A Fantasy Story Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

The Terrifyingly Exciting Unknown

            The sun rise is most beautiful this morning as I look out over the vast ocean from the second floor balcony of the blue temple. Van had stayed the night there under Peter’s care in a different room from Aurora just like Merry wanted. I knew that there wasn’t much that I could do get on her good side, that Merry, but I still felt that I should at least try to show her that I mean them well. Suddenly I felt a pinching sensation in my chest as I heard soft footsteps walking towards me. When I turned around I saw Aurora standing there as if I caught her stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

“Mornin” I said turning back to look over the ocean again.

“Good morning, how are you doing today?”

“I’m actually doing alright right now. Nothing is trying to kill me, I ain’t hungry no more and with a scene like this to look at, it’s really hard to think of anything wrong”

Aurora giggles as she looks out at the same ocean as Van “Yeah, you’re right. I guess I never really thought of it like that before. It’s nice”

            Aurora and I took a moment to watch the sun slowly rise, lighting up more and more of the clear blue water which reflected the clouds almost perfectly. A cool refreshing breeze blew towards us rustling the long grass and nearby trees. I couldn’t help but to feel that I should try and make some sort of conversation with Aurora and figure out more about this world, but where do I even start? Not to mention there’s that whole thing where I’m from another dimension, for all these people know, I’m from Dynasty and just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

 “Figures that I’d be the one person drafted into the wrong place wrong time slot, I might as well be head of the fan club after all I’ve been through” Van thought to himself, under his breath.

            Just as I was about to attempt to ask a question Aurora asked me one first! Startling me.

“Where do you come from?” She bluntly asked me.

“Wha-what do you mean?” Van nervously replies.

“I can tell you know. I can tell what some ones stats are by their aura. I can tell how fast, strong, and intelligent they are. You, on the other hand, are a clouded mystery. There is a weak aura shell but deep down there is a far stronger spirit, almost as if there is something blocking your strengths. I’ve been able to use this technique all my life and I’ve seen many people before, but you are the only one where I can’t see who you truly are. So? Where do you come from?”

            I stood there awe struck that there is someone who is this awesome addressing me in person and calling me out on my secrets. Interrogating me like a military force would to an alien life form. She got me; I had no other choice now as I couldn’t think of a lie cleaver enough for her. Van took a deep breath as his head hung down in defeat.

“Earth; I’m from Earth”

“Earth? I’ve never heard of a place called Earth. How many people live in Earth?”

Van chuckled “Well I don’t know for sure but it’s about six billion with one hundred and ninety six countries in the Milky Way galaxy. In short Earth is just another planet.”

            Then Van waited for the Dynasty shaking scream with his fingers stuck in his ears for protection. Due to Aurora’s technique, she saw that his words were true and became confused at first which then was turned into hysteria and finally loud noises. They only lasted for a short while as Aurora tried to process the information that Van told her and then, after she had stopped shouting, she decided to try asking a question.

“So you’re here now, what are you doing? What are you going to do?”

            Her question was really good and I had to take a moment to figure out just exactly what I was doing. I thought about how I got here in the first place, the people I left behind and the people I’ve meet. Kat told me that I could be a hero and Peter told me that I am a chosen person that is supposed to help Dynasty out of its darkness. Now that I sort through my thoughts I’ve come to see that I have no idea what I’m doing here.

“Honestly? I have no idea what I’m doing here. I sort of stumbled into this world by accident and so far I have been trying not to die. I guess I’ve been trying to find a way back home since I got here”

“Oh I’m so sorry about that. Perhaps-“

“Aurora, are you up here!?” Another voice said from the stairs. It was Dominick rushing up to see what she had been screaming about.

“Oh Dominick, yes I’m fine. I was just startled was all”

“Did he do something to you?” Dominick said giving Van a stern look.

“No! I swear I didn’t do anything that would make you stab me with this Halberd!” Van said as Dominick held his weapon to his neck.

“You better not have”

            Thankfully Aurora stepped in and saved me with a cheery smile.

“That’s enough Dominick, be nice. We were just talking, there’s nothing to worry about. Let’s go” She said leading Dominick back down stairs by the arm. I could have sworn that she gave me a wink as they left as to say “don’t you worry, I’ll keep him in line”. Thank goodness.

            I thought a change in scenery would be nice and decided to walk outside on the main road the village had. The locals seemed nice enough as I walked about the grounds looking for answers I didn’t have yet.

“Perhaps someone will be able to give me a clue to what I’ll do next here” I thought to myself as I passed a rug vender.

            Van was hoping to find something new to obtain to his inventory such as clothing or an accessory. There were many things that he could have gotten, from rings to hats and shoes but at the last vender, there was nothing that appealed to him.

“Hey! You find something good, ya?” Ace said walking up to Van.

“Oh hey Ace. No, not really. There’s nothing that I really wanted to get, and no answers”

“Answers?” Ace asked concerned.

