by Kira Wilson
Needing to be alone with his thoughts, Shalaron walked to his quarters and wrapped a gray traveling cloak over his garments. He gathered a few supplies and waited in the outer chamber for Melarras to return.
There were few people that Shalaron truly considered friends. Beyond Halathas, who had been by his side for decades, only Melarras had shown himself to be worthy of his complete trust and respect. It was a bond that Shalaron felt comforted by in troubled times.
Melarras bore a displeased expression when he returned to the temple. "She was not at the house, my Sage. Varlath said that she was assisting the Artisan of the Natural World with a ceremony and was not to be disturbed. I am loath to distrust him, but his words did not ring true to me."
Shalaron nodded, pleased by Melarras's dedication, but not at the news he bore. "Your senses are sharp as always, my friend. You have been one of my most loyal guardians, so I must entrust you with a serious task. There is a conspiracy at work here that demands my intervention. You have seen the first traces of it here today. I must depart for a time. I do not know how long it will take me to uproot this corruption." Shalaron paused and looked out over the city. "Carry word of what I have said to Halathas, and instruct him that he is to keep order until Siath sees to my return. Guard him as you would me, and maintain peace within Ilinar.
Melarras bowed deeply. "It will be as you have commanded, my lord Sage. Neither darkness nor flame shall touch our city while I draw breath."
Shalaron laid a hand on his shoulder in blessing and departed down the temple stairs.
No one noticed Shalaron pass through the streets of the city. He wandered quietly to the wall near Varlath's house and looked about for any witnesses. The area was empty and with a focused jump, Shalaron cleared the walls. Once he was under the trees, he concentrated on his palm, and a layer of light spread over his fingers. He raised his hand, and a set of fresh footprints began to glow green. They were headed toward the deep wilderness. Quickly, he followed them.
The trail led Shalaron to a large grove, where another set of prints joined the first. The second set glowed blue, clearly not one of his people, and his lips curled in a grimace. He had an idea of who had come to meet here.
The trail led deeper into the wilderness, and Shalaron broke into a run, hoping to gain on his prey.
Someone laughed from a grove up ahead. Shalaron released the light and moved with absolute quiet, stalking through the trees and pressing against a rock near an open clearing. He saw Analara walking side-by-side with David, their hands entwined. They approached the center of the clearing, and David stepped behind her and covered her eyes.
A flash of blue light hung near the ground. It expanded and formed a glowing doorway. The forest inside it darkened, becoming black and strange. Keeping Analara's eyes shut, David guided her straight into the darkness, and they disappeared from view.
Shalaron waited a minute, but they did not return. The strange portal began to shrink, fading from view. Shedding his cloak, Shalaron raced forward and dove into the darkness before the gateway vanished.
***
David kept a firm grip on Analara's hand as he guided her through the command core. He watched her from the edge of his vision, making sure she kept her eyes shut. There was enough light to see the curiosity on her face. "There is a strange feeling here. What kind of place is this?" she whispered.
"Think of it like a passageway between places," he answered. "It is the fastest way to get to where we are going."
"We aren't outside anymore, are we? I can't sense any trees or plants near us."
Laughing softly, David put an arm around her shoulder and steered her toward the castle portal. "I'll explain it all later, if you want to know the details. But we have to hurry. My present needs to be given soon."
They emerged into the mirror room. Puffs of dust kicked up as they walked toward the door, and Analara gave a quiet sneeze. Without letting her hand go, David held the door open and guided her through.
David had changed the castle considerably in preparation for Analara's arrival. He had removed the murky gloom and the seething shadows. Candles flickered in dozens of sconces along the walls, casting their soft glow into crystal chandeliers. The marble-tiled floor of the entranceway gleamed. "All right, Analara, you can look now."
For several minutes Analara stood silent, mouth agape and eyes staring. She ran her hand over a banister, marveling at its polished surface. "Is this your home?"
"I don't live here, but this place is mine." David swept his gaze across the chamber, pride welling up inside of him. "I come here if I'm troubled, or when I just need to escape from things for a while. It was the one place I could truly be alone." He took her hand again and squeezed it. "At least until now."
Analara turned to look at him. In the candlelight, he could see tears glistening in her green eyes. She squeezed his hand back and smiled.
"Come on." He tugged her hand and started toward the upper balcony. "There's something I want you to see—"
"David, wait." She pulled back. "Wait. I have something to give you."
"Could we do it in a moment? We only have a few more minutes."
"Please?"
There was something in her voice that stilled his arguments. Mind buzzing with curiosity, he nodded. Analara bit her lip and untied a draw-string pouch from her belt, holding it tightly before pressing it into his hand. David opened it and reached inside. The tips of his fingers felt something cold and smooth. He drew out a string of stone beads, tied in a loop with a three-color pattern: blue, green and red.
"I-I don't know if… if you have this tradition among your people." Analara reached up to brush the beads, and David felt her fingers tremble. "It's a, um, well, it's a special tradition in Ilinar. It's a symbol of, of strong friendship and… interest."
