Meridias

  Elunduil looked over the machine. It was crazy to think that there’d be hundreds of people exploring Meridias soon. “What about other worlds?” he asked. Mr. Elden frowned and shook his head. “Unfortunately no. It seems that there is some phenomenon that links the two worlds together which is what allows us to go between them. We have yet to get the machine to open a path to another world.” Mr. Elden’s explanation was somewhat disheartening. It was probably for the better that they weren’t able to go to anywhere though. Who knows what hostile lifeforms were out there in the universe?

  Mr. Elden started talking about the more technical details of how the machine worked. Much of it was over Elunduil’s head and he had a hard time following the discussion. While they were talking there was a group of four people on the outside of the warehouse. They wore body armor and sported assault rifles. They were currently hacking the outside door panel and disabling the silent alarm. The door opened and they rushed inside the building as quickly and silently as they could. The man in the lead signaled to the others and they split off and searched the warehouse. They didn’t find anything of note except another locked door. A man came forward and with his tools he hacked into the panel. After a couple of minutes the lock disabled and they were able to go open the door. They counted to three and then breached the door much to Mr. Elden’s surprise.

  Cerra is already facing the men as she had heard the lock disable. She pushes Mr. Elden and Elunduil to the ground as the men fire at them. Cerra gets hit in the side and goes down with a cry of pain. Elunduil feels the world slow down as his heart pounds in his chest. It thumps deeply, slowly, and the only thing in his mind is Cerra’s crumpled form and the blood dripping from her side. He stands up slowly and the men advancing hold their fire. They don’t seem afraid of him, but they soon would be. A red-hot rage radiates in his chest. He doesn’t know how hurt Cerra is, he doesn’t even know if she is alive at the moment. His mind is going red as the fire within him burns hotter.

  What do you want to do to them? A voice asks him. He wants to destroy them. He wants them to disappear. He will tear the building asunder if he has to. He reaches into his reservoir of magic and prepares to cast a spell, but something gives him pause. He remembers the feeling of desperation and anger he had in the vision where he’d failed to save anyone. He remembers his desire. He will destroy if he must, but first he will save the people he’s failed before. He doesn’t care how long it would take, or what he has to do to accomplish his desire. If he has to find a way to travel through time or to jump to different timelines then he will! Even if he forgets everything and the world goes to hell he will still go forward. The words the elves had told him before they’d gone to stop the laser cannon in Ragnarok echoed in his mind. He will keep moving forward until his body crumbles to dust.

  He thinks back to the dream where he’d learned about fire. He hadn’t understood what passion was back then, but in this moment something clicks. Passion compels him to get up in the morning and strive towards his ideal. Passion is about enthusiastically doing something because it brings meaning to his world. His desire to save people is a compulsion that drives him. It is almost like an instinct that he follows… much like his latent desire to see everything in the world break away. However saving people is something that is always in his dreams. He realizes that his destructive drive was something that is simply there. He desires an end, yes, but he also believes in the ideology of saving everyone. No, he will save them!

  Elunduil feels a change in his magic. It is a subtle shift like that of a river whose flow has worn a new path over millennia. He feels like he finally understands fire and he will use this revelation to save them! He doesn’t raise a hand nor does he incant the name of his spell. He simply thinks and gives his magic form. A brilliant eruption of blue flame engulfs the armed men who have been slowly advancing on him. Its beautiful azure flames have three layers of petals that roar and undulate as they trap the armed men within. It looks like a rose and the flame is so intense that the very ground it rises up from melts away. It is a Firewall Flower.

  Elunduil is surprised. He has a strong feeling that he’s never used this Firewall Flower before. The one he’s been using until now feels like it is an incomplete version of this magic and this azure flower is its true form. He feels like he wants to cry. He feels he’s reached some sort of new pinnacle that he’s been trying to reach for a very long time. He shakes his head. He cannot maintain this spell indefinitely. He doesn’t feel as strained as the other times he’s used magic on Earth but he still has limits. He also can’t close the flower up since that will kill the people inside. He doesn’t want to see anyone else die.

