Meridias

  Maria stopped close to Elrik’s Emporium. This was the place where she’d revealed herself to him. She went to the side of the building and leaned against it. Elunduil stood where he was with a quizzical look in his eyes. “So, I um heard about Ark,” she said meekly. It wasn’t what she wanted to talk to him about but she didn’t want to just come out and say what was on her mind yet. “Oh, I see…” he trailed off. His eyes seemed dim. Maria wondered if her topic had been a mistake. “Was there some kind of announcement?” he asked as he walked up and leaned against the wall next to her. “No, I just overheard the knights talking about it last night.” She gulped at Elunduil’s closeness. He didn’t seem to notice her discomfort. “… I can tell you if you want.” He didn’t care if Maria knew about him coming to Meridias before. There was no reason to hide it and she would understand why he was stronger than her. Maria nodded. Elunduil sighed. Well he knew roughly where to start. “Alright.”

  He explained everything. That his kidnapping had simply been a cover-up. How he’d learned magic when he came to this world in spring. He’d fought the knights with the elves and eventually fought their leader. It had taken everything he’d had to win but even then he still had to destroy the weapon that threatened to wipe out the elf’s home. Without any other options he’d chosen to blow up the weapon knowing that he wouldn’t be able to escape the explosion that had ensued. However in the moment that he’d been about to be engulfed by the blast he desperately tried to save himself through whatever means possible.

  “The next thing that I knew I was high in air the over Ark’s shoulder. He saved me, but at the time I didn’t realize where he’d come from and neither did he.” Elunduil paused for a moment. “Then yesterday happened and I learned the truth… Ark was a part of my soul or maybe personality that I’d split up back then. He was me, but he was also himself. He had to learn emotions. Learn how to speak. He always looked out for me…” Elunduil trailed off. “He was becoming his own person, and now he’s gone. Instead all that’s left is me, and the memories that he had.”

  Maria wasn’t sure how to respond. The legend the knights had shown them when they’d first arrived had mentioned Ark by name and him saving The Firewall Flower. Elunduil seemed saddened over Ark’s loss and of the person that he could’ve become. It was crazy that they were two pieces of one person. “I do remember you asking me, no Ark to save me yesterday,” Elunduil said. Maria’s cheeks flushed. She looked down and fiddled with her fingers.

  “Oh? Um, well you know someone had to do it.” She laughed nervously.

  “Thank you,” Elunduil replied. Maria looked up. He was looking at her with an intense gaze. She looked away and nodded her head. “Uh, there is one thing that I’m curious about. That legend the knights talked about on the first day… was that about you?” she asked and looked at him anxiously. Elunduil thought about his response for a moment before he shrugged and said, “Yes. They made it seem like it happened a long time ago but really it was only a couple of months.” A lot of emotions went through Maria. Anxiety, elation, awe. She’d suspected him for awhile but actually hearing it from his mouth gave rise to those emotions and more.

  She wondered if the time was right. He’d revealed his truth to her just as she’d revealed her secret to him. What she didn’t realize was that Elunduil didn’t think it was a big deal to tell her about Ark and his past. “So, uh there’s something else…” she nervously ran a hand through her hair. “Ok?” he replied. Maria took a breath. It was now or never!

  “I, uh think that you’re actually pretty cool,” she said. Elunduil’s reaction to her words was not what she’d expected. He laughed boisterously and she watched him with a bemused expression. “Sorry, but I don’t see how I’m cool,” he replied when his laughter died down. To him he was just a decently intelligent person who was good at video games. He didn’t think he was cool. “You really are!” Maria insisted as she walked in front of him and stared him in the eyes, momentarily forgetting her unease. “You’ve always been better than me at magic! You saved me from the Cerebus and the World Eater! Even though I’ve always made fun of you, looked down on you, and fought with you. You’ve never hesitated to save me because of it!” Maria’s gaze was intense. “You told me that when you stop it’s like a lapse in time, and you told me about Ark, and that you’re the Firewall Flower. Even when I told you about my parents you still… accepted me.” Elunduil still wasn’t sure what had brought all of this on but he still didn’t see anything of it being a big deal. Well except for the emotional reaction Maria had after she’d talked about her parents last week. “That’s just the way I am.” He tried to dismiss her claims by deflecting it.