“Yeah. Earlier today I was asked “what am I doing here” and I haven’t really been able to think of an answer. I was kinda hoping that I’d find something here to give me a clue to what I should do next but… I can’t find anything to help me out”

            Note: Time and time again, when Van is conflicted as to what he needs to do, he would look around in his room in hopes he’d find a clue to what he should do. It could be a text book that he had left on his bed for a test or even a quarter on his dresser for a school spirit day. Other times he has even used a field of wheat to remind him to cut the grass and another he used a bicycle that made him remember to go to volleyball practice the next day, though it was strange to find a bicycle in a bathtub. Van was now looking for any sort of trinket or house hold item that would convince him to move on.

“If that’s the case then you should join us to Auron Flux. Maybe there you’ll find what to do, ya?” Ace explained enthusiastically.

“Auron Flux? What’s that?”

“What do you mean? It’s the biggest city in Dynasty, how can you even ask that?”

“Oh yeah! Right” Van replied with a nervous chortle.

“Making more promises again Ace?” Merry asked Ace in a spine chilling tone. “Let me make something clear to you, if I find you on the same boat as Aurora and I then I will toss you off the side and hold you down until the sharks come”

            I could only nod yes to Merrys ultimatum as she drug Ace away, back to his house. I stood frozen in place, too afraid to make a move as if the hand of death holding a rattle snake slightly nudged my tail bone.

“How the hell am I supposed to pass up on a challenge this good? But what did she mean boat? What Boat?!”

            Later that same day Van over herd some people talking about the fair well they were going to throw for Aurora and her protectors as they leave on a boat from the docks located on the beach Van originally washed up on. There was a moment of time when all of the locals were gathering in the center of town where Van could have easily sneak away and find the boat everyone was going to take, however he decided to wait and see what everyone was fussing over. He heard them talking about a summoning demonstration before she left for the boat and Van couldn’t help but to stick around to watch just what that meant. In a nearby tree I waited to see what Aurora’s summoning ability would look like. Soon enough she walked out of the Blue Temple and into the circle the people had made in the dirt. Everyone seemed to have held their breath as they watched her preform the ritual, which looked like a precise dance that drew a symbol on the ground that glowed a fiery red. Then, after the dance was finished, the ground crumbled away and from the smoky embers rose a giant lion with huge paws and a wild mane that seemed to have flames in it. Aurora seemed to be dwarfed by comparison in size but when she approached the lion, it seemed to be soothed by her presence and acted like a house cat would.

“Amazing” Van thought to himself in the cover of the tree. “But now is as good as time as any to make my escape to the boat before Merry sees me and destroys my soul”

            During the distraction, Aurora made, Van swung through the trees as if trained by ninjas to the boat that everyone else was scheduled to ride. With the other crew members loading up the supplies, Van casually boarded the boat and decided to scout out an excellent hiding spot where Merry won’t be able to see him. The boat itself was fairly large and resembled a Nao Ship from the fifteenth century. A large wooden ship with multiple levels and a large deck for loading and unloading large crates and other products.

            Noise from the crowd of people that accompanied Aurora and her protectors alerted me that I didn’t have much time to find a hiding spot. I quickly ran around the depths of the ship, in and out of various rooms hoping to find and awesome place, but there wasn’t any place that seemed to be any good for a long period of time.

“I’ll have to stay on the move if I want to keep hidden. If only I had an invisible cloak or something”

            Suddenly, Van heard footsteps walking towards him which caused him to dance in a panic and take refuge in a metal locker.

“I didn’t dance! I just ran around a little bit”

The locker was small to fit his broad shoulders inside, but as the footsteps entered the room, Van managed to enter and close the door quietly. I tried to keep my cool as I hoped for all that was sacred that whoever was inside the room wasn’t Merry and that she didn’t see me. Just then, I remembered about reading about a technique that involved bending light within your aura causing you to become transparent. Suddenly, the door opened up and I saw woman peer into the locker, looking for something that I didn’t know.

“Huh? The mop isn’t in here. Perhaps it’s already on deck” She said as if she couldn’t even see Van crammed inside the supply locker.

            Van exited the locker confused and took a moment to try and comprehend what just happened.

“Was finding strangers in lockers that common that no one cares? Did she personally just not care? Could she just not see me?” I asked myself as I pondered around the room.  Then Van noticed a small mirror on the wall and out of curiosity, he approached it. I focused just like I had done in the locker to make myself invisible, and then I saw what that lady saw. Van turned entirely invisible right before his existence. It was there and then that I realized that not only was I getting stronger from drinking that Magika serum, but my natural ability’s as a human being are starting to become second nature to me every day.

“This is Awesome!”

            My celebration was cut short as I felt Merrys presence coming forth from down the hall. I could recognize the icy chill in the air anywhere and that was my clue to get the hell out of there and hide in a better spot. For some reason I could feel that even though I could give the illusion of invisibility, that she would be the one person that would see right through my disguise.

“Here’s to hopein’ that I can hide long enough from her”