annorin mansion look like a garden shed. I head straight for the door along with Eli. when I see her, I squeeze my hands together tight enough to stop them shaking. I run up to her, shouting her name, but there's no response. Once I wipe the blood from her face, she seems serene, almost as if she's sleeping.
I call her a few times, each one more frantic than the last.
My panic is not just about when Áine will wake up - it's moreso about whether or not she will end up the way I was, cut off from her gift, trapped between the realm of the living and the realm of the dead. After all this work, I pray to Lunvin that it does not happen. I dread to think how it would affect the future of the realm.
"Eli, I don't know what to expect. You're welcome to leave, if you'd like-"
"No," he responds, rather abrupt. "I'm staying right here with you, okay? You've been there for me before. Let me be there for you."
* * *
Kat, Ellie and Tsuna came back and forth to the realm with various bits and pieces both in preparation for the school and for Eli and I. Thankfully, they almost always brought food and water with them. I wonder why someone with the spell that creates food on the spot didn't offer to stick around, but here we are.
Whilst Eli was hard at work trying to get the realm prepared for everyone, I didn't move from Áine's side.
I offer prayers both to the Watcher and to Lunvin for her safety. At first, they are heartfelt and genuine, and as the hours pass, they become more and more half-hearted. I doubt either of them can hear me here, and even if they could, I don't know if they'd want to after all that I've done to disappoint them.
I don't stop talking to her in the hopes that my voice might somehow help rouse her, the way that it was Clem's voice that eventually brought me round. I talk to her about our memories together and about mundane little things.
* * *
I have no idea how time has passed here - whether time is faster or slower here than it is in the 'normal' world, or whether it's the same. It's difficult to judge when the sky remains the same colour and nothing outside changes. I could have been in here for hours - maybe days.
I can't shake the thought that, even if she doesn't end up sandwiched between life and death like I was, she still might end up with long-term sickness from it - even more long-term considering how much further her life will be extended over my own.
Eli returns once again from his errands with his arms full of books, so much so that he can barely see past the stack. He's supposed to be here to see how long-term stays in the realm affect him, but he's been in and out the whole time. Thankfully, Eli keeps a pocket watch on him - but it turns out I've only been half a day. Eli agrees to take over from me for a while so I can try and sleep.
* * *
It's been a total of three days. Her condition hasn't changed at all.
I haven't done anything for goodness-knows how long. I've just sat and waited and said nothing. I'd tried everything and nothing has changed. I'd hoped that I'd see Owen and see if he could do anything about it, but I've only seen Kat, Ellie, and Tsuna.
Eli doesn't seem particularly fazed, busy focusing on sorting out the books and alchemical ingredients, but I don't know if he's just hiding his feelings for the sake of trying to help out.
Eli staggers back through the door with a handful of hefty tomes, dumping them on the floor and wiping the sweat from his forehead. I haven't said much to him for some time.
"Are you doing alright, Eli?"
"I'm exhausted and I've got a headache I can't seem to shift. I don't think the constant in-and-out is doing me much good, but it needs to be done, I suppose."
"She's still not awake?"
"I'm sorry, Eli. I've tried all I can. I'm starting to wonder if your brother might be of some assistance."
"Possibly," he replies, with an unsure tone. "But I feel if he'd have known what to do, he'd have likely stayed... You said this happened to you before, didn't you? It also happened to my brother quite recently, but he was back home within a day."
"Indeed, but the trouble is Owen and I didn't cast anything half as powerful as what Áine had."
It let out a heavy sigh. I've been trying to be hopeful for the sake of all three of us, but it's growing difficult to do so. A bright smile appears on Eli's face all of a sudden.
"The realm is still standing, both you and Owen are still here. I think those are reasons to at least be a little bit optimistic. Like I said - you spent your entire life giving other people hope, Reynold, including me. At least let me give you some."
* * *
Áine, please, wake up - I'm begging you... I've begged the Watcher, I've begged Lunvin, now I have no other choice than to do the same of you.
You've done it. You did what you hoped to do, and this is only the beginning of a new era for magic-folk. I don't want you to miss the results of all your years of hard work. Even if what we have isn't the same as what we had before, it doesn't mean I can live without you. None of us. You've done so much for every single one of us, as well as countless others.
I don't realise Eli is behind me until I hear his voice.
"Reynold - did you catch that?"
"Catch what?"
"One moment - listen."
Áine
"Reynold...is that you?"
My vision is blurry, my mouth dry, and my stomach empty. I can barely move, and my forehead feels as if it's about to split open.
"Áine?" A soft hand grabs mine. "Áine, it's me. It's Reynold, and Eli is here with me."
"Reynold? So it is you," I say, barely able to muster a whisper. "I'm...I'm glad you're here. Come here."
Reynold gently lifts me, and all my muscles ache. He sits on the sofa and holds me in his lap, running his hand across my hair. His warmth comforts me. I keep my eyes closed for a while; the sparkling blue lights are an assault to the senses.