  Maria stepped closer and said, “That’s exactly why! People who do what you do naturally are cool because they don’t need to think about it! They just do it!” Maria’s face was only a few inches from Elunduil’s. “T-that’s what I like about you! You accept people for who they are, and you won’t hesitate to save them even if they treat you like crap!” It took a moment for Maria to realize what she’d said. She stepped back in shock as embarrassment took hold. “So, what do you think?” Her heart pounded as Elunduil tilted his head to the side. How would he respond? “I like you too?” he answered. Her mind reeled.

  “Really?” she asked meekly and looked down. He shrugged.

  “Well you aren’t so bad once you drop the haughty act, so yeah.” Maria’s cheeks flushed. She heard his words but didn’t notice his tone. He spoke casually and without a hint of nervousness. She looked back up at him. He had a blank expression on his face as she stepped closer. “What else?” she asked. He shrugged.

  “I don’t know. You’re reliable? Also pretty stubborn.” He looked to the side for a moment. Maria’s heart pounded in her chest. She didn’t even think about what she was doing and leaned forward.

  Maria expected her lips to meet Elunduil’s cheek however he started to talk and jarred her out of her trance. “What are you doing?” He asked, his tone flat. Startled she pulled back.

  “N-nothing!” she replied and her cheeks burned. She berated herself. Why had she even tried to-! Never mind! She didn’t want to think about what she’d been about to do!

  “I knew it!” Elunduil and Maria whipped about towards the voice in time to see a head of orange hair retreating into the distance. “Wasn’t that… Alicia?” Maria asked. Elunduil nodded his head and looked bemused. What had she meant? He racked his brain for any context or correlation to previous days until it struck him. “Ah!” he groaned. “She thinks there’s something going on between us.” The way she’d acted when she’d asked Elunduil about him and Maria after the World Eater incident stuck out in his mind. “What do you mean?” Maria asked timidly. “She saw what happened last week. She must’ve assumed we had something going on between us and got jealous. Even though there isn’t.” Everything suddenly seemed distant to Maria. So he didn’t have any feelings for her. Then what he’d been saying… She clenched her teeth. I’m an idiot! She looked away from Elunduil. “You should go after her,” she managed to say.

  Elunduil didn’t respond. He stepped away from the wall, paused for a moment, and hurriedly trotted after Alicia. If Maria had been looking she would’ve seen a somber look on his face. His pulse was racing. He knew. He’d hid it the best he could but the moment she’d started talking about why she thought he was cool he’d known why she’d called him out. He didn’t agree with her that he was cool but her meek demeanor and nervousness had been plain as day. He’d meant that he’d liked her as a person rather than a romantic interest but she’d misunderstood. He’d practically had to force out that there wasn’t anything between them. He hated trampling on people’s feelings.

  Chapter 18

  Alicia Disappears

  Alicia hummed happily to herself while her father drove her to the VR center. “Did something good happen?” her dad asked.

  “Uh, well sorta,” she replied embarrassed to go into detail. Her dad seemed to pick u
p on her sudden shyness and nodded. “I see, well good luck today!” Alicia chuckled and smiled. She thought back to yesterday with Elunduil. Hopefully he was in a better mood today. It had been hard for her to ever imagine him being emotionally impacted by something until she’d seen the listless look in his eyes. Still it seemed as if he’d managed to feel better when they’d gone to eat. She giggled to herself. Having his grandma think they were out on a date had been exhilarating. She hoped that they’d really be dating soon.

  When they arrived at the VR center Alicia said goodbye to her dad and hopped out of the car. She almost skipped with each step as she went into the building. She greeted Mr. Elden who was working the front desk. “Ah, Alicia! Elunduil is already here if you’re wondering!” he said. Alicia was a bit surprised. “Really?” she responded. He nodded and sighed.

  “Unfortunately he didn’t have much energy. I’m not surprised given the story I’d heard from the knights.” Alicia grew concerned. Elunduil still wasn’t alright? She bit her lower lip and looked to the portal. She’d have to go find him. She thanked Mr. Elden and walked over to one of the portals. It hummed to life and a shimmering blue lit up the room. She took a deep breath and stepped into the portal.