She blushed fiercely as she said it, and David's eyes went wide.
Did she just tell me that she…
David closed his fingers around the bracelet, holding Analara's hand against it, and smiled at her, shock still numbing his thoughts. "You made this gift to tell me that you have feelings for me."
Hesitantly, Analara nodded.
David spread his arms, turned and gestured to the chamber and the castle beyond. "So did I. This place is a present for you." He turned back to her as he felt her arms encircle him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The hug was shorter than he would have liked, but he knew time was running out. "It's time to show you the rest of my gift. Close your eyes again."
Taking her hand, David guided Analara up a spiral staircase. Above them, he could see brilliant orange light glowing from a window; the sun was setting.
Windowed doors led them to a balcony overlooking the castle grounds and the valley below. From a distance they could hear waves thundering against the ocean cliffs. A cool breeze drifted past and rippled through Analara's hair. "David, what's that sound?"
"Just wait." David gripped her arms and turned her sideways, facing her toward the sun and the sea beyond. The glowing orb sank slowly into the horizon, igniting the sky with gold rimmed clouds. Heart pounding, he wrapped his arms loosely about her waist. "Okay, open your eyes."
Analara lowered her hands, and David saw them fly to her mouth. He peeked over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse of her reaction; her eyes were wide above her hands, her breath completely silent. A smile broke across his face.
Suddenly she backed up hard against him. David released her to avoid being knocked down, and Analara turned away. She shuddered and stared at the horizon with an expression of terror.
"Analara, what—"
She screamed, cutting him off, and looked around wildly for an escape. Before David could react, she ran back into the castle and disappeared down the staircase.
"Analara," David shouted, chasing after her. He rounded a corner and found her stopped in front of Winston. She took a look at the ghostly figure and screamed again, dashing down another c
orridor. Knowing the surroundings far better, he was finally able to catch her in the throne room, throwing his arms around her. She screamed and tried to shake him off. "Analara, please stop! Tell me what's wrong."
"The sky," she cried. "The sky is poisoned. Where have you taken me? What have I done?"
Analara wrenched out of David's grip, sending him crashing into a table, then collapsed against the wall, her breath choked by sobs.
Rubbing his side, David gaped at her. "What do you mean, the sky is poisoned? It was just a sunset. A sunset that I made for you."
"Beware blue skies that steal breath; beware blue sky for it brings death," Analara chanted in between sobs. "This place has been corrupted. Why would you bring me here?"
David knelt beside her, trying to draw her gaze. "Analara, I don't know what you're talking about. The sky is supposed to be blue here. Please, please tell me what's wrong."
Analara lifted her head and stared at him, her face a mask of terror. "David, where are we?"
"It's just a different module. I opened a gateway between your program and the castle, I just wanted to show you… your present." He sighed, trying not to let his hurt and frustration spill out. "I rebuilt this module for you as a gift."
"Module?"
"Yes, a module like yours, but one that I built. It's just a different world."
"What? Are you saying you built an entire world?"
"No. It's just a different program in V-Net. It's what I do, Analara. I build modules."
"What is a module? This isn't making any sense!"
"How can you not know what a…" David rubbed his forehead. "Please, Analara, don't play with me like this. You have to know what a module is. You practically live in one."
"I live on a world. The world of Analath. How could you take me to another place? Who possesses that kind of power?" Analara started crying again, wrapping her arms about her body and trying to squeeze farther into the corner. "David, I'm scared."
David watched her, his frustration ebbing as she rocked back and forth.
She isn't playing with me. She really is terrified. What did I do? What the hell is going on? Has she lived in her module for so long that she can't come out of it?
Gently David pulled Analara into his arms and held her. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm sorry that I scared you. It's going to be okay. I'll figure this out, I promise."
She buried her face in his shirt. "What are you, David?"
What am I? The question doesn't make any sense. Even if she'd become forgetful of everything else, she'd know we were the same. Then again, how can she not know what a module is? Analath is a module, a perfectly programmed world…
Programmed…
"Analara, look at me, please." David turned her in his arms so that she could look into his eyes. "I don't know what's happening right now. There is something going on here that I have to figure out. To do so, I need you to be completely honest with me, understand?"
Analara sniffed, and then nodded.
"Okay. Here goes." David took a deep breath. "Do you know what V-Net is?"
Analara shook her head.
"Do you know who VERA is?"
She shook her head again.
"Do you know what Phoenix is?"
David's mouth went dry as she shook her head no.
"All right. Tell me as clearly as possible. What is Analath?" Analara looked at him as though he had lost his mind, but he shook his head. "Please, just tell me."
"Analath is the world. It is the planet. It is home."
A planet. A planet with green sky and towering roanan trees. A planet of pristine wilderness. A planet with strange creatures and wild predators. A planet where sages could control the very elements. A planet where no one had heard of VERA or knew that Phoenix was mankind's new homeworld…
An entirely different planet.