  He looks over to Mr. Elden who looks panicked and shocked. He realized the men hadn’t shot at him because he was their target. The General is making his move first. “Take her and get out of here!” he says. The other man turns slowly to him.

  “I-but I can’t just leave you! You’re the one they want!” he stammers. Elunduil looks back to the azure flames. “… I can’t hold this all day, and the flames will only last if I’m maintaining it.” He looks to Cerra. Now that he is calmer he can see that she is breathing. He feels a surge of relief. “You need to expose The General!” Mr. Elden’s senses seem to return. He nods tersely and carefully goes to Cerra and pulls her up. “Burn this place down if you can!” he says tensely. Elunduil nods as Mr. Elden leaves with Cerra.

  He turns his attention back to the flame and holds up a hand. He doesn’t have much time left. He hears a door open far behind him. They were out of the room. He wishes he is strong enough to hold for a little longer but he is at his limit. He claps his hands together and quickly parts them like he is making an explosion with his hands. The azure flames burst and make a sonorous roar as the fire sears through the room and burns through everything it touches. Elunduil’s final act is to raise a hand and the remaining fire attaches to the walls and ignites the flammable material within them. He falls to his knees as the smoke begins to rise up.

  The armed men cautiously approached him and when he offered no resistance one of them clasped cuffs around his wrists. He was roughly brought to his feet and they pulled at him to get him moving. He complied and slowly trotted along. He looked at the damage he’d caused. The portal machine in the open crate had been heavily damaged and the ground and walls of the room dripped molten metal.

  They eventually made it outside and the armed men brought him to a sleek black car. One of the men opened the door and he was ushered inside. To his surprise the interior was rather lavish and the seat was quite comfortable. I almost feel like they’re rolling out the red carpet. He thought dryly. It wasn’t a red carpet he wanted to walk but he had no choice. Two of the men sat down on either side of him and the other two took the driver and passenger seat in the front. “No funny business kid.” A gruff voice said from the front. He started the car and they began to drive away from the warehouse. The man in the passenger seat held up a hand to his head. “The lion is secure. We are en route to the post office,” he said. A couple of moments passed and Elunduil assumed someone on the other end responded. “Negative. Rhino is still in the wild.” Another couple of moments passed. “Roger! Lemming out!”

  Elunduil almost snorted at the man’s codename and then spared a glance towards the warehouse as the car sped away. A sizable fire rose out of the side of the building and heavy smoke clouded the afternoon air. He wondered if Mr. Elden and Cerra were speeding away right now. The men in the car were silent and seemed like they wouldn’t converse with him unless necessary. He wasn’t in the mood to talk anyway. If Mr. Elden was right then he may finally end up seeing Joel again. The thought took away a bit of his dark mood, and then he remembered his friend’s crazy tendencies. He of all people should not learn to use magic. He thought and leaned back in his seat briefly before exhaustion caused his eyes to close.

  Chapter 23

  The Flower Man and The Mage Reunite

  Alicia was in the kitchen
drinking a glass of apple juice. She’d been surprised earlier when Felras had showed up alone at the wetlands and told them that Mr. Elden was taking Elunduil somewhere. They heard that Cerra was here on Earth as well and Alicia hoped that she’d get to meet the elf later. They’d tried to train but the results were about the same as before. They were exhausted after only a couple of spells and spent nearly half an hour recuperating enough to be able to try again. It was a bit disheartening, but Tim said it was to be expected. It had taken them nearly a month in Meridias to reach where they were now, so they couldn’t expect the same results after only a couple of days on Earth.

  They’d decided that it would be better to keep working on their magic in Meridias so that they could actually practice on Earth and parted ways for the day. Now Alicia was focusing on recovering. She wondered if she could convince Mr. Elden to tell her the recipe for his purple juice since it seemed to do wonders for exhaustion. She finished off the apple juice and rinsed the glass in the sink. As she put the glass down she heard a frantic knocking at her door. Alicia was wary since she was by herself and went to see who was knocking. She peered through the peephole and was shocked to Mr. Elden standing there with Cerra draped over his shoulder.