  As soon as she arrived on the other side she went and grabbed an APL device and quickly walked outside. There weren’t many people about and most of them were the knights. “Ah, today is a wonderful day!” The British accent caught her attention and she saw a man with a striped brown blazer and a red bow tie hurrying towards her. “Coming through!” he said loudly and Alicia took a step back to get out of his way. The man passed by her then paused and doubled back. “You’re not from here are you?” he asked cheerfully. Alicia was taken aback and shook her head. “Excellent! Could you tell me what you think of this world?” he asked and stepped back with his arms outstretched. Alicia chuckled at the strange man’s antics. “Uh, it’s very real. Like to the point where you can’t tell it’s virtual,” she said. The man’s face lit up.

  “Yes! Exactly, Exactly, exactly! That is exactly the point!” he said clearly excited. Alicia was a bit confused. “Uh, anyway I have to find someone,” she said remembering Elunduil. The man practically bounced. “Ooh! One of your friends? Is he not from here too?” he asked. Alicia nodded. “Well I believe I saw some more kids your age gooo a-that-a-way!” He pointed to her left. “It was the young lad I met yesterday and a girl with short blonde hair. The lad seemed a bit out of sorts.” There was a hint of concern in the man’s smooth voice. Alicia thanked him and was about to run off but paused. “My name is Alicia by the way!” she said. The man grinned widely. “Alicia? What a lovely name! Let’s see you can call me… The Explorer!” Alicia thanked The Explorer again and hurried to find Elunduil.

  While Alicia hurried in the direction Elunduil had gone she wondered if the girl he was with was Maria. It had to be her. Elunduil wouldn’t go off with some random stranger. Why was he with her though? What did Maria want with him? Suspicion grew in her mind. Maria had to be up to something. Alicia picked up her pace and spied Elrik’s emporium in the distance. As she drew near what she saw made her freeze in place. Elunduil was leaning against the wall by Elrik’s and Maria was in front of him slowly leaning in. Alicia’s mind reeled. Maria was-! She saw Elunduil say something and Maria was startled and pulled back. Alicia reeled as she realized Maria had been trying to kiss Elunduil. Shock, anger, and jealousy rose up inside Alica. “I-” she started to say. “I knew it!” she shouted and turned and ran. She didn’t know what to do right now. She just wanted to get away! She ran over to transportation building and after briefly talking to one of the knights she was in a Heracles transport and speeding to Ellicia.

  Elunduil searched high and low in the area around the tower. He’d briefly stepped into the community center and looked to no avail. Alicia was nowhere to be found. He sighed to himself and half-heartedly walked back to Tel’kedar. He checked his watch. Tim and the others would probably be here by now. He entered the tower and saw his brother, Tanis, and Tim standing in a group near the mission board talking with Daniel and Dave. “Hey…” Elunduil said when he approached them. They looked about in surprise for a moment. “When did you get here?” Tanis asked in surprise. “Ah, whatever, anyway have you seen Alicia yet?” he asked. Elunduil looked at the two brothers and felt awkward. He made a difficult expression and grunted. The others were bemused by his reaction.

  Elunduil tried to explain what happened to the best of his abilities. He wasn’t comfortable sharing everything and gave them the basic gist of what had happened as follows; Maria had called him out this morning to talk with him about something. She had heard that Ark was gone and he’d revealed that Ark was a part of his soul, and part of the story from the first time he’d come to Meridias. Daniel and Dave were surprised but let Elunduil finish his story. Maria had been insisting that he was cool person and had leaned forward in her excitement when someone had called out. Elunduil had realized it was Alicia and assumed there had been some sort of misunderstanding. Now he was searching Ragnarok for her. “You know is it just me or does Maria seem to be less hostile towards you recently?” Tim asked. “I know she still acts that way but it seems a lot less than when we first met.” Elunduil gave a half shrug.

