Meridias

  Elunduil got out of his bed and leaped down to the floor. He suddenly didn’t feel like going to Meridias. Not after that dream. After he got his clothes on and ate his breakfast he decided to wander around town. Maybe that would ease his mind. Though he didn’t really have any place in mind he decided to walk over to the wetlands that lay nearby. As he walked he wondered if he should tell the others about what he’d seen, but in his experience telling people about their possible death would wind up with them dying to the very thing they tried to avoid. Well at least that’s how it tended to happen on TV.

  Once he made it to the wetlands he spent his time wandering about and exploring the paths. There was one path that became overgrown and he decided to push through to see where it led. It didn’t take him very long to reach a point where there wasn’t really any path and there wasn’t much to see besides a bubbling creek through the bushes and trees. Having nothing else to do he turned around and headed back home.

  When he got home he heard from his mom that the others had called. Elunduil shrugged it off apathetically and went upstairs to his room. He turned on his gaming console and spent the rest of the afternoon playing a fighting game with iconic gaming characters in it. He went to the temple arena and turned on bomb items and increased the damage percentage to 300% base as well as increasing the number of lives to 99. It took him around an hour to finish the match and he occasionally chuckled when one of the AI characters slammed into five different parts of the stage before rocketing off the stage. He looked at the clock and realized it was nearly dinner time. He went to turn of the console and paused. Something about the words items caught his attention and he thought back to the dream. What if…

  Realization dawned on him and he turned to the worn brown jacket that he hadn’t worn in months. He went over to it and dug through the pockets until his hands clasped a large object. He pulled out a beaded bracelet and his heart jumped in his chest. This was what Cerra had given him! He turned it about in his hands. The beads had images on them that told the story of when he first went to Meridias with Mr. Elden. There was a portal, trees, knights, and elves. In the middle of the bracelet was a small diamond. He clasped the bracelet in his hand as his mind raced. He looked around. Felras was currently in the other room at the computer. He took the bracelet and stuffed it into his pocket then raced down the stairs. He had to know for certain if everything was real!

  He raced back to the wetlands and found a secluded spot. After looking around several times he took a deep breath and focused. He felt his energy rise up inside of him and flow towards his outstretched hand. He paused and considered what magic to try and use. Well there could only be one answer. He gave the energy form in his mind and a small flame appeared in the space above his hand. He was calm and kept the flame growing and made it bigger. It grew to the size of a basketball before Elunduil decided to end the spell. To his surprise he found himself more tired than he should of. He frowned to himself. Was magic harder to use on Earth? He turned over the question in his head as he hurried back home. He would have to show the others his discovery, but they would also have to talk to Mr. Elden and get the truth out of him.

  ***

  Tim and the others had spent the last couple of hours training. It was near the end of the day so they were preparing to go home. However he had some business with Angurvadel in regards to the book he’d read the other day. He walked up to the elder and bowed his head. “May I have a word with you?” he asked. Angurvadel nodded. “The other day when I was perusing some of the Elvin texts I came across an interesting bit of history and have been wondering about some of the things it claimed. Perhaps you can shed some light on it?”

  “Ah, you have been reading of our past have you not? Very well I shall answer what I can. There are some things better not left forgotten,” Angurvadel responded. Tim agreed with the sentiment and asked the elder about Carthage and the elf who had a similar ability in magic to Elunduil. The elder stroke his beard for a long time. “I was very young around that time. The only other elf left from that era is Cooper so he would probably have more insight than I, but I hear that the elf in question was young and reckless. He’d wanted to test his strength and at the end of that battle he realized the atrocities he had committed and swore never to use his magic against the living again.” Tim nodded.

  If he really wanted to know more about that era then he should ask Cooper. “What of the Genesis Seed? What kind of magic is it?” he asked. Angurvadel sighed deeply and there was a hint of sadness on his handsome face. “It is not magic that everyone can use. You could almost say it is one of the pinnacles of magic that a mage can reach.” The elder turned to the side. “Perhaps you’ve heard of the world egg concept? It states that the world, nay the universe as we know it hatched from an egg and is often the basis of some older mythologies. A Genesis Seed is a similar concept.”