  She sensed something was off and quickly unlocked the door to let them in. “Thank goodness you’re home!” Mr. Elden said frantically as he carried Cerra through the threshold. Alicia’s blood went cold when she saw the blood stain on Cerra’s lower chest. “What happened?” Alicia asked as she locked and closed the door behind him. Mr. Elden didn’t answer at first and took Cerra toward the living room. “I need your help! Close the blinds!” he said. Alicia did as she was told. Mr. Elden was about to lower Cerra to the ground but Alicia stopped him. “Wait! We’ll stain the floor! Take her into the kitchen and I’ll find a towel she can lay on!” Mr. Elden nodded and Alicia rushed out of the room and to the nearest bathroom.

  She returned with several towels and placed them on the floor. Mr. Elden then lowered Cerra onto the makeshift bed and turned to Alicia. “I know this may be asking the impossible, but can you heal her? At the very least we need to stop the bleeding!” Alicia nodded and kneeled down next to Cerra. “What happened?” she asked quietly. Mr. Elden explained that she’d been shot by The General’s men who were after Elunduil. Alicia nodded as she closed her eyes and went into a trance to see how extensive the wound was. The bullet had pierced through Cerra’s stomach and was stuck on the other side. Alicia frowned. Even on Meridias she couldn’t heal this kind of wound. At least not in one go.

  “I’m… not sure if I can take it out. I’m still worn from out using magic earlier and the wound is pretty deep.” She bit her lip in frustration.

  “I understand. Then use my energy too! Surely the two us can do something!” Alicia saw determination in Mr. Elden’s panicked eyes. How could she say no? She nodded and they went to work. Mr. Elden put a hand on her shoulder and channeled his energy to Alicia while she put a hand over Cerra’s wound and slowly began to remove the bullet. She heard the door open in the distance but ignored it. She couldn’t afford to be distracted now! She heard footsteps walking towards the kitchen as she slowly pulled the bullet back through the wound. The footsteps suddenly stopped as a middle-aged man stared gawking at the scene before him. “What the heck is going on?” Alicia’s dad asked in shock. “Who are these people? Alicia say something!”

  Alicia felt a tinge of annoyance. “Dad… shut… up!” she managed to say without breaking her concentration. Her dad seemed to understand the seriousness in the atmosphere and went quiet. The bullet reared its head from the wound and Alicia quickly snatched it pulled it the rest of the way out. She tossed it onto the towels then put her hand back over Cerra’s wound. She took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t heal the wound, so the only thing she could do was to stop the bleeding. A faint green light appeared from Alicia’s hands as she worked to clot the blood. Her only concern was the hole in Cerra’s stomach. She’d have to try and make the tissue grow back.

  After a few minutes the light in Alicia’s hand faded and her hand drooped by her side. “That’s all I can do for right now,” she said wearily. “There’s still a hole in her stomach but I stopped the bleeding.” Mr. Elden breathed a sigh of relief and shakily stood up. Alicia’s dad looked like he didn’t understand what had happened and looked at the two. “Alicia what’s going on? How did you take the bullet out and what was that light?” he asked in a concerned voice. Alicia looked up to Mr. Elden who briefly explained the situation to her dad.

  There was a look of disbelief on her dad’s face as he paced back in forth and tried to take the situation in. “I’ll, uh grab some bandages,” Alicia said and went off to find the first aid kit. Her dad paced a bit more and then gestured with his hand. “Okay so there’s a whole other world that Alicia’s been going to this past month where she learned how to use magic. If I hadn’t seen that bullet getting taken out I would’ve thought you were a nutjob. Well I’m not convinced that you’re not but at least you appear to have no bad intentions.” Alicia’s dad came to a stop and turned toward Mr. Elden. “My name is Greg. Greg Terria. I’m Alicia’s father and well, it seems the two of you are well acquainted so…” he trailed off and shrugged.