"Oh hell…" David didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or simply pass out. "I've been traveling to an alien planet."
Chapter 15
A dreadful silence followed that statement. David felt Analara staring at him, through him, as though she expected him to disappear at any moment. He could hardly blame her. His fingers squeezed her shoulder gently as he tried to grasp hold of the fact that her present form was real and not just a collection of electric currents and pieces of data. He didn't know how it was possible, but—
"It's the only explanation that makes sense," David murmured.
"No," Analara said. "No, it doesn't make sense. None of this makes any sense! David, how is this even possible?"
Her eyes begged him for answers, but all he could do was laugh helplessly. "I don't know. Everything I do know tells me that it shouldn't be possible. But, Analara, consider it for a moment. I've always been more than just a stranger, haven't I? On some level, I am different."
Analara chewed her bottom lip and avoided his gaze.
"All this time, I thought it was just another program. A fixed alternate reality connected loosely to the system." David knew he was rambling, but the thoughts continued to flow. The more he pieced it together, the more the details fell into place: little things that had troubled him about the Analath 'module' and its tenuous connection to V-Net. It opened possibilities that he had never even considered before. Virtual space bridging the gap to the real world. It was terrifying, yet exhilarating.
David grinned at Analara guiltily. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not making much sense. It's just that… things don't work the same on my world as they do on Analath. I wish I could show you."
I wish I could share my world with you the way you've shared yours with me.
Looking at Analara in a new light, it dawned on David that nothing had changed about his feelings. Even knowing that she was an 'alien' didn't diminish his love.
Analara sniffed, and a few more tears rolled down her face. She looked so frightened and lost that David scolded himself for getting caught up in his own thoughts. Caressing her tear-stained cheeks, he tilted her head to face his. "Analara, listen to me. I don't know how this happened, or why, but I am glad it did."
David reached into his pocket and withdrew the bracelet that she had made for him, holding it up for her to see. "This wasn't an accident. This is real. My feelings for you are real, and in the end it doesn't matter to me which end of the universe either of us comes from. I promise that I will keep you safe here and do everything I can to figure this out."
Analara glanced from the bracelet to his face and wiped her tears away. She nodded, and a smile touched her lips. She snuggled closer, and David wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry that I ran away from your present," she whispered.
"Don't be. Everything's going to be okay. I promise. You protected me when I was lost and alone. Now I get to return the favor."
"I thought I told you I needed no repayment?"
"Well, you get it anyway."
David felt her arms curl around his waist. "Thank you." Analara took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I still can't believe this is happening."
Looking down at her wrapped in his arms, David broke into a wide grin, half expecting to wake from a crazed daydream. "You and me both, Analara."
"What you said before, about this not changing how you felt? I feel the same. I…" Her arms tightened around him. "I care about you very much, David."
"Even though your gift was nice, and mine was horrific?"
That earned David a laugh and a light punch to his side. "Stop that. It was a nice thought. I don't know of anyone in the history of my people who's been given a sunset before." They lapsed into a brief silence. "So what happens now?"
"Well, I think we should introduce ourselves properly." David released the hug and smiled at her. "Hi. My name is David Harris, and I'm a human from the planet Phoenix. Pleased to meet you."
***
Analara tried to suppress the shiver of fear that ran down her spine as she stared at the dimming blue horizon. She clung to David's hand for support. "This isn't real?"
"No. It's
a computer program. We call it a module."
"And you created all of this?" Still holding onto David, Analara stretched out her other hand and felt a chill, damp breeze glide over her arm. "How can that be? It feels real." At least, real enough to fool her natural senses. The land here was rocky, and the sounds of the great expanse of water battering the far off cliffs drifted on the air. She had heard of the great seas to the north, but had never imagined they could make such noise. The air, while not poisonous, tasted tangy and unfamiliar.
Analara's deeper senses told her a different story. There was nothing truly living in this place, nothing that responded to her silent call. She felt strangely empty.
David reached out and entwined his fingers with hers. "To fully explain how it all works would be extremely difficult. Think about it this way. Have you ever heard a story and imagined yourself inside of it? What it might look or sound like?"
Analara nodded. "Many times."
"A module is very much like that. We've learned how to sculpt stories into places you can enter. It isn't real, just a very convincing story."
Analara pulled her hand back and guided David's arm around her waist. With him standing so close, she felt some of her nervousness ease. "And somehow, we are sharing the same story?" She turned her head to look up at his bemused smile.
"Yes. Happily so, I might add."
Leaning against David, Analara let her head rest on his shoulder and stared out into the endless expanse of sky. Slowly, stars began to peek out of the growing darkness. A story. Not real. Except that it felt that way. It existed as a dream that people could visit whenever they wished. Looking across the valley she realized just how beautiful it really was. She stood under the sky of a world she could never have imagined.
Analara's stomach shivered with giddiness, and she tilted her head so that the tip of her nose brushed against David's neck. "What other stories can you show me?" She could have imagined it, but it seemed that his heart beat a little faster beneath her hand.