  Angurvadel paused to let the weight of his words sink in. Tim had a feeling he knew where this was going and was curious to know more. “This magic essentially takes a user’s mindscape and manifests it in the current reality. The one spoken of in the book was rumored to be like the vast sky above. The elf brought forth that reality and used it to end the battle. We know not how exactly it happened but what we do know is the aftermath. The fields of Carthage became unable to sustain crop and the soldiers that had become trapped in the Genesis Seed vanished without trace.” Tim was uncertain how to react. It sounded like this was a dangerous magic. “What of the elf? Was his orientation void like Elunduil because if that’s the case…” Tim trailed off. Elunduil might eventually use a magic like that if left uninformed.

  “Worry not. Elunduil is not someone to use a magic like that so lightly. Though I’m sure he may be able to one day. He and the elf do share the same orientation. After all that is the reason why I know anything in the first place, is it not?” The elder’s last line was said in a joking manner in an effort to lighten the mood. Tim nodded. Well it only made sense that Angurvadel would know so much since it had happened before. He thanked the elder and rejoined the others. Alicia worried about Elunduil but Tanis and Tim knew Elunduil. He wouldn’t tell them he wasn’t going to be here if he had other plans. They wrapped up their day and went home. Tim would have to tell Elunduil what he’d learned tomorrow, but first he wanted dinner!

  The next day Elunduil called everyone else over to his house. He didn’t tell them anything other than that he wanted to show them something interesting over at the wetlands. Tim, being the closest, was the first one to arrive. While they waited for the others Tim told Elunduil about the elf that was similar to him and about the Genesis Seed. “So it births a world based on the user’s internal world?” Elunduil asked. Tim nodded.

  “That would be a succinct description. It sounds dangerous.” There was a hint of warning in Tim’s voice. Elunduil nodded and mulled things over. What did Auras mean? It was close to the word aura but if it was from ancient times then it might be a word from Greek or Latin. He wondered what his would look like and an image of that barren world with dawn’s light across the horizon appeared in his mind.

  Alicia and Tanis arrived a couple minutes apart from each other. Elunduil and Tim rose from their seats. Felras joined them as they headed out the door. He was curious as to what was so important that they had forgone going to the VR center. Tanis asked Elunduil what his big secret was but Elunduil didn’t answer him. He wanted to show them the bracelet but he also wanted to show them that magic was real. While they walked Alicia commented that Elunduil seemed somber. “Huh? It’s nothing,” he said in response. The vision from the other day still weighed on him but he didn’t want to tell the others about it. A few minutes later they reached the entrance to the wetlands.

  They took the path in and Elunduil led them to the secluded spot he had been at the previous day. “Okay so we’re here. What’s the big reveal?” Tanis asked nonchalantly. Without a word Elunduil pulled out the bracelet that Cerra had made for him from his pocket and held i
t up. It took the others several moments but eventually they recognized the bracelet. “Whoa! Wait isn’t this-” Tanis had a look of shock on his face. “-the bracelet Cerra gave you?!” Tim voiced his agreement. “Yeah, well it’s a little crazier than that,” Elunduil said and with his free hand he conjured a flame. The others were surprised and Tanis looked around Elunduil trying to find some sort of device that could make fire. Tim was the only one who didn’t seem as genuinely surprised as the rest.

  Elunduil let the fire fade and fired a wave of cold ice at a nearby bush. The bush froze solid and Tanis rushed over and kicked it. Small fragments of ice broke off the bush and some of the leaves snapped in two. “Wait a minute I’m going to try it to!” Tanis shouted. He held his hands to the side and took a deep breath. In a moment he felt his connection to The Light and wondered what he should do. He decided to harass the bush some more and thrust his hands forward. “Light, arise!” he called out. A cloud of holy energy billowed forth and shook the bush but otherwise didn’t do anything. Tanis found himself panting and frowned. “Are we weaker on Earth?” he asked and turned to Elunduil who shrugged. “It does seem like I get exhausted quicker too so I guess it’s just harder to use magic here,” he replied.