"What happened?"
"You created a whole world of your own, then you succumbed to overcharge," a voice says - likely Eli. "It's been about four days. Reynold and I stayed with you. The others are helping prepare the realm so we can start inviting people - but we didn't want to start doing that until you were awake."
"The realm? What - I - I made it? It worked?"
"Yes, it worked. Don't you remember?"
"No - not really."
My memory is hazy at best and non-existent at worst. I remember the Green Lion, and I remember Owen arriving at the settlement. Everything after that is blurry. Still, a sickly excitement fills my stomach. I created the realm. We have a safe place for witches to stay and learn their craft. If only Mother were here - I know she'd be proud beyond words.
"Is everyone else okay?"
"They're fine, Áine. They're trying to prepare the settlement for new witches, as well as get things set up here as well."
"I need to see it, Reynold," I beg him. "I need to see what I've created."
"You've been awake for only a few minutes. You need to be patient with yours-"
"Reynold, please, I've been looking forward to this day for so long."
"The two of us could help her up, Reynold."
Reynold and Eli both heave me to my feet. It's difficult to walk, but not impossible.
"I hope it's as beautiful as it looked in my mind."
"Oh, it's quite beautiful," Eli says, his voice strained.
We step out onto crunchy grass that almost feels real. I look all around to pink sky, trees, rivers and a carved stone portal. I gaze up into the sky and-
...it's...it's...
...broken.
The bridges are fractured into pieces, and debris floats all around the place - rocks, pieces of building, parts of the bridges. One of the other islands is full of broken buildings.
"What is this?! It's in pieces! This is nothing like what I had in mind!"
"You've done the unthinkable! You surpassed both the rules of magic and science! It's a breakthrough! There's nothing to be disappointed about, sister."
"Nothing to be disappointed about?! Everything is broken! The bridges are broken, there's bits and pieces everywhere - I can't teach here, not in a crumbling realm!"
"Áine, calm down! There's sparks all over you!"
I've never felt this before. Excess magic surrounds me in pink and blue clouds and sparkles. Each surge of it feels like my skin is being pricked with pins, and my hands won't stop trembling.
This place will never stand for all the time that I will be alive. I've wasted so much time and energy on this.
"Time will tell if it's safe here for others, but Eli has been back and forth a lot whilst you were unconscious, and he's doing fine."
"'Fine' is an overstatement, Reynold, but I'm not dead or falling to pieces or anything. Just feel a bit strange and my head hurts. I bet if I came here often enough, I'd get used to it - and magic-folk would probably find the transition between worlds a lot easier."
"Please, don't feel like you've let anyone down," Reynold says, softly. "You've made everyone proud. Your mother would think the world of what you've done."
I wish I could believe him.
Eli grabs my hand and helps me to my feet, and I can just about stand up. Its imperfection will have to do, I suppose. This is better than nothing.
"I know you wanted to quickly have the witches come here for their safety, but I think it's going to take a fair bit of time to get everything straight and ensure this place is safe."
"I understand. Reynold, when we are ready, I suggest you bring everything you can about the Lunvinchenaîné to keep it safe here. If it's as permanent as I hope it is, I want this place to be as you suggested - a place to preserve the culture of magic-folk. If you and Alistair truly are the last of them, then I don't want history to forget about your people."
"I appreciate that, Áine. It means the world - and you mean the world to me."
I try to walk towards him and instead end up falling into him. I throw my arms around him.
"I understand that we may never go back to the way we were, Reynold," I tell him, failing to stifle my tears, "but you will always mean everything to me in one way or another. I hope you know that."
"Of course I do - and I hope you know I feel the same way."
"Please, don't put yourself down. You should be proud of yourself for everything you've done - from the moment we met right up until now. But you also need to try and take it easy for now."
"Reynold's right, Áine. What happened to you when you passed out, it was similar to what happens when Owen's magic messes with him."
I must have suffered a case of severe overcharge... I thought it was impossible for true witches who were trained well as children to have any trouble with it. Was the spell really so powerful that even with my blood, even with so many components to power the spell, it still overpowered me? I dread to think about it too much. This realm's existence relies on my magical ability as well as on my being alive.
"Áine, you can't overthink anything for the time being, okay? Right now, all you need is rest. Time will tell for everything else on your mind."
"One way or another, you've been given more time than most," Reynold explains, with a warm smile. "You can't spend the rest of your days worrying about 'what ifs', not with the amount of days you're going to have. What will be will be, and you can tackle all of that later on - but for now, you need to think about what we're going to do about inviting people here and such."
Reynold is correct. I have no idea whether my overcharge is the sign of something more serious, nor whether this realm will remain tangible and intact for the forseeable future. I need to stop thinking about what could potentially go wrong, and more about how this could change everything for magic-folk.