  “Jeremy Elden. This elf here is Cerra and she is my daughter. Well adopted daughter at any rate but it still counts right?” His question caused Greg to chuckle. He held up a hand to Mr. Elden who was about to shake it but he noticed blood on his hand and hesitated. To his surprise the other man reached forward and gave him a firm shake. He then turned to the sink and washed his hands. “You have a firm grip. I think we’ll get along,” he said nonchalantly. Mr. Elden chuckled. “So Mr. Terria, you wouldn’t have happened to have had a son in the military would you?” he asked. Greg’s hands paused mid-motion. He resumed washing them a moment later but the tone of his voice was melancholy. “Yeah? Why did you know him?” he asked. Mr. Elden shook his head.

  “Regrettably, no. I heard his name spoken of often at the base I was stationed at several years ago.” Mr. Terria nodded his head and the discussion tapered off.

  Alicia returned with the bandages and Mr. Elden helped her wrap up Cerra’s wound. They then carefully moved her onto one of the couches in the living room before Mr. Elden told Alicia and her father that he needed to meet with Scott at the VR center. “What about Elunduil?” Alicia asked. Mr. Elden’s brows knotted together. “Given the situation using our data to expose The General is our best hope. If you could keep an eye on the news about a warehouse fire I would appreciate knowing what happened.” Alicia nodded and Mr. Elden left the house.

  He took his old white car and drove to the VR center on the other side of town. He kept his eyes peeled for anyone that looked like they were following him. He sighed. He would’ve ditched this vehicle but time was of the essence. As he came up to the lot the VR center was located he saw a couple of men loitering around outside. They were dressed in normal street clothes but something about them seemed off. They looked too alert, almost as if they were standing guard. Mr. Elden looked around as he drove past. He saw a black car with tinted windows pull out behind him from the fast food restaurant. He drove as casually as he could and decided to drive through the residential area. The black car followed him moments later. Mr. Elden gritted his teeth and quickly snaked his way through the neighborhood.

  He took as many turns as he could and then went back out the street he came through. As he turned back onto the road he glanced at his rearview mirror to make sure he’d lost his tail. He took a more indirect route back to Alicia’s home by dipping in and out of the residential area’s until at last he arrived back at her house. He didn’t step out of the car right away and instead waited several minutes to see if he was followed. After he was satisfied that the coast was clear he got out of the car and entered Alicia’s home.

  Alicia came running up to him as he entered the house and gave him a meaningful glance to which he shook his head. “The General see
ms to be taking a more open stance. His men were waiting for me to come. I don’t think they’ll enter the center itself but Scott can’t escape from there either.” He sighed and pulled out a small device that resembled a pager. Alicia asked him what it was and he chuckled. “It’s a very limited communication device. I can send a simple message to Scott to warn him of the situation. Thankfully I won’t be using words so even if The General’s men intercept it they won’t be able to make heads of it.”

  Mr. Elden went to check on Cerra’s condition. Alicia said that she could try to heal Cerra again after dinner and he thanked her. She also mentioned that there was news of a warehouse fire but there weren’t any details about what happened. There was mention of the FBI cordoning the area. “I see, so it wasn’t destroyed. This means The General now has a number of portal machines in his possession. The situation is getting worse.” He sounded frustrated and at a loss.

  “What about… the portal by the mountain?” Alicia pointed out. Mr. Elden looked like he’d been struck by lightning. “Yes! Of course! I’d forgotten about that facility in my panic! If we use that then we could get Scott and the data!” He looked excited for a moment. “Still General Titus is bound to send men to those associated with Elunduil sooner or later. Cerra isn’t in any condition to be jostled about either.” His face became crestfallen.

  “We should bring everyone here then!” Alicia suggested. Mr. Elden was about to disagree with her but then he realized what she was getting at. If The General already knew about them then he could grab them at any time. “I shall call them tomorrow. It’s getting too late to do anything else for today,” he replied with a simple smile. He took out his odd communication device. He should at least warn Tim.