  Tanis nodded and turned to Alicia and Felras. “Welp! You guys are next!” Alicia looked a bit apprehensive. “Uh… I’m not really as strong as you guys,” she said meekly. Tanis thought for a moment. “Well if I can do you it you can! Come on give it a try!” There was brief look of realization on Alicia’s face and she nodded and turned to the bush. She held up a hand and a ball of water appeared there and she shot it at the bush. It splashed against the bush and she found herself panting lightly. “This does feel a lot harder than on Meridias,” she commented. Felras was next and conjured a small flame about the size of his palm. They then turned to Tim who hadn’t said anything. “What? I can’t really do anything besides enchanting without my staff,” he said somewhat miffed.

  Elunduil nodded. He’d forgotten about that in the heat of the moment. The group spent some time discussing the gravity of the situation and they all agreed to speak with Mr. Elden directly. The group headed out, albeit at a slightly slower pace due to being drained from using magic on Earth. Elunduil wondered if it had something to do with the air, or maybe that on Earth there was a distinct lack of anything magical. Whatever the case he was sure Mr. Elden would be able to answer them… or Scott. Both of them were bound to be in on it.

  The group arrived at the VR center nearly an hour later ready to confront Mr. Elden or Scott Howard but to their surprise neither of them were manning the counter. Instead they saw Maria sitting behind the counter. “What are you doing here?” Tim asked slightly bemused. Maria’s eyes darted about. She noticed that Elunduil didn’t look directly at her like the others. “Er, well I’ve been working here part time for a while and Mr. Elden lets me use the VR rooms for free,” she explained. She seemed embarrassed to be seen by the group behind the counter. “Do you know where Mr. Elden or Scott are right now?” Tanis asked. Maria shook her head. “Mr. Elden left the center about half an hour ago with Scott. They said they’d be gone for a couple of hours or so. Why?” Elunduil and the others glanced at one another. They didn’t want to tell Maria that everything was real yet. “We just wanted to ask one of them about something. Anyway I guess we might as well go to Meridias,” Tim said. Maria nodded and tapped at her computer for the portal to activate.

  The group stepped through the portal and appeared in Meridias. They grabbed an APL device and decided to head to Ellicia and speak with Cerra or Angurvadel. As the group head towards the door Elunduil noticed a woman whose brown hair was in a ponytail. She appeared to be giving orders to a pair of knights who saluted and went off to complete their assigned task. As the women turned and walked past him Elunduil realized that he recognized her. It was the same person that had been onto himself and Tim back when they’d infiltrated Ragnarok as well as the one who had unlocked the door for him to face the Leader! If anyone had the answers it would be her! He took off after her and followed her towards the elevator on the far side of the Terminus. He wasn’t exactly sure what to say or how to call to the women but she stopped and turned about as she reached the elevator.

  She didn’t speak at first and looked over Elunduil. There was a glimmer of recognition in her brown eyes that vanished as soon as it appeared. “Is there a reason you’re following me?” she asked curtly. Elunduil looked to the side. “I-er well…” His voice trailed off. “You helped me back then didn’t you?” he asked. The women nodded. “Why?” Her eyes narrowed. She turned back to the elevator and put her palm on the panel nearby that scanned her hand. The doors slid open. “It was the best course of action,” she said and stepped into the elevator. “Elunduil is it?” she asked and Elunduil nodded. “My name is Melony. I am one of the three supervisors of Ragnarok. If you want to know why I helped you then come with me.” She beckoned to Elunduil. He hesitated for a moment then stepped into the elevator and the doors closed. Meanwhile his friends were looking around wondering where he’d run off to.