  Daniel and Dave seemed pensive. “You know now that Tim mentions it Maria has been acting a little differently. Ever since that crazy flying worm creature showed up last week,” Dave said. Daniel nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah you should’ve heard her after that day! Like she acted pretty normal when she first told us what had happened but her eyes lit up when she was talking about how Elunduil had blasted the creature to bits!” Daniel looked to the others and they pondered some more. “I’ve got it!” Daniel exclaimed. “Maria has a crush on someone! That’s why she’s been acting off!” Dave and the others gave him a funny look. Elunduil awkwardly looked off to the side. “What? No way?!” Dave said tapping his brother on the shoulder.

  “Well what else could it be? I mean girls tend to act more subdued and stuff when someone they like is around…” Daniel furrowed his brows. “Wait that means… It’s Elunduil!” He pointed to Elunduil who tried to shrug. Dave lightly hit Daniel on the head and apologized to Elunduil. He waved it off and the brothers decided to go see where Maria ran off to. After they left, Elunduil and the others went to Ellicia. They figured that it was the next most likely place that Alicia would run off to.

  The first stop they made when they got to Ellicia was Cooper’s home. When they went there and spoke with the elf he told them that he hadn’t seen Alicia so they left. When they had gone Alicia poked her head around from the studies doorway. “Thanks,” she said. The old elf chuckled. “I know not your quarrel but so long as you wish it you can hide here,” he said with a smile. Alicia smiled back and sat down at the desk. She didn’t want to see Elunduil or the others right now. She needed time to think.

  The group decided to go to the town hall next. Angurvadel was probably preparing the morning class and Cerra was likely to be there as well. When they went inside the building and made their way to the training room they found the two elves. Cerra appeared to be training quite furiously while Angurvadel watched. “Ah, hello children,” the elder said as they entered. Elunduil and the others nodded in response. Cerra turned around. “Everyone! It’s wonderful to see you again today!” she said “Come see what I can do!” She sounded excited so everyone went over to were Angruvadel was standing to watch. Elunduil noticed there was a vortex of magical energy across from her. She spread out her hands and a lance of ice appeared in the air that was about three feet long. She directed it with her hands and shot it into the vortex. “Well?” she said after the demonstration.

  Tanis was the first to react. “That’s cool! I still wish I could use magic like everyone else!” he said. Elunduil was impressed as well. When they’d first met Cerra hadn’t been able to use magic to this extent. “You’ve been working hard,” he commented. Cerra smiled.

  “Yes,
well I’ve come to realize recently that I don’t want to be helpless so I’m working hard to become stronger.” Her eyes darkened for only a moment but everyone understood her motivation. The Syth and her parents. “Anyway I think Angurvadel is ready to teach now that people are arriving.” Elunduil looked back to the doorway to see a couple more kids wandering in. The elder nodded and waved a hand that dispelled the vortex. “Before that I would like to speak with everyone here. Cerra would you get the other children started?” Cerra nodded to the elder and went to instruct the other teens.

  Angurvadel turned to the group. “Elunduil I heard that Ark did not return. I would like to hear what happened,” he said. Elunduil nodded, and for the third time in the past two days he recollected his tale. Running through a dark forest, getting corned by the behemoth, Ark trying to save him and the Sword of Time breaking. The elder had a raised brow from the tale. “I see. So you let your other friends know that you had been to our world before. What happened to Ark?” Elunduil hesitated with his mouth half-open. A memory came to the surface of his mind. “Have you… recovered any more data from the ruins?” he asked. The elder gazed at him for a long moment before speaking. “I see, so you have been restored. We will speak more after today’s lesson.” The elder dismissed them and they went to join Cerra and the other trainees.

  Today Angurvadel taught them about sensing magic. Elunduil listened as the elder explained that sensing magic could be used to find and detect a manner of things, from other mages to simple everyday objects or types of materials. He showed them a spell that could be used to sense if there was water nearby. Tanis asked if it would detect people since the human body was mostly water. “A good question, Tanis. This sensing magic detects water in its pure form. It ignores the water that is intermingled with our bodies.” Tanis nodded at the elder’s explanation. After he finished his lecture he had everyone try to use the magic. Tanis found that with The Light guiding him he could sense the water that the elder had in a bowl on the floor. Cerra, Elunduil, and Tim also had no trouble. Felras struggled a bit but he too was eventually able to use the spell.