  The elevator rose silently up until it reached the 13th floor. Melony stepped out and Elunduil quietly followed her down the hall. He saw a reception area up ahead and another door. He paused when they reached the intersection and looked to his left. The way up to the weapon had been here. Melony called out to him and he snapped out of his reverie and followed her. When they reached the reception area he saw a couple of long seats covered with a red cloth on both sides of the wall. There was a desk ahead where a man was currently sitting. He nodded to Melony and with a press of a button the door ahead slid apart and permitted them entry.

  Elunduil followed Melony into the office and the door closed behind them. He gazed around and saw a large round desk in the middle of the room and a broad window that gave them a good view of Ellicia and the surrounding forest. He walked up to the window and looked down below. He wondered if his friends were down there searching for him. He felt a slight shiver as he recalled falling down from the top of the tower before with Ark. A dull sense of pain rose up in his chest at the thought of the silver warrior and he turned away from the view.

  Melony, who had been watching, walked over to another part of the window. “Our former Leader often looked at the view,” she said. “I wonder what things he thought when he stood here? Perhaps the view made him feel powerful? Do you feel that way?” Elunduil shook his head to the question. He didn’t really feel anything about looking down on the world. “Did he have a name?” Elunduil asked somberly. Melony considered her answer for a moment before speaking. “Yes, it was Alex Jericho. He was a brilliant man.” She felt that since Elunduil had defeated him that he at least had a right to know his name.

  Elunduil nodded. It was the same name he’d heard in the legend the knight had told him on his first day back on Meridias. He thought about the man he had defeated. He’d grasped magic fast. If he had lived he probably would’ve surpassed Elunduil’s own skill long ago. He also thought about the other knights he’d defeated beforehand. He hadn’t had much of a chance to process everything back then but thinking about it he’d ended the life of nearly half a dozen people. No wonder the one knight that had escaped his firewall flower had fled. “This world is real isn’t it?” he asked and turned his gaze towards Melony. “Why wouldn’t this world be real?” she replied.

  “I was able to use magic on Earth and so did my friends.” There was a pause before Melony replied. “The reason I brought you here was to fulfill a mission. If you choose-”

  “I have the bracelet Cerra made me on Earth. If this was a game it wouldn’t be there,” Elunduil said cutting her off. Melony sighed heavily and walked towards the desk. This was an unexpected development. She would have to inform Jeremy Elden. “Fine. There was no mission. I merely wanted to see how you acted.” She brushed a loose strand of hair aside and turned back to Elunduil. “Jeremy Elden planned to reveal the truth soon. This was all part of his plan t
o expose General Titus Leviticus’ evil to the world.” Elunduil was intrigued. She told him that around five years ago Jeremey Elden and Scott Howard sabotaged the portal machine the General had made and deleted the blue prints leaving her and the other knights stranded in this world. They had first entered this world around six years ago though most of that time had been spent establishing a camp in the desert and scouting.

  General Titus’ end goal was to gain enough power through whatever means necessary to overthrow the current government and eventually the world. “It seems as if he means to create some kind of utopia free from war and bloodshed. His methods however… well let’s say that he will do whatever it takes to realize his dream.” Melony shook her head in disgust and continued her story. Jeremy Elden’s plan, now that the knights stood with him, was to expose as many people as possible to the marvels of this world by calling it a virtual game. He would then reveal the truth of the world as well as The General’s intent to seize magic from the elves by force. He hoped the public dissent and the evidence that he and Scott Howard had managed to gather would be enough to remove The General from his position. “Anyway that is what’s happening. I would ask that you keep the plan to yourself for now. You may confirm to your friends about this world being real. Though I believe Jeremy Elden has a surprise for you all.”

  Melony took Elunduil back down to the main lobby afterwards. He wasn’t sure how he felt about the woman but it seemed as if she didn’t have any ill will towards him. “You never told me why you helped me,” he said suddenly remembering their original topic. Melony smiled wanly. “I had hoped that you would be the one to stop Alex and free him from his torment,” she replied and walked away. Elunduil nodded and felt a weight in his chest. Alex Jericho’s desire to bring about General Titus’ utopia wasn’t all dissimilar from his desire to save everyone.